by Emily Wooten
The children of Israel wanted a king like the other nations. God chose Saul. In the beginning of his reign, Saul was humble. It only took a couple of years before he fell into a trap that isn’t uncommon. He allowed his own ideas to become more important than God’s instructions.
In 1 Samuel 13, we see where Saul made a mistake. Instead of repenting and asking for mercy, he tried to explain away his error and justify his actions.
Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
Humans have the capacity to make good decisions, but in Romans 7:21 Paul said, “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.”
Paul was explaining that living by faith requires us to fight against evil and resist its influence.
1 Timothy 6:11–12: “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”
God found in David a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22).
But David wasn’t perfect. He made mistakes, yet when the man of God showed him his error, he accepted responsibility and repented.
We will be challenged, and sometimes we may fail. We can learn from David’s example by being quick to recognize our failures and just as quick to correct them.
Psalm 34:9, 22: “O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. The Lord redeems the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.”
Psalm 23:1: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
David knew God as his source. He recognized that every good thing was God’s idea. He chose to look to God for his answers, and when he failed, he threw himself upon God’s mercy and asked for grace to correct his course.
Psalm 51 is David’s cry to God in repentance. In verse 10 he said, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” This is a man whom Scripture says was after God’s own heart, yet here we see him asking for mercy and correction. That is how David kept favor with God. He wasn’t perfect, but he asked God for mercy, corrected his wrong behavior, and trusted God to give him strength and protection.
Psalm 138:8: “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me: thy mercy, O Lord, endures for ever.”
Hebrews 4:15–16: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
Learn Love Live