Then on Wednesday a young white man murdered nine black worshipers at a service at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. I instantly thought, "He thinks he's David." Admittedly, I haven't heard the shooter specifically reference Israel's boy warrior, but I have no doubt that he saw himself as a savior, fighting alone against the odds. Reading 1 Samuel -- or any part of the Bible -- in the wrong way can be very dangerous. Indeed, trying to make every Scripture passage fit our own personal agenda or situation can lead us astray, especially when we assume that the Bible endorses violence.
- We're not totally sure about David's motivations here. Sure, verses 37 and 46 have David claiming that he's fighting for the Lord. But in the lead-up to his big showdown with the giant, David is promised a reward for winning. Verse 25 says, "The king will greatly enrich the man who kills him, and will give him his daughter and make his family free in Israel." I don't know too many young men who would be able to go into this battle clear-headed and not consider those offers on the table. There is some hint of David's personal motivation in his brother's accusation in verse 28: "I know your presumption and the evil of your heart; for you have come down just to see the battle." Did David have the Lord's best interests in mind, or his own? If he trusted only in God, then would he need to use a weapon at all?
- God never tells David to use violence. In fact, God doesn't talk in this story at all. The Lord is not slow to speak in this part of the Bible -- just look at how many times he directs Samuel in the previous chapters. But in chapter 17 God says nothing -- it seems as if David has decided for himself how to resolve the problem of the giant's challenges. This is a life-long struggle for David, and at the end of his life David's violent ways disqualify him from building God's temple (1 Chronicles 28:3).
- It wasn't a fair fight -- for Goliath. Malcom Gladwell, the best-selling author, has an interesting take on David's fighting methods. In the video clip below, he claims that David craftily shifted the terms of battle into his own favor. Goliath probably suffered from a brain tumor, which caused him to grow larger than normal and affected his eyesight. David brought a gun to a knife fight and killed a man who was being manipulated and coerced by the Philistine armies. (Here's the link to the talk, in case the image clip below doesn't show up in your email or blog reader: https://www.ted.com/talks/malcolm_gladwell_the_unheard_story_of_david_and_goliath?language=en)
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