Conscientious Living
“Then the men of David said to him, ‘This is the day of which the LORD said to you, “Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.”’ And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe.”
— 1 Samuel 24:4–5 (NKJV)
Although everyone around David approved of attacking King Saul, David’s heart told him otherwise. He did not kill Saul, but his conscience troubled him over cutting the king’s robe (1 Samuel 24:5–6). David recognized that even this act had crossed a line. He was still sensitive to the weight of his actions.
Rather than follow the familiar line of teaching about “touching the LORD’s anointed,” I want to focus on David’s troubled heart. The Hebrew expression is often rendered “his heart smote him” or “his heart troubled him.” David felt convicted about what he had done. I also want to explore self-awareness and the biblical principle that love does no harm to a neighbor (Romans 13:10).
Listening to Your Conscience
Our conscience may trouble us when we do something we know is wrong—a sin of commission—or when we neglect something we know we should do—a sin of omission (James 4:17). David was under Saul’s authority, and he believed he should not harm the king. Cutting Saul’s robe may have been a way of showing, “I could have killed you if I wanted to.” David may initially have felt justified, but his conscience corrected him.
It is vital for Christians to be sensitive to conscience. Some people may struggle with an overly sensitive conscience, but many people instead learn to ignore theirs. Their conduct can become careless. For example, someone may begin by intending to obey traffic laws, then gradually adopt a “no police, no stop” attitude—doing what is right only when someone in authority is watching. In Ezekiel’s day, some people said in their hearts:
“The LORD seeth us not.”
— Ezekiel 8:12 (KJV)
Eye-Service
When people do what is right only while being watched, Scripture calls it “eye-service.” In Colossians 3:22, the Greek word is ophthalmodouleia, meaning service performed for the sake of being seen. Paul contrasts this with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. It is almost a synonym for hypocrisy, as Paul connects eye-service with people-pleasing.
“Bondservants, obey in all things those who are your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.”
— Colossians 3:22 (NKJV)
In our time, this principle can apply to how we behave at work, at home, or in any situation where we are responsible to others. We should do what is right without needing someone to watch, remind, or correct us. A healthy conscience helps turn our attention toward what we know is right (Romans 2:14–15).
Policing Ourselves
A conscientious person takes responsibility and can often be trusted to do careful, reliable work—even when no one is watching. A careless person may be tempted to do whatever is easiest. Scripture warns that when wrongdoing goes unpunished for a time, people may become more determined to do wrong (Ecclesiastes 8:11).
As a child, I was expected to pick up a piece of trash if I saw it on the floor, and I would be corrected if I stepped over it. Looking back, I am thankful for that lesson. It helped me become more conscientious about the small things in life.
Self-Awareness
Taking this thought a step further, we also need to be conscientious about how our behavior affects other people. Self-awareness means understanding ourselves—our feelings, motives, habits, strengths, and the effects we have on others. A person can be conscientious without being very self-aware, or self-aware without being especially conscientious. Our goal is to be mindful of our actions to make sure that they are pleasing to God. And God is concerned with how we treat one another.
David clearly fell short in this area at times. Consider what happened to Uriah the Hittite and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). David’s heart had troubled him when he cut Saul’s robe, but he did not seem to recognize the full gravity of his actions when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged for Uriah’s death. This contrast shows how inconsistent our judgment can be: David was troubled by one act against Saul, yet failed to face the seriousness of his betrayal of Uriah and Bathsheba.
Opening Our Eyes
David’s conscience was not fully awakened to his wrongdoing until Nathan the prophet told him a parable about a rich man who took a poor man’s beloved lamb (2 Samuel 12:1–7). David became angry at the injustice in the story, but at first he did not recognize himself in it. Nathan then confronted him directly: “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:7). David had judged the wrong clearly when it was presented as someone else’s story, but had failed to see the harm he himself had done.
David confessed:
“I have sinned against the LORD.”
— 2 Samuel 12:13 (NKJV)
In Psalm 51, David also says:
“Against You, You only, have I sinned.”
— Psalm 51:4 (NKJV)
David acknowledged that his sin was ultimately against God. That does not mean his actions did not deeply harm Uriah and Bathsheba. His wrongdoing had devastating consequences for them and for the child (2 Samuel 12:9–14). Scripture reminds us that sin against God can also bring real harm to the people around us (Romans 13:10).
The Conscientious, Self-Aware Person
A conscientious and self-aware person is a blessing to those around them. They take responsibility without always needing to be told what to do; they are what people often call a “self-starter.” They understand that their actions affect others for good or for harm. They do not need constant reminders to do what is right or to stop doing what is wrong. They learn to govern themselves by listening to their God-given conscience. Scripture describes the conscience as bearing witness to what is right and wrong (Romans 2:14–15).
My hope is that we will all become more attentive to our conscience and more self-aware. We need to be both conscientious and self-aware: willing to examine ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5) and consider how our words and actions affect others. We should ask how we would want to be treated in the same situation and try to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes (Matthew 7:12). When our conscience troubles us about something wrong we have done—or reminds us of something good we ought to do—we should listen and respond (James 4:17).
Leave a Reply