T[w]ogether: Opportunities

I originally wrote this as a small group discussion, but I have altered the formating slightly to be more blog-friendly.  It was used in November 2010 for the Community Groups of The Refuge (therefugehhi.com) on Hilton Head Island, SC.  I hope you enjoy…

9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. Ecclesiastes 4:9 NLT

Have you ever felt like you were stuck in a dead-end situation?  Maybe it was a job or a volunteer position.  Maybe it seemed like your gifts and talents were being completely ignored or wasted.  Maybe you felt supremely overqualified for what you were being asked to do, yet you saw no hope of promotion or advancement anywhere in the foreseeable future.  None of us like to feel this way – misunderstood, underutilized, and underappreciated.  In fact, we’d all like to think that our talents and unique skills make us immune from these types of challenges.  But they don’t, do they?  No matter how special we may see ourselves, no matter how special God created us to be, sometimes we just can’t escape the perils of poor leadership, impossible situations, and our own unmet expectations!

Think of a time when you found yourself in a situation in which you felt completely overqualified and undervalued.  How did you handle the situation?  If you had it to do over again, would you do anything differently?

King Saul wrestled with jealousy for years as a result of David’s success on the battlefield!  “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands,” they sang as they celebrated Israel’s victory over the Philistines the day David killed Goliath!  From that moment on, Saul could see the writing on the wall, and he knew that his days as king were numbered.  However, some people can relate more with David than with Saul.  To them, greener pastures are always out there, and the promise of greatness always seems just one step away, just beyond their reach!  That was certainly the story of David, who, as a teenager, was anointed king of the land and won a great battle for his country!  Yet every step forward seemed inevitably accompanied by two steps back, to the point that he found himself running for his life in the wilderness for over ten years as Saul closed in to eliminate his “competition” once and for all!

Read 1 Samuel 24:1-7 NLT:

1 After Saul returned from fighting the Philistines, he was told that David had gone into the wilderness of En-gedi. 2 So Saul chose 3,000 elite troops from all Israel and went to search for David and his men near the rocks of the wild goats. 3 At the place where the road passes some sheepfolds, Saul went into a cave to relieve himself. But as it happened, David and his men were hiding farther back in that very cave! 4 “Now’s your opportunity!” David’s men whispered to him. “Today the Lord is telling you, ‘I will certainly put your enemy into your power, to do with as you wish.’” So David crept forward and cut off a piece of the hem of Saul’s robe. 5 But then David’s conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul’s robe. 6 “The Lord knows I shouldn’t have done that to my lord the king,” he said to his men. “The Lord forbid that I should do this to my lord the king and attack the Lord’s anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him.” 7 So David restrained his men and did not let them kill Saul.

Some noteworthy highlights…

Saul enlisted 3,000 elite troops.  David, too, had a small contingent of men following him, but they were outnumbered 6 to 1 by Saul’s small army (vv. 1-2).

Saul went into the cave to use the bathroom, unaware that David and his men were hiding in the back of it (v. 3).

David’s men urged him to use the awkward situation to his advantage, which presumably meant either killing or capturing Saul (v. 4).

At first David crept forward and cut off a piece of Saul’s robe.  But then his conscience got the best of him so he refused to allow any harm to come to Saul.  His rationale was that Saul was God’s “anointed one.”  Ironically, it was David who was God’s new “anointed one” (he had been anointed to be king over Israel because God had rejected Saul as the king – 1 Samuel 16:1-13); yet he didn’t use this knowledge to his advantage and end Saul’s reign once and for all (vv. 4-7).

Saul had already tried to kill David on numerous occasions, and he had given David’s wife (who happened to be Saul’s daughter) to another man.  As if all of that weren’t enough to cause David to lose respect for Saul’s leadership, seeing Saul in such an awkward, vulnerable position almost certainly should have eliminated any residual reverence that David held for Saul.  Yet it didn’t.  Why do you think David was able to maintain respect for Saul in spite of all that Saul had done to him?  Why do you think it’s so difficult for us to maintain respect for the people “above” us who seem intent on holding us back, stifling our growth, or deliberately hurting us?

