Deeper Reflection
FOR QUITE A WHILE since 1 Samuel 19:10, just about every day, David had to live with “Saul had come out to seek his life” (v.15) and “Saul sought him every day” (v.14), and keep running away from this menacing Saul from one place to another. It can be quite tiring and makes one wonder when this is going to stop. Perhaps, the trials that you are going through bear a similar pattern, with a similar struggling feeling – “How long, O Lord?” (Psa 13:1). David had left Keilah and stayed in “the wilderness of Ziph” (vv.13-15). David left Keilah because Saul was seeking to destroy the city so as to force the people of Keilah to surrender David to him (1 Sam 23:8, 10-11a). And God told David that Keilah will “surrender” him to Saul (v.12b). And when the Ziphites heard that Saul was seeking David’s life, they sent word to him that they will “surrender him into the king’s hand” (vv.19-20). Don’t miss the connection: Keilah’s “surrender” of David and Ziph’s “surrender” of David. We can imagine David’s response to this: “Oh no! Not again, Lord!” When it happened twice, it does not necessarily mean there won’t be a third or fourth time. Trials can come wave after wave as if there is no end to them. But take heart: “You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful” (Jas 5:11).