February 6, 2013
Life and Death
1st Samuel 26:1-27:12
I David Spares Saul Again 26:1-25
II David Among the Philistines 21:1-12
(St. Michael's had always been a very wealthy church. It's 300 members usually gave a combined annual offering of over a million dollars, because they could afford to.
Over the years, though, the neighborhood around the beautiful old church began to change. Immigrants flocked to the area, changing the complexion of the community. Steel bars replaced welcome signs in store windows. Homeless people could be found wandering the sidewalks and streets. The changes made some members of St. Michaels very uncomfortable. They usually tried to avoid that part of town, except on Sundays.
One Sunday, shortly after a young associate priest had joined the church staff, the members were gathered after the morning service, for coffee and pastries. In the spring months, they loved to gather in the flower garden outside the church among its gazebos, fountains, and vine-covered arches.
As the elegantly dressed worshipers sipped coffee and chatted in the garden, a homeless man shuffled in off the street. He entered through the garden gate without looking at anyone. But all eyes were certainly on him. He quietly walked over to the table where a spread of expensive pastries were displayed on silver trays. He picked up one of the pastries and bit into it, keeping his eyes closed.
Then he reached for a second pastry and placed it in his coat pocket. Moving slowly and trying not to be noticed, he placed another one into the same pocket.
The garden buzzed with whispers. Finally, one of the women walked over to the new priest and said, "well, do something!"
Still feeling a little awkward in his new position, the young priest handed his coffee cup to the woman, walked over to the table and stood next to the homeless man. He reached under the table, where the empty pastry boxes had been stored. Then he picked up one of the silver trays loaded with pastries and emptied them into the box. He did the same thing with a second tray of expensive goodies. Then he closed the lids on the boxes, and held them both out, to the homeless man.
"We're here every Sunday", the priest said.
The man smiled at the priest, cradled the boxes in his arms, and quietly shuffled out of the garden and down the street.
The priest returned to his coffee cup, smiled at the woman holding it, and said, "That is what you meant, when you said to do something, wasn't it?)
The priest could have destroyed the man emotionally and he could have called the police and had him thrown in jail, but he didn't-----and David's behavior toward Saul, was very much like this illustration---he showed kindness and grace and mercy, instead of destroying him and all of his men, with him. The young priest and David both behaved in the way that God would have wanted them to, in each of their situations----and we know that they did, because Jesus said in Matt. 25:40 "what you do for the least of these….you do for me."
This is an example of righteousness, that is a pattern of behavior for all of us to follow….
I David Spares Saul Again 26:1-25
The events in this section are so similar to those of the ones in chapter 24, when David spared Saul's life in the cave, that some scholars, think that it was a different account of the same event. In both episodes, Saul was pursuing David, after being informed of his location, in the desert, by the Ziphites; and in both episodes Saul had 3000 men with him; and in both episodes David had the opportunity to take Saul's life, and didn't; and in both episodes, Saul showed great remorse, but not repentance, for his behavior.
But, I don't think these are unusual similarities, and most scholars do think, that it was two different incidents. If the Ziphites had gained Saul's favor by giving him David's location, once----it would be highly likely for them to try it a second time. And, if Saul's army was made up of 3000 men, it would have been surprising, for them not to be with Saul, in his relentless pursuit of David-----it seems as though the whole army traveled en masse, as they journeyed from place to place, town to town and battle to battle.
But the other details, of the 2 accounts, are quite different from each other----David's first close encounter with Saul, in chapter 24, had been in the cave where David was hiding--- But in the 2nd episode, David sought out Saul's position, and found him sound asleep, beside his primary commander, Abner, out in the open, surrounded by his entire army.
Bible Scholars, don't think, that David had realized, that it was God who had caused the whole army to succumb to a divinely induced slumber----that's why, it was such an act of trust, that David was willing to approach the king, in the middle of his army, anyway. He and his nephew, his sister's boy, Abishai, walked, unobserved through the sleeping soldiers, right up to Saul. The king's spear, the symbol of his office and his power, was stuck in the ground, near his head, and his water jug(essential in the desert) was near by.
Abishai was a brave soldier. He had volunteered to accompany David on the late night mission, and then he had volunteered to take the spear, and do away with Saul, once and for all, with a single thrust, through his heart.
In the cave, David had only taken a sliver of Saul's robe and had regretted it-----he knew why he hadn't killed Saul, in that vulnerable moment----but Abishai must have thought, that David was too scared or too squeamish, to kill Saul, so he was more than willing to do the job himself.
