Theology of Risk Part II – David: Man of Valor, Man on the Run

Back on March 1, I did an initial post on the “Theology of Risk”.  I expect this may be an ongoing study for me over the coming years. 

Earlier this month it was suggested to me that the contingency methods we use  - risk assessments and triggers, withdrawing in the face of heightened risk, setting predetermined ‘return criteria’  - all of these  are more fitting for a “fear-based organization” rather than a “faith-based one”. When faced with danger, we should follow the example of David who courageously stood up Goliath in the story we are all familiar with:

1 Samuel 17:32-37, 45-47 NLT
“Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!” “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.” But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” ….

David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!”

It is hard to argue with such a classic story of God’s protection. But upon reflection, it seemed that the story did not stop there. Nor does it seem to be the only way David faced danger and risk.  This “man after God’s heart” was a complex and nuanced man, living in a complex world. He is mentioned in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11:32-34 and lines up nicely with the ones on the "victorious" side of the list. (see below in bold)

³² And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.

But also seems to fit in with those mentioned in vs 37-38 who

“went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— ³⁸ the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.”

In fact, David was on the run from 1 Samuel 19 – 2 Samuel 1, a refugee, unable to claim the throne and destiny promised to him by God.

What gives?

Immediately following the David and Goliath story, in 1 Samuel 18, David meets Saul’s son Jonathan. They become friends. Saul keeps David with him and assigns him tasks which he does successfully. Saul becomes jealous of David and sends him away to the army, where he becomes more successful, fueling Saul’s jealousy. Saul plots against David and “became even more afraid of him, and he remained David’s enemy for the rest of his life.” (vs 29)

In Chapter 19: 1-3, “Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David. But Jonathan, because of his strong affection for David, told him what his father was planning. “Tomorrow morning,” he warned him, “you must find a hiding place out in the fields. I’ll ask my father to go out there with me, and I’ll talk to him about you. Then I’ll tell you everything I can find out.”

Jonathan smoothes things over and David is reinstated. Note that at this phase, there is a real threat, but also information gathering and weighing of risks.  

 But all is not well. In verse 10, “As David played his harp, Saul hurled his spear at David. But David dodged out of the way, and leaving the spear stuck in the wall, he fled and escaped into the night.” We learn a few verses later that David’s wife warns him to escape in the night, helping him climb out the window, to flee and escape a second time.

Where is our young boy standing up to the Giant?

Triggers and secret codes 

I Samuel 20 recounts the familiar story of David on the run consulting with Jonathan. Together they set up some triggers to help them decide if Saul really wanted to kill David. Jonathan was to attend the new moon feast where David was expected. If Saul accepted the excuse Jonathan gave for David’s absence, then they would know it was okay for David to stay. But if Saul became enraged, that would mean that he wanted to kill David. They set up secret codes (shooting arrows on this side of that side with certain code phrases). It is interesting to note that when the triggers came true, they accepted them as signs from God to flee: “Then it will mean that you must leave immediately, for the Lord is sending you away.” (I Samuel 20:22)

Unfortunately, the triggers are tripped and David flees. His first stop is to Nob to see Ahimelech the priest in 1 Samuel 21. Ahimelech is frightened to see David by himself with no troops. David lies to the priest (!) saying he is on a secret mission for the king. He asks for bread and is given the Bread of the Presence and the Goliath’s sword which he accepted. (Surely this was a reminder to him of God’s power to protect him, even as he fled. But it does seem a bit ironic.)

Apparently the whole encounter with Ahimelech is overheard by “Doeg the Edomite”, Saul’s chief heardsman (vs 7), who eventually recounts this to Saul. 

At the end of chapter 21 (:10-13), David goes to King Achish of Gath. King’s Achish’s men report of David’s battle prowess and “David heard these comments and was very afraid of what King Achish of Gath might do to him. So he pretended to be insane, scratching on doors and drooling down his beard.”

HUH?? David, our mighty man of faith, is « very afraid » and pretending to be crazy?

1 Samuel 22:1, 3, “So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there…..” Later David went to Mizpeh in Moab, where he asked the king, “Please allow my father and mother to live here with you until I know what God is going to do for me.”

The Cave of Adullam

The Cave of Adullam

Here we see in action the principle of extra thought being given to the safety of weaker members, families, and children. We also see the principle of living in uncertainty and waiting on God for direction.

Eventually, God does give direction and the prophet tells David “Leave the stronghold and return to the land of Judah.” So David went to the forest of Hereth.” (1 Samuel 22:5)

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David's actions and choices have consequences

In 1 Samuel 22:9-22, we see the sad consequences of David’s visit to Ahimelech in Chapter 21. As I noted, Doeg the Edomite overheard it all. He went back and reported this to Saul who sent his men and eventually Doeg himself to slaughter Ahimelech and the rest of the Lord’s priests: “eighty-five priests in all, still wearing their priestly garments. Then he went to Nob, the town of the priests, and killed the priests’ families—men and women, children and babies”

David, as leader, feels responsable for all that happened: “ I knew it! When I saw Doeg the Edomite there that day, I knew he was sure to tell Saul. Now I have caused the death of all your father’s family.” (:22)
This story is troubling on many levels. We see here the heavy weight that is on leaders and also the unintended and unexpected consequences that our actions and decisions can have on others who are “innocent bystanders”. Ahimelech by both his and Saul’s account “consulted God for David.” Why, during this time of consultation with Ahimelech, did God not reveal Saul’s plans to them so that these 85 priests and their families might be spared? No answer is given and we are left to trust that God was in control and had good purposes to accomplish out of this.

