A Servant's Choice

Today's passage: II Samuel 9
     David's kindnesses to Mephibosheth is a familiar story.  I've taught it in Sunday school on many occasions.  It is a beautiful application of God's love for us.  In case, anyone reading this is not that familiar with this narrative, I will give a quick overview.  Years before, David and Jonathan (Saul's son) had made a pact that they would take care of each other's families should something happen to either of them.  I guess you could say it was their last will and testament.  Jonathan and his father were killed in battle, which ushered in the time for David's reign.  He has been on the throne for a little while now, but is just now able to fulfill his promise.  He has Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth brought to the palace and assures him that he will be treated as one of his own sons.  Mephibosheth became lame when a nursemaid dropped him as a boy, trying to secure his life when Saul and Jonathan were killed.  It really is a nice story.  But I'm more interested in the part of the story that rarely gets told.  I'm thinking about the man who reported to David that Jonathan's son was still alive.
     The name of the servant who gives David this pertinent information is Ziba.  I'm really glad God chose to give us his name because referring to him as Mephibosheth's servant each time is a lot of typing and a mouthful. We don't know a lot about Ziba.  But I think his part of the story tells much about him and even more about David.

David Shows Kindness to Jonathan's Son, Mephibosheth--Taken from Standard Bible Story Readers, Book Three
By Lillie A. Faris, Illustrated by O.A. Stemler and Bess Bruce Cleaveland
The Standard Publishing Company, 1926

      It was the custom at that time for kings to destroy any future threats to the throne.  Usually, the first order of business when a king put a crown on his head was to make sure there was nobody else who could do so as well.  We've already seen this happen at the very beginning of David's reign when Ish-bosheth, that other son of Saul, was established over the rest of Israel.  Everyone was expecting David to destroy this usurper.  But he didn't .  And if he had, I think he may have never been able to keep his promise to Jonathan.  David summons Ziba to the court because he is one of the few men remaining from Saul's household.  The king asks him a very direct question with little wiggle room.  "Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him?"  Ziba can now make a choice.  He can choose to tell the king he doesn't know, he can choose to tell him that there is nobody remaining, or he can choose to tell him the truth.  Ziba chooses the last option.  I think he chooses it because of David's character.  Ziba could have believed that this was a false facade David was putting on to ferret out his enemy and have him destroyed.  David had used deceit in the past (although I'm not sure Ziba would have been privy to that).  But David's desire is to show God's love to this unknown person.  And I think anyone who has met David knows his love for God is real and he would never use God as an excuse for a masquerade.  So Ziba believes his request to be genuine and is able to give him this important information.
     After David meets with Mephibosheth, he calls for Ziba again.  David realizes that Ziba could have lied to him.  He fully understands that this was a great risk for Ziba to reveal this information.  It was dangerous for him and it was dangerous for the man he was trying to protect.  So when David chooses to give Mephibosheth back all the land that had belonged to his father and grandfather, and knows that someone will need to take care of this land (since Mephibosheth will now be living comfortably in the palace) he chooses the man who risked the most to make this reunion possible.  He chooses Ziba.  And here is the kicker, Ziba had fifteen sons.  It also says he had twenty servants.  Now, I'm not sure if that means he was in charge of twenty servants, still in hiding from Saul's demise, or if they were servants in his own household, but that's a lot of people living in one house.  Ziba was being rewarded for making the right choice.  Maybe he wasn't sure at the time if it was right, but given David's history, he had to trust that the king would spare another successor.  And since he did, his family would have a lot of land to roam.
     Sometimes, I am presented with decisions where it doesn't seem like there is a right choice or wrong choice.  I am kind of in that predicament right now. Sometimes there is no past history to observe to be able to know whether to trust someone.  Sometimes there is no past precedent to be able to base my decision on.  When this happens, I have to study God's Word, pray and ask for the Holy Spirit to give me peace about what I choose.  God has given us a past history to observe, and that history is that I can always trust Him.  He has given precedents, landmarks, that show He will always be faithful and that His Word never fails us.  I can make a servant's choice anytime I choose Him.

