We obey Yahweh not only by obeying the letter of the law but
also by expressing awe, reverence, and fear before the Lord. David
showed this in 1 Samuel when he spared his bitter enemy, Saul, because
Saul was the Lord's anointed (12:1 ff; 26:1 ff). Out of respect for the
Lord, David executed the man who assisted Saul in suicide (1:14-16),
commended the men of Jabesh-gilead for burying Saul (2:4-5), mourned
over Abner, Saul's general (3:31), executed the murderers of Saul's son,
Ishbaal (4:10-11), and showed kindness to Saul's grandson, Meribbaal
(9:1 ff). David respected God's anointed one even to the point of
honoring the entire family of his worst enemy.
Key word |
FEAR OF THE LORD |
Key verse |
"Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before Me; your throne shall stand firm forever." —7:16 |
Command verse |
"Toward the faithful You are faithful; toward the wholehearted
You are wholehearted; Toward the sincere You are sincere, but toward the
crooked You are astute." —22:26-27 |
Promise verse |
"I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth. I will
fix a place for My people Israel; I will plant them so that they may
dwell in their place without further disturbance." —7:9-10 |
Difficult verse |
"The Lord on His part has forgiven your sin: you shall not die.
But since you have utterly spurned the Lord by this deed, the child born
to you must surely die." —12:13-14 |
Surprise verse |
"Thus David chose the pestilence...[The Lord then sent a
pestilence over Israel from morning until the time appointed, and
seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beer-sheba died.]" —24:15 |
Prayer: Father, may I tremble before You (Is 66:2) and esteem the person of every human being (1 Pt 2:17). |