In the following chapter (23), we have one of the few explicit instances of David inquiring of the Lord. Saul is after him and he asks the ONE remaining priest, Abiathar, to bring the ephod and inquire whether they will be safe or betrayed in a certain town. And God reveals that they will be betrayed, and so David hides out in the wilderness with 600 of his men.  Saul “hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let Saul find him.” (23:14)

It is odd that God provided protection for them, while they were on the run, but did never indicated that this same protection would cover them if they returned home to Jerusalem.

In 1 Samuel 24 and 26 we have two stories where God puts Saul right into David’s hands and gives him an opportunity to kill him. In both cases, David refuses to kill the Lord’s anointed king. Both times Saul is taken aback and makes promises to David. But David is cautious and does not accept Saul’s kind words at face value. He remains convinced that the threat is real, in spite of superficial signs to the contrary.

In fact, the next verse (1 Samuel 27:1) has David realizing “Someday Saul is going to get me. The best thing I can do is escape to the Philistines. Then Saul will stop hunting for me in Israelite territory, and I will finally be safe.”
So he withdraws from Israel for many years and lived in foreign lands.

Return Criteria

David seemed to have ONE return criterion that would allow him to go back home– the
Death of Saul. In 2 Samuel 2:1, Saul has died and “David asked the Lord , “Should I move back to one of the towns of Judah?” “Yes,” the Lord replied.

David eventually becomes King and captures Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5) and there is a period of calm in his life (though it is in this time that the affair with Bathsheba occurs).

A few years later, his own son Absalom stirs up rebellion against his father (2 Samuel 15). King David calls for the evacuation of the entire city of Jerusalem in order to spare his people and the city from disaster. He took all his people leaving only 10 concubines to guard the palace. He had 600 men with him and the priests as well. Abiathar the priest offered sacrifices as they left. When everyone was out, David sent the ark back into Jerusalem, saying, “If the Lord sees fit,” David said, “he will bring me back to see the Ark and the Tabernacle again. But if he is through with me, then let him do what seems best to him.” (:26)

Eventually Absalom dies and David gets his throne back. It is interesting to note that David fought many battles but God did not permit him to fight and defeat either Saul or Absalom.

King David had an interesting response to crisis. He definitely believed that God could protect him and kill his enemies as he had with Goliath. But he also saw the wisdom of evacuation at times and faced the hardship of innocent people being killed around him. He consulted of the Lord and sometimes received crucial information allowing him to escape. Other times information was not forthcoming and people died as a result of uninformed his choices. He was happy to trust God for the accomplishment of His will in his good time, even if that was years later. Throughout his time on the run, there were plenty of laments against God and cries for justice that are immortalized for us in the psalms. Through it all, he never criticized the Lord's anointed, even when that was Saul who was trying to kill him. And he rejoiced in the Lord’s protection – even when that was simply a cave in the side of a mountain, because GOD was his place of safety.

2 Samuel 22:1-4, 7, 17-20 NLT

David sang this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul.

He sang: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence. I called on the Lord , who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies. But in my distress I cried out to the Lord ; yes, I cried to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears. “He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me. They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress, but the Lord supported me. He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me.

A Herd of Pirogues

We had a retreat earlier this week along the Niger River in Bamako.  Couldn't  pick a more restful place, especially with the river at its fullest.

During the afternoon free times, we noticed pirogues (canoes) laden with sand floating downriver to be emptied at a nearby unloading area. Notice how low they ride in the water when full. The strong current makes it almost impossible for them to return upstream to get more sand.

 Malian ingenuity to the rescue: groups of a dozen or so pirogues were lashed together to form a sort of floating barge. Each pirogue had its own captain but there was just one flag and one motor that powered the whole flotilla. Together it was possible to do what was very difficult individually. 

 The video of this is really impressive:

I noticed one pirogue was taking on water and its pilot was bailing frantically. He was in no danger of sinking, as he was lashed to the others, but he still needed to bail. Eventually someone came over from another boat and helped him. And he was freed up to help out as he did not need to attend to his own boat. 

I was reminded of how people and teams working together in community are able to help each other, as we are driven by a common vision (motor). Stronger ones are freed up to help others get the help they need.  Everyone benefits from lack of reduplication.

As I shared my thoughts on this image of community, others in our group mentioned having noticed it as well. They noticed that the boat captains had this incredible sense of camaraderie, yelling things back and forth with great joy and gusto. It was also amazing that they could walk around from boat to boat, almost as if on solid ground. It was like they had created a floating island of security in the middle of the river. 

At one point, a speed boat went by at a much faster pace. We realized that working together meant a slow and steady pace for all as opposed to a very fast pace possible for one well-equipped boat. The increased efficiency for the group made up for this but it did mean individual boats could not go their own way. They had to voluntarily submit themselves to the ropes (best practices, common standards and policies) which allowed them to move as a unit when needed but also removes their independence. 

I Corinthians 12: ¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. . .  ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

24 But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.