Should I?
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1 Samuel 23:1
David asked, “Will the leaders of Keilah betray me and my men
to Saul?” And the Lord replied, “Yes, they will betray you” (v.12).
Scene 1: David hears that Keilah is under attack.
David: “Should I help the people in Keilah?”
God: “Yes, go and help them.”
David: “Are you sure? It may cost us our lives.”
God: “Yes, go.”
Narrator: So David went and delivered Keilah from the
Philistines.
Scene 2: David catches wind of Saul’s strategy to destroy
him at Keilah.
David: “Will the leaders in Keilah help me?”
God: “No, they won’t. They will betray you instead.”
The Bible doesn’t tell us if David said anything to the
Keilah leaders in light of their ingratitude (1 Samuel
23:4,12). But I know what I would have done. If I had
been David, I would have been cursing them even as I
bolted from the “walled town” with my men (v.7).
David, however, simply arose and left the city. His
silence is instructional. It tells us that it doesn’t matter
how people treat us; what matters most is the way we
respond to God.
Four times we read that David inquired of the Lord. In
the first instance, when David heard of the misfortune
of others, instead of watching his own safety, he asked
God whether he should go and help (v.2). In the second
instance, he brought his question to God despite the
passionate pleas from his men who had already made up their minds not to
go (vv.3-4). In the third and fourth instances, David was in a tight spot because
God had led him there. Yet, instead of getting angry with God, he prayed and
awaited an answer (vv.10,12).
Do you want to be a person after God’s heart? David gave us a great
example: Seek the Lord’s will and do it. —Poh Fang Chia
more›
Read Psalms 119:33 to see the relationship between knowing God’s
Word and keeping it.
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What will happen if you begin to inquire of God consistently in the
big and small matters of your life? How have you been pursuing Him and
His will?
