Backstabbers

The Word: 

"You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil." (Saul to David; 1 Sa 24:17)

"Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me.  For my soul trusts in you; and in the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge; until these calamities have passed me by." (Psalm 57:1)

"There is no want for those who fear Him . . . those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.  The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.  He delivers them out of all their troubles, the Lord is near to those who have a broken heart.  Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all." (Psalm 34:9-10,15,17-19)


My Reality:

All I hear on repeat in my head is the O'Jays . . . "they smile in your face, all the time they wanna take your place . . . the backstabbers".  It's here that I turn to David, who teaches me a worthwhile lesson on how to deal with persecution and betrayal from people who I have placed my trust.  What do we do when the people we thought would help us, turn their back on us?

See, David already faced rejection by his biological father, who didn't even consider him to be anointed as king when the prophet Samuel came by the house.  Then, David thought he found a trust-worthy father figure in King Saul.  But the more David prospered, the Bible says "the more Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him" (1 Sa 18:12).  But Saul wasn't upfront with David about his true feelings.  Instead, he smiled in David's face, even promising to make David his son-in-law!  But behind his back, King Saul began plotting to kill David.  Imagine the pain, hurt, rejection, and anger David must have felt!

The first thing I learn from David's story is:

1. God's answer to our cry isn't always to prevent persecution.  When David asked God about Saul attacking him, God's reply was "he will come down" and "they will deliver you into his hands".  As a matter of fact, it says "Saul sought him everyday, but God did not deliver him (David) into his hand".
2. Inquire of the Lord for strategy on how to handle the situation.  David immediately, and on multiple occasions, sought God for answers to his predicament.  Ultimately, God allowed David to hide in mountain caves while Saul continued to seek him.
3. Forgive and do not take revenge!  Even when David was given an opportunity to take Saul's life (while he was using the bathroom in a cave, nonetheless), he chose to repay evil with good.  Be merciful, just as our Father in heaven is merciful.  Find a way to forgive - and for me that forgiveness begins with understanding of someone else's perspective.  In David's case, Saul was not spiritually discerning - God had removed his Spirit from him and replaced His presence with a distressing spirit.  Moreover, Saul was fearful because he was about to lose his Kingdom, his Position and a part of his Identity to David.  As the saying goes, hurt people, hurt people.

Ultimately, God will not only protect us from the attacks we may be facing, but reward us with good! (1 Sa 24:19)