King David, Once a Refugee, and the Commitment of Those Who Felt His Pain
JONATHAN AND ABIGAIL, closely followed David’s severe trials as a refugee fleeing for his life from king Saul, living in caves and in the deserts along with the hundreds of his companions with their families. In walking in their shoes they so felt their pain, that they extended themselves at great risk to minister to him.
JONATHAN, the son of the unfaithful and unstable king Saul, as he thought of his buddy day after day left no stone unturned in finding his friend and giving him the support and encouragement he desperately needed. This shows the tremendous effort he made in doing so, and God, witnessing this, helped him, knowing that for David this encouragement was quite well-timed, whereas king Saul, with all his expertise, effort and support, could not find David, because God blocked him. This is a powerful lesson to us of God’s willingness to help us against great odds when we are bent on doing His will. Sadly, Jonathan’s plans of becoming second in command when David became king, did not materialize. Is it because, he did not go the full length in fully becoming one with him, joining in his situation, thus continuing to provide him with the much needed ongoing support, but instead left him in the wood while he returned to his own house and comfortable lifestyle, or misplaced allegiance to his father?
ABIGAIL, the wife of the fool Nabal, was evidently following David’s situation very closely too, so when he was in dire need, she was able to offer him very wise counsel, in addition to the necessary sustenance. Notably she uses the same words he used to king Saul when he was being hunted by him – compare “…..I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it” (1 Sam. 24:11), with Abigail’s statement in 1 Samuel 25:28-29“ … because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days. Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul” - clearly revealing how closely she identified with him in his experiences. Like Jonathan, she requested David to remember her when he received his reward from the Lord. Unlike Jonathan however, when presented with the break, she left her life of comfort most likely inherited from her very wealthy late husband, and went the full length to join David in his refugee existence, and eventually shared in his victory.
Empathy begets the interest that we will only feel when we pause from our busy lives to walk in another’s shoes, thus feeling their pain. This will move us in a determined positive ongoing direction to help, where Our Heavenly Father, seeing our passion, will work things out for us. The extent of the effort we make to provide the much needed relief to our refugee brethren, in removing them from the kind of condition, under which we ourselves would not want to live, would be seen by our Heavenly Father, and He will bless and empower our efforts.
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40).
Sis Esther Worrell (Canada)
