(Read 1 Samuel 22:9-20)
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing.” Yesterday we left off with Saul being highly upset about the fact that David had made his way back into Judah. While Saul was upset with his men, one of them, Doeg the Edomite, spoke up and said, “When I was at Nob I saw the son of Jesse talking to the priest, Ahimelech son of Ahitub. Ahimelech consulted the LORD for David. Then he gave him food and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.” Deog was basically tattling on Ahimelech in order to gain favor with the king. King Saul immediately sent for Ahimelech and the family of priests who served in Nob. When they arrived, Saul shouted at him, “Listen to me, you son of Ahitub! Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me? Why did you give him food and a sword? Why have you consulted God for him? Why have you encouraged him to kill me, as he is trying to do this very day?” Ahimelech had no idea where this was coming from. When David visited him David lied and told the priest that he was on an assignment from the king. Ahimelech had helped David before and he saw no reason why he would not help the king’s son-in-law again. Actually, in his mind, a failure to help David was put him in trouble with the king, not the other way around.
Ahimelech replied, “But Sir, is anyone among all your servants as faithful as David, your son-in-law? Why, he is the captain of your bodyguard and a highly honored member of your household! This was certainly not the first time I had consulted God for him! May the king not accuse me and my family in this matter, for I knew nothing at all of any plot against you.” Ahimelech had no way of knowing it, but he had just stepped into a hornet’s nest. Saul was too angry to think rationally. The king shouted, “You will surely die, Ahimelech, along with your entire family!” Saul then ordered his bodyguards to kill the priests. But Saul’s men refused. They had more fear of the LORD then they did of Saul.
Just when it looked like Ahimelech might be out of the woods, Saul looked to the ‘kiss-up’ Doeg and said, “You do it.” Doeg was looking for an opportunity to move up in Saul’s sight, so the Edomite killed Ahimelech and his family of priests. 85 priests died that day, still wearing their priestly garments, all because Saul was upset. If that were not bad enough, Doeg then went to Nob, the town of the priests, and killed the priests’ families—men and women, children and babies—and then killed the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats. The only priest who escaped was Abiathar, one of Ahimelech’s sons, and he fled to join David and his men.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. Power without submission is dangerous. In the military our leaders have authority, but everyone in authority is also under authority, all the way up to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. If you are in authority, but you fail to submit to a higher authority, then it is only a matter of time before you use your authority the wrong way. For Christian leaders (servant-leaders), the Father can bless us to be in positions of authority, because He knows we are both under His authority and under the earthly authority we are subject to. Said another way, the earthly power to lead comes from a willingness to be led.
2. People without God, seeking power the world’s ways, will do just about anything. What Deog did—killing the priests, their families, and even their animals—was despicable, but you can’t put anything past those who are seeking to move up the ladder without God. As believers, we must never seek to move up that way. We don’t have to put someone down in order for us to move up. We build others up and still move up in the process, because we know our promotions come from the Lord.
3. There is a level of mystery to walking with God. The same God who protected David, time and time again, by grace, failed to protect Ahimelech, the other priests, and their family members. Hundreds of innocent people died in this passage, only one making it out alive, all because of Saul’s anger and God did not stop it. Does this mean that God, in His sovereignty, WANTED this to happen? Does this mean that this was God’s will? Absolutely not! But it does mean that there is a devil and he operates in the earth through people. Sometimes God steps in and prevents the devil from doing something and other times He does not. I don’t claim to have all the answers and we won’t know for sure until we get to heaven, but for now I can tell you that God’s sovereignty and our responsibility to pursue Him and our divine purpose, with all our might, are not mutually exclusive. Bad things happen to good people. Good things happen to bad people. There is a level of mystery to walking with God. So my advice to you is to run the race that has been set before you and run it with all your might. You have grace for your race. Along the way you might encounter difficulties, but keep running. Never allow an obstacle to keep you from maximizing your purpose and potential. And when you get to heaven, all your questions will be answered.
Closing Confession: Father, I honor You as my sovereign King. You are the only deity I acknowledge and I shall worship You all the days of my life. I am in authority, but I am also under authority. I submit to You and Your Kingdom plans and purposes for my life. Your plans have brought me to the point where I am today. I exercise the authority You have given me, both naturally and spiritually. I have the power to lead, because I have proven that I can be led. You bless me to lead others, because I allow You, and the earthly leadership You have placed over me, to lead me. My authority is birthed from my submission and I shall never be out of control. As I continue to submit, and to lead, You will see to it that I get promoted along the way; taking me to increased levels of both authority and responsibility. And Father, I know there is a level of mystery to walking with You. I know I won’t have all the answers. I seek You for answers to questions when I have them and I thank You in advance for giving me all the answers You do. But on the occasions when You don’t give me a clear answer, and where I don’t know why certain things have happened, I shall not allow the level of mystery to keep me from pursuing my purpose with bulldog-tenacity. I shall run with patience the race that You have set before me, knowing I have grace for my race, and I will not allow anyone or anything to keep me from running and completing my course! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
