Category Archives: Faith

Never Give Up Hope

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Scripture Reference: Psalm 37:32-40

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These words serve as an exhortation not to lose hope on account of the apparent prosperity of the wicked. They may set their traps of destruction for those who love to do the right thing, but God will not allow His precious ones to be delivered into the power of the wicked; nor will He allow His chosen ones to be condemned when brought to trial because of the schemes of the wicked.

Hope in the LORD and keep His way. He will exalt you to inherit the land.

We are encouraged to wait for the Lord when faced with injustice and to keep doing the right thing and live according to His word and not to be tempted to take matters into our own hands. Think of Jesus and how He was silent before His accusers because He trusted in the One who judges justly. God will reward those who do right with good things from His hand and will allow the righteous to see how He puts an end to the wicked and their schemes. No matter how prosperous they appear to be, soon they will be no more and even if we went out and searched for them, we will not find them.

Instead of losing heart because of the temporary success of the wicked, we are urged to keep our eyes on those who live right and set good examples for us to follow.

Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace.

The person who loves peace will have a great future or as the margin says, “Those who seek peace will have prosperity.” His outlook is not a hopeless one, even if it appears to be so now.

All sinners will be destroyed. And we also would fall into that category if the Lord did not
send Jesus Christ to save us from our sins. But this is important to remember so that we may understand how pointless it is to fix our eyes on sinners and measure our success by how well it goes with them. There is no future hope for them; they will never experience the true prosperity that transcends mere material wealth.

God Himself gives salvation to His righteous ones. He makes them righteous by imparting to them the righteousness of our Lord Jesus. They are never destitute or forsaken during their trials and times of trouble because God Himself is their stronghold.

The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; He is their stronghold in time of trouble.

God helps them; He delivers them; He delivers them from the traps set for them by the wicked and He saves them because they waited on the Lord and took their refuge in Him.

At the rate things are going now, where ungodly ideas and laws and leaders are applauded and honored, it is easy to lose focus. The Lord graciously gives us continual reminders in the midst of these things to keep hoping. Righteousness and justice will rule once again. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne and He will reign forever and ever!

Jesus Puts our Focus on the Right Things

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Sea of Galilee near Tabgha

Sea of Galilee near Tabgha (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Scripture Reference: Matthew 15:29-39

Jesus went to the Sea of Galilee where many people came to Him. They brought the sick and disabled to Him, putting them at His feet. He healed those brought to Him.

The people were in awe as they saw with their own eyes how the mute started speaking, the crippled limbs made well, the paralyzed walking and the blind people receiving their sight. They had enough insight to recognize these things as a gift from God and praised Him accordingly.

After 3 days of this, Jesus called His disciples closer and told them that He is concerned about the people who have been there with Him for 3 days. By this time they had no more food left to eat. He didn’t want to send them back as hungry as they were because He didn’t want them to collapse from hunger along the way.

The disciples didn’t know how they were going to solve this dilemma. They didn’t have nearly enough to feed all the people before they left. They were in a remote place and there were no shops nearby from where they could buy food.

Jesus shifted their focus from what they did not have (no shops, not enough food) to what they did have. “How many loaves do you have?” They only had 7 loaves of bread and a few small fish. With that, He told the crowd to sit down. He gave thanks for what they did have. He broke the bread, gave them to the disciples who in turn served the people and everyone ate and was satisfied.

Amazing things can happen when we take our eyes off what we don’t have and focus on what we do have, thank God for it and share it with others in need. Not only were everyone satisfied, but there were seven basketfuls of leftovers. The number of people counted there were 4000 men excluding women and children.

It is natural for us to want to focus on what we don’t have. We look around us and see how far we fall short. But Jesus takes our eyes away from what we don’t have and puts our focus on the right things. Instead of looking around and measuring our shortcomings, He teaches us to look up for it is in God that we will find no limits –no limits in resources, no limits in strength and power and no limits to His great love and mercy.

“Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” Hebrews 12:1b-2a NLT

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Destructive Words Cannot Destroy the Righteous

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English: Bucegi mountains

Bucegi mountains (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbours, but through knowledge the righteous escape. (Proverbs 11:9)

This proverb supplements what the Scriptures say about our words. Our words have power –either to build up or to destroy. To destroy is how the godless use the power of words.

Since this is a spiritual principle ingrained in this universe as much as the law of gravitational force is a physical principle, the godless may very well succeed with their destructive intentions. But, just as gravity can be defied with clever science, likewise the intention to destroy with words can be subverted through the knowledge that comes with righteousness.

Okay, now how does one get hold of this knowledge that comes from righteousness? Firstly, it is a gift. We cannot work for it. It is God’s gift to those who placed their faith in Christ Jesus –God’s chosen Way to make people righteous. Then, since they are now righteous in God’s sight because of their faith, they have access to all that Christ offers. And one of these offers is knowledge, hidden in Him along with God’s wisdom. All power is given to Christ and those that are in Him cannot be destroyed by any power that is beneath Him.

This includes curses placed on the Lord’s people from the mouth of the godless. I was one of those people who feared the curses of others. I believed that they would have an effect and come true. All that changed when the Lord opened my eyes to this principle: No one can curse what God has blessed. The curses will not get a foothold if I am blessed by God and according to the Bible, those who are in Christ have been blessed:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3

So there we have it. Someone would have to be greater than God to curse what God has blessed and we know that there is none greater than our God. Who is His equal?  Furthermore, the Lord Jesus became the curse for us. All curses that could befall His children have been dealt a final blow on that Cross. Dead and buried and powerless they are now.

Now, there is one thing we must not lose sight of. This is a gift of God and we should never forget the price that has been paid for us to be blessed. For this reason we should take care not to be deliberate troublemakers and sow discord and then think we are safe. Such an attitude would reflect a heart which does not appreciate the shedding of our Lord’s blood for the privileges we enjoy as His children. Isn’t it written that blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God? Yes, that is a characteristic of a child of God –someone who not only loves peace, but who works hard to make peace. There is also an instruction in Ephesians for us to use our words wisely:

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Ephesians 4:29)

or as the NLT puts it:

Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

To get back to the proverb above: The righteous escape the destructive words of the godless through knowledge. Now that we have discussed who the righteous are, let’s talk about the word knowledge in this proverb. The Hebrew word translated as knowledge includes along with knowledge also the following characteristics: perception, skill, discernment, understanding and wisdom.

Through all these things the righteous will escape and these things are given to them because they are in Christ Jesus. His Spirit guides them and teaches them all things. They receive both a love and knowledge of the Truth. They become skillful in learning how to deal with the ungodly and how to avoid their traps. They are given a keen perception of human behavior. They receive a Spirit of discernment which allows them to distinguish between the good and the bad intentions of others –no matter how well-concealed those bad intentions are. Ever felt like something is not quite right with an offer although you can’t quite put your finger on it, only to find later you were right to be distrustful?

Having received all these gifts, destructive words cannot destroy the righteous. And to think these are only a portion of the blessings which we received by faith in Christ. Thank God for His great kindness towards us.

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The Danger of Familiarity

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Blyde River Canyon

Blyde River Canyon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Scripture Reference: Matthew 13:53-58

As Jesus moved from town to town, people were amazed at His understanding and His teachings, except when He went to His home town. As He was teaching people in the synagogue, they were initially in awe of His wisdom, but that soon changed. Familiarity can be a dangerous thing.

Even as they expressed their amazement, they started to question His abilities. How could it be that He is anything special? He is just the carpenter’s son. He grew up in front of them. They knew His mother and His siblings. These all appeared normal. How is it that He has wisdom and miraculous powers? What makes Him so special? Who does He think He is? Their amazement turned to offense.

Suddenly, the very things that were given so that they could put their faith in Him became the source of offense and they turned their backs on Immanuel. They brushed Him aside because they looked at what was familiar about Him and rejected the possibility that God could be operating through someone they knew so well.

