Conscience

*Recap of*

*Be Inspired Bible Studies*

*By Sister Leah Adepeju*

*Thursday 4th April 2019*

*Topic*: Conscience

*Text :* 1 Samuel 24:1-12

After Saul returned from fighting the Philistines, he was told that David had gone into the wilderness of En-gedi. So Saul chose 3,000 elite troops from all Israel and went to search for David and his men near the rocks of the wild goats. At the place where the road passes some sheepfolds, Saul went into a cave to relieve himself. But as it happened, David and his men were hiding farther back in that very cave! “Now’s your opportunity!” David’s men whispered to him. “Today the Lord is telling you, ‘I will certainly put your enemy into your power, to do with as you wish.’” So David crept forward and cut off a piece of the hem of Saul’s robe. But then David’s conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul’s robe. He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this to my Lord the king. I shouldn’t attack the Lord ’s anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him.” So David restrained his men and did not let them kill Saul. After Saul had left the cave and gone on his way, David came out and shouted after him, “My Lord the king!” And when Saul looked around, David bowed low before him. Then he shouted to Saul, “Why do you listen to the people who say I am trying to harm you? This very day you can see with your own eyes it isn’t true. For the Lord placed you at my mercy back there in the cave. Some of my men told me to kill you, but I spared you. For I said, ‘I will never harm the king—he is the Lord ’s anointed one.’ Look, my father, at what I have in my hand. It is a piece of the hem of your robe! I cut it off, but I didn’t kill you. This proves that I am not trying to harm you and that I have not sinned against you, even though you have been hunting for me to kill me. “May the Lord judge between us. Perhaps the Lord will punish you for what you are trying to do to me, but I will never harm you.

1 Samuel 24:1‭-‬12 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/1sa.24.1-12.NLT

*Prayer*

Almighty father we worship you.
We give you all praise and magnify your Holy name.
We thank you Jehovah for your word that is made life in our spirit and souls. Lord we ask for you to lead this evening.
Lord we do not want to discuss based on our human knowledge. We ask for the Holy spirit to take the leading and we ask that at the end we will have more clarity than we did before. Lord we also pray that you will tabernacle in our mindset henceforth and all glory will be yours alone in Jesus name.

Amen.

I believe we all have read the above scripture.

To start with can we give our individual understanding of the word *Conscience*? In your own word, what is *Conscience?* *As individual how do we know we have conscience or can I say when do we realise we have conscience?*

Conscience means individual alignment to set morals or values.

Sis Queeneth: Conscience to me is the moral sense of right or wrong.

Priceless Olori: Moral sense, either right or wrong.

Sis Florence Chisa: Morality principles of an individual to be able to differentiate between right and wrong.

Sis Omosola: Conscience is the knowledge of right and wrong that helps us to recognize behaviour.

Sis Linda Asuzu Emeto: Conscience is that which helps you differentiate right from wrong.

Sis Oluyemmy: Conscience is a moral sense of right and wrong that acts as a guide to one's behavior.

Thanks all for those wonderful definitions.

*Do all human beings have conscience?*
Sis Florence Chisa: Not all ma.
Sis Oluyemmy: Yes.
Priceless Olori: No.
Sis Funmilola Komolafe: No.
Sis Florence Chisa: Every human being has conscience but not all make use of it.
Sis Oluyemmy: All human beings have conscience but not all follow or listen to it.
Sis Funmilola Komolafe: You can't have a conscience and know that what you are about to do is wrong and you still go ahead. To me that is a dead conscience.
Priceless Olori: You can't have conscience and you do something wrong.

From verse 1 to 3, we were told that Saul just came back from pursuing the Phillistines and he was told that David was in the wilderness of Engedi. Saul now took 3000 men to pursue David. He got to a place where there was a cave and he decided to rest there but in the same cave David was in the innermost part of the same cave.
I will go back to  to chapter 23 of the same book of 1 Samuel.
Saul was chasing after David to kill him. He had all odds against David. At some point David got to gated city Keilah and Saul got to find out and he was after him but David sought God and God told him to flee from there because Saul will catch him and harm him if he was there.
As we know David crossed the path of Saul when Goliath was terrorising the Israelites but Saul saw that he was the potential next king of Israel and not his son Jonathan and he just developed some kind of hatred and jealousy towards David.

Starting from verse 4 of 1 Samuel 24, the men of David told him that God had delivered his enemy into his hands. David rose up and cut a piece of Saul's clothes. After he did that David's heart struck him (conscience)  and he said God forbid him to do wrong to *God's anointed.*

*_From this portion do we think David had a good or bad conscience?_*
The Bible says in *_1 Chronicles 16:22 that touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm._*

Sis Funmilola Komolafe: I will say David have a good conscience; he had all the chances to kill Saul but he didn't.
Priceless Olori: Good conscience.
Sis Queeneth: Good.

