{"id":33365,"date":"2024-11-13T22:00:56","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T05:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/1-samuel-23_15-29-copy\/"},"modified":"2024-10-29T15:17:20","modified_gmt":"2024-10-29T22:17:20","slug":"1-samuel-24_1-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/1-samuel-24_1-22\/","title":{"rendered":"Forgiving and Trusting Are Not the Same Thing"},"content":{"rendered":"

1 Samuel 24:1-22 \u00a0(CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 1 Samuel 24:1-22.\u00a0 As usual,\u00a0I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.\u00a0 See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

1 Samuel 24:1-4 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.”
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The men said, “This is the day the\u00a0LORD\u00a0spoke of when he said 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.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses\u00a01-4: What was the significance of David cutting the corner of Saul’s robe?\u00a0 It showed how easily David could have killed Saul if he wanted to.\u00a0 This grace and mercy David showed Saul foreshadows the grace and mercy God would show us.\u00a0 God could easily have killed us in His wrath, yet in His loving self-control, He withheld and instead laid His wrath upon His own Son Jesus so that we could be forgiven and set free.<\/p>\n

Also, the Jewish law required Israelite men to attach tassels to the corner of their robes as a reminder of God’s Word.\u00a0 Just as\u00a0David cuts off the corner of Saul’s robe (which represented the Word of God) instead of killing Saul himself, one day God would cut off his own Son — Jesus, the Word of God — instead of cutting us off.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There’s another level of meaning to David’s act of cutting off the corner of Saul’s robe.\u00a0 Some scholars say that the corner of an Israelite man’s robe was a symbol of that man’s power, status and authority.\u00a0 Apparently, kings and other rich, powerful men would wear long flowing robes with corners that were especially ornate and expensive.\u00a0 By cutting off the corner of Saul’s robe, David was — as some scholars conclude — making a statement that he was taking away Saul’s power and status.\u00a0 This caused David to be conscience stricken and we’ll see why below.<\/p>\n

1 Samuel 24:5-11 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe.
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He said to his men, “The\u00a0LORD\u00a0forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the\u00a0LORD’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the\u00a0LORD.”
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0With these words David rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’?
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0This day you have seen with your own eyes how the\u00a0LORD\u00a0delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lift my hand against my master, because he is the\u00a0LORD’s anointed.’
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0See, 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. Now understand and recognize that I am not guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 5-11: \u00a0Even though Saul was looking to kill David, David refused to lay a hand on Saul.\u00a0 In fact David was “conscience stricken” (that is, he felt guilty) just for cutting of the corner of Saul’s robe.\u00a0 Why was David so conscience stricken? After all, wasn’t Saul trying to kill David?\u00a0 Wasn’t David justified to kill Saul first?<\/p>\n

David was conscience stricken for two reasons.<\/p>\n

The first reason is because David had great respect for the king — not for Saul as a person, but for the office that Saul held. Because David respected those whom God has anointed and placed over him, David would:
\n– continue to call Saul by titles like “my master” (v6), “the Lord’s anointed” (v6) and “my lord the king” (v7);
\n– bow down and prostrate himself before Saul (v8);
\n– refuse to lay a hand on Saul or even speak a critical word of Saul (v10)
\neven when Saul was trying to kill David!<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0Part of respecting and honouring God is respecting and honouring the authority figures God places in our lives, even when those authorities are far from perfect.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Perhaps there is a person in your life that the Bible calls you to honour (a parent, a leader, a boss).\u00a0 You might think, “That person is not worthy of my respect and honour”.\u00a0 Yet even if you do not respect that person, you need to respect that person’s\u00a0office<\/em>, or their God-given role in your life.<\/p>\n

In the U.S. military there is the idea of “saluting the uniform”.\u00a0 That is, you might not respect the person wearing the uniform, but because you respect the office (the role) \u00a0that the uniform represents, you still treat the person in the uniform with respect and honour.<\/p>\n

Remember this: \u00a0Jesus Christ was the perfect human being.\u00a0 He was God in the flesh.\u00a0 Yet Jesus still submitted to the authority figures God placed in His life, even when they were far less perfect than him.\u00a0 Jesus submitted to his earthly parents Joseph and Mary, who made many mistakes.\u00a0 He even submitted to a corrupt Roman governor in Pontius Pilate.\u00a0 He also submitted to His Father’s will, not because His Father was more perfect than He was, but out of loving submission and respect for His authority.\u00a0 That’s why Jesus would say to His Father, “Not my will, but Yours be done.”<\/p>\n

Because Jesus humbled himself and related to authority with humility and respect, His Father gave Him the name that is above every name (Philippians 2:5-11).\u00a0 In fact, one of the unsung reasons why other leaders like David, Daniel, Joseph in Genesis, Abigail, and Nehemiah were all exalted is because they submitted to, respected and honoured their God-given authorities.<\/p>\n

It goes to show that\u00a0God watches the way we respond and relate to the authorities He places over us, because how we relate to them reflects how much we trust and honour God.<\/strong>\u00a0God watches the way you respond to authority and blesses you accordingly.<\/p>\n

