There is a video that can be found on the internet that presents a task for the viewer.
You are shown a group of people passing basketballs and are asked to count how many passes the players wearing white make. The video then asks for your answer, informs you of the correct answer, but then asks if you saw the gorilla? As you re-watch the video, now looking for a gorilla, you plainly see a man dressed in a gorilla suit, walk across the screen, stop in the middle, and even do a little dance before he walks off the other side. How can most people, myself included, completely miss something so obviously out of place? It is because our focus was on something else.
The establishment of the Davidic kingdom as told in Old Testament history is fascinating to me. I am especially drawn to the era of Saul’s leadership and David’s hiding. Here we have 2 different individuals with varying focus. We are told in 1 Samuel 18 that Saul becomes jealous at the attention David is receiving. This spirit of hatred grew so strong that, from this point on, he spends the greater portion of his life pursing David to put him to death. He throws spears at him as well as his own son Jonathan, has numerous priests slain, and exhausts a lot of time and energy in his pursuit. Saul’s focus was on worldly pursuits, his own wants and desires, not on Godly ones.
David on the other hand kept God in focus. At one point in the narrative we are told that David’s best option is to flee from Saul and Israel entirely. Not only that, but to flee to the land of the Philistines (whom he had killed tens of thousands, which started the whole situation to begin with). Not only to the land of the Philistines but to the town of Gath (Goliath’s home town). Not only to Gath, but to Gath with Goliath’s very own sword as his only weapon (the very sword he used to kill Goliath). As one would guess, he is recognized and seized.
Even in the midst of this hopeless situation David remains focused on the Lord. Psalm 56 was written about this time by David. Here in verses 9-11 we read “Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call; This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid.”
Life brings many situations our way. Some are great and some not so much. We know that we can not control what transpires, we can however, control our focus.
- Clint
Fun board game you probably haven’t heard of: Castle Panic