Word of Encouragement (09/28/2023)
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." 13 Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition. (1 Sam. 23:12-13)
When David and his men defeated the Philistines, who were plundering the people of Keilah, I’m sure that they were treated as heroes and allowed to stay in Keilah. But that didn’t last very long. Saul heard of David’s whereabouts and sent his men to destroy David and his men. When David heard the news, he inquired of the LORD again whether or not the people of Keilah would hand him over to Saul’s army. The LORD confirmed his fear.
Nothing angers us more than ingratitude and betrayal. But amazingly, David did not resent the people of Keilah, saying, “How can you do this to me? What a bunch of despicable ingrates you are! You deserve to die!” Without any hesitation, he ordered his men to pack their stuff and leave without blaming the people. This showed that he did what he did for them out of genuine concern for their suffering. And he did not want the people to suffer at the hands of Saul on his account. At the same time, the people of Keilah missed the opportunity to align themselves with the future king of Israel and be in his favor.
This incident shows something fascinating about God’s omniscience, doesn’t it? God not only knows what is going to happen but also what canhappen, given the different circumstances and actions of men. This gives us an insight into, and a greater appreciation of, God’s sovereign administration of the world and human affairs. We know that we make all kinds of choices every day, hundreds and thousands of them. And there are times when we recognize that we are at a crossroads and the choices we make will have profound and far-reaching ramifications, such as choosing which school to go to, which major or career to pursue, whom to marry, etc. We can imagine that, in big and small ways, each of our choices affects how our lives turn out. Can God be really sovereign over “all his creatures, and all their actions” (WSC, #11)?
We see from this incident that God is aware of each person’s (and each group’s) inclinations and what they will do in a given situation. In this case, God arranged it so that the people of Keilah were spared from committing a hideous act of betrayal. (But we can still say that they were traitors at heart; they just lacked the opportunity to show their true color.) Of course, God could have provided a way of escape for David even if Saul came to Keilah with his men and captured David. We can also see that God can suppress a full expression of one’s sinful desires as well as allow it to carry out its desires. We can say that man is responsible for his actions because he is acting according to his will (whether fully or partially), and, at the same time, God is sovereign because He is carrying out His purpose without fail.
Let us be humble in recognizing that we can be far worse than we are without God’s grace of restraining our sinful desires. And let us be encouraged that, even when we fail, God will not fail to accomplish His purpose.