Jon Tal Murphree was one of my professors at Toccoa Falls College. I haven’t seen him since I graduated, but I remember him as a man of God, with a deep love for the Scriptures. He is a full-fledged Southern Preacher man, with a soft drawl and a way with a phrase. He would often drop a pun on us in class, and a couple of my friends made a list of all the hilarious things that he would say. One that stuck with me was this:
There’s always that big “but the Lord”
You have to say it out loud to get the full effect, maybe.
I ran into one of those “big but the Lord” times while reading my Bible this week. Our life group is discussing what we’re learning as we Life Journal together, and this week we were talking about David, from 1 Samuel 20-26. David is on the run from King Saul, who is trying to kill David. Not once, but twice Dvid finds himself with the advantage on Saul. Once David and his men are hiding in a cave when Saul comes in to relieve himself. Another time, David and a friend sneak into Saul’s camp while everyone is asleep. David could have killed Saul easily. It would have been justified, too, since David had been anointed as the next king of Israel, and Saul was trying to take David’s life. David’s men gave him the thumb’s up–Go ahead! God has delivered Saul into your hands. If you don’t want to do it, I’ll drive my spear through this guy!
Then comes the big “but the Lord.”
God moved in David’s conscience, and he couldn’t bring himself to attack the man God anointed, the chosen one of God. He knew that while Saul lived, his life would be difficult. Letting Saul live meant hiding in caves, running from place to place to stay alive, being an outcast from the kingdom that was rightfully his.
Apparently, there’s more to serving God, more to being faithful to a calling or an anointing than meets the eye. David begged God to rescue him, yet when he was presented with multiple opportunities to eliminate his enemy, David showed mercy and restraint. He chose a life of difficulty over the easy way out. He chose to embrace suffering rather than violating his conscience. He chose humility over the throne. David was humble, teachable, and sensitive to the Spirit of God.
Kim pointed out (she’s so wise, that Kim!) that the Psalms we read this week lined up with the exact time in David’s life that he was running from Saul. Isn’t it remarkable that in this time of great stress and difficulty, David made it a priority to write poems to God? While Saul’s life ended with him going crazy and being separated from God, David is forever remembered as a man after God’s heart. It’s this desperate dependence on God that shaped David’s character, that made him the man we remember as a man after God’s heart.
I am asking God to keep building character in me. I want to be more sensitive to the Spirit of God, to hear his voice, to follow him even when it doesn’t make sense. I want to embrace suffering and trust God to make a way, no matter what that means.
Our life group discussion was absolutely wonderful tonight. So many people spent time in God’s word this week, and brought their learnings to share with the group.
What are you learning from God? And who are you sharing those nuggets with?
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