1 Samuel 24: Trusting in God's Providence

"Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe. And afterward David's heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe." 1 Samuel 24:4b-5

When's the last time you heard someone speak of God's providence? Perhaps it was at a Sunday morning service or at a Bible study, Nevertheless, God's providence is something that we often forget about.

But what is providence? In short, God's providence is the way in which he takes care of his chidren by his sovereign, loving hand. Physically speaking, we can say that we experience God's providence when we decided to take a different route home, and end up avoiding a car accident we heard on the news later. Furthermore, we can say that God's providence is alive in every air that we breathe in, as every breath that we breathe comes from the Lord. However, if we speak spiritually, we must understand that God's providence comes from his saving of our souls from the depths of hell. In his own providence, God sent his son to save us, that we might not perish, but have eternal life!

But what does this all do with 1 Samuel 24? Well, let me tell you. In 1 Samuel 24, we see how David trusted in God's providence rather than taking matters into his own hands. In the narrative of this chapter, Saul went into the very cave David was hiding in order to relieve himself. David sees this, and rather than trying to kill him, David cuts off a corner of his robe. Do you see the great irony here? Saul was looking to kill David, but in the end David finds Saul before Saul finds David. This is just one instance in this chapter where we see God's providence in the life of David.

But why didn't David kill Saul? Answer: because he trusted in God's providence. David knew that Saul was out to kill him, but rather than killing him when he could have, he decided to merely cut off the corner of his robe. David was surely tempted to kill Saul when he had the chance, but he knew that this would be murder against the very one whom God had anointed to be king.* Thus, David trusted that God had a better plan for him, and decided to not murder Saul when he had the chance.

So, have you trusted in God's providence lately or have you taken matters into your own hands? When your life is in turmoil, do you start making your own decisions or do you obey God's commands? Do you trust in God or do you trust in yourself? These are the only two options. I pray you choose the former today. Amen!

*We also notice from this narrative that just because someone is an immoral ruler, it doesn't give us the justification to kill him. In other words, we ought to submit to tyranny. If you want to read more of my opinion on this, there's a paper uploaded in the "Resources" tab above.