October 22, 2014
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Foe or Friend?

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Opening Prayer

God of the dawn and the day, I wait before You now to receive from Your hand.

Read 1 Samuel 26:1-16

[1] The Ziphites went to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which faces Jeshimon?” [2] So Saul went down to the Desert of Ziph, with his three thousand select Israelite troops, to search there for David. [3] Saul made his camp beside the road on the hill of Hakilah facing Jeshimon, but David stayed in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul had followed him there, [4] he sent out scouts and learned that Saul had definitely arrived. [5] Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of the army, had lain down. Saul was lying inside the camp, with the army encamped around him. [6] David then asked Ahimelek the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, “Who will go down into the camp with me to Saul?” “I’ll go with you,” said Abishai. [7] So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him. [8] Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t strike him twice.” [9] But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless? [10] As surely as the LORD lives,” he said, “the LORD himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. [11] But the LORD forbid that I should lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let’s go.” [12] So David took the spear and water jug near Saul’s head, and they left. No one saw or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up. They were all sleeping, because the LORD had put them into a deep sleep. [13] Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the hill some distance away; there was a wide space between them. [14] He called out to the army and to Abner son of Ner, “Aren’t you going to answer me, Abner?” Abner replied, “Who are you who calls to the king?” [15] David said, “You’re a man, aren’t you? And who is like you in Israel? Why didn’t you guard your lord the king? Someone came to destroy your lord the king. [16] What you have done is not good. As surely as the LORD lives, you and your men must die, because you did not guard your master, the LORD’s anointed. Look around you. Where are the king’s spear and water jug that were near his head?”

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.

Reflect

The example of John the Baptist and his relationship to Jesus is always helpful. His words were, “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30). Power struggles disappear in the face of such an attitude.

It is not always easy to identify the difference between rivalry and enmity. Anyone reading newspapers or blogs when an election is approaching might think that political opponents were deadly enemies rather than fellow countrymen with different policies. The level of vitriol and personal attack often seems geared to convincing voters the opposition is deliberately setting out to destroy rather than simply providing an alternative way to bring the most benefit to the country.

Saul certainly became convinced that David was not just a political opponent, but an enemy who had to be destroyed by any means available. It was not that he really thought David had any intention of harming Israel. Rather, his own desire to retain power became far more important to him than the well-being of the country. David’s success in defending Israel became a threat to Saul’s position, and for that reason alone he had to be destroyed. The encouragement here is that David had not fallen into the same trap. In spite of Saul’s personal threat to David and in spite of the encouragement of his generals, David refused to destroy Saul. On the contrary, he showed clearly that though he could have killed Saul, he deliberately chose not to.

God appointed David to rescue Israel, but David knew that Saul had also been anointed king–and before him. David’s time would come, but it was God, not David, who would remove Saul from his position. It is worth noting God’s further involvement here. He kept Saul’s soldiers asleep (12) so that David could get near. Perhaps this whole incident was a test of David’s integrity more than of his military prowess. If so, he passed the test! It would be nice if today politicians from all parties were to follow David’s example!

Apply

Where are you being tested today? Failing to see God acting on your behalf, where are you tempted to take matters into your own hands? How can the example of David help you in this matter?

Closing prayer

Lord, help church leaders today to resist the temptation to think that fighting for the truth and for righteousness must also mean fighting for their own position.

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