Read 1 Samuel 30 - 31; Proverbs 19

Read 1 Samuel 30 - 31; Proverbs 19.

Verse chosen for meditation: 1 Samuel 30:7-8 ESV 

7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 And David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.”

Reflect

David and Saul reacted very differently to crisis. What could be the reason or reasons for the difference in their approach and response?

Is it true that one crisis was more severe than the other? 

In the end, were the outcomes similar for the two men though their responses were different?

Who do you think they considered for their actions? Self? Others? God?

What can we learn about God?

Relate

David came back to his home city only to find it utterly destroyed by the Amalekites while he and his men were away. It was totally unexpected, so much so that they were thrown into complete disarray. His men were terribly devastated by what they saw, especially by their great loss since their wives and children had also been taken away.

Saul, too, encountered a tragedy of immense magnitude. He and his army, including his sons, were pursued by the Philistines all the way back to their base camp. Many died as a result in the aftermath.

In any two crises, it's often not easy to compare the severity as every crisis is daunting to the person concerned. At the spur - of - the - moment, our natural instincts will usually take over. Try as we might, it will be hard to stay cool as a cucumber. Our reactions and responses will invariably betray us. Therefore, it's said that the best time to really know a person is during a crisis.

As we read on, we'll find, too, that David not only came back home, but he also came back to his senses. 

He demonstrated it by first inquiring of the Lord instead of wallowing or whining, then believing in the Lord, and subsequently doing what the Lord said. He even showed kindness to others (the Egyptian slave) and did not lose heart when one - third of his men were not able to join in the raid. But even before this, his sanity was sorely tested when the people tried to stone him. As though losing his own family was not enough, he was made responsible for the devastation of the home city.

In all this, David reacted appropriately. He kept his senses well. Mostly, because he had the assurance of the Lord. He had turned to the Lord before anything else. Therefore, when the number of his fighting men was reduced, he was not discouraged. He knew that the Lord would back him up. He needed to be 'emptied' first before the Lord could fill him up.

Saul, however, took a 180-degree turn in his approach. By doing so, he made good the judgement of God in 1 Samuel 28: 19. As sad as it was, sad because of the absence of sorrow, repentance or crying out to God, Saul remained adamant that he would not prepare himself to meet God in any way. So, even when he was close to death, he did not reach out to God. He would rather end his own life. Even before all this, he was already not reacting right. When he saw the army of the Philistines, he grew afraid and his heart trembled (1 Samuel 28: 5). But instead of taking his fears to the Lord, he sought advice from a spirit medium.

The approaches and responses of the two men cannot be any more polar opposite. As a result of their individual responses, David drew closer to God while Saul drifted further away. The distinctly different end results spoke volumes about their consequences, which saw victory and charity (as well as mending of relationships) for David, and defeat and disgrace for Saul.

If you ask me, David did it for himself and also for others, but most of all, for God. He knew that victory is the Lord's, including the spoils. As for Saul, he did it only for himself. He had no room for others, most of all, God. 

I believe most of us would turn to God in a time of crisis. But the difference is we need to learn to inquire of the Lord first, not dictate to the Lord straight away our urgent requests. We also need faith to trust the Lord and do what the Lord tells us. This God - centric mindset or approach is indeed hard besides confronting the loss or bad news as we're so used to wanting things our way and wanting things to stay the way as we like them to be. 

And even after trusting and obeying, there’s no telling if we would be in for further disappointments and setbacks. Staying hopeful, faithful and loving to the very end really requires a yielded spirit. Think of the Cross. 

Only then can we truly know who God is and how great he is. 

Rest

Lord, may we learn to inquire of you first even in our darkest moment. Difficult as it may be, help us yield to your will. That we may be drawn closer to you. And know who you truly are. The great I Am.

Naville Chia