Disturbing the Peace

Disturbing the Peace
Words of Faith 11-22-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 Samuel 22:11-23
[11] Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelech son of Ahitub and his father's whole family, who were the priests at Nob, and they all came to the king. [12] Saul said, "Listen now, son of Ahitub." "Yes, my lord," he answered. [13] Saul said to him, "Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he has rebelled against me and lies in wait for me, as he does today?" [14] Ahimelech answered the king, "Who of all your servants is as loyal as David, the king's son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard, and highly respected in your household? [15] Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of his father's family, for your servant knows nothing at all about this whole affair." [16] But the king said, "You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and your father's whole family." [17] Then the king ordered the guards at his side: "Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me." But the king's officials were not willing to raise a hand to strike the priests of the LORD. [18] The king then ordered Doeg, "You turn and strike down the priests." So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down. That day, he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. [19] He also put to the sword Nob, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys, and sheep. [20] But Abiathar, a son of Ahimelech son of Ahitub, escaped and fled to join David. [21] He told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD. [22] Then David said to Abiathar: "That day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, I knew he would be sure to tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of your father's whole family. [23] Stay with me; don't be afraid; the man who is seeking your life is seeking mine also. You will be safe with me."

Saul called Ahimelech, the priest, and all the priests of Nob to stand before him. He questioned Ahimelech about his part in aiding and protecting the fugitive David. Why did he give bread to David and supply the hidden sword of Goliath to him? Surely, Ahimelech realized the great danger of this situation. But rather than fabricating some lack of knowledge, he spoke truth to the king.
Who of all your servants is as loyal as David, the king's son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard, and highly respected in your household? Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of his father's family, for your servant knows nothing about this whole affair.
It was a brave thing to do, but everyone knew that David was nothing but loyal to the king. There was no reason to have denied David's aid. Yet in his paranoia, Saul concluded that Ahimelech and the other priests were conspirators against him. After listening to their self-defense, he ordered them slain. It was an order so wretched that none of the king's officials would have anything to do with such a heinous act. Only Doeg the Edomite was willing to carry out the slaughter. He killed the 85 priests of Nob together with their families and livestock.
Such a slaughter of innocents reminds us of the way that the coming of God's anointed deeply disturbs those who are in rebellion against God. We see the same thing in the story of Christ and His coming. When word came to another ruler named Herod, the Bible says that he was disturbed and all Jerusalem with him. Herod was also a paranoid and worldly king. He conspired to find the Christ child through deception so that he might kill him. When he failed in that attempt, he ordered the slaughter of the innocent children in Bethlehem less than two years of age (Matthew 2).
The Prophet Jeremiah spoke of the sorrow that would precede the coming of Christ-- "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted because they are no more" (Matthew 2:17-18). The victory of the coming peace of Christ is only birthed with great sorrow.
The truth is that the arrival of Truth will always disturb the powers and principalities of this dark age. The Light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. The coming of the Prince of Peace is never without great disturbance.
But here is the Good News-- Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God (John 1:5,11-13).

Lord God, help me welcome the coming of Your Anointed One into my life, home and world. Comfort me in the disturbance that comes with the arrival of Truth. I receive the coming of Jesus; receive me as one of your children. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.