When soldiers are behind enemy lines during war, communication with commanding officers and artillery is critical. During World War II, the U.S. Army directed Privates Ben Yahzee and Charlie Whitehorse to communicate with superiors on the radio using βThe Navajo Code.β It was based on the Navajo language, containing a code embedded within each message. Even other native Navajo soldiers could not decipher its meaning. Only these two men could properly interpret each transmission and in turn enable their counterparts to act accordingly.
When King Saul saw David as a threat to his reign, he pursued David with an army of trained soldiers, intending to put David to death. David had done nothing to deserve such treatment. He had been a loyal and valuable subject. While David and his men hid in a cave, Saul came in alone. This was Davidβs opportunity to slay the one seeking his life and ascend to the throne. His men even urged him to do so, interpreting this circumstance as God fulfilling a promise to David to βdeliver thine enemy into thine handβ (1 Sam. 24:4). However, David was very careful not to haphazardly interpret his circumstances by the counsel of other men, nor by his emotions, which surely would have drawn him into revenge out of self-preservation. Instead, he told his men that it would be wrong for him to slay the Lordβs anointed king (1 Sam. 24:6,10). David was wise to choose not to interpret Godβs will merely by his circumstances. He believed principles in Godβs Word essentially βforbid that I should do this thing unto my masterβ (1 Sam. 24:6). He believed God had already revealed His will in Deuteronomy 32:35-36, when the Lord explained, βTo Me belongeth vengeance and recompenseβ¦For the Lord shall judge His peopleβ¦.β This meant it would be wrong for David to βget evenβ with this wrongdoer from within his nation. Instead, David turned Saul over to the Lord and trusted the Lord to take care of his present needs.
In Christian circles today, it has become common for believers to almost flippantly interpret Godβs will by their emotions, the counsel of others, or by circumstances which are often manipulated to oneβs preferences. There is a better way! Like David, we need to develop a pattern of interpreting Godβs will by Godβs Word. We are behind enemy lines in Satanβs territory, where interpreting Godβs will accurately, through Paulβs letters, is essential. Trust Godβs Word to give you clear direction, and then act accordingly. source
