After once again escaping from Saul, David now understands that he truly must flee Israel, for Saul will stop at nothing to track him down. 1 Samuel 27 portrays a very cunning and wily David who seeks refuge among the Philistines. David approaches King Achish of Gath and is granted a military base in Ziklag, which is a border city in Judah presently controled by the Philistines.
From this base, David strikes out against the enemies of Israel, plunders their towns and villages, and leaves no one alive to tell the story. To King Achish, David tells him that he is plundering regions under control of Judah, which to Achish means that David has truly chosen the side of the Philistines. Only David and his loyal followers know the truth, they live under the protection of the Philistines, yet they do the work of Israel.
The moment of truth comes for David in 1 Samuel 28, he now must pledge his loyalty to King Achish, for the Philistines are going to war with Israel. David is in a no win situation, he cannot fight for the Philistines for then Saul is right, David is an enemy of Israel. But he cannot fight for Israel, because he then loses the shelter he has received. David is offered a place of honor by leading his men as the bodyguards of Achish. The story leaves David, however, and we are left wondering how this is going to work out for David.
The story jumps Saul, who hears of the Philistine army gathering and he realizes he must do something. Whether Saul is a good follower of God or not, he believes he needs to seek God's guidance but God provides nothings. Desperate, Saul turns to a necromancer, which is not something a follower of God is supposed to do, in order to reach out to Samuel.
From the dead, Samuel now tells him that God has given his kingdom to David. Saul's worst fears are realized, David will be king. He falls into a deep depression, but finally eats and prepares for his future.
1 Corinthians 1
Paul is writing to the church located in Corinth, which was a prosperous community in Achaia, Greece. It was a diverse community that was a hub of Roman power. Paul is probably writing around 54 AD (or CE) from Ephesus as he journeys onward towards Corinth and Greece. Paul's colleague Timothy is being sent ahead as well as others who carry the letter.
The purpose of the letter itself is to respond to a letter sent to Paul listing some concerns or disputes that had arisen in the community. Unfortunately that letter itself is lost to us so we can only determine what the disputes are by Paul's response. Paul has great concern about this church in that he founded it on a previous journey through Greece so he has emotional ties to it. It would seem that some of these issues revolve around the factions that have developed within the community. Others are concerned with immoral practices and false teachings. It would seem that Paul's own authority and integrity as an apostle is also called into question.
Paul's letter to the church at Corinth intends to address these issues and set the record straight. Perhaps the purpose for the journey itself is because of the disputes or perhaps Paul always intended to return to Corinth as well.
The letter itself is still very valid in our day, for the church still remains fractured, still has false teachings prevalent, and still questions the authority of the apostolic witness. We can easily find ourselves within this community, perhaps Paul's answers can help us in our disputes as well.
Paul's letter begins with a standard salutation, he recognizes himself as a messenger of Jesus Christ who has been sent to share Christ's message with the people of Corinth. Paul also establishes that it is not just he but Sosthenes as well who sends this message. It is possible that this Sosthenes is the same one referred to in Acts as a leader of the synagogue in Corinth.
Paul begins in the salutation by pointing out that not has his mission begin in Christ, but that he is speaking to those whom he considers to be saints, not in the way that we understand saints in our day, but in the understanding that they are holy for they believe in Christ. In the same way that God called Israel to be holy, so the church too is called to be holy.
After the salutation, the next several verses deal with thanksgiving. Paul gives thanks for the grace of God, for the future that we all have in Christ, and he, the Corinthians and all other believers have been called into a community based in Jesus Christ.
It is to these issues of thanksgiving that Paul immediately draws attention to, for the community is not living as a community. They have become factions, with each have a patron. He also in very concerned about those in the community who believe they have a special knowledge that places them in positions of authority which might be what he is referring to when he mentions those who say "I belong to Christ." But Paul asks the question, has Christ been divided?
This is a question that we in the present era need to answer, with all our divisions have we not proclaimed a divided Christ?
Paul then discusses wisdom, but wisdom in Christ is not worldly wisdom. According to the worlds standards, a god who dies is foolish, so for the world Christianity is folly. To have knowledge of God then is to be foolish, yet Paul speaks of God's wisdom trumping human wisdom, for humans cannot understand God. So in this regard, God has favored believers with knowledge that even the most wise cannot come to without knowledge of Jesus Christ. For this reason, we do not boast, for it is God who has revealed this to us.
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