Aside from Jesus, the person most closely associated with kingship, military might and the execution of God’s justice in the Bible has to be King David. He is introduced to the reader as one anointed to become king. As a young man he defeated the enemy-giant, Goliath, on behalf of his nation. He first ruled Judah and then all of Israel. He conquered the city of Jerusalem, where the temple would be built. In battle after battle, David bested Israel’s primary enemy, the Philistines. He expanded the country’s footprint dramatically, and his dominance over neighboring nations resulted in a large community of servants from vassal states.
While not without sin, David ruled for 40 years and is described as a “man after God’s own heart.” He was God’s instrument for justice against evil and in return, David repeatedly gave God credit for the victories. “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Ps. 121:1-2).
A more direct line could not be drawn between God approving of a person and that person’s subsequent success. And that’s just the way we like it! It’s the classic good guy story. An injustice is perpetrated against an undeserving people, so a champion is sent to exact God’s justice.
A 30,000-foot view of David’s life tells the story of an aggressive hero, but a deeper dive reveals something critically important about the many blessings that David enjoyed. The faith that David demonstrated was not just a brash call to action in the name of the God. It’s true that in his first conflict against Goliath he said, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Sam. 17:45), but other accounts note a kind of faith that can be much more difficult to exercise.
Before ascending to the throne, David’s life was in constant peril at the hand of his own king. Saul mounted forces numerous times to pursue and kill David out of jealousy. Two times David found himself in the unique position to kill Saul, but he refused to do it out of reverence to God. This is difficult to reconcile. David was unjustly in continual fear for his life, and he had the opportunity to take justice into his own hands. Twice it was right there for the taking. Both times David’s men invoked God’s blessing by saying, “God has given your enemy into your hand this day,” but David restrained himself and them. David’s desire to honor God exceeded his drive for personal justice.
A third example is the account of David and Abigail. After David’s men generously protected Nabal’s workers from harm in the field, David asked Nabal to share some food with him and his men. Nabal responded with such blatant disrespect that David’s first instinct was to jump into action to punish him for the offense. In wisdom, Nabal’s wife Abigail intervened which allowed David to regain his wits. David said to Abigail, “Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand!” (1 Sam. 25:33). David acknowledged that while God is perfectly just, He had not appointed David to be His agent of justice in all circumstances. God does not overlook a single offense, but He does choose the manner and timing of how He will right each wrong.
When you have been treated unfairly is it your habit to trust the Lord to resolve the situation in His way and in His timing or are you inclined to exact justice as soon as you have the chance? Undoubtedly it takes faith to take a stand for God, but sometimes even more faith is required to show restraint. That kind of faith is only possible when your goal is to honor God more than to seek justice. When that is more important than taking matters into your own hands, you too will be able to say that God has saved you from working your own salvation.
Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it completely. (Prov. 28:5)