The song of the cave Friday, Oct 8 2010 

Uncategorized kennethbow 12:27 pm

Caves are not the ideal place for morale building.

There is a certain sameness to them all, no matter how many you have lived in.

Dark.

Wet.

Cold.

Stale.

A cave becomes even worse when you are its sole inhabitant … and in the distance you can hear the dogs baying.

But sometimes, when the dogs and hunters were not near, the prey sang.

He started low, then lifted up his voice and sang the song the little lamb had taught him.

The cavern walls echoed each note just as the mountains once had done.

The music rolled down into deep cavern darkness that soon became an echoing choir singing back to him.

He had less now than he had when he was a shepherd, for now he had no lyre, no sun, not even the company of sheep.

The memories of the court had faded.

David’s greatest ambition now reached no higher than a shepherd’s staff.

Everything was being crushed out of him.

He sang a great deal.

And eventually, even though he did not know how to throw spears, he did become the most prolific song writer in God’s family.

Alone, cold, hungry, and forsaken, he wrote and sang…..I will bless the Lord at all times.  His praise shall continually be in my mouth……

The song of the cave!

Thanks for reading today!

 

Why David? Why? Thursday, Oct 7 2010 

Biblical history and Biographical and Motivational and Old Testament kennethbow 6:57 am

‘Why, David, why?”

The place was another nameless cave.

The men stirred about restlessly.

Gradually, and very uneasily, they began to settle in.

All were as confused as Joab, who had finally voiced their questions.

Joab wanted some answers.

Now!

David should have seemed embarrassed or at least defensive.

He was neither.

He was looking past Joab like a man viewing another realm which only he could see.

Joab walked directly in front of David, looking down on him, and began roaring his frustrations.

“Many times he almost speared you to death in his castle.

I’ve seen that with my own eyes.

Finally, you ran away.

Now for years you have been nothing but a rabbit for him to chase.

Furthermore, the whole world believes the lies he tells about you.

He has come, the King himself, hunting every cave, pit and hole on earth to find you and kill you like a dog.

But tonight you had him at the end of his own spear and you did nothing!

“Look at us.  We’re animals again.  Less than an hour ago you could have freed us all.  Yes, we could all be free, right now!  Free!  And Israel, too.  She would be free.  Why, David, why did you not end these years of misery?”

There was a long silence.

Men shifted again, uneasily.

They were not accustomed to seeing David rebuked.

“Because,” said David very slowly (and with a gentleness that seemed to say, ‘I heard what you asked, but not the way you asked it’), “because once, long ago, he was not mad.  He was young.  He was great.  Great in the eyes of God and men.  And it was God who made him king – God – not men.”

Joab blazed back, “But now he is mad!  And God is no longer with him.  And, David, he will yet kill you!”

This time it was David’s answer that blazed with fire.

“Better he kill me than I learn his ways.

Better he kill me than I become what he is.

I will not practice his ways.

I will not throw spears, nor will I allow hatred to grow in my heart.

I will not avenge.

Not now.

Not ever!”

Joab stormed out into the dark.

That night men went to bed on cold, wet stone and muttered about their leader’s views.

That night angels sang and dreamed, in the afterglow of that rare, rare day, that God might yet be able to give His authority to a man who did not throw spears.

Thanks for reading today!

 

3 Things Wednesday, Oct 6 2010 

Biblical history and Motivational and Old Testament kennethbow 7:05 am

Unlike anyone else in spear-throwing history, David did not know what to do when a spear was thrown at him.

He did not throw Saul’s spears back at him.

Nor did he make any spears of his own and throw them.

Something was different about David.

All he did was dodge.

What can a man, especially a young man, do when the king decides to use him for target practice?

What if the young man decides not to return the compliment?

First of all, he must pretend he cannot see spears.

Even when they are coming straight at him.

Secondly, he must also learn to duck very quickly.

Lastly, he must pretend nothing at all happened.

You can easily tell when someone has been hit by a spear.

He turns a deep shade of bitter.

David never got hit.

Gradually, he learned a very well kept secret.

He discovered three things that prevented him from ever being hit.

One, never learn anything about the fashionable, easily mastered art of spear throwing.

Two, stay out of the company of all spear throwers.

Three, keep your mouth tightly closed.

In this way, spears will never touch you, even when they pierce your heart.

Thanks for reading today!

 

Spear Throwers Tuesday, Oct 5 2010 

Biblical history and Motivational and Old Testament kennethbow 3:36 pm


David had a question:

What do you do when someone throws a spear at you?

Does it not seem odd to you that David did not know the answer to this question?

After all, everyone else in the world knows what to do when a spear is thrown at them.

Why, you pick up the spear and throw it right back!

“When someone throws a spear at you, David, just wrench it right out of the wall and throw it back.

Absolutely everyone else does, you can be sure.”

And in doing this small feat of returning thrown spears, you will prove many things:

You are courageous.

You stand for the right.

You boldly stand against the wrong.

You are tough and can’t be pushed around.

You will not stand for injustice or unfair treatment.

You are the defender of the faith, keeper of the flame, detector of all heresy…..after the order of King Saul.

There is also a possibility that some 20 years from now you will be the most incredibly skilled spear thrower in all the realm.

Thanks for reading today!