Another Beautiful Day!
1st Samuel chapter 26.
Again Saul pursues David taking 3,000 men. David saw where they camped at night and took one of his men, Abishai, with him to go into their camp at night.
Abishai wanted to kill Saul but David said no for he is God's anointed. If God is wanting him dead, then let the Lord take his life. The Lord put all the men of Saul into a deep sleep.
Instead David took Saul's spear and water jug that was by his head then left. After climbing to the top of a hill far away from Saul and his men, David called out to Saul's army and to Abner who was to be protecting King Saul. David confronts Abner for allowing Saul's spear and water jug to be taken rather than protecting him. Saul realizes that God gave him into David's hand and told David he would never try and kill him again.
Saul let the rumors about David influence and feed his hatredness toward David and drove him to try and kill David again.
We tend to believe what we want to believe. Instead we should be quick to show grace and mercy versus trying to fight a battle with someone.
Let reconciliation, healing, love, peace, and mercy be what drives us versus focusing on retaliation, hurtful words, hate, bitterness, jealousy and war.
I really like what we read in verse 24. “Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the LORD, and may He deliver me out of all tribulation.”
2 Important Points
1. All human life is precious.
2. God delivers His children out of tribulation.
I was wondering how David and Abishai were discussing matters in Saul’s camp without waking up Saul or his men and then I read the part that said that a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them. I was thinking that would have to be the case because otherwise they would have probably been caught. Abner was blamed for sleeping on the job when he should have been protecting Saul. This is the second time now that we have seen David spare Saul’s life when he had an easy opportunity to kill him. You would think this must have been so very humiliating for Saul when his whole focus for all this time has been to kill David.
I agree with and repeat what Pastor Blair has already shared today. May God help us to give and receive reconciliation, healing, love, peace, and mercy as the Holy Spirit leads us in our thoughts, words and actions.
v19 – David’s primary complaint to Saul & his men wasn’t that he was forced to live in exile but that he was prevented from worshiping with God’s people. (Something truly amazing to think about!)
In Saul’s last comments here, he recognizes that he’s made some foolish choices in his life. One of the greatest messages of the Bible is to teach us to live as though this is our last day … this is the beauty of watching for the Lord’s coming every day!! (smile on my face, joy in my heart)
It would’ve been very easy for David to kill Saul while he was asleep. David remained so faithful to his beliefs and what the Lord had promised him and His teachings, that he showed great restraint and self control. David had such a close relationship with the Lord that he never even imagined killing Saul. Saul had been pursuing David for weeks, with armies and weapons, and David had to continually find ways to hide and escape. He was finally put in a situation where he could end it all, yet he made to right choice to leave it up to God. How often are we at a crossroads, to just figure it out ourselves and do something we shouldn’t for a quick fix or be patient and wait for Gods timing and promises. David was faithful to Gods promises and His timing. May we all be as well!!