Pastor Edgar Mayer;
For more sermons and other writings check out pastor’s homepage: http://www.geocities.com/mayeredgar
The
Same Lesson Twice
A Bible teacher was interviewed on radio
– live – at a Christian radio station in the
The Bible teacher was in shock. He
couldn’t believe what he had just heard. His thoughts were wandering: “Is this a Christian radio station? Certainly
it’s not.” Then he thought: “If
it is a Christian radio station, maybe this weather forecast was piped in from
a non-Christian source.”
Back on air he asked: “Is this a Christian station?” The announcer responded: “Yes.”
“Well, maybe what I heard was piped in from a secular source because whoever
was speaking did not have the heart of God in what was said a few minutes ago.”
The announcer asked: “What are
you referring to?” The Bible teacher
responded: “The announcement that made reference to freezing the
governor’s mouth shut.” The
interviewer’s voice dropped to a disgusted tone: “That person was me.”
The teacher replied: “The Bible says
that we are to fear God and honour the king and those in authority.” The announcer responded in a firmer voice:
“Yeah, but there is nothing wrong with a little humour.” The teacher quickly added: “Not at
the expense of what God tells us to honour. The apostle Paul said – Acts 23:5:
‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people’” (John Bevere: Under Cover, Nashville: Nelson Books 2001,
p102-103).
The interview was terminated early and
the announcer’s parting shot was: “Well,
we just don’t see eye to eye on everything.” Would we see eye to eye with the Bible teacher? What’s wrong with a
little humour at the expense of our leaders? They can take it. In many
newspapers John Howard – our former prime minister – became Little Johnny and Kevin Rudd has now
become the squeaky clean Tin Tin character – at least in some regular
cartoons. Or –
according to some in the opposition – Rudd
the dud. Is that wrong? Is
what we dish out to our leaders wrong?
In 1992 the Bible teacher from before
was encouraged to watch a certain ultraconvervative Christian man on
television. He seemed to have a lot to say about the American president of the
time – Bill Clinton – and his wife. Friends said: “You’ve
got to hear this guy. He’s nailing what is going on in Washington.” It was almost nine months before the Bible
teacher stumbled across the show by accident. The man was very funny and the
teacher listened for about twenty minutes as the funny man took the president
apart. The jokes were fantastic but the Bible teacher had a sick feeling in the
stomach. He thought: “What’s wrong with me? Everything he is saying is
true.” He then put the question:
“Lord, why do I have such an uncomfortable feeling in my heart?” The Holy Spirit answered immediately –
Acts 23:5: “You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.” Another Scripture passage bubbled up into
his mind – 1 Timothy 2:1-3: “I urge, then, first of all, that . prayers . and
thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority …
“ (John Bevere: Under Cover, Nashville:
Nelson Books 2001, p106).
Most of us don’t like authority and
across the nation there seems to be some sort of rebellion inbred in our
culture – we even have a name for it:
the “tall poppy syndrome” – we love to cut down the “tall poppies” – but what may have become normal to us –
the Australian way – is not normal in
the Bible.
In our sermon series on King David we
encounter a most perplexing incident. Spies told King Saul where David was
hiding and he went after him with three thousand elite soldiers. Somewhere on
the way Saul went into a cave – by
himself – because he needed to have a
toilet break. But unbeknown to him – David and his men were holed up far back
in the cave and now I read from the Bible – 1 Samuel 24:4-7: “David’s
men said: ‘This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, I will give your enemy into your hands for
you to deal with as you wish.’ Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a
corner of Saul’s robe. Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut
off a corner of his robe. He said to his men: ‘The Lord forbid that I should do
such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lift my hand against him;
for he is the anointed of the Lord.’ With these words David rebuked his men and
did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.”
David’s men wanted to do more than cut
down Saul with humour. They had their hands on a real sword to cut him in half – for all the right reasons. Tyrants – people like Hitler and Stalin and now Saul – need to be stopped. Agreed? After all, it
was Saul that was chasing after them with three thousand elite soldiers and
therefore David’s men could have argued that Saul’s demise happened in
self-defense. Kill or be killed.
