1 Samuel 24-27

"The LORD rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness." ~1 Samuel 26:23

I really have a thing for simple verses--for big ideas that can be captured in very few words. I think the phrase above in one such verse.

This a quote from David which he said just after risking his life by choosing not to kill king Saul.

At this point, Saul had made David's life into a living nightmare. He had driven David into hiding for month--he had tried to kill him multiple times, AND he killed dozens of people simply because someone that they were related to had helped David. Despite all of this, David chose not to kill Saul.

After Saul discovered that David had spared his life, he apologized to David and they have a conversation...

towards the end of that conversation

that phrase comes in...

The LORD rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness.

I believe that David is expressing the idea that he had to be righteous and he had to be faithful--it did not matter what Saul had done. David knew what he had to do--and that was all that mattered.

I think that David sets up a good standard for all of us. We need to decide what God wants us to be, and we have to be that no matter what happens.
We have to know that he will reward us for being faithful.