Reading the Bible through with me? Then grab your pen and journal and read 1 Samuel 25-27. Saul went back on his word and continued to pursue David. Once again, David got close enough to kill Saul (with Yahweh’s help, see 26:12) and spared his life. It appears that Saul repents again, but David doesn’t trust him. Confession is not repentance. Confession of wrongdoing changes nothing. That’s why God demands confession AND repentance. Repentance is turning away from the sin we confess. While Saul confesses his evil intent toward David, he didn’t turn from it.
Then in 27:1, we read, “David said to himself. . .” At this point, we do read of him seeking God. Self-talk is something everyone does, and it can impact our lives for good or bad. When our self-talk or reasoning in the heart feeds our fear, undermines our faith, and takes us outside of God’s presence, it is sinful and destructive. That’s why the writer of Proverbs said “Trust in the Lord with all your heart AND lean not to your own understanding . . . (Proverbs 3:5-6). Many people will say “Listen to your heart,” but God tells us through the prophet Jeremiah, “The heart is more deceitful than anything else and incurable --- who can understand it.” (Jer. 17:9). David followed his heart and his own reasoning. He fled the place where God had ordained him to be king, into the land and service of Israel’s Philistine enemies. At least for a season, David didn’t trust God to protect him from Saul.
Even when your circumstances appear dark, even when folks you love turn on you, even when you’re misunderstood, misinterpreted, misrepresented, and tired of fighting, DON’T make decisions based on your heart or human reasoning. Get closer to Yahweh. Pay the price for that intimacy. Be patient and wait on HIS timing and provision. It just might save you some time and unnecessary pain. Always let your situation AND self-talk push you towards the One Who is All you really need. Trust and Obey!
