Redirect Towards God
Bradon: Have you ever gone down the wrong path?
Jon: Like lost? No, I am really good with directions, you’re the one who always gets lost!
Bradon: No! Not like that, the wrong path like… not following God?
Jon: That is a great question, let’s explore that more in today’s episode!
Discussion Episode
1 Samuel 25
About the Story
Jon: Okay, so in the preview, you asked me, have I ever gone down the wrong path, not like physically lost, but maybe spiritually or felt lost?
Bradon: right, that is a really big question. But that is what I was thinking about the whole time I was reading this chapter. It seems like David is really close to going down the wrong path, but God, through another person intervenes.
Jon: I agree, we will get to that right away, first your answer.
Bradon: fine, fine. I don’t think I was necessarily fully down a bad path. But I can certainly recognize where God intervened in my life and made me think twice, or even things that happen today that make me correct my alignment more toward Him.
Jon: Okay, give us an example. I am pushing here a little. I think it is important. I think it helps us recognize that the Bible is as true today as it was then. God is the same today as he was then.
Bradon: Okay. Well, for instance, I have had several career choices or paths before this one. None of them were inherently bad… I wasn’t getting into trouble or hurting people. In fact, one of them was in an ambulance. So I was actively helping people. Which I really enjoyed. I did know, pretty early on that these things weren’t for me. I was close but I was definitely avoiding a lot of God’s direction in my life and trying to do it alone. So again it wasn’t bad… maybe more lonely or distant would be a good way to describe it.
Jon: so what changed?
Bradon: Well I realized that my happiness/ contentment and God’s will for my life were one and the same!
Jon: makes it a lot easier to lean into God’s direction!
Bradon: it does indeed!
Jon: Let’s check in with our story. I already gave a spoiler alert, so the first thing we learn here in this chapter is that Samuel the prophet dies!
Bradon: Yeah that caught me off guard – I mean the name of the book is Samuel… so like what now for the next 4 chapters?
Jon: I guess you will just have to hang in and find out!
Application
Bradon: obviously! But Abigail, who is obedient to God and aligned with him is able to intervene, to speak to David in a way that reminds him of the direction of God.
Jon: Ten days later, her husband, was struck down by the Lord. and not David. Which is important. David didn’t murder this man. His own lack of character and reverence for God did that.
Bradon: it then says that Abigail becomes Davids wife… well third wife sort of.
Jon: Which we have to remember was much more a cultural thing back then. Especially for kings. Still not correct, or I guess you could say it still went against the design God had for marriage. But the bible is as much a dictation or journal of what happened historically as it is to teach us. So these things, even though they might be “wrong” still are significant to be told.
Bradon: There is a lot to unpack here. I feel like we could read and reread this a thousand times and take a bunch away at a time.
Jon: I agree. But lets settle on just one for today.
Bradon: okay. I am pretty inspired by the way Abigail was able to step in and intervene or redirect David.
Jon: Me too. So far in this book we have seen God speak through Samuel a few times. Perhaps that is part of what we see here. God moving through obedient poeple, to help others follow Him better!
Bradon: I like that, and David, as a man who desires to honour God would have had to be open to that. To someone redirecting him.
Jon: so, the lesson then?
Bradon: Redirect towards God.
Jon: Great! I think that is awesome! And we can always do that. There are always areas in our life that we can redirect, reaim towards honouring God!
