When I hear of injustices, my first reaction is anger, just like David’s. I want to gather my troops, strap on our swords, and ride in to mete out justice to the oppressors. Or maybe charter a bus, paint some signs, and start a riot. But God’s Word tells us that God says, “Vengeance is mine. I will repay.” In Romans, we’re admonished to “leave room for the wrath of God.”

Taking matters into our own hands suggests that we don’t trust God to be fair and just. It says that we believe He won’t make things right in the end, or that we are impatient for His justice. Or maybe that we think He needs our help.

None of these are true. God’s justice is perfect, even if His timing is on an eternal clock. He doesn’t need our assistance — He gives each breath and He can take the next one away just as easily, without a single blow.

But when we seek vengeance, we poison our own hearts. Instead of being a vessel of honor, filled with the love, compassion, and forgiveness that Christ pours out onto and into and through us, we become bitter. The vengeance that starts with the one who oppressed sours relationships with everyone around us as our anger rages. In any battle there is collateral damage, and when we seek revenge, our efforts inevitably hurt more than just the target of our attack. As survivors of the attack follow the pattern we’ve set, the war escalates whether it is between nations, families, or individuals.

God shows David a better way through Abigail’s counsel. When we follow Christ’s admonition to turn the other cheek, to forgive, and trust God to fight our battles, God gives victory in several ways. First, as with David, God provides. Through Abigail, God provided all that David needed and then some. God resolves the issue with the oppressor. Stay with me here; I know we don’t always see the result of this. But God’s Word tells us who wins in the end. Whether God, in His mercy, brings the oppressor to repentance, forgiveness, and salvation, or whether his end is judgment, justice reigns.
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Who has harmed you? Disrespected you as Nabal did David? Who has repaid your kindness with evil? Have you turned it over to the Lord and entrusted the outcome to Him? As we look ahead to celebrating the birth of Christ, who willingly took God’s wrath for us, so that we would be free from the vengeance we deserved, consider giving yourself a gift this Christmas. Give yourself the gift of freedom from the burden of bitterness and vengeance.

A snip of fabric proved David to be trustworthy. It demonstrated his allegiance and his submission both to God and to His anointed King, Saul.

Sometimes having a tangible reminder of who we are is important. It’s the visible evidence of God’s work in us that reminds us when we are tempted to act, instead, on the lies of the enemy. We cast our eyes on that remembrance, recall who we are without Christ and who we are, now, because of Christ, and we find the strength to continue in the hard path ahead.

The remembrance is not to exalt us, but to extol the God who empowers us for every good work. The trophy, the medal, the award — they remind us of how God can take a dead man and raise him. He can take a shepherd boy and make him king. He can take a slave and a prisoner and make him second in command over a great nation. There is nothing our God cannot do with one submitted soul.

Likewise, the token does not guarantee our future course. From our vantage point in history, we know David’s future. We know his failures and his faults. Submitting to God in honoring Saul did not prevent him from later committing adultery and plotting murder. Our laurels may be precious reminders of God’s grace, but they don’t keep us from presuming upon His grace in the future. Especially if we mistakenly think they are about us, not about God.
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What reminders do you keep of God’s grace to you? Do you ever slip into the delusion that they are about your skills and your abilities and forget that your next breath is a gift from God? What narrow scrapes has He rescued you from? How do you remind yourself of God’s generosity in saving you?

David demonstrates a pattern of seeking the Lord, even in the midst of fleeing from Saul’s threats to his life. Imagine if David had presumed the people of Keilah would protect him, since he had just defeated the Philistines and freed the town from their grasp. Remaining in constant communication with the Lord, and responding in obedience to the Lord’s guidance, was critical.

I’m so often tempted to not do that, especially at times like this when there is so much to do! I forget that I have too much to do to NOT spend time with the Lord. My long to-do list will never be accomplished in my own power, and it certainly won’t be accomplished by giving up the time I spend with the Lord each morning to prepare for the day. I would be much better prepared if I neglected my shower, fresh clothes, or make-up than if I neglected time in God’s Word and prayer.

Can you imagine being on the run for your life and having the presence of mind to stop and seek the Lord? Perhaps that is when we are most prone to seek Him, when our life depends upon it. I seem more likely to neglect spiritual disciplines (as well as physical ones) when I have time off from work and no particular schedule to keep, when things are going well, than when I’m more conscious of my desperate need for Him.
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How about you? As you look ahead a few months to the holidays, do you find yourself neglecting the very relationship that we are celebrating at Christmas, as I sometimes do? Does it seem more challenging to find the time to spend alone with Him, when you are spending so much with family and friends? Would it motivate you to realize that we each have a madman pursuing us, jealous of our blessing from God, seeking our destruction? We each need God to show us, TODAY, where our next step should take us. We need God as desperately as we enter the shopping mall as we do when we enter the surgical suite. His Holy Spirit should be our strength whether we are faced with Christmas party temptations or a thousand Philistine warriors.

