May
4
Written by:
Route 365
5/4/2010 7:45 AM
written by by Melinda Messick
It’s nice to read a victorious passage. Repeatedly, I see King David defeating his enemies and the Lord’s hand at work in giving these victories. I also see King David then turning and acknowledging the Lord by dedicating all the plunder to Him. And finally, King David reigns “doing what was just and right for all his people.”(v15) In reading this, it’s easy to see why David is referred to as the greatest ruler of Israel. This is Israel’s golden era, its fairy tale history. Too bad it didn’t go on forever like this, especially David’s strong communion and alignment with God. But I admire this in David. When God delivers me, do I acknowledge in my heart of hearts that it was His victory and not mine? Do I dedicate the “plunder” to Him? Do I use the power He gives me righteously? These are things to think and pray about.</p>
Still, the verses in this passage that distract me are about David’s cruelty. He measures out the men and spares the life of every third group (v2), as well as cripples almost all the captured horses (v4). It seems random and capricious to me. Where is God in this? Why is this in the Bible? Can you picture this in Israel now? All sorts of groups would heap condemnation on Israel if this was how they treated the Palestinians. These types of passages (and there are many more in the Old Testament) are on my list of things I wish weren’t in the Bible. In some other passages, the cruelty is clearly directed by God for the purpose of punishing serious wickedness. It’s really just appropriate justice. Yet I know that there are also so many passages in which God offers mercy and grace to the wicked. And to me. I guess that’s the bottom line. I am a sinner deserving death and it is God’s grace by provision of a substitute that has prevented that. Rather than focus on the ugly reality I don’t like, I am free to praise and thank Him for sparing me.
Your Fellow Traveler,
Melinda
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