Respect

May 26

I Samuel 26-28

Psalm 66:1-9

Proverbs 14:20-21

John 16

Respect

“Then Abishai said to David, ‘Today God has handed your enemy over to you. Let me thrust the spear through him into the ground’…. But David said to Abishai, ‘Don’t destroy him, for who can lift a hand against the Lord’s anointed and be blameless?’” I Samuel 26:8-9 HCSB

Yesterday’s reading and today’s reading in I Samuel both contain accounts of David sparing Saul’s life. Saul was hunting him down to kill him. In the first account, David was hiding in the back of a cave when Saul went into the cave to use the bathroom. In the dark, David had the perfect opportunity to kill him. In the second account, Saul and his men were asleep and David and Abishai approached their camp. Abishai encouraged David to kill Saul, but David refused. He would have been justified. No one would have thought he was wrong. To be clear, David was not a pacifist. He had killed tens of thousands of people, so he was not afraid to take a life and he did not have a moral objection to killing. He made a conscious choice out of respect for Saul not to kill him. Even though God had removed His favor from Saul because of His disobedience, he was still king. God had anointed him king and he still held the office. David refused to kill God’s anointed king. He respected Saul and even more importantly, He respected God. God had allowed him to serve as king. Romans 13:1 tells us, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” (NIV)

I am writing this devotional entry on the Inauguration Day of Joe Biden. This is a very timely reminder for me. I did not vote for President Biden, and I am adamantly opposed to most of the policies he campaigned on. I believe those policies are not consistent with biblical principles and that God will not bless a nation that rejects Him. However, Joe Biden now holds the office of President of the United States. God has placed him in this position. The office of president deserves my respect and whoever holds the position deserves my respect. As Christians we have an obligation to vote for candidates that support our beliefs. We also have an obligation to pray for those in office. Because I trust in God’s sovereignty, I can rest in the knowledge that God is still in control and His plans will not be thwarted. I do not know exactly how my respect will play out over the next four years. I will not support policies that are contrary to God’s Word, and I will peacefully and respectfully oppose them. But I will pray for President Biden and his cabinet. My prayer is that they will turn to God and seek Him for wisdom as they lead our nation, and that as a nation we would come together, repent, and seek God. Please join me in that prayer.