David and Saul

What did I do to deserve this?  Why does he track me like a starving lion?  How can I show him I mean no harm?  I’m tired and I want to go back to my home. I’m tired of hiding in caves, starving and living like an animal.  How can I end this insanity?  How can I make things right?

Again and again, King Saul mercilessly tries to kill David out of jealousy.  David never did anything to harm Saul, yet in fits of jealous age, the powerful king has declared war on this young man.  David finds himself in a position where he must flee for his life, living in caves evading a powerful predator, relentlessly hunted.

Then one day, Saul unknowingly enters the cave where David is hiding. He is unable to see David deep in the darkness but David, accustomed to the darkness of the cave, sees him. While Saul is in a vulnerable position, pants down, David sees an opportunity to right this wrong.  He sees a way to set things right for once and for all. Instead of a quick murder, he sneaks up and slices the corner off of Saul’s robe.  Then, hoping it will stop this insane chase, David publicly reveals the piece of robe to Saul. And it gets the right reaction!  The plan worked! “You are more righteous than I,” Saul said. “You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly.“

Words, however, are not worth much. Of course Saul is speaking out of emotion because it is not long until his stalking of David begins again. This whole situation repeats itself. David has another chance to kill Saul but doesn’t in the hope to prove his innocence to Saul. Again, this is only a temporary fix and does not change Saul. Try as he might, David cannot change Saul’s heart and mind. 

This choice of David’s not to kill the man who mercilessly wants to kill him, seems to have been a turning point for David.  He quits focusing on changing Saul and he begins to accept what has happened to him. This is when David changes from a boy to a man after God’s own heart. He accepts his lot as an outcast from Israel and begins to learn to live victoriously among foreigners until God chooses to deliver him back to his own people.  And this happens all in God’s time. David learned to live in a position that was transitional. He learned to thrive where he was, even if it was not where he wanted to be.  He still relied on God and wrote heartfelt poetry to God. He was still a formidable warrior.  He still had a sense of fairness and justice. He was still David.  He realized that it is not Saul who is determining his fate and he began to live in the moment, no longer trying to change circumstances but submitting to God and living for him, one day at a time. 

This, my friend, is the very definition of peace.  Not a removal-from-the-war kind of peace, but acceptance-in-the-trial kind of peace. It is a peace that was expressed by David in the very famous 23rd Psalm.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

David had a choice.  He could kill Saul, he could continue to try in vain to gain his favor, or he could accept Saul as he was placing his eyes on God and move on. Choosing not to take revenge brings with it the gift of peace. Peace also comes when we humbly accept the misery our earthly enemies deal us, realizing it is not our role to change them. David chose to accept the difficult mission of moving on.  

Romans 12:19 NIV[19] Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

When I want to say or do something to straighten things out, that is my opportunity for peace of mind, body and soul.  My mission, should I choose to accept it, is to let go of the wrongs and look to God for the strength to do so. God never gave us the ability to force change on hearts and minds. We cannot. And God does not. He simply asked us to go and teach, bind up the wounds, feed his sheep, and live out what we know. We are to be and do what this world is starving for. We are to be a light. 

Thank you, Lord, for helping me see that people cannot be slapped with truth but must discover it on their own.