Hope….

 Hope…

I opened one of my Bible apps this morning and these were the verses for the day…

 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Rom.5.3-5

I had just read  Psalm 54 about David’s trust and hope in 

God through his sojourn in the wilderness news the town of Ziph fleeing from Saul….

 O God, save me by your name,and vindicate me by your might. 

O God, hear my prayer;give ear to the words of my mouth. 

For strangers have risen against me;ruthless men seek my life;they do not set God before themselves. Selah 

Behold, God is my helper;the Lord is the upholder of my life. 

He will return the evil to my enemies;in your faithfulness put an end to them. 

With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good. 

For he has delivered me from every trouble,and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

Ps.54.1-7

The town of Ziph has been located by pottery found an area southwest of Hebron on the on the western edge of Judah…(just a fact…) 

The people of this town told Saul that David was hiding ..

 David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. And Jonathan, Saul's son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this.” And the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home. Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon? Now come down, O king, according to all your heart's desire to come down, and our part shall be to surrender him into the king's hand.” And Saul said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, for you have had compassion on me. Go, make yet more sure. Know and see the place where his foot is, and who has seen him there, for it is told me that he is very cunning. See therefore and take note of all the lurking places where he hides, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.” And they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon. And Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told, so he went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them, a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.” So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape.  And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of Engedi.

1 Samuel 23: 15-29

 

 Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?” So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is beside the road on the east of Jeshimon. But David remained in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness, The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord's anointed. But take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go.” So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul's head, and they went away. No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them. The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness, for the Lord gave you into my hand today, and I would not put out my hand against the Lord's anointed. Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he deliver me out of all tribulation.” Then Saul said to David, “Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will succeed in them.” So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.

1Sam.26.1,1Sam.26.2,1Sam.26.3,1Sam.26.11-12,1Sam.26.23-25

David knew that the Lord was with him…there were times when he was discouraged, downcast…but he still had hope…trust that God was his protector, his helper, hie upholder, his deliverer….

And through the scriptures, that same message holds true today as it did in David’s time, Paul’s time, currently and in the future…as God as truth is everlasting…

Thank YOU….