A Matter of Conscience

Click here for the audio message of 1 Samuel 24:1-7

Last week we looked at the friendship of Jonathan and David. We said that was an example of true friendship. The characteristics they had are the same ones that we should implement into our friendships as well.

They looked out for each other and truly cared about each others well being. They even risked their own lives for each other. They loved each other as they loved themselves. That is indeed true friendship.

This morning our story jumps a few chapters to chapter 24. In chapters 21 through 23 we see David on the run from Saul. As he is fleeing he meets and helps people along the way. Many of these people join him on his journey. In fact, he has quite a following of family, friends, and soldiers where our scripture lesson picks up this morning.

Saul finds out where David is at, so David hides out in a cave. Saul goes into the cave to relieve himself and David has the opportunity to kill the King. However, his conscience says no after he cuts into the robe of the king.

Think about the feelings and struggles that David must have been going through at this time. David knew he was going to be King and here is his chance to take the throne. Even beyond that, David had been fleeing for his life and he had a chance to end that. He had the chance to eliminate the person who was after him. He had the chance to get even.

But he didn’t do it. His conscience stopped him. Sure, his friends were trying to persuade him, saying this is the day that God has spoken of. God has put Saul into your hands; make your move.

What a tough decision this would be. Here you are, in the heat of the moment. You don’t really have much time for an internal debate you just need to act or not. Your friends are saying do it, but what is your gut saying. What is your conscience saying to you.

It sure looked like David was supposed to kill the king. This was the perfect opportunity. The question is, did God ever tell David that he was to kill the king? The answer is no. Sure, God told David he would be king, but he never told David to kill the king.

So David’s conscience, which is in tune with God’s will, says no. He feels guilt after cutting a piece of the King’s robe. David knew that Saul was given his power to rule from God and it would be up to God to remove Saul from the throne.

As I said, David’s friends thought this was the time. You know, we often rely on the counsel of friends when making decisions about what we should do. If we are surrounded by godly people, living godly lives then it is probably good advice. However, we still need to check in with God.

We must not do anything that will violate our conscience. We must not give in to peer pressure, especially when we know what is right.

A friend of mine has a daughter who is about 5 years old. For her birthday in August I think, she got a pillow pet. It’s like a pillow in the shape of an animal. In December, the kids were writing letters to Santa Claus. All of her friends wrote they wanted a pillow pet, so she wrote that in her letter too.

When she got home that night, she was crying her head off because she wrote to Santa that she wanted a pillow pet for Christmas, when that’s not really what she wanted. She gave in to peer pressure and she violated her conscience. And it hurt her.

Of course, that weekend Santa was at the school for a breakfast so her loving mother took her to sit on Santa’s lap and she was able to tell Santa what she really wanted. Which was an alarm clock by the way.

I realize this is a trivial example, but it makes the point clear. When we violate our conscience, when we are doing something that we know isn’t right, it hurts. It makes us sad, depressed, miserable, and so on.

David loved, trusted, respected, and obeyed God. God never told him to kill Saul, so he knew it was not his place to kill God’s anointed king. The guilt of just cutting Saul’s robe was too much for David to bear.

David emerges from the cave and confesses to Saul what he did. He showed Saul that he could have killed him, but he didn’t. David is not out to get Saul even though Saul is out to get David. David simply tells the king to think for himself rationally. God will be the judge.

Saul’s reaction to this confession was a humble one. Although we know that Saul is tormented by evil spirits, Saul confessed that David is more righteous than him. He even acknowledged that David would indeed be king one day. Of course, Saul wasn’t ready to relinquish the throne, but he knew that God put David next in line for the throne.

Sometimes in our lives we wonder why things happen to us. “Why me?” we often say. No doubt David had every right to say this with all that he had been through. But when you look back at these events that happened in David’s life or even your own life for that matter, you can see God’s hand at work.

God was with David every step of the way. Throughout all of these events there was a lesson that David needed to learn. The same is true for us today as well. We go through many struggles in our life and there is a lesson to learn. Sometimes the lesson is discipline for wrongdoing. Other times the lesson helps us to mature into the people that God wants us to be.

The question that we need to think about it is what does God want me to do. How can we know when to take matters into our own hands and when to leave them in God’s hands?

It is tough today. God spoke to the prophets of the Old Testament in a personal way. He often times told them exactly what to do. Today He doesn’t do that. We have His Word to rely on, but He doesn’t provide us with any new revelation.

We need to read God’s word and place it into action each and every day of our life. We need to be in communion with God through prayer. Ask Him to lead and guide us through life as He wants us to live. We need to look at the example of Jesus’ earthly life and live as much like Him as we possible can.

Of course, we always need to listen to our conscience. When it says no, pay attention. Don’t turn it off. Don’t ignore it. Block out what the world tells you and listen to your heart. Listen to God.

Closing prayer:

Lord we thank you for our time together again this morning. We thank you for the wonderful lesson’s of David. We thank you for shaping our conscience. Help us to listen to what you tell us. Help us to trust and obey you with our lives.

In Jesus name, AMEN.