Adam
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Posts by Adam
Bible in a Year – Day 95: What A Character
Apr 4th
Today’s Reading: 2 Samuel 1, 2 & 3
It may not make much sense to us to think of David’s loyalty to Saul. After all, Saul spent the last several years of his life in pursuit of David. Saul, for most of that time wanted nothing less than to kill David. Even if we can understand David’s reluctance to kill Saul with his own hands, it’s hard to comprehend that he would actually mourn Saul’s death. And yet, not only does David mourn the death of Saul and of his friend Jonathan, but he also kills the man who carried out Saul’s final wish by impaling him with a spear.
While this may seem odd to us, I think it really speaks of David’s character. Just as David referenced each time he had a chance to kill Saul, he truly believed that Saul was appointed and anointed by the Lord. Who was David, then, to take it upon himself to dethrone Saul by killing him. Likewise, once Saul was killed, David could mourn the death of someone who had been like a father to him back in those earlier days. He recognized the significant of the moment – Israel’s first king had been killed. This was no longer about personal grievances or vendettas, but about the health and longevity of a nation.
I truly believe that David mourned Jonathan’s death out of personal anguish, but Saul’s death out of a love of God and of the nation of Israel. David had something of God in him – something that understood the ramifications of not only his actions, but the actions of everyone everywhere. David knew that there was a bigger picture.
He was a humble servant and a valiant warrior. He respected those in authority over him. He honored his God. Even though he had to spend several years running from a man who wanted to wipe him from the face of the earth and to destroy his calling, David ultimately was able to step into his calling, all the while maintaining dignity, honor and respect for Saul who reigned before him. This is the kind of character that Israel was to expect in a king and the kind of character God expects in all of us.
Bible in a Year – Day 94: Choose Your Battles
Apr 3rd
Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 28, 29, 30 & 31
It seems to me that in this instance, God protected David from making a grave mistake. As David went out with the Philistine army, marching headlong into a battle with the Israelites, God’s hand was at work. Through the Philistine leaders and Achish, God created a way for David to not do battle against his own people but also to gain favor with the Philistines.
Knowing that David would eventually become king of Israel, it’s pretty unfathomable to think of how awkward it would have been if he had also been one of the Philistine army who had killed many Israelites. In fact, during that battle, David may have even had another chance to kill Saul. Would he have taken it, thinking that surely the 3rd time the opportunity arose, it must be from the Lord?
All interesting points to ponder, but I also wonder if, perhaps, God had a much more personal reason for not sending David into that battle – one that speaks to God’s understanding of human relationships. Chapter 31, verse 2 tells us that in this same battle, Saul’s sons were killed, including Jonathan. Given the special bond between Jonathan and David, can you imagine what it would have done to David if he had any part in a battle that killed his friend Jonathan? Can you fathom how much he would have blamed himself for Jonathan’s death, even if he had no direct role in it? I have to wonder, then, if God removed David from the situation so that he didn’t have to watch his friend die.
Not only did he not have to watch his friend die, but he also got to become a hero to the men he was fighting with. As they returned to Ziklag, the found that the Amalekites had raided and burned the place and taken the women, children, livestock and whatever else they could get their hands on. David and his band of men then had an opportunity to rescue their wives, defeat the Amalekites and return home heroes, even as the rest of the Philistine army returned victorious from their battle with Israel.
It dawns on me that sometimes God wants to give us victory, but he’s asking us to switch battles. In other words, we’re dead-set on fighting whatever battle we’re going out to fight and God is pointing us to another battle. His plan and his will are to give us an incredible victory in the other battle, but we are so intent on fighting the one we set out to fight that we fail to listen to his direction. The old adage, “choose your battles wisely” comes to mind. In this case, maybe the best phrase would be, “wisely, allow your battles to be chosen.”
Bible in a Year – Day 93: Sleeping with the Enemy
Apr 2nd
Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 25, 26 & 27
What a turn-around! David, in such a short time, has gone from the hero of Israel who defeated and killed the mighty Philistine warrior, Goliath to an enemy of the king of Israel whose only refuge is to live among the Philistines. Can you imagine inviting the guy who has been defeating your armies for years and having him live in your town.
Now, before you start thinking that Achish and the Philistines were a gracious bunch, first consider that while David was living with Achish, Achish and his family were pretty safe. On top of that, Achish seems to have this idea that David will actually switch sides. Perhaps in Achish’s mind, the next time the Philistine armies go out to fight Israel, David can lead them in battle.
David has to wonder what in the world has become of his life. He knows that he is supposed to be king of Israel and yet, at every turn, he seems to be moving further and further away from attaining that title. He is becoming more isolated, further from his people and he’s not getting any younger.
I wonder how many of us feel the same way. Whatever it is that we once believed we were destined for has simply not materialized for us. We’re seemingly further away now from that destiny than we were when we first received the vision. We’re moving in the wrong direction at an increasingly hastened pace. And yet, somewhere inside of us, we know that God has a plan.
As we continue to read the saga of Saul and David, we will be reminded that God does, indeed, have a plan, but that so often that plan plays itself out slower and in different ways than we have written the script in our head. David’s story, then, should be an encouragement to us. If the hand-picked, God-anointed future king of Israel could find himself living in enemy territory while being pursued by his mentor who was desperate to have him killed, then you and I can probably expect to find ourselves driven away from our own calling at times.
