Is That Open Door Meant For You To Walk Through?

We must trust God’s way of accomplishing His will without our help.   ~~~   Well, this move on David’s part is really quite symbolic and shocking. The robe of the king signified his power and majesty. So to cut off a piece of the robe was to symbolically declare that you had intentions of cutting off the power and majesty of the king. Do you remember when Samuel told Saul that the kingdom would be torn from him? What happened next? Saul reached out and grabbed Samuel’s robe, tearing it. And Samuel said, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.” Basically, David, by this act of cutting off the corner of Saul’s robe, was declaring that a transfer of power is taking place from the house of Saul to the house of David. He was declaring that he would tear the kingdom away from Saul and seize it for himself. But as we read in 24:5 that there is instant sorrow and regret in David’s heart and mind. There is immediate conviction. We see him go to his fighting men and begin to explain to them why he cannot carry through with fulfillment of the symbolic action. He quickly realized the danger he was in and the company he was joining if he followed through with this brash reaction to Saul moseying into the cave. But what danger could David possibly be in? Perhaps David remembered Miriam and Aaron, who lifted their voice in defiance against the Lord’s appointed leader, Moses, and how they were then struck with leprosy. Or maybe he brought to mind Korah and a few other men who rose up against Moses, the LORD’s chosen prophet, in defiance and revenge, only to suffer the ground beneath them splitting apart and swallowing them up. You see, it had been written long before, in Exodus 22:28 “You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.” And yet, that is exactly the path David was heading down, and he quickly realized it, and repented of it. His men were not as quick to understand or believe David. His men still thought it was providential that God had led Saul to them in this way. In fact, the text tells us that David had to “rebuke” his men, and had to keep them from attacking Saul. Never forget, sometimes what looks like an open door to walk through is really a test of obedience and discernment. Will you take the shortcut, or will you trust the LORD completely? The end does not always justify the means. There are no shortcuts to holiness And that is really the message from the text today. We must trust God’s way of accomplishing a matter. Trusting God’s way is just as important as trusting the end result of His will. He needs not our help in accomplishing His will. Even when it looks like His will will never pan out or come to fruition, we are still called to trust His way and walk in obedience to His word.