Devotion Corner

1 Samuel 16:2-3 And Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD. 

And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.

The turning away of God from the foolish King Saul, proved a great weight on the spirit of Samuel. He had anointed him as king years before, now he sat in mourning over what Saul had become as a man, and as a king. Yet Samuel also sat in fear. He was fearful of the call of God to go and anoint another man to be king in Saul’s place. Samuel, though a great servant of God, was still a man, and liable to become fearful in the face of threats of violence and death.

It can be a strange comfort to read of such greats of the faith struggling with moments of weakness, fear and doubt, just as we do. We can read of the lives of those from thousands of years ago and see that what they faced is no different to what we face in our lives today. Samuel was fearful, and yet he was told to exercise wisdom of faith. Samuel was to continue serving the will of God, but to exercise caution and wisdom in how this was executed. He was to anoint a new king of Israel, but he was to go about it quietly and without drawing attention to his task. To do so would’ve placed himself and the soon to be anointed David, in needless danger of an angry and jealous Saul.

Sometimes, when threats of violence and persecution come against us, it is wise to reconsider the course of our labours in Christ’s name. It does not mean we abandon the will of God out of fear for our own or others welfare. Instead, we are to use discretion and wisdom to bypass potential threats to His work being done and His will being fulfilled. God led in this manner in His watching over Samuel and the soon to be anointed King David. 

To see how God moved wisely and purposefully in times past, and to place it alongside His unchanging nature, gives us great courage when we face times of potential danger. It gives us the courage to not abandon His work, but to seek His will and guiding hand, so that we are ready to change course when He leads so. For in doing so, we submit to His will, and thereby enjoy the protection of His love that flows from such a precious provision. Amen.