Wisdom that shines in crisis
“Go now, make more sure, and investigate and see his place where his haunt is, and who has seen him there; for I am told that he is very cunning” (1 Samuel 23:22).
When I was little, my favorite TV comic program was "Tom & Jerry". And now my three young children (especially the youngest one in elementary school) love “Tom & Jerry”. The reason I liked that cartoon was because it was so funny that Jerry, the rat, wins a cat called Tom who is much bigger than Jerry. In particular, I liked the scene in which Tom used all means to capture Jerry but clever Jerry not only escape the crisis but made Tom be in that crisis. When I think of this comic, I remember the battle of David and Goliath in the Bible. Perhaps because David was like Jerry and Goliath was like Tom. As we already know, David wins the battle against the Philistine Goliath. So King Saul set David over the men of war and “it was pleasing in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants” (18:5). And David went out wherever Saul sent him, and prospered (v. 5). But when David came back from killing Goliath, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing, dancing, and welcoming the king Saul, with tambourines, with joy and with music instruments, “Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands” (vv.6-7). From that time on, Saul looked at David with jealousy eyes (v. 9). And King Saul was afraid of David when he saw that David had done all his work wisely and successfully in everything he did (vv. 14-15). The reason was because not only did all the servants of Saul, but Saul’s daughter Michal loved David (vv. 22, 28) and because his name became highly esteemed (v. 30). How could David do everything wisely? How was David prospering in all his ways? It was because the Lord was with him (v. 14). “When Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him, then Saul was even more afraid of David. Thus Saul was David's enemy continually” (vv. 28-29). And Saul tried to kill David (19:1, 10). Therefore, from that time on, David became a fugitive and King Saul became a chaser.
When we look the context of the today’s passage 1 Samuel 23:22, David was in Keilah (vv. 1-12), escaped from Keliah and went wherever he could go with his 600 men (v. 13) and came to the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh (v. 15). At that time, Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah and told him that David was hiding with them in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which was on the south of Jeshimon (v. 19). They did so because they thought it was their duty to turn David into Saul's hand (v. 20). After hearing these words, Saul blessed them (v. 21) and told them to go and make sure and investigate and see David’s place where his haunt was and who had seen him there (v. 22). The reason King Saul told Ziphites to do so was because he heard that David was very cunning (v. 22). And Saul told them look and learn about all the hiding places where David hid himself and return to him with certainty (v. 23). Here I meditated on three things that David was acting so wisely. And I called David's wisdom "Wisdom that shines in a crisis." I hope and pray that we learn the wisdom of David so that we may pursue his wisdom and that our wisdom also can shine in our crisis as well.
First, the wisdom that shines in crisis is asking God.
Look at 1 Samuel 23:2, 4: “So David inquired of the LORD, saying, ‘Shall I go and attack these Philistines?" And the LORD said to David, "Go and attack the Philistines and deliver Keilah.’ … Then David inquired of the LORD once more. And the LORD answered him and said, "Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.” This is what David asked God when he heard that the Philistines were fighting against Keliah and were plundering the threshing floors (v. 1). David asked God twice. In the first time, when David asked God, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” God said to him “Go and attack the Philistines and deliver Keliah” (v. 2). But why did David ask God again second time? It was because the David’s men said to David, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the ranks of the Philistines?” (v. 3) In other words, David asked God again if he should go to Keilah and strike the Philistines because he heard what his men said to him. And, logically, when we rely on human reason, as the David’s men said, it was very fearful thing for them to go to Keilah and strike the armies of the Philistines. The reason was that if David and his men fight against the Philistines in Keilah, then King Saul would hear the news, and he would surely come down to Keilah to kill David and all his people. In this fearful situation, David asked God twice. So David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines, striking them with a great slaughter and delivered the inhabitants of Keilah (v. 5). But someone told Saul that David had come to Keilah and Saul thought “God has delivered him into my hand, for he shut himself in by entering a city with double gates and bars” (v. 7). So Saul and his men went down to Keilah to besiege David and his men (v. 8). When I meditated on this word, I remembered Pharaoh king of Egypt in the book of Exodus. The reason is because King Pharaoh thought that the wilderness had shut the Israelites in (Exod. 14:3). So he took all the chariots of Egypt and his army and chased after the Israelites (vv. 6-9). This is our human wisdom. King Saul's wisdom shows human limitations. Considering human wisdom, King Saul thought that David was confined in Keilah, and if he surrounded him, he thought that he could capture David. And indeed, as Saul thought, David could have been caught by Saul. But there is something Saul could not think of. It was the fact that God didn’t deliver David into the Saul’s hands (I Sam. 23:14). And God, who saved the people of Keilah through David, was delivering David out of Saul's hand (v. 5) so Saul could never catch David, and therefore could not kill him. Therefore, Saul could never defeat David with his wisdom. The reason was that David did all things wisely with the wisdom of God. And that wisdom of God was to ask God.
We must also ask God. Why should we ask God? It is because we depend on God and want to obey His will. Therefore, we must ask God with the attitude of obedience. This is the wisdom we must pursue that shines in the crisis. And the wisdom that we must pursue is to listen and obey the Word of God rather than the words of men (cf. Acts 5:29). Though people's words seem valid with our reason and God's Word gives us a great risk, we must hear God’s Word and act in faith as we keep on asking God for His will. This is what we must do wisely in crisis.
