1 Samuel 18:8-11
David was loved by the people of Israel and Judah, not only for his exploits in defeating the giant Goliath, but because he was a man of the people, who dwelled among them (1 Samuel 18:16). The streets of the towns and villages all over Israel were filled with singing and dancing, praising the exploits of both King Saul and his trusted warrior David. They sang, “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands”.
Saul heard the lyrics to the song, and saw the admiration in the eyes of the people toward the young man, and envy and anger began to rise in his heart. His fear grew to the point of paranoia, as he began to envision the very kingdom turning to David to be its king. He had no knowledge that the old prophet Samuel had already visited David a few years before and anointed him to be the next king in place of Saul. The hand of God was obviously on this young man, and Saul was forced to respond.
We have many people cross our path; some to our pleasure and some we would rather forget! The story of Saul and David can be applied in our lives from both sides of the coin. From Saul’s standpoint, we may have encountered those who have an obvious touch and call of God on their life. Do we rise up in jealousy or envy that they are gifted or blessed or chosen in an area that we may not be? Saul took his jealousy to a whole new level; throwing a javelin at David in an attempt to kill him.
When we lash out at those around us with verbal attacks, or loft insults at them through the grapevine of gossip, we are throwing a javelin. These spears hurt to the core when they strike; doing damage to both the victim and to the one that throws it. Sometimes we even mask our spear-throwing with a form of Christian holiness and godliness, using scripture in our hurl. Saul could still prophesy even as he hurled the spear (1 Samuel 18:10), so having the touch of God on you does not ensure that your spear-throwing is of God.
Jesus told the accusers of the woman caught in the act of adultery to throw the first stone if they had kept the law perfectly (John 8:7). All men dropped their rocks, for no one had the authority to throw a stone under those conditions. Do we have that authority?
From David’s perspective, we have some options when spears of insult and hatred are thrown at us. We can continue on doing what we do, and act as if it never happened and then be on guard in the future. David chooses this action because he comes back into Saul’s presence after the first incident (1 Samuel 18:11). We can also decide to only take so much and then stay away from that individual if at all possible, which David obviously chooses to do eventually. Finally, we can do what David thankfully did not do; we can pull the spear out of the wall and throw it back. Returning fire with fire is us defending what only Christ and His glorious grace can defend.
Let the Holy Spirit be your rear-guard. It is His job to defend you and to shelter you. When accusations and attacks come against you, never lift a finger in retaliation. You are the righteousness of God in Christ, and you are better than becoming a spear-thrower.
David was loved by the people of Israel and Judah, not only for his exploits in defeating the giant Goliath, but because he was a man of the people, who dwelled among them (1 Samuel 18:16). The streets of the towns and villages all over Israel were filled with singing and dancing, praising the exploits of both King Saul and his trusted warrior David. They sang, “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands”.
Saul heard the lyrics to the song, and saw the admiration in the eyes of the people toward the young man, and envy and anger began to rise in his heart. His fear grew to the point of paranoia, as he began to envision the very kingdom turning to David to be its king. He had no knowledge that the old prophet Samuel had already visited David a few years before and anointed him to be the next king in place of Saul. The hand of God was obviously on this young man, and Saul was forced to respond.
We have many people cross our path; some to our pleasure and some we would rather forget! The story of Saul and David can be applied in our lives from both sides of the coin. From Saul’s standpoint, we may have encountered those who have an obvious touch and call of God on their life. Do we rise up in jealousy or envy that they are gifted or blessed or chosen in an area that we may not be? Saul took his jealousy to a whole new level; throwing a javelin at David in an attempt to kill him.
When we lash out at those around us with verbal attacks, or loft insults at them through the grapevine of gossip, we are throwing a javelin. These spears hurt to the core when they strike; doing damage to both the victim and to the one that throws it. Sometimes we even mask our spear-throwing with a form of Christian holiness and godliness, using scripture in our hurl. Saul could still prophesy even as he hurled the spear (1 Samuel 18:10), so having the touch of God on you does not ensure that your spear-throwing is of God.
Jesus told the accusers of the woman caught in the act of adultery to throw the first stone if they had kept the law perfectly (John 8:7). All men dropped their rocks, for no one had the authority to throw a stone under those conditions. Do we have that authority?
From David’s perspective, we have some options when spears of insult and hatred are thrown at us. We can continue on doing what we do, and act as if it never happened and then be on guard in the future. David chooses this action because he comes back into Saul’s presence after the first incident (1 Samuel 18:11). We can also decide to only take so much and then stay away from that individual if at all possible, which David obviously chooses to do eventually. Finally, we can do what David thankfully did not do; we can pull the spear out of the wall and throw it back. Returning fire with fire is us defending what only Christ and His glorious grace can defend.
Let the Holy Spirit be your rear-guard. It is His job to defend you and to shelter you. When accusations and attacks come against you, never lift a finger in retaliation. You are the righteousness of God in Christ, and you are better than becoming a spear-thrower.
