Day 148 when our sin leads to death of others..

When our sin leads to death of others.. knowing the value of keeping your mouth shut!

I was caught up in the story of Doeg the Edomite, head shepherd to Saul in I Sam 21&22
He was the only one out of thousands to respond to Saul's sulky "woe is me" speech. Where he tries to entice information from his troops on the whereabouts of David.

What would make someone do this? Maybe he wanted to win the favor of Saul. Maybe he was dissatisfied with his job and was a "wanna be warrior". If that was the case he got more than he bargained for... on one day he would slay the 85 Priests of Nob and their families. The town of the priests with its men women and children and infants cattle donkeys and sheep. I sam 22 :19 What a horrific day, all because Doeg couldn't keep his mouth shut.

It is interesting to note that Doeg had that information on David because he was "detained before the Lord" I sam 21:7. I am reminded that while God does not tempt us, he can test our hearts to "temper our mettle" to see how well we are really progressing in our walk with Him.

We always have the choice to weigh the merits of each situation before we act. What did Doeg know about Sauls evil intentions, his mental stability, what were others - perhaps wiser than himself doing in this situation? The refusal of others to take the bait should have been a guide if he was on the threshold of "should I, shouldn't I" kind of thinking. Doeg does have a psalm written about him, not the honor of a warrior trusting in God, but as a disgrace in the sight of God.

Psalm 52 gives us some insight on the sort of fellow Doeg was.
^{Ps 52: 1} Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?.... ⁷ "Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!"

The last word goes to Proverbs 13:16 "All who are prudent act with knowledge, but fools expose their folly".