I’ll be sharing some notes today on 1 Samuel and Matthew 8.

The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said a to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’ ” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.

1 Samuel 24:4 (NIV)

When Saul was pursuing David in the Desert of En Gedi, he stopped at a cave and went in to relieve himself. David and his men were hiding in the same cave. David’s men encouraged him to kill Saul because the circumstances couldn’t have been any better. However, instead of killing Saul, David cuts off a corner of Saul’s robe. Rather than taking advantage of the circumstances, David chooses to let Saul go. How did David know the time wasn’t right to dispatch Saul and seize the throne?

We know that David didn’t make any major decisions without first consulting the Lord. However, we don’t see David asking the Lord anything here. Most of us, if given the opportunity, would likely have seized the prize we desired, believing that we were doing the Lord’s will. Surely, if the Lord delivered our desire into our hands, then doesn’t he mean for us to take it?

David didn’t want to be king. David didn’t slay Goliath or follow Saul because he wanted something out of it for himself. David was serving Israel and God. Therefore, David put God first. This means following the ways of God. Verse 13 reveals to us the heart of the matter:

As the old saying goes, ‘From evildoers come evil deeds,’ so my hand will not touch you.

1 Samuel 24:13 (NIV)

Evil indulges the darkest desires of the mind, but the mind set on the Lord follows the way of the Lord. For us, we have the mind of Christ. Although David had already been selected by God as the next king, David knew that God would handle Saul in his way and in His timing. Ambushing and killing Saul, the Lord’s anointed, in the back of a dark cave wasn’t the way God did things. 

We are privileged to see the heart of David for God and for Saul when Saul leaves the cave.

He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’? This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the Lord’s anointed.’ See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. See that there is nothing in my hand to indicate that I am guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life. May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. As the old saying goes, ‘From evildoers come evil deeds,’ so my hand will not touch you.

1 Samuel 24:9-13 (NIV)

David’s heart-wrenching plea to Saul is beautiful and shows his sincerity and love for Saul despite Saul’s treatment of him. Although Saul was David’s enemy, David was not Saul’s enemy. I believe this is the heart that God wants us to have for all of those who would call us their enemy.

Great Faith

Jesus encountered a centurion who asked him to heal his servant. When Jesus asked the man if he wanted him to go to his house to heal the servant, the centurion told Jesus, 

The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

Matthew 8:8-9 (NIV)

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.

Matthew 8:10 (NIV)

Sometimes the people with the greatest faith aren’t those who have followed Jesus for a long time. These new believers know that God can do anything and know that they no longer have anything to fear from this world. Of course, those who have walked in the faith for a while believe these things but there is something about a fire that, when it is first kindled and it grabs hold of all those dry branches, causes it to flare up and burn brighter than after the dead and dry branches have burned up. I believe this is one reason Paul reminds us of this in 1 Corinthians.

Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know.

1 Corinthians 8:2 (NIV)

Sometimes we think our experience in Christ has given us a view into him that others may not have. Perhaps we read the Bible every day, and we know a great deal. However, knowledge about God cannot exceed our faith in God. Paul also reminds us of this later on, “For we know in part and we prophesy in part” (1 Corinthians 13:9 NIV). 

I pray that this day finds you well, and I thank you for stopping by!

Do you know God? God knows you, and he loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. No one is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, and he wants you to know him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so we could be free of guilt, be free from death, and live eternally with him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away. 

Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation today:

Lord Jesus, forgive me for all my sins. I repent from my ways. Wash me in your blood and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I believe that you died on the cross, were buried, and on the third day, God the Father raised you from the dead. Right now, Lord Jesus, I open the door to my heart, and I receive you into my heart as my Lord and personal Savior. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment, and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.

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