What Men Say

04.21.12

1 Samuel 24.4 4 The men of David said to him, “Behold, this is the day of which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold; I am about to give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.’” NASB

Matthew 8.25 25 And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” NASB

In the account in 1 Samuel 24, Saul kept up his insane pursuit of David in order to kill him; Saul knew David was to be the next king and his own dynasty was going to end. And so when Saul just happens to go into just any old cave to do what men do, David and his men just happen to be in that very cave! Talk about wow! David’s men urge him, “David! You have a golden opportunity to put an end to this thing: look it, the Lord has said, ‘Behold; I am about to give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.’!” Here’s Saul served up on a silver platter!” But David wasn’t so convinced because he feared God more than he feared Saul and just because it looked like a golden opportunity to others David wasn’t so sure.

Sometimes we go through seasons of difficulty in life when we seem to just be out of sync with the world around us. Maybe we’ve had a spat with a spouse or a relative and the thing just doesn’t seem to want to heal. Maybe there’s conflict at work or with a neighbor and it appears to be escalating and our prayers seem to be hitting the ceiling. Maybe the word from the doctor, or the plumber, or the electrician or mechanic is way worse than we wanted to hear and it’s gonna be very costly. Sometimes what men say is not what we want to hear… or sometimes it sounds like a golden opportunity.

On the marriage front it’s, well I’ll just get a divorce. At work it’s, well maybe I’ll just quit. Or maybe the word from the doctor leaves you crippled in dread and fear of: “what’s going to happen to me – to my family – to my life?” Sometimes what men say or what we say seems like the solution because sometimes it’s what we want to hear and sounds so good, it has to be right…right?

David’s conscience got the best of him – God hadn’t told him to kill Saul – He hadn’t even said to cut off the corner of Saul’s robe. David was tempted for sure, but he was also unwilling to go against what he thought God wanted him to do. And in the boat, the disciples were just simply unaware of Who they were dealing with and how to deal with what was happening to them.

It’s not so important as what men say: but it is absolutely crucial that we know what God says. What may look like a golden opportunity for us; or what may look like certain doom, is merely a moment to look to what God says; that is the moment our faith grows. What God is building in us through those circumstances and what happens to us when we stick with Him despite what men may say (or what is happening to us) is the golden opportunity for our faith, which is more precious than any substance on earth, to grow and our lives to change for the good forever.

The golden opportunities are always there: will we see them for what they are and deal with them according to what God has said? Let’s go with God – amen?