As It Seems Good to You
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July 08, 2012 |
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 "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."' Then David arose and cut off the edge of Saul's robe secretly" (1 Samuel 24:4).
Out of his eight sons, David was the youngest son of Jesse, and he pastured the flock. One day, Samuel the prophet went to Jesse's house by God's instruction. Samuel thought Jesse's son, Eliab, was the person whom he would anoint but God said to him, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). And God told Samuel to anoint David who was the youngest son of Jesse. This is because he had a truly good heart. Then, what kind of goodness did David possess that pleased God?
1. David put complete trust in God
1 Samuel Chapter 17 describes the battle between David and a giant named Goliath. At that time, the Israelites were in the valley of Elah, where they were at war with the Philistines. The army of Israel had lost the spirit to fight because of the giant man of the Philistines called Goliath. Goliath was a giant who was 3 meters tall and armed with a bronze helmet, scale-armor, and a bronze javelin. The king and soldiers of Israel trembled out of fear of him as he hurled insults at them day and night for 40 days.
Then, David appeared on the battlefield. He was there to run an errand for his father who told him to bring food to his brothers who were in the battle. David became furious when he heard that Goliath insulted the name of God, and he boldly approached Goliath with his sling and five stones. He said, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted" (1 Samuel 17:45).
Because he trusted God from the bottom of his heart, David could act like that before the gigantic man who struck great fear in all people and warriors. In the end, he slung a stone toward Goliath and the stone sank into the giant's forehead. He fell on his face on the ground without drawing his sword even once. David could achieve such an amazing victory because he trusted God. How much God was pleased seeing him and how lovely he was in His sight!
2. David kept a heart of goodness until the end
When David defeated Goliath and saved his people, King Saul was very pleased and set him over the men of war. But one day when Saul and David were on the way back from a battle they had won, some women sang as they played, and said, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." Then Saul became very angry, for this saying displeased him; and he said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but to me they have ascribed thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?" From then on, he hated David.
His jealousy got greater and greater over time that he even hurled his spear towards David who was playing the harp for him. But he slipped away twice, and Saul got more jealous and also more fearful of David. He even tried to kill David with cunning and trickery. When his daughter Michal loved David, he thought, "I will give her to him that she may become a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him" (1 Samuel 18:21).
David was a faithful worker who fought for his nation from his youth and made great contributions in countless battles. By playing the harp, he gave peace to Saul when he suffered from an evil spirit. He never violated Saul's commands. However, far from repaying his grace, Saul tried to kill David. Finally, David even had to leave his hometown to avoid Saul and endure all kinds of sufferings and difficulties in foreign lands. In the meantime, he had a great chance to eliminate Saul. That is, Saul alone entered a cave in the wilderness of Engedi where David and his people we hidden.
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'" (1 Samuel 24:4). They said that it was to do good to kill Saul because God's leading Saul to the cave meant that it was a God-given chance to get rid of his enemy. But David arose secretly and cut off the edge of Saul's robe.
David's conscience bothered him because he had cut off the edge of Saul's robe and told his people not to kill Saul saying, "Far be it from me because of the LORD that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, since he is the LORD's anointed" (1 Samuel 24:6).
When Saul left the cave and departed, David called out to him in the distance, "Now, my father, see! Indeed, see the edge of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the edge of your robe and did not kill you, know and perceive that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands, and I have not sinned against you, though you are lying in wait for my life to take it" (1 Samuel 24:11).
David didn't hate or grudge against Saul though his life was threatened by Saul. He rather respected him with his heart and kept polite towards him. How good and beautiful his heart was!
3. The reasons David was inflicted with trials
God allowed such trials for David because He knew his vessel and wanted to make him a greater person. Just as a coach gives strenuous training to make his/her athletes stronger, God had David go through the trials to make him ready to become the king of the nation. So he could receive God's guidance and answers to his prayer and have deep communication with God even in trials.
But David happened to discover something he hadn't known was inside him. After becoming the king, he followed the lust of eyes and laid with Bathsheba. And he even arranged for her husband, Uriah, to be killed on the battlefield. Even though he didn't cross the line in any other circumstance, he committed such a sin since he wasn't perfect. He just thought he could do as he did because his authority as the king was just that great.
But, God wanted David to have a perfect heart of goodness, and it caused him to have great trials. He had a son named Absalom who rebelled against him so he had to run away. Absalom slept with his father's concubines in the full sight of all Israel. A man of Saul's tribe named Shimei threw stones at David and cursed at him in front of his soldiers.
In these trials, David could achieve an even more perfect heart before God, and he became the king who received the love of God and the people of Israel. Moreover, God said that David would never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, and Jesus Christ would be born in his line of descendants.
Dear brothers and sisters, by pulling out the root of evil it makes it possible to love others. The goodness in us then allows for us to forgive not just outwardly, but also from the depths of the heart. David pleased God with perfect faith in any circumstance. He also overcame evil with goodness, and had a heart of giving his coat to others when they asked him for his shirt. That's why he could constantly love and forgive King Saul who tried to kill him. I pray in the name of the Lord that you will achieve goodness that moves others' hearts and changes them.
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