Brown's Daily Word 6-4-10

Good morning,
Praise the Lord for His Word. Praise the Lord for the way He allowed for us to see the failures and frailties in the lives of His anointed and chosen ones such as the first king of Israel, Saul. What can we all learn from Saul and his dealing’s with David and Michal? We perceive that jealousy, when allowed to continue unchecked, will grow, fester, and eventually cause a person to make choices which otherwise would never be made. "Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood, but who can stand before jealousy?" (Prov. 27:4).
Jealousy and the Christian life are like oil and water — they cannot mix! You cannot experience the fullness of life in the Spirit while jealousy in stains your heart. The apostle Paul said, “because there is jealousy and quarreling among you, this shows that you are not spiritual.” (1 Cor. 3:3 — NCV). Jealousy may very well be one of the most divisive and successful tools in Satan’s toolbox. There are so many ways Satan can use jealousy against us.
For example, after young David killed giant Goliath, the arch enemy of the Israelites, David was propelled to place of prominence and fame, provoking King Saul in to psychotic jealousy. The Bible records in 1 Samuel, about the marriage between David and Michal, the daughter of Saul. David’s marriage into Saul’s family did nothing to ease or abate Saul’s jealousy over David's accomplishments. It is quite apparent from the Biblical record that Saul’s jealousy continued to grow to the point that he openly made an attempt upon David’s life.
We don't have to “read between the lines” to see Michal’s love for David. When she learned of her father’s plan to take her husband’s life (probably from Saul’s servants, still loyal to her) she informed David of the impending danger. Moreover, she helps him by offering a plan of escape, by letting David down through a window. Her love for David was strong even though Saul gave her to another man in marriage. It is probably safe to say that she didn't give him up over night, and that it may have taken years for her to accept her new husband and grow to love him. Years later, David turned her world upside down again and, it would appear, Michal came once again “under David’s control.”
David triumphed over all his foreign enemies and established Jerusalem as the political capital of the nation. He succeeded in bringing the ark of the covenant to they city of Jerusalem, making it the nation’s religious capital. David was filled with joy, rejoicing over his victory and bringing of the ark to Jerusalem. In his delight and celebration, he led the procession of priests who were carrying the ark through the streets, and for this, David had taken off his royal robes. Michal watched him from one of the palace windows, and as she watched she was overcome by feelings of bitterness and contempt. It is written that she despised him in her heart. When the opportunity presented itself, Michal condemned David’s action, stating that He uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants’ maids as one of the foolish ones shamelessly uncovers himself! (vs. 20).
It is likely that this isolated event was not the sole cause of Michal’s bitterness and contempt. More than likely, it had been building up for years, beginning first when she was betrayed by her father, and climaxing when she was pulled away from her second husband, Paltiel. How betrayed she must have felt, to be treated as an object by both her father and her first love. How helpless she must have felt. She had no control over her own life and no trust in the men who had showed themselves so willing to misuse her. Yet the real tragedy was yet to come!
The real tragedy in Michal’s life is the fact that her bitterness became so intense that it separated her from God. The true tragedy is not that Michal became a victim of men but that, in her pain, Michal lost sight of God’s grace. Her bitterness, in the end, caused her to be childless. She likely lived the rest of her life in loneliness and bitterness, very unhappily.
We all know that oil and water don't mix. The same is true for bitterness and God - the two simply don't mix! There is simply no room in a Christian’s heart for bitterness. The Spirit and bitterness can't co-exist! Paul said, "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:31-32).
Bitterness can separate us from God. Bitterness can separate us from God’s forgiveness. Bitterness can cause us a life of loneliness and despair. Bitterness can cost us our soul! "Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled "(Hebrews 12:14-15).
In Christ,
Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KsfwvpcQhY