Behaving Wisely

“So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the LORD was with him. Therefore, when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him.

Then the princes of the Philistines went out to war. And so it was, whenever they went out, that David behaved more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name became highly esteemed.”
‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭18:5, 14-15, 30‬ (‭NKJV‬‬)

What does it mean to behave wisely like David?

1. Take ownership over your conduct regardless of the connections / networks you have.
Even though Jonathan and David became covenantal brothers, David did not say, “oh now I am safe. I can behave however I want because the king’s son is on my side.” He did not take advantage of the connection, but was responsible in whatever the king called him to do.

God may have given you precious connections / networks. It can be your parents, a teacher or superior who clearly favours you. Still, you will have to remain responsible over the tasks under your care. Do not entertain the thought that you can slack off or not do your best just because of the connections you have.

2. Be excellent in all your ways whether you are given more or less to do.
Because Saul was jealous of God’s favour upon David, he was removed from Saul’s presence. From being the king’s favourite man in the palace, he was demoted to be a captain of a mere hundred men in the army. David did not say, “since I have lost favour with Saul, and God is going to make me king anyway, let me set up my own kingdom now.” Instead, he was faithful and bore excellence in promotion and demotion.

Whether you are given more or less to do; when someone is regarded as more favoured than yourself, learn to bear excellence. Work as though you are working for God. He is faithful to raise the humble in due time.

3. The root of wise behaviour can possibly be the fear of God.
What are the other possible behaviours David did that could cause him to be positioned as wiser than Saul’s men? Perhaps, because he was God-fearing, he would inquire of the Lord on what to do before bringing the men to fight battles. The Philistines could have admired his wise military strategy. He would not have behaved proudly and tried to make his name great just because he won those battles.

Proverbs 9:10 states: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom... In order to acquire wisdom and behave in that manner, I believe it stems from a heart that fears God, inquires of His ways, and attributes glory in times of victory.