Let God be the Judge

“And it shall come to pass, when the Lord has done for my Lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel, that this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my Lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my Lord has avenged himself. But when the Lord has dealt well with my Lord, then remember your maidservant.” Then David said to Abigail: “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! And blessed is your advice and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand. For indeed, as the Lord God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal!” So David received from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person.” Now Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was, holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; therefore she told him nothing, little or much, until morning light. So it was, in the morning, when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. Then it happened, after about ten days, that the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.” – I Samuel 25:30-38 NKJV

Abigail was wise and reminded David of who had the power to resolve the situation. The Bible describes David as a man after God’s own heart, who was valued by the Lord. In 1 Samuel 24, David had the chance to kill Saul (the reigning king and his archenemy). Saul had also been pursuing David to kill him but notice that David passed up the opportunity to kill Saul when he had the chance to.

“Look, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my Lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’ Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it. Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.’ But my hand shall not be against you. After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? Therefore let the Lord be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand.” – I Samuel 24:10-15 NKJV

David could have killed Saul in his vulnerable state and seeing that Saul was within striking distance, however he didn’t. He trusted God to deal with that situation. Right after this experience, he had this encounter with Nabal and lost it. He nearly killed Nabal the very same way he could have killed Saul. In that moment though, David seemed to have forget briefly that God was able to defend him.

Sometimes just like David, circumstances may cause us to forget what our God is capable of doing. That is why it is necessary that we continually rehearse and never forget the triumphs that God has given to us in the past. God loves us and is for us regardless of the pain and tough situations that we sometimes have to endure. There are times when very bad things may occur and we panic and forget that God will take care of us (if we allow Him to). We end up taking the reins and try to figure it out all by ourselves.

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” – I Peter 5:6-7 NKJV

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV

Our perfections and expectations make us overthink the process and relegate God to the background. We end up stepping out of His will and His presence when we should rather pause, seek Him and get drenched in His presence.

When David is confronted with the truth by Abigail, he immediately had a change of heart and rescinded his decision to attack Nabal. It is best to step down from confronting the situation and rather commit it entirely into God’s hands so He deals with it His way. Just like Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, we can acknowledge that we may desire a certain outcome. However, it’s best if we hand the situation over to the Father and say not my will but Yours be done in my life. Oftentimes we rebel because we lack a heart of humility.

The more we trust in God and practice leaning on His everlasting arm, the easier it is to recognize it when He speaks to us. There are two major lessons from today:

1. God is our defender: No matter the situation we’re faced with, whether it is dealing with an abuser, perpetrator or any difficult person/ situation, justice will neither heal us nor set us free. Albeit, pursuing human justice where accessible is not wrong in itself (especially in cases of abuse). What will set us truly free is knowing that ultimately, God Himself will serve justice.

“I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. The pangs of death surrounded me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.” – Psalms 18:1-6 NKJV

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills— From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.” – Psalms 121:1-8 NKJV

2. Only God can change hearts: Dealing with a difficult boss/ family member/ spouse/ child, etc can be hard. Years of trying and feeling frustrated does not change the person. Changing the heart of a person is not a physical battle but rather the job of the Holy Spirit. May God redeem our loved ones and restore every bleeding/ broken relationship. When God does the work, He does it completely because He sees, He hears and He knows; He knows the end from the beginning.

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” – Proverbs 21:1 NKJV

No matter how out of control things may seem, it’s never out of God’s control. You can always take refuge in Him and let Him be the judge.

With Love, Esinam.