Last week we looked at good associations and good covenants. We saw how Joshua and Caleb walked into the promised land together because of there relentless faith in god's promise's. We saw the covenant relationship between Elijah and Elisha there faithfulness was rewarded with a double blessing. And we saw Jesus sharing his heart with the one's he was closest too. All different covenant relationships, all beautiful to each parties. And beautiful to us as well.
But what about bad associations and bad covenants? We all have had them. A relationship with a man and a women, a wrong covenant between business associates and partners, Or just plain bad choices for people. We have all dealt with bad covenant s or associations, Lets take a look at some in the bible.
Cain and Abel:
Genesis 4:1-9
1 Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.”
2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.
3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD.
4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?
7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Cain brought the lord an offering, but Abel brought what he thought was best first and god honored it. Where as for Cains offering, god rejected it because it was not his best. Cain was angry, sad, and depressed. But for all the wrong reason's. Verse 8 said " Now Cain said to his brother Abel; "Lets go out into the field" While they were in the field Cain attacked Abel and killed him." His brother was not the reason God rejected his offering, It was from Cain's lack of effort with his offering. God always wants us to do our best. Cain did not master his sin, but his sin mastered him. Cain let jealousy take over and destroy him. Maybe some of us have had relationships were we allowed jealousy to come in and take over. We blame the wrong person or don't take responsibility of our actions. We need to master our sin nefore we do something we regret.
Sampson and Delilah:
Judges 16:4-20
4 Some time later, he fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek whose name was Delilah.
5 The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, “See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength and how we can overpower him so we may tie him up and subdue him. Each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.”
6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.”
7 Samson answered her, “If anyone ties me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, I’ll become as weak as any other man.”
8 Then the rulers of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied him with them.
9 With men hidden in the room, she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” But he snapped the bowstrings as easily as a piece of string snaps when it comes close to a flame. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.
10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have made a fool of me; you lied to me. Come now, tell me how you can be tied.”
11 He said, “If anyone ties me securely with new ropes that have never been used, I’ll become as weak as any other man.”
12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied him with them. Then, with men hidden in the room, she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” But he snapped the ropes off his arms as if they were threads.
13 Delilah then said to Samson, “All this time you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied.”
He replied, “If you weave the seven braids of my head into the fabric on the loom and tighten it with the pin, I’ll become as weak as any other man.” So while he was sleeping, Delilah took the seven braids of his head, wove them into the fabric
14 and tightened it with the pin.
Again she called to him, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!” He awoke from his sleep and pulled up the pin and the loom, with the fabric.
15 Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when you won’t confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven’t told me the secret of your great strength.”
16 With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was sick to death of it.
17 So he told her everything. “No razor has ever been used on my head,” he said, “because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother’s womb. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man.”
18 When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, “Come back once more; he has told me everything.” So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands.
19 After putting him to sleep on her lap, she called for someone to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him.
20 Then she called, “Samson, the Philistines are upon you!”
He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the LORD had left him.
This bad covenant was based on lies and deception. In verse 5 it says; "And the lord of the philistines came to her and said:" Entice him and see where his great strength lies." "So we may overpower, bind him and subdue him."
Delilah was willing to sellout her own houseband for pieces of silver.
Later Sampson was saved because he fully relied on god and kept pressing him day after day.
"If I am saved my strength shall go from me, And I shall become weak ad be like other men."
David and Saul:
1 Samuel 18:5-16
5 Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul’s officers as well.
6 When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres.
7 As they danced, they sang:
“Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his tens of thousands.”
8 Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?”
9 And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.
10 The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand
11 and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.
12 Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had departed from Saul.
13 So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns.
14 In everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him.
15 When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him.
16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.
Saul became jealous and angry of David, because the people loved David and god was with him. David never walked in anger toward Saul, but walked wisely.
Verse 13-15 says; "So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in there campaign. In everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him. When Saul saw how successful he was, He was afraid him.
1 Chronicles 16:22
"Touch not my anointed ones, And do my prophets no harm."
David Spared Saul:
1Samuel 24:3-10
3 He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave.
4 The men said, “This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
5 Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe.
6 He said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the LORD.”
7 With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.
8 Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.
9 He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’?
10 This day you have seen with your own eyes how the LORD delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the LORD’s anointed.’
Even when David had the opportunity to kill Saul he wouldn't do it. He knew that the office of king Saul stood in was anointed and holy.
If we think right, We will act right. Even when things go wrong, The lord is in it to help us get it right!
God loves you and so do I.