Peace and Paranoia

Today's passage:  II  Samuel 4
     The Israelites would soon learn that they were serving under a very different king.  After Abner's death, Ish-bosheth is afraid for his life and his kingdom.  He depended on Abner's counsel.  Actually, I think he depended on Abner's decisions, since it doesn't appear Ish-bosheth ever makes one.  He will not get a chance to prove he can do things without Abner's help either, because two of his father's military men murder him in his own bed.  They had apparently not heard what happened to the Amalekite who assisted, or said he assisted, in Saul's demise.  They believe this action against Ish-bosheth will result in David's confidence.  Saul would have rewarded them for such an act (well, maybe not against his own son).  They were used to working for a king who pursued enemies, real or invisible.  They had been accustomed to alleviating paranoia by eliminating any potential threats to the throne.  They think they are showing loyalty, but it will not be a brand of loyalty David appreciates or rewards.
     When these men present Ish-bosheth's trophy head to David, he responds by having these same men's hands and feet cut off, and then hanging their bodies for display above a pool.  I'm thinking this is probably not what they were expecting.  David wants to send a clear message, since the Amalekite's death did not seem to do the job, that the new king will not tolerate anyone who takes these matters into their own hands.
     What was the main difference between Saul and David?  Saul encouraged his men to destroy his enemies, even if he just believed them to oppose him.  David trusted God to take care of the opposition.  David knew that God had placed him on the throne.  He trusted that if God had put him there, then God would handle those who tried to usurp him.  David is not a worrier.  He does not pace the floor, wondering when the rest of the tribes will fall in line and recognize his leadership.  He leaves those things to the Lord.  This is not to say he didn't have armed guards or watchkeepers.  This does not mean he didn't have a military strategy in place should enemies storm the castle.  He would defend his kingdom, but he did not see the need to go on the offense, and mow down regents or anyone else in Saul's line who might be Ish-bosheth's successor.
     Saul, on the other hand seemed consumed with securing his throne.  He could not rest easily unless he or his men were pursuing any threats to his reign.  Perhaps, he never really felt confident that God had put him in that position.  I only know that Saul and David's  approach was different because their trust was different.  Saul believed it was his kingship.  David believed it was His kingship. 
    That one letter changes a person's perspective. When I leave everything in His hands, I don't have to worry about my enemies, my opposers, my critics.  God will take care of those who try to sully my name, who make false accusations, who paint me in a bad light.  Should I be ousted from my position, if He is the One who put me in it to begin with, I have to trust that He knows what He is doing and is taking me out of that position for a little while.  I don't have to go looking for my enemies, they will always be around.  But God could be using them in my life to either build up my faith in Him, to allow me to be a witness to them, or to show His strength and His ability to handle the situation.   David trusted in God when he was on the throne, before he was on the throne, and during the times he was taken off the throne.  He always knew that if it was God's plan, he would be put back in his rightful place, and if it was not God's plan, than His plan was better.  With that perspective, with that foresight, David was able to be one of Israel's greatest kings.  He made mistakes, he wasn't perfect, but David trusted God to even help him in his messes.  God can help me in mine.

