“But the priest answered David, “I don’t have any ordinary bread on hand; however, there is some consecrated bread here — provided the men have kept themselves from women.” David replied, “Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever I set out. The men’s things are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!”” (1Sam 21:4-5NIV)
That was part of the conversation David had with Ahimelech the priest, when he was running away from King Saul. And as we see in their conversation, David desired to have some loaves of bread from this priest, so that he and his men would have something to eat on their journey. But the man of God told him that he only had consecrated bread with him.
Now was anything wrong with giving David and his men consecrated bread? Yes, everything was wrong with it. That was because only anointed priests were allowed by God to eat it. But then, as Ahimelech told David, those who were not anointed priests could also partake of this bread on one condition. And what was that condition? It was on the condition that they had stayed away from any kind of sexual relations on the day they were to eat it. (Cf. Lev 24:5-9)
What is this showing us? Well, first, let me tell you what it is not showing us. It is not showing us that married people must abstain from sexual relations with their spouses in order to be fit to serve God or to experience His power. Of course, the word of God also admonishes married people not to use all their time for sexual relations. Otherwise, they will be distracted and unable to fully give themselves to prayer and other things of the Spirit. But sexual relations are legitimate for married people. So, they don’t get defiled or rendered useless to God by them. (Cf. 1Cor 7:1-5)
However, those who are not married must watch themselves against sexual relations, any kind of sexual relations. And those who are married too must watch themselves against sexual relations with people that are not their spouses. That is because these things will defile them and make them unfit for God to use to accomplish His good purpose. So, wherever you are and whatever you do, stay away from sexual impurity.
As we see in David’s case above, even though he and his men were not entitled to having or eating consecrated bread, he was still able to get it for them on the occasion mentioned. And that was because of their abstinence from sexual impurity. In fact, as he pointed out, even when he and his men went out on missions that were unholy or ordinary, they still kept themselves from impurity. And that is telling us that it is not only when we are going to be involved in some spiritual activities that we are to keep ourselves pure before the Lord; we must also keep ourselves pure before Him when handling natural matters.
There are believers, for instance, who stay away from impurities and ungodly things only when they are fasting or when they are going to be preaching, singing, ushering or doing something that is connected to Christian service. When they are not going to be involved in anything connected to service in God’s kingdom, they will give themselves freely to all kinds of ungodly and immoral things. And what they do not know is that there is nothing like seasonal or occasional purity before God. If you are not going to commit yourself to a life of purity before Him, then, your occasional purity will not serve His purpose.
Now what is God’s purpose for us? His purpose is that He will be able to use us for any kind of good work anywhere we find ourselves. And it is those of us who maintain a life of purity before Him that He can use to do so. Those who give themselves to purity only occasionally aren’t fit for His use in this sense. If you, then, want Him to be able to use you for any kind of good work, including the good work that He might have used an apostle, prophet or pastor to do, make sure your life remains pure even in handling natural or ordinary things.
God bless you.
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