Jesus took it in His stride. He didn’t seem to be taken by surprise by their sudden change of heart. He knew what lives in the human heart and wasn’t swayed by the approval of men.

Many began to trust in him. But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew human nature.  No one needed to tell him what mankind is really like. (John 2:23b-25).

Jesus knows how we  sometimes allow our emotions to rule us. The day came when these same people who were ooh-ing and aah-ing at His wisdom shouted, “Crucify Him!” He knew how people can become blind followers of the latest religious trends without their hearts being engaged in what they are doing.  That’s the danger of being a slave to our fickle emotions.

Furthermore, Jesus used this negative situation to teach His disciples a valuable lesson in preparation of their own ministry.  “A prophet is not without honour except in his hometown and in his own home.” He is preparing them to expect that they will be least received among the people who saw them grow up and who lived in the same house as them. Familiarity breeds contempt. When people figure they know you well, they will refuse to believe that God could be doing something new in you.

Familiarity often causes people to stumble and miss God’s action right under their noses. Not only do they lose the opportunity to be a part of what God is doing around them, but they miss the opportunity to be a part of what God can do in them. Look at what happened in Jesus’ home town. Because of their lack of faith, Jesus did not do many miracles there. Many people were robbed of healing and restoration because they looked at what they thought they had all figured out. They dismissed the idea that God could be operating through someone they knew since His childhood. Because of their off-handed dismissal of Jesus they also missed the miraculous.

My prayer is that this will serve as a warning not to look down on those whom we think we  ”know well.” May we not fall into the same trap as the people did in Jesus’ home town. Let’s look beyond what we deem familiar and look to an all powerful God who knows best and chooses whom He wants to.

Think of David. His own family never considered him worthy of being anointed King of Israel. They didn’t even invite him to the line-up. They left him in the fields. His own brother called him conceited when he inquired about Goliath and told him to go back to his few sheep. Ironically it is this “conceited” fellow that God called a man after His own heart. May a “know-it-all” attitude not lead us to condemn those whom God has chosen. By opening our hearts to God’s action in people (even the ones we know), we are opening our hearts to the miraculous.

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The Righteous Stand Firm Forever

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Lush Grass Ahead Coming down from the wilderne...

Lush Grass Ahead Coming down from the wilderness near the stream in the lee of Bryn Du, and the grass is much greener from now on. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake." Psalm 23:1-3 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever. (Proverbs 10:25)

Throughout the Bible, there are many promises for the righteous. One that stands out for me is the promise in Psalm 1:

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. (Psalm 1:3-4)

In Jeremiah 17 there is a similar promise:

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

The righteous are not uprooted by their circumstances. They are standing on an everlasting foundation. The righteous will stand firm forever.  Jesus sums up all these promises when He explains:

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Matthew 7:24-27)

When we receive the righteousness of Christ by faith in Him, we are standing on this Rock. With this righteousness comes a desire to please God in all that we do, think or say. We desire to walk as Jesus did. We desire to practice daily what He taught us. “Everyone who  hears these words of mine and puts them into practice…” Jesus is referring to His teachings before then, which includes His instructions for life in His Sermon on the Mount. The difference comes not only in the hearing, but in the “putting into practice.”

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom [the Law of Love and Grace], and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. (James 1:22-25)

Jesus said He is the Way to the Father. The way Jesus lived is the way that will take us to the Father. Therefore, if we desire to be with the Father, it makes sense to closely study the way Jesus lived and to take His teachings seriously and practice living them out in everyday living. Jesus lived a selfless life and He promised those who are prepared to live His way that they will find their life –not lose it.

Once we let go of our own way and our own ideas and our selfish desires to get on top at all costs, we are on the Way and we can be assured that our circumstances will not uproot us. On the contrary, having received the righteousness of Christ, we will stand firm forever –in this life and the next.

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When Wailing Turns to Dancing

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Dancing for Joy Dancing waves at Ingoldmells. ...