Trust Issues

Today's passage:  II Samuel 3
      Abner was a crafty fellow.  He obviously was in this king-making business for how it benefitted him.  Most people in politics are in it for what they can get, and I think that is why we become so disillusioned with them.  Backroom deals, compromises, loophole promises pave the way for power and influence.  Abner was no exception to these schemes.  "Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David:  but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker."  Abner is on a sinking ship, and he knows it.  The numbers would seem to be in Ish-bosheth's favor.  After all, most of the tribes had gone with him.  But God was on David's side, and that makes up for any weakness in numbers.  When Ish-bosheth accuses Abner of a liaison with his father's concubine, Abner makes a great deal of being offended.  He makes it clear to Ish-bosheth that all he need do is say the word and Ish-bosheth will be ousted.  It is obvious who is running the show.  I think Abner was looking for any excuse to go work for David.  David's kingdom was on the rise, and Abner now realizes he picked the wrong side.  He also remembers what happened at Gibeon.  He knows that Joab will never rest until he has avenged the death of his brother, Asahel.  Ish-bosheth knows that Abner can dethrone him and doesn't push the concubine matter any farther.
     Still, Abner decides to do some under-the-table dealings anyway.  He contacts David and assures him of his allegiance, and the future allegiance of the other tribes.  David accepts with the condition that Abner will bring Michal, the wife Saul had promised to him so long ago but then married off to someone else.  David feels it is time that Saul's promise be honored.  So Abner arrives, treated like a guest.  It is fortunate for him that Joab and his men are in battle, because he may have not been received so graciously.  Abner leaves with an assurance from David that he will leave in peace.  I believe this is all Abner was really after.  Unlike that other king, Ish-bosheth, David was in command of his men.  Abner knows this.  He knows that if David makes a promise, it will be kept.  He knows that if David says to withhold harm from Abner, he will be given safe passage. 
     When Joab gets word of Abner's visit, treated like a respected ambassador, Joab is furious.  He confronts David about the matter.  He tells David he is being played, just as Ish-bosheth had been.  David apparently does not give Joab the answers he is looking for, because Joab sends servants to retrieve Abner, without David's knowledge. 
     Under other circumstances, Abner might have had cause for concern.  But he knows David.  This is the man who spared Saul's life in the cave.  This is the man who tiptoed around Abner's sleeping men to confiscate Saul's spear and water canteen.  Abner had become quite familiar with David's character.  He knew that he was not given to deceit or masquerades.  So when Joab requests a private conversation with Abner, Abner doesn't worry.  I'm sure he smiled smugly at Joab, knowing there was little Joab could do.  Although Abner may have known David's character, he obviously did not know Joab's.  Joab takes Abner's life in the same style Abner had taken his brother's. 
     When David learns of the news, he orders Joab to mourn this man.  Joab had his revenge, but Abner will have the last play.  Joab must humiliate himself by being respectful of this man's death.  The man who had murdered his brother would be given a statesmen's burial.  I'm surprised that David does not require a more stringent punishment upon Joab.  This action would make it appear that Joab was calling the shots.  It might make David appear weak.  It might make people question David's word.  But Joab is also family.  He is David's nephew.  Asahel was David's nephew.  Maybe just a little part of him knew that Abner got what was coming.  So for now, Joab is spared any further punishment. 
     Abner played the political game.  His allegiance was with whoever he thought was the rising star at the time.  When it was Saul, he was loyal to Saul.  When he thought it would be Ish-bosheth, he was loyal to Ish-bosheth.  Now that David's influence had increased, he became loyal to David.  In reality, he was only loyal to himself.  Shifting allegiances make a lot of enemies.  Abner thought if he befriended his enemies, that would cause them to forget their grievances, or at least be controlled by them.  He thought he had cleverly ingratiated himself to David enough that his nephew could only follow his lead.  He didn't take into account that like himself, Joab had a mind of his own.  He didn't trust Joab, but he trusted his pact with David, and he assumed that Joab was loyalty bound as David was.  It was his undoing. 
     This is what David says at Abner's memorial:  "Died Abner as a fool dieth?  Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters:  as a man falleth before wicked men, so fellest thou."  Abner's life and death are reminders that we can never be too sure of others.  Our trust is only entirely safe in one place.  In Him.

