23 David replied, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us.
There are probably several points to take away here, but one that jumped out at me is an example of to those who much is given much is expected. David recognizes what he has recovered in his raids really is not his at all but something God has provided and he should be generous in distributing it not hoarding for just himself or those who were directly involved in the raids. God has bless our family greatly, we try to be generous but we need to always be guard about thinking our worldly possessions are something we own not God and/or recognizing their limited value in the big picture.
I had another thought when I woke up this morning that made me feel a bit like Saul, not recognizing or thanking God for taking care of me. I had been struggling to prepare for some meetings at work I was facilitating. Gina had prayed for me, I had been praying asking God to help things go well. Then after 2 days of meetings and an outcome I was pretty pleased with, I realized I was patting myself on the back for how it went and hadn't even thanked God. Well I have now thanked God, but I was ashamed it took until this morning to do it. Reading the bible everyday is great but if I don't really put what I'm learning into action have I gained anything? Here's to trying to apply his Word, not just read it!
I really find it strange that David keeps flipping sides over to the Phillistines. They even talk to him about "His God"....I find this unsettling. David is supposed to be the sworn enemy of the Phillistines. I wonder if God is putting him through these situations as a kind of test.....I don't know..it just seems strange.
ReplyDeleteMy study bible talks about Davids soldiers starting to turn on him, when they found their families dead. But, David strives to find a solution, rather than trying to assign blame. I think that's a GREAT model for life. I can't even tell you how many times I've sat in meetings that were solely called to throw someone under the bus........I will definitely think about this one the next time I'm trying to place blame.