Acknowledge God

Deanna Smith

Acknowledge God

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.

                                                                                                -Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)

In the book of Proverbs, Solomon instructed believers to acknowledge God in everything and the result will be Him giving instruction. To “acknowledge” means to recognize, accept, or admit the existence, truth, or fact of something, or to formally recognize someone or something.

The twenty third chapter of 1 Samuel gives the believer a striking contrast of acknowledgement of God with David and Saul. 1 Samuel 23:1-2 (KJV) reads:

Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah and they rob the threshingfloors.

Therefore David enquired of the Lord, saying Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the Lord said unto David, Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.

Here, David had been given knowledge of Keilah being under attack by the Philistines. Though David had already defeated the well known Philistine, Goliath, he did not immediately jump to the aid of Keilah. Before he made a move, he consulted with God for the correct course of action to take.  In fact, he “enquired” of God, meaning to ask information or seek information about something.

In the next verse, David’s men express fear and doubt as to whether they will prevail over the Philistines. To this, David looked5 to the Lord again, as 1 Samuel 23:4 (KJV) says:

Then David enquired of the Lord yet again. And the Lord answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keila; for I will deliver the Philistine into thine hand.

After inquiring of the Lord again, David was met with reassurance from God. With this reassurance, David went to Keilah and was victorious in battle against the Philistines. Unfortunately, while David was in Keilah, Saul gained knowledge of his location and sought to go after him. 1 Samuel 23:7-8 (KJV) advises:

And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars.

And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.

Notice here, Saul did not seek information from God when he was presented with the opportunity to go into battle. He assumed he would be able to over take David. He leaned on his own understanding. Saul gathered his men without any instruction from God and decided to act. In contrast, David asked for direction from God twice with the second time looking for reassurance before he went to Keilah for battle.

As the Chapter continues, David, knowing that Saul “secretly practised mischief against him”, asked the priest to bring him the ephod. The ephod is a “priestly garment connected with seeking a word from God” and is a “source of divine guidance” (Holman Bible Dictionary). David’s request for the garment further enforced his trust in and acknowledgement of God. After receiving the ephod, David again consulted with the Lord. 1 Samuel 23:10-12 (KJV) reads:

Then said David, O Lord God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.

Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? Will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Lord, God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the Lord said, He will come down.

Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up.

Notice, there was an exchange between David and God. David laid the situation before God, asked a question and God gave an answer. After receiving God’s answer, David took action.

As a result of this conversation with God, David fled into the wilderness with his men. Saul combed through the wilderness hunting David. He made mention of the Lord as he consulted with the Ziphites in 1 Samuel 23:21-22 (KJV):

And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the Lord; for ye have compassion on me.

Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who hath seen him there; for it is told me that he dealeth very subtilly.

Here, Saul mentioned God but did not acknowledge Him or ask for direction. Instead, Saul relied on information from other men. He put dependence on carnal information whereas David depended on  divine information from the Most High. Saul sought David out but ultimately received a message that he was needed in a different location as there was a Philistine invasion that required immediate attention. David’s life was spared.

This chapter of 1 Samuel, shows the believer how to properly acknowledge God. David continuously had an exchange with God. Whereas Saul did not formally seek Him or receive any sort of Word from the Lord. Is important to come to God when information is received and intentionally seek His direction. Next, it is necessary to wait for his response before moving. This text also shows believers that it is okay to ask for reassurance from Him. The believer sees that He will provide it with no hesitation. When God is acknowledged, victory and safety is guaranteed.