The 23rd chapter of 1st Samuel verses 14-28 provides a practical guide to some of the processes God uses to shape David “the person after God’s heart.” What I so often fail to realize is that life as I know it is not about me “getting what I want out of God when I want it.” Rather, it is about God transforming me into who He wants me to be. (2 Cor. 3:18)
Now as I look at my life, God uses two primary tools to accomplish this in my life, the first of which is adversity. Most often, this adversity is seen in adverse situations or circumstances that go against us. Such was the case at Keilah when the Lord used a city to “carve and toss away” parts of David’s life, preparing him for the throne.
Ah, but there is another useful tool God uses to further transform us, and the use of this tool is much more difficult for me to appreciate. Here in this section we see God using this tool in three different ways, one of which we don’t mind, in fact we rather enjoy. But the other two ways we tend to become quite upset when the Lord uses this tool on us.
The tool I’m speaking of is “people.” In verses 14-28, we see the Lord using people in three different ways to further refine and shape David to be king:
• Vs. 14-18 Friend (Jonathan) verse 16
•Vs. 19-23 Family (Ziphites) verse 19
•Vs. 24-28 Foe (Philistines), verse 27
These 13 verses provide for us David’s departure from the betrayal at the hands of the inhabitants of Keilah whom he had just delivered twice, once from his coming into the city taking on the Philistines and once upon leaving the city so that Saul and his army would not destroy it while trying to kill David.
The 13th verse also tells us that David’s men now numbered about six hundred, an increase of 200 hundred from the 400 who originally came to him while he was in the cave of Adullam. It is safe to assume that these 200 were themselves inhabitants of Keilah who observed not only a man who was willing to deliver the city from an enemy, but they also saw that David was a man willing to have parts of his life carved and tossed away, drawing him ever closer to the Lord.
Hear me out, Christian, what God often uses to change others hearts is the very thing He used to change yours! I have no doubt those 200 men were blessed by David’s heart to be their deliverer, but I’m inclined to believe that they were even more amazed at how he handled the betrayal from those he had just delivered. The risking of a life to save a city is a great thing, and it made him a hero. Ah, but the wounding of a heart from those whom you just saved revealed a man after God’s heart!