Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Climb out

11 Saul sent men to David's house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, warned him, "If you don't run for your life tonight, tomorrow you'll be killed." 12 So Michal let David down through a window, and he fled and escaped. 13 Then Michal took an idol and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goats' hair at the head.

 14 When Saul sent the men to capture David, Michal said, "He is ill."

 15 Then Saul sent the men back to see David and told them, "Bring him up to me in his bed so that I may kill him." 16 But when the men entered, there was the idol in the bed, and at the head was some goats' hair.

 17 Saul said to Michal, "Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so that he escaped?"
      Michal told him, "He said to me, 'Let me get away. Why should I kill you?' "
1 Sam 19:11-17

Where did your thoughts go when you read that passage?

Did you think of the daughter deceiving her father to save the one she loves?

Did you, like I, wonder what were they doing with an idol in their house? Really, an idol? Surely not, it's David a man after God's own heart, he wouldn't let that in his house. Maybe it was just one of those life size Santa's we all have. Hum, but it does say idol.

Here's where my thoughts landed; how many of God's men at one point in their lives had to run or escape, leave the comforts of home and family and set out on the lonely road of an outcast. Here's a few that came to mind Abraham (Gen 12), Joseph (Gen 37), Moses (Exodus 2), Elijah (1 Kings), I'm sure if I looked I'd find many more.

I was reminded that God will often use conflicts and difficulties to set us out to find the narrow path that few choose to follow. It is usually on that path that we find intimacy with God and the clarification or fulfillment of the call on our lives.

14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matt 7:14

Narrow literally means pressed together, restricted; do you feel pressed? Maybe God is trying to light your path by "pressing" you toward the window.

Will you be one of the few?

Go out through the window today, not the door.

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