But like David, we need to be looking for the opportunities for us to turn around. We won’t live with the Philistines forever. One day, we’ll take our place – the place that God has ordained for us. You or I may never be king, but our God, the King, has a plan for us and a pathway that will get us there if we just stick with him.
Bible in a Year – Day 92: Temporary Sanity
Apr 1st
Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 21, 22, 23 & 24
We’ve all seen it in movies – or perhaps even in real life – that moment of clarity when an individual stops, takes a breath, and realizes that they have become so obsessed with something that they’ve lost all reason. They have become temporarily insane in their pursuit. Yet, in that moment of clarity, they understand for the first time just who they’ve become.
We see such a moment occur in the interactions between David and Saul. Saul, by this point in his life, has become hell-bent on killing David. In fact, he has somewhat of a paranoia regarding David. To Saul, David represents everything and everyone that has even the slightest feelings against him. Saul has projected onto David every hint of personal rejection that has ever come his way. He is a man obsessed and a man possessed. And in his obsession, he literally walks right into the hands of his sworn enemy.
David had an opportunity to do away with Saul once and for all. If he had done so, he would have probably had a good shot at becoming king. The people liked him. He had lead their armies in many victories and if he also was able to defeat their king, I can only imagine that it would have worked out well for him. And yet, though he knew he would one day be king, David understood his place in the world. He knew that God appoints kings and rulers and he was unwilling to take things into his own hands by killing Saul.
To be sure, if God had issued an order for David to take Saul out, he would have done it in a heartbeat. But that’s just it – David’s desires came second to God’s desires. That’s the way it should be. David didn’t spare Saul’s life because he was really loving and trusting of Saul. He spared Saul’s life because he knew that was what God wanted him to do. And in his act, he exposed Saul’s obsession – to himself and to those around him.
Saul, then, like an alcoholic who has a moment of sober clarity, is forced to come to terms with the man he has become. No longer the great and powerful king, Saul is now the guy who could have been killed while relieving himself in a cave. He is weak and desperate. In fact, he is so intent on defending his position as king that he has, for all intents and purposes, abdicated his responsibilities as king. Instead, he spends every waking moment trying to figure out where David is and how he can find him and kill him.
When this all comes to a head in chapter 24, verse 16, Saul weeps out loud. And, in his moment of clarity, Saul speaks the words that he knows are true – the words that haunt him every day:
“I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands.” (1 Samuel 24:20)
Here Saul, so reluctant to begin his reign as king when he was younger, now is equally reluctant to give it up. Yet he knows the truth. It is inevitable that David will succeed him as king. And in this brief moment of clarity, it all makes sense to Saul. When was the last time you had that kind of sober moment?
Bible in a Year – Day 91: Step Aside
Mar 31st
Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 18, 19 & 20
Jonathan and David had a unique relationship. Here was the king’s son (and potential heir to the throne) befriending the only legitimate threat not only to his father’s crown, but to his as well. But there was obviously something about David. After all, even Saul, who was concerned about David from the beginning, kept promoting him and drawing him closer, rather than just sending him back to his father’s house. The people of Israel, it seems, were absolutely smitten with David – partially from his military prowess, but also because of something else. David had something of God in him that was incredibly attractive to those he encountered.
And yet, Saul, though he knew that God was blessing David, was intent on killing him – so much so that he even tried to kill his own son out of anger over his allegiance to David. It’s incredible just how far Saul has fallen. He’s gone from a reluctant, humble king appointed by God to a spoiled, entitled dictator who has absolutely no respect for God’s will, but is wholly consumed with his own plans and purposes.
Where did Saul stumble along the way? When did his pride swell so much that he began to put himself before God? And, perhaps more importantly for us, why did it happen? Unfortunately, I think the answer to the question of “why” stares us in the face almost every day.
Greed, pride and selfishness taunt us around every corner. We watch as others get the praise, accumulate the wealth and achieve the heights of success that we wish we had attained. We struggle as our neighbors, friends, family and even perfect strangers live what we perceive as a life of privilege while we struggle. And, for some of us, like Saul, we watch as our star begins to fade and the younger and more energetic begin moving into our territory.
This cycle has been going on since the beginning of creation. It is the way God ordered the universe. And yet, in each generation, there are those who think that they can stop, or at least slow the cycle. And so, they hold on to that which God gave to them – that which he now desires for them to give away to the next generation. And when I say “they,” I mean “we.” Every one of us wants to hold onto our gifts a little tighter and a little longer than we were ever meant to.
We make excuses for our “hoarding,” “They just aren’t ready,” we say. “They could never handle it.” And while “they” may not have all of the experience or knowledge that we do, we also know full well that somewhere along the way, someone older and wiser and more experienced than us gave us a chance (maybe against their own will) that allowed us to achieve what we have achieved.
In fact, God, the oldest, wisest and most experienced, gives us a chance every day. He gives us a chance to help him in his work – a work that he could more efficiently and effectively accomplish without us – for the purposes of seeing us grow and mature. He values us over perfection. He sees us as his primary work. So, let’s take a cue from our great teacher and learn to pass on what he has passed to us. And let’s pass it on with a measure of grace and humility that may or may not have been afforded to us by others. After all, nobody wants to be like Saul!