Dancing for Joy Dancing waves at Ingoldmells. "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. Psalm 28:7" (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. LORD my God, I will praise you forever. Psalm 30:11-12

These are evidently the words of a person whose life was not devoid of heartache. David was a man well acquainted with the pains of life, but he also knew the joys that can follow the pain. His tears were not only wiped away; his tears were replaced by dancing. The word translated as “wailing” is the Hebrew word, “mispêd” which is an allusion to more than just shedding a few tears. It refers to a long, drawn out period of mourning in which uncountable tears are shed. David was in this state, but now his wailing turns to dancing.

The darkness lifted and in response his heart burst forth in singing praises to God. He couldn’t keep the joy that filled his heart to himself. He acknowledges the One who brought this turnaround in his state of mind. It is to God that he sings praises. The previous verses of this psalm reflected the heart of a person who was in deep distress. He called out to God and God heard his prayers. This is his response to the answer He received from God.

Life is characterized by highs and lows. We may desire to live a life that is not marked by pain, but as we have learnt on this journey, pain is as much a part of it as joy is. The good news for those who trust in God is that they never need to feel alone. We can call out to God in prayer. He hears our cries and answers us, even when we can barely whisper a prayer. He is God Almighty and has the power to change the most hopeless situations into occasions for joy and dancing. How hard is it to stand still when your heart is overflowing with joy!

David unashamedly expressed his joy by way of dancing and singing. He understood that this joy that now fills his heart is because of the mercy of God who turned his darkness into light. We can always know that no matter what we have to endure, there is joy that awaits us, if only we cling to God and cry out to Him, fully trusting that He will answer our prayers. No situation ever needs to be hopeless when we have the God of this universe on our side!

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Seven Life Lessons from Isaiah 18

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Stelae from the Tiya, Ethiopia

Stelae from the Tiya, Ethiopia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Scripture Reference: Isaiah 18

This prophecy is believed to refer to Ethiopia. My aim was to find the relevance of these words for us today and to look at the life lessons that can be learnt. I saw seven life lessons in Isaiah 18 which I am sharing in this post:

  1. Many great and formidable nations who today leave others in awe of their power, may tomorrow be nothing before God’s judgments. Very quickly they can become easy prey to their enemies and even despicable in the sight of other nations. Leaders who are greedy to enrich themselves and who are hungry for power will, in their selfish pursuits, often get involved in contentions with other countries and this very greed is often the result of their downfall. As a nation, God’s people too find themselves trampled on by the powerful of this world. But those who persecute them will soon find that these people are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed (see 2 Corinthians 4:8-9).
  2. God always gives advanced notice when He is about to do something great. Here we see the entire world is commanded to take notice of what He is about to do: “All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds, you will hear it.” Everyone is invited to witness the actions of the Creator of this universe. He invites them to come over to His side and tells them that when these words become a reality, there will be no mistaking that it has happened by His powerful hand. It will not go down silently. It’s hard to miss the sounding of a trumpet.
  3. Sometimes we may get the impression that God is a disinterested spectator to the affairs of this world. But this is not the case. It never was and never will be. He is known to appear in season at the perfect time to comfort His people and confuse His enemies. Although ungodly men have much to say, God will also have His say and we know that His word is eternal. His word shall never pass away. It may appear as if God has distanced Himself from the way this world is governed by corrupt leaders, but God’s watchful eye does not miss a thing and His mind is never in an agitated state as if He has lost control. In the midst of all the storms of this world, God remains King over the flood. The psalmists often asked God to wake up from His sleeping, because when things get tough, that is how it may appear to us from a human point of view. But we know that He who watches over His people never slumbers nor sleeps. He remains their Keeper from this time forth forever more. Neither is God ever taken by surprise by events in this world. He knows the end from the beginning. He also knows precisely what He will do and the exact time He will do it.
  4. God will continually take care of His people. He is their hiding place and He is their refuge. He will guide them with His eye. There is no need to fear because God is faithful. He is not here today and gone tomorrow. He is not a man that He should lie. Even though it appears to us at times as if He has abandoned us, we can always trust His heart when we can’t trace His hand. The plans He has towards His people are plans to prosper them and not to harm them –to give them a hope and a future. He is their Shepherd and they shall never be in want of anything needful. His will towards them is good, perfect and pleasing. He will not give His children a snake when they asked for a piece of bread. He restores their soul when they grow tired of this journey through life. No matter the intensity of the storm, God is always bigger and more powerful. Those that wait upon the Lord shall run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint. They will rise up on wings like eagles. Whatever our needs may be, God will supply in His perfect time.
  5. God will deal with His enemies. Just when they think they have the upper hand over His people He will swiftly cause their plans to come to nothing and ultimately they will be completely destroyed.
  6. God is worthy of our praise. The fact that He is worthy of praise will be even more evident when He has accomplished all He had in mind for this world and when people repent and turn to Him. Even among the nations that endured God’s judgments there will be those who turn to their God in faith and this will result in indescribable praise and exaltation of the Lord Almighty. They may have appeared worthless in the eyes of others, but He will become their Saviour too. They will be an acceptable offering to the Lord, because He doesn’t judge by outward appearances –He looks at the heart. He doesn’t look at status, and education and any other external attribute which may be praised by men.
  7. Those that trample on others will be trampled on themselves. God will honour His people although they may be despised by the who’s who of this world. He is the lifter of their heads. He will restore the fortunes of His people and those who sow in tears will reap in joy.
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The Condition of our Heart determines how we Respond to the Word

