12th May 2026


Pray (ACts) 


Read (2 Corinthians 4v7-15)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


The Apostles were those men who were sent out by Jesus to spread the Gospel. They were eye witnesses of the resurrection and they were enabled to do mighty signs and wonders which acted as confirming signs that their message was true. Even so, the life of an Apostle was no picnic.  


Paul spoke about being afflicted, perplexed, persecuted and forsaken (v8-9). Indeed, elsewhere he gave this list of his troubles “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.” (2 Corinthians 11v24-29). I suspect there wouldn't be too many of us who would have wanted the life of an Apostle.


Nevertheless, there was something that gave Paul hope even in the midst of his afflictions. He understood that the treasure of the Gospel was stored in frail humans who were and are like fragile jars of clay (v7). None of us should ever be arrogant. If the Gospel goes forward it does so in the midst of human fragility and in the power of God. Furthermore, he was afflicted but not crushed, perplexed but not despairing, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed. No matter what happened, the Apostle Paul knew in his bones that he could keep going until the day he would certainly cross the finish line.


What could possibly encourage a man as stones were raining down upon his body or as robbers planned to steal everything from him? Paul knew and passionately believed that just as Jesus had been raised to life after death then so too would every Christian be raised and brought into the presence of Christ (v14). Paul’s Saviour was Jesus and his hope was heaven.


I must admit that I do not always think about heaven and there are times that life isn’t bitter but incredibly sweet. Even so, no matter how good life can be, heaven is immeasurably better. We are fragile and sinful and so heaven being better than life can sometimes seem quite unreal but heaven is as Paul once suggested “far better.” (Philippians 1v23).


Brothers and sisters, may the certainty of heaven help you when tears stream down your cheeks, may your desire for heaven only grow and your love for this world chill and may you know in your bones that to be with Christ is better by far.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q65 What is forbidden in the fifth commandment? The fifth commandment forbiddeth the neglecting of, or doing anything against, the honor and duty which belongeth to every one in their several places and relations.
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11th May 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (Genesis 25, Hebrews 11:20)


Message (Alan Burke) 


Isaac was a miracle baby; he was the long-awaited child of Abraham and Sarah, one who was born to them when they were advanced in years and beyond the natural age for bearing children. His name literally means laughter, and for his parents, that  name would evoke varied emotions, that would often bring back to their minds how God had promised them a son and told them that they would be given a son even in their old age, to which they responded with laughter. Not only that, for it would also have brought back the years of hurt and disappointment but also how by the power of God, Sarah was able to conceive and first looked down at those little eyes of her son Isaac, and seeing him grow before her eyes, calling him Isaac, laughter because God had brought her laughter. (Gen 21:6). 


Isaac grew; we learn about how he was one who was received back from death when Abraham, when tested, offered him as a sacrifice. Some years later, Isaac and Rebekah get together; how it took place is told to us in Genesis 24. Throughout which the providence of God is clear; God was at work bringing Rebekah and Isaac together and is displayed both in the ordinary as well as the extraordinary. Showing that God can be trusted even when there seems like no earthly chance of things working out. 


As the narrative moves on, history repeated itself in Genesis 25. There we learn of how Isaac and Rebekah struggled to have children, and in the midst of it, Isaac prayed to the Lord for His help in the situation because Rebekah could not have children. (Gen 25:21). The word that is used to speak of Isaac’s prayer, his intercession to the Lord, means to beg, to plead. Isaac, in his desperation, cried out to the Lord, yet the Lord did not answer him immediately; we learn that it was twenty years before the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah conceived and to them were given two sons, twins, Esau and Jacob. 


Isaac was a man that we learn in Scripture was one who sought the Lord, but also Rebekah, his wife, too, for when she had conceived, the children struggled; they wrestled within her, and she also turned to the Lord from whom she learned that the two children are, in Genesis 25:23, we read:


“Two nations are in your womb, 
and two peoples from within you will be separated; 
one people will be stronger than the other, 
and the older will serve the younger.” (Gen 25:23). 


What did the Lord mean in this? 


It was that His covenant promise would continue through the younger brother Jacob rather than the older brother Esau. It wasn’t how things usually worked; usually, the eldest boy, even until fairly recently, received the inheritance. Yet as Esau and Jacob grew, Isaac favoured his older son, who was a hunter of game, while Rebekah favoured Jacob. We don’t have time to focus on the ins and outs, but these were two flawed parents. 


