Perceive: When David is not leading his men, he is gaining more wives and fathering children. The narrator lists six of his wives and their offspring who will later compete for the throne. Some of these wives helped David politically as he grew stronger in the kingdom. Meanwhile, there is conflict in Ish-bosheths’ cabinet. Ish-bosheth was aware that Abner was growing more powerful at his expense. Being suspicious of him, he found an occasion to challenge him when Abner apparently helped himself to Rizpah, the concubine of Saul. To take the wife or concubine of a late monarch was to appropriate his property and to make a bid for the throne. Abner denies the accusation that he has plans for becoming the king. He is insulted by the accusation and decides he has had enough of working for an inept ruler. Ish-bosheth fears Abner and does nothing to stop him. Consequently, Abner realizes that David is the rightful monarch, and he will now seek to help him gain the throne.
 
Practice: Ish-bosheth may have been right to confront Abner, but he didn’t have moral strength or backbone. Lack of moral strength and integrity were the root of many problems with Israel’s future rulers. It takes courage and strength to stand firm in your convictions, confront wrongdoings, and model godly behavior, especially in the face of opposition. When you are right, stay the course!
 
Pray: O Lord, help me model godly behavior in what I think, do, and say without fear especially when dealing with an unregenerate world. 
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This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com

Perceive: With Israel divided there was a constant tension between the House of Ish-bosheth in the north and the House of David in the south. In today's reading, Abner, Israel’s top general, reluctantly kills his pursuer Asahel, Joab’s brother. Instead of going for easier prey, he wanted to kill Ish-bosheths most influential military commander. This decision cost him his life. After Asahel’s fall, Joab and Abishai take up the chase and pursue Abner and his men until sunset. Digging in on the top of a mountain, Abner shouts a message of reason for Joab and his men to consider the long-term consequences of this conflict and appeals to their sense of brotherhood and the bitterness of death. Each leader and their men head for home. David’s army lost 20 men, Ish-bosheth’s lost 360. David grew stronger; Ish-bosheth grew weaker.
 
Practice:  Abner was a respected and fierce general. He repeatedly warned Asahel to turn aside to other warriors or risk losing his life. Asahel refused to turn from his opportunity to seek glory. He may have felt that taking down the enemy’s commanding general, would result in notoriety and more spoils of war. Persistence is a great trait when it is a worthy cause, however; if it is for fame, fortune, or favoritism, it may lead to a devastating conclusion. Asahel’s stubbornness not only cost him his life, but as we will see in future readings, it created disunity in David’s army for years to come.
 
Pray: O mighty God, show me when to persist and when to back off. Help me avoid actions that have devastating consequences.
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This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com

Perceive: David first reigned over Judah, his tribe, with his headquarters at Hebron. However, Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, had made Saul’s son Ishbosheth the king over the other tribes. He relocated the capital over the Jordan River in Mahanaim to protect himself and the new king from David’s men. Of course, Abner had a personal interest in the household of Saul since he was Saul’s cousin (1 Samuel. 14:50). It’s only natural that civil war would erupt between the two thrones. One was anointed by God, the other by man. In an early conflict, Abner and Joab meet at the pool of Gibeon. After a champion warfare challenge, each side picks twelve men to do combat in the middle. Oddly enough all twelve on each side kill all twelve on the other side. David’s men were victorious for the rest of the day. David rules from Hebron for seven and a half years. It is a time of civil war.
 
Practice: It is assumed Abner played a significant role in driving out the Philistines and seeking to preserve the house of Saul over the house of David. Eventually, he sees the crown going to Saul’s son, Ish-bosheth. Unfortunately, the Philistines still dominated the northern area. Ish-bosheth was a weak leader. It is important to seek God and know his will when you help support people in leadership.
 
