1 Samuel 27:1-4 - But
David thought to himself, "One of these days I will be destroyed by the
hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the
Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I
will slip out of his hand." So
David and the six hundred men with him left and went
over to Achish son of Maoch king of Gath. David and his men settled in Gath with Achish.
Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives:
Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal. When Saul was told that David had fled to
Gath, he no longer searched for him.
David had been running from Saul for some time now. He had
lived in caves…he had lived in open areas made into strongholds. David had supported at least 600 men through
one of the toughest periods of his life. Most of those times he allowed God to encourage
and support him…comfort and give him strength to be a leader for these men…but
others he seemed to completely leave God out of the equation and make a
decision on his own.
This time…David makes the decision to go to the Philistine
king…and ask if he and his men can be a part of their community. David clearly thinks that Saul will surely
kill him if he stays where he is…but will leave him alone if he joins the
multitudes of Philistines in the land of Gath.
He is proved right very quickly…as Saul immediately leaves off his chase
after he learns where David has gone.
My mind hung on the beginning words of these verses…that
lead me to believe David left God out of this decision. The phrases …‘he thought to himself’ (NIV)… or
‘said in his heart’ (KJ)… show the human effort of his soul to try and work
himself out of the daily running and hiding. And since it would place David and
his men right smack in the middle of a pagan city…complete with idols and
practices that could have weakened their faith…it was a dangerous move at best.
My mind also thought…even though we are not told directly…
that maybe God planted this thought in his soul…for David has the smarts to
request a more private area to live than inside the main city. He uses this time in Gath to rid Canaan of
some pretty evil people….and trick the king into thinking the Israelites must
surely hate David.
Maybe both interpretations are right….David used his heart
for God to make a decision on his own that God saw he could use…and so he
blessed the time. The Bible never says it was wrong…and there doesn’t seem to
be any negative consequences to his actions….so maybe sometimes God expects us
to size up our own situations and use the wisdom he has already given us to
make the decision that is best.
I know I am rambling this morning…cause there is no clear
answer…but maybe that’s the point.
Sometimes…when God is asking us to wait on hos clear answer…he expects
us to use the wisdom he has placed there before…to make the best decision we
can. And it reminds me that God is there…no
matter what we do. Our decision might
have been made more from our own heart…but maybe that is okay…if we have a
heart like God…because God will use it they way he wants to in the end.
Father…help me this morning to wait more patiently and trust
in you completely. Show me how to use
the wisdom you gave me to make the best decisions I can…when I can’t hear your
voice telling me what to do. Thank you for your covering and mercy when I might
make the wrong choice…and thank you for the blessings you give in spite of the
times I don’t ask…or wait on your clear answer. Amen.
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