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The Bait of Satan: Living Free from the Deadly Trap of Offense
“The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.”
So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul.
—1 SAMUEL 24:6-7
In the last chapter we saw how David was mistreated by the man he had hoped would be his father.
David kept trying to understand where he had gone wrong.
What had he done to turn Saul’s heart against him, and how could he win it back?
He proved his loyalty by sparing Saul’s life even though Saul aggressively pursued his.
He cried out to Saul with his head bowed to the ground, saying,
“See that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you.”
Once David knew he had shown his loyalty to his leader, his mind was eased.
Later he learned more devastating news: Saul still desired to destroy him.
But David refused to raise a hand against the one who sought to take his life, though God had put the army to sleep and had given him a companion who pleaded for permission to kill Saul.
David somehow sensed that this sleeping army served another purpose—the testing of his very heart.
God wanted to see whether David would kill to establish his kingdom, after the order of Saul, or allow God to establish his throne in righteousness forever.
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
—ROMANS 12:19
It is righteous for God to avenge His servants.
It is unrighteous for God’s servants to avenge themselves.
Saul was a man who avenged himself.
He chased David, a man of honor, for fourteen years and murdered the priests and their families.
As David stood over the sleeping Saul, he faced an important test.
It would reveal whether David still had the noble heart of a shepherd or the insecurity of another Saul.
Would he remain a man after God’s heart?
Initially it is so much easier when we take matters into our own hands, rather than waiting on a righteous God.
God tests His servants with obedience.
He deliberately places us in situations where the standards of religion and society would appear to justify our actions.
He allows others, especially those close to us, to encourage us to protect ourselves.
We may even think we would be noble and protect others by avenging ourselves.
But this is not God’s way.
It is the way of the world’s wisdom.
It is earthly and fleshly.
When I consider the opportunity I had for exposing the leader over me, I remember wrestling with the thought that he might hurt others if he was not exposed.
I kept thinking, I’m only reporting truth.
If I don’t, how will this ever end?
I was encouraged by others to expose him.
Today, however, I know that God gave me that information for one reason—to test me.
Was I going to become like the man who sought to destroy me?
Or would I allow for God’s judgment or mercy if the man repented?
HOW CAN GOD USE CORRUPT LEADERS?
Many people ask, “Why does God put people under leaders who make serious mistakes and even some that are wicked?”
Look at the childhood of Samuel.
(See 1 Samuel 2-5.) God, not the devil, was the One who put this young man under the authority of a corrupt priest named Eli and his two wicked sons, Hophni and Phinehas, who were priests as well.
These men were very wicked.
They took offerings by manipulation and force, and they committed fornication with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle.
Can you imagine if you were serving a minister who lived this kind of life?
A minister who was so insensitive to the things of the Spirit that he couldn’t recognize a woman in prayer and accused her of being drunk!
So fleshly that he was grossly overweight.
So compromising that he did nothing about his sons, whom he had appointed as leaders, who were committing fornication right in the church.
Most Christians today would be offended and search for another church, telling others as they went of the wicked lifestyle of their former pastor and his leaders.
In the midst of such corruption, I love the report of what young Samuel did:
“Now the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli” (1 Sam.
3:1).
But corruption took its toll: “And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation” (1 Sam.
3:1).
God seemed distant to the entire Hebrew community.
The lamp of God was about to go out in the temple of the Lord.
Yet did Samuel go look for another place to worship?
Did he go to the elders to expose the wickedness of Eli and his sons?
Did he form a committee to put Eli and his sons out of the pastorate?
No, he ministered to the Lord!
God had placed Samuel there, and he was not responsible for the behavior of Eli or his sons.
He was put under them not to judge them but to serve them.
He knew Eli was God’s servant, not his.
He knew that God was quite capable of dealing with His own.
Children do not correct fathers.
But it is the duty of fathers to train and correct the children.
We are to deal with and confront those whom God has given us to train.
This is our responsibility.
Those on our own level we are to encourage and exhort as brothers and sisters.
But in this chapter, as with the last, I am dealing with our response to those in authority over us.
Samuel served God’s appointed minister the best he could, without the pressure to judge him or correct him.
The only time Samuel spoke a word of correction was when Eli came to Samuel and asked him what prophecy God had given him the night before.
But even then it was not a word of correction from Samuel, but from God.
If more people would get hold of this truth, our churches would be different.
CHURCHES AREN’T CAFETERIAS
Today men and women leave churches so readily if they see something wrong in the leadership.
Perhaps it is the way the pastor takes offerings.
Maybe it is the way the money is spent.
If they don’t like what the pastor preaches, they leave.
He is either not approachable, or he is too familiar.
This list doesn’t end.
Rather than face the difficulties and maintain hope, they run to where there appears to be no conflict.
Let’s face it: Jesus is the only perfect pastor.
So why do we run from difficulties in America instead of facing them and working through them?
When we don’t hit these conflicts head on, we usually leave offended.
Sometimes we say our prophetic ministry just was not received.
We then go from church to church looking for a place with flawless leadership.
I have had more than two—in fact, numerous—opportunities to become offended with the leadership over me (most of which, I might add, stemmed from my own fault or immaturity).
I had the chance to become critical and judgmental with leadership, but leaving was not the answer.
In the midst of a very trying circumstance, one day the Lord spoke to me through a Scripture verse and said,
“This is the way I want you to leave a church”: For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace.
—ISAIAH 55:12,
Most do not leave this way.
They think churches are like cafeterias; they can pick and choose what they like!
They feel the freedom to stay as long as there are no problems.
But this does not agree at all with what the Bible teaches.
You are not the one who chooses where you go to church.
God does!
The Bible does not say, “God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as they please.”
Rather it says, “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased” (1 Cor.
12:18)
Remember that, if you’re in the place where God wants you, the devil will try to offend you to get you out.
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