Read 1 Samuel 25

Do The Right Thing

Have you ever been with a group of people that want to participate in some activity, or behave a particular way, that you know goes against God’s will? What do you do when you find yourself in such a situation?

Abigail was married to a man who was boorish, rude, and selfish. David’s company protected the herdsmen of Nabal, Abigail’s husband, while they were shearing the sheep in Carmel. David sent messengers to Nabal, informing him of their safety and requesting sustenance in return. They were to say to Nabal, “Peace be to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that you have! Now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds were with us, and we did not hurt them, nor was there anything missing from them all the while they were in Carmel. Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son David” (1 Samuel 25:6-8).

Nabal scoffed at these men and refused their request. David decides to retaliate against Nabal with force, but when Nabal’s wife Abigail heard what had happened, she hastened to intercept David. Without Nabal’s knowledge, she greeted David with food for his group. She recognized her husband’s error, calling him a scoundrel and saying to David, “Nabal is his name, and folly is with him!” (1 Samuel 25:25).

Abigail interceded on behalf of her uncouth husband, and David turned away from his evil plan. Even though Nabal likely would have opposed and perhaps even prevented her actions, Abigail did the right thing. She showed kindness to David, and David in turn blessed her. A short time later, “the Lord struck Nabal, and he died” (1 Samuel 25:38). When David heard of his death, he proposed to Abigail, and she became his wife.

When we do the right thing, blessings will come. It may not come as quickly as Abigail experienced, but God will bless those who are kind and merciful to others. In every instance, we should do the right thing—even if those closest to us won’t.

Read 1 Samuel 24

Overcome Evil With Good

The New Testament gives us many principles by which we should live. Paul wrote in Romans 12:17-21, “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Therefore, ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

These are wise words and pure principles, but surely no one expects us to actually live by them, do they? There are no examples of these words in action, are there? When one examines the life of David, we see a brilliant example of these inspired commands. “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4).

King Saul is in hot pursuit of his rival, David, the son of Jesse. David and his men run to the Wilderness of En Gedi, on the Rocks of the Wild Goats, hiding out in a cave. Saul enters the cave to relieve himself, not realizing David is in the cave. The men encourage David to claim his victory over Saul, saying, “This is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you’” (1 Samuel 24:4). But David refused to take the king’s life, saying, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord” (1 Samuel 24:6).

Instead, he cut off a piece of Saul’s robe and later confronts him, asking his father-in-law why he set on killing him. He shows Saul the corner of his robe that he had cut off, proving that he had the opportunity to kill the king but refused to take it.

If this is not an example of heaping coals of fire on the head of your enemy through kindness, what is? How did Saul respond? He said, “Therefore may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day” (1 Samuel 24:19).

The next time you have the opportunity to do something good for an enemy in this life, take it!

Read 1 Samuel 21:1-9

Situation Ethics

There are certain things that are right and certain things that are wrong. But are those things flexible, depending on the situation? The validity of the concept of “situation ethics” has been hotly debated for centuries. Can we “bend the rules” if it serves a greater purpose?

There are a number of incidents recorded in the Bible to which people turn to justify the idea of situation ethics. One popular example is Rahab the prostitute. She lied, but in that particular situation was it right to do so? Is it ever wrong to tell the truth?

Another example is David when he comes to Nob and asked the priest Ahimelech for bread. The priest answered, “There is no common bread on hand; but there is holy bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves from women” (1 Samuel 21:4). David took the bread, even though such was in violation of God’s law. That bread was for the priests: “And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it is most holy to him from the offerings of the Lord made by fire, by a perpetual statute” (Leviticus 24:9).

Was David justified in his action? Did his situation change the ethics of eating the bread set aside for priests, and priests alone? The Pharisees of the first century evidently thought so, and Jesus challenged them to rethink their position. They had charged His disciples with Sabbath-breaking (when they had not broken any Sabbath laws), but excused David’s actions (though he had clearly violated God’s command).

J.W. McGarvey wrote that “it can not be said that he who refused to turn stones into bread when tortured by a forty days’ fast, and who said, ‘Whosoever shall break one of these least commandments, and teach men so, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven,’ would approve such a violation of law as David was guilty of. Neither can it be that he allowed his own disciples while under the law to break the Sabbath. If Christians may violate law when its observance would involve hardship or suffering, then there is an end of suffering for the name of Christ, and an end even of self-denial” (Commentary on Matthew and Mark, p. 104). Jesus does not excuse David; we must be careful that we do not excuse ourselves of sin. Situation ethics was a faulty concept then and continues to be today.

Read 1 Samuel 18:1-4; 19:1-24; 20:1-42

True Friendship

It was Jonathan, the son of king Saul, who attempted to reconcile the relationship between David and his father, and who on multiple occasions came to David’s defense against his father’s allegations. The Scriptures describe their friendship such that “the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul” (1 Samuel 18:1).

It should come as no surprise that Jonathan was upset by his father’s actions against his friend. Wanting to smooth things over between the two, he had a conversation with Saul and encouraged him, “Let not the king sin against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you” (1 Samuel 19:4). In response, the Scriptures state that “Saul swore, ‘As the Lord lives, he shall not be killed’” (1 Samuel 19:6). How trustworthy was Saul’s oath? Had he not been insincere and violated such in the past?

Indeed, Saul’s true colors were shown as his jealousy and paranoia returned. He attempted “to pin David to the wall with the spear” (1 Samuel 19:10), and then “sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and to kill him in the morning” (1 Samuel 19:11). David escaped with the help of his wife, Saul’s daughter, Michal. David then fled to Ramah to find Samuel and told him all that had occurred. Saul pursued him there; David fled again, and again his true friend Jonathan was there to help.

Saul became terribly angry with his son, calling him the “son of a perverse, rebellious woman,” warning Jonathan that “as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom” (1 Samuel 20:30-31). Saul was determined that David must die.

Despite the knowledge that he would never be king, Jonathan defended his friend. “Why should he be killed? What has he done?” (1 Samuel 20:32). Saul, enraged by his son’s loyalty to David, threw a spear at Jonathan in an attempt to kill him!

Do you have friends that will defend you when you are wrongly accused? Are you the type of friend that will stand up against false allegations against your friends? May we all strive to be friends like Jonathan and David.