Saul and David a second bible study

 

            Here is a continuation of the early bible study where David continues to have to flee from Saul with his men, while fighting different enemy nations. At the end the Philistines do end up catching up with Saul and Saul, his son and many others die in a battle with them where Israel is defeated decisively. This bible study continues on with the other one of a part of Saul’s reign and the situations which happened and then Saul starting to chase David. Here is a link to that one

https://www.facebook.com/notes/jay-dougherty/saul-and-david-bible-study/10200716290923229

Like David, many Christians today are persecuted for their righteousness and some even martyred. David had to keep fleeing from Saul but God protected David so David could then be king when Saul died

In 1 Samuel chapter 22 Saul keep pursuing David and even has priests killed for allegedly helping and feeding David

(1 Samuel 22:1)  David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him.

 

(1 Samuel 22:2)  And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became captain over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.

 

(1 Samuel 22:3)  And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, "Please let my father and my mother stay with you, till I know what God will do for me."

 

(1 Samuel 22:4)  And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.

 

(1 Samuel 22:5)  Then the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not remain in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah." So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.

 

(1 Samuel 22:6)  Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him.

 

(1 Samuel 22:7)  And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, "Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds,

 

(1 Samuel 22:8)  that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day."

 

(1 Samuel 22:9)  Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, "I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub,

 

(1 Samuel 22:10)  and he inquired of the LORD for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine."

 

(1 Samuel 22:11)  Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king.

 

(1 Samuel 22:12)  And Saul said, "Hear now, son of Ahitub." And he answered, "Here I am, my lord."

 

(1 Samuel 22:13)  And Saul said to him, "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, so that he has risen against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?"

 

(1 Samuel 22:14)  Then Ahimelech answered the king, "And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and captain over your bodyguard, and honored in your house?

 

(1 Samuel 22:15)  Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little."

 

(1 Samuel 22:16)  And the king said, "You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's house."

 

(1 Samuel 22:17)  And the king said to the guard who stood about him, "Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me." But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the LORD.

 

(1 Samuel 22:18)  Then the king said to Doeg, "You turn and strike the priests." And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod.

 

(1 Samuel 22:19)  And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.

 

(1 Samuel 22:20)  But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.

 

(1 Samuel 22:21)  And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD.

 

(1 Samuel 22:22)  And David said to Abiathar, "I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father's house.

 

(1 Samuel 22:23)  Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping."

 

In 1 Samuel chapter 23 David goes and rescues a town from the Philistines only to have Saul and his men continue to come after Dviod there at the town, but with God’s help David continually evades Saul and his men

(1 Samuel 23:1)  Now they told David, "Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors."

 

(1 Samuel 23:2)  Therefore David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?" And the LORD said to David, "Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah."

 

(1 Samuel 23:3)  But David's men said to him, "Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?"

 

(1 Samuel 23:4)  Then David inquired of the LORD again. And the LORD answered him, "Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand."

 

(1 Samuel 23:5)  And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

 

(1 Samuel 23:6)  When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand.

 

(1 Samuel 23:7)  Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, "God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars."

 

(1 Samuel 23:8)  And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.

 

(1 Samuel 23:9)  David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod here."

 

(1 Samuel 23:10)  Then said David, "O LORD, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account.

 

(1 Samuel 23:11)  Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD, the God of Israel, please tell your servant." And the LORD said, "He will come down."

 

(1 Samuel 23:12)  Then David said, "Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?" And the LORD said, "They will surrender you."

 

(1 Samuel 23:13)  Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition.

 

(1 Samuel 23:14)  And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.

 

(1 Samuel 23:15)  David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh.

 

(1 Samuel 23:16)  And Jonathan, Saul's son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God.

 

(1 Samuel 23:17)  And he said to him, "Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this."

 

(1 Samuel 23:18)  And the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.

 

(1 Samuel 23:19)  Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, "Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon?

 

(1 Samuel 23:20)  Now come down, O king, according to all your heart's desire to come down, and our part shall be to surrender him into the king's hand."

