READ: 1
SAMUEL 22:11-19
Having been
told how Abimelech, the priest assisted David, king Saul sent for him and the
remaining priests in that city. He accused them of plotting against him. They
denied the allegation, yet Saul ordered his soldiers to kill them. But the
soldiers refused. They would not lay their hands on the priests of the Lord. So
the king asked for Doeg who wanted promotion by all means and he killed all the
priests and went to their city and killed all the women and children.
A major lesson here is that the soldiers knew their limits. It is true they were loyal to king Saul. They were also his body guards and had sworn to obey all the king’s commands. However, when he asked them to kill the priests of the Most High, they refused. God expects us to obey constituted authority as long as that authority does not contravene the highest authority whose laws are documented in the Bible. Anytime a conflict exists between what God says and what any lesser authority has demanded of you, your allegiance must be to God. Romans 13:1 says you should be subject to the higher authority.
In Daniel 1:3-8 the king of Babylon ordered one of his eunuchs to feed Daniel and his companions with food offered to idols but they refused. They rather chose to eat beans and drink water. King Nebuchadnezzar commanded the three Hebrew children to bow to his golden image or be burnt. They chose the furnace to a single ‘hurtless’ bow (Daniel 3:14-18). When a new law made prayer a crime, Daniel refused to obey and chose the lion’s den instead (Daniel 6:6-10). As a child of God living in this dispensation of Grace, you must resemble other children of God who have gone before.
How do you handle conflicting commands today? Some will say, let me compromise now and repent later. What if the Lord or death comes during the act of compromise? You must be prepared to demonstrate greater love for Christ and above everything and everyone else including yourself. If you cannot say No to evil requests by people you hold in high honour, you will remain in their good books but fall out of favour with God. Everybody else may be doing it. It may be in fashion. But you are not everybody. You are not ordinary. You are specially chosen and peculiar person, a child of god. You cannot lose your royalty to a bow to Satan.
A major lesson here is that the soldiers knew their limits. It is true they were loyal to king Saul. They were also his body guards and had sworn to obey all the king’s commands. However, when he asked them to kill the priests of the Most High, they refused. God expects us to obey constituted authority as long as that authority does not contravene the highest authority whose laws are documented in the Bible. Anytime a conflict exists between what God says and what any lesser authority has demanded of you, your allegiance must be to God. Romans 13:1 says you should be subject to the higher authority.
In Daniel 1:3-8 the king of Babylon ordered one of his eunuchs to feed Daniel and his companions with food offered to idols but they refused. They rather chose to eat beans and drink water. King Nebuchadnezzar commanded the three Hebrew children to bow to his golden image or be burnt. They chose the furnace to a single ‘hurtless’ bow (Daniel 3:14-18). When a new law made prayer a crime, Daniel refused to obey and chose the lion’s den instead (Daniel 6:6-10). As a child of God living in this dispensation of Grace, you must resemble other children of God who have gone before.
How do you handle conflicting commands today? Some will say, let me compromise now and repent later. What if the Lord or death comes during the act of compromise? You must be prepared to demonstrate greater love for Christ and above everything and everyone else including yourself. If you cannot say No to evil requests by people you hold in high honour, you will remain in their good books but fall out of favour with God. Everybody else may be doing it. It may be in fashion. But you are not everybody. You are not ordinary. You are specially chosen and peculiar person, a child of god. You cannot lose your royalty to a bow to Satan.
MEMORIZE:
ACTS 4:19 –But Peter and John answered and said to them, whether it be right in
the sight of God to hearken to you more than to God, judge you.
