Great Expectations

Great Expectations
Words of Faith 11-26-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 Samuel 23:7-13
[7] Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, "God has handed him over to me, for David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and bars." [8] And Saul called up all his forces for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. [9] When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod." [10] David said, "O Lord, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. [11] Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord, God of Israel, tell your servant." And the Lord said, "He will." [12] Again David asked, "Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?" And the Lord said, "They will." [13] So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.

David had come out of hiding to go on a rescue mission. He left the safety of the forest in Hereth to defend the people of Keilah, who were under attack by the Philistines. Saul heard of this, and rather than plan a hero's celebration, he plotted a way to capture David. The threat of Saul's force terrified the townspeople of Keilah, so they would surely turn David over to Saul.
The plan to capture David was not a sure thing. David had rescued the people of Keilah. The six hundred "freedom fighters" could easily blend into the town if the people cooperated. All it would take is a little courage among the people. The problem was that word was spreading about Saul. He had slaughtered an entire town of priests and their families at Nob. Saul's insane paranoia was not unpredictable anymore. It was becoming very predictable.
So David inquired of the Lord using the ephod-- the priestly garment from Nob that contained the umin and the thummin. Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, had escaped with the ephod down with him when he fled to David at Keilah. The Lord confirmed that Saul would indeed come to Keilah and that, sadly, the people would surrender David and his group to them. There was no choice but to run. David and his men were on the lam again as Saul's battle group came after them.
David probably had great expectations that the people would support him after the recent rescue. It must have been disappointing. David had come in like Robin Hood and defeated the Philistines. Now, the very people that David had rescued would be unwilling to stand up for him? Why wouldn't the Lord win this battle, too?
We don't want to miss that this was still an internal conflict. The people at Keilah were Israelites, and the army under Saul was not a Philistine enemy. These were the people of God warring against... the people of God. How does the Lord intervene in that? Certainly not by wiping out one side or the other. We need to remember this.
The result of this situation was division and loss of leadership. David had to leave Keilah. What a blessing it would have been for that town if he had stayed for a while. The favor of God was with him and would have been upon the town, but they allowed him to be driven off to another area.
It is hard to say what might have happened if the people of Keilah had taken a stand. We can never go back and second-guess a situation. Would the Lord have intervened to save the people of Keilah? That is a sovereign decision that is beyond us. We know that God did not intervene to save the priests at Nod and their families. They knew that as well.
The bigger picture teaches us again the danger of leadership not submitted to the Lord. The Lord's ultimate will and plan will not be thwarted, but there may be delays and resources wasted. David will surely come to reign as king, and the Davidic line will lead to the coming of Messiah. But in the meantime, there will be a great deal of pain still to bear because of human sin.

Lord God, I trust that You are the sovereign of the universe. Your will is at work in all of man's history. Forgive us for the conflicts between people that delay Your coming in any way. Give us the courage to stand up for the coming of the Messiah even when there are those who reject that truth. Give me the courage to stand and give witness to His coming. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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