 

(1 Samuel 23:21)  And Saul said, "May you be blessed by the LORD, for you have had compassion on me.

 

(1 Samuel 23:22)  Go, make yet more sure. Know and see the place where his foot is, and who has seen him there, for it is told me that he is very cunning.

 

(1 Samuel 23:23)  See therefore and take note of all the lurking places where he hides, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah."

 

(1 Samuel 23:24)  And they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon.

 

(1 Samuel 23:25)  And Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told, so he went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.

 

(1 Samuel 23:26)  Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them,

 

(1 Samuel 23:27)  a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land."

 

(1 Samuel 23:28)  So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape.

 

(1 Samuel 23:29)  And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of Engedi.

 

In chapter 24 of 1 Samuel the Lord actually puts Saul into a position where David could easily have killed him but does not and then they talk and David even promises not to go after Saul’s sons

(1 Samuel 24:1)  When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, "Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi."

 

(1 Samuel 24:2)  Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats' Rocks.

 

(1 Samuel 24:3)  And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave.

 

(1 Samuel 24:4)  And the men of David said to him, "Here is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.'" Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe.

 

(1 Samuel 24:5)  And afterward David's heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe.

 

(1 Samuel 24:6)  He said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD's anointed."

 

(1 Samuel 24:7)  So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.

 

(1 Samuel 24:8)  Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, "My lord the king!" And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage.

 

(1 Samuel 24:9)  And David said to Saul, "Why do you listen to the words of men who say, 'Behold, David seeks your harm'?

 

(1 Samuel 24:10)  Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the LORD gave you today into my hand in the cave. And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, 'I will not put out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD's anointed.'

 

(1 Samuel 24:11)  See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take it.

 

(1 Samuel 24:12)  May the LORD judge between me and you, may the LORD avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you.

 

(1 Samuel 24:13)  As the proverb of the ancients says, 'Out of the wicked comes wickedness.' But my hand shall not be against you.

 

(1 Samuel 24:14)  After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! After a flea!

 

(1 Samuel 24:15)  May the LORD therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand."

 

(1 Samuel 24:16)  As soon as David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.

 

(1 Samuel 24:17)  He said to David, "You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil.

 

(1 Samuel 24:18)  And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the LORD put me into your hands.

 

(1 Samuel 24:19)  For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe? So may the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day.

 

(1 Samuel 24:20)  And now, behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.

 

(1 Samuel 24:21)  Swear to me therefore by the LORD that you will not cut off my offspring after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father's house."

 

(1 Samuel 24:22)  And David swore this to Saul. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

 

In 1 Samuel chapter 25 David has his encounter with Nabal, an evil man and his wife Abigail. Eventually Nabal would be struck by the Lord and die and Abigail would become David’s wife

(1 Samuel 25:1)  Now Samuel died. And all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at Ramah. Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

 

(1 Samuel 25:2)  And there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

 

(1 Samuel 25:3)  Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite.

 

(1 Samuel 25:4)  David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.

 

(1 Samuel 25:5)  So David sent ten young men. And David said to the young men, "Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal and greet him in my name.

 

(1 Samuel 25:6)  And thus you shall greet him: 'Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.

 

(1 Samuel 25:7)  I hear that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel.

 

(1 Samuel 25:8)  Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.'"

 

(1 Samuel 25:9)  When David's young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David, and then they waited.

 

(1 Samuel 25:10)  And Nabal answered David's servants, "Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters.

 

(1 Samuel 25:11)  Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?"

 

(1 Samuel 25:12)  So David's young men turned away and came back and told him all this.

 

(1 Samuel 25:13)  And David said to his men, "Every man strap on his sword!" And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.

 

(1 Samuel 25:14)  But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, "Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he railed at them.

 

(1 Samuel 25:15)  Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, and we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them.

 

(1 Samuel 25:16)  They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.

 

(1 Samuel 25:17)  Now therefore know this and consider what you should do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his house, and he is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him."

