The Arrows Are Beyond You:
The saying “diamond in the rough” means someone who has great potential despite how they look on the outside. God picked David as his “diamond in the rough”. David would loose everything this world has for comforts – his home, his family, his friends, his self-respect, and his mind. But God never abandoned him, God saw the great potential despite how David might appear to everyone else, including himself.
In 1 Samuel 20, David and Jonathan devised a plan to see what path was before David- was it going to be one of comfort and richest? Or one of being a fugitive and hiding in desolation?
They created a secret code: “the arrows are on the side of you” meant “SAFE” and “the arrows are beyond you” meant “UNSAFE”.
Jonathan was shocked to see the hatred in his own father’s heart, and he sent the arrows beyond the servant boy with the message screaming over David’s head: it is unsafe for you! Run!
David flees into the desert and wilderness running from Saul’s murderous intentions. God uses this time to make his “diamond in the rough” becomes the diamond set on throne, and eventually, through whom we get the diamond studded crown of life.
Simple coal, the debris of things once alive now long dead, when compressed and put under immense pressure and heat becomes this beautiful very hard to break jewel that glitters and glows with a light like the stars in heaven.
David, the chosen king by God, the man after God’s own heart, is put through immense pressure and heat. Saul and the world tries to take everything from David, but he continues to trust in God’s plan for him. Even when Saul is offered up on a platter for him to kill, David spares his life. He didn’t take things into his own hands and he didn’t read it as a “sign” or “gift” from God.
The arrows Jonathon shot were beyond his control, they were beyond his reach. When life trials causes us to grow weary, we begin to start to doubt that God is really in control – that is when we start to break apart as easy as coal, that is when we start to look to ourselves and try to find our own way out.
The arrows are beyond us, too. It can be a spiritual warning for our journey through life: IT IS UNSAFE! This world and its comforts has nothing that will withstand the heat, the pressure and the trials we endure. We will crumble if that is what we are putting our hope and trust in. The arrows are beyond us and our gracious Lord sent us the only solid rock that can withstand this world, the firm foundation to build upon, the mighty fortress, His son, Jesus Christ.
We are like the dirty weak pieces of coal, we are decomposing debris of the creation we once were created to be, we are dead and decaying in our sins. When God is in control of our life, he can transform any piece of coal into diamonds. Like David clung to and trusted God’s plans and promises for him, when we cling to the rock of Jesus Christ, our trials and immense pressures we endure in this life will transform us into diamonds. It will feel like we are following arrows that are beyond our vision or understanding, be prepared to always cling to the hope and faith we have in the Lord and trust His unseeable plans for us. For God’s arrows lead to everlasting life, beyond this temporal world, to our home in heaven.
מגן השביל 