COURAGE TO LET GOD

• DAY 177
• FAITH FILE: DAVID
• SCRIPTURES: 1 SAMUEL 24:1-7

Now it happened, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, “Take note! David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi.” Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats. So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.) Then the men of David said to him, “This is the day of which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.’ ” And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe. And he said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.” So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way.

I have a question for you, if you had a rare opportunity to destroy an enemy would you pass it up? I don’t even have a yes to that question. I am a peaceful person but I am not usually in the habit of letting my enemies go scott-free. Yet I understand why David did. Here he was, hiding away, trying to save his life from being ended by a king who declared him a wanted man. His only crime was being a man God chose. I would be furious if were in his shoes and I definitely would not refrain from doing Saul harm. I may not kill him but I will probably cut more than a piece of clothing. But not David.

He wanted no part in harming someone who had God’s approval at some point. He trusted that God will give him Saul’s throne without him harming Saul. He said to his men,

“Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the LORD’s anointed, and be guiltless?” David said furthermore, “As the LORD lives, the LORD shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish. The LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD’s anointed. But please, take now the spear and the jug of water that are by his head, and let us go.” 1 SAMUEL 26:6-12

God’s Job

David chose to remain an exile than take laws into his hands and get God’s promise through his own might. This takes courage. People of faith know that the God that made the promise will cause it to happen without them having to defy his laws. They understand that acting out of fear and speeding up the process by ungodly means will taint the promise and even disqualify them from it.

Beloved, you don’t need to displace those in your position just so you can seat there. That’s God’s job; He exalts and dethrones as He pleases. Let Him do his job. You do yours -trust Him. And I know it is not always as easy as we make it. That thought that they may kill you before you arrive at the promised land can often be stronger than the desire to wait on God’s intended way. But He that promised will keep you also.

Take a moment now and pray for your heart. Ask God to help you trust Him even in unlikely seasons. Pray for the Courage to let Him fulfill His word while you wait patiently. Pray also for that “enemy.” In Jesus name.

Shalom