Based on 1 Samuel 29 (New King James Version)
“Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphek, and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel. And the lords of the Philistines passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, but David and his men passed in review at the rear with Achish. Then the princes of the Philistines said, ‘What are these Hebrews doing here?’ And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, ‘Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years? And to this day I have found no fault in him since he defected to me.’ But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so the princes of the Philistines said to him, ‘Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men? Is this not David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?’ Then Achish called David and said to him, ‘Surely, as the Lord lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my sight. For to this day I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me. Nevertheless the lords do not favor you. Therefore return now, and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.’ So David said to Achish, ‘But what have I done? And to this day what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?’ Then Achish answered and said to David, ‘I know that you are as good in my sight as an angel of God; nevertheless the princes of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ Now therefore, rise early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you. And as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart.’ So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.”
Last week, we saw that God allows for injustice so that there can be room for judgment for those that do evil, as a result of what each person does with their free will, both the unbeliever and the believer, because we will all give an account in the end. As a second part, we will now see those that suffer injustice, because in this world, it is possible that we may suffer injustice, even though we may do what God commands. As we read today, David had not done anything wrong in this instant, but he was treated unfairly. Let’s put forth this question: “If someone does what is right or good, does that mean that the result will be good? Absolutely not. Doing what is right does not guarantee that everything will come out right in this world, and least of all, that if we do good that it may be seen as good by others. There will be times that good will be detested by many, especially if it is something that agrees with the Word of God. Things may not turn out well, even when doing God’s will.
The first and clearest example we have that doing good never can guarantee a good outcome here and now is God Himself. The Lord Himself suffered incredibly harsh and unfair things on this earth. The Word teaches us this: “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” John 1:10-11. The Lord was perfect. He never sinned. Nonetheless, He was a poor man (without material wealth), and that He was even buried in a borrowed grave. And of course, He suffered the cross and all of the scorn and pain associated with the process of the crucifixion. And, what personal guilt was He paying for? Was His sin healing the sick, casting out demons, feeding the masses for free, preaching the kingdom of God, raising the dead, or being the only begotten Son of God? Was there something evil in anything He did? Impossible. So then, the Lord suffered the greatest injustices any being could ever suffer in the universe. There was no, nor will there be any greater injustice than what the King of Kings and Lord of Lords suffered for all of us, for our sins.
Now then, some may say: “Well, He had to go through all of that, so that He could pay for our sins.” And I would have to leave very clear for anyone that would make that statement, that He did not have to suffer any of that, because He did not owe us anything. So then, yes, it was necessary, but be careful with thinking that there was some sort of obligation. Leaving the Lord aside for a moment, the Bible also explains in Hebrews 11 that many were able to do great things through faith, but also, that there were many where things didn’t go so well for them for defending their faith, as it is written: “Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.” Hebrews 11:36-40. So, quite simply, just because someone does things right does not guarantee under any circumstances that things will come out right here on earth. If things turn out well, it may not necessarily be because you did things right. And in the same manner, if things turn out bad, it may not necessarily mean that you did things wrong. You can’t necessarily judge things as good or evil by their results.
I know it sounds a little depressing, because it takes away the hope in here and now, but unfortunately, that’s the way things are. Nonetheless, here is where true faith is exercised, because this is what the Word of God teaches us: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:10-12. This is the true reward for those that do the will of God. It also tells us this: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Matthew 7:21-23. And finally, we are encouraged in the following manner: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Galatians 6:7-9.
In the end, even though we may suffer injustices here for doing good, what really does not matter is here and now, but rather, that God is watching, and the only thing that should be of concern to us is God’s opinion because He is the One that will judge us according to our actions, whether good or evil. So then, are you suffering injustice with the hope that God is watching? Lord bless! John