But David knew that he hadn't spared Saul's life out of fear---he knew that it was out of respect for the king's position, and reverence, for God's right to remove the king, whenever He deemed, that the time was right. Plus, after David's encounter with Abigail, I think he had strengthened his resolve, not to be too hasty to shed unnecessary blood.
David told Abishai to take Saul's water jug and his spear and go with him to a neighboring hillside, far enough away, to be safe, but close enough to be heard by Saul and the Israelite army. (The strongest moral decisions that we make are usually the ones that we make before temptation strikes. We need to know what we're going to do, before we ever get into the situations that tempt us.) David was determined, at this point, to follow God, and it carried over in his decision not to murder Saul----even when his men and the circumstances seemed to make it a feasible option.
How do we handle temptation? Are we more like David, or Abishai and the other men? If we want, to please God, we have to realize that we can't do something wrong, in order to make things right. Even if our closest friends, or someone that we trust with spiritual matters, tells us to do something that seems right, we have to always find out what God wants first, before we act-----we need to always line it up with His words.
In their 2nd encounter, David didn't address Saul 1st----instead, he shouted out his message, to Abner. As commander of the army, Abner was the man, primarily responsible, for Saul's protection.
He could have lost his own life, because he had let the king get into such a vulnerable position----but David had spared him too-----and amazingly, so did Saul.
David pointed out the absence of the spear and the water jug, and he made it clear, that if his intent had been to destroy the king, Saul would already have been dead.
The truth was, that in preventing his murder, twice, it made David, the most reliable defender of Saul, than anyone else in Israel. It also made the point that he had great respect for both God and his anointed king.
When we need to make a point sometimes, we need to look for God-honoring, creative ways to do it, because in the long run, they will have a more significant impact. (Ashley, my sweet daughter-in-law (Cathy's daughter) showed me an example of this, this week-end----they live in New York City, and she had been sick with congestion and the crud-----so Friday she stayed home from work (she's a teacher) so that she could go to a doc-in the-box, and hopefully get an antibiotic. When she got there the male receptionist was freaking out, because it was past time for his lunch, and there were too many patients coming in. He informed Ashley that she would just have to wait to be checked-in, until after he had taken the time to have his lunch.
Now, inside she was thinking, "you have got to be kidding me…" but on the outside, what she did---- was to put on her sweetest face, and tell him that she totally understood how hard it was to grab lunch when people are depending on you----that she is a teacher and that she has days like that too, and that she even had to take off work, to have time to go to the doctor." The receptionist's attitude changed immediately---- all he needed, was somebody to give him some sympathy and some attention. Ashley's behavior totally diffused the situation for everybody-----and to top it off, he apologized and got her back to be seen before he took his lunch break…)
Saul must have been groggy with sleep, cause it took him a minute to wake up----but he finally recognized David's voice and called out, verifying who it was, that he was hearing. David used the opportunity to defend himself again, giving Saul the chance to explain, why David was the object of his man-hunt. In essence, David accused the king of listening to other people, who had convinced him, that David was his enemy-----David knew that it either had to be that, or, it had to be, that God, had told Saul to pursue David, the way that he had.
And if it was God, David wanted to know that it was, so that he could make a forgiveness offering to Him. David was tired of running, and he didn't want to be kept away from his community of worship any more (as soon as someone left Israelite soil, they were exposed to the various gods of the various peoples of the area) and----- he didn't want to be in a foreign land when he died.
Saul was quick to confess his behavior, and and to promise that he wouldn't try to ever harm David again----then, he declared that David would be king, and he invited him to return to court.
(I can't help but think that God was giving Saul another chance to repent and to turn from his wicked ways and to turn to Him, finally and completely and willingly. It was clear that David could have taken Saul's life and he didn't. It should have made Saul fall on his face to God, in total thankfulness, for being spared one more time. It should have effected a heart change in him, that drew him close to the Lord, and finally made him a true lover of God.
This is an example of how God will give people chance after chance after chance, to come to him, right up until their last breath----and still, some people will refuse to accept Him.)
But David chose to go his own way, he still didn't trust Saul.
He arranged for someone to come over and retrieve Saul's property. Then Saul went home, while David went in the other direction.
With this incident, we can see one of the high points, in a very difficult time in David's life---he had spared Saul, for the 2nd time, and pitiful, pathetic Saul, had acknowledged his foolish wickedness in chasing David, and trying to kill him. David understood, with brilliant clarity, that the Lord could be trusted to protect him and deliver him from his troubles. It was a moment of of great moral and spiritual triumph. Against all odds, righteousness and faithfulness had prevailed.