Pray: O Lord, help me always to remember it is not by might that You lead, but by Your power and presence. Help me see my spiritual leaders the way You see them and support them in prayer. ​

This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com

Perceive: After going through an expression of grief, David seeks guidance from the Lord regarding his next move. Judah was the home of his ancestors, but Hebron and its surrounding suburbs are where God led him and his men.  Hebron was the largest city of refuge in the region (Joshua 21:13), it was Calebite city (Joshua 14:14) that served as a religious center for the Aaronic priesthood (Joshua 21:13), and it was at the center of Judah. It also houses the Cave of Machpelah where Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah are all buried. In Hebron, the citizens of Judah inaugurated David as their new king. David receives news regarding the heroic actions of the men from Jabesh-Gilead and sends them a thank you message.
 
Practice: After relocating to Hebron, David finds out about the valiant men who remove the bodies of Saul and his sons, burn them, and then give them a proper burial. In his message, he blesses them for their kindness to Saul and suggests they follow Judah’s lead and acknowledge him as their king. Politically this is a good move. David is seeking to gain the support of the ten remaining tribes. As we shall see, his path to the top is still a steep climb. How are you at having a support network in your life?
 
Pray: O Lord, help me to see and act on an opportunity to be thankful and to express a blessing to someone today. ​

This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com

Perceive: Having received Saul’s crown and royal bracelet and finishing a time of prayer and fasting, David writes a psalm of lamentation. The reality of the royal family’s demise and the loss of his closest friend fuels a moving, heartfelt expression of his grief which he writes and orders sung. The dirge contains four sections: he localizes the triumph and hopes its news is limited (19-20) and he pays tribute to Saul and Jonathan’s warrior victories (21-22).  He speaks of the blessings they brought to Israel (23-24), he expresses his grief and deep love for Jonathan (25-26), and he closes with the way it begins, “How have the mighty fallen,” (27). This dirge was recorded in the book of Jashar (Joshua 10:13), which is believed to be a record of early Israeli heroic exploits. With this expression of his grief, David’s time as an outlaw ends and the doors for a new phase open.

Practice:  Saul caused David a lot of pain and grief, but after he dies on the battlefield David wrote down a lament for the king and his best friend. By the world’s standards, he had every right to hate Saul and speak despairingly about his character and competence. Instead, he chooses to focus on the good things about Saul not the bad. It is a sign of courage when we lay aside hatred and hurt and view the positive attributes of another person, especially an enemy.

​Pray: Father in heaven, Your enemies, abound on this earth. Help me to see the positive aspects of those in my life who are not of Your kingdom. 

This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com

Perceive: David and his men react to the news of Saul and Jonathan’s death by plunging into mourning. Being filled with grief, they were visibly shaken. As part of their grief, they fasted and prayed until sunset. At that point, David questions the messenger who openly admits he is an Amalekite. It was a crime to kill the Lord’s anointed king, so David holds this man accountable and has someone in his army cut him down. His death was by his own doing.
 
Practice:  David believed that God had anointed Saul, and only God could remove him from his royal position as king. If David would have killed Saul, it stands to reason that someone else may try to kill David. Israel was to be different than the surrounding nations. It was God’s role to judge Saul’s sins, not David or any of his men. Unfortunately, we too must realize that God puts people into positions of authority over us. Even if we don’t respect the individual’s life and decisions, we need to respect the office (Romans 13:1-5).
 
Pray:  O mighty God, as I face difficult circumstances that require a strong faith in You, help me act with the same strength and faith as David. ​

This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com

Perceive: After his slaughter over the raiding Amalekites, David and his band of brothers return to their enemy hideout in Ziklag. Three days later a man brings news of King Saul’s death. Oddly enough it is an Amalekite who apparently was a deserter or some scavenger. In his description of the battle scene, he claims to be someone acting out of compassion when he delivered the death blow to Israel’s king. For proof, he produces the crown and royal bracelet. How ironic that an Amalekite who Saul failed to kill (1 Samuel 15) is in his dying breath asking an Amalekite to end his life. The messenger knows David will be the new king and most likely expects a healthy reward.
 
