Saul, David, Luke and Jesus
David recognizes the honor due to the Lord's anointed.
Today’s first reading is part of the bigger story between King Saul and David. This also reflects an attitude we find in the life of King David and we see it reflected in the Gospel.
The greatest King of Israel is David. Even to this day David is greatly venerated in the Jewish world. This part of the story takes place long before David become king.
David may have been the greatest king in Israel but he is not the first king, he is the second. The first king is Saul.
If you remember the story, God warned the people against seeking a king because the king would require of them what their more egalitarian society did not and it would cast them freedom and status in the society. The people still begged for a king and they received one in Saul.
Saul vs David
Saul and God did not have the greatest of relationships and Saul and David definitely did not. Many of the Israelies looked upon David as as the great war hero and Saul became jealous of his successes. Remember, this is the Middle East and such realities would lead Saul to worry about his future as king. He would be afraid that David would seek to overthrow his crown and take over himself. However, he had nothing to worry about, even though he did worry. David considered Saul the Lord’s anointed and as such he would do nothing to harm Saul for that reason. Strangely, David was also the Lord’s anointed. God chose him to replace Saul but not until God removed Saul and no earlier.
There is another complication. Saul’s son is Jonathan. David and Jonathan have a deep loving commitment. They live a spiritual friendship, which is the greatest level of friendship and Jonathan wants to do all he can to protect David. David would never hurt Saul because that would hurt Jonathan.
So in the scene we see today. David comes upon Saul sleeping with this spear at his head. David steals the spear and a jug of water and goes to the other side of a ravine. When Saul wakes up he find David showing Saul that he has his spear and his jug of water to prove to Saul that had David so desired, he could have killed Saul in his sleep and become the new King of Israel. However, he would never do this because Saul was still the Lord’s anointed and to do kill Saul which he certainly could have done would be to act against God’s wishes which he chose not to do.
So, he shows Saul that he serves God and in doing so at God’s will he serves God’s anointed.
Sermon on the Plain
We can see this in the background when we look at this in light of the Sermon on the Plain from Luke. Jesus calls us to love our enemies and to do good to our persecutors.
Why would we do this, for the same reason that David does not kill Saul. God asks us to do this. Jesus makes it clear that anyone can love their friends but to love your enemies is the work of someone who truly wants to love and serve God. Therefore, as David does not kill Saul out love for God, so we must love our neighbors out of love for God.
Now the way to love our neighbor is to do what is best for them in light of God’s desire that all be saved. So, it does not mean to make them best friends but it does mean to treat them as God wants us to treat them with the idea that we are giving all judgement and retribution to God.
If we attack another, we are doing our will. If we engage in retribution we are demanding our will be done, similar to if David killed Saul. He certainly had the ability and maybe some would say the right but he deferred everything to God. So it is with us, the enemy is not someone who want to treat as we feel he or she should be treated but to defer everything to God so that he will discipline them in the way a father disciplines his sons not as an enemy destroys another enemy.
Now how do we do this. We bring out actions to prayer and we act in this way seeking God to give us the best explanation of how to respond. One of the strangest things you can do as a Catholic is literally to praise God for the difficulties your enemy brings to you. This is you acknowlegding that God is working this is situation. He is fully aware of the situation and will use it for your salvation and maybe even your enemy’s. Do I do this? Yes.
So always remember whatever you are dealing with in work, at home etc. Bring it all to prayer and be adventurous in your response that God will work through this situation in ways that glorify Him and you.
Fr. Robert J Carr is pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Allston, MA
The parish podcast is at CatholicAudioMedia.com
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The newest edition of Fr Robert J Carr's latest book is now available. Christ in Our Humanity. You can find it here.