I know it’s not the thrust of where we are going today, for we are focusing on what comes in chapter 27, but there is an application that we learn from the life of Isaac and Sarah, even though they were flawed individuals. It is easy to get discouraged, isn’t it, when we have the same struggles, when nothing seems to change? It can be easy for us to simply give up when we have cried out to the Lord for what seems like years or what is actually years, and that God has done nothing for us; our prayers to us are unanswered, they have fallen on deaf ears. Yet the Lord works in prayer, even though we cannot see it, even when His answer seems contrary to what we desire. For Isaac and Rebekah, He answered according to His purposes, but they had to wait, twenty long years, for the answer.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q64 What is required in the fifth commandment?
A. The fifth commandment requireth the preserving the honor, and performing the duties, belonging to every one in their several places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, or equals.
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9th May 2026


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Luke 16v19-31)


Message (Scott Woodburn) 


If you visit your local Christian bookshop you may very well come across a range of books which describe the experience of people who experienced Heaven or Hell and then came back. I don't buy those books because I don't believe a word that they say.


God's Word is all sufficient and it's testimony about the life to come is more than enough to inform, warn and prepare us for eternity. The rich man wasn't so sure. He asked Abraham to send Lazarus back from the dead in order to warn the rich man’s brothers about Hell (v28). Abraham instead reminded the rich man that the living had the testimony of Moses and the Prophets (v29) - they had God’s Word which is abundantly clear about life after death.


The rich man knew all about Moses and the Prophets but believed the testimony of a resurrected man would be far more persuasive and bring his brothers to repentance (v30). Nevertheless, Abraham would not change his mind saying “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” (v31). That’s amazing isn't it? People like signs and wonders and say that such things would convince them of truth. Abraham wasn’t sure and neither was Christ.


Jesus was approached by the Pharisees and Scribes who wanted to see a sign (Matthew 12v38). Jesus replied by calling them an evil and adulterous generation (Matthew 12v39) who would receive just one more sign - the sign of the prophet Jonah. What is the sign of Jonah? Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights before being spat out upon the earth. In the same way Jesus died and spent three days and nights in the tomb before standing again.


Christ Himself is the sign of Jonah. He died but rose again to life and all who believe in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. I did not witness the resurrection but I believe it to be true because the testimony of Scripture is sure. I cannot offer signs and wonders to convince you of the danger of Hell and the glory of Heaven - I am no Apostle. Yet I speak to you the testimony of the Word which says Hell is a place of torment and can be avoided by faith in Christ. May God’s Word ring, the Spirit move and many sinners flee from the wrath to come.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q63 Which is the fifth commandment? The fifth commandment is, Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

8th May 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (1 Samuel 26 focus 17-25)


Message (Alan Burke)


At Youth Fellowship a couple of weeks ago, I asked those there to write down five things, five of the most important things in their lives, and the answers were, well, they were some intriguing and some hilarious, but they took them quite seriously. If you were to make a list, what would be on it? Would there be a pig? That was one of the answers at Youth Fellowship. What about a tractor, books, football? Those were just some of the answers, and surprisingly enough, one of the adults in the room didn’t put his wife or his children on the list, which everyone was aghast at. What are your five things? You don’t need to list them for me in the comment section, yet if we did collate a list of random people in the street, I’d say it would be hugely varied. Family, friends, possessions would all be near the top; maybe if people were honest, there would be some sinful behaviours that would be listed, but what would be on yours? 


We come to the end of this passage where, to an extent, history has repeated itself and this interaction between David and Saul. Saul awoke from his slumber, and as he recovered his wits, he was the first to recognise the voice of David. Once more, Saul, just like in chapter 24, calls David his son as he was reminding him of the injustices he had caused by his hand. Once more, David asks what he has done to deserve this. He wanted to know; for David, he understood that either the Lord had stirred up Saul in judgment against David or more likely that Saul had heard the voices of his advisors, he had listened to the world, and the sin that had gotten its claws into Saul. 


