Increasing Maturity

David’s sparing of Saul’s life a second time (1 Samuel 26) was by far the more extraordinary. The first demonstrated David’s willingness to allow God to judge between Saul and David, but the second demonstrated how far David’s faith was willing to run in seeing it come to pass. Recall that the first time Saul inadvertently wandered into David’s camp. The second time, David deliberately walked into Saul’s! In fact, David’s confidence in God’s vindication is evident in his interpreting the second incident as a divinely provided opportunity to demonstrate his righteousness (Cf.1 Samuel 26:23). I would suggest that David understood the encounter as (to use American evangelical parlance) “a God thing.” What we the readers know, and which apparently David did not, was that his ability to secure the trophies of his righteousness, Saul’s spear and water jug, was indeed a “God thing;” the Lord had caused a deep sleep to fall upon Saul and his army.

In Saul’s camp, David demonstrated that he had learned something from the Nabal affair, the one in which he purposed to wipe out Nabal and his household in an act of vengeance until Nabals’ wife, Abigail, intervened. God would be both his vindication and his vengeance. That lesson (a “God thing” in its own right) he applied to this God-given opportunity. God will determine when Saul’s life would be over, not David. And implicit in that understanding is that Saul’s death, like Nabal’s, would prove David’s righteousness. As is seen at the end of 1 Samuel, that will prove to be the case.

Something of importance to note is the progress of David in this vengeance triptych. David’s initial pious motives in sparing Saul (1 Samuel 24) matured after being brought through the Nabal affair (1 Samuel 25) so that he can say, “As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish” (1 Samuel 26).  Such growth is meant to be the fruit of God’s dealings with us. Too often we ask God to reconstruct his character in the face of each new trial: Does he see what’s going on? Does he care? Will he be faithful? Let’s learn from God’s previous grace to trust him for present grace.

If You Can't Take the Heat . . .

It began in earnest some years ago in response to the publishing of cartoons in a Danish magazine: denigration of the prophet Mohammed would not be tolerated by Muslims. Riots broke out, buildings were bombed, people were killed. More importantly, free expression was threatened. The problem persists as exemplified by the events surrounding the recent murder of the US ambassador to Libya along with three of his staff.

Folks in the West seem terribly naive at such times. We respond to such violent acts with therapeutic language rather than moral outrage. Western tradition values discussion, consensus building, tolerance of other ideas, and the like. These precious and hard won values are worth contending for, even in the face of extreme threats. They are what fueled the multinational response to Hitler's hegemony. What needs to be understood is that 21st century Islamic fascism is of a piece with the 20th century Nazi variety.

If Islam cannot intellectually and morally contend with other ideologies and, as a result, must resort to murder and mayhem to get its way, then it should be abandoned. It should certainly not be branded as legitimate and apologized for by our government or any other government.

I commend to you comments by a thoughtful observer:
http://thegospelcoalition.org/mobile/article/kevindeyoung/stupid-depolorable-and-cowardly

BTW, Terry Jones, the headline seeking "pastor" from Florida is, by all biblical standards, a fool.

Divine Defense

After encountering her in 1 Samuel 25, I’m persuaded that Abigail has not gotten the recognition she deserves. Maybe I’m showing my ignorance, but I don’t recall her being referenced as one of the exemplary characters of the Old Testament. This seems an injustice when we consider how she interposed herself, Esther-like, between a potentially deadly force and the life of others. In addition, her intervention stayed the hand of David from wrongfully shedding blood and bringing guilt upon his head.

David was bent upon avenging the offense that Nabal had committed against him. But the Lord used Abigail to intervene. She saved David from himself. One might assert that she was motivated by self-preservation, but the text reveals much more. Her greatest concern was for David, the Lord’s anointed, the one who was sure to become the “prince” of Israel, and how this wrongful act would weigh upon his soul and reputation. Her wisdom and faith impressed itself upon the David and his wrath was turned away (Cf. Proverbs 15:1).

Of the several lessons one could take away from this incident the foremost is the necessity of allowing God to be the arbiter of justice (this is a surprisingly prominent theme in scripture). God alone is capable of perfect judgment and justice and we are not to usurp his place by taking matters into our own hands. On the contrary we are to “never avenge” ourselves. Rather we are to “leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’” (Romans 12:19).

David had understood this when just prior to this incident he had the opportunity to strike down Saul and he would not do it. Instead, like the “Greater David” whom he foreshadowed, he entrusted “himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23; 1 Samuel 24:15). God be praised that David, hot from the injustice perpetrated by foolish Nabal and no longer governed by the knowledge of God’s just judgment, was restrained by the actions and words of a courageous woman. May the Lord be as gracious to us that we might be kept from that which would “cause . . . grief or pangs of conscience” because we had foolishly taken matters into our own hands.

Teflon Sinners

It had been a tumultuous stretch of time for David. He had gone from tending sheep in obscurity to being part of the king’s household and numbered among his closest advisors. Then the king had gotten it in his head that David was conspiring to kill him, forcing David to flee his wrath. After the king had received intelligence that David was located in the wilderness of Engedi, he went after him. However, when “nature called” Saul entered a cave where David and his men were hiding. The king was compromised and David was given an opportunity to rid himself of his mad pursuer.

Those with David encouraged him to strike; but he couldn’t. Saul was the Lord’s anointed and David could not bring himself to touch the Lord’s anointed. Instead, David stealthily snipped off the corner of Saul’s robe. Even that gesture troubled David’s soul. But the corner provided proof that David was not guilty of Saul’s charges. Outside the cave David confronted Saul with his evidence of innocence and placed his case before the Lord saying, “May the Lord therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand.”

This is an encouraging picture of the righteousness that is ours in Christ. As Christ’s perfect righteousness has been imputed to a believer's account we, too, have evidence to lift up in the face of accusations, whether they come from the world, our own soul, or the devil. This is not to say that we are necessarily innocent of charges that might be leveled against us, as was David of the charges of Saul -- we very well might be guilty. But clothed in the righteous robes of Christ damning charges cannot stick.  When the finger is pointed we do not hold up our own filthy rags to thwart the accusation; our evidence is Christ’s righteousness. So clothed, we can say with Paul, “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Romans 8:33-35). No one and nothing!