Have you ever known someone who made one terrible mistake after another, but with each poor choice, they became more convinced that the consequences that ensued from their own poor judgment were the result of everyone else being out to get them?

That was Saul.

And if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ve probably done it ourselves at least on a smaller scale. Our natural reaction to the feeling of conviction we get when we sin is to point the finger elsewhere. It started in the garden, when Adam pointed to Eve, and Eve pointed to the serpent. We see it in our kids shouting, “He started it!” — or maybe that was just my childhood.

We see it in courts of law with defendants justifying their own behavior because someone else tempted them, coerced them, or threatened them. All those things may be true, but the greater truth is that we always have other options. I saw a meme the other day that said, “If you want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t want to do something, you’ll find an excuse.” My addendum to this truth is, “If you do something you know you shouldn’t have, you’ll find someone to blame.”

The really sad part about our propensity for blaming others is that it points us away from the resolution that would bring healing. When we look at others and blame them, we fail to look at ourselves, accept the truth about what is in our heart that led to the action, and repent. Ask God to put to death the sin that lurks in us, seeking to destroy us and those we love. Turn away from the sin and embrace God’s standards (see yesterday’s post) and many of the painful consequences will dissipate. A few are likely to remain, as unwelcome but necessary reminders to keep us from returning to the same trap.
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Saul never seemed to grasp his own responsibility for his predicament. In blaming David, and then blaming the priests for helping David, and exterminating them, he only heaped more judgment and condemnation on himself. Romans 8:1 tells us, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” but there are still consequences for those refuse to learn from their mistakes. Hebrews 12:11 confirms, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Jesus references this chapter as he teaches the Pharisees that God’s Holy commandments, from the Sabbath to the sacraments followed in the Temple, were for the blessing and good of His children, not as restrictions to deny them something of value. God didn't establish the Sabbath with the intent to starve His children, but to bless them with rest from their toil. It's tempting to view God’s Law as what we can NOT do, rather than what the God who created us, who knows what will bless us and what will harm us, has instructed us for our good.

When we ignore God’s instruction, we do so to our own harm. Every time. We may not see the harm in working on the Sabbath. Until our marriage is struggling, our children are estranged, and our health is suffering. We may think “little white lies” are harmless, until we have to tell another to cover the first, and another to cover that one, until we aren’t even sure what the truth is. We might think mixing our faith in God with a little New Age meditation is just our way of personalizing our faith, but God forbade idolatry because whatever form it takes, it exalts our own opinion above the expressed will of God. When we believe our way of doing things is better than God’s, we no longer worship God, but self.
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God gives us laws as a parent sets boundaries for their beloved child, out of wisdom about the world and the dangers in it, and to protect the one they love who may not see the danger. Imagine a child throwing a temper tantrum because mommy won’t let him drink the bright-colored, but deadly, anti-freeze. Picture a toddler escaping her loving father’s arms to run into the busy street. Or a teen ignoring a curfew to get drunk or take drugs at a party.

When we think that God’s wisdom regarding rest, or purity, or generosity, or forgiveness, or service are old-fashioned and designed to keep us from something good, we need to stop and think of these images of a child, so determined to gain something that we see the danger of, and remember that we are that child. What's more, we fall for the oldest lie, literally, in the Book. Satan's first temptation of Adam and Eve was couched in casting doubt on the goodness and blessing of God's restrictions.

We all need at least one Jonathan in our lives. Someone who is going to give us the honest truth. To warn us of danger — not just danger from an angry madman, but danger from our own choices. Jonathan risked his own life, and certainly the favor of his father, for the sake of defending and warning David.

Am I willing to be Jonathan for someone God has placed in my life? Am I willing to risk everything for the benefit of a friend? Have I sought out someone who will be this honest and this caring for me? Am I willing to be open and vulnerable enough with them for them to be able to help me?


Chamath Palihapitiya, one of the founders of Facebook before he left in 2011, was quoted by multiple sources in 2017, saying, “The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops that we have created are destroying how society works: no civil discourse, no cooperation, misinformation, mistruth. And it’s not an American problem. This is not about Russian ads. This is a global problem.” Most of us have seen our children’s ability to talk on the phone, have a conversation in person, read, or simply entertain themselves without a screen in front of them dwindle. If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll admit our own ability to maintain attention when conversing with someone else has eroded. We’ve seen the gulf between opinions grow, regardless of whether it is over the color of your Christmas lights, or a life-and-death political opinion. We’re losing our ability to collaborate, to compromise, to imagine ourselves in someone else’s shoes and empathize with their feelings. In the years since this warning was issued, we've only seen the negative impact multiplied.

This social media rant may seem unrelated to my original point, but it is integral. You can’t BE Jonathan for someone else if you are interacting via a screen in 280 characters or less. You can’t open up and be vulnerable enough to allow someone else to speak into your life, if all they ever see are your happy, post-worthy moments.

Let’s unplug from our devices and plug in to those around us. Let’s close the app and open our hearts and our minds to the people we love. Let’s seek to build relationships that are deeper than a tweet or a GIF.

As believers in Jesus Christ, it is critical for us to understand spiritual warfare. We are in a battle. Fortunately, we know how it ends. We know that God wins. But that does not mean we can’t end up as casualties of war. Our very lives are at stake, and if we have not yet become a follower of Christ, if we “play church” without having given our lives over to Christ and been sealed by the Holy Spirit, even our eternity is at stake.

A harmful spirit came upon Saul. We don’t know whether that means he was possessed by this spirit or whether he was being prompted by it. The state of Saul’s soul is of less concern to us thousands of years after his death than our own. If you have not committed your life to Jesus, there are forces at work in this world that seek to destroy you, and you have no protection against them. They are more powerful than you are.

But they are not more powerful than Christ, who rose from the dead to prove the point that He is Supreme. His power is imbued in those who have followed Him through the Holy Spirit and, in the Holy Spirit’s power, the enemies who line up against us cannot defeat us.

But even as believers, we can fall for their deceptive schemes. We can take our eyes off God and get enraptured in things of the world - shiny trinkets that glitter like gold, but tarnish easily. Sweet treats that provide no nutritional value for our souls. Christmas is such a great illustration of how something that should glorify God can become a worldly, godless pursuit of material idols. If our focus at Christmas is the gifts we receive rather than the Gift we've already received, we've missed the point.
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Saul disobeyed God. But instead of embracing conviction, repentance, and turning back to His Savior, Saul continued down the path to his destruction. He listened to the voice that whispers lies in our ears and prompts us to be unkind, greedy, selfish, rude, envious, lazy, lustful, gluttonous . . . . It’s a harmful spirit. And it comes on us all, at one time or another. The question is do we embrace it or turn away from it?

Proverbs 26:27 warns, “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.” Saul should have learned this lesson well. Each time he tried to manipulate circumstance to the detriment or demise of David, the results backfired.

I may not hurl a spear or send someone off on an impossible mission, but I can be just as manipulative when I’m not getting my way. And more often than not, it doesn’t work out well. I’ve even tried to manipulate God with promises I know I cannot keep unless God intervenes on my behalf.

God finally showed me the root of this manipulative spirit, the real reason behind my trying to make things turn out according to my plan. It’s all about faith.

If I truly know and believe that God has my best interests at heart and that He is sovereign, why would I try to force my will to be done instead of His? If I trust that God’s got this, then I don’t need to step in and try to maneuver the circumstances. God will move mountains if needed, and if He doesn’t, I can rest in knowing that it wasn’t the very best for me, regardless of my opinion.
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God sees the end from the beginning. He knows that job would have derailed me from following Him, or would have pulled me away from my family. He sees that the match I thought was made in heaven, would have been hell on earth. He has kept me from a million bad outcomes because of His love for me.
And when I face the worst circumstances, I can trust that there is an eternal perspective that I don’t yet have, which will make even the worst worthwhile in eternity. My mom mentioned a friend of hers to me the other day. This friend has lost both of her sons and yet is filled with joy that is hard to understand in the face of such tragic losses. Yet her perspective is focused like a laser on eternity. Her sons knew the Lord. Though they have left this life, they live. Though she misses them now, she looks forward to eternity with them. And she takes joy in knowing that God is sovereign.

The account of David’s victory of Goliath is often viewed as the success of a youthful, exuberant, and clever man over a lumbering, boastful oaf. But viewing it that way misses the key point and the point that is most applicable for us today: The battle belongs to the Lord.
David understood that this was not a battle between him and a giant - but between His God and the powers of unbelief. The Israelites fled in fear because they saw only their strength, but were blind to the God who would fight the battle for them.
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I’ve fallen into that trap before. I’ve believed that the task before me was too great, the road too hard, the burden too much. But if the path is the one God has set before me, He will carry me when I can’t take another step. He will fight the giants in my path. He has already defeated death and hell, so whatever adversary I face is certainly no match for Him.

So how do we overcome fear and trust God in these battles we face? David first focused on God’s faithfulness in the past - as God had delivered him from the lion and the bear, he trusted God to deliver him in this situation. Before stepping in to battle, we must spend some time revisiting the work God has done in our life in the past. Wherever we are in our walk with the Lord, we should be able to see His fingerprints on our life. Recall the times He has rescued us, the ways He has provided comfort and healing, and the moments when we thought we couldn't go on, but He gave us strength.

Next, David refused to put his trust in the world’s wisdom. Saul offered his armor - not a bad gift for someone headed into battle. But David recognized that to don the armor would be to put his faith in that to save him, rather than in God. This doesn’t mean we should forego seatbelts or football helmets (or masks), but our whole dependence needs to be on the Lord to provide.

Once he committed to the battle, he was all in. David ran toward the battle line and acted quickly and decisively. Too often, I want to take tentative steps toward the fray, hesitantly wanting to see what God will do and be reassured, instead of acting boldly in faith.

What battles are you facing? What giant looms on your horizon, taunting you and mocking what God has done in your life? Know that any giant that threatens the promises God has made to you, His child, has already been defeated by Christ.