Thursday, December 18, 2014

Refuge in an Unlikely Place

1Samuel 27:1
 
1And David said in his heart, "Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines, and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand."
 
David was not yet king but because his destiny was already determined by God, King Saul was furious. David was faithful in his service to King Saul, not wavering nor faltering in his loyalty. Yet, because God determined and established David's destiny, Saul was jealous and to the point of rage that he would lose his place to the young warrior, musician David. Saul thought that if he killed David, he could keep his throne. But throne was not his, it belonged to God who had the final say on who would lead His people. David's destiny was not what he planned but what God planned. And for it David had to flee continuously to keep from being killed. David was tired of running, especially knowing he did nothing wrong. But to seek refuge in the camp of a known enemy of Israel?! Do you remember David defeating Goliath? Did you know Goliath was a Philistine? David not only sought refuge in an unlikely place but he was there for one year and four months as the Word says. That is a long time. David figured that Saul would grow tired of looking for him in Israel. Saul knew where David was but he dared not to enter his enemy's camp just retrieve David to kill him. That would've been a suicide mission. God had already turned His hand from Saul. David was able to live in this unlikely place to the point that he went to war with other lands on behalf of the Philistine king. It was not until the princes of the land were overcome with jealousy that the king of Philistine had to send David on his way to keep the peace in his own land.
 
What can you learn from this? You may find yourself in an unlikely place seeking refuge. And God's hand can still be with you. God has already determined your destiny but like Saul, there may be people around you not happy about it. Their intent may be to harm you but God is your refuge, no matter where you are, even in an unlikely place. You may even find that God has extended favor upon you through one who by the world's standards should be against you. But God!