1 Samuel Chapter 23
“Then they told…” and they were told; in a chapter of the ongoing cat-and-mouse chase, Saul and David receive snippets of information from those around them as they each sought an advantage on the other.
Nevertheless, in contrast to the uncertain hearsay, we have the consistent approaches from each of the two characters, David and Saul.
We are drawn repeatedly to the action of inquiring of the LORD in David’s response to receiving any piece of information. Saul’s response on the other hand, is striking because of the absence of the same action.
The chapter opens with David’s response which serves as a model modus operandi for the reader, and it has also become more poignant in this day and age of misinformation and fake news. David’s action reminds us of two important principles to keep in mind.
The first pertains to verifying veracity of the information, making sure that the information that we have received is trustworthy and reliable before acting on it. David sets for us an example, that no matter how urgent or pressing the matter, even as Saul was approaching, verify first before deciding and acting.
The second principle pertains more significantly to our faith as Christians, and that is to seek the will of God before we make important decisions in our lives.
David’s consistent approach even with imminent threat of danger shows us that there is never not enough time to inquire of the LORD.
In the heat of the moment, we may feel pressed on all sides to make a decision, perhaps our colleagues, subordinates, teammates, or even friends and relatives are standing around us and their presence feels overwhelming (or overbearing). But, if we put ourselves in David’s shoes, he too had the lives of hundreds of men in his hands and his decisions might mean life or death for all of them. Nevertheless, “[w]hen David knew that Saul plotted evil against him,” and that the men of Keilah, whom he had just saved are about to repay good with evil, his first reaction was to say, “Bring the ephod here.”
One significant point of contrast can also be made here between David and Saul. Where David pauses and seeks the will of God in spite of the pressure on him, Saul buckles under pressure to act rashly as he sees fit.
We recall him at the point of making the unlawful sacrifice because the people around him wavered and scattered or desperately seeking for Samuel to accompany him even after being reprimanded for sparing King Agag because he did not want the people to know that God had forsaken him.
1 Samuel 23, in a nutshell, captures this dynamic, where David inquires of the LORD as the man after the heart of God, Saul does not. We are all familiar then with their respective outcomes, who then do we see as a role model and who then do we wish to follow.