Destiny's Enemy
1 Samuel 23:7-18
Do we have the ability to change what will be?
Photo by Cemrecan Yurtman on Unsplash
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." Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to the priest Abiathar, "Bring the ephod here." David said, "O Lord, the God of Israel, your servant has heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. And now, will Saul come down as your servant has heard? O Lord, the God of Israel, I beseech you, tell your servant." 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?" The Lord said, "They will surrender you." Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, set out and left Keilah; they wandered wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition. David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but the Lord did not give him into his hand. David was in the Wilderness of Ziph at Horesh when he learned that Saul had come out to seek his life. Saul's son Jonathan set out and came to David at Horesh; there he strengthened his hand through the Lord. He said to him, "Do not be afraid; for the hand of my father Saul shall not find you; you shall be king over Israel, and I shall be second to you; my father Saul also knows that this is so." Then the two of them made a covenant before the Lord; David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home. - 1 Samuel 23:7-18
What did David do when he learned Aul knew where he was?
He sought God's help in understanding what would happen to him if he stayed, and God told him Saul would be victorious over him. So David fled.
This shows that David's choice changed the outcome for him.
I know that sounds obvious to most, but there are some who believe in destiny. They would have said David was doomed.
If he had stayed, he would be doomed, but he left, and Saul had to give up his plan to encircle him and kill him. For that moment, David was safe.
Our free will is destiny's enemy. God gave us the power to change our future, and I don't think we realize how important that is.
At the end of our story, Jonathan tells David that he is chosen to be king, so he, Jonathon, believes that will be so. Is that destiny, or goal-setting?
I believe God can share with us a variety of outcomes in this life. We can be fruitful, and we can be a withered old stump that doesn't produce anything. It is in our power to choose the path we take.
If David had not consulted with God, would he have stayed to fight Saul? Perhaps. And he would have been killed. Knowing that, he decided to move on.
We can choose to stay in the situation we are in and hope things get better or work our way, or we can find a way out.
It is up to us. Some will not like it that I point this out, because they do not want to accept the responsibility for their outcome, but it is ours to accept.
Once we know, as David did, that staying in this situation is going to kill us, we need to make the decision to leave.
Luckily, David sis not have anyone close to him telling him his decision is wrong. He had God on his side, and that was all he needed.
More to come...