 

(1 Samuel 25:18)  Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.

 

(1 Samuel 25:19)  And she said to her young men, "Go on before me; behold, I come after you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

 

(1 Samuel 25:20)  And as she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain, behold, David and his men came down toward her, and she met them.

 

(1 Samuel 25:21)  Now David had said, "Surely in vain have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him, and he has returned me evil for good.

 

(1 Samuel 25:22)  God do so to the enemies of David and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him."

 

(1 Samuel 25:23)  When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground.

 

(1 Samuel 25:24)  She fell at his feet and said, "On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant.

 

(1 Samuel 25:25)  Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.

 

(1 Samuel 25:26)  Now then, my lord, as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, because the LORD has restrained you from bloodguilt and from saving with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal.

 

(1 Samuel 25:27)  And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord.

 

(1 Samuel 25:28)  Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the LORD, and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live.

 

(1 Samuel 25:29)  If men rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the LORD your God. And the lives of your enemies he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling.

 

(1 Samuel 25:30)  And when the LORD has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you prince over Israel,

 

(1 Samuel 25:31)  my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord taking vengeance himself. And when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant."

 

(1 Samuel 25:32)  And David said to Abigail, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me!

 

(1 Samuel 25:33)  Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from avenging myself with my own hand!

 

(1 Samuel 25:34)  For as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male."

 

(1 Samuel 25:35)  Then David received from her hand what she had brought him. And he said to her, "Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice, and I have granted your petition."

 

(1 Samuel 25:36)  And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until the morning light.

 

(1 Samuel 25:37)  In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.

 

(1 Samuel 25:38)  And about ten days later the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.

 

(1 Samuel 25:39)  When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Blessed be the LORD who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. The LORD has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head." Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife.

 

(1 Samuel 25:40)  When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, "David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife."

 

(1 Samuel 25:41)  And she rose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, "Behold, your handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord."

 

(1 Samuel 25:42)  And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife.

 

(1 Samuel 25:43)  David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives.

 

(1 Samuel 25:44)  Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.

 

In 1 Samuel chapter 26 David again is given the power to have Saul killed but will not do that. Saul then promises to stop seeking to endDavid’s life at the end of the chapter

(1 Samuel 26:1)  Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, "Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?"

 

(1 Samuel 26:2)  So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.

 

(1 Samuel 26:3)  And Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is beside the road on the east of Jeshimon. But David remained in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness,

 

(1 Samuel 26:4)  David sent out spies and learned that Saul had come.

 

(1 Samuel 26:5)  Then David rose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, with Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the encampment, while the army was encamped around him.

 

(1 Samuel 26:6)  Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab's brother Abishai the son of Zeruiah, "Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?" And Abishai said, "I will go down with you."

 

(1 Samuel 26:7)  So David and Abishai went to the army by night. And there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the army lay around him.

 

(1 Samuel 26:8)  Then said Abishai to David, "God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice."

 

(1 Samuel 26:9)  But David said to Abishai, "Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the LORD's anointed and be guiltless?"

 

(1 Samuel 26:10)  And David said, "As the LORD lives, the LORD will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish.

 

(1 Samuel 26:11)  The LORD forbid that I should put out my hand against the LORD's anointed. But take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go."

 

(1 Samuel 26:12)  So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul's head, and they went away. No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen upon them.

 

(1 Samuel 26:13)  Then David went over to the other side and stood far off on the top of the hill, with a great space between them.

 

(1 Samuel 26:14)  And David called to the army, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, "Will you not answer, Abner?" Then Abner answered, "Who are you who calls to the king?"

 

(1 Samuel 26:15)  And David said to Abner, "Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy the king your lord.

 

(1 Samuel 26:16)  This thing that you have done is not good. As the LORD lives, you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the LORD's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is and the jar of water that was at his head."

 

(1 Samuel 26:17)  Saul recognized David's voice and said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" And David said, "It is my voice, my lord, O king."

