Tag: David and Saul

Walk by the Spirit

Old Testament: 2 Samuel 1 & 2

Poetry: Psalm 70

New Testament: Galatians 5:16-21

I can understand why the scriptures describe David as a man after God’s own heart. We read all about how Saul had relentlessly pursued David with the intent of killing him. What we know about human nature would tell us that David would breathe a sigh of relief upon learning that Saul was dead, but that’s not how the story went. The young Amalekite man describes that when he came upon Saul, Saul was leaning on his spear and he carried out Saul’s request to kill him since he was in the “throes of death.” When David learns that the young Amalekite man killed Saul upon Saul’s request, his reaction in 2 Samuel 1 is always a bit surprising to me.

11 Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them. 12 They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and for the nation of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

He was clearly distraught for the death of both Saul and Jonathan—so much so that he had the young Amalekite man put to death.

14 David asked him, “Why weren’t you afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?”

15 Then David called one of his men and said, “Go, strike him down!” So he struck him down, and he died. 16 For David had said to him, “Your blood be on your own head. Your own mouth testified against you when you said, ‘I killed the Lord’s anointed.’”

Because David was pursuing God’s heart, he didn’t rejoice in Saul’s death—even though he was an enemy to him. Saul terrorized him for a long time and the Psalms are full of David’s pleas to God to help him in the midst of Saul’s pursuit of him. We read about David’s state of mind during this time in verses 1 and 5 of Psalms chapter 70.

 1 Hasten, O God, to save me;

    come quickly, Lord, to help me.

5 But as for me, I am poor and needy;

    come quickly to me, O God.

You are my help and my deliverer;

    Lord, do not delay. (NIV)

If we pursue God’s heart and walk in His Spirit as referenced in Galatians 5, we are not driven by our desires of the flesh and ruled by our human nature. Instead, we are compelled to pursue what matters to God. 

Galatians 5:16-18

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. (NASB 1995).

Of course, walking by the Spirit is not a “one and done” endeavor. Each day we are faced with the choice if we will be ruled by our flesh or if we will humble ourselves and be led by the Spirit. I think the key to doing so is to cultivate a deep relationship with our Heavenly Father and to abide in Christ. If we love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength as we are commanded to do, it is so much easier to find the conviction to let His Spirit lead our lives. Keep in mind all relationships require ongoing work. How are you nourishing your relationship with God and Jesus Christ on a daily basis?

-Kristy Cisneros

Reflection Questions

  1. What does it look like to pursue God’s heart? Can you think of a time when you, or someone you know, acted in such a way (like David’s response to Saul’s death) that was totally against human nature/flesh/sin and perfectly in line with God’s heart and walking by His Spirit?
  2. How are you nourishing your relationship with God and Jesus Christ on a daily basis?
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Preaching about the Privy

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 23-25

Poetry: Psalm 69

New Testament: Galatians 3

1 Samuel 24 contains one of my most favorite stories in all of scripture. 

David, the prophesied King of Israel, the chosen, warrior king whom Saul rejected but whom a number of people adored, is living in a cave. And, speak of the devil, Saul walks right into that self-same cave to relieve himself. 

… Saul goes out to hunt David and goes into a cave to sit upon his “throne”.

David had Saul dead to rights.

He had caught Saul with his pants down (or his robe up) and was close enough and stealthy enough to cut his robe.

Is there any more humiliating, powerless position to be in?

So the question is : why didn’t he kill Saul and end it?

Saul has tried to pin David to the wall. 

Saul is currently tracking David’s whereabouts with 3000 men. 

Saul is doing this though all David ever did was to honor his king. 

Still, David does not end the pursuit; he allows God to be the one who brings justice. 

“May the Lord judge between you and me, and may the Lord avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you.” (1 Sam. 24:12)

David did not rebel against Saul, David did not hate Saul. 

David gave Saul pity on the potty,

Mercy in the men’s room,

Compassion on the commode.

You probably won’t have a king chasing you through the wilderness, but you may have enemies. People who hate you. People who want the worst for you. 

Jesus, however, teaches us to be compassionate in the way David is compassionate. 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.” (Matt. 5:38-42)

Jesus gives us this command because there are times when we are being chased and we need to cut the robe… and there are times when we are the ones on the toilet. 

The times when we are the hero doing right by another and the times where we are the villain who looks like a madman. 

Jesus forgives us in all of these situations and desires that we live and love better. 

We are called to do to others what we desire done for us. (Matt. 7:12)

We are called to desire *and work for* the good, even the best, of the other. (Matt. 5:43-48) 

“Be perfect,” Jesus says after speaking of loving your enemies, “as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”

God has spared us, even as we were his enemies.  

God gave us pity, mercy, and compassion. 

God, through Jesus, teaches us to forgive ostentatiously and go beyond what is “necessary,” to not just show love but be love to our enemies. 

So the next time you find your enemy in the cave where you are hiding and they are in your hands, 

Give them the love of God… while they are in the loo. 

-Jake Ballard

Reflection Questions

  1. Grace, Grace, God’s Grace: Have you given your heart to the Lord, to trust in his grace, mercy, and love? God loves you, he wants to forgive your sins, and give you eternal life in his presence. However, his love calls to us rather than demanding from us. Will you trust in the God who desires the best for you, even when you were his enemy?
  2. Your own Saul: Do you have an enemy chasing you down? What does that look like in your life? Jesus asked for forgiveness for the people currently involved in killing him (Lk. 23:34); so he calls you to forgive those who are “seeking your life”. If that feels impossible, ask for the strength of the God who does the “impossible,” and he will make the impossible possible. 
  3. Be David, Not Saul: Are *you* chasing someone else down? Are you seeking someone’s life; bent on revenge, or “justice”, or “fairness”, or “making them feel like I felt”? You are called to let it go. Saul is the bad guy, the madman, and God judges against him because he is so focused on his own glory, rather than focused on what God was doing through his people and his anointed. Be David, not Saul, and let the Lord bring about his will. 
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