God provides a way to escape

when we are tempted, so that we can endure it!

David, acting in faith and obedience to God's word, went to Keilah,

but he was aware that King Saul, who sought to kill him, was plotting against him

(1 Samuel 23:9).

So, David cried out to God, "O Lord, God of Israel,

Your servant has heard that Saul intends to come to Keilah

to destroy the city because of me. Will the citizens of Keilah hand me over to him?

Will Saul really come down, as Your servant has heard?

O Lord, God of Israel, please tell Your servant" (vv. 10-11).

God answered, "He will come down" (v. 11).

Then David asked, "Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?"

 And God responded, "They will" (v. 12).

When I meditate on this passage, thinking from David's perspective,

it is clear that he might have been justifiably angry and resentful.

After all, he had saved the people of Keilah from the Philistines,

yet how could they betray him and his men by handing them over to Saul?

David had risked being captured by Saul—not just himself, but also his men—

to rescue the people of Keilah.  And now, those very people were ready

to repay his kindness with betrayal by turning him over to Saul.

This could only be seen as an act of extreme ingratitude,

repaying David's grace with enmity.

However, from the perspective of the people of Keilah,

they might have been terrified.

Saul was so intent on capturing and killing David

that they feared if they didn't hand David over, they themselves might be killed by Saul.

“So David and his approximately 600 men immediately left Keilah

and kept moving from place to place.

When Saul heard that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up his pursuit” (v. 13).

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV) says: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.

And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.

But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”