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In Christ, Mark
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Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the hill some distance away; there was a wide space between them. He called out to the army and to Abner son of Ner, "Aren't you going to answer me, Abner?"
Abner replied, "Who are you who calls to the king?"
David said, "You're a man, aren't you? And who is like you in Israel? Why didn't you guard your lord the king? Someone came to destroy your lord the king. What you have done is not good. As surely as the Lord lives, you and your men deserve to die because you did not guard your master, the Lord's anointed. Look around you. Where are the king's spear and water jug that were near his head?"
Saul recognized David's voice and said, "Is that your voice, David my son?"
David replied, "Yes it is, my lord the king." And he added, "Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done and what wrong am I guilty of? Now let my lord the king listen to his servant's words. If the Lord has incited you against me, then may He accept an offering. If, however, men have done it, may they be cursed before the Lord! They have now driven me from my share in the Lord's inheritance and have said, 'Go, serve other gods.' Now do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the Lord. The king of Israel has come out to look for a flea — as one hunts a partridge in the mountains."
Then Saul said, "I have sinned. Come back, David my son. Because you considered my life precious today, I will not try to harm you again. Surely I have acted like a fool and have erred greatly."
1 Samuel 26:13-21
This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Earlier in 1 Samuel, chapter 26, we read where David and Abishai had crept into the camp of Saul, Abner, and their army. You’ll remember that Abishai had asked permission to kill Saul as he slept but David refused to allow him to do so. Instead, they took Saul’s sword and a water jug that had been near his head before leaving the camp and the sleeping men behind.
As we continue to study from this chapter, we see where David had “crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the hill some distance away” from the camp. From there, he “called out to the army and to Abner” saying:
“Aren't you going to answer me, Abner?"
Abner then inquires about who is calling to the king (Saul) and in response, we find David saying this:
“You're a man, aren't you? And who is like you in Israel? Why didn't you guard your lord the king?”
It’s easy to sense the mocking nature of David’s words after he and Abishai had been able to enter the camp and get close enough to Saul to kill him. David’s words confirmed this as he continued:
“Someone came to destroy your lord the king. What you have done is not good. As surely as the Lord lives, you and your men deserve to die because you did not guard your master, the Lord's anointed. Look around you. Where are the king's spear and water jug that were near his head?"
David was essentially saying that Abner had failed in his duty to protect the king…one of his most primary responsibilities. And to prove his point, David let Abner know that he had been close enough to take Saul’s spear and the water jug near his head.
Well…before Abner had a chance to respond, we see where Saul enters the scene and speaks. It appears that he recognized the voice coming from the hill as belonging to David and so he asks if it was him. We see David confirming this as he responds, wondering why Israel’s king was still in pursuit:
"Yes it is, my lord the king. Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done and what wrong am I guilty of? Now let my lord the king listen to his servant's words. If the Lord has incited you against me, then may He accept an offering. If, however, men have done it, may they be cursed before the Lord! They have now driven me from my share in the Lord's inheritance and have said, 'Go, serve other gods.' Now do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the Lord. The king of Israel has come out to look for a flea — as one hunts a partridge in the mountains."
David’s words powerfully reflected his dedication and faith to the Lord, something lacking in Saul for much of his reign. Note that David was willing to accept his fatal end if it was the Lord’s will. In that case, he saw himself as an offering that was provided to the Lord by Saul.
However, David countered these words by saying that if man was behind the murderous pursuit, then a curse should be upon them before the Lord for they would have violated God’s will, driving David from his “share in the Lord's inheritance” while telling him to “Go, serve other gods” instead.
And so with this, David forced Saul to acknowledge whether his actions were from the Lord or from his own evil intentions. And as scripture shows us, David’s approach once again drove Saul to repentance, just as at the En Gedi cave, as he said:
“I have sinned. Come back, David my son. Because you considered my life precious today, I will not try to harm you again. Surely I have acted like a fool and have erred greatly."
Now…what Saul should have said is that he sinned, acted like a fool, and erred greatly…again. For we know this wasn’t the first time he had to apologize to David (1 Samuel 24:16-22).
So what was Saul’s problem here?
The same problem that plagues many believers today…for he (and we) choose to behave way too often according to our own will and way, not God’s. This self serving disobedience not only leads us into sin but also draws us further and further away from being who the Lord wants us to be.
Indeed, it was disobedience that took a once God-honoring Saul and turned him into a murderous king who fell from God’s favor, so much so that the Lord decided to remove him from leading His people. Today, disobedience takes people that God created in His own image and turns them into people who disappoint, disrespect, and misrepresent Him in the way they live.
Friends, the bottom line is that we have a critically important choice to make in our lives in regard to who will dictate the things we think, say, and do. There are only two options:
1. We opt to seek and follow the Lord’s desire for us throughout every second of every minute of every hour of every day that He blesses us with.
or
2. We pick and choose when we want to seek the Lord’s guidance and will for our lives, only carrying out His expectations when they suit our desires.
One thing is certain…
Our Lord will not settle for anything less than option 1 for He demands our full compliance with anything and everything He wants. This is why we need to look at the character of Israel’s first king Saul as well as other biblical figures who all had flaws when it came to the matter of loyalty toward God…and this includes David who will have his own downfalls once on the throne of Israel.
In the end translation, God wants us to strive to be better…to read and learn about the mistakes of the past so to not repeat them now and in the future. We can do just that but only if we place the Lord first in everything.
Nothing less is acceptable to Him.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com
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