1 Samuel 24:12-15 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0May the\u00a0LORD\u00a0judge between you and me. And may the\u00a0LORD\u00a0avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you.
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0As the old saying goes, ‘From evildoers come evil deeds,’ so my hand will not touch you.
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea?
\n15\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0May the\u00a0LORD\u00a0be our judge and decide between us. May he consider my cause and uphold it; may he vindicate me by delivering me from your hand.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 12-15: \u00a0There is a second reason why David was conscience stricken when he cut Saul’s robe.\u00a0 It’s because David trusted God as his avenger and defender.\u00a0 As David would say, “may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me” (v12).\u00a0 David knew that God was on his side, that God had his back.\u00a0 When David asks Saul, “Against whom has the king of Israel come out?\u00a0 Whom are you pursuing?\u00a0 A dead dog?\u00a0 A flea?”, David is basically saying: “Saul, you’re not going to succeed trying to chase me down like a dead dog or a flea.\u00a0 For God is with me.\u00a0 You attacking me is like you attacking God.\u00a0 You’re not going to win.”<\/p>\n

Because David trusted God to be His defender and His avenger, there was no need for David to get his own hands dirty or to retaliate sinfully against his enemy.<\/p>\n

Likewise, maybe there is someone in your life who has hurt you badly.\u00a0 Your natural inclination may be to want to hurt them back, to sin against them the way they sinned against you.\u00a0 Yet from David’s example, we learn that\u00a0when we take matters into our own hands and seek revenge, we only feel worse, but when we trust God to be our avenger and defender, we are blessed.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0As Romans 12:19-21 says:<\/p>\n

19\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
\n20\u00a0<\/sup>On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
\n21\u00a0<\/sup>Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

1 Samuel 24:16-22 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n16\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When David finished saying this, Saul asked, “Is that your voice, David my son?” And he wept aloud.
\n17\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“You are more righteous than I,” he said. “You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly.
\n18\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0You have just now told me of the good you did to me; the\u00a0LORD\u00a0delivered me into your hands, but you did not kill me.
\n19\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the\u00a0LORD\u00a0reward you well for the way you treated me today.
\n20\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands.
\n21\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Now swear to me by the\u00a0LORD\u00a0that you will not cut off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father’s family.”
\n22\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So David gave his oath to Saul. Then Saul returned home\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 16-22a: \u00a0Saul is touched by David’s refusal to lay a hand on him, even when he had an easy opportunity to do so.\u00a0 In a moment of clarity, Saul weeps and refers to David tenderly as “his son” (v16).\u00a0 He praises David for his nobility (v17-19) and even affirms that one day David will be the king (v20).\u00a0 He asks David for mercy and a promise from David that he would not wipe out his family.\u00a0 But unfortunately, as we will see, Saul’s moment of clarity would not last.\u00a0 That’s because, as verse 22 says, “Saul returned home”.\u00a0 I believe this can be interpreted figuratively to mean that Saul not only returned physically to his house, but that Saul returned to his old ways of thinking and feeling.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this? \u00a0It’s not enough just to have an emotional encounter with God where you see that you have sinned and that you need His forgiveness.\u00a0 Even more, you need to walk in repentance.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Repentance is not simply feeling sorry for your sins.\u00a0 It’s agreeing that your old way of living was wrong and taking steps to move in a new, healthier direction.\u00a0 Because Saul simply felt bad and then “returned home”, the hopeful change in Saul would not last.\u00a0 Praise God that He allows us to have emotional encounters with Him\u00a0so that<\/em>\u00a0we can walk in a new way with Him.<\/p>\n

1\u00a0Samuel\u00a024:22 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n22\u00a0<\/sup>…but David and his men went up to the stronghold.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 22b: \u00a0After Saul and David seemingly have made amends, David wisely still goes to the stronghold, just in case Saul changes his mind (which he would).<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this? \u00a0Forgiving someone and trusting someone are two different things.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0God commands us to forgive those who hurt us, but He doesn’t command us to trust everyone who hurts us.\u00a0 Forgiveness is free, but trust is earned. \u00a0If someone has hurt you, you need to forgive them, but you should consider that person’s character and track record when deciding whether or not to trust that person again.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank You, Father, for sparing my life when You could have easily destroyed me in Your wrath.\u00a0 Thank You for Your mercy which I encounter every day.\u00a0 Because You showed me mercy, may I show mercy as well to those who hurt me. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 1 Samuel 24:1-22.\u00a0 As usual,\u00a0I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.\u00a0 See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

1 Samuel 24:1-4 (NIV)
\n1\u00a0\u00a0After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.”
\n2\u00a0\u00a0So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.
\n3\u00a0\u00a0He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave.
\n4\u00a0\u00a0The men said, “This is the day the\u00a0LORD\u00a0spoke of when he said 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.<\/p>\n

On verses\u00a01-4: What was the significance of David cutting the corner of Saul’s robe?\u00a0 It showed how easily David could have killed Saul if he wanted to.\u00a0 This grace and mercy David showed Saul foreshadows the grace and mercy God would show us.\u00a0 God could easily have killed us in His wrath, yet in His loving self-control, He withheld and instead laid His wrath upon His own Son Jesus so that we could be forgiven and set free.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33367,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33365"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33365\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33368,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33365\/revisions\/33368"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}