Practice:  Sometimes the sin we fail to slay, slays us. Saul was a man who lived for himself. David was a man who waited for God to fulfill His word. David may have wondered when God would keep His word and fulfill His promise. It was about fifteen years since the prophet Samuel anointed him as the future king. In a way only known fully to God, David went through fifteen years of struggles. With each new hardship, he renewed his relationship with the God of Israel which ultimately prepared him for the positional responsibilities as Israel’s king.
 
Pray:  O Lord, strengthen me in the daily struggles of life. I know You are preparing me for the future. I know I can trust in You. ​

This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com

Perceive: The residents of Jabesh Gilead never forgot how King Saul rescued them from the Ammonites (1 Samuel 11). Early in his career, this was one of his more shining moments. Too bad this kind of shining moment did not last throughout his reign. Remembering Saul’s help in their time of trouble, some valiant men spend all night traveling to the battle site to find the body of Saul and his sons. After removing the bodies from the wall, these valiant men ceremonially burn them until only the bones remained. They bury the bones under a tree and hold a seven-day fast. Saul reaps in death what he sowed in life.
 
Practice:  Saul’s death served to illustrate the end of an ideal. Israel could no longer believe that a human king like the other nations would solve their problems and make improvements for their lives. Saul tried to bend God by his superficial spirituality. Real spirituality takes a lifetime of consistent obedience. This text illustrates the tragic consequences of relating wrongly with God and to others. Saul was dedicated to himself in life and even in death. God removed him because of the many wrongs he committed and gave the kingdom to David (1 Chronicles 10:14).
 
Pray:  O mighty God, show me the best way to invest my life in helping others and enable me to finish well. Help me to live obediently day-by-day. ​

This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com

Perceive: For several chapters in this story we have seen the transition of leadership. King Saul has continued to spiral further and further downward ending here in this Scripture text while David continued to grow in seeking God first. During this final battle, Saul, his sons, and many of Israel’s troops die while the survivors abandon their towns and flee for safety. In his wounded state Saul decides to end his life. Some scholars think he was concerned that if captured they would mutilate him alive. They, in fact, do cut off his head, strip him of his weapons, and send them home as victory trophies. He was an unfit king and now serves as an example of an unfit ruler who was more concerned about self-reliance and self-sufficiency than trusting and turning to God.
 
Practice:  Many examples in the Bible are for us to emulate, others are there for us to consider the outcomes of their lives and to avoid. Saul is one of the latter. He was tall in the eyes of men, but small in the eyes of God. He was handsome on the outside, but ugly as sin on the inside. He looked strong in his physique and actions, but his lack of true faith made him weak and impotent. He was financially wealthy but spiritually bankrupt. Saul was more concerned about the way he looked than the way he thought or lived his life as an obedient king. A strong godly character is much more valuable than a good-looking worldly attractiveness.
 
Pray:  O Lord, may I always seek You first. Please help me to forge my character as a serving man of God. ​

This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com

Perceive: Saul is now face-to-face with his counselor the prophet Samuel, who is coming up from the netherworld. Samuel’s immediate question is why? Saul explains his desperate situation and the silence of God. While David grows in his ability to be king, Saul continues to stoop to new lows. Samuel reiterates his prophetic message given while he was alive and adds that Saul, his sons, and the entire army will end up in the hands of the Philistines at the end of this battle. Saul falls at Samuels' feet afraid and weak from fasting all day and night. The witch feeds him a feast fit for a king. This food is his last meal.
 
Practice:  You learn a lot about people by observing where they turn in times of great trouble. When the Philistine crisis came, Saul was unprepared because he had not consistently cultivated his relationship with God.  God is faithful to bless and honor those who honor Him, and He is faithful to discipline those who are unfaithful to Him. His lack of presence and purpose may be a sign of His disapproval and discipline. Regardless of whether He clearly speaks His word or not, we must strive to serve our Lord and remember our works need to be out of love and devotion, even in times of great suffering.
 
Pray:  Help me to remember that faithful tithing, attending worship, reading Your words, and serving in a local church have unique blessings but they do not control Your will. Accept them as my expression of love as Your servant.  
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This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com