Which, is what makes what happened next, seem so strange and even worse than it probably was…
II David Among the Philistines 26:1-12
(An overweight man decided it was time to shed some pounds. He informed his coworkers that he was going on a diet and would no longer be bringing donuts to the office. He knew that it would be hard to to resist stopping at the bakery on the way to work, but he committed himself to remaining strong and resisting temptation.
Then one morning, his co-workers were surprised, to see him arrive at the office with a box of donuts. When they reminded him of his diet, he just smiled.
"These are very special donuts", he explained. When I left for the office this morning, I knew that I was going to drive by the bakery, and I wondered if maybe the Lord wanted me to have some donuts today. I wasn't sure, so I prayed, 'Lord, if you want me to stop and buy some donuts, let there be an open parking place directly in front of the bakery.' As you know, parking places in front of the bakery are hard to get!'
"So, the parking place was there?" asked one of his co-workers.
"It was a miracle", the man replied. "The eighth time around the block, there it was!")
We need to remember that God's will is not always our will. When we make choices that leave God out of the equation, and then try to manipulate Him into rubber-stamping, what we've already decided that we're going to do-----it never works----we always wind up getting hurt or hurting someone else. David's decision to go and dwell with the Philistines after his second miraculous encounter with Saul, doesn't make any sense, in light of his growing relationship with the Lord and his recognition of God's constant provision for him.
But, the Bible is a deeply honest and realistic book. It is about real people and a real God. And we know that real people have real weaknesses as well as real strengths; and real failures as well as real successes; and real defeats as well as real triumphs. Our real God, is perfect in every way and His Will, will always triumph, and He will use everything and everyone, to make sure that His plan is accomplished, because of us, and, in spite of us.
I don't know why David decided to put himself in the position that he did, especially after he had experienced the Lord's care, protection and enabling in such a mighty way, for so long----and I couldn't find any commentator who could really explain it, other than it was a dark time in David's life.
And, we know that it is true, that after a time of great blessing----satan can't stand something good, from God, happening in our lives, so he tries to set us up for a time of testing. If we will remember that "after the blessing always comes the testing"----we can be ready for it, and it won't take us by surprise---we can put our armor on, and keep our focus on the Lord, and not on the circumstances---and then we can navigate the testing successfully.
Maybe this is what happened to David. Maybe he was tired of his fugitive existence, and thought he could see a better way----maybe he felt responsible for the people under his care----at that point it was probably more than 3000 people, men women and children-----maybe he thought that God would approve his decision, because his heart was in the right place---he just wanted peace and safety for them, until the time was right for him to ascend the throne. We can all identify with him. We've all been there---we think that the end will justify the means, for our actions----but if God doesn't tell us to do something, I fully believe that we aren't supposed to do it.
For David to deliberately step outside of the Promised Land and to seek sanctuary with pagan people, and to pay homage to their king, and to subject his people, especially the little children, to the worship of other gods -----in my mind, was to deliberately step outside of God's will. I think he's just fortunate, that the Lord didn't take his hand off of him, and continued to protect and bless him, throughout the whole time he was there.( I think that there are many many times, that we can each say the same thing-----that if it were not for God's grace, when we make some of the deliberate choices that we do, none of us would even be here, much less have a testimony about His faithfulness, to tell others about.)
After the encounter with Saul, David had gotten the promise of a reprieve from his persistent pursuit, but I think that he was afraid that it would only be a matter of time until Saul renewed the manhunt, again.
Up until that point, David had been confident and faithful, but all of a sudden he made a decision, to move in with the Philistines, that seemed to go against everything, that he knew he was supposed to do.
David did finally succeed in escaping from Saul, when he moved back to the Philistine territory, of Gath and got chummy with King Achish. He didn't have any more trouble from Saul, but he created other problems for himself. There is no evidence that he sought God's approval for his plan, but at the same time, there is no evidence that He didn't.
It just seems like he chose his own way of doing things. But whatever it was, God did use it though, cause it gave David the opportunity to kill a lot of Israel's enemies while he was pretending to kill the enemies of the Philistines. It strengthened David's reputation both in and out of Israel and set him up to be the king of the whole land, even land, that hadn't been previously conquered by the Israelites.
