I Samuel 29:9
‘But Achish replied to David, “I know that you are pleasing in my sight, like an angel of God; nevertheless the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He must not go up with us into the battle.’”‘
David had planned to join the philistines to battle against Israel. But the generals wouldn't have it. Thus todays passage. King Achish tells him he can't go. It would appear God is rescuing him from something foolish. David would one day be king. Some may remember David fighting with the enemy. That would be problematic.
David was a warrior. He was aching to exercise his gift. Yet, he was in the enemies land, so he wasn't in a place to do it. His compass was off. He sought to fight against his own people. Later, we find his men were angry with him. He must have had to persuade them to enter this foolishness.
David mentioned earlier that to be out of Israel would have been ostracized from God. While God was still with him, this incident shows how his judgment was impaired.
Can we get into similar circumstances? I would say so. There is the valley of the shadow of death. We can be in distressing situations which could impair our judgement. There are desperate situations which could prompt similar responses. If we are not in disobedience, then God is still with us. There is also sickness and injury. Poor health can put us in bad states.
We can also have our compass's out of whack. The previous paragraph could be the explanation. We could be grieving. Some times when we are out of our routine we are affected. When we are unable to exercise our gifts we get desperate to do so.
Fortunately the Holy Spirit guides us. Jesus said in John 16:13a, "When the Holy Spirit comes He will lead you into all truth..." Some times that leading comes in the form of closed doors (Acts 16:6,7). We get better at discerning this as we walk with Him. It appears that God closed the door to David in today's passage.
The Bible is given to us to show us things to avoid. Those are nonnegotiable. "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path", (Psalm 110:105). Not all life's choices are in the Bible. Sometimes an underlying principle relates. Are we being selfish, is it unloving, do we need to be generous? If that doesn't apply, then pray and proceed. See what God will do.
Sometimes we are disoriented. Abraham Lincoln said of general Rosecrans and his behavior in a battle, "He was stunned and confused, like a duck hit on the head." We can look back at our lives and recall tough times. Situations moving so fast that we are lost as to what to do. Ephesians 6:13 speaks of the evil day. We will experience evil days. The attack comes as a whirl wind. They are not common, but they will come.
Lord, thank You that You are the God of peace. Your presence calms and guides. We will still have tough times. Help us to rely on You. Help us when the evil day comes.