B
David, under God's sovereignty, was selected to be an attendant of Saul, the present king; by these two being put together, Saul was exposed as being a person who was opposite to God's will, and David was manifested to be a man according to God's heart—1 Sam. 18:6-11a:
１
For David to be tested in his relationship with Saul meant that David was continually put on the cross; on every mission that Saul sent him, David acted prudently, so Saul set him over the men of battle; once when David returned from striking the Philistines, the women came out of all the towns of Israel, and they sang to one another—"Saul has struck down his thousands; / But David, his ten thousands"—vv. 5-7.
２
This praise did not affect David, but it affected Saul; Solomon said, "A man is tried by the praise given him" (Prov. 27:21); Saul became very angry and envious of David, showing that he was a person fully in the flesh and absolutely for himself; from that day on, Saul decided to kill David, and David had no place to hide; Saul went from being envious of David to plotting how he might kill him without damaging his own name—1 Sam. 18:10—20:42.
３
When Saul attempted to kill him, David did not fight or do anything to avenge himself; he only fled; avenging and fighting back are matters of the flesh, and those who practice the things of the flesh have no share in the kingdom of God—18:11; cf. Rom. 12:19; Eph. 4:26; Gal. 5:21, 24.
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David was one who knew God's authority from his heart; in 1 Samuel we see Saul chasing David in the wilderness in order to kill him; David had the opportunity to kill Saul, but he feared God and did not dare to overthrow the divine order arranged by God—18:6—26:25.
Morning Nourishment
Gal. 5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these oppose each other that you would not do the things that you desire.24 But they who are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and its lusts.
Under God’s sovereignty, David was selected to become an attendant of Saul. God put these two together to live and work together very closely. Eventually, however, the closer they became, the more Saul hated David. Saul and David became a test to each other…. Saul was exposed as a person who was opposite to God’s will, and David was manifested to be a man according to God’s heart. This was God’s sovereignty.
For David to be tested in his relationship with Saul meant that David was continually put on the cross…. The saints in the church life, especially the elders, may become a test, a cross, to us. Likewise, in married life our spouse will be a cross to us. Since there should be neither divorce nor separation, the only way for us in our married life is to go to the cross and remain there, allowing the cross to terminate our flesh and our particular kind of ambition. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, p. 82)
Today’s Reading
David was successful in every mission that Saul sent him on (1 Sam. 18:5a). The secret of David’s success was his wisdom. Even as a youth, he behaved in a very wise way…. Because David acted wisely, Saul set him over the men of battle, and it was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants (18:5b). Whatever Saul did to David became a good opportunity for David to gain favor with the people.As David returned from striking the Philistines, the women came out of all the towns of Israel to meet Saul and they said, “Saul has struck down his thousands; / But David, his ten thousands” (v. 7). When Saul heard this praise, he was displeased and said, “They ascribe ten thousands to David, but to me they ascribe only thousands. And what more can he have except the kingdom? So Saul eyed David from that day on” (vv. 8-9). Saul was angry and was envious of David. There are many “Sauls” in the church life today. We may become envious when others are approved and we are not. For example, suppose you share in a meeting and hardly anyone says Amen. Then someone else shares, and he receives many Amens. Saul went from being envious of David to plotting how he might kill him without damaging his own name. Through all of Saul’s persecution, David did not fight or do anything to avenge himself. The only thing he did was flee.
From David’s experience under Saul’s persecution, we need to learn an important lesson…that in the church life there should not be anything of the flesh; there should be no anger, no devices, no conspiracies, and no plots. The church is the kingdom of God (Rom. 14:17), and in the church there must be the divine authority with the proper order…. David feared God and did not dare to overthrow the order arranged by God. It would be a shame for us to say that we are in the Lord’s recovery, yet we do not know that there is a God-ordained order. Rebellion and fighting annul the church life…. We should just live Christ in the spirit that we may live a church life according to the divine, ordained order.
Avenging and fighting back are matters of the flesh…. In the kingdom of God the flesh has to be ruled out. Galatians 5:17 says that “the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.” Verse 24 says that “they who are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and its lusts.” Verse 21 says that those who partake of the things of the flesh “will not inherit the kingdom of God.” If we are partakers with the flesh, we are through with the kingdom and will have no share in it. Things such as jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, and divisions are foreign articles in the kingdom. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, pp. 88-90, 95-96)
Further Reading: Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, msgs. 14-17