Many of the things God honors in the Bible can be a great surprise once discovered by the world. It still baffles today how Jesus, for instance—though He was God in every way—would choose to become a mortal man just so He could die for the sins of a people who did not deserve mercy.
Almost everything about God and godly living today can baffle the most intelligent because what is commonly weakness to man can be strength in the Kingdom of God. One very strong example we see is the power in the humility and patience of David, as seen in the way he made decisions.
Once faced with the danger of being killed before God's promise would be fulfilled—the promise of the throne of Israel—David acted in a way that would have appeared peculiar in hindsight. King Saul was chasing after David in attempts to assassinate him, but David was met twice with opportunities to kill Saul in his sleep before the corrupted and jealous king could ever kill him.
But twice David refused to kill king Saul. In 1 Samuel 24:6b, David has to say this in defence of his decision to spare Saul: "The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed" (ESV). What's happening here and what can we learn from this encounter?
First of all, there is trust in God. David could have chosen to fast track the promise of God and get rid of his current problems on the spot. He could have been king the next day! But it was not right in the heart of the young man because he knew his time had not yet come.
How often do we find ourselves rushing into God's promises even when God says, "Not now" or "Wait patiently." Sometimes, God holds back promotion, breakthrough or blessing to deal first with our character, just as he dealt first with David's. Had David rushed things, he would have done more harm than good and would have likely become no more than version 2.0 of King Saul.
Secondly, there is deep humility. David respected Saul regardless of his behaviour because he knew God had put Saul in position for a reason. Fast forward thousands of years later, Paul says in Romans 13:1, "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God" (ESV).
It doesn't matter whether things would be better off if we were in charge. When it's not our time, it's not our time, and we must humble ourselves just as Christ humbled Himself and waited for the appointed time. Jesus had to wait thirty full years before He could do any form of ministry, but when time was ripe, it only took Him three years to change the fate of mankind forever.
What else can you learn from the story of David and his decision to spare Saul's life? Do you somewhat see yourself in the same predicament today in terms of leadership, patience or faith issues?
