Whoever Does the Will of God Abides Forever: Daily Thoughts from 1 Samuel (1 Samuel 23:1-14)

I distinctly remember God putting on my heart the need for ministry to men at my church, filling my imagination about how this could unfold. But I did nothing about it. It seemed too hard. I was already busy. I blew it off. Someone else later got the same vision and followed it. God got done what He wanted. He got it done through someone else who was obedient to His will.

There is no end to the challenges David is facing because there is no end to Saul’s jealousy nor to the dangers Israel is facing from her enemies. David has a means of determining God’s will in these matters, but knowing and doing the will of God are two different things.

Now they told David, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors.” Therefore David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” But David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” Then David inquired of the LORD again. And the LORD answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.” And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand. Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” Then David said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will come down.” Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the LORD said, “They will surrender you.” Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition. And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand. (1 Samuel 23:1-14, ESV)

It is often more difficult to do the will of God than it is to know it. David has the advantage of Abiathar’s presence with him and Abiathar has the ephod with which, using the Urim and Thummim perhaps, he is able to discern Yahweh’s will. He also has the prophet Gad, and why he doesn’t consult him we do not know. But even when he learns God’s will, to attack the Philistines at Keilah, he feels the need to double check because of his men’s fear of battle and of Saul finding them. It might be supposed that once Keilah was delivered the inhabitants would be so grateful they would shield David from Saul, but God tells him otherwise, and so enables him to escape Saul once again.

We sometimes make the mistake of thinking we need to know God’s individual will for us in specific situations when the most important thing to do is His moral will, which we usually clearly know to do. But doing the moral will of God (doing what is right) is also often difficult and entails potential hardship for us. Telling the truth might bring hardship. Keeping morally pure might feel like a struggle. Trusting God to provide might be fearful and seem passive to some. But we have a God who rewards doing His will. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5,6).  “And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17).