Assumptions Leading to Tragedy

In 2 Samuel chapter 1 David is presented news by a messenger who tells David that King Saul is dead and that the young man had finished him off with the sword and presented the Kings wears to David as the newly appointed King over Judah (2 Samuel 1:1-10). But instead of David rejoicing that his enemy had been killed, he tore his clothes and mourned for Saul and the rest of the fallen men who had died in battle that day (2 Samuel  1:11-12). I can only imagine that the young man had maybe anticipated some kind of reward for slaughtering David’s enemy but instead, the young man was struck down for killing the Lord’s anointed (2 Samuel 14-16).

 David loved Saul very much, and even though David had at least two chances at killing his enemy, he restrained himself from touching the Lord’s anointed King. David was an upright man with a humble attitude towards Saul. David even met up with Saul in a cave (1 Samuel 24) whereby David pleaded with Saul not to pursue him. So David had a greater love for Saul even though Saul hated David and tried extremely hard to kill him.

But this was not the only assumption leading to tragedy. In 2 Samuel 4 we read of how Ish-bosheth (Saul’s son) was assassinated by Rechab and his brother Baanah. David replies to both of the men prior to killing them saying “As the Lord lives, the One who has redeemed my life from every distress, ¹⁰ when the person told me, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ he thought he was a bearer of good news, but I seized him and put him to death at Ziklag. That was my reward to him for his news! ¹¹ How much more when wicked men kill a righteous man in his own house on his own bed! So now, should I not require his blood from your hands and wipe you off the earth?” (2 Samuel 4:9-11).

Are there things in our lives by which we assume God is pleased with but have not the humility to test it with scripture? Perhaps there are ministries, church events whereby we are more inclined to believe it is good, acceptable and pleasing to God without bringing it before God, without testing these things with the word of God. We should be less like the men who assumed to do right before God and before David, and be more like David who didn’t assume of the Lord but brought all things before Him asking which way to go (1 Samuel 23:9-10).

It is a tragedy to assume the will of the Lord without consulting the Lord, without seeking after His word. Let us be a people who are humbled by His word and not assume for the sake of reaping only tragedy on ourselves.