DAVID IN THE CONFLICT
David in particular knew what the conflict is. When he fled to Ahimelech, the priest, he did two things of great value for us in the conflict. On the one hand, he fed himself on the shewbread which had been taken from the presence of God; on the other, he took the sword of Goliath. The shewbread had been given to David and he had fed on it. It is the feeding which it is important to take in a time of conflict. Our great pre-occupation should be to understand the truth, to understand what the scripture calls “the present truth” (2 Pet 1: 12) and there may be conflict in this respect. The scripture makes a distinction between the different features of the truth. It does not mean that all are not of present importance. However, the Spirit distinguishes between certain features and others more emphasised at one time; they are embraced in the expression “the present truth”. It is of all importance that we should governed by this, and that we should not be satisfied unless we see it, unless we prove something of the power and the liberty and blessing which it confirms.
We must know the truth and go on with it, but at the same time, if there is conflict, we need to be careful in having consideration for the saints and for this we must feed ourselves on what they are according to the manner in which God takes account of them in Christ. This is what the shewbread represents. Christ is the One who sustains the saints according to the thoughts of God, in order, in unity, in a sweet odour. What had already been before God becomes David’s food, as if he had need to be strengthened for the position in feeding his soul the thoughts of God for His own, that is for us, made to understand why he did not raise the sword against Saul, for he said he is the anointed of Jehovah, 1 Sam 24: 6. He did not allow his soul to be occupied with Saul’s terrible conduct, but he considered it in the light of the anointing. All the saints are anointed of God, by the fact that they have the Spirit. Saul went from bad to worse because he did not take account of the appeals of grace which he had had addressed to him earlier. The grace with which David treated him should have led him to accept what God was doing. But alas, he persisted in his state to end up killed on Mount Gilboa. Nevertheless, he was the anointed of Jehovah. What had maintained David in such considerations came in large part from his having been fed on the shewbread.
Then David took the sword of Goliath. It is the might of death. This is what we always need in a time of conflict. We must exercise the power of death on ourselves, so that we may judge the will of the flesh and the confidence that we can have in it, dealing in all severity with these things in the power of the Spirit bringing death to bear on them, to be able to go through the conflicts of testimony until the end.
1st September 1954
Place not given
From Paroles d’Édification Mutuelle
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