The cliché goes like this: “Respect isn’t given; it’s earned.”  Yet, in reality, nothing could be further from the truth!  Peter wrote this: “13 For the Lord’s sake, respect all human authority—whether the king as head of state, 14 or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right. 15 It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. 16 For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. 17 Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king. 18 You who are slaves must accept the authority of your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel. 19 For God is pleased with you when you do what you know is right and patiently endure unfair treatment.” 1 Peter 2:13-19 NLT  If God expected slaves to show respect for their masters even when they were treated unfairly, then surely He expects us to show respect foreveryone, even those that hurt us, mistreat us, and/or purposely hold us back! Ouch!  That’s hard to swallow!

What do you think it means to be God’s “anointed one”?  Do you think a person’s “anointing” should factor into the way that we treat them?

The Hebrew word that David used to describe Saul was mashiyach, the same word that was used to describe Jesus as the Messiah.  Anointed means to be consecrated, or dedicated to the service of God.  According to Peter (see above), all authority has been established by God, even if/when it fails to live up to its anointing!  We should respect everyone as God’s anointed, because everyone has been called by God to greatness, even if they’ve yet to dedicate themselves to such an endeavor!

David could have killed Saul easily, and very few people would have faulted him for it.  Even Saul’s son, Jonathan (Saul’s legal successor), supported David’s rise to the throne.  Yet David refused to assume power through a violent overthrow, convinced that it wasn’t God’s will, even though it seemed like God had orchestrated these events for exactly that outcome.  How are we supposed to know whether or not the “opportunities” that are before us to “get ahead” in life are from God?

One thing is certain: this incident was an opportunity that God gave as a gift to David.  However, it wasn’t an opportunity to become king!  Instead, it was an opportunity for David to demonstrate his respect for the authority that God had placed in his life!  And David didn’t miss the opportunity; he seized it!  God will send us opportunities, too.  But sometimes those opportunities will require counterintuitive responses, just like David’s opportunity did.  We can evaluate our options based on a few simple criteria:

• Which choice is in alignment with what the Bible teaches about authority, respect, and loving others the way we love ourselves?
• Which choice lines up with what we sensing God is saying to us in prayer, through our circumstances, and through the advice of other trustworthy people?
• Which choice is honoring to God, honoring to someone claiming to be His follower (that’s us!), and honoring to the other people involved?

What might David have learned from his experience under Saul’s leadership?  Do you think God still uses bad leadership to help us become more like Him?

David probably learned a lot about leadership, both good and bad, from Saul.  He likely learned how dangerous jealousy, envy, and unbridled anger can be.  He probably learned that God could protect him no matter how great the odds were (facing an army was even more daunting than facing a lion, bear, or giant, after all)!  And he definitely learned that God is the author of authority!  No matter how negligent, incompetent, or abusive a leader may be, we can always learn from him/her and use those lessons to become more like Jesus!

When God promised Abraham a son, He fulfilled that promise twenty-five years later!  When He promised to flood the earth, He fulfilled that promise as many as one hundred years later!  And when God promised mankind a Savior, He fulfilled that promise 4,000 years later!  The point?  God always keeps His promises, and here are two of them!

• “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”  Jeremiah 29:11 NLT
• “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.”  Luke 16:10 NLT

God is calling us to trust Him and be faithful!  He knows where we are, and He has great plans for our lives!  Don’t give up…and don’t give in!  No matter how hopeless your situation may seem, take the high road and trust that God always keeps His promises; He has great plans for you and always rewards the faithful!  And never forget that others are watching to see how you handle the “opportunities” that are before you!

“Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.”  1 Timothy 4:12b NLT

What’s more difficult for you to do: trust that God has good plans for you or trust that the people He’s placed in authority over you won’t mess it all up?

Is there an “opportunity” in your life right now in which you are struggling with knowing how you should respond?

What practical step is God calling you to take as a result of this Bible study?

Copyright 2010 prestonroydparrish.com

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