Our text implies that there are two types of understanding. – infantile and mature. We are admonished to go for the latter. Invariably, our kind or level of understanding will play out in our words, actions, and reactions. Many times when king Saul is mentioned, hardly do we remember that his understanding level contributed to his undoing. It all began by Saul becoming jealous of David. The source of that jealousy was the praise of the women who said Saul killed a thousand, but David killed ten thousands. Had Saul viewed the kingdom as one, belonging to the great God irrespective of the actors, he would not have run into problem.

We must be wary of reading in-between the lines; and when we are in doubt it is good to ask questions.

Consider this from another angle. David on occasions addressed himself as a servant and son. If he had only seen David as a son and a protege, he would have simply comforted himself with the fact that whatever victory David paraded was a plus to him, the boss. Same thing would have happened if he truly took him as a servant. After all, whatever victory a servant got is the glory of his master. He read a wrong interpretation to words innocently spoken and created avoidable rifts. This scenario still plays out today among family members and professional colleagues. We must be wary of reading in-between the lines; and when we are in doubt it is good to ask questions.