A Study of David- Knowing God's Will

As the story of David progresses it is interesting to contrast Saul and David.  Saul becomes increasingly unstable as David becomes more and more established as a military hero.  Saul's jealousy and lack of self-control continue until he tries to kill David resulting in David going into exile.  This brings us to I Samuel 23 in which David saves the city of Keilah from the Philistines.  Saul hears that David is there and pursues him with the intent of trapping him inside the city.  In I Samuel 23:7 Saul says something very interesting.  He says, "God has handed him over to me, for David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and bars."  Saul actually believes that God is going to allow him to kill David!  This shows how out of touch Saul is with God's will.  Instead, God's favor is with David and David is able to escape the town and hide out in the wilderness.  Again, let's contrast the two.  Saul assumes he knows God's will while David consults God on every decision.

It is in the wilderness that the story gets more interesting.  In I Samuel chapter 24, David and his men are hiding in a cave when Saul comes in to relieve himself.  Passages like this remind us just how very real the Bible can be at times.  While Saul is doing his business David's men encourage him to kill Saul saying, "This is the day the Lord spoke of when He said, 'I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.' " David has a chance to eliminate the man hunting him and replace him as king.  His followers believe that murdering Saul is God's will.  Again, these people are out of touch with the God who said, "Thou shall not kill." 

We make a mistake when we assume that just because it looks good, then it must be from God.  Let me put that differently.  Just because a job offers more money does not mean it is God's will to take it.  What if that job means more time away from home?  Is that God's will?  Sometimes we are shallow in our interpretation of God's will resulting in a "if it's good it's from God and if it is bad it is not from God" mentality.  The problem with this is that God can make good come from bad circumstances. 

David knew God intimately.  Moreover, he trusted God.  David decided to wait on God to bring about his kingship and not take matters into his own hands.  Instead, David cut off a corner of Saul's robe to prove his righteous choice.  This act of integrity results in Saul recognizing David's kingship in I Samuel 24:20.  Even Saul cannot deny that David is a man after God's own heart.

What can we conclude from this?  We need to consult God in our decisions and not assume His will.  Also, we need to evaluate our choices and make sure they are in line with the God of scripture.  Finally, we need to trust in God's timing in our lives and not force our own plans forward.