David’s success, weakness and sadness
Scripture reading: Psalm 3:1-8. Text: “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” Psalm 55:22.
Our Scripture reading and text of meditation are taken from psalms written by David. David and his son Solomon were the two most famous kings of Israel. Our text is very reassuring and encouraging. A similar heart-lifting promise in the New Testament was recorded by Apostle Peter: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7. David’s life is well documented in the Bible and knowing his heroic deeds as well as shameful failures, is it possible to justify David’s confidence in God? If David believed in God’s providence and protection, how can we explain his troubles and tragedies?
WE LIKE WHATEVER IS POSITIVE AND PROMISING, BUT HOW WOULD WE KNOW WHAT IS REASSURING WITHOUT EXPERIENCING THE NEGATIVE AND DISAPPOINTING?
Let us consider only the main events in the life of King David:
n He was descendant of Ruth, Ruth 4:17, the youngest of eight children of his father Jesse (1 Samuel 17:12), born in Bethlehem, 1 Samuel 16:1 and Luke 2:4. David reigned as the second king of Israel after Saul around 1,000-961 B.C.
n Prophet Samuel anointed him upon divine instruction. The handsome and gifted young man lifted up the spirit of a depressed King Saul with his music, 1 Samuel 16:13-23. The king asked David to stay with him.
n His victory over Goliath, that huge and provoking Philistine, made David a hero and he became popular among the Israelites, 1 Samuel chapter 17.
n Saul became jealous of David for his success and popularity but Saul’s son Jonathan became David’s best friend. Their friendship lasted to the end. King Saul’s hatred toward David made him flee and their relationship remained hostile.
n David’s fortune rose and Saul’s reputation diminished, 2 Samuel 3:1. According to the customs of the time David had several wives and many children. 2 Samuel 3:2-5.
n David became at first king of Judah and later ruled over the whole nation. “David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.” 2 Samuel 5:4.
n David wanted to build a temple but God reserved this service for his son Solomon, 2 Samuel 7:12-13. David’s response and prayer is one of the nicest supplications in the Bible, 2 Samuel 7:18-29. Compare it with Solomon’s prayer, 1 Kings 3:5-14.
n David had Uriah killed so he could marry his wife Bathsheba. For this sin, his son, born by Bathsheba, died. 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12.
n His son Absalom rebelled against him and Absalom was killed in a forest by Joab’s men as he got caught by the branch of a tree. 2 Samuel chapters 15 and 18.
n One of the most moving testimonies and praises for deliverance came from David’s lips, see 2 Samuel chapter 22.
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM DAVID’S LIFE STORY AND GOD’S DELIVERANCE?
Often our own individual theology is based on wishful thinking. If God selected a person and made him/her a special servant, then that person should almost be a saint, successful, famous, well-protected and without any fault. What kind of image does the public have about the Christians? Should the followers of Christ, and especially the clergy, be faultless, above others and even perfect? That is not reality. David, a special servant of God’s life, included all these three realities:
n Victory and success; he defeated Goliath and was king for 40 years.
n He could not resist temptation; God punished him for taking Bathsheba.
n He experienced tragedy and grief; his son Absalom’s death was very painful.
Sometimes our Christian conviction is weak. Heartbreaking news, a fatal accident or an unexpected tragedy will disappoint us completely and undermine our faith in God, our trust in people and our hope in the future. We ask, does God still love us when we experience tragic events? Is life as simple as: lucky people are good and unlucky ones are bad? What is the overall message of the book of Job? Good and innocent people might suffer also.
We like to assume that God guaranteed unconditional and unlimited deliverance. We learn from David’s life (also from Jesus’ and apostle Paul’s) that the divine providence does not exclude suffering, pain or tragedy, but the final outcome will prove that, through God’s precious promises, the positive will outweigh the negative. Remember the promise we read in the book of Revelation: “+ Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the
crown
of life.” Revelation 2:10.
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The Rev. Alexander Jalso is a retired United Presbyterian minister living in Brownsville.