This pic is from my first trip to Malawi, Africa in 2011 training Pastors and Christian leaders. That’s me with the red tie. This was the first of what has become an annual PTRO conference in Lilongwe, Malawi coordinated by Pastor Charles Tsukuluza, the Pastor of Pastors in Malawi. Charles is above me wearing the glasses. PTRO stands for Paul, Timothy, reliable men and others, 2 Timothy 2.2.

I Samuel 21

God’s Special Ops Training in Humility

David is on the run. He is a fugitive from Saul. Previously I asked, “why does God put Saul and David through these crazy situations when He know David will ultimately be the blessed king?” First, He empowers David to be a mighty warrior and He sends evil spirits to torment Saul. Now He puts David on the run for his life. Just make David king already and get on with it.”  So, we concluded that God has plans to forge and refine David’s life. David’s raw material is a ‘heart for God’ but (as we see in this chapter) his faith is volatile.

To lie or to not lie?

David’s on the run and he comes to Nob and the priest, Ahimelech. David’s fame has gone before him and the priest trembles before David asking David why someone of his stature in the kingdom is traveling alone? David lies. He deceived the priest by stating he was commissioned by the king on a secret mission. Don’t tell anyone. I guess he felt that it was excusable to lie to protect his whereabouts from Saul and save his life. Is lying and deceiving sometimes excusable? Regarding this verse, MacArthur says “But what is essentially sinful can never, because of circumstances, change its immoral character.” Lying is lying and in this case lying has consequences. David’s deceit ends up leading to the death of Ahimelech and other innocent priests. When we lie, even to protect ourselves and others, we seek to take control of the situation away from God’s sovereignty and assume responsibility for the situation ourselves. David then lies again and says his mission was so urgent that he left the court without weapons and so he asked for a sword or spear. V9 “Then the priest said, ‘the sword of Goliath, whom you killed in the valley of Elam, behold it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; take it.”

Isn’t ironic?

David takes the ultimate symbol of his greatest act of faith, boldness and confidence in God, and leaves the scene of his one of his greatest acts of fear and deception. Isn’t ironic? Stupidly, he departs to a king of the Philistines, hoping for refuge. However, the Philistines do not welcome him but raise their guard knowing that David is a fierce enemy. Carrying the sword of Goliath and the symbol of David’s great act of faith, David becomes fearful and begins to act as if he is insane. He acts like a crazy man so as to deceive the Philistines into believing he is no threat. Basically, David is a mess. David may have a heart for God, but his actions are (although somewhat understandable in the face of death) filled with fear, doubt and cowardice. Not what we would expect from a mighty warrior. But fatigue makes cowards of us all.

Let’s take the initiative

How often do we act terribly even though we know, deep down in our hearts, we want to act honorably with grace and faith? The Spirit is willing but the flesh is so weak. God is dealing with David’s weaknesses in a most severe way. He is humbling him and bringing David to his knees. He is taking him to a place of absolute and utter surrender to God. I’ve been there. It’s no fun. It’s agonizing. It’s God’s special ops training. It’s a place where God can change us unlike when we are in a good place. So, let’s do what the apostle James recommends, let us “humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, and He will exalt you.” Don’t get it backwards like we often do by ‘exalting ourselves and then He will humble us.’ Take the initiative and let us “humble ourselves.” Amen