O God, save me by Your name and vindicate me by Your might. (Vs. 1)
Ever need to be vindicated? It is always amazing to me that people can see the same situation from so many different angles. Especially Christians who have the Holy Spirit and the Word to guide us. Yet we can come to diametrically different conclusions about the same problems. On the wrong end of that scenario right now. And you?
David was running from Saul. Seemed to be the bane of his existence since Samuel anointed him king over Israel in Saul's place. Saul, still the rightful king, was in constant fear of the day when David would take his place. In is heart he just knew that David would work this out by killing him. That was the usual procedure for usurping a throne, so why not? In light of his perspective, Saul was always trying to kill David first.
David had a different view of the way things were going to work out, however. His intent was not to kill Saul but to wait for God to give David the throne he had promised. David ran away not only from Saul's attempts to kill him but from the opportunity to take a position that only God could give. In fighting Saul, David might kill him. God's anointed.
David read Saul correctly. Saul totally missed it. He judged David by his own motives. Driven by his insecurities, Saul so misread David that he got on the wrong side of God Himself. This psalm was written as David is fleeing Saul yet again. David ran to the wilderness of Ziph to hide from the king. Jonathan, Saul's son, met David there to encourage him. "Dave, don't worry about Dad. I will make sure he won't find you here. I am sure you will be king and I want to be right there with you. Dad knows this and it drives him crazy. Literally, man! So stay here and hide out for a while."
The Ziphites, however, squealed on David. Went to Saul and revealed David's hideout to the king. I think his response is interesting. Like all of us, the king sees the circumstances from his own self-righteous point of view. "Bless you guys for having such compassion on my situation," Saul says, sighing with relief that at least these Ziphites understand him. "David is very sly, though, you guys. Go and make sure he is there because he slips through my fingers all the time. See where he is lurking and hiding, and then come back and tell me for sure it is David."
"Lurking and hiding." Assessing motives to David that are not there. Running for his life, yes. Lurking in the dark to take the king's life, no. David cannot change the king's mind about him. It is fixed because it is based upon the king's fears and his jaded heart filled with jealousy. The king knows that David will take his throne because God told Saul this. The fight is essentially against the word of God. His own hubris, however, and the powerful inertia of being king, has convinced Saul he can kill David and keep the throne. David could never vindicate himself in this regard. Only God can fight the battle that is His.
Saul's troops are coming. David hears of it and runs with his men to the wilderness of Maon where he hides in the mountains there. In what I think is an appropriate picture, David finds himself on one side of the mountain and King Saul on the other. Same mountain. Different perspectives. And David was "hurrying to get away from Saul" while Saul was "closing in on David." Both men of God. Can't come to an understanding of what is going on.
Then God intervenes. Brings relief. By starting an altercation with the Philistines who have raided Israel. Saul has to give up the smaller fight to engage in a much larger arena. David spared, if not completely vindicated. David called the mountain The Rock of Escape. Saved by the name of the Lord and by His purposes.
I must wait. And pray that my heart is right before Him. That I am cleansed of everything in me that would break His heart. Trust that I see this difficult situation correctly. Then wait for His vindication. Not in a hurry to right the wrong myself. That ultimately we who know Him can be on the same side of the mountain.
Ever need to be vindicated? It is always amazing to me that people can see the same situation from so many different angles. Especially Christians who have the Holy Spirit and the Word to guide us. Yet we can come to diametrically different conclusions about the same problems. On the wrong end of that scenario right now. And you?
David was running from Saul. Seemed to be the bane of his existence since Samuel anointed him king over Israel in Saul's place. Saul, still the rightful king, was in constant fear of the day when David would take his place. In is heart he just knew that David would work this out by killing him. That was the usual procedure for usurping a throne, so why not? In light of his perspective, Saul was always trying to kill David first.
David had a different view of the way things were going to work out, however. His intent was not to kill Saul but to wait for God to give David the throne he had promised. David ran away not only from Saul's attempts to kill him but from the opportunity to take a position that only God could give. In fighting Saul, David might kill him. God's anointed.
David read Saul correctly. Saul totally missed it. He judged David by his own motives. Driven by his insecurities, Saul so misread David that he got on the wrong side of God Himself. This psalm was written as David is fleeing Saul yet again. David ran to the wilderness of Ziph to hide from the king. Jonathan, Saul's son, met David there to encourage him. "Dave, don't worry about Dad. I will make sure he won't find you here. I am sure you will be king and I want to be right there with you. Dad knows this and it drives him crazy. Literally, man! So stay here and hide out for a while."
The Ziphites, however, squealed on David. Went to Saul and revealed David's hideout to the king. I think his response is interesting. Like all of us, the king sees the circumstances from his own self-righteous point of view. "Bless you guys for having such compassion on my situation," Saul says, sighing with relief that at least these Ziphites understand him. "David is very sly, though, you guys. Go and make sure he is there because he slips through my fingers all the time. See where he is lurking and hiding, and then come back and tell me for sure it is David."
"Lurking and hiding." Assessing motives to David that are not there. Running for his life, yes. Lurking in the dark to take the king's life, no. David cannot change the king's mind about him. It is fixed because it is based upon the king's fears and his jaded heart filled with jealousy. The king knows that David will take his throne because God told Saul this. The fight is essentially against the word of God. His own hubris, however, and the powerful inertia of being king, has convinced Saul he can kill David and keep the throne. David could never vindicate himself in this regard. Only God can fight the battle that is His.
Saul's troops are coming. David hears of it and runs with his men to the wilderness of Maon where he hides in the mountains there. In what I think is an appropriate picture, David finds himself on one side of the mountain and King Saul on the other. Same mountain. Different perspectives. And David was "hurrying to get away from Saul" while Saul was "closing in on David." Both men of God. Can't come to an understanding of what is going on.
Then God intervenes. Brings relief. By starting an altercation with the Philistines who have raided Israel. Saul has to give up the smaller fight to engage in a much larger arena. David spared, if not completely vindicated. David called the mountain The Rock of Escape. Saved by the name of the Lord and by His purposes.
I must wait. And pray that my heart is right before Him. That I am cleansed of everything in me that would break His heart. Trust that I see this difficult situation correctly. Then wait for His vindication. Not in a hurry to right the wrong myself. That ultimately we who know Him can be on the same side of the mountain.
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