No One ... But God

NO ONE...BUT GOD

Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
(Psalm 37:5 KJV).

“...and (thou) shalt remain by the stone Ezel” (1 Samuel 20:19), but not for long! Ezel's not the kind of place where David would build a house, or even pitch his tent. For linguists there is some confusion about the exact meaning of the word “Ezel.” Not for David. The practical meaning impacted him as a hard place, a place of decision and separation. No pastoral stroll through the countryside occasioned this encounter with Jonathon.

The immediate context points to some serious depression with David's words “...there is but a step between me and death” (1 Samuel 20:3). Fear crowds faith, forcing a fuzzy perspective of even the surest of things, God's promises. At this juncture Jonathan demonstrated more confidence in the divine plan; “...thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house forever, no not when the Lord hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth” (1 Samuel 20:15).

Humanly speaking there is some serious cause for that depression; the savagery of Saul, unstable, fleshly, jealous, disobedient, rejected and, need we mention, javelin-throwing Saul? Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him and was departed from Saul” (1 Samuel 18:12). And that new moon feast does not seem to have tempered the monarch! David was absent, Saul angry, and Jonathan became the next target for Saul’s javelin. The prince left to warn David to flee.

Three days of waiting at Ezel, the kind of situation that evokes, “Why?” “What did I do to deserve this?” “It's too hard.” “Lord, I thought surely...” The agreed upon signal was lost on the lad sent to retrieve the arrow. He might even have thought his royal master to be merely playing games. Dead serious business for Jonathan and the unseen David, and a super serious indication of God's will for two men. Obvious now that despite the noble Jonathon, God's plan did not include David's learning his “kingmanship” from the likes of Saul and his court. Already chosen and anointed, this man after God's own heart would indeed sit on the throne. “Trust Him, His plan and His promises, David, just as the Holy Spirit guided you to write Psalm 37:5.”

Dr. Albert T. Platt is President Emeritus of CAM International and a dear friend of America's KESWICK. For many years, Al, and his beloved wife, Gladie, and daughter, Brendae, served as conference hosts for our Hispanic Weekend

God's WORD for YOU: Proverbs 17; Psalms 18-19; Acts 20:17-38

Great Quote: The Gospel is good news of mercy to the undeserving. The symbol of the religion of Jesus is the cross, not the scales. John R. W. Stott

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