Bible in 365: Day 104
04/20/2012 at 11:47 am 2 comments
1 Samuel 21-24
Inquiring of God
The chase is on in these chapters of 1 Samuel. We see King Saul desperately chasing David in an attempt to kill him. David and his men are fleeing and hiding in the desert and in caves. This sounds like an awful way to live; always feeling like someone is chasing you.
I have had dreams like this before, where I’m hiding and running away from someone trying to kill me. Not fun. Thank goodness these dreams do not occur very often anymore! But for David, this was not a dream, this was real life.
I love how even in the midst of all of this, David seeks God’s counsel when making decisions. When deciding whether he should lead his men in an attack against the Philistines, we read “he inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I go and attack these Philistines?’” (1 Samuel 23:2) God told him to attack them, but David’s men answered in fear, so David inquired of God a second time, and he heard the same answer.
Once David knew what God’s will was, then he did it! “So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines and carried off their livestock.” (1 Samuel 23:5)
Earlier, David was obedient when the prophet Gad told him, “Do not stay in the stronghold. God into the land of Judah.” (1 Samuel 22:5) Immediately after he is told this, the scripture tells us that David left and went where he was told he should go.
Wow! What obedience! What wisdom: to seek out God’s answer before acting. How many major decisions do you (and I) make monthly, weekly, even daily without ever even thinking about consulting God? This is mainly a reminder to me to ask God for His counsel before I ever ask my husband or call up my friends or my mom for advice.
Entry filed under: Bible in 365. Tags: Book of 1 Samuel, David, God, Keilah, Saul.
1.
Dawn | 04/21/2012 at 7:12 am
When David fled from Saul it didn’t say he had men with him. But as he spends time in hiding, others come to join him. It’s rather neat the way that God is building David’s kingdom when doesn’t yet have it.
This passage reminded me of the scenes in Prince Caspain (the book) when Caspain is running from his uncle and lives among the “old” Narnians.
2.
themoptimist | 04/22/2012 at 7:42 am
I get the impression that slowly, one by one, men joined David’s cause. It is neat to think that God was using this fearful, challenging time in David’s life to build up his kingdom.