03/01/13

Fair damsel to please man

1 Kings 1:3 - So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.


The world took note of what happened in Delhi to the 23year girl who is named 'Braveheart' and 'Damini' (based on a store) by the media. What caused all to take attention of the evil against women was not it being a rape so much, but the brutality exercised. India has always been like an ostrich hiding its head in the sand of culture, denying such things happen in our country. After this incident most of the newspapers are reporting almost half of their pages covering nothing but rapes, molestations, abuses and injustice done on women.

What amused me was yesterday's news article which stated the Delhi court ruling that 'Quran allows polygamy, doesn't encourage it'. The person who did such a ruling must have not read the Quran and the Hadiths, for it states Muhammad had 11 to 13 wives (which the Islamic scholars are in dispute) of these 2 died in his lifetime. What is amusing about him is that it states every night Mohammad had sexual relationship with all his nine wives, moving from one wife's bedroom to another's. As a Muslim one is called to follow Muhammad their prophet and I do not know if this does not encourage polygamy then what does? This is apart from the 100plus women Mohammad had relationship with in their 'holy books'.

Across religions even though women are seen to be given honour and value yet when we study them they turn out to be opposite to what they picture. People do point out to scriptures in the Bible which show women in poor light, but when we study them in depth we find God was pro-women. People confuse between the spiritual messages with the natural instructions.

In today's message we read about David being aged and not well, so his ministers suggest that they get a beautiful young girl to keep him warm since David would feel cold. They find such a girl named Abishag originally from a place called Shunem, but we see the Bible says David refrained from having sexual relationship with her. She did serve David as a nurse and took care of him dedicatedly. People even theologians mistake her as David's wife but without relationship a marriage is not commenced according to the Bible and Jewish tradition. They confuse this because Solomon kills Adonijah (another son of David) for asking for Abishag to be his wife. The reason shown in the Bible is Solomon killed Adonijad for treason towards the state (going against the throne of Solomon). It so happens when David gave his word for Solomon to be King, Abishag was witness to it and if Adonijah could manipulate Abishag then the throne of Solomon would have been in danger. They forget also that it was Solomon's mother who brought the proposal of Adonijad wedding Abishag to Solomon. Solomon being king after David had inherited all of David including his servants.

David as a young man had weakness to women but over age and experience though which the Lord took him, he overcame his weakness such that even in his old age when men are sometimes said to behave like immature kids in this matter, we see David behaved maturely and refrained from having relationship with a very beautiful young woman like Abishag.

God made man and woman with purpose and even their bodies are designed also with purpose. In animals and birds we see the male being the more attractive of the two but in humans God made woman to be more attractive than the man.

Man and woman coming together is called marriage, but animals coming together is not called marriage. There are some animals who are more loyal to their mate than most humans are yet we talk of human relationships.

Marriage is less earthly or natural and more Heavenly and spiritual. It raises people's eyebrows when I make the statement 'real marriage happens only among Believers and non-believers have just conceptual agreements'.

Let us realize the reason and purpose God created us differently in this world although in spirit there is no difference in us. Let this understanding set us free from the lust of the flesh and overcome our carnal minds.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, You made all things according to an image and it is written as 'their kind' and 'your [His] kind'. Lord, You know since corruption would come in us we would be far from the spirit world, not knowing the ABCD of the spirit world, so You designed everything for us to understand the good and bad of the spirit world. Lord, we pray we be led by your Spirit, walk in the spirit and overcome the temporary world of the flesh...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
1 King 1:1-4
1 Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat.
2 Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.
3 So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
4 And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not.

1 King 2:17-25
17 And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, (for he will not say thee nay,) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife.
18 And Bathsheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.
19 Bathsheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand.
20 Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say thee nay.
21 And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife.
22 And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.
23 Then king Solomon sware by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life.
24 Now therefore, as the LORD liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day.
25 And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died.

Genesis 1:26-28
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them [same word as 'him' in plural is used here].
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Genesis 2:7, 1-25
7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

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