On Sunday morning, we looked into 1 Sam 24 to learn the importance of training our conscience to be submissive to God’s will.
Remember the setting: David was on the run; Saul was hard on David’s heels. David is laying low in a cave in Engedi when providence presents him with a choice: Saul enters into the same cave without knowing or seeing that David is there. David had two options:
Act on an opportunity to kill Saul, and let his circumstance decide his response (seems justifiable) OR let God’s law (word) guide his judgment & temper his impulse & govern his response. We know how it turned out: David took initial action to kill Saul, then stopped. What does that teach us about the gospel/Jesus? I’ll make 4 quick observations (you might open your Bible to 1 Sam 24 so you can make a connection with the verses cited):
1. The Spirit of God will guide the conscience of the saint into obedience – if the saint will follow (v5) cf. 1 Thess 5.19: “do not quench the Spirit”. As I said on Sunday: train your conscience Godward.
2. There is always a stopping point between temptation & sin (v6-7) (cf. 1 Cor 10.13). Even if we take initial steps of sin, it does not mean we need to keep going (cf. Js 1.14-15).
3. Every saint is responsible for his own choice to sin or not sin (v10).
4. Righteousness will seek to honor God’s law in every temptation (v17: “you are more righteous”). Righteousness always honors God’s law, because God’s law reveals the perfect r/ness of God.
Believer, the law is your friend. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the fulfillment of the law. So, we might say it this way: the law (as the revelation of God’s character/glory) is personified in Jesus. So, Jesus is your friend (John 15.13). hapman’s hymn helps us rejoice in this truth (#156 in Baptist Hymnal):
Jesus what a friend for sinners; Jesus lover of my soul
Friends may fail me, foes assail me, He, my Savior makes me whole
Jesus what a strength in weakness, let me hide myself in Him
Tempted, tried and sometimes failing, He, my strength, my victory wins
Jesus what a guide and keeper, while the tempest still is high
Storms about me, night o’ertakes me, He, my pilot hears my cry
Hallelujah what a Savior, Hallelujah what a friend
Saving, helping, keeping, loving, He is with me to the end
When David honored God’s law (by not killing Saul), he showed us the power of God’s word (the gospel) to equip us to say no to temptation. Let that example be one more thing to encourage you and equip you in your faith this week.
Learning from David with you,
Pastor Gary