But even if there is the remotest possibility that David is at fault, he wants to know; he wants to know if this is the LORD who has brought this upon him to help him. Look at v19 and to what David says: “…If the LORD has incited you against me, then may he accept an offering. If, however, men have done it, may they be cursed before the LORD! They have now driven me from my share in the LORD’s inheritance and have said, ‘Go, serve other gods.’” What is breaking David’s heart in all that has happened is not that he has been separated from his family; he is a hunted man on the run, that he’s no place to call home, which would likely break our hearts; it is that David has been driven from the worship of the LORD, his share in the LORD’s inheritance. They have driven him away from Jerusalem. Yes, David knew that the LORD is omnipresent; he, through the Spirits leading, penned Psalm 139 where he said: 7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there (Ps 139:7–9). So why is he cut up then? Well, it is that he cannot join in the worship of the LORD with his people; he cannot come together with the saints. 


What was on your list? That night at Youth Fellowship, I was encouraged by how many of those young people had put worship before anything else, and because of that, I asked them to take the list from five down to two, and some of them even left family off the list but kept worship. Oh, how I pray, and you should pray that that remains the same for them and they walk with the LORD all the days of their lives. But what about you? Does it give you a second thought when you can’t meet with the people of God, when you can’t come together to worship? Sadly, it doesn’t take being hunted by an enemy; all it takes is sport on a Sunday, or the summer holidays, or some other more entertaining option to keep us from the worship of the Lord. And you know it is what you need: the ordinary means of grace— the word read, preached, prayer, and the sacraments— that is what God has given us, and David was distraught that he couldn’t join with the people to worship the LORD, are you? Paul in Hebrews warns: “ Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Heb 10:24–25).” Meeting together is something I need, and you need; we neglect it at our peril. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q62 What are the reasons annexed to the fourth commandment?
A. The reasons annexed to the fourth commandment are, God’s allowing us six days of the week for our own employments, his challenging a special propriety in the seventh, his own example, and his blessing the Sabbath day.

7th May 2026


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Luke 16v19-31) 


Message (Scott Woodburn) 


My grandfather left these shores in 1923 for a new life in New Zealand. He sailed on the SS Rimutaka and if things had been different he would have made his life on those distant shores. I was told that he came home to say his goodbyes to his mother and father before moving once and for all to the land down under, but when home he met my grandmother, fell in love and never returned to New Zealand.


We take such journeys for granted in this day and age. Many of us have boarded flights to the furthest reaches of the world and we have arrived safely just a day later. In my grandfather's day, New Zealand may as well have been the Moon. Once you went your family probably never saw you again.


In the Lord's parable about the rich man and Lazarus He told us something that we should wrestle with. There is a great chasm between Heaven and Hell and no one can pass between the two places (v26). Some believe that there is a third place, a kind of in-between where people go if they aren't quite good and not quite bad. From that place it is possible for people to be prayed into Heaven. Is this true? By no means. Scripture speaks of Heaven and Hell as the only two destinations after death and from those places it is not possible to leave.


The concept of a "forever home" is not strange to us. I've heard people describe their new house in such terms or they might say "it will do us for a while." When it comes to eternity Heaven or Hell will be our forever home. A great chasm exists between the two places and there can be no leaving. This was incredibly bad news for the rich man and bad news for any who enter death unprepared. The wise person is one who trusts in Christ for that person will enjoy a forever home which is better by far. 


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q61 What is forbidden in the fourth commandment? The fourth commandment forbiddeth the omission, or careless performance, of the duties required, and the profaning the day by idleness, or doing that which is in itself sinful, or by unnecessary thoughts, words, or works, about our worldly employments or recreations.
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6th May 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (1 Samuel 26 focus v5-16)


Message (Alan Burke)


The fight-or-flight response is a physiological reaction to perceived threats, preparing the body to either confront or flee danger. It involves the sympathetic nervous system activating changes like increased heart rate and adrenaline release. For David, the flight-or-flight response would have been in overdrive, yet he stays even with the arrival of Saul and his army. David takes a course of action that seems like utter madness. He chooses to go on a covert operation. This is like something that you’d have heard the SAS, Special Air Service, get up to, heading into the enemy camp, against insurmountable odds, something that you need to have a special kind of courage for, knowing that there is a chance you’re not going to make it back alive. But David trusted in the LORD in all that he faced, and here we see that David trusted in the LORD and his ways. 


They make it to Saul at the centre of the camp, surrounded by his three thousand men, and there they stand over him, with his spear stuck in the ground near his head, lying sleeping; his life was once more in the hands of David. While it seems impossible, verse 12 helps us to see that this was the LORD who had caused them to fall into a deep sleep. Even without this insight, all of this leads Abishai, just like the men in the cave at En Gedi, to understand that what was taking place was the Lord’s doing. Once more, the Lord had delivered Saul into his hands, and just like the men in the cave, Abishai makes it clear to David what he thinks should be done: that they should put an end to Saul. 


