Last Sunday, my S.S. teacher – let’s call him Dennis – discussed a couple of King David stories that reminded me of my 2024 Thanksgiving blog, “Why Doesn’t God Answer My Prayers?” Then, with a little more thought, my 2022 Thanksgiving blog, “Thank God for Neediness,” came to mind.
Here’s the gist of that compelling Sunday School lesson:
Dennis’s first King David story is found in I Samuel 26. The action takes place after David has been anointed king of Israel, but Saul is still alive and reigning. Saul, knowing the royal torch is set to pass to David, has no intention of letting the little shepherd boy usurp his dynasty. He is determined to murder David.
One night, Saul and his 3,000 soldiers are weary after pursuing David and his band of warriors around the Wilderness of Zith. They go to sleep with Saul surrounded by his army. David takes a companion named Abishai and sneaks into the king’s camp. They pass quietly among all the sleeping soldiers and come to Saul without waking anyone.
At that point, Abishai says the obvious, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands…” (v. 8, NIV). Abishai wants to take the king’s sword and slay him with a single thrust. It will be swift and silent. He and David will escape with ease.
David refuses: “But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?” (v. 9, NIV)
Where Does Moral Strength Come From?
“Where,” Dennis asked the class, “did David get that kind of moral strength?” He reminded us that King Saul was doing everything in his power to kill David. And David understood how much Saul hated him. In fact, in the next chapter, I Samuel 27, David and his band of 600 men have so much respect for the king’s ability to annihilate them that they flee to the land of the Philistines.
The Philistines! You know, Israel’s most violent enemy; the country of the giant, Goliath. Obviously, David recognized the danger he was in. And on that fateful night in the Wilderness of Zith, he could have solved the lethal threat and stepped into the king’s shoes. So, where did he get the courage to let his nemesis live?
It was a good question. We students were so busy thinking about it that we never saw the next question coming. Since David had all that moral strength, Dennis wanted to know, why did he have Uriah murdered years later?
We didn’t need to go to II Samuel 11 to read the story. We all knew it. David lusted after Bathsheba, got her pregnant, and made sure her husband died in battle. Dennis was right. This didn’t sound like the same person. If David wouldn’t touch the Lord’s anointed king in order to protect his own life, why did he decide later in life that it was all right to commit adultery and murder? Did he think something like, “I’m king now; I can do anything I want to”? Maybe, but I can guarantee you that if he had let his mind go there, he would have KNOWN it wasn’t okay with God!
My Rambling Thoughts
Okay, that’s the gist of the lesson. Now, I’ll move on to my thoughts as I considered these two Davids.
In the first story, David’s very life is in danger. He probably prays constantly and urgently, knowing Saul might catch him and kill him any day. Besides that, Saul isn’t his only enemy. The king is creating a nation full of enemies for David. For example, he literally orders the slaughter of 85 priests and every person and animal in their town for helping David, then failing to report David’s location to him (Saul.) (See I Samuel 22 for this story.) Without God’s assistance and protection, David is dead, and he knows it.
Many years later, King David, the warrior king, is lolling around the palace while his army is out fighting the Ammonites. He spots a beautiful woman named Bathsheba, wants her, and sends for her. So, what happened to all that moral strength he used to have? Why did he behave in such a despicable manner?
My Epiphany
Let’s think about it. David is king now. What needs does he have that aren’t being fulfilled? He doesn’t even bother to accompany his army to the battlefield – he’s that cocksure of his little royal world. I wonder how often he’s praying these days?
In the December 5 devotional from The Word for You Today, the discussion was about prayer. According to the author, a little boy was asked if he said his prayers every night. He replied, “No, some nights I don’t need anything.”
Hmm, I wonder if that was King David’s story. He had everything he needed, everything he wanted. So, no need to pray. I bet he didn’t skip any prayers when Saul was on his trail.
In other words, Israel’s most esteemed king, who was famous for his love of God, and whom God called, “a man after my own heart,” let his relationship with God lapse. Why? Presumably because life was so easy for him…
Is it possible, then, that God doesn’t always answer our prayers with immediate relief because He doesn’t want to lose fellowship with us? I have to tell you – if it could happen to King David, I KNOW it could happen to me. I have always been in awe of David’s love for and commitment to Almighty God.
Come to Think of It…
As I was having these thoughts, it suddenly dawned on me: “Hey, didn’t I write a blog about this very issue?” Scrolling through my blog indexes, I landed on my 2022 Thanksgiving blog, “Thank God for Neediness.” That blog wasn’t about King David, but it arrived at the same conclusion: If it weren’t for our needs, we would turn our backs on God and forget Him.
Isn’t it amazing and precious that God desires fellowship with us so much? Don’t you know He gets weary of hearing His children whine about our problems and hold lengthy discussions about His inability or unwillingness to answer our prayers? Yet, He is ever available to us, inviting us to cast all our cares upon Him because He cares for us. (I Peter 5:7)
Concluding Thoughts
Here’s another quote from the December 5 devotional I mentioned above: “We don’t like to admit it, but often what we are really wondering about prayer is, ‘How can I pray so that God will give me what I want?’ ”
That statement has been true for me most of my life. And I have often felt burdened because I was praying endlessly for the same needs and seeing no change as a result of my earnest pleas.
As I mentioned in my previous blog, “Why Doesn’t God Answer My Prayers,” asking less and praising more has taken the pressure off. I don’t have to convince God to do what I want. I just need to recognize His loving concern and praise Him for whatever He is doing in a given situation.
And now, I’ll add another perspective. I’ll look on the trials and tribulations of life as God’s invitation into His throne room. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (KJV)
I’m going to try to drop my usual prayer persona as beggar and just be myself, the child of the Sovereign God who loves me and, amazingly, wants to spend time with me. What a treasure! And what a pleasure! But most of all, what an honor and a joy!
***
Here are links to my blog indexes, which will make it quick and easy for you to find another post to read.
Blog Index – Lists blogs 1-35
Blog Index 2 – Lists blogs 36 to 70
Blog Index 3 – Will list blogs 71-100