 

(1 Samuel 26:18)  And he said, "Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? What evil is on my hands?

 

(1 Samuel 26:19)  Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the LORD who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering, but if it is men, may they be cursed before the LORD, for they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in the heritage of the LORD, saying, 'Go, serve other gods.'

 

(1 Samuel 26:20)  Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the LORD, for the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains."

 

(1 Samuel 26:21)  Then Saul said, "I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have acted foolishly, and have made a great mistake."

 

(1 Samuel 26:22)  And David answered and said, "Here is the spear, O king! Let one of the young men come over and take it.

 

(1 Samuel 26:23)  The LORD rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness, for the LORD gave you into my hand today, and I would not put out my hand against the LORD's anointed.

 

(1 Samuel 26:24)  Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the LORD, and may he deliver me out of all tribulation."

 

(1 Samuel 26:25)  Then Saul said to David, "Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will succeed in them." So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.

 

In 1 Samuel chapter 27 David settles in Gath and makes raids against surrounding areas taking much spoil in those raids

(1 Samuel 27:1)  Then David said in his heart, "Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand."

 

(1 Samuel 27:2)  So David arose and went over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.

 

(1 Samuel 27:3)  And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's widow.

 

(1 Samuel 27:4)  And when it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer sought him.

 

(1 Samuel 27:5)  Then David said to Achish, "If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?"

 

(1 Samuel 27:6)  So that day Achish gave him Ziklag. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.

 

(1 Samuel 27:7)  And the number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.

 

(1 Samuel 27:8)  Now David and his men went up and made raids against the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old, as far as Shur, to the land of Egypt.

 

(1 Samuel 27:9)  And David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive, but would take away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the garments, and come back to Achish.

 

(1 Samuel 27:10)  When Achish asked, "Where have you made a raid today?" David would say, "Against the Negeb of Judah," or, "Against the Negeb of the Jerahmeelites," or, "Against the Negeb of the Kenites."

 

(1 Samuel 27:11)  And David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking, "lest they should tell about us and say, 'So David has done.'" Such was his custom all the while he lived in the country of the Philistines.

 

(1 Samuel 27:12)  And Achish trusted David, thinking, "He has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant."

 

In 1 Samuel chapter 28, Saul finds out about the Philistine army and even has a medium raise Samuel momentarily who reminds him of his disobedience and prophesies that he will die in the coming battle and the Israeli army will be delivered to the Philistines due to his disobedience concerning Amalek (see 1 Samuel chapter 15)

(1 Samuel 28:1)  In those days the Philistines gathered their forces for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, "Understand that you and your men are to go out with me in the army."

 

(1 Samuel 28:2)  David said to Achish, "Very well, you shall know what your servant can do." And Achish said to David, "Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life."

 

(1 Samuel 28:3)  Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land.

 

(1 Samuel 28:4)  The Philistines assembled and came and encamped at Shunem. And Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa.

 

(1 Samuel 28:5)  When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.

 

(1 Samuel 28:6)  And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets.

 

(1 Samuel 28:7)  Then Saul said to his servants, "Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her." And his servants said to him, "Behold, there is a medium at En-dor."

 

(1 Samuel 28:8)  So Saul disguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, "Divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you."

 

(1 Samuel 28:9)  The woman said to him, "Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the necromancers from the land. Why then are you laying a trap for my life to bring about my death?"

 

(1 Samuel 28:10)  But Saul swore to her by the LORD, "As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing."

 

(1 Samuel 28:11)  Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" He said, "Bring up Samuel for me."

 

(1 Samuel 28:12)  When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, "Why have you deceived me? You are Saul."

 

(1 Samuel 28:13)  The king said to her, "Do not be afraid. What do you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I see a god coming up out of the earth."

 

(1 Samuel 28:14)  He said to her, "What is his appearance?" And she said, "An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe." And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage.

 

(1 Samuel 28:15)  Then Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" Saul answered, "I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do."