But David knew that the LORD’s anointed were not to be harmed in spite of their sin (See Genesis 20:6–7, 66:11, 1 Chronicles 16:22; Psalm 105:15). David understood this; while he had the opportunity to kill Saul where he slept, he knew that it was not for him to decide. It was the LORD, and after Nabal, he had been reminded of the LORD’s sovereignty in life and death, how the LORD was in control. After what had happened with Nabal, David knew this to be true: that it was in the LORD’s timing and according to his way that the LORD would act. He could have brought the end to Saul’s reign, but he knew that that was the LORD to do. He was trusting in the LORD and his ways. David’s ability to trust God with his life was one of the dominant characteristics of David’s life; sometimes it is easier to try to help God make things happen rather than trust his timetable; David showed grace, he had grown in grace, and he showed his faith in the LORD. 


David and Abishai made it in and they made it out, heading to higher ground; David then with a piercing cry in the night, David shouts across “aren’t you going to answer?” (14). They had come hunting for David, and they had themselves been found by David. He could have killed their king if he had desired, but he had effortlessly pilfered their camp. And what is clear above all is that Saul’s power is gone. Nothing could keep David from obtaining the kingdom, and this was evident to all. The LORD God is the one who brings encouragement. He did it too for David. He does it for us. For his servants in the midst of discouragement, he gives some plain token, some small evidence that he is still God and that he does not forget those who are his. We needn’t go around looking for royal spears or a jar of water for encouragement. 


The Lord knows what we need and when we need it and will provide encouragement to us, helping us even though we may not even know it or understand that that is what He is doing. David had trusted in the LORD. He trusted Him with what he faced, trusted in His way, and he trusted in His deliverance. David understood that in a temporal sense, but he also understood it in an eternal sense, that he would be delivered from death itself. For that is why Jesus came. Since the children have flesh and blood, Jesus too shared in our humanity so that by His death, He might destroy Him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death (Heb 2:14–15).


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q60 How is the Sabbath to be sanctified?
A. The Sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days; and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God’s worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy.
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5th May 2026


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Luke 16v19-31) 


Message (Scott Woodburn) 


In John Milton's 1667 poem "Paradise Lost" Satan says "It is better to rule in Hell than serve in Heaven." Popular wisdom imagines Satan as the king of Hell in his bright red suit holding a pitchfork swinging his forked tail. Unfortunately popular wisdom isn't always true and Milton's Satan has little in common with the real thing.


Much to be preferred is the wisdom of God with Jesus telling us in this parable that the rich man was in torment in Hell (v23) and in anguish in the flame (v24). Indeed, his trouble was so great that he longed for Lazarus to come with a wet finger to cool the rich man's tongue (v24). Isn't that an extraordinary change? The rich man had many great things in his life (v25) and didn't give two thoughts about Lazarus. However in eternity, the rich man longed for a drop of water from the man who used to long for scraps from the rich man's table.


My great focus in this summer season is Heaven - where is it? What is it? What will we do there? But briefly today I want to say two things about Hell. Firstly, Satan is not the King of Hell. That might be a big surprise to you but it is Biblical truth. If God is omnipresent and in all places everywhere, then He is not absent from Hell. Furthermore, Scripture tells us that Satan's punishment will take place in the presence of Jesus and His angels (Revelation 14v10).


At first glance this seems to contradict Paul who in 2 Thessalonians 1v9 says the punishment of eternal destruction takes place away from the presence of the Lord. There is no contradiction. When Jesus comes His followers will glorify Him and they will marvel at their Saviour (2 Thessalonians 1v10). Unbelievers will be "away" from this experience. They did not call upon Jesus in life and they will mourn on account of Him in death. Hell is where they will experience their punishment and it will be in the presence of God without any hope of the cross.


