Wednesday, 12th July 2023: The voice of people may not be the voice of God!

Scripture Reading: 1Sam 24:4 And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine, enemy, into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe privily.

Reflections: Saul will not cease his pursuit of David. This time, he took 3,000 soldiers with him to search for David and his men. During the hunt, he grew weary and took a rest in one of the caves. He had no clue that David and his men were hiding farther back in the same cave! David’s men viewed this as an opportunity to kill Saul and urged David to do so, assuring him that God had given him control over his enemy. They spoke convincingly as if God had sent them. However, David refrained from taking vengeance and only cut Saul’s garment, sparing his life. He believed that since Saul was anointed, the Lord would have to exact vengeance directly in this case. Later events demonstrated that he was correct, as Saul took his own life in battle after he had been mortally wounded by the arrow of a Philistine archer (1 Sam 31:1-5). Sometimes, depending on the prevailing condition, people’s opinion may sound as if it is coming from God. You must, like David, learn to distinguish between the voice of God and that of individuals.
Prayer: Oh Lord, help me distinguish your voice from people’s.
Confession: I know it when the voice of people is not the voice of God.