Word of Encouragement (10/03/2023)
May the LORD judge between me and you, may the LORD avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you. (1 Sam. 24:12)
Here, David is confronting Saul after sparing his life in a cave at the Wildgoats’ Rocks. These words reflect what David must have prayed to God. But we should not miss the irony here. David was the prey and Saul was the predator. David was with his mere 600 men and Saul was with his 3,000 strong. David and his men were hiding in caves like bats, and Saul and his army were hunting them like owls and hawks. But who ended up being in mortal danger? Saul, not David. This makes us wonder where our true safety is found, doesn’t it? “The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue…. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God“ (Ps. 33:17, 20:7).
If you are in Christ, you have God as your Protector. This is not a small thing. You may feel like it doesn’t amount to anything because you can’t see Him and you feel vulnerable. Many find it frustrating not to be able to see God. But why can’t we see God? It is because He is omnipresent. If He had a physical form like us so we could see Him, He wouldn’t be omnipresent. God as our Protector is more than just one object or instrument or person we can hide behind, like a block or shield or guard. Our omnipresent Protector transcends space. He is present with us right where we struggle; He is also everywhere else, working out our deliverance, “calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country” (Isa. 46:11).
Why was David asking the LORD to judge between him and Saul? It was because he resolved in his heart not to raise his hand to kill Saul even though Saul was intent on killing him—“my hand shall not be against you”—so much so that his conscience was stricken for cutting off a corner of Saul’s robe (v. 5). His reason was simple and clear: the LORD had anointed Saul as king; therefore, the LORD alone had the right to remove him from the throne (v. 6). David would suffer a lot and for a long time because of this decision. But this decision showed that he was indeed a man after God’s own heart.
David was able to make this difficult decision because he trusted the LORD as the Judge of all. He was certain that, as he acknowledged God’s sovereignty and did what was right in His eyes, He would vindicate him. And as he honored the LORD by not killing His anointed, He would avenge him against Saul, who was doing everything he could to kill David, God’s newly anointed.
As Americans, we value the can-do spirit. But as believers, we need to know our boundaries and not infringe on God’s divine prerogatives. David knew his place. So, he did not try to take out Saul even when he was given the chance. But he did appeal to God for justice. God did hear His prayer: He punished Saul for his sins, vindicated David, and made him king.
Even today, we will have to make a lot of decisions. Let us pray for God’s wisdom to know when to be proactive and when to step back and pray for God’s intervention.