LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?
THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
1. Refuse to take the morally questionable short cut (1 Samuel 31-2 Samuel 1).
Leading up to these chapters, we saw how David repeatedly refused to gain the kingdom by means of assassination. Open, honorable battle appears to have been a legitimate option, but not cold-blooded murder. This is not a stance that all people have taken throughout history, so it is notable. Many of David's men were probably pushing him to take the easy way, but David refused. We see that stance continue to be taken here, as David refuses to accept the man who says he killed King Saul. (Side note: there does appear to be a contradiction between the start of 2 Samuel and the end of 1 Samuel, but this only appears to be the case--the man who brings the report is evidently not telling the full truth to David, and the books of 1-2 Samuel are in fact one single book whose author saw no contradiction between what he wrote in both places, side by side.) This stance against inheriting the kingdom through assassination likely slowed David down quite a bit, but it also helped to legitimize his eventual claim to the throne and delegitimized any future efforts to overthrow his own kingdom by similar means. We will see David continue to take this principled stance.
When we see a road block in front of us, often we want to deal with it ourselves by any means necessary. But if there is no honorable way to deal with the roadblock, we are generally best to just let it be and allow God to deal with it in his own timing. Trust God. It might be that God will deal with the issue, but he might (as was the case with Saul, and eventually Ish-Bosheth/Eshbaal) deal with it by allowing something to happen that you will be glad you weren't the cause of. It is not up to you to make everything work out; instead, it's up to you to travel down the path as God opens it up.
2. Let God make his way straight before you (Psalm 5).
David writes, "Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me" (Psalm 5:8). This verse models the thought process of David, which we made note of in yesterday's reading. He expected God to align things so that the correct path would become clear along the way; a path which would both accomplish the goal and keep him from guilt. While we generally want to maintain an active faith (see yesterday's reading), situations like the one that David encountered occasionally call for passive faith, where there are no good options for going ahead and so we must wait for God to "make his way straight" before us.
DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?
How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR ATTITUDES, when there are no honorable actions that we could take to move ahead to what we believe God wants to do in our lives, we can adopt a "passive faith" which waits -potentially for a long time, as David waited- for God to "make his way straight" before us. In these seasons, while we are watching expectantly for opportunities that God might create for us, we are also learning to wait and to depend on God. This is good for us as well.
Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.
-Sean
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