Gospel Reflections #995: Our faith is not built in a single day

1 Samuel 24:9 ‘Then David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of those who say, ‘David is seeking to harm you’?”’

This passage focuses on David’s faith in God and his attitude towards Saul.

This passage describes the moment immediately after David had the opportunity to kill King Saul but chose not to, as he asserts his innocence and respect towards Saul.

David uses the fact that he did not take Saul’s life as evidence to demonstrate that he had absolutely no intention of harming him.

David points out that the claims by Saul’s entourage that ‘David is plotting against him’ are false, and seeks to reveal the truth.

David regarded Saul as ‘the Lord’s anointed’ and was convinced that he was not someone whose life a mere human could take at will.

Rather than seeking personal revenge against Saul, who was trying to kill him, David waited in faith, trusting that God would resolve the matter in His own time and in His own way.

Furthermore, although he had an easy opportunity to kill Saul, who was trying to kill him, David deliberately refrained from doing so, merely cutting off the corner of Saul’s robe and letting him go.

This demonstrates an attitude of overcoming evil with good, rather than repaying evil with evil.

David recognised that God was in control of the situation, whether Saul was pursuing him or he was evading him. Here we see a faith that waits for God’s guidance rather than seizing the throne by his own power. 

The entire narrative, including 1 Samuel 24:9, depicts the scene where David missed a golden opportunity to kill Saul, demonstrating that ‘the fear of God’ and ‘compassion for his adversary’ lay at the heart of David’s actions.

We all harbour a degree of desire for revenge.

I believe everyone can understand how difficult it is, when faced with a situation where such a desire might be realised, to focus on God rather than our own emotions.

Our faith is not built in a single day; rather, through the accumulation of our daily relationship with God over a long period of time, we are taught to place God at the centre rather than ourselves, and we are nurtured by God.

Unless God becomes greater than our own thoughts and emotions, we would be unable to speak words like those of David.

The path to becoming like God in character is one of steep ups and downs, but it is a path of grace, for we are never alone—God is always with us.

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.