January 25 — God Works in His Time

Wiley Richards is a retired professor of theology and philosophy at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.

We can understand the sentence that "God works in His time" in two ways. In a more philosophical sense, we can be asserting the biblical truth of God putting Himself into this world by the incarnation of our Lord. In the practical sense, we mean God acts according to His own divine schedule, our use in this study.

• Because God works according to His own time schedule, we must learn to be patient (vv. 7-8). One of my favorite anecdotes concerns the clergyman Phillips Brooks (1835-92). On an occasion when he paced back and forth in his office, someone asked him what was wrong. He replied, "The problem is, I’m in a hurry and God isn’t." We are reminded that when God makes a squash, it takes only a few weeks. It can take 100 years to make an oak.

After David and his men located Saul in the wilderness, David asked for a volunteer to approach Saul’s camp. Abishai volunteered for the excursion. He possessed impeccable military credentials and his bravery showed itself when the two saw Saul asleep in a trench, surrounded by soldiers. Undaunted, Abishai vowed he could get to the sleeping king and quickly dispatch him with one blow. As far as he was concerned, Saul’s death would put an end to David’s troubles.

• David invoked a higher principle, to be trustful (vv. 9-11). He pointed out two principles to Abishai. First, Saul was God’s anointed leader. As such he was God’s responsibility, not David’s. In his own time, God could easily get rid of Saul. David’s principle might apply in those cases where some members set out to fire the preacher. Those efforts, even when successful, usually create more problems than they solve.

David did not leave the problem unaddressed. He sent Abishai to retrieve Saul’s spear and water jug as a testimony of how easily David could have snuffed out the king’s life.

• However, in dealing with human relationships it is of paramount importance to be fair (vv. 17-20). David called for Abner, Saul’s head of personal security, and taunted him about his lax security measures. Holding up the king’s spear and water jug, Abner could not deny that David had breached the line of defense. David drew an obvious conclusion. Abner deserved death for his failure to protect God’s anointed one (v. 16). Just as David would not harm God’s anointed one, even so was Abner under the same divine obligation to see that no harm came to him.

Saul was shrewder than Abner. As soon as he learned about David’s invasion of his premises, he immediately put on a soothing voice. Recognizing David’s voice, Saul called him "my son." David was not taken in by Saul’s sudden change in attitude. Instead, David assumed he himself might be the source of the contention between them. That is, if God stirred up Saul’s wrath against David, then the reduction in tension was a spiritual one. In that case David proposed an atoning sacrifice to express his repentance. On the other hand, if evil men in Saul’s camp were the source of hostility, they should be judged before the Lord for causing such an injustice against David.

• This leads us to the last point, that because God works in His own way, we are wise to be cautious (vv. 21-25). David likened his situation to the king of Israel coming after a flea. Saul was profuse in his expressions of remorse, but David knew him well enough to be suspicious of his motives.

David took evasive action. He let one of Saul’s young men retrieve Saul’s equipment, a move which much have been embarrassing. As for David he took refuge outside Israel’s territory. Putting too much trust in adversaries has its limits.