Reverence
June 23
Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 1:14–19, 23–26
“And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” 2 Samuel 1:14.
Reverence
Father God, how great thou art. Holy Father, I praise you because in your mercy, you place your might and your greatness between us and those strong enemies in places of authority. Give us the grace to obey your will, to reverence those in authority even in the face of challenges.
As you work for Christ, you may find yourself challenged and in danger because of those in authority. Those leaders may become your enemies. How can you cope with such a challenge? We must look to David’s response for guidance.
David’s enemy was Saul. Saul had been anointed and appointed by God as king. However, he fell from grace by disobeying God and then became consumed with enmity against David. Though David had many opportunities to kill Saul, he did not. Instead, David reverenced Saul’s authority because it represented God’s anointing. David would not dare touch the Lord’s anointed. In fact, after someone told David that he had killed Saul, David had a surprising reaction:
“And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died. And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord’s anointed. And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son: (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.) The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!” 2 Samuel 1:15–19.
David continued to remember Saul and his son fondly: “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. How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places. I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women,” 2 Samuel 1:23–26.
The man who killed Saul thought he would get honour by telling David. Instead, David was angered and ordered his execution. David then sings a song of praise and honour to his old enemy. Later, he even blessed those who buried Saul in 2 Samuel 2:5–7.
David behaved this way because he was not focusing on Saul or his wickedness; he honoured Saul because Saul had been anointed with the Holy Spirit. Without revelation, many people would have thrown a party when Saul died. But David was filled with the Spirit of God and he knew the right thing to do. In this manner, we should also deal with our enemies that have positions of authority.
Because David showed reverence, God showed favour and promoted him. Our God of order also protected David; He delivered David from the wickedness of Saul and kept taking David from glory to glory and from grace to grace. Whether oppression from a leader is happening in the office, in the church, or in your family, do not use the oppression as an excuse for disrespect and irreverence. Our God of order who is higher than any authority will make sure that you are protected and promoted.
If you want protection and promotion, reverence the authority even if he or she is your enemy.
Prayer Points:
Father God, in your mercy, give us a deeper revelation of how to deal with anointed enemies. You are the one who gives divine cover and protection. Cover your children and give us the grace to obey you. Give us the grace to reverence the anointing, to reverence authority. Then promote us and protect us.
