Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 24; Psalm 57; Psalm 58; 1 Chronicles 8; Matthew 8
Scripture: 1 Samuel 24:3-7
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 lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD." 7 With these words David rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.
Observation: David does an amazing thing here. He shows us how to live out the truth of respect for and submission to authority even when the person in the position of authority is in the wrong. If ever a person had cause to disrespect authority and to reject it, David did. Saul had accused him of disloyalty for no cause whatever and was hunting David down to kill him. But here David shows incredible depth of character. As Saul goes into a cave to "relieve himself" (i.e. go potty) David is there and could kill Saul easily. (And it would be acceptable in the laws of combat because Saul is out on a mission hunting down David to kill him.) David's men urge him to kill Saul. But David only sneaks up and cuts off a corner from Saul's robe. Even this minor infraction causes David pangs of guilt! David's statement in verse 6 is deep. Saul is "the Lord's anointed" even though his actions are reprehensible. David knows that it is God's business to deal with Saul and he lets his men know that even though Saul is trying to kill him, he will not kill Saul.
Application: This is a tough lesson, but it is gets down to the nitty gritty in our hearts. When people attack us, what should we do? Do we take matters into our own hands or do we trust something else? The natural human inclination is to retaliate. But David demonstrates God's character by "turning the other cheek". He lives out the truth that Jesus teaches about loving your enemies: "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. (Luke 6:32-33)
And there is an added dimension here: authority. Saul is the king, even though he is abusing his authority. And David shows how to appeal to authority rather than rebelling against it. When a person in a position of authority (such a parent, pastor, teacher, or judge) mistreats us, we need to consider carefully how to respond. David clearly shows us that the person's misuse of his authority does not justify retaliation in kind. God is over that person's authority and we must submit to God and appeal to Him in finding the right and respectful approach in dealing with the offense against us.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for the lesson we see here. Give us wisdom to respond as You would have us do when treated inappropriately by a person in authority. Help us to respectfully appeal to You and to others in authority to rectify the problem. And forgive us for the times that we have taken matters into our own hands and come against those who You have placed in authority in our lives. And give us hearts like of David that we may honor You through all the difficulties of life.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
2 comments:
Jesus also gives us this same lesson. He tells his disciples thast they should obey the religious leaders and yet avoid their attitude of hypocrisy. In another location he commends a centurion of having greater faith that anyone he had met in Israel because he understood the place and value of submission to authority. Submission to authority takes great faith. Especially when we know all human authority has its flaws. However, God makes it clear that He blesses those who submit to authority. In my own life I csan testify that God has blessed me for submitting even to the demands of authority figures in my life that I didn't understand and who were downright immoral. In hindsight, I'm glad I learned the value of this lesson early in life.
These verses encourage me because it shows me that we who are anointed by God's Holy Spirit are under his protection, and wow to anybody who harms any of God's children. David realized that and he rebuked his men for wanting to harm Saul.
CM
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