Authority


1 Samuel 26
[The reading for today is the entirety of Chapter 25. You will need to look it up for yourself or clink the link below to read this story in your browser.]
http://www.esvbible.org/search/1+Samuel+26/

From the moment we are able to maneuver around by ourselves we begin to defy those in authority over us. Just yesterday I picked up a 3 year old by the arm and a belt loop in order to remove him from a situation because he absolutely refused my authority. For him, kicking and screaming in defiance was more interesting than following my lead. This problem goes all the way back to Adam and Eve and fall. Satan tempted the woman by saying, “Did God really say . . . ?” And with that the questioning of authority began.

If ever there was an authority that deserved to be questioned, it was Saul. Clearly his ego and maniacal fear drove most of his decisions and the people and their needs was rarely a consideration. And yet, we see David time and again recognizing that Saul had the position of king because God gave it to him. Because of that, David would never usurp Saul’s authority and follow the advice of so many around him. Given yet a second chance to kill Saul, David will not, for to do so would be to take matters into his own hands and go around God. (For another story about someone who did take over God’s plan, read about Abraham and Sarah and the promise of a child in Genesis 16. With the decision to try and work out God’s plan for Him, Abraham and Sarah plunged the entire world into a conflict that still rages today!)

This incident turns the corner in the relationship between David and Saul. There are several subtle hints that the true power of the kingdom has shifted to David. He is the nation’s ruler in all but name. And yet he will not take Saul’s life into his own hands. This is admirable restraint! There are a few things that make this story so very interesting in the details.
1.     David pursues Saul for the first (and last) time. He is bold but not brazen in the defense of his own life and the lives of his followers.
2.     Saul and all of his camp are “helped” to sleep by God, so that David and Abishai can wander through the camp without fear. This “sleep” is the same Hebrew words used in Genesis 2 by God on Adam when one of his ribs was removed to construct Eve. A holy anesthetic.
3.     David takes the same spear that Saul used to try and kill him on several occasions.
4.     Saul’s jar of water and spear (could) represent life and death. David had control (albeit unexercised) of both!
5.     David calls Saul, “my lord, O king.” In the similar story in Chapter 24, David calls Saul “father”. That is now gone.  David does not need any kind of kinship with Saul to be named king. God has already done that. Plus, Saul has in effect “divorced” David from Saul’s family by giving Michal to another man.
6.     Once again, Saul actually recognized and gives voice to the fact that David will be the next king.

All of these details add up to David growing in his maturity and his strength. And while all of this goes on, David remains true to God and to following the plans of God rather than forging a path of his own making. God leaves us these stories as examples of how we too should live in regards to God and others. While submitting to God-given authority can be so very difficult (as my grandson) it is always the right path to take (unless they are asking you to sin – I’ll add that little note without further explanation.) There is grace to be found in living as God calls.

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