Year 1, Day 309: 1 Samuel 23

Patience

1 Samuel 23 opens with the account of David going out to Keilah to save it from the Philistines.  Of course, we get to see the new repentant David here in this chapter.  David inquires of the Lord and waits to hear from the Lord before acting.  Once David has a clear understanding of the Lord’s will, he acts.  This is an important lesson for the follower of God: wait, seek God’s will, and be patient all while knowing that God’s timing is perfect.

Rebellious Motivation

However, we also get a picture of rebellion.  Saul seeks to trap David in the city.  Notice that Saul doesn’t seem to care for saving the city from the Philistines – it was David who had to act to save the people!  Note also that Saul doesn’t feel it necessary to stop and thank God for delivering His people from the hands of the Philistines.  No, in sharp contrast to David we see Saul focused on his own agenda.  Saul wants to kill David; nothing else seems to register in Saul anymore.

We also see rebellion in the people of Keilah.  Had David stayed in the city, they would have turned him over to Saul!  Now, how’s that for gratitude?  David saved them, but they seek the favor of the king.  They don’t pay attention to the fact that David was doing the Lord’s will; they are focused on temporal favor rather than spiritual favor.  So it is with the world.  Not only are people focused on their own agendas but they are also willing to be obsequious to anyone who seems to be able to help them in the short-term.  Not only are human beings self-mongers, but we are naturally short-sighted self-mongers!

God’s Omnipotence

Furthermore, we notice at the end of the chapter that it seems as though God puts the those who are against Him in a difficult position.  The Philistines attack just when it looks like Saul has found David.  Saul has to give up just when he is about to catch David.  Even when Saul’s selfish sight does manage to lock into its target, God can make his sight fail.  Those who oppose God will be blind; they will only see what they want to see and what God allows them to see within their blindness.

Faithfulness

Lest we feel a hopeless towards all of humanity, we do get a great picture of faithfulness in Jonathon.  But before I get there let’s not overlook the fact that Jonathon seems to have no trouble finding David and his men.  Saul is searching for them and cannot discover their location; Jonathon has no trouble finding David.  I think there is a message in here about the sightedness of people who are humble before God and the blindness of people who selfishly seek their own will.

Furthermore, Jonathon comes to David and reaffirms the covenant that they had made earlier.  Jonathon has gotten to see more of his father’s behavior and he realizes that God is no longer with his father but with David.  I love this aspect of Jonathon.  Jonathon is spiritually sighted and his loyalties are likewise spiritual.

I heard a great quote from David Platt last night during his Secret Church presentation.  Truth be told I heard many great quotes.  But in his presentation David Platt made the comment that “family is a temporary institution, but the church is an eternal institution.”*  I think that we get a great example of this in today’s passage.  Jonathon goes to David and proclaims loyalty to him and to what God is going to do through David.  Jonathon sacrifices his family’s claim to ruling power and his family loyalties in order to follow God.  Make no mistake about what Jonathon has done here.

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*Be careful with this quote, though, because taken out of context it could seem that David Platt is attempting to devalue families.  That is not at all what He was saying.  David is saying that people who place their family above God have their priorities out of balance.  David Platt was arguing that that our relationship with God and our loyalty to Him is far more significant than our families – although our families are certainly an important God-given institution.