Last week we witnessed the Prophet Samuel anoint a king for Israel. Samuel, under God's directing located a man named Saul, anointed him and helped him become king. The rest of Saul's story is not all that pretty. He began to suffer from fits of rage and insecurity. He was buffeted by enemies who threatened his kingdom and his people. He was threatened as well by the growing popularity of a guy named David, who seemed to be a far more charismatic leader than Saul. Ultimately, out of desperation Saul turned to a witch to summon the by then, long dead Samuel in order to get some assistance. Instead of offering help the ghost of Samuel revealed that God was no longer supporting Saul and his days were numbered. Saul's end came in battle, when faced with certain defeat and capture by the Philistines he took his own life. Thus Israel was once again left without a king or a leader. You can find this story in I Samuel chapters 10-31.
It is at this point in the story it would appear that the Promise of God to release, renew and restore the world (which is to come through Israel) appears to be at risk. The Philistines are triumphant and the people of Israel are once again living in fear and submission. What I did not mention above however was that intertwined with Saul's story was the beginnings of David's story. As Saul began to lose God's favor, God chose another soon-to-be leader for Israel…a young man named David. Samuel, before his death, secretly anointed David to follow Saul.
David's rise to kingship was not without problems. The family and supporters of Saul believe that they are the rightful heirs to the kingship. What followed was a dreadful Civil War between David and Saul's forces. David finally emerged triumphant and was acknowledged as king. He then turned his efforts to dealing with Israel's enemies. Demonstrating his ability as a tactician he defeated the Philistines, captured Jerusalem and then conducted a series of campaigns against Moab, Edom and other local kings that secured peace for Israel.
David understood that political and military victory however was not enough to secure his position. He needed religious affirmation as well. David accomplished this by bringing the Ark of the Covenant (which w as a sign of God's presence) into Jerusalem. Thus Jerusalem became not only the City of David (belonging to David and not to a tribe) but the center of worship for Israel. David thus managed to merge political and religious power in a single location.
At this moment in the story everything appears to be perfectly situated for The Promise of God (to bless the whole world) to be fulfilled. There is political and military peace. The Kingdom of David is secure. But as we will see human nature is going to get in the way. The kingship of David which portended great things never quite lived up to its potential.
For the moment then, perhaps what this story ought to teach us is to celebrate our successes. As we work with Christ to fulfill The Promise we ought to take the time to savor simple victories in which lives are changed, our community is built up and God's love is lived out. In this way we will be encouraged to continue to make a difference for Christ in the world even when life around us is not perfectly lived.
John
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