The Prize in
Trusting and Honoring God
1 Samuel
24:19-20 (ESV)
“19 For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe?
So may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this
day. 20 And now,
behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of
Israel shall be established in your hand.”
The philosophy of this world is about power and
influence. We are told to seize the moment for promotion when it is presented
to us by all cost and by any means possible. It is a “dog-eat-dog world” as
some have called it.
In today’s reading, we see David faced with an
extremely rare opportunity to obtain power and influence. His companions believed
that it was God’s will that Saul be handed over to David. All he needed to do
was to strike Saul down swiftly with his sword. However, David relented and
even repented before the Lord and Saul after he cut off the edge of the king’s
robe. He was deeply convicted that it was not the right in the eyes of God to lay
a hand on the king, the Lord’s anointed (at least in David’s eyes Saul was
still the anointed king).
David recognized that such matter of life and death,
and even power and influence were not his place to determine. Rather, God is to
be his Vindicator and Savior (Psalms. 26; 43). Because he placed his life in God’s divine
power, Saul could do nothing less but to exclaim that David “shall surely be
king”. Wow! David’s “enemy” could do nothing but to promote him.
Let us consider three key thoughts in this devotion:
1.
Not all “good” Opportunities are from God
Sometimes we are presented with rare opportunities to obtain positions
of influence, but not without a compromise of our integrity. Surely, David was
tempted and I am certain most of us will be too. Such moment does not always
present itself to us.
However, we must never let down our guard.
Not all opportunities are from God no matter how “pleasant” or “divine” it may
seem. We must hold on to our integrity and the integrity of God’s word. We must
not allow ourselves to fall into a compromising state, and end up losing our
self-dignity and respect by it.
2.
Trust in His Goodness and Perfect Time
We
don’t necessarily understand the way God works and why He allows us to go
through certain situations but, we can definitely rest assure that His plans
for us are always good. For David, he could only put his trust in God.
We must never force ourselves into a role
or position of influence through evil means. This simply does not reflect the
love and wisdom of God. And it most certainly does not show faith in Him on our
behalf. We ought to relent from such
pursuit and let God, in His is goodness and perfect time, fulfill His promise
for us.
3.
Let God honor you
God always honors those who honors him, and despises those who despises
him (1 Sam. 2:30). This is an everlasting decree by God. Remember, God opposes
the proud and gives grace to the humble.
David was a man of humility who honored
God when he choose not to harm “the Lord’s anointed”, Saul. As a result Saul proclaimed that David would
be the next king of Israel. Thus, God honored David. This principle is true for
us.
As a personal
reflection:
We must never allow our testimony, as God’s anointed
people, be tarnished by our desire for promotion, power and influence. We must
learn to trust in His goodness and let God honor us as we keep our hope secure
in Jesus Christ.
Today, consider how you can trust God for the
promotion you are seeking for. Are you trusting and honoring Him?
Prayer:
Father, help me to trust in You and Your will. And
keep me from the temptation to take matters into my own hands. I choose to
honor You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.