And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, “please let my father and my mother stay with you, till I know what God will do for me. 1 Samuel 22:3
The writer of Hebrews describes David as a man of strong faith, “… David—who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises…” (Hebrews 11:33). Yet the David we read about in the Bible was very much, well… human. I don’t mean by “human” prone to sin. That after all is not truly human as God created us to be, but rather the “sub-human” result of our rebellion against God. By this definition, David’s humanity shows itself in a big way through his uneasy faith.
At times David’s faith is bold and sure—like his offer of protection to the murdered prophet’s (Ahimelech) son, Abigthar, “Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safe keeping” (1 Samuel 22:23). However, earlier, when his own parent’s lives were on the line he sought protection for them from the king of Moab.
Nowhere in Scripture is David criticized for his uneasy faith. In fact, occasions like this one then to bolster our trust in the Scriptures because they portray even the faith’s heroes in a realistic light.
David’s past and future would be characterized by great feats of faith… as well as some big time failures and sin. Even when his faith was uneasy his life remained anchored in the hope, “till I know what God will do for me.”
What about you? Are you delaying obedience in some area of your life because you are holding out for a romanticized perception of a “perfect” faith? Set out and resolve to do what you know and don’t waste energy on what you do not know as Romans 14:23 reminds us, “everything that is not of faith is sin.”
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