Wed, 31 August, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.
1 When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats’ Rocks. 3 And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. 4 And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 5 And afterward David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 6 He said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD’s anointed.” 7 So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.
In his jealousy, Saul is on a wild campaign to kill David. Although Saul has been unable to find David, by God’s providence, as he attempting to track David down, Saul enters the very cave where David and his men are hiding.
Thinking that this is a God given opportunity to take the kingship, David’s men urge him to kill Saul. But instead of killing him, David cuts a corner off of Saul’s robe so that he can prove to Saul he intends no harm to the king.
Interestingly, David then feels guilty for the harm he does to the corner of Saul’s garment, even though this is in fact a token of his good-will to the king. This is an indication of how sensitive David is to his duty to faithfully serve the king.
What do we learn from this?
David correctly saw Saul as God’s appointed leader of the people. Since God placed Saul as king, David must be in subjection to the king. If God wants Saul to no longer be king, then God will remove Saul from being king and not David. David refuses to act as God and choose the time of Saul’s removal from the kingship.
We, as God’s people, are called to be in subjection to the rulers over us. We are to obey them, as long as they do not command us to do that which God forbids, or forbid that which God commands.
David doesn’t fight back against Saul but lives in submission to him, the the extent that he can. This works greatly to David’s disadvantage, as he has to live in the wilderness, hiding from Saul’s murderous search. But David is unwilling to raise his hand against God’s anointed.
This has obvious implications to our lives. We need to honor and respect the leaders God has put over us in the family, workplace, government and church. We need to obey them as far as they don’t compel us to disobey God. If it is a choice of obeying God or man, we must obey God every time. But when the commands of our leaders don’t contradict God, our action is clear: we must obey our leaders.
This doesn’t preclude our being involved in politics and trying to get leaders with whom we disagree voted out of office, but it does mean that we must speak respectfully of our leaders and submit to their rule.
Where is Christ in this passage?
Here we see David acting as a type of Christ. David has been anointed as king, and he knows God’s promise to him that he will be king. He sees the opportunity to seize the kingdom by force, but he refuses and insists on waiting for God’s approved time for when he will be seated on the throne. David patiently remained in his time of humbling, waiting for God’s appointed time for his exultation.
Recall
Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness at the beginning of his public ministry. I believe the main temptation was for Jesus to cut short the process He was about to go through that would culminate in His crucifixion. The temptation was for Him to take up the kingdom right then and there and skip the numerous difficulties that were to come. But instead, Jesus refused to take the matter into His own hands, and waited for the Father’s timing, accepting the suffering and difficulties that were to come. At the right time, at the ascension, He was elevated to the right hand of God, and was seated in power. After He had purchased the salvation of all His people, when the time of humbling was over, He took up the throne and now rules as all is brought in submission to Him.
