Justice and Fulfillment

May 27

I Samuel 29-31

Psalm 66:10-15

Proverbs 14:22-23

John 17

Justice and Fulfillment

“So on that day, Saul died together with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men.” I Samuel 31:6

While Scripture does not tell us exactly how long David was in the wilderness running from Saul, scholars estimate that it was around 5-7 years. I can’t imagine spending that many years on the run, waiting for justice, and hoping God would make things right. The Psalms give us glimpses of the internal battle playing out in David’s mind and heart. There were periods of fear and anxiety when he was convinced Saul was going to kill him. There were periods of overwhelming peace and confidence in God’s protection. And then there were days when he was angry at Saul and at God for not rescuing him yet. As Americans, a sense of justice is deeply ingrained in us. We want the bad guy to be punished and the good guy to be rewarded. We want right to prevail and wrong to be defeated. As Christians, this is even more true as we recognize the spiritual battle taking place between good and evil. Thankfully, we know the end of the story. We know that one day all evil will be destroyed, justice will be done, and righteousness will prevail. Unfortunately, like in David’s life, evil sometimes does prevail for a time and justice is delayed.

Scripture also does not tell us how long there was between the time when David was anointed by Samuel as the next king and when he took the throne, but it is estimated that it was around 10 years. Over and over in scripture we find God making a promise to someone and then years pass before that promise is realized. Abraham waited 25 years from the time he was promised descendants as numerous as the stars till his son, Isaac, was born. The children of Israel wandered 40 years in the desert from the time God promised to deliver them from Egypt and take them into the promised land.

There was 400 years between God’s last word spoken to the prophets and the birth of Jesus, the Messiah. Waiting is not the exception in the life of the believer. Waiting is the norm. The important stuff happens during the wait. God uses that time to prepare us and equip us to receive the promise. And He uses that time to bring all of the circumstances, events and people into place to accomplish His plans. Often it seems to us like nothing is happening and we begin to wonder if we heard Him wrong or if He changed His mind. During those times it is so important to recognize that He is working on our behalf. He is not wasting time. He is doing everything that needs to be done so that at just the right time, He will do exactly what He said. David did become the king of Israel. Abraham had a son, and his descendants are as numerous as the stars in the sky. The children of Israel entered the promised land, and the long-awaited Messiah did come to save the world. God always keeps His promises.