David said, “It is my voice, my lord, O king.” And he said, “Why does my lord thus
pursue his servant? For what have I done, or what evil is in my hand? ~ 1
Samuel 26:17-18 NKJV
What would cause a man, a powerful king such as Saul, to
spend nearly 15 years pursuing another man? Fear.
Saul was a fearful man. It is mentioned three times in 1
Samuel 18 that Saul fears David. Not only does he fear David, he makes large
scale battle decisions based on his fear of the people rather than God. This is
seen when in 1 Samuel 15:24, where Saul admits, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and
your words, because I feared the people
and obeyed their voice.”
When a leader begins to fear people more than God, this is a
serious problem. Good leaders fear God alone. Good leaders realize that they
will not always make the people happy. When God begins to use you, it is always
a temptation to fear what other people think of you and your decisions.
2 Timothy 1:7 says of fear, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and
of a sound mind.” We can become fearful about everything: our lives, our children
and our spouses. Fear can drive our lives to the opposite of what God wants for
us. God has given us power, love, and a sound mind in place of fear. When we walk
in fear, we do not live in these promises of God. Fear gives a spirit of
weakness, hatred and paranoia.
This
describes Saul perfectly. He is weak as he runs around fighting David rather
than the enemies surrounding Israel. He is full of hatred towards David, so
much so that he tries to murder him. Finally, he lacks a sound mind as he succumbs to paranoia and
cannot control his desire to pursue David. The hollow darkness of fear surrounds Saul spiritually and mentally, while David lives in the light of God though physically forced to dwell in the darkness of caves.
Are
you living in fear or faith? Are your decisions ruled by weakness or hatred? Or does your life exemplify power, love and a sound mind?
Be
encouraged. He is with you.
“For the Lord is my helper, what can man do to me?”~ Hebrews 13:6
“Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not
dismayed, for I am your God.
I will
strengthen you,
Yes, I will
help you,
I will uphold
you with My righteous right hand.”~ Isaiah 41:10
Blessings,
Robert Furrow
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