Read: 1 Samuel 24:1-15
The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’s anointed. (v. 6)
Have you ever “egged someone on”? I once challenged a friend to try frying some bacon on the cement rim of his backyard fire pit. It turned out to be a tasty dare, resulting in thick, crispy slices of bacon for all. Unfortunately, dares don’t always work out that well.
Notice how David’s men egged him on and pushed him to take advantage of Saul while he was vulnerable. It then led to disaster when David listened to his men—to a degree—and sliced off a portion of Saul’s robe. David was struck with deep remorse over his actions because he knew Saul was God’s chosen, anointed king, and he knew no one should ever harm one of God’s chosen. Only God could accomplish his will for the king, and David knew he had no right to interfere with the trajectory of Saul’s life. David knew himself to be on the path to the kingdom, but also understood it was not his to grab by vicious means. God would bring all things about in his own time.
Like both Saul and David, you are God’s chosen and beloved, and God alone knows the plans for your life and future (Jer. 29:11). It is only, ever, God’s will that can be done in your life, despite many kinds of challenges along the way, and that points directly toward a future full of hope.
As you pray, beloved, ask for a deep sense of certainty in God’s future plans for your life.
About the Author
Katy Sundararajan is a specialized minister in the Reformed Church in America. She has garnered her pastoral perspectives from posts as a college chaplain, a missionary, an international student advisor, and a higher education and leadership ministries program coordinator.