David had hidden out among the Philistines before and had pretended to be a scribbling, slobbering lunatic and escaped with his life. When he went to Gath the second time he wasn't alone----he had the 600 men and their wives and children and animals and his own 2 wives. At first they were in the city of Gath, and then, at David's request, King Achish gave him the town of Ziglag, which ironically, from our perspective, but not from God's, had been given to the tribe of Judah, in the original land distribution, when they first came to the Promised Land----- but it had never before been claimed, until David. The two places were 25 miles apart----it was just enough so that Achish didn't know all of David's business.
David and his men regularly fought the enemies of Israel (who were also the enemies of the Philistines)---the Geshurites, the Gerzites and the Amalakites. They killed every single person, so that they could eliminate all of their witnesses. And they accumulated livestock and clothing----David kept getting richer, and acquiring territory. Anytime Achish asked about their activity----David lied and said they were attacking Israelites, so he could throw Achish off, but it looks like David did give him a portion of the spoils.
And in time, Achish came to trust David. He assumed that David had burned all his bridges and couldn't go home again. He learned to trust David so much, that appointed him to the position, of one of his most trusted advisers.
During that time in the wilderness, which was about a year and a half, David was relatively carefree. He did, pretty much, whatever he wanted to, whenever he wanted to, with basically no one to check him. He and his men lived well on the spoils of their raids----and he was one by one, systematically, getting rid of Israel's enemies. Life was good in spite of his lies----and then, as it always does, came the day of reckoning-----King Achish decided to join a larger coalition of Philistine forces, marching against Israel and he enlisted David's help. Even though the news took him by surprise, David told the king what he wanted to hear---and the king responded by bestowing David with the honor of being his body guard-----the last honor David should have wanted----the body guard of a Philistine king-----David was in deep water-----he had to figure out a way how not to fight the Israelites, without King Achish finding out where his true loyalties belonged-----which we will study in the lesson next week.
Did David's ends justify his means? I don't know the answer to that. But, I do believe that lying is never right, no matter what----but, Beverly and I talked about all the missionaries, who are right now, in undercover operations, to take the gospel to anti-Christian countries---and they work in all kinds of professions, and basically, assume all kinds of identities, so that they can get just one opportunity to tell somebody about Jesus.
If David was working undercover, to eliminate Israel's enemies, which Saul hadn't even tried to get rid of----- and was going back, and doing what God had told the Israelites to do, which was to kill every single Canaanite, man woman and child----when Joshua, first led them into Canaan, after Moses died-----maybe he was more right, than it seems like he was.
But, the fact that there is no mention of God and no mention of using the urim and thummim, to seek his will, and no Psalm, that I can find, that was actually written during this time----makes me wonder, if David was just doing things in his own strength.
Our commentary quotes the Psalmist's words, "that God's word, is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path". His word shows us how to live, what to do and what not to do and that it's never right to do wrong-----although sometimes we do, and it's so easy for us to slip into old habit patterns and so easy for us to try and control circumstances by ungodly means----and it can happen to any of us so quickly, if we don't listen and obey what God's word says and we don't keep our focus on His desire.
Even if we can't "see" God's hand, we have to trust His heart and wait on Him to accomplish His will. God is able to do whatever He pleases. We have to remember that we don't have to do wrong, in order for God's will to be accomplished. Proverbs 19:21 says "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." The God who created and sustains the universe and everything in it, doesn't need us to lie or to do wrong in order to accomplish His purposes. ( I remember once, when Lizzie was about 10----we were on our way to one of Mary Kathryn's high school volleyball games. And I thought I had caught Lizzie telling me a lie. I was furious-----there are a lot of things that I can handle, but lying is not one of them. She kept telling me that she was telling the truth, but I couldn't hear a word she was saying----I had already made up my mind---- and so by the time we got to school, I was so angry that I made her stay in the car and write 25 times, "I will not lie." I went into the game and came out about 10 minutes later, to check on her, still mad.
Well, Lizzie had written, "I will not lie" 25 times, but she had also written, one time, "a gentle answer turns away anger…" You talk about a slap in the face-----my anger had been just as bad as any lie, that Lizzie might have told-----she might have needed to be disciplined, but her needing discipline didn't justify me sinning, by getting angry----- to be able to do my God-given job as her mother. I learned a valuable lesson that day----2 wrongs do not make a right.
One thing, that I do know, that we can take from this story, in the life of David, is that regardless of his motivation---- he was human being, just like you and me; and he was not perfect, just like we aren't perfect; and David may have thought that his behavior was completely appropriate, just like we think ours is, sometimes, when it isn't-----but in spite of all that, in spite of our shortcomings and our sin and our wanderings, from Him---- God still loves us, and He still protects us and He still blesses us and He never takes His hand off of us and for that I'm grateful.
