1 Sam. 14:1-15, Faith vs. Presumption (4)

(I hope you have enjoyed the review of 2 Corinthians.  As our family has gone through our time of struggle I have found them helpful myself.  Perhaps at a later time we will complete that journey with Paul.  But now I believe it would be helpful to return to our studies of 12 Character Traits.  If you need to make the connection, our last post was April 10.)

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i)      Again, in searching for “synonyms” for faith, Ps. 37:3-9 has much more fruit to yield.  May I encourage you to think of times in your life when you have experienced the meaning of these descriptions of faith.  Or perhaps, a time when it would have been better to exercise these aspects of faith.

(1)                        37:4: “Delight yourself” in the LORD (also in 37:11).  Some people are surprised that God wants people to enjoy life, thinking God is more interested in taking away our “fun.”  But that is exactly what we have here.  To “delight:” is to enjoy life, to make yourself laugh.  Faith knows what it is to rejoice; but our joy comes from the LORD.  We have a faith-relationship with God when we allow Him to give us delight.  As Paul testified, he had joy when he was in prison and was the object of criticism by some in the Body of Christ (Phil. 1:12-18). 

(a) Isa. 55:2: Related to delighting in the LORD, the prophet Isaiah asked, “why spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?”  Rather, he says your soul will “delight itself in abundance” if you come buy without money.  To “buy without money” is a synonym for faith. When we come to God, desiring the satisfaction of our souls, we come bringing nothing with which to pry it out of His hands.  We extend our empty hands and He gives “joy unspeakable” (1 Peter 1:8). 

(2)                        37:5-6: “Commit your way to the LORD.”  The root idea with “commit” is to roll something, like a heavy rock, like something too big or hard for you.  To commit it to the LORD is to role it to the LORD.  Perhaps faith is like “casting all your care on the Lord for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).  Prov. 3:5-6 equates trusting in the LORD with a) not leaning on your own understanding; and b) acknowledging God in every way that we take.  This is walking by faith.

(3)                        37:7-8: “Rest in the LORD.”  To rest is to be quiet.  It is the opposite of fretting, which is more fully described in v8: “cease from anger, and forsake wrath.”  It assumes a situation that goes on longer than we might want.  So “resting” is “waiting patiently.”  Faith is not agitated but is able to rest in troublesome times.  The Psalmist took this literally, and so should we: I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the LORD sustained me (Ps. 3:5).  I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety (Ps. 4:8).

(4)                        37:9-11: “Wait on the LORD.”  The idea here is to look for something with hope.  Faith is looking expectantly, giving God all the time He desires, but trusting that in His time, which will be the best time, He will meet the need according to His will, which is the best will.