1 Samul 26:1-25 | Food for Thought
1 Samuel 26:1-25
Food for Thought:
Voices That Persuade Us | Once again, David finds himself in a position to take Saul’s life. While Saul and his troops are sleeping (thanks to a deep sleep from the Lord!), David has the opportunity to kill Saul with his own spear (the one he’s tried to kill David with multiple times!). Ignoring the advice of his companion, Abishai, David doesn’t kill Saul, but spares him, taking Saul’s spear and jug of water back to his camp.
When it comes to dealing with relationships or what to do in tricky situations, who’s voices are the most influential for you? Who do you go to? Whose voices do you heed?
Twice in this passage we hear about the influence of people’s voices. David has Abishai’s voice near him, and Saul has the people’s voice. All the while, the Lord is also speaking (and has spoken). How do David and Saul weigh voices differently?
Even though he ignored his advice, David chose Abishai to be the voice who went with him. How important is it to choose helpful voices to accompany you in life? How have you chosen the voices that are most important to you?
Voices That Define Us. Once again, David regards Saul as his lord, his king, and the Lord’s anointed. David even regards himself as Saul’s servant. David doesn’t want Saul to be his enemy, but Saul has defined David as his enemy. But David takes his cues on who he is - and who Saul is - from God.
Who are your enemies? If you don’t have enemies, who are the people you can’t stand (or who can’t stand you)? Are there folks you don’t want the best for, but you want the worst for?
Have you ever been falsely accused of something? Lied about, unfairly punished, or misunderstood? What does that do to you? In those situations, what leads you? What’s your goal?
Consider the way you think (…and talk about… and post about… etc.) the people you don’t like / your enemies. Is your language closer to how God sees them or how the world would tell you to see them? Would you ever call yourself their “servant” (or maybe “neighbor”)?
How does the life and death of Jesus tell a different story about the way we can treat our enemies or deal with false accusations? How does the gospel challenge how we can, should, and get to live with the people who might be opposed to us?
What freedom does the voice of God offer in allowing us to have the same ambition, the same identity, the same mission, etc. no matter who says what about us?
Voices That Call Us to Action. Despite Saul’s kind words to David (and his invitation to return home), David simply goes on his way. Saul might recognize his sin and David’s righteousness, but there is no genuine repentance or reconciliation.
By not taking Saul up on his invitation, is David denying Saul forgiveness? Why or why not?
Consider enemies you have / relationships with broken trust. What would genuine repentance look like in this relationships? How do you know if someone is simply sad that sin is there versus genuinely repentant and willing to turn away from their sin? How do boundaries and forgiveness work together?
Some might say that David is being passive in his dealings with Saul, his enemy. Would you agree? Is David refusing to act, choosing to act in a different way, or a little bit of both? Is this humility or cowardice?