AP

1 Samuel 19:17a  Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me thus and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?”

King Saul is a good example for us to consider how important it is to maintain a healthy spiritual relationship with our God through regular prayer and meditation on his Word.  It is probably Saul’s bad example that inspired Solomon to write to his son: “My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.  Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart.  For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.  Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” [NIV – “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it”] (Proverbs 4:20-23).

King Saul had a ‘mindset’ (‘heartset’) that was far removed from anything in line with God’s Word, or with any spiritual dimension.  He was so obsessed with jealousy for David’s military prowess, popularity, spirituality and godly demeanour that he could only see David as his enemy, and his one aim in life became David’s extermination, even to the point of completely irrational requests.  He had already been blinded to his son Jonathan’s admiration and affection for this ‘rival’ to the throne that he asked Jonathan to kill David (verse 1), and now he was castigating his own daughter, David’s wife, for failing to assist with David’s murder.  It is hard to imagine a mindset more out of tune with reality, let alone with God’s Word.

But, as I consider this, I am also reminded that ‘there but for the grace of God go I’, and of how important my daily devotional exercises are to guarding me from such a mindset.  We also see a much more healthy mindset in David himself, and the importance of David’s wise perspective: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2)  This became more and more the secret to David’s spiritual health as he became a fugitive before this ‘madman’, yet resisted many opportunities he had to kill Saul and replace him as king.

How easily jealousy, unless faced and dealt with prayerfully, can cause us, like Saul, to lose our way and our perspective in our daily walk with God.  “May the mind of Christ, my Saviour, live in me from day to day, by his love and power controlling all I do and say.  May the Word of God dwell richly in my heart from hour to hour, so that all may see I triumph only through his power.  May the peace of God, my Father, rule my life in everything, that I may be calm to comfort sick and sorrowing.  May the love of Jesus fill me as the waters fill the sea; him exalting, self abasing, this is victory.  May I run the race before me, strong and brave to face the foe, looking only unto Jesus as I onward go.  May his beauty rest upon me as I seek the lost to win, and may they forget the channel, seeing only him.” (Katie B. Wilkinson)

– Bruce Christian