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English: An Autumn sown crop It's growing well...

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Scripture Reference: Matthew 13:1-23

There are many critics to the word of God. They don’t realize that the reason they cannot respond in a fruitful way to hearing the word is because the condition of our heart determines how we respond to the Word. There is nothing wrong with the Word. The Word of God is perfect. Therefore, when we see the word as an obstacle or as nonsense, we would do well if we do introspection rather than lashing out at the Word.

Some have a tendency to thrash anything they don’t understand but this is an attitude of folly. Wisdom listens closely and learns. A wise person knows that just because he doesn’t understand something doesn’t mean it is rubbish. He realizes that he still has much to learn and that he doesn’t know everything.

Jesus told a parable to relate how the condition of our hearts affect the way we respond to hearing God’s word. He told a parable about seed and with that He brought the message close to the hearts of His audience. They understood very well what happened to seed once it is sown. In this parable, the seed falls on four different types of soil and in each case the condition of the soil determines whether the seed will produce a fruitful harvest or not. The soil represents the condition of the heart and the seed is the word of God. The action of sowing is hearing the word and the Sower is Jesus Christ.

Seed along the Path:

The path represents the hearts of people who hear God’s word but don’t understand it. A path is a place of ample foot traffic. Nothing much gets an opportunity to grow there as many feet trample and compact the soil. Neither is much attention given to nourishment of soil on a path. When we have too much “traffic” in our hearts; too many voices of others; too many views and popular opinions; too much of following the latest trends, there will be no room left to open our hearts to the message of the kingdom.

We are closing ourselves to the understanding that comes from listening to God’s voice. So just like the birds have an easy time picking up seed that fall along a path, so the devil has an easy time taking away the message we hear from our hearts so that it may never take root and fill us with the truth. We remain in darkness and our lives remain fruitless.

Seed in Rocky Places:

The rocky places depict the uneven ground of a person’s heart who is the slave of his own emotions. Then he’s super-happy; then he’s down in the dumps. His emotions call the shots. Whatever he feels now becomes the ultimate truth. When he hears the message, he is very excited about what he heard. He is filled with joy, but at the first sign of opposition or a challenge or hardship, all the emotions wear off and out goes the joy with the feel-good emotions.

