Cavemen Drama
Opening Prayer
Great and Loving God, prepare me for the unexpected. Open me to a fresh touch from You today.
Read 1 Samuel 24:1-22
[1]
Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
“The idea of keeping in step with the Spirit reflects Paul’s word in Galatians 5:25. It carries the thought of walking in line, holding to a rule, and thus proceeding under another’s control” (James I. Packer). This keeps us on God’s timeline.
Think Further
This incident would make good theater. We have a dramatic role reversal (Saul was now the vulnerable one); the humor (Saul squatting in the cave unaware he’s sharing it with his quarry); the stealthy creeping up to cut the robe (one can imagine the giggles in the background); and all the melodrama that followed. There’s more to it than that, however. Royal garments in the ancient Near East had symbolic significance (1 Sam. 15:27,28): the loss of a kingdom was portended. To take part of Saul’s robe was tantamount to seizing power. David, who had prided himself on resisting the temptation to rid himself of Saul (10), had succumbed to that of deliberately exercising power over him while he was still king. No wonder David was stricken with remorse (and took out on his men his anger with himself, vs. 5-7)!
And yet we instinctively rally to David’s support. We all know how easy it is for temptation to strike from an unexpected direction just as we think we’ve won a battle. David had waited for so long… How hard it is to keep waiting for God to make a move–and not try to hurry things along a little!
David had to wait. It was not yet God’s time for him to wear his own kingly robes (see 18:4)–and Saul’s change of heart didn’t last long, either (26:51). To cap it all, David was about to lose his supportive spiritual mentor, Samuel (25:1). There are times when we may wonder if anything will ever come right again; the waiting seems interminable. Those are the times when we are perhaps most vulnerable to the temptation to help God out–to engineer things a little. We would do well to remember David’s own words on another occasion: “I trust in you, Lord … my times are in your hands; deliver me…” (Psa. 31:14,15).
Apply
How do you handle the authority figures in your life? Have you ever sought revenge on another person? If so, take ownership of it and confess it to the Lord. Pray for that person.
Closing prayer
Sovereign Lord, my times are in Your hands. Give me the wisdom to know when I should act in my circumstances or wait for You to act. I trust in You, Lord.
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