 

(1 Samuel 28:16)  And Samuel said, "Why then do you ask me, since the LORD has turned from you and become your enemy?

 

(1 Samuel 28:17)  The LORD has done to you as he spoke by me, for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David.

 

(1 Samuel 28:18)  Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day.

 

(1 Samuel 28:19)  Moreover, the LORD will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The LORD will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines."

 

(1 Samuel 28:20)  Then Saul fell at once full length on the ground, filled with fear because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night.

 

(1 Samuel 28:21)  And the woman came to Saul, and when she saw that he was terrified, she said to him, "Behold, your servant has obeyed you. I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to what you have said to me.

 

(1 Samuel 28:22)  Now therefore, you also obey your servant. Let me set a morsel of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way."

 

(1 Samuel 28:23)  He refused and said, "I will not eat." But his servants, together with the woman, urged him, and he listened to their words. So he arose from the earth and sat on the bed.

 

(1 Samuel 28:24)  Now the woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she quickly killed it, and she took flour and kneaded it and baked unleavened bread of it,

 

(1 Samuel 28:25)  and she put it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night.

 

In 1 Samuel 29 David is asked to leave the Philistines and not go with them to war despite his hosts please he leaves early in the morning

(1 Samuel 29:1)  Now the Philistines had gathered all their forces at Aphek. And the Israelites were encamped by the spring that is in Jezreel.

 

(1 Samuel 29:2)  As the lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing on in the rear with Achish,

 

(1 Samuel 29:3)  the commanders of the Philistines said, "What are these Hebrews doing here?" And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, "Is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me now for days and years, and since he deserted to me I have found no fault in him to this day."

 

(1 Samuel 29:4)  But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him. And the commanders of the Philistines said to him, "Send the man back, that he may return to the place to which you have assigned him. He shall not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here?

 

(1 Samuel 29:5)  Is not this David, of whom they sing to one another in dances, 'Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands'?"

 

(1 Samuel 29:6)  Then Achish called David and said to him, "As the LORD lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that you should march out and in with me in the campaign. For I have found nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, the lords do not approve of you.

 

(1 Samuel 29:7)  So go back now; and go peaceably, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines."

 

(1 Samuel 29:8)  And David said to Achish, "But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?"

 

(1 Samuel 29:9)  And Achish answered David and said, "I know that you are as blameless in my sight as an angel of God. Nevertheless, the commanders of the Philistines have said, 'He shall not go up with us to the battle.'

 

(1 Samuel 29:10)  Now then rise early in the morning with the servants of your lord who came with you, and start early in the morning, and depart as soon as you have light."

 

(1 Samuel 29:11)  So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

 

In 1 Samuel 30 David goes against the Amalekites whom raided and took some of his wives and other spoil, recapturing everything they took, killing the men and getting more plunder also

(1 Samuel 30:1)  Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire

 

(1 Samuel 30:2)  and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way.

 

(1 Samuel 30:3)  And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.

 

(1 Samuel 30:4)  Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep.

 

(1 Samuel 30:5)  David's two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

 

(1 Samuel 30:6)  And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

 

(1 Samuel 30:7)  And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

 

(1 Samuel 30:8)  And David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?" He answered him, "Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue."

 

(1 Samuel 30:9)  So David set out, and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed.

 

(1 Samuel 30:10)  But David pursued, he and four hundred men. Two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor.

 

(1 Samuel 30:11)  They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink,

 

(1 Samuel 30:12)  and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.

 

(1 Samuel 30:13)  And David said to him, "To whom do you belong? And where are you from?" He said, "I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago.

 

(1 Samuel 30:14)  We had made a raid against the Negeb of the Cherethites and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire."

 

(1 Samuel 30:15)  And David said to him, "Will you take me down to this band?" And he said, "Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this band."

 

(1 Samuel 30:16)  And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.

 

(1 Samuel 30:17)  And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled.

 

(1 Samuel 30:18)  David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives.

 

(1 Samuel 30:19)  Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all.

