Honor Your Father – Doing the Hard Things Well

“The modern world detests authority but worships relevance. Our Christian conviction is that the Bible has both authority and relevance, and that the secret of both is Jesus Christ.”   .  John Stott    .

2 Sam 1:1 After the death of Saul, David returned from striking down the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days.

The King was dead on the battlefield. The man David had honored as King, father-in-law, a father-figure, the one appointed by God, the anointed leader of his people was gone. The man David honored even though he had spent the last eight years being hunted by Saul. Through the abuse and the threats and the need to protect himself from being killed by his king, David had never ceased to honor the Lord’s Anointed. This is one of the great stories in which God shows us just how it is that we are to honor those He places in authority over us – even if those people fail to do right and honorable things.

 Many of us have someone we should honor in accordance with God’s Word but we have difficulty living up to God’s standard in this; a parent who was abusive or neglectful or has offended us in some way; a boss who doesn’t listen or seems to be actively against us; spiritual leaders who seem hypocritical or overly harsh when lined up with our way of thinking or our understanding of God’s Word; political leaders who push laws or policies we disagree with – the list of people God has given authority over us is quite large and our reactions to these people are important to Him and to our relationship with Him. We may fool ourselves into thinking that our own understanding is as good or better than those in authority, we may even fool ourselves into thinking that God’s Word is not as plain and simple as it seems in these matters. But God is not fooled and He knows if we are walking in forgiveness and submission to His plan or not.

David sets an unparalleled example for us in this; we would do well to follow it. He was not weak. He was not foolish. He was not blind to the faults of his mentor and king. But he trusted God and His ways and words more than he trusted his own judgment and feelings. If you are walking in opposition to the authority God has placed in your life for your protection and guidance this might be a good day to repent and ask God to lead you into forgiveness and obedience. Know this, David refused to speak against or raise his hand against God’s anointed and God blessed him for it. The years of submission and obedience and trust in God while waiting for God’s timing to enter into God’s plan were years of great growth and spiritual understanding for David. When he heard the report of Saul’s death David had no regrets for how he had treated his father and King, it would be well for all of us if we can say the same of those God has put over us.

 What growth in wisdom and God’s Ways are you missing by opposing those God has put in authority for you? What power in battle and abilities to overcome your enemy have you lost by opposing them? What future plan of God are you thwarting, diverting or delaying because you refuse to submit to God in these matters? Consider your ways, speak with God, listen to His Word, examine your own heart and let Him show you His grace in walking a life of honor.