Competitors

Today's passage:  I Samuel 25:1-17
     "They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep."
     In the teaching profession, there is a lot of mentoring and encouragement.  We borrow teaching tips from each other, we give advice, we ask for advice, we pool ideas.  All this makes for an enjoyable work environment.  I don't think I could ever work on Wall Street, where it is every man for himself.   I don't think I could steal clients from another person, or recommend myself over a colleague.  Highly competitive people probably enjoy that work environment, but it would not be for me.  Maybe not all stock brokers try to edge out rivals, and maybe not all teachers cooperate with one another, but generally, you can see the difference in the two atmospheres.
     David used to be a shepherd.  In fact, he used to shepherd in Bethlehem which is not a great deal's distance from Maon, where this passage takes place.  In between the two cities is a great wilderness.  So shepherds would either take their sheep into this wilderness to graze, or they would take them west to pasture.  In any case, I am guessing that some of the shepherds from these towns would have met up at one point or another.  David may have been familiar with Nabal from his shepherding days.  He obviously knew he was a wealthy man, or he would not have imposed on him to feed over 400 mouths.  David and his men have wandered the countryside, I guess depending on others for food, but that is not always easy when you have such a large group of men.  Perhaps they hunted and fished.  They could have on many occasions slaughtered sheep that they happened across in their travels.  The sheep would have provided mutton and wool.  This would most likely be a last resort.  Having been a shepherd, David understood the importance of every sheep in the flock.  He would have sympathized with families that raised them as their living, and would prefer to leave them to those families.  Apparently, David and his men had crossed paths with Nabal's shepherds.  They even offered them protection, in exchange for nothing.  David understood the perils of watching the sheep by night.  He was willing to offer a helping hand.
      Now the time comes when David could use a helping hand.  He is hungry.  He knows Nabal has the means to feed them.  He has helped Nabal in the past so he asks for a favor.  I don't think David helped Nabal's men in order to get something for the future, but since he is in need, he figures that maybe Nabal will return the kindness.  Here is Nabal's response, "And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse?  there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master."
I'm not buying that Nabal has no idea who David is.  In fact, I'm guessing that Nabal is one of those competitive Wall Street types who wants to monopolize the sheep farming business.  He probably knew every shepherd in the area, every sheep owner around and made it his business to keep track of who had what.  He had to have heard about David's reputation, not only as a shepherd, but as a servant to king Saul.  Hadn't everyone heard about the giant slayer?  There is some reason that Nabal refuses to help David.  I think he would like to see the downfall of David and the downfall of his family.  I think he would like to be the only sheep owner standing in southern Judah.  Does he even listen to the fact that David and his men had spared his shepherds and his sheep on numerous occasions?  That they in fact, had offered protection?  Nabal refuses to hear it.  He has his mind set.  Perhaps he thinks that with Jesse's old age and his best shepherd a fugitive, Jesse will have to sell the family business.  And guess who might march up the walk willing to take it off his hands?  Of course, I can't know any of this for sure, but it seems reasonable to think that this may have been Nabal's motivation.  He obviously had no fear of David.  He does not think about what David could possibly do to him or his business.  Fortunately, Nabal has a wise wife.  This must have been an arranged marriage, because I don't see how foolish Nabal could have ended up with wise Abigail.  I know opposites attract, but not that opposite. 
     Competition is healthy, to an extent.  I believe in a free market where competition helps business to improve.  I enjoy watching competitive sports, where somebody wins and somebody loses.  I love competitive board games where hopefully I win ( I do have a bit of a competitive streak in me).  Sometimes competition becomes cut-throat, and then it gets ugly.  When we only concentrate on winning, when we only see the bottom line, competition loses purpose.  Competition should motivate us to improve ourselves, it shouldn't leave us trampled in the dust. That is why we have sportsmanship awards, so in the midst of competition, we can still show some civility. Nabal could only see the bottom line.  He was willing to mow over anybody to achieve what he wanted.  In the heat of the race, I should be focused on the finish line, but I mustn't forget those on the sidelines who helped me get there.  A Wall Street tycoon more than likely profited from other brokers who fizzled out.  Teachers of the year had to get those ideas from somewhere or somebody.  Competition is working hard to win, but usually we benefit from those who lose.  Nobody wins or profits without some help.  Do I lend a helping hand when I am at the top of the world?  Or do I squash the competitors?  If that is my attitude, I shouldn't be surprised when someone has to help me off the ground someday.