Then, Saul was clearly not fit to be
king any more. From the start we know that – 1 Samuel 16:13-14: “ … [the prophet] Samuel … anointed [David to
be the future king] … and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon
David with power … But the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an
evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.” Saul’s time was up. He had lost favour with God and in fact became a
demonised king – tormented by an evil spirit – which made him persecute David for no reason [– hurling spears at him, making him flee from his home, taking his wife
and giving her to another, forcing David to uproot his father and mother and send
them into exile – to Moab, etc].
David became like a hunted dog – desperate – seeking
refuge among the Philistine enemy – [feigning
madness in once instance and suffering the loss of everything by fire and
capture in another]. At times he
lived in caves and we can only imagine what it must have been like for him. One
Bible verse says – 1 Samuel 30:4: “So David and his men wept aloud until
they had no strength left to weep.”
Right! Therefore, make Saul pay for what
he has done. An evil – demonised – king should be dethroned. And it wasn’t
just personal. Saul wasn’t good for the nation. He became a mass murderer of
his own people – 1 Samuel 22:18-19: “ … That
day he killed eighty-five [priests] … He also put to the sword . the town of the
priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle,
donkeys and sheep.” He wiped out an
entire town.
Hence, what was David waiting for? The
men were right. There was Saul taking a leak in their cave – unprotected.
This was the chance to save the nation and it seemed from God. The men said
– I quote them again: “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to
you, I will give your enemy into your
hands for you to deal with as you wish.” Surely this was God himself who set up this opportunity for freedom.
Only David wouldn’t take it. Instead, he
became conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of Saul’s robe – he didn’t seem to have the ticker for anything – and then he said to his men: “The
Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or
lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.”
And so it happened. David let Saul live.
Why? Are we clear about that? Why would he and – thinking it over some time later – suffering again in
a cave as a refugee – did he have regrets and – therefore – would he make the same mistake twice? Yes,
he would. The Bible records an almost identical incident. Again spies told King
Saul where David was hiding and again he went after him with three thousand
elite soldiers. At night Saul and his army camped in the desert when David
decided to make a daring foray into the sleeping quarters of Saul. I read from
1 Samuel 26:5-12: “ … Saul was lying inside the camp with the army
encamped around him … David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there
was Saul, lying asleep … with his spear stuck in the ground near his head.
Abner and the soldiers were lying around him. Abishai said to David: ‘Today God
has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with
one thrust of my spear; I won’t strike him twice.’ But David said to Abishai:
‘Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be
guiltless?’ ‘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 into
battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should
lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are
near his head, and let’s go.’”
David did it again – let Saul live. He
chose to prolong his suffering and the suffering of the nation. Why? Saul no
longer deserved to rule. Yet, the
question is: Was David making another mistake – the same mistake twice – or is God teaching us – through David –
the same Bible lesson twice because we
struggle with the meaning of David’s words: “Who can lay a hand on the
Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?”
From a certain perspective God himself
seemed to have set up the opportunity for bringing Saul down because – 1 Samuel 26:12: “ … they
were all sleeping because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep.” It looked like God himself wanted Saul
dead. Yet, David passed the test – he knew the will of God better – and like him – no matter what the
circumstances – we are not to touch the
leadership which is appointed by God even when they – like Saul – lose their way. We cannot cut down the tall
poppy because God himself will take offense at what we are doing. “Who
can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?” The Bible says in another place –
Romans 13:1-3: “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities,
for there is no authority except that which God has established. The
authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who
rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and
those who do so will bring judgement on themselves.”
Food for
thought. We may look down on our leaders – make fun of them – call them “Little Johnny” or
worse – but God set them up to be over
us and he identifies with them – even Saul – and he will bring judgement on those who rebel. “Who can lay a
hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?”
Okay – if we take this on board – how
then do we accomplish leadership change when the king becomes demonised? There
is an answer in David’s words. He said: “As surely as the Lord lives,
the Lord himself will strike him; either his time will come and he will die, or
he will go into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid
that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed.” “The Lord himself will
strike him” which means that God can
be trusted with bringing down tyrants in his time – without our rebellion.
