How God’s providence works (1 Samuel 29)

I love stories of God’s providence where through a string of seeming coincidences someone is rescued from a tricky situation, a financial difficulty, accident, temptation or the like. It is uplifting to know that God cares and has the power to arrange events down to the smallest details. Yet, providence also raises uncomfortable questions. Why does God take a hand in some events in very tangible ways (as we shall see in David’s case) but seem absent from others? When something terrible happens to us, knowing that God could have altered the situation rubs salt into an open wound. Where was God when we needed Him? While our reading does not address this question specifically, reflecting on the purpose of God’s intervention here will help us rethink the meaning of providence.

David’s dilemma

Having successfully deceived Achish, David is expected to join the battle against Saul (1 Sam 28:1) and he cannot back out without giving the game away. His cocky answer to Achish earlier (1 Sam 28:2) and his push to be included in the venture by protesting his innocence (1 Sam 29:8) are either a bluff or he is hoping to turn against the Philistines in battle, just as the commanders fear (1 Sam 29:4). Ironically, Achish’s repeated defence of David as faultless and upright (1 Sam 29:3, 6, 9), while mistaken from a Philistine perspective, reinforces for the reader David’s loyalty to Israel. Thus, helping the Philistines is out of the question, but if David reveals his true allegiance in battle, can he survive? Neither can he expect Saul’s attitude to change towards him even if David sides with him, so whatever he does, he is in grave danger.

The reason for God’s intervention

Although the narrator makes no theological comment, the wider narrative suggest another reason why David is kept from Saul’s confrontation with the Philistines. David has been learning how not to use human power (not seize the throne by violence or take justice into his own hands – 1 Samuel 24-26). Although the evaluation of David’s violence in war (1 Samuel 27) remained somewhat open-ended, these chapters show David being prepared for kingship as God envisages it. He is learning what it means to be powerless and receive power from the Lord’s hands as he himself submits to God’s rule. Thus, he must not be embroiled in the fight, even if he sides with Israel, because if Saul gets killed, David may become implicated in his death. After all, who is to prove that in the heat of battle he did not play both sides for his own advantage? Ironically, it is the Philistine commanders, no friends of David, who inadvertently extricate him from the dilemma by refusing to have him along (1 Sam 29:4-5). God’s hidden intervention works in unexpected ways.

The character of God’s providence

When we think of God’s providence, our concerns are often narrowly focused on how we may be rescued from a tight spot. In David’s story, however, we see a greater purpose at work, namely teaching him what it means to be a godly king. The principle behind God’s providence is best summed up in Paul’s statement that all things work together for the good of those who love God, the purpose of which is to become conformed to His Son’s image (Rom 8:28-29). In other words, the good God has in mind is not some ‘it will all work out in the end’, but the moulding of our character through life’s events to reflect Jesus. God, then, is involved in all circumstances, good or bad, when we go through fire and tests or when we are saved out of difficulty. David was rescued here but he was not spared the experience of being persecuted. In all these situations, God shaped him by His sovereign will. Thus, our question when things do not work out as we had hoped should not be ‘Where was God?’ as if He were only involved in situations where a rescue took place. Rather, we should ask what we can learn from our experiences. Although we may not understand (fully or at all!) why God acts in certain ways, when we respond in trust, we can know that He shapes us into the image of His Son.

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