As I grew up, I often heard people accusing others of “stealing their joy.” People can only steal our joy if we let them. Besides, the joy of the Lord is deep seated and not dependent on emotions or whoever comes our way during that day. The joy of the Lord is much more profound. But people who are superficial in nature –always responding to outside stimuli and never having any inner peace  – they are the ones who lack spiritual roots.The first sign of a setback and all their so called interest in Christ and His message is out of the window. He allows the problems of the moment to cast a shadow on the truth of the message. He makes his problems bigger and his God smaller.

In Jeremiah 17 there is a metaphor of a tree planted by waters. A person with deep spiritual roots will be like a tree by the river. Its roots go so deep, that even drought and bad weather will have no effect on the fruitfulness of this tree. Another example is found in Psalm 1, where it is written that the man who avoids bad company, bad advice and avoid those who mock the word of God are the people who are blessed and are like trees that are planted by the waters. Not even their leaves will wither.

Seed among the thorns:

These are those chronic worry worts. They sit attentively and listen to the word, but as soon as they leave they allow the concerns of this world to choke whatever they have received. Once they have to live life, they are either consumed by concerns of protecting their money or their concerns about a lack of money.

The root cause of this heart’s attitude is a lack of trust in God. They don’t really believe God will supply their needs. They don’t understand that God is their Protector. They are consumed by thoughts about how they must make things happen.Some are so ambitious that the word is more of an obstacle than a help in their pursuit to get to the top. In both cases the word is fruitless in the lives of such people.

Seed on Good Soil:

The good soil is the heart of someone who listens closely and then applies what he has heard. They drown out other voices. They don’t allow their emotions to determine how spiritual they feel. They don’t allow cares and the love of money to distract them from the truth in the word.

They are fruitful and produce a harvest that benefit many others around them. Their hearts are good soil and the benefits extend beyond personal benefits. So many others benefit as well because of their understanding of the word. When they speak a word, they bring enlightenment and encouragement. But they also walk the talk. Their actions testify that they have applied what they have heard. The word of God is not cute little sayings to them.

Since Jesus is the Word (see John 1:1), we can only be fruitful as we remain in the word. Not once a week, but everyday living out what He teaches. “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ but don’t do as I say?” He taught us to remain in Him so that we may remain fruitful.

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” John 15:4

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

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David’s Choice: Vengeance belongs to God

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English: Helderberg Nature Reserve in Cape Tow...

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In this series, where I aim to explore why David was called a man after God’s heart, I will today look at David’s complete trust in God -so complete in fact that he left it over to God to deal with his powerful enemy: King Saul. He understood that vengeance belongs to God when he was given an opportunity to kill Saul. David made a choice and he made the right one.

The slaying of Goliath proved to be a turning point in David’s life. Never again will he be an obscure shepherd boy from Bethlehem. From that day onwards, David became well-known and well-loved as a military champion.

The events of the Valley of Elah that day will thereafter make it impossible for Saul to ever again forget about the existence of David. He may have forgotten that David had before played the harp in the palace courts to calm his tortured mind, but never again after the slaying of Goliath will Saul be afforded the opportunity to ask, “Whose son are you, young man?”

Impressed by David’s courage and strength, Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family in Bethlehem. Instead, David now joined Saul’s army. David couldn’t put a foot wrong. Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that the King eventually appointed him as a commander in his army –a choice that pleased many, including the both the troops and commanders in the army.

However, given Saul’s insecure character combined with his already unstable mind, it wasn’t long before Saul’s admiration of David turned to consuming jealousy. He became paranoid and figured that if David continued to grow in popularity and remained successful in all his ventures , he may soon be dethroned and David made king. He was right to a certain extent. David was going to be king, but not because of his popularity and successes –because God had already anointed David as king long before his victory over Goliath.

Saul wasted all his time and energy trying to fight what God had already established will be. Saul wanted to cling to a throne that was never his to start with. He was only there because God allowed him. But Saul obviously didn’t understand this. God gave him something and then he owned it to the point where he was prepared to kill to keep it. Perceiving David as the enemy of his throne, he set out in callous and calculating ways to kill someone who was more loyal to him than any of his other men (see 1 Samuel 22:14). Saul’s hatred of David was fuelled not by the truth, but by his own paranoid ideas that came into his mind, which he declared as the truth to himself.

