Day4
1 Samuel 20
Week34
“Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. When you have stayed three days, you will surely go down and come to the place where you hid yourself on the day this happened, and wait there beside the stone Ezel. And I will shoot three arrows to its side, as though I shot at a target. Then I will send a boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I expressly say to the boy, ‘See, the arrows are on this side of you, take them,’ then come, for it will be safe for you. And as the Lord lives, it is nothing of concern. But if I say to the young man, ‘See, the arrows are beyond you,’ go, for the Lord has sent you away. As for the matter upon which you and I have spoken, the Lord is between you and me forever.””
1 Samuel 20:18-23 MEV
Cross references
1 Samuel 20:5,25;
1 Samuel 19:2;
1 Samuel 20:37;
1 Samuel 20:14-15, 20:42
Aim Your Arrows
Words are like arrows in that they divide, cut to the quick, wound and kill.
Have you ever spoken quickly or given your opinion without thinking about what or who you may affect with your words?
I think that most of us have experienced this a few times.
It is very important that you aim your arrows carefully.
We live in a world where the tongue is on fire and most shoot fiery darts without care or cause.
“….. Even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.”
Psalm 57:4 KJV
“Who whet their tongue like a sword, And bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:”
Psalm 64:3 KJV
In great distress David cries out,”Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, And from a deceitful tongue. What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue? Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.”
Psalm 120:2-4 KJV
What a fitting analogy!
Words, like arrows, cannot be recalled.
They can both be used over again, but once in flight cannot be taken back.
You cannot unspeak a word and you cannot unshoot an arrow.
How do you aim your arrows?
Do you have a target before you open your mouth?
Examine your purpose for shooting off your mouth before you draw back your bow.
Are you slow to speak and quick to hear? James 1:19-20.
Do you, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” ? Colossians 4:6
Arrows are dangerous weapons or invaluable tools!
Arrows can be tools used as warnings, as we see in this story of Jonathan and David today.
Repentance can heal the wounds caused by evil words and prayer is needed to not only prevent the shooting of sharp arrows as weapons, but to direct the aim of grace seasoned arrows or tools, which are of course our words.
Carefully thought out well seasoned words can shoot straight through the heart of the listener as warning in love. A call to repentance.
Action Step
As you reflect on your prayer time today, what do you need to let go of?
What do you need to press into?
Aim your arrows wisely.
Pray for wisdom and understanding in a matter before opening your mouth.
Consider shooting out arrows proclaiming the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
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