Remorse
In order
to do this passage justice, I am going to handle the topics in the passage out
of order. The first thing that I am
going to talk about is actually at the end of the passage when the remaining
priest comes to David and tells him what Saul does. David shelters the priest and counts him
among those whom Saul is looking to bring persecution.
The reason
I want to start here is because it is in this passage that we find the
difference between Saul and David. In
fact, it is the same difference between the follower of God and the
non-follower. The difference is not that
one is a better person; the difference is that one shows remorse for one’s
failings.
You see,
in earlier chapters we find Saul jealous of David, angry at Jonathon, and
refusing to accept his role in what is going on around him. It is all everyone else’s fault. This is the typical attitude of the person
who denies God in their life.
However,
at the end of this chapter we hear David speak words of personal remorse for
what has happened to the priests of Nob and even the town itself. David says, “I knew when I saw Doeg there that
trouble would come. I have occasioned
the death of all these good people.”
David isn’t saying that he is guilty of killing them, that blame rests
upon Saul and Doeg the Edomite. But
David does confess his role in the process.
He didn’t do anything to stop Doeg, and because of his actions with the
priest they were put at risk. David is
humble; Saul is proud. David confesses
his sins; Saul refuses to acknowledge that he has anything to do with the
things that are going wrong around him.
Hiding in a Cave
Now that we
do see David in a repentant state, let’s go back to the beginning of the
chapter and pick up the fact that he is hiding in a cave and collecting people
around him. There is something really
cool to which this portion of the passage speaks. Did you notice who comes to David’s
side? Family gathers with him. Those in distress come. Those in debt come. Those who are bitter in their soul come. {Bitter
in the soul means “general discontent with life, usually because of
circumstances beyond one’s control.}
The neat
part about this story is that it reminds us of the people in the world who are
likely to turn to God: those who need Him!
The people who are enjoying life and who have no reason to upset
anything don’t go to David for help; these people also don’t usually go to God
for help, either! The people who are in
need and who feel powerless go to David to join him; and these are the ones
that are primed to come and know God, too! This is a neat dynamic that really
speaks to the condition of life.
Saul’s Continued Slide
For the
rest of the space, I am going to focus on Saul.
Remember that from Saul’s perspective he is still the authority in the
land. {And he is acting like he’s in
charge!} But from God’s perspective David is the anointed king. So it is with the world. From the world’s perspective, we are our own
authority. From Satan’s perspective, he
is the current authority in this world.
However, both humanity and Satan are fooling themselves. The real authority is Jesus Christ – God’s
anointed. When we, or the world, act as
though we are in charge while forgetting about God’s authority, we have more in
common with Saul than we do with David (or any of God’s anointed).
I would
also like to remember 1 Samuel 15 as we talk about the slaughter of the
priests. 1 Samuel 15 is the passage
where Saul refuses to kill the important Amalekites and destroy their
stuff. Of course, Saul didn’t want to
show wrath in that case because he wanted the possessions and the power for
himself. It isn’t that he didn’t want to
be violent; he wanted to be greedy and focus on himself! We see the same thing in the opposite dynamic
in 1 Samuel 22. Here Saul doesn’t have
any way to gain from keeping them alive, so out of his anger Saul has the
priests – and the whole town! – killed.
Saul is showing what self-mongerism does to one’s priorities. When a person is willing to let Gentiles live
because he can prosper from it and then turn around and slaughter God’s holy
priests, then I think there is evidence of a clear problem. When we put ourselves before God, this life
outside of balance is never too far away.
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