By Andrew Williams – September 9, 2021
With these words David persuaded his men, and he did not let them rise up against Saul. Then Saul left the cave and went on his way. After that, David got up, went out of the cave, and called to Saul, “My Lord the king! ” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed to the ground in homage. David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of people who say, ‘Look, David intends to harm you’? You can see with your own eyes that the Lord handed you over to me today in the cave. Someone advised me to kill you, but I took pity on you and said: I won’t lift my hand against my Lord, since he is the Lord’s anointed. See, my father! Look at the corner of your robe in my hand, for I cut it off, but I didn’t kill you. Look and recognize that there is no evil or rebellion in me. I haven’t sinned against you even though you are hunting me down to take my life.
1 Samuel 24:7-11 HCSB
Good morning fellow disciples.
Today we continue to look at some choices that were made in the Bible. To choose means: “to select freely and after consideration, to have a preference for, or to take an alternative”. The question that we always have to answer is this, ” When I am faced with a choice, what will I choose to do?”
Today we see David confronted with the choice of either killing King Saul who was hunting him down or letting King Saul live. He received advice from those who were with him that would lead him to kill King Saul but David did not take this advice. Why didn’t David take this advice? It was a matter of honor. Who would David honor by killing King Saul and who would he honor by not killing him?
The Bible says that David was a man after God’s own heart. If he killed king Saul he would be honoring those men who were giving him advice. But by choosing to spare Saul’s life he was honoring God. Even though King Saul was trying to kill him David still honored King Saul as God’s anointed. David could not bring himself to hurt someone who was placed in authority over him by God.
Do you find yourself in David’s position where persons are trying to harm you, but you have not done anything wrong to them? Have they persecuted you so much that the natural thing for you to do is to seek retribution or revenge against them? Are your advisors telling you to use the opportunities that you have to seek reprisal or revenge? Are you at a place in your life where you are trying to serve God and in your situation, the only way to honor God is to forgive that person and to seek to do good for him?
What choice will you make: will you honor your advisors and your desire for retribution and revenge, or will you honor God by forgiving the person and seek to do good for him?
Let us see king Saul’s response to David.
When David finished saying these things to him, Saul replied, “Is that your voice, David my son? ” Then Saul wept aloud and said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have done what is good to me though I have done what is evil to you. You yourself have told me today what good you did for me: when the Lord handed me over to you, you didn’t kill me. 1 Samuel 24:16-18 HCSB
Prayer: Father God I chose to honor You! Help me to hear Your voice. Help me to understand Your commandments and Your life principles as I seek to live my life honoring You. I will live in full obedience to You no matter what other people advise me to do. I am Your humble servant. I ask You to bless me so that I can be a blessing to others, even those who would seek to do me harm. I ask this in Jesus’ Name, amen.