The Second Greatest Act of Submission

1 Samuel 24:5-7 says, “Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe.  He said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD.” With these words David rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.

Observation: In this passage we see King Saul pursuing David with the intent to kill him. Saul recognized that David had a calling on his life and would threaten his kingship. David represented what Saul was supposed to be, a King who followed God with all his heart. By “chance” Saul is caught in a cave do what comes natural after drinking a giant pitcher of water. As he is doing this, it just so happens that David is in the very same cave hiding in the darkness. David sneaks up on Saul with the intent to kill, but instead simply cuts of a piece of his rob. After Saul leaves we see that the Spirit of God speaks to David, telling him to submit to his chosen leader. It didn’t matter what he thought of Saul, all that mattered was that David would be obedient and submissive to the man who God had in leadership. David takes a big chance by letting Saul know he had the means to kill him but did not. Saul allows him to live. David is rewarded for his obedience.

Application: What would have happened if David killed Saul that day? Would God have bestowed the mantle of leadership on David anyway? I doubt it because it was yet another example of David’s desire to follow God no matter the cost. Who is the leader in your life that God is calling you to follow? Maybe he/she is an amazing leader who you love, but God is calling you to go to a new level of submission that you haven’t considered yet. Maybe your leader is the Saul in your life who is not following a righteous path, but you must submit anyway. What David did is the second greatest act of submission, only second to Christ and his submission to God in death. But as Christ was raised from the grave, so too was David raised to a level of leadership that he may have never dreamed when he was a boy tending his father’s sheep. David became King. And was said to be a man after God’s own heart. Look what God can do in our submission. He can work and move. But when we do not submit what are we doing? We are telling God that his plan is not our plan and his ways are not good for our life. Look at the men and women of the Bible who submitted to God. We see men and women who were used more greatly by God than anyone else in history. Ask yourself today how you can go to a new level of submission and watch how God can use that obedience to change cultures and lives.

Prayer: God, you know my heart is to serve and submit, but there are times when I struggle to follow with the right heart. Just as Psalm 57 says, “I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills {his purpose} for me.” God I ask that you fulfill your purpose in my life through my submission to you and the leaders you place in my life.