1 Samuel 26: Honoring God

Isn’t it easy to find ways to worship and honor God when we watch a beautiful sunset at the end of a productive and successful day? We feel God’s presence and are filled with gratitude. In those moments, we often find ourselves resolving to lead more obedient and selfless lives. We promise again to honor God in all that we do and turn our lives over to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

What about all the other times? What if you were forcibly separated from your family and your friends…and forced to live in the desert…and the king was enraged at you…and an army was tracking you down…to kill you? Surely, in times like those, it would be wise to take matters into our own hands and take care of business the way we see fit, right? After all, honoring God is great for Sunday mornings and sunsets, but when the chips are down, we have to do what we have to do, right? No, not so much.

We see in this chapter that David knew that honoring God is not something we do when it doesn’t cost us anything. David was so steeped in the truth of who God is that he reflexively and consistently ordered his life around Him. Consider three costly ways that David honored God in this passage and then consider David’s reward.

1. David honors God’s schedule. First, David passed on a second opportunity to kill the man who sought to kill him. When he spared Saul’s life, David knew that he was only prolonging his own torment. Though he knew that Saul’s reign would eventually come to an end, he recognized that it was not his role to expedite that result. According to God’s schedule, the right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing. David observed and honored God’s schedule at considerable cost to himself.

2. David honors God’s anointing. As we have seen earlier, David honors those whom God has honored. Even though Saul continued to pursue David even after David spared his life the first time, David remains steadfast in his conviction that Saul’s anointing by God must be honored.

3. David honors God’s justice. David humbly allows for the possibility that he deserves the treatment he is getting and that his response would be to make an offering to God (not to Saul). He also submits, though, that if his persecution is the design of men, they should be cursed and he should not be cut off from the Lord’s inheritance. David is only interested in justice the way God -- not men -- dispenses it.

David doesn’t seek here power, restitution or earthly gain. He doesn’t even ask for an end to his suffering. He simply desires God’s blessing. In the process, he honors God and is ultimately blessed in far greater ways than if he had seized his destiny by force and on his own timetable.

Consider how you might honor God in your present circumstances. Loss of financial or career security, loss of a relationship, loss of a chance for advancement at work…all these things stress us and challenge our faith. Pray, pray and pray some more. You will learn much about God’s plan for you and you will find the way to honor Him as he deserves to be honored.

Posted by David Wilks