David and Saul - Let the Lord decide

“May the Lord judge between you and me, and may the Lord avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you.”

1 Samuel 24:12

“Sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands!”

It’s an old meme many of we’re taught early in our lives but...one that requires a great deal of wisdom and discernment. We can get busy “handling things” and fail to recognize that sometimes an opportunity avails itself and we should take a pass. God might have other ideas.

Saul and three thousand special troops were searching for David to kill him. after all, David was a threat to Saul’s kingdom. Saul had to protect what was his. Or, was it his? While they were searching, Saul went into a cave to go to the bathroom, but as it happened, David and his men were hiding in the cave! David’s men whispered to him. “Today is the day the Lord was talking about when he said, ‘I will certainly put Saul into your power, to do with as you wish’!” David crept forward and quietly slit off the bottom of Saul’s robe! But then his conscience began bothering him. “I shouldn’t have done it,” he said to his men. “It is a serious sin to attack God’s chosen king in any way.”

David persuaded his men not to kill Saul...

After Saul left the cave and gone on his way, David came out and shouted to Saul, “Why do you listen to the people who say I am trying to harm you? This very day the Lord placed you at my mercy back there in the cave, but I spared you. For I said, ‘I will never harm him—he is the Lord’s chosen king. See what I have in my hand? It is the hem of your robe! I cut it off, but I didn’t kill you! Doesn’t this convince you that I am not trying to harm you and that I have not sinned against you, even though you have been hunting for my life?”

In this day of SJW (Social Justice Warriors) it takes extreme unction to forego retaliatory action when we feel we’ve been mistreated...even for people of faith. David recognized this. But, what enabled him to respond in righteousness was his ability to look at the bigger picture. I’m amazed that David still viewed Saul as “God’s anointed king.” After all, David, Himself had already been anointed the future king and God’s spirit had left Saul. For David, his life inclined to follow God...not his own desires.

And David was a man after God’s own heart...

So he told Saul, “The Lord will decide between us.” He didn’t know what God intended but he knew the only sure way to accomplish a righteous end was to let the Lord decide...even if He chose Saul.

You and I are challenged, almost daily, to either “get abused or get even.” So, we try to stop the cycle of violence with...violence. It’s counterintuitive. It’s also dangerous. We may find ourselves usurping God’s plan and damaging the person He chose to accomplish His plan. It could be... your pastor disrespected you. It could be...your boss insulted you. It could be...your spouse hurt you deeply. It’s nearly impossible to see God’s activity in somebody who’s causing us pain. So, the natural thing is to lash out and destroy whoever is hurting us. 

What if we destroy God’s anointed? Many a pastor’s ministry has been damaged because of the petty, vengeful actions of pompous parishioners. Many a marriage has been destroyed by self-serving retaliation  of one spouse against the other. How do you suppose that goes over in heaven? 

“Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.”

I don’t want to be responsible for disrupting God’s scheme just because I’m feeling abused. The consequences of that are likely far greater than my current struggles. David wasn’t perfect. His sin with Bathsheba is a glaring example. Still, his struggle with Saul shows us it’s possible to react righteously when somebody wrongs us.

Let the Lord judge...

Live boldly out there today...