Kings and Criminals

Today's passage:  I Samuel 20
     One of the greatest fears of my life is to be the victim of a violent crime.  I have been afraid of many things over the years, but little fills me with as much trembling as that thought.  Of course, I have great fears for my children as well, but concerning my own person, the violent crime thing still tops my list.  That's not to say I am not afraid of other events, but I give myself credit that I could keep panic from setting in during other situations.  Perhaps it is my greatest fear because I'm fearful how I would react.  Perhaps it makes me fearful because I am not sure I could respond with grace.  I pray I never have to find out.
     I am trying to get into David's head.  I am wondering why the shepherd boy who had slain a lion, a bear, a giant,  and two hundred Philistines should be afraid of the king of Israel?  There is no question that David is afraid.  He tells Jonathan, "there is but a step between me and death".  And he is right.  Saul is determined to kill him.  But David had already been anointed by Samuel as the next king.  How could he think God had changed His plans?  Fearfulness causes us to do a lot of crazy things.  It just seems strange that David would be fearful of Saul. 
     I think the difference is, Saul was God's anointed at this time.  He sat on the throne, and as far as David is concerned, that means God's hand is upon him.  David had nothing to fear against the Philistines, because they were God's enemy, he would not be afraid to take their lives, because he knew he was in the right.  David had a holy respect and reverence toward the man God had placed on the throne of Israel.  This was who God intended to reign, and David felt defenseless because he would not harm the man God anointed as king. 
     David was not sure if he was right in this situation.  The uncertainty of whether he was in God's will, caused David to be fearful.  David makes a few missteps in this chapter because he was afraid.  Who of us wouldn't?  I have made some wrong decisions because I was fearful, and it takes a real calming of the Spirit to proceed cautiously but wisely.
     When we are fearful, we tend to take matters into our own hands.  David is certain that if he goes to dinner that night, it will be his last supper.  He devises a lie to find out Saul's intentions towards him.  Several times in the Bible, we see how people in the Bible tell a "little white lie".  I don't think I really need to go there.  I think we all know lying under any circumstances is wrong, but God is merciful to us.  We do have to be careful because it is not something we want to make as a continual pattern in our lives, especially when we are afraid.  I don't know how God would have handled the situation, but I know we will never find out since this is the way David chose to handle the matter.  What is more disconcerting, is that he persuades Jonathan to tell the lie for him.  This will put Jonathan in great jeopardy.  Fearfulness blinds us to the danger to which we expose other people.
     Being afraid will cause us to doubt whether we are in God's will.  We assume that if we are in dangerous circumstances, we must be doing something wrong.  David says, "if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself".  We should search ourselves often.  But if the Lord does not reveal to us that we are involved in sin, we should not automatically assume that God is punishing us, or trying to probe a confession like a detective in an interrogation room.  God doesn't always put us in a frightening situation because He wants to scare the sin out of us.
     Fear caused David to doubt the person he trusted most.  Jonathan had to convince David that he was not involved in a murder plot against him.  David knew this deep down, but nervous anxiety gnawed at him to need Jonathan's reassurance.  Jonathan does, and perhaps this is also why he is willing to lie for David, to prove his loyalty.  This put Jonathan in an awful predicament, and an unfair one too.  Jonathan should not have to prove his friendship, but he loved his friend, understood his fear, and was willing to go the extra mile for him.

Jonathan sends a message to David by shooting an arrow--Taken from Standard Bible Story Reader, Book Three
By Lillie A. Faris, Illustrated by O.A. Stemler and Bess Bruce Cleaveland
The Standard Publishing Company, 1926

