“The LORD was with him”: Walking Back Through David’s Life.

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Daily Reading: 1 Samuel 24–26

Text: “And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him.” (1 Samuel 18:14)

Click here to listen to Alexander Scourby reading the King James Bible

This is one week’s worth of reading—1 Samuel 16–31—and it ought to be an encouragement. If you’ve stayed with it day by day, you’ve walked beside David from the sheepfold to the edge of the throne. Let’s use this “week in review” to remind ourselves how good it is to read our Bible faithfully and then go tell others what they’re missing.

  1. Chosen in the field (1 Samuel 16)
  • God rejected Saul from reigning and sent Samuel to Jesse because He had “provided… a king” among his sons (1 Samuel 16:1).
  • Samuel looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’S anointed,” but God said He looks on the heart, not the height (1 Samuel 16:6–7).
  • David was the youngest, out keeping the sheep; God said, “Arise, anoint him: for this is he,” and “the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward” (1 Samuel 16:11–13).

In just a few verses, your daily reading took you from a forgotten boy in a field to an anointed king in God’s plan. This is what faithful reading reveals day by day when you stay in the Book.

  1. Serving before he ever sits (1 Samuel 16–17)
  • After the Spirit departed from Saul and an evil spirit troubled him, David was brought in to play the harp; Saul loved him and made him his armourbearer (1 Samuel 16:14–23).
  • In chapter 17, running a simple errand for his father, David heard Goliath’s challenge (1 Samuel 17:17–23).
  • He asked, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine…?” and when accused of pride, answered, “Is there not a cause?” (1 Samuel 17:26, 29).
  • He refused Saul’s armor, went with a sling and five smooth stones, and declared, “the battle is the LORD’S” before the stone ever flew (1 Samuel 17:39–47).
  • God put that stone in Goliath’s forehead, and David cut off his head with his own sword (1 Samuel 17:48–51).

In a couple of chapters, your reading showed you God taking the boy He chose in private and using him in public. This is the kind of encouragement that comes from opening your Bible faithfully every day.

  1. Favored, then hated (1 Samuel 18–20)
  • Jonathan’s soul was knit with David’s, and he loved him as his own soul (1 Samuel 18:1–4).
  • David went out wherever Saul sent him, behaved wisely, and was accepted by the people (1 Samuel 18:5).
  • The women sang, “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands,” and Saul eyed David from that day (1 Samuel 18:7–9).
  • Twice Saul cast the javelin, saying, “I will smite David even to the wall,” but David escaped; yet “David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him” (1 Samuel 18:10–14).
  • Saul schemed through his daughters, but David kept winning battles and growing in favor (1 Samuel 18:17–30).
  • In chapters 19–20, Jonathan defended David, Michal helped him escape, and David and Jonathan parted with tears because of Saul’s hatred (1 Samuel 19–20).

In just a few days of reading, you watched how God can be with a man when he’s loved and when he’s hated. This strengthens your heart through faithful Bible reading when your own circumstances swing.

  1. On the run, still in God’s hand (1 Samuel 21–23)
  • David fled to Nob and received the hallowed bread and Goliath’s sword from Ahimelech (1 Samuel 21:1–9).
  • He went to Achish of Gath and pretended to be mad to escape (1 Samuel 21:10–15).
  • In the cave of Adullam, “every one that was in distress… in debt… discontented” gathered to him; he became a captain over about four hundred men (1 Samuel 22:1–2).
  • Doeg the Edomite reported to Saul; Saul ordered the slaughter of the priests, and Doeg killed eighty‑five that wore a linen ephod and destroyed Nob (1 Samuel 22:9, 18–19).
  • David kept moving—Keilah, the wilderness, strongholds—while Saul sought him every day, “but God delivered him not into his hand” (1 Samuel 23:14).

Over just a couple of readings, you saw caves, betrayal, bloodshed, and yet that quiet line: God did not let Saul get him. This is the kind of detail that builds strength when you read the Bible consistently day after day.

  1. Twice spared, never self‑promoted (1 Samuel 24–26)
  • In the cave at En‑gedi, David cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe but refused to kill him, saying, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing… against the LORD’S anointed” (1 Samuel 24:1–7).
  • He showed Saul the skirt, proved his innocence, and Saul confessed David would “surely be king” (1 Samuel 24:9–22).
  • In chapter 25, David nearly avenged himself on Nabal, but God used Abigail’s words to turn him; later the LORD smote Nabal, and David took Abigail to wife (1 Samuel 25:21–39).
  • In chapter 26, David again had Saul’s life in his hand, took his spear and cruse of water, and again left Saul alive, committing his cause to the LORD (1 Samuel 26:7–11, 21–24).

Across a few days’ reading, you watched a man refuse shortcuts, twice. This kind of steady character is built day by day through faithful reading of Scripture.

  1. The low point and the comeback (1 Samuel 27–30)
  • David said in his heart, “I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul,” and went to dwell among the Philistines with Achish in Gath (1 Samuel 27:1–4).
  • He lived in Ziklag, raiding enemies while keeping Achish pleased (1 Samuel 27:5–12).
  • When the Philistines gathered for war against Israel, David found himself in a compromised spot in their ranks, but the Philistine princes sent him back (1 Samuel 29:1–11).
  • Coming back to Ziklag, he found it burned and their families taken; “David was greatly distressed… but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God,” then pursued and recovered all (1 Samuel 30:3–8, 18–19).

In just a couple more chapters, you will watch David hit bottom and then get back up by turning to the Lord. This is the kind of scene that will come back to your mind on your own Ziklag days when you have been faithful in the reading.

  1. Saul’s fall, God’s plan still standing (1 Samuel 31)
  • The Philistines fought against Israel; Saul’s sons fell, including Jonathan (1 Samuel 31:1–2).
  • Saul was wounded and fell on his sword; the Philistines took his body and fastened it to the wall of Beth‑shan (1 Samuel 31:3–10).
  • The men of Jabesh‑gilead traveled all night, took the bodies of Saul and his sons, and buried them (1 Samuel 31:11–13).

By the end of the tomorrow’s reading, you’ll see the first king fall, but God’s man is still standing, waiting in the wings. This is how the Lord teaches you, over several days of faithful Scripture reading, that He always finishes what He starts.

This is one week’s worth of reading and this should be an encouragement. Look at what the Lord has already shown you just by staying in the Book every day. Let’s tell others how great it is to read our Bible every day faithfully—because if they’ll walk with us through these chapters, they’ll see the same God who was with David is still working in the lives of His people now.

Continue reading because tomorrow’s reading from 1 SAMUEL 27–31 we’ll finish this first Samuel journey, watching God close Saul’s chapter and set the stage for David’s next one.

Tomorrow’s Reading: 1 Samuel 27–31

Until tomorrow, Stay in the Book. 📖
Brother Tony