In I Samuel 23, David had inquired of the Lord as to whether he should go up and attack the Philistines, who were oppressing the town of Keilah. God told him to go. But when David told his men, :3 says they were hesitant: “But David’s men said to him, ‘Behold, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the ranks of the Philistines?'”
What David’s men said “made sense” from a worldly viewpoint. Here they were, “outcasts” in their own land, as Saul was seeking David’s life. They were “barely making it” as they were — and now David wanted them to “go on the offensive” and go up to Keilah to fight the Philistines? It really didn’t seem prudent. And yet :4 says that when David “double-checked” with God, that was exactly what He told him to do. So David led his men up to Keilah and attack the Philistines, and :5 says that they won a great victory.
This is a good reminder to us that sometimes God leads us do what does not seem “right” or “prudent” from a cautious, earthly standpoint.
shawnethomas 