God’s Way…or Your Own?
1 Samuel 24:1-7 (NIV)
After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.”
So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats. 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.
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. Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 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.”
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.
Reflection
What would you do if someone was pursuing you with the intent to kill you? Would you run, hide, or face your adversary? If the opportunity presented itself, would you kill this person before he had the chance to kill you?
This is exactly the situation David found himself in. Saul, the king of Israel, was in pursuit of David and wanted to kill him. But in this passage of scripture, David finds himself in a unique situation. Saul, unaware of David’s presence, is within David’s grasp. He could end this adversarial situation once and for all by killing Saul. Why didn’t David take the opportunity to kill Saul when he had the chance?
God had already anointed David as the next king of Israel. But it would be many years before he would actually take the throne. At that moment, in the cave hidden from Saul, David could have hastened his appointment as the new king by taking matters into his own hands.
But David was known as a man after God’s heart. David knew to put all his trust, faith, and obedience in God, and wait for God’s timing to be made king. In addition, even though Saul had lost favor with God, David still respected and saw worth in Saul, because he was still the king God had chosen for Israel. In fact, David felt shame for even cutting Saul’s robe.
We may not have an adversary actively wanting to kill us, but we do find ourselves in adversarial situations from time to time. Even though it seems others want to harm us, can we look past the conflict and see that the person still has value? Aren’t they the very reason Jesus went to the cross and died? If we are patient and accept God’s timing, we just may find a spirit-led resolution to our adversarial situation.
Action Steps
Prayer
Heavenly Father, there is so much I need to learn and understand about You. I am so thankful for Your timing as You guide me through life. Sometimes it is hard for me to be patient and obedient, but when I am, I know you will always be there for me. Help me today, as I stumble through life seeking Your will. In Jesus’ precious name, amen.
After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.”
So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats. 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.
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. Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 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.”
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.
Reflection
What would you do if someone was pursuing you with the intent to kill you? Would you run, hide, or face your adversary? If the opportunity presented itself, would you kill this person before he had the chance to kill you?
This is exactly the situation David found himself in. Saul, the king of Israel, was in pursuit of David and wanted to kill him. But in this passage of scripture, David finds himself in a unique situation. Saul, unaware of David’s presence, is within David’s grasp. He could end this adversarial situation once and for all by killing Saul. Why didn’t David take the opportunity to kill Saul when he had the chance?
God had already anointed David as the next king of Israel. But it would be many years before he would actually take the throne. At that moment, in the cave hidden from Saul, David could have hastened his appointment as the new king by taking matters into his own hands.
But David was known as a man after God’s heart. David knew to put all his trust, faith, and obedience in God, and wait for God’s timing to be made king. In addition, even though Saul had lost favor with God, David still respected and saw worth in Saul, because he was still the king God had chosen for Israel. In fact, David felt shame for even cutting Saul’s robe.
We may not have an adversary actively wanting to kill us, but we do find ourselves in adversarial situations from time to time. Even though it seems others want to harm us, can we look past the conflict and see that the person still has value? Aren’t they the very reason Jesus went to the cross and died? If we are patient and accept God’s timing, we just may find a spirit-led resolution to our adversarial situation.
Action Steps
- Luke 23:34 has the most powerful reminder that God wants us to forgive others. In addition, Matthew 5:44 tells us quite succinctly what God expects from us. Take a few moments to read these scriptures. Do you see a correlation between these two verses and the situation David found himself in?
- If you are in a situation where you are tempted to take control away from God, step back and ask the Holy Spirit to give you the patience, faith, and obedience to give God back control. His timing is always worth waiting for.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, there is so much I need to learn and understand about You. I am so thankful for Your timing as You guide me through life. Sometimes it is hard for me to be patient and obedient, but when I am, I know you will always be there for me. Help me today, as I stumble through life seeking Your will. In Jesus’ precious name, amen.
Posted in Tree Church Daily Devo
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