READ: 1 Samuel 23 & Psalm 54
God is definitely using
David’s wilderness “adventures” to stretch and strengthen him. His band of
followers has grown to 600, and though David continues to live on the run, he
does not wallow in self-pity. He is being raised up as the next leader of the
nation. When he hears about the attack on Keilah, he is moved to action. He
seeks the Lord and receives affirmation to go in and fight. He and his band of
men defeat the Philistines and save the city. Yet the Lord reveals to David
that the men of Keilah will turn him over to Saul if he stays any longer, and
so David is on the run again.
The events of the chapter are
discouraging, describing a very out-of-breath David as he runs from place to
place. It is when the men of Ziph seek to reveal him to Saul that David writes Psalm
54, again throwing himself into the arms of the Living God. God is faithfully
shepherding his lamb, David. We see God’s mercy on him in the coming of
Jonathan in verse 16. It is certain that Jonathan now knows that he will never
inherit the kingdom, yet he declares faithfully his allegiance to David as
friend and subject. What a joy this must have been for David! It was fully
sufficient that God alone was on his side, but to have a friend in the flesh
must have been such a blessing!
Meanwhile, Saul, in his warped
frame of mind, is attaching God’s name to his hunt for David. In verse 7, Saul
says of David, “God has given him into my
hand.” And in verse 21 when the Ziphites have revealed David’s hiding
place: “May you be blessed by the LORD,
for you have had compassion on me.” We know from Saul’s heart and actions
that he does NOT have the authority to use the Lord’s name, yet he claims it
anyways. Not everyone who claims the name of the Lord has the Lord’s favour.
Jesus said, “Not everyone who says
to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one
who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.” This is also a word
of warning to us. We cannot just claim the name of Jesus over everything we do
and say. We cannot call a “blessing” what God has not blessed us with. Just
because something seems to fall on our lap doesn’t mean that it is a “sign” or
gift from the Lord. In fact it is foolish to call something a “sign from God”
without having taken the time to seek His will, to pray, and to be saturated in
His Word. We must be discerning. We must be grounded in the Word. We must take
the time to seek the Lord on things and not make rash assumptions.
JOURNALING AND PRAYER
1. Ask
God to give you a name of a fellow believer who is currently on their own
“wilderness adventure.” Ask the Lord how you can pray for them and take some
time to do that.
2. Ask
God to show you if you have, like Saul, been attaching God’s name to
“blessings” or “signs” that aren’t really from Him. If He does reveal something
to you, ask Him to give you correct thinking on the matter.
3. Seeking
God and His Word is not an option for the committed Christian. We see this
truth demonstrated by both Saul and David. Saul claims God’s blessing when he
is actually acting outside of God’s will. David takes the time to seek God
diligently more than once in this chapter, and his diligence is vital. Had he
not sought the Lord, the city of Keilah would have been destroyed, and had he
not sought the Lord a second time, he would have been taken by Saul.
a. Are
you seeking the Lord diligently?
b. If
you notice that some things have gotten in the way of diligent time with the
Lord, confess this to Him and make a new plan that can help you put Him on back
on the throne.
c. Spend
some time seeking God now. Seek Him on a specific issue/question, or just seek
to know Him better.
