(1 Samuel 18:12 NLT) Saul was then afraid of David, for the LORD was with David and had turned away from Saul.
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing.” Yesterday we saw how trouble followed David’s triumph and the king, who once loved him for his harp playing and who was thankful to him for killing Goliath, quickly turned on him and attempted to kill him. Of course, the same grace that had been on David was still on him, therefore there was a hedge of protection around David that shielded him from the attack. But where did this leave David and Saul’s relationship? David was the hero, Saul was the king. David was the new kid on the block, Saul was the seasoned veteran and national leader. Saul should not have been intimidated by David whatsoever, but he was. Our text says, “Saul was then afraid of David, for the LORD was with David and had turned away from Saul.”
No matter how popular David was, Saul was the king. I think it is hard for us (Americans) to truly understand the king-dynamic. There is a huge difference between the Presidents and Prime Ministers of today, and the Kings of yesteryear. Saul was a sovereign. He had no checks or balances. His word was the supreme authority. By just speaking a word Saul could bequeath land, forgive debt, overturn a legal sentence, or pronounce a death sentence. No one questioned the king. No newspaper articles could question his methods. No bloggers could dissect his decisions. No news anchormen/women could criticize his ways. Saul was like a ‘little g’ god to the people. And this man — a man who seemingly had it all — was intimidated and afraid of a young boy who had the grace of God upon his life.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. Some people will be intimidated by the grace of God on your life. David experienced this and I have as well. Sometimes you will run across people who feel intimidated by what God is doing in your life. There is not much you can do about it, other than pray for them. Continue to run your race, with the benefit of God’s grace, and make sure you operate in love. As long as you are operating in love, and not pride or hatred, you will continue to enjoy the grace of God and while others may not like it, they won’t be able to do anything about it.
2. People of authority, who are over you, may despise you without you doing anything to initiate it. Being intimated is one thing, but Saul got to the point where he hated David and David never did anything wrong to Saul. Sometimes people you don’t even know will hate you. Or, like in this case, people of authority, who are over you, might develop bitterness and resentment toward you, simply because of what God is doing in your life. But just remember, God is the ultimate authority. They might think they have power, but they can’t curse what God has already blessed!
3. Never allow the insecurities of others to cause you to change who God made you to be. David knew Saul had a problem with him, but he did not change. Sometimes you might feel the urge to ‘tone down’ who you are, because others don’t like you or you might feel the urge to ‘tone up’ yourself in pride, because of all the attention you are getting. Here’s the point: if you are operating in God’s grace and you are being blessed, there will be some people who have a problem with you, even if you do nothing wrong to them, just don’t allow their discomfort to cause you to get outside of the will of God for your own life. Continue to run your race, with God’s grace, not getting too low, or too high.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this teaching. I know who You have made me to be and what You have called me to do. I have the grace to run my own race and I declare that I will. Along the way there might be people who develop their own insecurities, because of what You are doing in my life. Or there might be some who because of those insecurities, develop bitterness and hatred toward me, to the point where they actually attack me. I declare, by faith, that I shall keep my eyes on You. I will not allow the internal struggles of others to change who I am. I know their attacks will be unfruitful and I shall pray for them, and to continue to run my race, with Your grace. I shall not be moved by others and I will never allow the attention I get, because of Your grace, to ever cause me to cross over into pride. I will also not allow the pressure from others to cause me to operate in less than who You have called me to be. I am who I am by Your grace and I won’t allow anyone to change that. In Jesus’ name.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