So, Saul’s distorted mind and his wicked intents turns David into a fugitive. He flees, finding himself hiding in caves in the wilderness, trying to escape from Saul who pursued him relentlessly. He wasn’t alone however. Soon he had a group of about 400 men joining him and being loyal to him –respecting him for the larger than life character that he had already displayed during his time in Saul’s army.

For all Saul’s resources, he couldn’t catch David. The Lord prevented Saul from finding him.  God was on David’s side and Saul enviously recognized this. He feared David for that reason, but instead of causing him to reconsider his violent intentions towards David, it only fuelled his hatred. Saul did come close in one incident, but just when it looked that it was all over for David, Saul received news that the Philistines had attacked the land. He then had to return with his men to fight the Philistines. And so the Lord helped David in one remarkable escape after the other.

Then, twice David had the opportunity to kill Saul. And this is where we can once again see why David was a man after God’s heart. Even his men told him that this may just be it!

“Now’s your opportunity!” David’s men whispered to him. “Today the LORD is telling you, ‘I will certainly put your enemy into your power, to do with as you wish.’” (1Samuel 24:4).

As Saul lay there sleeping, David crept up to the king and cut off a piece of his garment. But he was immediately filled with remorse. This is how he responds:

But then David’s conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul’s robe. “The LORD knows I shouldn’t have done that to my lord the king,” he said to his men. “The LORD forbid that I should do this to my lord the king and attack the LORD’s anointed one, for the LORD himself has chosen him.” So David restrained his men and did not let them kill Saul (1 Samuel 24:5-7).

David wasn’t satisfied with just that however. He still wished to win back Saul’s favour and as Saul was leaving the cave, oblivious of the danger he had just been in, David shouts to him and bows down before him –giving him the honour deserving of a king:

“May the LORD judge between us. Perhaps the LORD will punish you for what you are trying to do to me, but I will never harm you. As that old proverb says, ‘From evil people come evil deeds.’ So you can be sure I will never harm you. Who is the king of Israel trying to catch anyway? Should he spend his time chasing one who is as worthless as a dead dog or a single flea? May the LORD therefore judge which of us is right and punish the guilty one. He is my advocate, and he will rescue me from your power!” (1Samuel 24:12-15).

And by leaving vengeance to God, David once again proves why he is a man after God’s own heart. “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.” David’s trust in God was so complete that he could wait for the Lord to judge his enemies at His appointed time. He did not waste his energies in trying to concoct all manner of schemes to “get back” at Saul. He trusted that His God will do that. He knew that vengeance belongs to God.

This reflects also the words of Paul to the Romans:

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good (Romans 12:19-21).

Had David given in to the opportunity to get back at his enemy, evil would have conquered him and he would have been no different from his enemy.

When we are hurt by the actions or words of people, especially when we know we are innocent and undeserving of such hurtful actions or words, it is human to desire that they should pay for their unjust behaviour. However, when we truly understand that God is just and that He doesn’t turn a blind eye to the wrongs perpetrated against us, we can rest in His love and leave vengeance over to God. When He repays, He does it in ways so remarkable and complete that we will be filled with awe. This does not mean we wish evil on our enemies, but it means that we know that God’s judgments against our enemies may also mean that they could repent of their deeds and turn to Him and be saved.

David expressed his hurting feelings openly before God in prayer and often prayed in the psalms that God will let the enemy pay for his deeds. This is only being honest about how he felt. He didn’t try to mask his true emotions. He understood that God knows exactly what lives in his heart. However, he left those emotions there in God’s hands and didn’t allow his pain to cause him to sin and allow evil to overcome him.

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David: A Faith that made Goliath look Small

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In my search to find out why David is called a man after God’s own heart, I have looked at the way David prayed and David’s humility. Combined with that humility, there was an unshakable faith in God –in His goodness, in His character, and in His power. This made David stand out above the rest.

