Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, "God has handed him over to me, for David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and bars." And Saul called up all his forces for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.
When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod." David said, "O Lord, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord, God of Israel, tell your servant." And the Lord said, "He will."
Again David asked, "Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?" And the Lord said, "They will."
So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.
1 Samuel 23:7-13
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
How many times do we wrongly assume things in life? Too many, I’m afraid. I know I have made this mistake more times than I can remember…nor want to.
Yes…assumptions can get us in trouble because we move forward with a false understanding on whatever matter we might be taking on…and more often than not, we find ourselves failing because we didn’t take the time to truly seek and find the real truth before moving forward.
Assumptions are bad enough when we wrongly think we know what another person is thinking or wanting. But they become even worse when we make assumptions about what God wants for us to do with out consulting Him. Frankly, we will never truly know what God wants unless we ask Him and then submit to His will for us in whatever circumstance we might find ourselves in.
Today’s passage shows a great contrast on the matter of assumption as we see in one case what we shouldn’t do…and in the other, what we should.
It should be of little surprise that we Saul as the one who shows us what not to do, particularly in failing to consult God. For Saul’s reputation for being self absorbed proceeded him. We have seen Saul worship himself and consistently rely on his own understanding, even though time after time, this has led to failure and defeat.
In our scripture, we see where Saul is still after David and wishes for nothing less than finding and killing him. Such was his jealousy and hatred of him.
Earlier in Chapter 23, we read where David had rescued the people of Keilah against a Philistine attack after God assured him that He would hand the Philistines over to his hand. Word of the battle traveled quickly and reached Saul who was hoping to find out where David was. And after learning that David was in Keilah, we see where Saul makes his mistake in assuming for he said, “God has handed him over to me, for David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and bars." Feeling he had David right where he wanted him, Saul “called up all his forces for battle” and prepared to “go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men”.
Note Saul’s huge error in judgment. We don’t read where Saul asks the Lord whether it is His will that he go to Keilah and attack David and his men. Perhaps, Saul had already made another assumption…that God would say “No” if he did ask Him and that just wouldn’t be acceptable for Saul. Whatever his reasoning, we see where Saul makes the call to go and get rid of David once and for all.
Now…let’s look at the opposite of Saul in David…a man not only after God’s heart (1 Samuel 13:14) but a man also after God’s guidance. For read where Saul isn’t the only one getting intelligence information on the movement and whereabouts of opponents…David was as well. And as he “learned that Saul was plotting against him”, David has Abiathar, son of Ahimelech and David’s appointed priest, bring him the ephod. And as soon as he received this, David turned directly to the Lord for direction saying, “O Lord, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord, God of Israel, tell your servant." David knew that the only right way he could face his uncertain future was to turn to the One who knew what his future held. No one else could help David but God because no one else knew. And we need to keep this in mind as well as we deal with life’s circumstances. No one but the Lord knows what we are going through and what we will be going through even before we go through it. And we can always trust His answer as truth. That’s what David sought and that’s what he received as the Lord told him, “He (Saul) will."
So Saul was going to come. David knew it because God said it but David had one final question…one that would involve whether he could trust the people of Keilah…the very ones he fought to save. David was wondering whether the people would surrender him and his men to Saul…and sadly, the Lord told him that they would. By seeking the Lord and truth, David knew he and his men were doomed to defeat if they remained in Keilah. And so they (David and his men…now numbering about six hundred) “left Keilah and kept moving from place to place” to keep from being discovered and attacked. Meanwhile, Saul “was told that David had escaped from Keilah” and so he called off his attack and “did not go there”. David and his men were safe again…delivered there by the Lord.
So in summation…
Saul thought he knew the Lord’s will and was wrong. He didn’t ask. His actions resulted in negative results that are summed up in the following New Testament scripture:
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. James 4:1-3
Saul didn’t succeed because of the evil within him…a sinful murderous obsession with killing David that caused him to be his own master and turn from God’s wisdom. Saul didn’t get what he wanted because he didn’t ask God…and even if he did ask, I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t have received the answer he wanted because Saul would have been communicating with God with wrong motives…seeking to kill David to satisfy his pleasure.
Conversely, David knew what he should do and what was to come because he asked the Lord. He realized that the Lord was the only true source of truth he had and he trusted him explicitly. And the reward for his faithfulness came when he and his men were spared from the hands of Saul and the people of Keilah, allowed to flee. David’s actions were supported by this passage from James:
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. James 1:5-8
David believed in God and His ability to impart perfect wisdom in any and all circumstances. And God granted him what he needed…when he needed it.
So which of these two examples will we follow? Will we decide to rely on ourselves and go through our days assuming what God wants us to do instead of asking Him to make sure we’re carrying out His will fully? Or will be like David, fully trusting and relying on God to guide and lead us through our circumstances?
Our decision really comes down to one more question: How will we know what God’s will is for our lives unless we seek it from Him? The truth is…we’ll never truly know unless we ask.
God is waiting for us...just a prayer away.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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