Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
We have exactly two more verses in the remaining 5 chapters of 1 Samuel that mention the desert...and they are in verses 2 and 3 of chapter 26. I'll include verses 1 and 4 for context...
The Ziphites went to Saul at Gibeah and said, "Is not David hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which faces Jeshimon?" So Saul went down to the Desert of Ziph, with his three thousand chosen men, to search for David. Saul made his camp beside the road on the hill of Hakilah facing Jeshimon, but David stayed in the desert. When he saw that Saul had followed him there, he sent out scouts and learned that Saul had definitely arrived.
The same folks that betrayed David to Saul (1 Sam 23:19) went back to Saul with the news that David was once more hanging around in their area. Despite acknowledging that David would be king (1 Sam 24:20), Saul again went in pursuit of David. When David heard from his scouts that Saul was there, he went on a little reconnaissance himself with a few of his men and actually spotted where Saul and the commander of his army, Abner, had bivouacked for the night. He asked which of the men would go down to the camp with him and Abishai volunteered.
Verse 12 tells us that 'the LORD had put them in a deep sleep', so that David and Abishai were able to creep right up to where Saul was sleeping, with his spear stuck in the sand by his head.
Abishai, of course, was ready to skewer Saul to the ground right there. David, however, was more cautious. Firstly, it was sure to make a noise that would alert the camp to their presence...and they were greatly outnumbered and unlikely to survive if they were caught...but beyond that, it was David's conviction that he should not harm Saul. He told Abishai in verse 9, "Who can lay a hand on the LORD's anointed and be guiltless?"
This is one of David's remarkable qualities. He was absolutely convinced that he should do nothing to advance himself or bring all the prophetic words to pass. "As surely as the LORD lives," he said, "the LORD himself will strike him; either his time will come and he will die, or he will go to battle and perish." So they took Saul's spear, and the water jug that was also there, and crept back out of the camp.
Of course, once he was well clear of danger he hollered at Abner and woke him up, chastising him for failing to guard his king. Saul recognized David's voice, and David responded that, once more, he'd had the chance to kill Saul...as evidenced by the spear and water jug that he now possessed...and he had not. David maintained that he was guilty of no crime against Saul and Saul actually agreed, "I have sinned, " he said (26:21), and he asked David to come back to court, promising he would not try to harm him again, adding, "Surely I have acted like a fool and have erred greatly."
David said he would return the spear and jug to Saul if he would send a young man over to retrieve it, but he did not go back with Saul. "The LORD delivered you into my hands today, " he said, "but I would not lay a hand on the LORD's anointed."
Saul's final words to David were, "May you be blessed, my son David; you will do great things and surely triumph." (v. 25)
After that exchange, David decided to leave Israel's territory and go hang out with the Philistines; a pretty dramatic shift. He even had the audacity to go to Gath, Goliath's hometown, and pledge himself to the service of the king's son, Achish, who gave him the village of Ziklag as his base.
He never encountered Saul again....but 'desert' doesn't come in to the rest of that story.
This particular passage has some significance for me; I remember, years (and years) ago, being in a congregation that had some, um, difference of opinion concerning the pastor. There were some folks who were convinced that he, um, should move on to his next calling...while there were others who felt he should stay. Of course, he was not perfect and had made mistakes, but in my questioning of what the right course of action should be I came across this passage. Who can lay a hand on the LORD's anointed and be guiltless? Now, this probably wouldn't apply to all situations in all churches; let's be frank, there are a number of congregations...and those who lead them... who have agendas other than following God's leadership. But I honestly didn't think this was the case. We had a pastor...a flawed human, to be sure, but someone who actually, at some level, wanted to do what God wanted done. In my heart, I realized it was up to God to move him...because the church was God's church. And if there is a congregation who genuinely wants to follow God, led by a pastor who genuinely wants to follow God, and they somehow get crosswise of each other...well, it wasn't up to me to join the chorus of accusation, and my prayer was that God would move quickly to resolve the controversy and heal the wounds. The folks who wanted the pastor gone...left...and a year or so later the pastor moved on (Aside...there is a reason Jesus would ask folks if they wanted to be healed). But the church survived the struggle and is still ministering to their post on the wall to this day.
If God put someone in a position, it really is up to God to put them elsewhere. Because...who can lay a hand on the LORD's anointed and be guiltless?
No comments:
Post a Comment