Read 1 Samuel 18:5-14
Have you ever experienced a time in your life when, to your surprise, everything started working out well? Here are some of the cliches commonly used to put those moments of bliss into perspective:
- Everything's coming up roses.
- I'm living on the sunny side of life.
- It just can't get any better than this.
- It's like I died and went to heaven.
- Life is just a bowl of cherries.
- My ship has finally come in.
- Somebody pinch me, I must be dreaming.
- I'm living on cloud 9.
You get the idea and are probably prompted to add many other phrases you have heard or used yourself. Problem is, those moments of euphoria don’t always last and then we commonly use phrases like:
- It all came crashing down.
- Back to reality.
- I knew it couldn't last forever.
David. The new “Crown Prince of Israel” found himself in this type of situation. He had defeated the giant … Became best friends with King Saul’s son, Jonathan … Jonathan handed over his royal robe and armor to him … Saul had commissioned him as the new general of his army … the women from every part of the land were smitten by his great victories so they danced in the streets and sang songs about his military accomplishments … He was often invited into the throne room of King Saul to sing and play soothing music to bring an atmosphere of peace into the palace.
Just when everything appeared to be going well, David was ducking to avoid a spear aimed at pinning him to the wall which would have silenced his sweet tune and eliminated him from becoming the next King of Israel. This attempt on his life was a wake-up call, and from this point on David realized he no longer was a welcomed guest, but a feared enemy of Saul.
How would David react to this sudden, unexpected turn of events? Would he throw the spear back and shout “The giant couldn’t take me out and I’m certainly not afraid of you!” No, He did not. He is to be admired for his restraint. He is to be admired for his respect of authority. Most of all He is to be admired for his resolute confidence in God’s plan for his life. David knew God selected him and set him aside to be the next King. All he had to do was “Behave wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him." (1 Samuel 8:14)
The alternative of not making wise choices and not having the Lord with us would be devastating! For some clarity and direction on wise choices I would strongly encourage you to read, and thoughtfully consider, the instructions of the Apostle Peter in 2 Peter Chapter 1. That would definitely be a “wise choice for today.”