A Time To Kill?
What if you could kill someone, your enemy, rightfully, justifiably, no one would even blame you, would you do it?
Saul had been hunting David for a while, he knew his time as king was coming to an end. Maybe, just maybe if he assassinated the man who was anointed to be the next king, maybe he could remain in control. If only it were that easy to kill a man after God’s own heart. Oh well, time for a bathroom break. King Saul ventured into a cave to relieve himself while his men waited outside (1 Sam. 24:3). Little did he know that his makeshift latrine was also the place David and his men had been hiding out. Was this an answer to a prayer? The LORD had said to David, “‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you’” (4). So, what seemed good to David? Here he had before him the man who was on a mission to kill him. Saul's plot against David was no secret and Saul would not stop until David was dead. Now was a prime time for David to secure his future by killing the man who was determined to kill him. On the other hand, Saul was king, anointed by Samuel, the same prophet who had anointed David. God had chosen Saul and placed him in this position of authority, was it David’s responsibility to move Saul out of the way so that he could be king, or should he leave that up to the God who had promised that he would inherit the throne of Israel? Should he wait for the LORD to move or was this a time to kill?
It looks like dreams do come true. Young Joseph had a dream that his whole family would bow before him, he told his brothers and his father about it but he was scoffed at and even got in trouble for sharing the dream. Now, as the second most powerful man in the most dominating nation on earth, he stood above his brothers as they knelt before him, just as his dream depicted (Gen. 37:5-10). Joseph knew who they were, but they did not recognize him. It would have been nothing for him to order the killing of these Hebrew men, they deserved it, did they not? They set their own brother up for a lifetime of slavery, imprisonment, and eventual death. He did not even have to murder them; he could have just sent them away with no food. There was a worldwide famine, not only would they die slowly but so would their families, which served them right. Would Joseph have mercy? Would he let the Holy Spirit, Who had worked so perfectly in his life to place him in this position of power, guide his actions, or was this a time to kill?
God had made promises to David and he trusted that, through those promises, he would sit on the throne of Israel. He refused to become king through his own wrongdoing, disobedience, revenge, or sin. It was not a time to kill, it was a time to wait on the LORD, trust God, and submit to His will.
God used the wretched actions of Joseph’s brothers to bring him to a place of power, where he could preserve the lives of the Hebrew people. Now he would use Joseph to correct his brothers and restore their relationship. This was not a time to kill. Joseph loved his brothers, and more than anything else, he understood the role that their evil acts played in God’s plan for him and the future of his people.
When you find yourself in a position to settle the score with your enemy, consider what the LORD said to David, “‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.’” Joseph and David did not allow what others did against them to produce anger and bitterness in their hearts. Their trials had the opposite effect and produced in them godliness. They sat on their thrones, which God had tailor-made for them, with kind and merciful hearts that belonged to the Father.
Jesus Christ secured victory over the enemy through His finished work at the cross, it is never a time for us to kill, that is the enemy’s job. Right now, the enemy is actively trying to kill you. He is trying to kill your body, he is trying to kill your family, your business, your finances, and your dreams. Do not be surprised when he tries to use the people closest to you to accomplish his plans. Jesus Christ came so that you would have life and have it more abundantly (Jn. 10:10). So, whether you are in a pit or a cave, feeling hopeless, lost, or afraid, do not be, God is using what the devil thought would kill your dreams to bring them to fruition. Prepare yourself for the pit, but know that the palace awaits!
