Serving Interests

In 1 Samuel 22 and 23 there is a great contrast between Israel's current king, Saul, and its future ruler, David. It shows us the difference between serving our own interests and God's.

David had been anointed king after Saul disobeyed God in the battle with the Amalekites. Saul was trying to kill David, and so David had fled. At Nob David had been spotted by an Edomite on the payroll of Saul (by the way - what was Saul doing consorting with an Edomite who were sworn enemies of Israel?).

So we see Saul coming down to Nob saying "Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, to lie in wait, as is this day?"

The accusations were not true, of course, but Saul was deluded and was willing to commit murder in order to protect something God had given him but that he had squandered (the kingship). Saul had Doeg the Edomite kill Ahimelech and all the priests at Nob - a terrible crime.

Then we see David in chapter 23. He is not yet king but when he hears that the Philistines were attacking a city he asked God if he should go and fight against the Philistines and God said "Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah."

Here is David, being chased by Saul and under a death sentence, and he is less worried about his own life than in protecting the lives of God's people. Pretty gutsy and it shows us a model: David looked out for God's interests, not his own. Sometimes it's good for us to take a look at whether what we are doing solely serves us at the detriment of others, or serves God sometimes to our own hurt.

Pastor Tom