I Samuel 18:11
‘Then Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David escaped from his presence, twice.’
This must have been devastating for David. Saul was Israel's king. He was larger than life. David had been taken into Saul's house. So many things were going David's way. Now this. When hero's fall.
While David was a young man, he was mature beyond his years. He may have had a grasp on human nature and it's limitations. All of us are a mixed bag of good and bad. If he wasn't aware of that before, this action made it real.
We all experience disappointments. The shattering of idealistic youth is probably the toughest. This mindset is viewing the world through a Disney filter. Young people aren't always aware of the gray areas and the extent of depravity. These realizations are greatly disappointing.
Relationships can go sour. In this case the authority figure had a negative change in attitude. These individuals can do us harm. In this case, it was a king, it could be a boss or someone that has power over us. He could have killed David with impunity. A boss can give us a poor assignment and make our lives difficult.
David escaped. God was with him and had plans for his future. Yes, there are powerful people in our lives, but they are on a short leash. They can't do things that God doesn't allow. We will have distressing experiences that aren't our fault.
What is God teaching us here? There are many lessons; one of which is not to be overly concerned about people's opinions. Proverbs 29:25 says, "The fear of man is a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be protected". This lesson can only be learned with particular relationships being tested. In the end Lord is the only one who won't disapoint. While that is a disapointing reality about people, it's encouraging that there is one who will always come through. Fortunately He is the all powerful, all loving God.
While going through the relational distress, one's world feels like it's been turned upside down. These important relationships are failing. It's almost like we have to go through the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. I know that sounds overly dramatic, but our dependence on these relationships is interwoven into who we are. It's like extracting a tooth, our reliances are deep within. These can be long term problems. Which compounds the difficulty.
A wonderful oasis is Romans 8:28, "For we know that God causes all things to work for good for those who are called according to his purpose". What this entire circumstance does is improve the foundation of our lives. If we were resting too much on the fear of man, that was removed and replaced with the fear of God, a solid foundation.
Lord, thank You for Your work in our lives. At the time it's painful, but in the long run, it's good. Thank You.