Second, the wisdom that shines in crisis is not doing what God forbids.
Look at 1 Samuel 24:6-7: “He said to his men, ‘The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD's anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD.’ With these words David rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. ….” When David was in the Desert of En Gedi (v. 1), Saul took 3,000 chosen men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats (v. 2). And when he saw a cave there, he went in to relieve himself but David and his men were far back in the cave (v. 3). Then the David’s men said to David, “his is the day the LORD spoke of when he said to you, 'I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish” (v. 4). “Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul's robe. Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe” (vv. 4-5). David said to his men: “The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD's anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD" (v. 6). Then David forbade them to harm Saul (v. 7). How is this wisdom that shines in crisis? Shouldn’t David kill Saul when he had a chance so that he might save himself from his crisis? Not only the David’s men but even King Saul knew that God had delivered him into the hands of David (vv. 4, 18). Nevertheless, David didn’t kill Saul, even though he had the opportunity to do so. He just cut off the corner of Saul’s robe. Then David was conscience-stricken for having cut off the corner of Saul’s robe (v. 5). It was because David feared God. And David, who feared God, didn’t strike King Saul, the anointed of God, because it was forbidden by God. David was obedient to the Word of God, despite the good opportunity to ease his crisis. The reason was that David was a wise man who feared God. Therefore, he didn’t disobey God's Word in order to save his own crisis momentary.
We too shouldn’t do what God forbids. Even if the people around us say, 'This is God's opportunity' in the crisis situation, we must listen to God's voice rather than listen to them. If the voice of God tells us through the Bible that the Holy Spirit has told us, 'I forbid it,' we must give up even the opportunity and submit to God's command. That is the behavior of a wise man who fears God.
Third, the wisdom that shines in crisis is to dealing well with a person who deal wickedly with us.
Look at 1 Samuel 24:17 – “He said to David, "You are more righteous than I; for you have dealt well with me, while I have dealt wickedly with you.” This is what King Saul said to David as he lifted up his voice and wept (v. 16), knowing that the Lord delivered him into David’s hand and yet David didn’t kill him (v. 18). Although King Saul were lying in wait for David’s life to take it (v. 11), David didn’t stretch out his hand against Saul because his eye had pity on King Saul (v. 10). Knowing this, King Saul said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have dealt well with me, while I have dealt wickedly with you” (v. 17). He also said to David, “May the LORD therefore reward you with good in return for what you have done to me this day” (v. 19). How could David deal well with King Saul who tried to take his life? Although David had not sinned against King Saul (v. 11), King Saul listened to the words of men, saying, “Behold, David seeks to harm you” (v. 9) and tried to kill David (v. 11). But David dealt with King Saul well. How could he do that? I found the answer in Genesis 50:20: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” This was spoken by Joseph to his older brothers who tried to not only harm him but to kill him after he tasted and saw that the Lord is good (Ps. 34:8). Because Joseph experienced God’s goodness, he was able to not only forgive his older brothers but also he comforted them and spoke kindly to them (Gen. 50:21). How could David treat King Saul well, who was trying to kill him? That was because David tasted God's goodness (Ps. 34:8). Not only David tasted the God’s goodness when he defeated Goliath, but also he experienced God’s goodness even when King Saul tried to kill him. That was why even though King Saul dealt wickedly with him, David dealt well with him (v. 17). This is the act of wise men who live God-centered life. Not only Joseph lived God-centered life (Gen. 39:9), but David also lived God-centered life (1 Sam. 23). David wanted God to judge between King Saul and himself (vv. 12, 15). And he asked God to see and plead his cause and deliver David from King Saul’s hand (v. 15). Also, David asked God to avenge David on King Saul (v. 12). Isn’t it amazing that David didn’t sit on the God’s seat of judgment and killed King Saul when he had the opportunities to do so? If David sat on the God’s judgment seat and killed King Saul, then he didn’t have to run around anymore. But David asked God to be the Judge and said, “May the LORD judge between you and me, and may the LORD avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you” (v. 12). This is the act of the wise man whose wisdom shines in the crisis.
We must act wisely. Especially when we meet difficult things and we are in crisis, we must act wisely. Then what does it mean to act wisely? It is to be and do God-centered actions, just like Joseph and David. What does it mean by God-centered actions? It means not only that we ask God to be the Judge to judge between us and those who deal wickedly with us but also we deal well with those who deal wickedly with us. That is because our God is good. And as we have tasted the goodness of God (Ps. 34:8), and believe that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28), we must deal well with those who deal wickedly with us. This is wise action in crisis.
This world we live in is like Goliath. And we are like David. As we know, the fight between David and Goliath was a fight that David could not defeat in human thinking. Also, in human perspective, it was a fight that David could not defeat when King Saul was chasing him in order to kill him. Their fight looks like a fight between Tom and Jerry. Like the cat Tom, King Saul was pursuing David in order to kill David, while David, like Jerry, had to keep running away from Saul. Even in this crisis situation, David acted by asking God and did not do what God forbid. And by the goodness of God, David dealt well with Saul who dealt wickedly with him. This was the David’s wisdom that shone in crisis. I hope and pray that we, like David, act wisely in crisis with the wisdom of God so that we may not only be able to taste the goodness of God but also manifest His goodness to others, even those who deal wickedly with us.