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By: Michael Kornelis
You may listen to this devotion in audio form via podcast here.
He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. The 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 lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.
I am not a pacifist. I believe there is such a thing as just war. I believe that there are times when violent force may be necessary and even righteous. David was not a pacifist. He engaged in just wars. There were times when he was violent and his violence was righteous. He was not a pacifist. And yet here in this iconic story David does not and will not live by the sword. He resolutely refuses to lay a hand on the Lord’s Anointed.
To understand the story we must understand what it means: the Lord’s “Anointed”? The Hebrew word for anointed is mashiach, anglicized as “messiah”. In Greek: christos or Christ. It is here in this book, the book of Samuel, that the very concept of Messiah is first developed. Before this the Israelites were as familiar with the idea of a messiah as they were a senator or CEO. It is here that the concept is introduced. To be the messiah, christ, anointed is to be set apart by God to rule and shepherd the people. Jesus is the ultimate and truest messiah but far from the first. Saul is the first. And he’s not great. In fact God ultimately rejects him and in his place anoints, christens, “messiahs” David in his place.
Long story short David has fallen into disfavor with Saul, quite ironically on account of his loyalty and superb service to king and country. Saul is jealous. So Saul goes hunting for David.
Now, David and his men find Saul alone and posed in, shall we say, a vulnerable position. And here is what is fascinating about this moment. God has rejected Saul. God has anointed, christened, “messiahed”, David. And God has promised to deliver Saul into David’s hand to do with as he wishes. David’s men remind him of all this and they speak true! And yet, David says “no”. He will not raise his hand against the Lord’s anointed, the messiah, the Christ. He won’t. And he doesn’t.
We see here the deep reverence David has for the messiah, the Christ. This juxtaposes with the Christ presented to the people in the Gospel. We cried “crucify, crucify, crucify!” and then lay him down in the cave dead.
But Jesus like David, when we come to murder him, he does not lift his hand against us but blesses us imploring “Father forgive them.” Because we are his anointed, his little messiahs, his little christs, CHRIST-ians. And like David it is far from him to lift his hand against the Lord’s anointed.
I think that’s good news. I think that’s the gospel.