June 3

So David’s men said to him, “This is the day about which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do with him as you wish.’” Then David crept up secretly and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. — 1 Sam 24:4 BSB

It’s notable that the Lord had not said what these men were claiming. They took the situation into their own hands and interpreted the opportunity as providential. We are all too quick to interpret circumstances according to our own desires. When we strongly wish to go in a certain direction, it’s easy to see opportunities as divine guidance favoring our preference.

But opportunity does not always equal duty. When a merchant accidentally gives us too much change, there is an opportunity to make a profit—but does that mean we should take it? If someone who has wronged us falls into difficulty, we have an opportunity for revenge—but does that justify retaliating? In the first case, the duty is honesty, and in the second, it’s showing love to an enemy.

When interpreting life’s circumstances, we must remember that no opportunity to do something wrong should ever be considered divine guidance. It’s a sin to take revenge, no matter how deserving the person is or how easy it would be to harm them. It’s a sin to steal, even if the opportunity makes it convenient. God leads us through life, but He never leads us into sin.