Rise to Nobility

Welcome back! Every day there is a fresh supply of wisdom and inspiration from God. You just have to receive it! So let's listen to his heart from 1 Samuel 24 today. It's an easy read, so don't miss the blessing.

God is speaking to me today about nobility. Yeah, that's not a quality you hear much about anymore, is it? Living a noble life may not get you on TV or in the mags and definitely not in the Super Bowl half-time show, but it will win you honor and respect. It will also give you a deep sense that way down at your core, everything is good, as it should be.

David is being hunted like an animal by King Saul for nothing except pure envy. Saul has falsely accused David and slandered him and turned him into a target. Then Saul steps unwittingly into a cave where David is hiding with his men. At last, David has a chance to rid himself of Saul forever! Yet, he passes up the opportunity. I'm struck by what he says to Saul as he surprises him at the mouth of the cave:

May the LORD judge between you and me. And may the LORD avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. As the old saying goes, 'From evildoers come evil deeds,' so my hand will not touch you." (v. 12-13)

Hollywood's all about revenge. ABC even has a primetime show by that name. God, I have to admit that there are times that I have wanted revenge. Badly. There is something animal in us that wants to strike back when we've been wounded. I am totally impressed by David's self-restraint. Revenge was his for the taking and he let it go! And why would he do that? He wanted to live a noble life. I aspire to that kind of character, Lord. I want to entrust vengeance to you.

What impresses me even more is that David chose mercy over malice even when his whole band of men were egging him on. He could really have found good reason to listen to them. They were validating his anger and his craving for revenge. They even interpreted this fortuitous opportunity as God's will that David strike back. It's so easy to justify our hatred, God. It's such a temptation to tell our stories of betrayal to as many people as we can so that we can win their empathy and feel validated in getting even.

Lord, help me to have the moral courage to stand with you like David did, to push back against the voices that prod us to a life of anything less than nobility--especially the voice within. No wonder you called David a man after your own heart. His heart was noble. He lived above his petty, jealous, back-stabbing enemies. He rose above even his misguided friends. He took the high road, and he didn't even pat himself on the back for it. It wasn't just a show. He was real. It was who he was in you.

I choose the path of nobility, God. Lead me in it, and help me to instill it in my children. And thank you for the people who have modeled it for me so well. They are a glory to you! Amen.

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