     Jonathan says something that I think is very telling.  He tells David, "and the LORD be with thee, as he hath been with my father."  Saul must have put on a show as being very Godly.  The Lord has not been with Saul for a very long while, He has even promised to take Saul off the throne.  Yet, this is Jonathan's father, and he sees God's hand on him.  I'm thinking, if I were David I would tell Jonathan to take back that statement, because if God has been with Saul these last several years, I would rather take my chances on my own.  I'm not sure how the temper tantrums and mood swings still signaled godliness to these two men but I guess since Saul remains on the throne, they assume God is still with him.  God has still allowed him to reign, but I don't think God is still with him.  This is what can make us the most fearful, when we look at circumstances in life, and make assumptions.      
     David and Jonathan assume that because God had not removed Saul from the throne, he was in the right, and they were in the wrong.  God has His own timetable.  God has His own reasons for doing things, and it is not for us to find out why.  If He chooses to reveal His reasoning to us, He will.  In the meantime, we have to trust God.  What does that mean?  I'm going to make up a word.  Trusting God is what I will call a genericalization.  A what?  You know, one of those intangible statements we make to assure people, but really have no idea how to explain.  Trust God.  How do I do that? Maybe instead of saying that I should say: Remember God's promises.  That is something tangible.  Go to His Word, and list all of the places where He says how He will protect us, how He will take care of us.  David's psalms are a great resource for those kinds of verses.  Reading this chapter in I Samuel, I think he knew a little bit about being frightened and depending on the God he could not see to help him.  But what if trusting God means death? For David, he was not so sure it didn't.  God has promised me a home in Heaven if I have accepted His Son as my Savior.  What is so fearful about that?  That is a promise our Christian brothers and sisters in Indonesia, Syria, and Libya are trusting in today.  If that is not God's plan, if there is more than one step between me and death, than I just keep taking a step each day, doing what He has asked me to do, waiting for Him to reveal the rest.
     If I am ever faced with a hardened criminal who wants to take my purse at gunpoint, or threaten to do me bodily harm (thoughts which make my blood run cold) I would need to remember God's promises.  He doesn't promise me that I will never be harmed, He promises me that in some way I don't understand He will sustain me, He will get me through, He will be with me.  If I survive the situation, He has promised me I can endure it.  If I don't survive, He has promised me I will be with Him.  I am fearful because I don't think I can endure, which means I am fearful that God will not keep His Word.  But He always does.  So perhaps, that is the crux of David's fears.  He is afraid God did not mean what He said when He told David he would someday be king.  David is afraid that God will not keep His promise to him.  David is afraid that he has failed Him in some way that would constitute God going back on His Word.  I may have to remind myself what He has said, but I will never have to remind Him.  In David's life, a king was scarier than a giant.  He was sure what God had promised against the giant, but he was a little less sure what God had promised against the king.  But God's promise is the same.  He will go with me. No giant, king or criminal can dispute that.

Soldiering

Today's passage:  Isaiah 52
     In military movies, when a group of soldiers has to cross an open field, they often assign one or two men to go out front and draw out the enemy and station one or two men in the back of the group to "watch their back".  I would not volunteer for either of these jobs.  I would prefer to stay in the middle.  That is because I am a chicken and am not brave like the men and women who fight for us every day.  God volunteers for both positions.  He tells Israel, "...for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward."  My Bible defines that last word as a being a rear guard. 

Persian nobleman with soldier
Courtesy<a href="http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wpclipart.com%2Fworld_history%2Fattire%2Fmiddle_east%2FPersian_nobleman_w_soldier.png.html"><img src="http://www.wpclipart.com/world_history/attire/middle_east/Persian_nobleman_w_soldier.png"></a> of

     If I were a soldier, it would be very important to be able to trust the men I fight with. If I am putting someone out ahead of me, I would hope he would be giving his all to protect me.  If I have soldiers behind me, I would hope they weren't trying to sneak out ahead of me, leaving me exposed.  There is nobody I could trust more than God.  If He sent His own Son to die for me, I'm certain that He cares enough to protect me in dangerous situations.  It's not like I have done anything to deserve it.  Neither had Israel.  The Lord also tells Israel at the start of this verse, "For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight..."  They would not have to throw their belongings together in the middle of the night and try to creep past the enemy in order to escape.  They would leave boldly and confidently because God would be their leader and their last defense.  When I am fearful, I need to remember that God is already ahead of me in the situation.  He has already assessed what needs to be done, and He can give me the strength to carry out the operation.  He also will be the last man on the field and will not leave me behind.  He is my Commander and I can trust every order that He gives.  A good soldier will say "Yes, sir."