LESSONS FROM DAVID

 

LESSONS FROM DAVID

 

  1Samuel CEV 26:7-16 That same night, David and Abishai crept into the camp. Saul was sleeping, and his spear was stuck in the ground not far from his head. Abner and the soldiers were sound asleep all around him. Abishai whispered, "This time God has let you get your hands on your enemy! I'll pin him to the ground with one thrust of his own spear." "Don't kill him!" David whispered back. "The LORD will punish anyone who kills his chosen king. As surely as the LORD lives, the LORD will kill Saul, or Saul will die a natural death or be killed in battle. But I pray that the LORD will keep me from harming his chosen king. Let's grab his spear and his water jar and get out of here!" David took the spear and the water jar, then left the camp. None of Saul's soldiers knew what had happened or even woke up--the LORD had made all of them fall sound asleep. David and Abishai crossed the valley and went to the top of the next hill, where they were at a safe distance. "Abner!" David shouted toward Saul's army. "Can you hear me?" Abner shouted back. "Who dares disturb the king?" "Abner, what kind of a man are you?" David replied. "Aren't you supposed to be the best soldier in Israel? Then why didn't you protect your king? Anyone who went into your camp could have killed him tonight. You're a complete failure! I swear by the living LORD that you and your men deserve to die for not protecting the LORD's chosen king. Look and see if you can find the king's spear and the water jar that were near his head."

  1Corinthians 13:11 [ESV] When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 

 

  Have you ever had a wild idea like David’s or Gideon’s? Gideon’s spelled out as a clear directive from God (Judges 7:7-15); David’s something through Abishai with his “Hey, how about let’s do this …”; followed by David’s agreement by courage, fancifulness, or impression by God’s Spirit? We don’t know, but what we do know is that he did not draw back from stepping out in faith.

  I believe that he did so because of his “man after the heart of God” spirit. (Acts 13:22)

  And that David, when the simple solution was at hand and encouraged by his kinsman Abishai with hand poised to grasp King Saul’s spear and make one deadly accurate thrust, reasoning with David that surely God had delivered Saul into David’s hand for the purpose of destroying him; David did not sin by disobeying God through some hasty shortcut to success. (1Sam.24:6-12; 1Chron.16:22; Ps.105:15) Plus, shouldn’t we consider that David shortly before was prepared for just such opportunity by his waiting on God’s provision experience with Nabal? (1Sam.25:2-42)

  I believe so, considering David a most thoughtful reflective man as indicated time and again by his many recorded Psalms.

  David did not however abstain from emulating Gideon’s example (Judges 7:16-25) as Gideon obeyed God’s directive; something that today is referred to as psychological warfare, disrupting the enemy’s organizational structure through fear and anxiety within, certainly accomplishing far more than if he had made for the painting of himself a cowardly murderer and leaving King Saul a martyr for his followers to rally around. (These are strictly my considerations after the fact, not at all seen as David’s present tense reasons for abstinence from slaying Saul.)

  What would I have done at David’s age? Need I say?!

  But I am no longer a precipitous emotional adolescent. I am now an elder learning the lessons of David; and sharing them with my, for the most part, younger fellows. 

EBB4