Once and For All, You Wicked Warrior

O. T. #637  "Once and For All, You Wicked Warrior"
November 17, 2015
1 Samuel 22-Part 4
God will strike you down once and for all.  1 Samuel 22: 8a


LET IT GLOW

Talking about evil and wicked warriors, we know an example of this in our world today with the attack on Paris last week. Our heart and prayers go out to this city and families suffering at the hands of wicked ones. Once and for all, those wicked warriors will get what's coming to them-judgment of God. Let's pray for our military as they fight them daily.

We left Doeg the Edomite sharing with King Saul how the priest Ahimelech consulted the Lord and then gave then David food and Goliath's sword. Saul still wants to kill David. I call this traitor by the letters in his name, D-O-G, so you can guess what I think of him.

Regarding this time, David wrote Psalm 52, which describes our wicked warrior.
However, in the last two verses David compares himself to an olive tree, flourishing in the house of God. Did you know the olive tree is the longest living of trees? The flourishing olive tree has even greater longevity, according to Life Application Study Bible. (David lived about 69 years.)
Also, David was contrasting God's eternal protection of His faithful servants with the sudden destruction of the wicked.

What else does David say?

• He will always trust in God's unfailing love. (verse 8b)
• He will praise God forever, for what He has done. (verse 9a)
• He will trust in God's good name in the presence of His faithful people. (verse 9b)

Even amidst the running for his life, David takes time to praise God in a song. What about us, dear one? Can we be like David? He can do this because David trust in God's unfailing love and good name. Has this young man been taught about the God of Israel or what? Are we teaching others the same thing which David said? Do they hear our praising our God? There is none like our God!



LET IT GROW

David wrote this psalm about this Dog; he:

• boasts of his crimes as a great warrior;
• doesn't realize God's justice continues forever;
• plots destruction all the day long;
• uses his tongue, which cuts like a sharp razor;
• is an expert at telling lies;
• loves to destroy others with his words;

David warns that Dog that God will strike him down once and for all. God will pull him from his home and uproot him from the land of the living. The righteous are going to be amazed when they see this and will laugh and say, "Look what happens to mighty warriors who do not trust in God. They trust their wealth instead and grow more and more bold in their wickedness." (See verses 6-7, NLV)

In what are we putting our trust-God or wealth? From experience I know that it is not always easy to trust in God and wait on Him to handle things for us. It is not an easy thing to let God take revenge on those who do evil to us. Once and for all, they will get what is coming to them. I have found that when I do so, God's justice is harsher than what I could have though up. How sad it is when these things happen to stubborn, rebellious, and wicked people.

LET IT GO

Let go of any hateful thoughts of revenge.

Trust in my Almighty God and His wisdom and power and unfailing love.

Praise God forever for all He has done for me.

Trust in His good name-Emanuel, El Shaddiah, Elohim.