God's Purposes

Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 23:1-2, Then they told David, saying, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are robbing the threshing floors.” 2 Therefore David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.”

Here is a perfect example of what happens when we are obedient to God’s direction, even though it may seem contrary to our own logical way of thinking. If we recall in the previous chapter, God had directed David out of his stronghold and told him to go to the Land of Judah (22:5). This would put him back in the direction of Saul, who David was running from in the first place. Now, David is called upon to help the people of Keilah, as the Philistines have taken advantage of the fact that King Saul has neglected his duties as king in protecting his people, and instead has chosen to pursue David. Although David is not yet king, the people have turned to him as if he were the king. David makes a very wise decision by not allowing his pride to decide whether he would help the people or not. When he turns to the Lord, we see the Lord direct him to attack the Philistines. Think about this for a moment. What was going on in David’s life at that time? He was on the run. He had to find a place of refuge for himself and his parents. He was joined by a group of men who came with their own set of issues, whom he is now leading. God has called him to run toward Saul, rather than away from him. Now, he is called upon to make more enemies for himself of the Philistines. After the Lord gave him His stamp of approval in attacking the Philistines, his decision was questioned by the men who had chosen to follow him, in verse 3. Any one of us, if we were honest, would ask ourselves, or even ask God, “What in the world is going on here? I don’t know if I can handle all of this!” David had many problems of his own to concern himself with, but now he is being called to mind the things of others and stand up for the sake of others. When we think this through, we realize that this is really not about David, even though he makes the right decisions in going to God first, and then being obedient to God’s leading and commands. This is not about how overwhelmed David might have felt. This is about God’s purposes. When the Lord directed David to Judah, He already knew that the Philistines would attack Keilah. God’s Spirit had already forsaken Saul and God knew that he would be useless in protecting the people he was called to lead as king. God also knew that there was one after His own heart who would step up and carry out the duties of a king, even though he was not yet officially the people’s king. Quite often, when God directs us somewhere that does not make sense to us, we can be sure that God has a plan. He may not reveal it right away, but He always has a plan for why He leads us in certain directions. It is also during the toughest of time, in our own lives, that God desires to use us to be a blessing in someone else’s life. Philippians 2:3-4 reminds us, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” Galatians 6:2 also tells us, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” The stumbling block we run into is that God often calls us to look out for the interest of others, and help someone else carry a burden, at exactly the same time we are trying to deal with our own challenges and tribulations. However, this is a true test of whether we really trust the Lord. We are told in 1 Peter 5:6-7, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” David, even though he was burdened with his own challenges, persecutions, and tribulations, concerned himself more so with the wellbeing of the people. How was he able to do this? He was able to do this because he put his complete trust in the Lord. We see this when the men question his decision and he immediately went to the Lord. This time the Lord not only confirmed what He commanded the first time, but He also made him a promise in verse 4 that He would deliver the Philistines into David’s hands. In all that took place, the ultimate lesson is that God has a purpose for why He does things the way He does them. He leads us and directs us in ways that may not always make sense to us, but if we trust Him and follow Him faithfully, He will eventually show us what the purpose was in sending us wherever it is He is sending us. Sadly, not many of us find out God’s purpose for our lives because we spend far too much time second guessing Him and choosing what makes sense to us, rather than simply obeying God’s Word and direction. God ultimately fulfilled His promise and delivered the Philistines. This put David one step closer to becoming the king God needed Him to be in accordance to the Lord’s will, plan, and purpose for David’s life and God’s glory.

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).