We‘re nearly through all of 1 Samuel. We’ve read about the rise of Samuel, then Saul, and now we are reading about the trials of David as he prepares to become the next king of Israel. Once again David finds himself with the opportunity to kill Saul. It has to be God…right?
Start by reading 1 Samuel 26 for yourself, take notes, and compare what you hear from God with what I see and hear. The Bible is alive and active. You and I may not see the same things. And if you’ve missed any of the past posts of earlier chapters, you can find them all HERE.
Let’s get into 1 Samuel 26!
Finding Balance in Life
There is a fine balance in life between believing God holds the ultimate control of the world and my life and knowing what, if any, action to take in a difficult situation. In this case, David delicately walks this line.
Once again Saul was hunting David, so David begins by verifying Saul’s presence. Then he takes next step of actually seeing Saul for himself. God allows David to get all the way to Saul’s side, steal his spear and water jug, and sneak out without detection. David took action, but his judgement in the moment shows how he truly believed God was in control of the moment.
First David tells Abner, his accomplice, in the camp,
““No!” David said. “Don’t kill him. For who can remain innocent after attacking the Lord’s anointed one? Surely the Lord will strike Saul down someday, or he will die of old age or in battle.”
1 Samuel 26:9-10
Then he cries out to Saul after they have snuck away,
“But now let my lord the king listen to his servant. If the Lord has stirred you up against me, then let him accept my offering. But if this is simply a human scheme, then may those involved be cursed by the Lord. For they have driven me from my home, so I can no longer live among the Lord’s people, and they have said, ‘Go, worship pagan gods.’”
1 Samuel 26:19
David truly believed God was both in control, and it was up to God if and when to avenge David. He walked the line between knowing God was in ultimate control, and taking charge of his life.
Can you do the same? You’ll make mistakes – David did, but he always came back to putting his life in God’s hands while moving forward with purpose.
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