 

(1 Samuel 30:20)  David also captured all the flocks and herds, and the people drove the livestock before him, and said, "This is David's spoil."

 

(1 Samuel 30:21)  Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left at the brook Besor. And they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near to the people he greeted them.

 

(1 Samuel 30:22)  Then all the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, "Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children, and depart."

 

(1 Samuel 30:23)  But David said, "You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us.

 

(1 Samuel 30:24)  Who would listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike."

 

(1 Samuel 30:25)  And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day.

 

(1 Samuel 30:26)  When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, "Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD."

 

(1 Samuel 30:27)  It was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in Jattir,

 

(1 Samuel 30:28)  in Aroer, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa,

 

(1 Samuel 30:29)  in Racal, in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, in the cities of the Kenites,

 

(1 Samuel 30:30)  in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach,

 

(1 Samuel 30:31)  in Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed.

 

In 1 Samuel chapter 31 then Saul indeed goes up against the Philistines and he and his son are slain and the Israeli army routed, as prophesied.

(1 Samuel 31:1)  Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

 

(1 Samuel 31:2)  And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.

 

(1 Samuel 31:3)  The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers.

 

(1 Samuel 31:4)  Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me." But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.

 

(1 Samuel 31:5)  And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him.

 

(1 Samuel 31:6)  Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together.

 

(1 Samuel 31:7)  And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them.

 

(1 Samuel 31:8)  The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

 

(1 Samuel 31:9)  So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people.

 

(1 Samuel 31:10)  They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.

 

(1 Samuel 31:11)  But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,

 

(1 Samuel 31:12)  all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there.

 

(1 Samuel 31:13)  And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.

 

In 2 Samuel chapter 1 David returns from his own campaign against Amalek to find out that Saul was slain and has an Amalekite killed for doing the deed, and encourages mourning for the deaths of Saul and his sons

(2 Samuel 1:1)  After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag.

 

(2 Samuel 1:2)  And on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul's camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage.

 

(2 Samuel 1:3)  David said to him, "Where do you come from?" And he said to him, "I have escaped from the camp of Israel."

 

(2 Samuel 1:4)  And David said to him, "How did it go? Tell me." And he answered, "The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead."

 

(2 Samuel 1:5)  Then David said to the young man who told him, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"

 

(2 Samuel 1:6)  And the young man who told him said, "By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him.

 

(2 Samuel 1:7)  And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, 'Here I am.'

 

(2 Samuel 1:8)  And he said to me, 'Who are you?' I answered him, 'I am an Amalekite.'

 

(2 Samuel 1:9)  And he said to me 'Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.'

 

(2 Samuel 1:10)  So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord."

 

(2 Samuel 1:11)  Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him.

 

(2 Samuel 1:12)  And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

 

(2 Samuel 1:13)  And David said to the young man who told him, "Where do you come from?" And he answered, "I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite."

 

(2 Samuel 1:14)  David said to him, "How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the LORD's anointed?"

 

(2 Samuel 1:15)  Then David called one of the young men and said, "Go, execute him." And he struck him down so that he died.

 

(2 Samuel 1:16)  And David said to him, "Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I have killed the LORD's anointed.'"

 

(2 Samuel 1:17)  And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son,

 

(2 Samuel 1:18)  and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar. He said:

 

(2 Samuel 1:19)  "Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen!

 

(2 Samuel 1:20)  Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.

 

(2 Samuel 1:21)  "You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor fields of offerings! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

 

(2 Samuel 1:22)  "From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.

 

(2 Samuel 1:23)  "Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions.

 

(2 Samuel 1:24)  "You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.

 

(2 Samuel 1:25)  "How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! "Jonathan lies slain on your high places.

 

(2 Samuel 1:26)  I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.

 

(2 Samuel 1:27)  "How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!"

