June 14, 2022

Today’s reading: 1 Samuel 24:4-7

The end doesn’t justify the means

We read in 1 Samuel 24:4-7:

⁴ Then the men of David said to him, “This is the day of which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.’ ” And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 

⁵ Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe. ⁶ And he said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.” 

⁷ So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way.

For David and his men, this was the perfect opportunity to get rid of their greatest enemy — Saul. The king went into the cave alone. All his men were outside the cave. David could see Saul in plain sight. David’s men surrounded him.

Surely, this was the “day of which Yahweh delivered your enemy into your hand.”

If you were David, would you jump into the opportunity to kill Saul, the man who repeatedly and enthusiastically seeks to end your life?

The urge to take matters into David’s hands was great.

This was a time to develop, test, and demonstrate David’s true character.

Will he kill Saul or not?

For many David can be justified. After all, Saul wanted to kill David. So, it’s just a matter of self-defense. Not only that but David was set to become the next king anyway, so this was just a way of getting rid of an obstacle to the throne. This could also be the day to end David’s hardships and stop living a fugitive life.

Well, that might be true, but there’s one problem. Saul was the anointed king of Israel and David knew that it would be a grave offense to kill God’s anointed.

You probably heard the saying, “The end justifies the means.” It means that as long as your goal is right, it doesn’t matter how you’re going to achieve that goal. Whether your method is wrong or not, that is acceptable as long as you’re doing it to accomplish your goal.

However, we could see here that is not what the Bible teaches. Multiple times, David could have started a rebellion. He has the respect of the people and an army to defy Saul’s army. He could have killed Saul and claimed the throne right there and then. 

You see, there’s a reason why God called David “a man after His own heart.” David’s attitude and character led him to not just wait on Yahweh, but also to wait for Yahweh.

He knew that God had his perfect timetable. He just needed to be patient. He knew that the Almighty will make things come to pass.

We must be like David in this regard. Let us be patient and not take matters into our own hands. Even if our goal is noble, if it is against God’s plan, it will still come to nothing.

Trust in Yahweh and He will make things come to pass better than you ever dreamed of!

To learn more, please read, “Lessons from the Life of David: Defeating the GIANTS (Part 1).”

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