Snooze and Lose

1 Samuel 26:5-7 (5) And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched: and David beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his host: and Saul lay in the trench, and the people pitched round about him. (6) Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee. (7) So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but Abner and the people lay round about him. In this chapter we see David once again having complete power over Saul to destroy him but he once more says, "The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the LORD's anointed..." (1SAM 26:11). It is amazing that David and his men were able to walk undetected in Saul's camp but "...a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them" (1SAM 26:12). Deep sleep is a great refreshment but when it comes from the Lord in this manner it portends a great retirement, permanently. Some so sin as to be put to sleep thus (1CO 11:30). Sin invites the judgment of deep sleep through which God works other judgments. "Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger" (PRO 19:15). One reason that some people are so tired is because they are so lazy and they would be much more likely to be alert if a welfare-mentality state (or church, or family, or community) would not subsidize their folly by remembering, "...if any would not work, neither should he eat" (2TH 3:10). An idle soul should suffer hunger. "The sleep of a labouring man is sweet..." (ECC 5:12), but the sleep of the slothful is sin. When the O.T. church was playing at religion by rendering lip-service to God while in reality pushing the precepts of men (ISA 29:13) God said, "For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned" (ISA 29:10-12). And this may explain the doctrinal dullness that prevails in many churches today where the traditions of men have made the word of God of none effect. NOTE: the Son of David walks in the midst of His churches (REV 2:1) and is too often as undetected as David in Saul's camp because of the deep sleep of slothful or lip-service religion. Perhaps like Saul's spear, their spiritual weaponry (the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, EPH 6:17) is stuck in the ground, probably because it has been trampled under foot by revision committees. Perhaps, as David took Saul's spear (1SAM 26:12), Christ shall in judgment take His sword from them and leave them with a flimsy plastic spork like an N.I.V. and enough strong delusion (2TH 2:10-12) to think they can with it fully defend the church against the homosexual agenda. His word to such sleeping saints is "Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame" (1CO 15:34). His word to even well-disciplined saints is similar: "Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch" (MAR 13:35-37).