Day #99 | "Where to Run When You Find Trouble"

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read 1 Samuel 27-28, 1 Chronicles 12:1-7, and Psalm 7

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

1. Be careful where you turn when you find trouble (1 Samuel 27-28).

There is some difference of opinion over whether David did the right thing in 1 Samuel 27. On one hand, he joined hands with Israel's enemies, which was incredibly ethically inadvisable. Who knows what David was asked to do in those days to earn the trust of the Philistines? If David never outright sinned, I would bet that he was still made to enter into a lot of morally tricky situations in order to secure favor. On the other hand, he seemed to try to make the best of it by working on Israel's behalf secretly, and then by lying about it. There are some kinds of people from whom you do not want help. Nothing good will come out of it. The best thing that happened to David was that the Philistines eventually rejected him, and that they let him go freely. On the other hand, Saul also looked for help from a witch to summon the spirit of Samuel, because he could not get an answer from the Lord by normal means. (We are going to leave, for now, the tricky questions of whether Samuel's dead spirit was actually raised, whether witchcraft actually holds any real power, whether ghosts exist, etc.--but these are conversations that could legitimately arise from the text.) The result is only trouble for Saul, and another sign of his moral failings.

2. The Lord looks on our hearts--but us, not so much (1 Samuel 27-28).

I do not have exact answers about why Saul is condemned for seeking out help from a bad source, while David isn't. My best guess is that God saw that David was trying to be careful to follow the Lord, even as he was making some bad decisions. David was trying to make it work ethically, and took mercy on David, because he saw David's heart. Meanwhile Saul justified his own actions, but God saw Saul more clearly than he saw himself. For Saul, this was just another instance of casting the law of God aside so that he could get what he wanted. Maybe there is a word here for us: sometimes, in following God, we will make bad decisions without realizing it. And in those times, God knows what your intention is, even if you are hiding it from yourself. He will save and rescue us despite our bad decisions if our hearts are entirely set on him, and he will judge us if we are inwardly rebellious against God, however we might justify things to ourselves. Take comfort because God knows our heart better than we do. And walk with carefulness and humility, because God knows our heart better than we do. It cuts both ways.

3. Turn to God's people in the midst of trouble (1 Chronicles 12:1-7).

In 1 Chronicles 12:1-7, we see a whole group of people uniting together under David's banner to follow God's chosen king. When we are in the midst of trouble, God has given us other brothers and sisters in Christ who we can join with as the family of God. We are not meant to walk through life alone.

4. Turn to God in the midst of trouble (Psalm 7).

When David was dealing with harsh words and ever-present troubles, and accusations, and dangers, he asked God to show him the truth and to protect him if he was walking in obedience: "O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands... let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it... Arise, O Lord... lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake for me; you have appointed a judgment" (Psalm 7:3-6). We can never go wrong in trusting the Lord with our souls, our future, and our eternity.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR WORSHIP, we can take some time to reflect and ask what we tend to run to when things get tough. Do we run to the comfort of distractions, food, and entertainment? Do we run to security, money, and possessions? Do we run to get the approval of other people? All of these things can result in negative outcomes when these things act as saviors that exercise control over our lives--in fact, maybe they already are. But as we realize this, we can change course and run to God. Whatever we run to when things get difficult, that is what we worship.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

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