While in a physical sense, Goliath of Gath was the one who stood out among the rest in the Valley of Elah, David was the real Giant. His faith in His God was so overwhelming that it didn’t make any sense to him that the Army of the Israelites would stand there for 40 days, listening to the taunts of Goliath and flee in terror, day after excruciating day.

He wasn’t in the army. His three older brothers were and he was merely sent there by his dad, Jesse, to take some extra food supplies to them and to bring some news back about their wellbeing to his father. As he was talking to his brothers, out came Goliath from among the ranks of the Philistines and shouted in his usual defiance:

“This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.”

Not even the king stood up to this man, but David, the shepherd boy from Bethlehem, couldn’t fathom the fact that this uncircumcised Philistine dared to defy the Army of the Living God. And this while everyone was just standing there, cowering in fear! David understood the power they had as the representatives of the Almighty God, but apparently neither the king nor his soldiers had a clue as to who is on their side. In response to Goliath’s loudmouthed taunting, David asks:

“Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

David’s enquiries evoked some unpleasant responses, not from strangers, but from his own brothers. It is ironic that while God saw David’s heart and said this is a man after His own heart, David’s brother, Eliab, saw the complete opposite. Claiming to know David’s heart too, he says to him:

“I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is.”

How differently does God not see us! This is a reminder that we should be careful in claiming we know the heart of another. David had a heart filled with humility in God’s view, yet his brother said his heart was wicked and conceited.

However, David’s faith in God was not affected by his brother’s view of him. Ignoring Eliab’s insults he stands now before the king, saying the same thing he told everyone else:

“Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”

Considering David’s youth and inexperience, Saul also tried to dissuade him but eventually agreed. He dressed David in the king’s gear, but David discarded these and opted instead to take on the Philistine with weapons with which he was well-acquainted. And so David fearlessly marched towards the Philistine armed with a sling, five stones and faith in His God.

Not once did David draw back in fear when he came face to face with the terrifying Goliath. The Bible records in detail Goliath’s height and how impressive his armour and weapons were, but in the end, this only serves to bring a deeper insight into the kind of faith David had. David had a faith that made Goliath look small.

When we look through the eyes of the flesh, our obstacles appear overwhelming and they make us cower in fear. We draw back because our eyes are fixing on the wrong things. However, when we look through the eyes of faith, our obstacles appear minute compared to the greatness of the God we serve.

David wasn’t visually impaired. He saw the same man the Israelites saw. He also saw the man that stood about 3 meters (9 feet 9 inches) tall. The average size of a man is about 1.7 meters (5 feet 7 inches) depending on geographical location. Goliath was almost double in height than the average men around him.  But whereas the Israelite army was terrified by the presence and words of their enemy, David ran towards the enemy to take him on instead of running away from him. By faith, David placed Goliath next to God and realized that Goliath is small compared to his God.

The stand-off was caused by the fear of the army and their leader. They delayed their victory because they were filled with fear instead of faith. “Faith is the victory,” as David clearly shows us in this incident.

Personally I have experienced this faith that makes huge obstacles appear ridiculously small. We nearly lost our son when he was four years old. His condition was so bad that none of the experienced doctors over him had any hope that he would recover. In fact, they told us to prepare for the worst and if he should survive, he will be severely brain damaged for the rest of his life. It was in that time that God gave me faith to believe in the impossible. People thought I had lost my mind. I talked and planned as if there was nothing wrong with my son while all the physical signs of brain damage were there. But God is not a man that he should lie. Our son made a full recovery much to the astonishment of all the medical professionals who supervised him. When we fix our eyes on Jesus, we will face any obstacle with confidence.

I pray that the Lord will grant this faith to all of his children who face impossible obstacles at this point in their lives. Fear makes our problems seem overpowering, but faith puts them in their proper place and makes them look small compared to God.

Scripture Quotes from 1 Samuel 17

 

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