My final point is that there is no ruling or rejoicing in Hell from those who have rejected Christ. Friends, Hell is the most awful place and it awaits those who hate Jesus. It will not be an eternal party far from the gaze of Christ where you and those like you will reign. Run from Hell and flee to Jesus. He will save to the uttermost those who call upon Him.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q59 Which day of the seven hath God appointed to be the weekly Sabbath? From the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, God appointed the seventh day of the week to be the weekly Sabbath; and the first day of the week, ever since, to continue to the end of the world, which is the Christian Sabbath.
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4th May 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (1 Samuel 26 focus v1-4)


Message (Alan Burke) 


I think I’ve mentioned before in one of these devotions the quote by George Santayana, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It was a constant refrain of my history teacher in school, and as we come here to 1 Samuel 26, we see history being repeated. We were introduced to the Ziphites back in chapter 23, and can you remember what they did? Well, they told on David, not quite like the child in the playground telling the teacher on another pupil, but they told Saul where David was, and we’ll get into that in a moment or two. We’ve also got used to Saul’s continual pursuit of David; it’s like a game of cat and mouse, Saul pursuing David for quite a while, and as the chapter goes on, we have again David sparing Saul’s life. In a sense, history is repeating itself. Maybe you’ve from time to time in exasperation said the words “not again,” well, you could say that with most of what goes on in this chapter.


Today we focus on the first four verses; there are a few things that I want us to see. Firstly, the Ziphites, they go tell Saul that David is back hiding in the wilderness of Ziph. Remember that David and his men had gone to the Sinai Peninsula, creating distance between them and Saul; well, we don’t know how long the intervening time has been, but he and his men have subsequently returned. But why would the Ziphites be so willing to go to Saul and tell David, after all, in every way he has acted righteously, and from our point of view, he’s done nothing on them? Well, I’ve read when studying for this that they went because they were politically motivated; they wanted power and influence, they wanted to be on Saul’s good side, but that I’m confident isn’t the reason. Remember Saul had wiped out the priests of Nob (1 Sam 22:6–23); well, from that point on, the message is clear, don’t get on the wrong side of Saul or you’ve had it. Fear was what motivated them.


Next, Saul, and once again when he hears of the report of where David is, he gathers his men and goes. Like, has this lad not learnt anything? Obviously not. I wondered for a moment if, though, if Saul had just taken a moment to think through all that had happened, of how the last time that he pursued David he had been so close to death, reflecting on how it was only that David was such a righteous man that he was spared and still alive, would he have acted any differently, and I came to the conclusion he wouldn’t have, because he had been so blinded by his own sin that he was unable to see. 


And then there is David, the anointed king. He had, well, what happened in the last chapter, he had shown that he was a righteous man, he had trusted the LORD in everything. He was far from perfect, but again, in what he faced, he was trusting in the LORD, trusting in him in all he faced, through the highs and the lows. This time, though, David takes a different tact than before, and instead of running, he stays. 


So, what, if anything, do we learn? Well, in the actions of the Ziphites, it is motivated by fear. In 2 Timothy 1:7, we are told, “ For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline (2 Ti 1:7). That word timidity in the NIV is literally fear, so what Paul is doing is that he is encouraging Timothy to look to God, to rely on him, even in the midst of suffering (2 Ti 1:8-12). The LORD our God has given us a spirit of power and love and self-discipline to help us no matter what we face, and if we are afraid, we should look to the LORD. Next, Saul, ahhhh “not again”, well, yes, again, sin is like that, you can’t see the wood for the trees because of it, it is deceptive. If you find yourself falling into a pattern of sin, be warned, you do not know where it will lead, repent of it, trust in Christ Jesus. Finally, David, well, he here is trusting in the LORD even though he is being pursued again, all because he knew that the LORD is sovereign. The LORD is sovereign and can be trusted, and his sovereignty is seen in our salvation through Christ (Eph 1:11).


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q58 What is required in the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment requireth the keeping holy to God such set times as he hath appointed in his Word; expressly one whole day in seven, to be a holy Sabbath to himself.
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2nd May 2026


Pray (ACts) 


Read (Luke 16v19-31) 


Message (Scott Woodburn) 


Why was Heaven called "Abraham's bosom" by Jesus? It seems an odd phrase to our Western ears but it in fact signified a place of glorious blessing. When the Lord and His Disciples ate the Last Supper they weren't sitting around a table the way you and I eat our dinner. Scripture speaks of Jesus and the twelve reclining at the table (John 13v23). Imagine these men almost lying down on couches around the table. John was beside Jesus and in order to speak to Him, John had to lean back into the Lord's chest or bosom (John 13v25).


