Is a ruse always wrong?
Perceive: The prophet Samuel’s task of anointing the new king was dangerous. As the leading prophet for the nation and having just delivered a negative word from God, his meetings and ceremonies would be of great interest to Saul. A natural reaction of a king who just got fired would be to monitor the nation’s kingmaker and keep tabs on his actions. Consequently, the Lord gave Samuel an additional task that would help disguise the real purpose of his trip to Bethlehem in the ruse of making a sacrifice to the Lord. A sacrifice would have been something of a normal part of his ongoing ministry.
Practice: To have anointed David publicly would have forced Jesse and his entire family into a dangerous situation with King Saul. Why? During these times in biblical history family members were often guilty by association. If you were an an enemy of the king, your family members were in danger as well. By having a slight ruse, Samuel was as wise as a serpent but as gentle as a dove. How are you discerning evil and safety? When would it be OK to appear one way to the world while doing something else for the Lord?
Pray: Lord, if the situation arises in my life where I need to distort the circumstances, let it be for the preservation of life. Help me to be wise as a serpent and as gentle as a dove (Matthew 10:16).
This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com
Practice: To have anointed David publicly would have forced Jesse and his entire family into a dangerous situation with King Saul. Why? During these times in biblical history family members were often guilty by association. If you were an an enemy of the king, your family members were in danger as well. By having a slight ruse, Samuel was as wise as a serpent but as gentle as a dove. How are you discerning evil and safety? When would it be OK to appear one way to the world while doing something else for the Lord?
Pray: Lord, if the situation arises in my life where I need to distort the circumstances, let it be for the preservation of life. Help me to be wise as a serpent and as gentle as a dove (Matthew 10:16).
This devotional challenge comes from The Heart of a Lion - King David of Israel and is available on Amazon.com
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