Gospel Reflections #1006: If God sees it proper, He will correct the misunderstandings

1 Samuel 26:14 “David called out to the soldiers and to Abner son of Ner: ‘Abner, will you not answer?’ Abner replied, ‘Who are you to call out to the king?’

This is a tense scene that takes place immediately after David had sneaked into the camp of King Saul, who was pursuing him to kill him, and had taken the king’s spear and water jug.

This passage contains irony that highlights David’s courage and the negligence of King Saul’s guards.

Abner was a general in King Saul’s army and the man responsible for protecting the king’s life. By calling him by name, David was confronting him with the blunder of failing to notice that an enemy (David) had infiltrated the very bedchamber of the king.

According to the values of the time, for a guard tasked with protecting the king to fall asleep and allow an intrusion was a disgraceful error worthy of death.

By deliberately shouting loudly, David made it known to the entire camp, including King Saul, that ‘he could have killed the king at any time, but chose not to’.

This shout was also a demonstration proving that, whilst Saul regarded David as a ‘traitor seeking to take his life’, David was a ‘loyal subject who would not lay a hand on the king chosen by God (Saul)’. 

The Bible explains this situation by saying, ‘For the Lord had caused the soldiers to fall into a deep sleep.’

In other words, it shows that David’s success was not merely down to good luck, but was due to God’s protection and providence. 

God corrects the misunderstandings and preconceptions others hold about us.

Even if this is not conveyed to the other party, God will defend us when necessary.

However, this is surely God’s response to our hearts, which, like David’s, place God before ourselves.

May we, too, be guided to follow God’s will rather than our own emotions, just as David did.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.