Thinking versus Being

    During our journey through I Samuel in our Sunday School class, we stumbled upon a very intense moment in Chapter 26. David runs from Saul and on several occasions they have been extremely close and even met face to face once. David's feelings of betrayal and abandonment by his father in law drove him to desperate measures in this setting when Saul once again drew near to him in the wilderness. He enlists a volunteer (Abishai, a relative of Joab) to go with him down to the camp to talk to Saul and persuade him to break off his needless pursuit.
    Upon arriving at Saul's camp, they discover that all of the members of Saul's army are deeply asleep; so much so that their approach to Saul is completely undetected. Abishai spots this situation as an opportunity for David to gain the redemption and relief which his friend so badly needs and deserves. 1Sam. 26:8 “ Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time. “ Abishai had pure motives: To free David of the anguish he was in and to complete the known will of God for his life. There is one problem which David quickly points out to his mis-guided friend, Saul is alive because God has willed him to be. How often do we as God's people mistake circumstances for providence? Too often Christians believe in a mystical almost pagan system of cause and effect relating to circumstances which taints the dignity the deity. We have such a limited perspective on God's workings that we can not begin to know the significance of events from our little corner of the universe.
    The problem with human kind is that we are so variable in our thinking from moment to moment. Empathy for David caused Abishai to forget God's command against murder. It is like that change of mind we have at midnight while staring down that last hunk of cheesecake, our priorities shuffle depending on our momentary felt “needs.” Perhaps this “in the moment” thinking explains the disconnect between what we know to be true (based on God's word) and how we actually live.
    Another mistake that this passage brings to mind is that we often try to interpret God's intentions based upon a negative view of ourselves and not God's word. How many times have we bemoaned the trial we are facing by asking “what did I do to deserve this?” Some even assign specific failures in their past as the cause of current troubles.
    Both of these approaches do injustice to God and His Word. They both assume a perspective of wisdom and knowledge unattainable by any human being. Can we presume to know what God is accomplishing by any tragic event anywhere in the world? We can only depend upon two certain facts: One- God is Sovereign and in control of events according to His pleasure. Two- God is all good and wills that all things work to the good of those who are His in Christ. Knowing these two facts relieves us of guilt for the past, and provides us comfort as we make the tough decisions of the Christian life. We may not like where we are, like David, but like him, we must do the right thing based upon God's Word and not how we feel about it at the moment. “It appears that too many Christians want to enjoy the thrill of feeling right but are not willing to endure the inconvenience of being right”--A.W. Tozer