The Bible says – Romans 12:9: “Do not take revenge, my friends,
but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written, ‘It is mine to avenge; I
will repay,’ says the Lord.” Therefore
– again – you and I – do not touch
the Lord’s anointed but leave room for God’s wrath. He will repay. God will
avenge while our job is spelled out in the next verse of the same reading –
Romans 12:20-21: “ … If your enemy is hungry, feed
him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink … Do not be overcome by
evil, but overcome evil with good.” And
that’s what Jesus did – for us. He
overcame the evil of our sin with the good of his sacrifice on a cross –
not seeking revenge himself but leaving room for God – 1 Peter 2:23 – the Bible says: “When they hurled
their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no
threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” Jesus concentrated on loving us – even
on the cross – because he knew that God
can be trusted to be just. He will take up our case and work a good outcome. [Note that when David showed mercy to Saul,
the immediate outcome was a public blessing of his future kingship by Saul
himself – 1 Samuel 24:19-20; 26:25.]
This may require a step of faith – also for
leaders because the same principle of leaving room for God also works in
reverse. Those under authority do not need to depose their leaders and at the
same time the leaders don’t need to defend – or insist on – their authority. God will do it.
At one time Miriam and Aaron – co-leaders of Moses – made moves against him – saying
– Numbers 12:2: “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he also
spoken through us?” And Miriam and
Aaron had a point. They also were both – prophet and priest. God did also speak to them but –
nevertheless – the Bible records that
the Lord heard this – their words – and
he was not pleased. He summoned them and then he charged them – Numbers 12:6-8:
“ … my servant Moses is faithful in all my house …
Why . were you not afraid to speak against my servant
Moses?” With that – Numbers
12:9-10: “The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left them. When
the cloud lifted … there stood Miriam – leprous, like snow. Aaron turned toward
her and saw that she had leprosy.” Moses
did not have to fend for himself but – as he left room for God to move – it was God that confirmed his leadership –
in judgement and then also in healing because Miriam recovered as Moses prayed
for her. [Cf. Numbers 16.]
Some time later the Bible records an
almost identical incident – and maybe
this is another example where the Bible has to record a story twice before we
believe the truth. Two-hundred and fifty
community leaders came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them –
Numbers 16:3: “ … You have gone too far! The whole
community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do
you set yourself above the Lord’s assembly?” Moses knew what to do – stand back and make room for God – and he said – Numbers 16:5-7: “ … In
the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will
have that person come near him … You . have gone too
far!” The next morning they all
lined up in the worship centre and God confirmed the leadership of Moses –
Numbers 16:35 – I read: “And fire
came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men … “
God is serious about leadership and – according to these Bible stories – he can be trusted to retain ultimate
control which means that those under authority do not need to depose – cut
down – their leaders and those in
authority do not need to defend their authority. We leave room for God to
confirm what he wants.
This leads us to one more observation.
God knows what he is doing. David may have suffered under Saul – for many years – but – according to the wisdom of God – Saul became an instrument of blessing to David (unwittingly). The Bible explains – Romans 5:3-5: “ … we . rejoice in our
sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance,
character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God
has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given
us.”
We rejoice in our sufferings because in
sufferings we find humility, perserverance, character, hope and love. When – one day – David
heard that Saul was killed in battle, there was an unexpected reaction – 2
Samuel 1:11-12: “Then David and all the men with him took hold of their
clothes and tore them. They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul …
and for the army of the Lord … because they had fallen by the sword.” David mourned, wept and fasted for his
enemy – and it seemed genuine –
2 Samuel 1:17-27: “David took up this lament concerning Saul … and ordered
that the men of Judah be taught this lament of the bow … : ‘Your glory, O
Israel, lies slain on your heights … Saul and Jonathan – in life they were
loved and gracious … O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul … who adorned your
garments with ornaments of gold … ‘” [Cf. 2 Samuel 1 and the punishment of
Saul’s supposed killer.]
Wow! God had said that he would choose a
man after his own heart to be the next king (1 Samuel
David sang a song of lament over Saul
and every note of this song – every
sound of the bow – expressed the very
heart of God. Do not touch the anointed of God but keep
loving as God keeps loving the demonised king Saul and as God keeps
loving any other person that has fallen away from him.
Why do we not finish this message here?
We all need an expression of the loving heart of God towards us. And may God – in our case – not
have to sing a song of lament – when it’s too late – but a song of joy because – unlike Saul – we make use of the time given to us. We repent. We turn away from sin
and put our faith in Jesus Christ – his innocent sacrifice for our sins on
the cross. Why not make room for him?
Trust his leadership. Amen.
[Add a possible altar call.]