Gods Sabbath

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E NTERING INTO G OD ’ S S ABBATH R EST

goes, these were incredible victories for a youth of his age and ex perience, but with God, they are very normal. This is the success that God intends His children to experience continually.

David’s Mistake at Nob

One would expect that once David had learned the formula for certain success, he would be extremely careful never to deviate from it, but, unfortunately and inexplicably, like Joshua, he turned to human ways instead and experienced the failure which invariably attends such reversions. After some years of increasing alienation from Saul, David’s deviation began when he was in full flight from the enraged king. Like Elijah, who sub sequently fled from the equally enraged Queen Jezebel, David’s faith let him down. “Not until Elijah had learned to trust whol ly in God could he complete his work...The man of God must be made to understand the weakness of his present position as compared with the vantage ground the Lord would have him oc cupy.” Prophets and Kings , 167.2. David too had to learn this les son. His trust was in himself, rather than God. Leaving his soul mate, Jonathan, he fled to the high priest at Nob. “David went to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trem bled when he met him, and asked, ‘Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?’” 1Samuel 21:1. David now faced a serious problem. He knew that the power of the king would lead Saul’s subjects to betray him, not because they had anything against him, but because they feared the wrath of the monarch if they did not obey him. Therefore David felt he could trust no one, including the high priest. He feared falling into the murderous hands of the jealous, enraged mon arch, and was eager to take whatever steps were necessary to avoid doing so. David was faced with a problem demanding an urgent solu tion. He had the choice of providing one himself, or of looking to God for it. Had he chosen the latter, then nothing could have gone wrong, but looking to himself, disaster was sure to follow. In the heat of the moment, David forgot the procedures he had so faithfully and courageously followed at the slayings of the li