(Read 1 Samuel 24:1-7)
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing.” Earlier in this series I made the following points:
- As recipients of grace we are expected to become extenders of grace. Said another way, since grace has come TO you, then the Father expects you to allow His grace to flow THROUGH you.
- Forgiven people are to forgive people. The more you realize how much God has forgiven you; the more you should be inclined to forgive others.
In chapter 24 David exemplifies those points. David extended grace, mercy and forgiveness to Saul in a way that could only come because of the relationship He had with the Father. Let me tell you what happened.
After Saul returned from fighting the Philistines, he was told that David had gone into the wilderness of En-gedi. So Saul chose 3,000 of his most elite troops and went to search for David and his men near the rocks of the wild goats. When Saul and his forces arrived at the place where the road passes some sheepfolds, Saul went into a cave to relieve himself. Hey, he was a king, but he was still human. He had to do what we all do. But what happened next was amazing.
Saul just-so-happened to use the bathroom in the the cave that David was hiding in. As Saul was doing ‘his thing,’ all alone, without any guards, David’s men saw him and whispered to him, saying, “Today the LORD is telling you, ‘I will certainly put your enemy into your power, to do with as you wish.’” This was David’s opportunity. Saul was in a completely vulnerable position (you know what I mean). David crept up to Saul, while he was still relieving himself, and cut a piece of the king’s robe off. But as soon as he did, David’s conscience began to bother him because he had come close to killing the king. David thought, “The LORD knows I shouldn’t have done that to my lord the king. The LORD forbid that I should do this to my lord the king and attack the LORD’s anointed one, for the LORD himself has chosen him.” So David restrained his men and did not let them kill Saul. I will stop here for today, but what happened next is awesome.
So what does this mean to you today? Two things:
1. Vengeance and recompense belong to the Lord. In the New Testament Paul quoted Leviticus when he said, “Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD” (Rom 12:19, Lev 19:18). David could have easily killed Saul in that cave, and He could have seen Saul being there as a sign that God wanted him to do it, but David feared the Lord more than he was frustrated with Saul. David put the Lord above his personal feelings and he refused to cross the line when it came to Saul. David chose to leave vengeance and recompense to the Lord. David knew the Lord would see to it that Saul received what he had coming and he did not need to get involved in the Lord’s business. You would do well in doing the same. Don’t try to get people back for the wrong they do to you. The Lord will do a better job than you ever could.
2. Pursuing your purpose requires divine patience. Even if you believe you know WHAT God has destined you to become, you may not know HOW it will happen. And even if you believe you know HOW, you may not know WHEN it will happen. There are many things that factor into God’s plan for your life and what this means for you is that you must develop divine patience. The right thing at the wrong time becomes the wrong thing. The right end pursued by the wrong means becomes the wrong end. David could have killed Saul in that cave, but if he did he would have been pursuing the right thing the wrong way and he would have been outside of the will of God. The message here is that you WILL become the person God has destined you to become, but you must endure the process. The good news is that the same grace you will need when you step into you success, is also on you now, as you wait and develop into the person God needs you to be when the door of opportunity swings wide open.
Closing Confession: Father, You alone are Lord, You alone are God, You alone are my king, and I worship You. I understand that You are either LORD OF ALL in my life, or You are not LORD AT ALL in my life. I declare that You are my LORD, therefore I submit to You and Your Kingdom plans and purposes – not just for me, but also for those You bless me to come in contact with. That means that I am both committed to submitting to what You want to do in my life, and committed to what You want to do in the lives of others. Not only will I submit to You for myself, but I refuse to get in the way of what You are doing for others. I know You will see to it that I reap a harvest on every seed I sow, and I also know that You will see to it that others reap harvests on the seeds they sow. Therefore, I don’t have to seek revenge on anyone. When people rise up against me, sowing bad seed, I know two things. First, their attacks will fail, because Your hedge of protection keeps me from all harm. Second, You will see to it that they reap a bad harvest from their bad seed. So I don’t have to go after them, because vengeance and recompense belong to You. I run my race with Your grace and divine patience. What I am experiencing today is preparing me for my tomorrow. I know You have great plans for my life and I know things will happen in Your divine timing. Therefore, I wait patiently for doors to open that no man can close and for others to close that no man can open. As they do, I experience Your best by Your grace. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
