King Saul killed eighty-five priests of God for the sake of David. He also ordered complete destruction of the city that hosted the priests. The brutal king rationalized that God’s priests supported David to revolt against him. The scripture reported how King Saul attacked God’s servants,
“Then Saul said to him (Priest Ahimelech), “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day?” So Ahimelech answered the king and said, “And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, who goes at your bidding, and is honorable in your house? Did I then begin to inquire of God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king impute anything to his servant, or to any in the house of my father. For your servant knew nothing of all this, little or much.” And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house!” Then the king said to the guards who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled and did not tell it to me.” But … So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck the priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod. Also Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep —with the edge of the sword” (1Samuel 22:13-16).
Lesson:
Jealousy is evil, and no child of God should allow the spirit of jealousy to possess him/ her. The evil spirit does not help anyone, but it destroys anyone who comes in contact with it. Anyone who realizes any trace of jealousy in his/her life must fight to stop it immediately. It takes God’s power to overcome jealousy, and every child of God must pray to possess the power. All children of God must not only pray, but they must also refuse to yield to temptations of jealousy. We can all train ourselves to sincerely share pains, sorrow, joy, and success with our fellows. We must endeavor not to behave contrarily to other people’s feelings – whether family, friends, or neighbors. In other words, we ought to be happy when people are happy, and we ought to be sad when they are sad. May God help us to possess and demonstrate a good spirit that heaven will commend!
Prayer:
Dear God, please help me to love other people genuinely. Let me be happy when they are happy, and let me contribute to the success of other people. Do not let me be an object of people’s downfall, but their object of lifting. For in the name of Jesus Christ I make my requests. Amen.
