Not the same way twice

Today I was reading 2 Samuel 5. David is assuming rule of all Israel and Judah and uniting the two kingdoms under one throne. The Philistines attacked. The first time they attacked he prayed for guidance and God said, "Attack with a frontal assault." Sure enough, the Philistines were defeated. The second time they attacked, David prayed again. This time God said, "Circle around and attack from behind."

I did a second take at this. You see, David had already defeated the Philistines once. He could have assumed that he know how to win this battle. He could have taken his legendary army and tried to repeat what had worked so well the first time. Instead, he prayed and God told him to change and attack from behind. He was successful because he followed God's direction and did things differently.

I thought about all the things that I assume God has taught me how to do. I realized there may be things that God wants to change up in my life that I assume I already know how to accomplish. The best way may not always be the same way I have used before.

polygamy and dumb and dumber

Reading 2nd Samuel is enlightening about David and his lifestyle. In 2nd Samuel 1, David has two wives. By chapter 3, he has at least five wives. Then he sends for his first wife, Michal, who had been given away to another man when David fell out of favor with Saul. This is a pathetic story. Michal obeys the command to return to David. All the while her husband follows along behind the guard escorting her, crying and begging for her to be returned.

I had not thought this through before until Shawn said, "I bet David wanted to make sure Michal did not produce an heir to the throne, and so he commanded her return." Later on in life, Michal treats David with disdain and disrespect. This story gave me a whole new insight into why she might not like him so much. She had apparently found happiness in her second marriage and was ordered to go back to David, the most powerful man in the land. As a woman, she was without options. She had to turn her back on a man that appeared to love her deeply. No wonder she was hateful to David. Hello! I don't think Shawn would have followed me crying.... I think he would have mounted a coup and made an assasination attempt.

To go from being the favored, possibly only wife of a man that loved her deeply into a member of a harem. That had to suck. Let's talk about the harem thing. I can see some advantages to this. Running a king's household had to be tough. This way, there were several women to split up the chores and help out. But how does this work exactly? Do you all get equal turns with the king at night? Does he call only for his favorites? What if you're not the favorite? Do you get to take an additional discreet lover as well or do you just have to do without? I don't think I would fare well. I would be greatly tempted to poison the other wives. I don't like competition. I like to be the one and only star in my husband's life.

Then today I read a story in 2 Samuel 4 about Dumb and Dumber. They had real names, but let's just call them Dumb and Dumber. Let's review history for just a minute: The guy that brought David the news that he had offed Saul when his suicide attempt didn't work fast enough? Beheaded! The guy that told David he killed the man trying to keep David from assuming total control of all Israel? Angrily Cursed!

But Dumb and Dumber hatch a brilliant plot to kill the last of Saul's sons. They sneak past the sleeping maid guarding his bedchamber (? why no armed guard?) and kill the guy. They then take his head to David. They are expecting great rewards. Oh, they got rewarded alright. David had them both executed on the spot.

I don't really have a point in sharing either of these stories other than I found them both intriguing. You can see David's political cunning in reacquiring Michal, his struggle with sexual sin in his addition of many wives to his harem after God had forbidden it, and yet his repeated exhibition of love to his enemies as he is angry with people that kill them off. There is so much more to this man than what I learned in Sunday School.

Saul's End

In 2nd Samuel 1, Saul meets a desperate and terrible end. In the heat of battle, Saul realizes his sons have been killed, so he asks his armor bearer to kill him. The armor bearer refuses to kill God's anointed. Saul commits suicide then by falling onto his own sword. The armor bearer sees what he does and also commits suicide.

There are lots of interesting things about this story, but I had a new thought today. David had at least 2 opportunities to kill Saul. He would have been very justified in self-defense. However, he decided not to. Just for grins, let's play out the scenario differently. Let's pretend like David killed Saul that first time, when Saul was sleeping or even the second time when Saul was using the bathroom in the cave. Saul would have been gone, but his sons would have been in line for the throne. How would David have ever become king? But then again, David's best friend Jonathan might have lived, and they could have shared a life-long friendship. Or perhaps that friendship would have turned to betrayal in a fight for the throne?

Instead, David would not murder the king. He would not murder someone anointed by God. Instead, the king commits suicide. Because of the difference in scenarios, all of the king's sons are dead in battle. David has a clear path to the throne. God handles the situation in such a way that His purpose of establishing David as king are most easily accomplished. However, these purposes are not accomplished without pain. David lost his best friend Jonathan.

I wondered as I contemplated all of this if David ever regretted not killing Saul, if he had any regrets about the way it all played out in the end. If he blamed himself at all for Jonathan's death or not. There's no way of knowing this. And it's probably not even important. I was just curious. My brain works in strange and mysterious ways.