Who Guards the Shepherd?

1 Samuel 26:1-16 shows us a principle that applies to our lives today, but many feel free to ignore or don’t have spiritual understanding in the matter. It is very important to understand that honoring authority is high on God’s priority list.

The statement that is the center of this whole passage is in verse 16: “What you have done is not good. As surely as the Lord lives, you and your men deserve to die, because you did not guard your master, the Lord’s anointed”. Wow! You deserve to die!!?!! Sounds like serious business to me. Sounds like serious business to God.

We are held accountable to God to guard those in authority over us. Romans chapter 13 is clear on the matter of authority:
“1Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment…give honor to whom honor is due”.

Honor: high respect, as for worth, merit, or rank: to be held in honor

Resisting authority here in Romans 13 doesn’t mean that you do everything no matter what. Our examples are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. You honor God number one. All others authorities fall into place after honoring God and His Word. You can “respectfully” honor them without agreeing with them. That is the same as with our parents. The Word tells us to “honor” our parents in Deuteronomy 5:16 and Ephesians 6:2. That’s the only verse with such a great promise. The Word tells us that “our days will be long and things will go well with us”. We don’t have to agree with everything, but honor their position as God has chosen them to give you a place in this earth and His Kingdom.

Leadership and authority are flesh as we are. We all “sin and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The onslaught of the enemy is many times harder on those in leadership. They need us in their corner.

Have we dishonored God’s appointed and anointed? Have we disrespected the one God put in authority over us? What have we done to protect them spiritually even when we haven’t agreed with them? Have we encouraged them in the Lord? Have we prayed for them? I Timothy 2:1-4 even tells us why we need to pray for those in authority. Have we loved them and treated them also as a brother or sister in Christ? Have we borne their burdens? (Galatians 6:2). Have we been Aaron and Hur to them? Have we lifted their arms up in battle? (Ephesians 6:10-18). Have we stood in their corner through their failures? (James 5:16) or have we deserted them? Have we helped to restore?

David is our example. He did his best to honor God’s authority over him. He didn’t cross that line of disrespect. AND, in the natural or flesh, we would agree he deserved to take revenge. Saul was evil to him on so many levels. Yet, David fought battles for Saul. He killed Saul’s enemies. He sang and played music for Saul to calm his spirit. David used all his gifts and talents to honor the King. He also knew when he had to leave. That is the reality in many of our lives. There is a time to leave…without dishonoring the other person’s authority.

There were many times after “leaving” that David had to stay in a stronghold for protection. But there was a time that he left the stronghold to go into the land of Judah (1 Samuel 22:5). The Prophet Gad came to him to tell him to go. God’s timing is everything. He knows that sometimes we need protection. Sometimes we need to be out of the way for a while. But, He sends those along side of us to give direction. The best thing the Prophet Gad did was tell him to leave the bondage and go into PRAISE…from the stronghold to Judah. That’s the place we need to be in the midst of it all as well.

God holds us accountable to “guard the shepherd”. We may have to do it from a distance, but let us honor God by doing so.

1 Samuel 26
9David said to Abishai, Do not destroy him; for who can raise his hand against the Lord's anointed and be guiltless?