 

In 2 Samuel chapter 2 David goes to Hebron and is there anointed king over Judah, and then after he is king of Judah another, one of Saul’s sons is king of Israel and there then is war of succession between Judah and Israel (Saul’s sons army) and David’s army of Judah wins

(2 Samuel 2:1)  After this David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?" And the LORD said to him, "Go up." David said, "To which shall I go up?" And he said, "To Hebron."

 

(2 Samuel 2:2)  So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

 

(2 Samuel 2:3)  And David brought up his men who were with him, everyone with his household, and they lived in the towns of Hebron.

 

(2 Samuel 2:4)  And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. When they told David, "It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul,"

 

(2 Samuel 2:5)  David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, "May you be blessed by the LORD, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord and buried him.

 

(2 Samuel 2:6)  Now may the LORD show steadfast love and faithfulness to you. And I will do good to you because you have done this thing.

 

(2 Samuel 2:7)  Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant, for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them."

 

(2 Samuel 2:8)  But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim,

 

(2 Samuel 2:9)  and he made him king over Gilead and the Ashurites and Jezreel and Ephraim and Benjamin and all Israel.

 

(2 Samuel 2:10)  Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.

 

(2 Samuel 2:11)  And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

 

(2 Samuel 2:12)  Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

 

(2 Samuel 2:13)  And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.

 

(2 Samuel 2:14)  And Abner said to Joab, "Let the young men arise and compete before us." And Joab said, "Let them arise."

 

(2 Samuel 2:15)  Then they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.

 

(2 Samuel 2:16)  And each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent's side, so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is at Gibeon.

 

(2 Samuel 2:17)  And the battle was very fierce that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.

 

(2 Samuel 2:18)  And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle.

 

(2 Samuel 2:19)  And Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he turned neither to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.

 

(2 Samuel 2:20)  Then Abner looked behind him and said, "Is it you, Asahel?" And he answered, "It is I."

 

(2 Samuel 2:21)  Abner said to him, "Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and seize one of the young men and take his spoil." But Asahel would not turn aside from following him.

 

(2 Samuel 2:22)  And Abner said again to Asahel, "Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?"

 

(2 Samuel 2:23)  But he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died where he was. And all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.

 

(2 Samuel 2:24)  But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. And as the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.

 

(2 Samuel 2:25)  And the people of Benjamin gathered themselves together behind Abner and became one group and took their stand on the top of a hill.

 

(2 Samuel 2:26)  Then Abner called to Joab, "Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will it be before you tell your people to turn from the pursuit of their brothers?"

 

(2 Samuel 2:27)  And Joab said, "As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely the men would not have given up the pursuit of their brothers until the morning."

 

(2 Samuel 2:28)  So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men stopped and pursued Israel no more, nor did they fight anymore.

 

(2 Samuel 2:29)  And Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, and marching the whole morning, they came to Mahanaim.

 

(2 Samuel 2:30)  Joab returned from the pursuit of Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing from David's servants nineteen men besides Asahel.

 

(2 Samuel 2:31)  But the servants of David had struck down of Benjamin 360 of Abner's men.

 

(2 Samuel 2:32)  And they took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was at Bethlehem. And Joab and his men marched all night, and the day broke upon them at Hebron.

 

And this war goes on, and David strengthens his positions but Saul’s sons weaken and David then becomes the king of both Israel and Judah and all this all is detailed in the king David bible study and here is a link to it

  https://www.facebook.com/notes/jay-dougherty/king-david-bible-study/10200730961329980

God is good, and protected David through all of the efforts of Saul to try to kill him and also the enemy nations so that he was able to become king, and through his line Jesus would come. Jesus would then give His life for all as a permanent sacrifice for sin so that we all could come to repentance. God and Jesus did this because of the love they have, and also wanting a relationship with everyone. There is nothing like this special relationship with God, either, for it is that special. I am including a prayer now for you to have this special relationship, inviting Jesus in your heart for it, or even to come back to this relationship if you have wandered away. Please pray this prayer with me:

Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness. I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin. You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess Jesus as our Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we will be saved. Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved. Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself. Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life.

Amen.

God bless you and yours