Prince of Peace

Prince of Peace
Words of Faith 11-21-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 Samuel 22:6-10
[6] Now Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. And Saul, spear in hand, was seated under the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, with all his officials standing around him. [7] Saul said to them, "Listen, men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? [8] Is that why you have all conspired against me? No one tells me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is concerned about me or tells me that my son has incited my servant to lie in wait for me, as he does today." [9] But Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul's officials, said, "I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech, son of Ahitub at Nob. [10] Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him; he also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine."

Few things are worse than a paranoid tyrant. Saul was descending into his own hellish madness. It is difficult to imagine that this was the same young man who had been admired by so many and anointed to lead the nation. Now, he sat under a tree with a spear in hand as if he trusted no one and the world.
As soon as Saul learned about David's return to Judah, he began to blast his followers for failing to communicate all they knew about David's activities. He ranted about why he had not been informed of David's close relationship with Jonathan. Saul saw nothing but conspiracy in all of this. He could not see his own failures or the outbursts that drove his own son away from him. Everyone was against him in his mind.
Those who surrounded Saul could see his descent into madness. Only the spy named Doeg the Edomite spoke up. Remember him? He was the one who saw how the priest at Nob had assisted David in his need. He reported that provisions were given to David along with the weapon of Goliath.
This was about to become an even sadder scene. So, what do we gain devotionally from a text like this?
The most important truth here is to realize the desperate need for a Savior. Human kings and governments fail. "Human sovereigns" do not offer a good plan of government. This all began with the people's demand to have a king-- a form of government like the nearby nations had. It was a choice to be worldly, and this was the result. Humans are far too frail and corruptible to be made "sovereign" over other people.
The truth is that even the most "benevolent" dictator is still a dictator and is still human-- given to error and selfishness. It is said that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is not true. God is all powerful, and He is in no way corrupt. Power itself does not corrupt at all. The problem is sin. Where there is a sinful, fallen nature, selfishness will reign unless a leader is totally surrendered to the Lord.
The point here is not political. This passage is not a political treatise; it is a theological one. What we see here is not the failure of government; it is the failure of man. The sin nature is pervasive. A Savior was needed desperately in the time of Saul. God was designing that. The Savior would come through the line of David. David would not be a savior king. He would have his own particular failures. But the Savior was coming. He would be born in Bethlehem.
The Prophet Isaiah would foretell His coming-- For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

Father God, in the face of all the failings of humans and their governments, remind me of the hope You alone offer. Remind me of the hope that was born in Bethlehem. Remind of the Good News of Salvation that is in Christ alone. 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.