Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 23:12, Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the LORD said, “They will deliver you.”
There are two things that stand out about what God has communicated to David. I will deal with one of the two today, and address the other in the next devotional. We recall that David went to Keilah, per God’s direction, to deliver them from the hands of the Philistines. Now, after God gave David and his men victory over the Philistines, Saul was informed and was on his way to capture David. When David inquired about whether he would be betrayed if he remained at Keilah, God informed him that he would in fact be turned over to Saul. Many of us, if we are honest, would be greatly bothered by this and would most likely become angry and bitter against someone for whom we went out of our way to help, and was later betrayed by that very person. David was not only about to be betrayed by one person, but by a whole group of people. How would the Lord want us to react to these people? If we knew ahead of time that someone was going to do this to us, would we still be willing to help them out? Would we still be willing to risk our life for them? As we read this chapter, we do not read anywhere that David regretted delivering these people or that he became bitter toward them. How could he not become angry and bitter? David’s faith in the Lord was such that he did not question God’s direction that led him to a place where now the people he risked his life for would then turn around and betray him to Saul and his men. How many of us would immediately begin to think that this was a big mistake on our part if it happened to us? How many of us would question whether or not it was really God’s voice that we were following? Well, the fact of the matter is that we are called to be a blessing to others, even if for whatever reason the situation appears to backfire on us. The whole point of serving others is not about receiving anything back from the people we serve. It is all about serving the Lord, obeying his leading, and trusting Him for the reward that will come later when we stand before Him. When we are serving others, we must ask ourselves, “Who are we doing this for?” The answer to that question will determine what our attitude will be if it turns out that the people we served proved to be ungrateful backstabbers. The greatest example to follow in this is Jesus Himself. Just this morning I read this, which is exactly what I am pointing out here: “He healed the one who arrested Him (Luke 22:51), served the one who betrayed Him (John 13:1-17), and loved the world that crucified Him (Matthew 27:32-56). That’s my Jesus.” This same Jesus, in Luke 6:34-36 said, “And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” Stop and consider for just a moment. What if Jesus decided that He would only go to the Cross if people would appreciate and love Him for what He was about to do? How many of us, before ever calling upon His Name, actually rejected Him? I did numerous times before I finally realized who it was I was rejecting. How many people continue to reject His love today? If our acceptance of His sacrifice and love were a condition of Him laying down His life for us, humanity would be doomed. How often, even as born again Christians, have we betrayed Him? How often have we denied Him, not only with our lips, but with our actions, attitudes, and deeds? Yet, He still blesses us, forgives us, restores us, and loves us. This is our Jesus, and this is who He wants us to be as His servants. We are to do what we do, not for what we will get in return, not for what man expect, but simply because God calls us to do it.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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