Pressed Into Action (JustJeff

Pressed Into Action

I Samuel 24: 4,5,9
Then the men of David said to him, “This is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.’ ” And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 5 Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe.
A few days ago I wrote about Saul listening to the opinion of the people which led to a direct disobedience. It had huge consequences. But what happens when a leader gets what seems to be good advice for the current situation from those he trusts? How do you know what to do? In this situation, David doesn't need to impress this group of men. In fact they have comitted themselves and are incredibly loyal to him. Thier adivce is not only well intentioned, but appears to them to be God's solution to thier problem. And God has not given any specific directions one way or another.

It's so easy to jump to a quick fix, especially if everyone seem to be on board. So what is a leader to do? One thing I admire about David in this situation is that He didn't send someone else to do the hard stuff. He could have sent someone else to kill Saul. But if he had, it is doubtful that the outcome would have been the same (Saul's life being spared). I wonder if the Lord requires of us to be involved in the hard stuff because its a test to help us see what we're made of.

Back to the real question - what is a leader to do when everyone is watching; when people are trusting you to "do to him as it seems good to you."? You have to know when you have crossed your own integrity line. Cutting Saul's robe doen't seem to be a big deal, except that to David it was. I think David was troubled when he realized his natural inclination was to literally take things into his own hands. I know I have that tendency. How many times have I, for whatever reason, tried to resolve a situation being pressured by good advice and imposing it as God's permission to take action in a situation, only to feel remorseful later. Not that I had violated anyone or anything else except my own integrity and humility.

Lord help me to be a man who knows what my lines are. A man who know the difference between walking by faith and walking in presumption.

Posted by Jeff on May 19, 2003 12:00 AM | Permalink

Pressed Into Action

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