1 Samuel 24
Scripture1 Samuel 24:16So it was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, “Is this your voice my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.Observation-What does it say?In this chapter, David had an opportunity to kill Saul, but he did not take it. Instead, he returned good for evil. He proved to Saul that he was not seeking to harm him. As a result, Saul’s mission to kill David ceased and Saul realized that David would surely become the next king of Israel (vs. 20).Understanding-What does it mean?David’s decisions were based on the Lord’s leading.David was told that God was going to deliver Saul into his hands and that David may do to him what seems good to him (vs. 4). David decided to submit to the uneasy feeling in his heart, which was from the Lord, and spare Saul’s life. David did not have to promote himself to be king. He was chosen as the next king of Israel because he lost his life to the Lord’s will.David embodied the characteristic of a good leader. David sought the Lord in all he did, he proved faithful and trustworthy to King Saul, and he humbled himself by acting in meekness (strength under control). He had an opportunity to kill his enemy, but in his heart, he did not feel right about it. Instead of returning evil for evil, he returned good for evil, which could only have happened by the grace of God. It proved that God was truly with David and that he would make a great king of Israel.Life Application We must lay down our rights in order to submit to the Lord’s leading.If we want to find our life, we must lose it. Losing our life today means submitting to the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God when “our rights” tell us otherwise. For example, if we are married and have an argument with our spouse, we must lay down our rights and humble ourselves by saying sorry in order to maintain peace in the home and maintain oneness in the relationship. If we have an unchurched friend in need, but we don’t feel like investing time into them, we are called to humble ourselves and give of our time to shine and minister the light of Christ into their lives.If we hear that a friend had gossiped untrue things about us, instead of holding a grudge against them, we forgive and keep loving them to reconcile the relationship and prove their gossip false.If we have a co-worker who got a raise or job promotion over us and we feel it was not right, we keep working hard as if working for the Lord (and not for man) and allow the Lord to take care of the situation. We trust God to take care of our every need and not a raise at work to take care of us.
Dear Jesus, Your ways are higher than our ways. When our human nature tells us to save our lives and promote ourselves, You tell us to lose our life to You instead. I pray for forgiveness for the pride in my heart that wants me to exercise “my rights.” Instead, may I follow Your leading like David did and find my life in You as a result. Amen.
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-Michelle Gaddi