Can you trust God’s timing? (I Samuel 19; 21; 24)

Before a monarchy was established in Israel, the prophets and judges were the leaders of the Jewish people. The people did not want to continue with prophets and judges as their leaders but wanted to have a king. They approached the prophet Samuel who went to God and God chose Saul, a tall, handsome, and courageous warrior to be the first King of Israel.  

As the new king, Saul was to keep the commandments of God and lead his people so they could live in peace and in God’s blessings. They had the Mosaic law (10 commandments under the leadership of Moses) as well as many other traditions and regulations that were to be followed. God used the prophet, Samuel, to advise King Saul in many matters,  especially in those regarding war with their enemies, the Philistines.

However, Saul allowed his emotions of anger and pride to get in the way, and he made some bad decisions and disobeyed God’s messages that came through the prophet Samuel. During Saul’s reign, David, the shepherd boy, became a hero when he slayed the Philistine giant named Goliath. David went on to become a great warrior and Saul started looking at David as a threat to his throne. As battles against the Philistines were won, the people started singing songs of celebration about Saul and David.  One day King Saul became very angry when he heard the people sing, “Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands!” Saul was so jealous and angry that he became more obsessed about killing David. Instead of focusing on the real enemy, the Philistines, King Saul was blinded by his jealousy and hatred towards David and diverted more of his attention to go after him.

Although the prophet Samuel had anointed David to be the next king of Israel, David continued to be on the run to escape being killed. There was one occasion when David and his men were hiding in a cave and King Saul came into the cave alone to urinate. David could have killed the King, but he did not and instead cut off a piece of his robe. David later showed King Saul that he could have killed him but did not. Although David’s men thought that God provided this opportunity to kill Saul, David responded that Saul was God’s anointed and in God’s timing, God would replace him, but not by his own hands.

King Saul and his sons would later die in battle against the Philistines. David mourned the death of Saul and his best friend, Jonathan, Saul’s son.  David takes the throne as Israel's second king and from his lineage comes Jesus Christ.

We have two leaders, Saul and David, both chosen by God. One allowed his emotions to rule his actions and the other trusted God and His timing. David respected God’s anointed King Saul but knew that his time would come in God’s timing. The lesson is to trust God in everything and not allow the negative emotions of jealousy and pride to get in the way. We all struggle with those emotions depending on our circumstances, but we have the Holy Spirit to help us in our struggles. When you are tempted in those negative areas, reach out to the Lord and He will be there to strengthen and help you. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

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