Such a posture is not familiar to us here in Northern Ireland but it certainly displayed the level of friendship that existed between the Lord and His Disciples. Now imagine Lazarus the poor sore infested wretch who lay outside a rich man's home. No one would ever let Lazarus recline at their table and who would want such a man leaning back against their bosom?


Even so, as the rich man wept in Hades, Lazarus was at Abraham's bosom. Abraham is described in Scripture as Gods' friend (Isaiah 41v8), all the nations of the world have been blessed by him (Galatians 3v8), he was the man of faith (Hebrews 11v8) and if we belong to Jesus then we are spiritual descendants of Abraham (Galatians 3v29).


Today Abraham rejoices in Heaven and amazingly even a filthy beggar like Lazarus by faith received the blessing of being in the place where Abraham was. In life he may have not been welcome at anyone's table but in death he reclined at Abraham's bosom. We cannot buy our way into Heaven and not everyone will rest there but irrespective of colour, class or creed all those who put their faith in Christ have been promised Heavenly glory. Brothers and sisters, if you are despised in this world then know for sure that you will be welcome in Heaven, thanks be to God.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


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Q57 Which is the fourth commandment? The fourth commandment is, Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath-day, and hallowed it.

1st May 2026


Pray (ACts)


Read (1 Samuel 25 focus v32-44)


Message (Alan Burke)


I had a boss who spoke of God-incidence often. Now you might be wondering what that means, but where people saw coincidence, he saw the LORD and work, and you know the longer I’m about and doing what I do, the more and more I see things that might be described by people as nothing more than coincidences being the LORD at work directing and guiding. This is God’s providence. I probably sound like a broken record as we come to this passage in 1 Samuel, speaking about providence, but we see it time and time again, the LORD at work, directing all that unfolds in David’s life. Let’s think where we are: Samuel has died, David is still on the run and has moved to the Sinai Peninsula, placing him further away from Saul’s reach. There he runs a protection racket, well, not really, but he looks out for those who send their animals for pasture and makes sure they don’t face any trouble. He doesn’t expect payment, but when it is time for the sheep shearing, a time for celebration where the profits of the year would have been shared out, Nabal refuses David’s request for provision, and David flies off the handle. He’s filled with rage and goes to kill all the men of Nabal’s household. Yet before he does, there is this wonderful woman, Abigail, who hears of her husband’s folly and acts. She goes and meets David to try and de-escalate the situation, not that she knew that David was in a murderous rage and the LORD had worked restraining David from doing what he set out to do.


Now just in case you doubt that it was the LORD at work, that this was not a coincidence but a God-incidence, David, after Abigail has spoken to him, is able to see the LORD’s restraining grace, how the providential hand of the LORD was at work in all that was unfolding. Look how he responds to Abigail and her words, v32; David said to Abigail, “Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me” (1 Sa 25:32). The world would see such an event as nothing more than a coincidence, but David knew it was a Godincidence, that God was at work. He had been brought back to his senses; the LORD had worked through Abigail. He understood that he was putting himself in the place of God. There are times that the LORD works by his unseen hand, and we are none the wiser; other times, we look back and we can see how he has intervened to save us from ourselves, and David knew that this was all the LORD’s work. 


In the end, or what David likely thought was the end of this encounter, he sends Abigail off, telling her to go in peace. But then the account takes another twist. As Abigail goes home, we learn of Nabal’s banquet, oblivious to the danger that he was in, drinking too much, being a foolish man. Sadly, it is the state that many people are in, oblivious to the danger that they are in. But we are told of how in the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him all these things, and his heart failed him, and he became like a stone. What happened according to my mate who is a GP is that Nabal experienced a Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. It is also known as broken-heart syndrome; it is a heart condition that occurs due to severe emotional or physical stress, leading to a sudden weakening of the heart muscle. Then, ten days later, so that we are in no doubt what happened, we are told, “the LORD struck Nabal, and he died (38).” The LORD was at work, he still is. Coincidences may appear to be nothing more than that, but they are often God’s providential work, and in the words of the Westminster Confession of Faith, that succinctly summarises the teaching of scripture, it explains; “God, the great Creator of all things, doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least” (5.1). We can take great comfort in this in the midst of life and death.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q56 What is the reason annexed to the third commandment?
A. The reason annexed to the third commandment is, that however the breakers of this commandment may escape punishment from men, yet the Lord our God will not suffer them to escape his righteous judgment.
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