May 19
1 Sam 24:1-25:44 | PS 116:1-19 | Prov 15:20-21 | John 10:22-42
Our pastor, Lloyd Pulley, gave an excellent example on self-restraint. He asked, if you had an abusive neighbor who made your life miserable, continually created false legal issues which required you to spend thousands of dollars to defend, was constantly arguing with you, slandering you, etc, and you notice he accidentally on his way to the bank dropped an envelope with his name on it, filled with $5000 cash, what would you do with it? Would you think to yourself that God was making things right and paying you back for his ill treatment of you and the expenses that he caused? Would you keep it thinking you deserved the payback for your misery, or would you ring his bell and give him the money. letting him know that you found it? In 1 Samuel 24, Saul is literally having a bowel movement in a cave, completely defenseless, and behind him in the cave is David along with his mighty men. His men said that God had delivered Saul into his hands after all the injustice that David experienced from Saul, and recommended that David take Saul's life. David crept forward and cut off a piece of the hem of Saul's robe, and nothing more. Like the example above he had the ability to exact revenge, but David yelled out to Saul after he climbed back down the hill in 1 Samuel 24:10-11, "Look, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’ Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it."
David was the anointed king. Jesus is the anointed Messiah. David did not retaliate though he could have. Jesus clearly explained who He was in John 10:24-28, "Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand." David was still in the training ground in his preparation to be king. Jesus was not, but his sheep were and still are in the training ground seeing how He reacted to one aspect of injustice, mischaracterization, etc. after another. If we are indeed His sheep then we need to be following and carefully considering how our Good Shepherd handles situations and behaves when conflicts arise. The process of sanctification is to align our wills to His, to become more like Him.
We all fall so far from the mark. Though we, His sheep, seek to become more and more like our Messiah in thought and deed, we are all so far from His example of perfection. Consider how David failed previously, taking matters into his own hands, even fleeing to Gath, but now as his process continues, he wisely exhibits self-restraint. It is a humbling process and at times can be frustrating as we fail on a daily basis. But when you realize this, also remember the words in Psalm 116:1-2, "I love the Lord because He hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!" Yes, and pray we should, for His mercy, His grace, His patience, and may we shower Him with praise as He so richly deserves for all that He has given each and every one of us.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: