9. Self-Control
| So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him. Abishai said to David, "Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of my spear; I won't strike him twice." But David said to Abishai, "Don't destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the LORD's anointed and be guiltless? As surely as the LORD lives," he said, "the LORD himself will strike him; either his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the LORD forbid that I should lay a hand on the LORD's anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let's go." (1Samuel26:7-11) |
Bear in mind that Saul had repeatedly disobeyed and dishonoured God, that God had already rejected Saul and Samuel had already anointed David as King. And did I mention that this is the second time that David has Saul at his mercy? And this time Abishai, a very enthusiastic and efficient ("I won't strike him twice") Abishai, is right there to do the dirty work...
But David is self-controlled. He realises that his reputation needs to be spotless. He can't take shortcuts, no matter how he feels about his own travails, the fate of his wife or the plight of his men, he needs to do what is right. He chooses to honour God above convenience. He chooses to do the right thing rather than take a short-cut.
Self-control is the ability to exercise reason over passion, principle over expedience and discipline over comfort. The Holy Spirit enables us to do this.
Sadly, later in life, David doesn't exercise self-control. He takes Bathsheba, has Uriah killed and unleashes a storm of taking and killing in his own family. I find his confession prayer in Ps.51 most telling: "Take not your Holy Spirit from me."
It's clear to me that David understood that his failures in the light of a lost connection with God's Spirit. When I am walking closely with God and I am open to His Spirit's whispers, there seems to be a greater space between stimulus and response. It's in this space that I can make the right choices and do what honours God. When I am disconnected from the Spirit's love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and gentleness the space between stimulus and response becomes small and I am reactionary and un-self-controlled.
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I hope you have enjoyed this short series as much I have enjoyed writing them.
God bless,
Theo
