IS YOUR CONSCIENCE WORKING?

Biblical scholars estimate that David fled from King Saul for at least eight years - possibly a whole decade.  

At the end of I Samuel 23, Saul is vigorously pursuing David and his men with a fairly large contingent of soldiers.  Saul has David's men outnumbered ten-to-one!  David is desperately trying to escape around a mountain, and Saul is in hot pursuit on the other side of the mountain.  

At this moment, a messenger arrives and reports to King Saul that the Philistines are attacking the land.

Then Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines.  [v.28]

Divine protection?  Divine providence?  

The very next chapter tells us that Saul resumes his pursuit of David.  

So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.  

 He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.

Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. [24:2-5]

Is this also divine providence?  David's men think it is!  They encourage him to take Saul's life here and end this whole search and destroy effort.  God has clearly given Saul into the hands of David!

But David has a different understanding of things than that of his men.  David solemnly believes that it is against God's will to kill Saul:

He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.        [24:6-7]

David felt so strongly about this that it bothered him to have cut off the corner of Saul's robe!  [See verse 5 above - underlined]

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Now, we could deliberate long and hard on the development of the conscience.  It's clear that our parents play a significant role in developing this unmeasurable-but-real part of our mind.  In my case, my Mom's voice can still speak to me about simple 'right and wrong' issues.

But, God also plays a role in this important facet of our development.  The Holy Spirit plays a dominant part in developing our conscience and clarifying right and wrong from God's standards.  

In David's case, he felt badly about the simple act of cutting a piece from King Saul's robe.  This testifies that David's conscience was alive and well.  The rightness or wrongness of the act is irrelevant;  what is important is that David had a sensitivity to right and wrong.

When we allow Him, God will activate our conscience and develop it.  He will do this through His Word, through the whisperings of His Holy Spirit, through the teaching and preaching we submit ourselves to, through prayer and meditation, and through fellowship and interaction with other godly people.

Our teaching about this journey is intended to bring us to a single destination—a place where self-giving love reigns from a pure heart, a clean conscience, and a genuine faith.   [I Timothy 1:5  (The VOICE)]

Now there's a trio for you:  a pure heart, a clean conscience and a genuine faith!  I believe David had that - imperfect though he was...

I want that!  Don't you?  Here's a good prayer - sing it if you know it...

God,

Purify my heart

Let me be as gold and precious silver

Purify my heart

Let me be as gold, pure gold

Refiner's fire

My heart's one desire

Is to be holy

Set apart for You, Lord

I choose to be holy

Set apart for You, my Master

Ready to do Your will

Purify my heart

Cleanse me from within and make me holy

Purify my heart

Cleanse me from my sin, deep within

Refiner's fire

My heart's one desire

Is to be holy

Set apart for You, Lord

I choose to be holy

Set apart for You, my Master

Ready to do Your will

Amen!

 

 

GOD'S PROMISES

Genesis 23 tells of the death of Sarah.  Imagine Abraham's grief at the loss of this precious wife of so many years.  Isaac is not mentioned in this chapter - he would have been about twenty-six years of age.  

Abraham was an immigrant in a foreign land (Canaan).  He had no property to even bury his wife.  

Although Abraham was an immigrant, he had been in Canaan for a good while and had established a solid reputation and gained considerable wealth.  He had defended himself and his nephew, Lot, against foreign kings.  He had dug wells and would dig many more in the future.  He was respected.

He met with the local leaders and said, 

I am an alien and a stranger among you.  Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.  [v.4]

Their response:

Sir, listen to us.  You are a mighty prince among us.  Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs.  None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.  [v.6]

Abraham then rose and bowed down before the people of the land.  He named Ephron and inquired about a field and cave that belonged to him.  Ephron was present and granted Abraham the land as a gift.  However, Abraham insisted on paying for the field and cave at a fair price of four hundred shekels of silver.  An agreement was made and the money was publicly transferred.

So Ephron's field...near Mamre - both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the border of the field - was deeded to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city.  [vs.17-18]

And Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field...near Mamre.  [v.19]

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A simple reporting of details - and the chapter ends.

However, remember God's words to Abram in Genesis 12?

I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you;  I will make your name great and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;  and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.  [vs.2-3]

 God is keeping His Word!  

God had also said to Abraham:

The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you;  and I will be their God.   [17:8]

Do you see how important this chapter is now?  Abraham now owns a little piece of the land that God has promised him!  It's a start.  God is at work.  

When God makes a promise - He's good for it!  It may not come when you want it to - BUT IT WILL COME!