Lately, I have been reading through the story
of David from the overlooked shepherd boy to the young warrior king. David
handles the process of waiting for the promise very well.
The story begins in 1
Samuel 16 after Saul’s disobedience.
The prophet Samuel anointed David to be
King over Israel after Saul instead of Jonathan Saul’s son. It was many years
before the promise in 1 Samuel 16 came to pass.
In the wait for the promise David faced many
trials, which tested his devotion to God and his belief in the promise God had
given. There are a lot of little adventures for David in-between being anointed
King and becoming the King. One in particular that has been replaying in my
head since I read it is the Story of David son of Jesse and Keilah, a city in
Judah (this particular story can be found
in 1 Samuel 23). At this point of his story, David has been on the run from King
Saul for quite a while. In fact, everyone outside of his small army of men who
have helped him have met their death by the hands of King Saul. So, when David
and his men reach Keilah, a city under attack by the Philistines, David seeks God about helping
Keliah fight the Philistines or
staying out of Keliah’s battle with the Philistines.
Let’s pick the story up in 1 Samuel 23:5 -
14:
“So David and
his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines; and he led away their
livestock and struck them with a great slaughter. Thus David delivered the
inhabitants of Keilah. Now it came about, when Abiathar
the son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, that he came down with
an ephod in his hand. 7 When it was told Saul that David
had come to Keilah, Saul said, "God has delivered him into my hand, for he shut
himself in by entering a city with double gates and bars." So Saul summoned all the people
for war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. Now David knew that Saul was
plotting evil against him; so he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod
here." Then David
said, "O Lord God of Israel, Your
servant has heard for certain that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy
the city on my account. Will the men of Keilah surrender
me into his hand? Will Saul come down just as Your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel, I pray, tell Your
servant." And the Lord said, "He
will come down." Then David said, "Will the men
of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?" And the Lord said, "They will surrender you." Then David and his men, about
six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could
go. When it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the
pursuit. David stayed in
the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill country in the
wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him
into his hand.”
(NASB)
David knew King Saul was
pursuing him, yet he stopped to help the city of Keliah out of a jam. He assisted
them and then he continued running from his pursuer after consulting God
about his safety. What I see in this story of David and the City of Keliah is
David was obedient to God. David sought out the Lord’s wisdom and he followed it,
even when it did not make sense.
Tell me, what sense does it make
to stop running from your enemy to fight a battle that isn’t yours, in a city
that is not grateful, for a people who would betray you? Of course he did not
know the two latter things before fighting, but one could guess it. In the
chapters before this one, you can see how Saul slaughters those who have helped
David escape from Saul. Anyways, it makes sense to not help the city. However,
it is more important to obey God.
David followed God even
when it made no sense. He followed the Lord’s lead. He asked for wisdom and God
gave it to him. David put the wisdom to use. David trusted God’s word; he took
the Lord’s advice. David believed that God would do what He promised, even though from his shoes it looked like it was a nice dream that would not be a part of
reality. In fact, David did what God asked of him, knowing that whatever the
outcome God was looking out for him.
David was devoted to God while he waited on
the promise.
From this story of David, I see
that the love he had for God caused him to believe even when it did not make sense.
Probably due to the fact that he knew the One who promised is faithful and His Word
does not return to him void. I am learning to trust God in
that manner; to have faith in the on who promised, rather than go entirely by
what I can logically determine from observation.
I am changing my perspective,
trusting that God sees more than I see in every situation I find myself
in. And I hope you'll do the same.
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