So if he had killed Saul his conscience must have been bad, right?

Sis Funmilola Komolafe: When the enemy refuses to repent, then you can be justified. At a point in David's life when he came back from war and all his household had been taken by the enemy, he asked God what he should do and God told him to  pursue the enemy.
Sis Queeneth: If the enemy refuses to repent because the Bible says suffer no witch to live but we also need to show love to our enemies before it can get to no repentance from them.

*_How do we now justify prayers that enemy should die Or thinking evil against someone because they hurt us?_*
We can answer the next question as we dig deep.

David *persuaded* his men with words and *did not permit them to hurt Saul* and Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.

David arose and went out of the cave, called Saul *_My lord the king and Saul looked behind him, David bowed🙇🏽‍♀ with his face to the earth and paid homage._*

What can we call this act of David here?

*Eye service?👀*
*Humility?🙇🏽‍♀*
*Stupidity?🥺*
*Godliness?😇*

Sis Funmilola Komolafe: David's action is an act of humility and godliness.
Sis Peace Agubosim: Exactly.
Sis Queeneth: Godliness.

Going further ...
From verse 9 David said to Saul, why do you listen to the words of men who say behold David seek your harm, Behold this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave and some told me to kill you but I spared you. I said I will not put out my hand against my lord for he is the Lord's anointed. See my father see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you you know I have nothing against you and may God avenge me against you but my hand shall not be against you.

*Is David justifying himself here or boasting?*

*_Is he trying to be reasonable and let Saul see that there is no point in being enemies especially if they are Gods chosen?_*

Sis Queeneth: He's trying to make Saul repent and be reasonable that they are both God's chosen.
Sis Funmilola Komolafe: I think David is been reasonable here, Saul is the one that has a problem and David saw no reason why they should be enemies.
Sis Peace Agubosim: David by these words was only telling Saul that there should not be any strife among them since they were God's children.

Conscience is something every human being has. Remember it's an alignment of what you set as standard morals or values to your way of living. Conscience can help you see if some act is sinful or not.

In the case of David he was anointed by God, David's conscience was based on his knowledge of God and the relationship he had with God. Not that alone, David was a man after God's heart. He called God throughout the battle. God could have delivered David into the hands of Saul just like that when he was in Keilah but God told him the plan of Saul and he kept following the direction of God.

Saul on the other hand was power drunk. He had seen the rulership of Israel as an inheritance to him and his lineage so he would do anything to stop David from being enthroned as the king.

David could have killed Saul but he feared God and his conscience was in line with the fear of God in him. He didn't say just because Saul was evil to him he will pay with evil. At the end David said God will avenge him. Conscience makes you leave the payback season to God when people hurt you. It leaves you to pray genuine prayer for your enemy even when it is difficult as human being.

David's conscience didn't stop when Saul and Jonathan eventually died. Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan who was the grandson of Saul was treated as a royalty by David. David could have said because Mephibosheth was crippled he should sit by the gate but he brought him to the table to dine with him David the king.

As believers a lot of things will change in us as we grow to know God. A lot of things will be looked at differently because our conscience is in line with the will of God,  the word of God and the way of God.
The Bible says it is the Holy Spirit that teaches us how to pray and not pray amiss. When our conscience is aligned to the will of God even when we have all urge to curse we bless.
David knew the word of God which was why he said Saul was anointed of God; and he didn't stop there he called him my king the anointed one of my Lord. Conscience that is in line with God breaks the heart of revenge.
It takes us to the place of God, that is, we see the way God sees.
When our conscience is in line with God we do not seek after our own interest alone.
You wouldn't pray for your business partner to die or bankrupt if your conscience is in line with God.
You wouldn't pray that the person who hurt you should die - either your in-law, friends or enemies.
When your conscience is right you let go and let God.
The power with which Saul was drunk with was taken away from him even before his death because the throne had being spiritually allocated to David once Saul started speaking to ghosts.

I want us to reflect on this study. What does my conscience carry? What is in your conscience? Am I praying for someone to be harmed even without uttering it? Am I wishing for downfall of someone just because they seem better than me? Am I allowing human factor to challenge God factor in a way that I yield to the human factor above God factor?
What is residing in the innermost part of me?

I know that the spirit of God doesn't confuse but He convicts us to do right.

So my prayer is henceforth we will have the right conscience in all situations. The kind of way that God wants us to go is where we will go. Our lives will reflect that indeed we carry the word of God in us,  even our conscience will change henceforth in Jesus name.
Conscience when it is right conveys the right message and the life does right when it is filled with light; the path of such person shines.
So today I want us to say:
Father renew my conscience to be in line with you always. Take off anything that isn't of you and let me showcase you in all that I do in Jesus name.

*Amen.*