David's Remarkable Loyalty
David was almost murdered by Saul a number of times. Saul was out to "get" David at all costs. Not only this, David knew that when Saul was dead he would take over the kingdom. In other words, David had every excuse to think he had a "right" to kill Saul, if he had a chance.
And God knew this.
So He tested David on his loyalty — first of all, to Himself and also to Saul. God wanted to see if David would obey even a "froward" master (I Peter 2:18).
This is a bitter lesson to learn. Too many people haven't yet learned it. Yet, this lesson is part of this most important character attribute of loyalty.
David never took matters into his own hands. He had faith in God. He knew GOD would take care of the situation.
Here's an example found in I Samuel 24.
"And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of En-gedi.
"Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.
"And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.
"And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily" (verses 1-4).
Here was an attitude of Satan (whispering in his ear — even quoting "scripture" to make David be disloyal). For a moment he weakened.
But suddenly he realized what he had done.
"And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt" (verse 5).
Now, notice his devoted attitude.
"And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing HE IS THE ANOINTED OF THE LORD."
David realized what a lot of people never comprehend. God takes care of His Work!
And He may TEST His people to see if they are looking to Him.
What about it?
How do you stack up?
David didn't take things into his own hands. He didn't listen to a lot of wrong attitudes around him. He knew God was alive in heaven. As a result, he remained LOYAL to his Creator.
Loyalty Characteristic of David
Everyone should read and study the life of David. It's chock full of examples which mirror this attitude of complete yieldedness.
David had another opportunity to kill Saul in the wilderness of Ziph. You can read the story in I Samuel 26. God caused a deep sleep to fall on the army of Saul. David walked right up to Saul. He took his spear and cruse of water. Abishai, one of his leading men, wanted to kill Saul. But David wouldn't hear of it.
Another example:
An Amalekite came to David smugly claiming to have killed Saul. This man told David, "As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.
"He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me.
"So I stood upon him, and slew him.
"And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?
"And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died" (II Samuel 1:6-15).
David was loyal to his king, even in death! Not that Saul deserved it. Saul was a carnal-minded, disobedient and hardheaded man. But David respected his position. He knew God had placed Saul in the kingship.
David even wrote a sort of song or ode to Saul and Jonathan, his son. In it he said, "Saul and Jonathan were LOVELY AND PLEASANT IN THEIR LIVES, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
"Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel" (II Samuel 1:23-24).
Was David ignorant of Saul's sins? Of course not!
But he was thankful for what Saul may have accomplished. For giving his life on the battlefield.
That's a pretty devoted attitude. What about you? How do you measure up? Saul was David's CONSTANT enemy. Yet, he praised Saul. In this day of the "every-man-for-himself" attitude, we need to saturate our minds with these chapters.
Disloyalty Punished
David measured up to God's standards on this vital characteristic. God expects the same of YOU!
David never swerved from total dedication.
It explains in II Samuel 4 how some men slew Ish-bosheth, Saul's son. Abner, Saul's commander-in-chief, had proclaimed him king. So these men thought they had done David a favor.
"And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, which sought thy life; and the Lord hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed" (verse 8).
Here's what David did.
"When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag . . . how much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house . . . and David commanded his young men, and THEY SLEW THEM" (verses 10-12).
David just didn't stand for disloyalty!
He believed in the government of Almighty God. David was a law-abiding citizen in attitude.
He was a kind man. A generous man. A big-hearted man. It all stemmed from this attitude of loyalty toward God and his fellow human beings. He elevated Saul's lame grandson to an important position (II Samuel 9). David also said, "I will show kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness unto me" (II Samuel 10:2).
David's attitude is summed up in this statement: "He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God" (II Sam. 23:3).
That's one reason why David will have such a tremendously important position in God's Kingdom!
How to Test Yourself
But before YOU can learn to rule, you have to learn how to BE ruled. Each of us must learn what it is to be loyal — and to put loyalty into practice in our lives.
There's a very simple test to determine your loyalty to God. First, are you always obedient in attitude and deed to the government of God?
Or do you look to Christ in full faith — knowing that He is IN CHARGE of His WORK? If you do, that's true loyalty. That's what David did. He knew God would take care of Saul.
Or, how do you react when the "showdown" comes? Do you strive to do what God commands? If so, that's loyalty. Because then you're following Christ, looking to him, obeying him.
God is loyal to each of us!
He wants us to be sure we know it. Every blessing, every miracle, every intervention on our behalf is a token of God's faithfulness to us. He's looking out for our good. He wants us to RELY ON that attribute of His.
"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a REWARDER OF THEM that diligently seek him" (Hebrews 11:6).
Our Part
But God expects us to have that same loyalty towards Him. We must put God above everything in undivided "true-to-the-core" sincerity. Then we must also be loyal to those around us.
Not until we have developed a deep-seated attitude of devotion can we be given responsibilities to rule.
Our goal is beyond human understanding. We're going to have eternal life, with power over the nations, sitting in the temple of God, reigning with Christ over the world as kings and priests.
Read and study David's life. Come to know him as a personal armchair friend. Saturate your mind with his attitude — because it's God's attitude. Be loyal to God, to His Work, to your superiors, to your husband or wife, to your children, to God's people, to those in the world. Then and only then will you be qualified to rule over OTHER HUMAN BEINGS in the very soon-coming Kingdom of God!