We’ll start with David because I think it’s helpful to look at positive examples before negatives. If we first learn to recognize what is pleasing to God, then it’s easier to see the failures.
Of course, David did not follow the pro-life ethic perfectly, but the Bible shows us several episodes in which he is exemplary. We’re going to focus on three.
EPISODE 1: How David treated his men - 2 Samuel 23:13-17
The first instance is recorded near the end of the biblical record about David, but may have occurred earlier. Philistines had invaded and occupied David’s hometown of Bethlehem. How long had they been there? We don’t know, but long enough that David yearned to drink from Bethlehem’s well. He exclaimed, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!”—never thinking that anyone would risk life and limb to satisfy him. But three of his chief men took it as a challenge, so they broke through the Philistine ranks, drew water from the well, and brought it back to David.
Did David feel excited by their valor? Did he accept it as a sign of their esteem? Did it please him that they would risk their lives for him? Did he relish that water as an indicator of his importance?
No! His reaction was quite the contrary. He refused to taste a single drop. Instead he poured it out as an offering to the Lord, saying, “Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?” He is chagrined by their eagerness to please him, and humbled by the risk they took. Although he was king, he knew he wasn't deserving of such extreme devotion or foolhardy risks.
Why is this an instance of upholding the pro-life ethic? David valued their lives more than his frivolous whim. A man’s blood is much more important than a taste of water. A man is made in God’s image, and only God is worthy of a deeply sacrificial drink offering.
If his men had died in their quest, he would have felt ashamed. More than that, he would have been responsible; in the sight of God and in the sight of the men’s families, their blood would have been on his head. There would have been no sufficient reason for their deaths.
His strong reaction against selfishly enjoying the water showed all his men that they too should highly value their lives and the lives of their fellow-men. They should not pursue foolish ventures or take undue risks.
EPISODE 2: How David treated an enemy combatant - 1 Samuel 30:11-15
Amalekites had raided Ziklag, a town where many of David’s people lived. After ransacking their homes, they burned everything to the ground and carried off their wives and children. This caused David and his army much agony and grief. They wanted to rescue their loved ones but didn’t know which way the marauders had gone.
In their search, they came upon a forlorn Egyptian in a field. A slave, he’d been abandoned by his pitiless master three days earlier when he’d fallen ill, left to die with no food or water. David and his men first gave him food and then learned this stranger could tell them where the Amalekites would be. An act of kindness to a stranger led to the rescue of their family members and the restoration of their belongings; they cared for his physical needs before they knew he had useful information.
David could have taken vengeance on the Egyptian. He’d been in Ziklag and had probably participated in its ransacking. He could have been guilty of atrocities, but David understood that as a slave he lacked moral agency; he was not sharing in the plunder. In this sense, the man was innocent and to kill him would be murder.
It would have been immoral for David to accept the man’s information and then kill him. That would have been going back on his oath before YHWH. It would have meant taking the Lord’s name in vain and bringing Him shame.
David was not like the ruthless Amalekites, who treated people as things and heartlessly threw them away when they were no longer of use. He showed that he believed all people, not just his countrymen, are made in God’s image. He upheld the biblical pro-life ethic.
This is not the only time David restrained himself from venting his wrath against people who wronged him or treated him poorly.
- In 1 Samuel 25:2-35, Nabal refused to help David and his men. This enraged David because he’d done the man much good. Wise Abigail intervened so her husband would not receive what was essentially the death penalty for being a fool, well beyond what would be an appropriate punishment (see Genesis 4:23). David reacted with gratitude because he was spared incurring bloodguilt [link] in this matter; he let God take care of Nabal.
- In 2 Samuel 16:5-13 and 19:18-23, a relative of Saul’s named Shimei taunted and goaded David at a low point in the king’s life, but later repented. One of David’s men offered to kill Shimei, but that would have been undue vengeance. Shimei was an irritant but his behavior was not deserving of death. David responded with humility and magnanimity, forgiveness and grace—as had Saul had also done in 1 Samuel 11:12-13.
EPISODE 3: How David treated rivals - 2 Samuel 9:1-13
After Saul died, newly crowned King David looked around for anyone from his friend Jonathan’s family whom he could help, even though they would be potential rivals. Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth was found. He’d been crippled as a young boy in the aftermath of Saul’s death and the fear of David that ensued.
We’ve seen how David behaved toward enemies, so it’s no surprise he would gladly show kindness to Mephibosheth. Because the young man was disabled, David saw to it that he not only had land but also someone to work it. He was also welcomed into David’s palace for regular meals. The precedent for this was David’s love for Jonathan, and his respect for Saul—despite the monarch's determination for David to die.
Under the influence of an evil spirit, Saul had attempted three times to pin David to the wall with his javelin (1 Sam. 18:10-11, 19:9-10). Then he sent David into battle against the Philistines, hoping they would kill him (1 Sam. 18:17,21,25). Finally Saul ordered his men to kill David (1 Sam. 19:1). In all these instances, it's obvious God was protecting David and that David had done nothing deserving of the death penalty (1Sam. 19:4, 20:1,32).
God had removed Saul's legitimacy as ruler, yet David was determined not to “touch the Lord’s anointed,” to hasten the time-table or even kill Saul in self-defense. David had two opportunities to end Saul’s life and assume leadership—in 1 Samuel 24:1-7 and 26:1-25—but he refused to take the advantage. As a result, Saul had to admit David was more righteous than he.
These would not be the only occasions David preserved the lives of rivals.
- In 2 Samuel 1:1-16, David executed the man who administered the fatal blow to Saul because he viewed it a capital offense to kill the Lord’s anointed.
- David had a similar response to the murder of Saul's last remaining son, Ishbosheth, in 2 Samuel 4:9-12. He said Ishbosheth was a righteous man, meaning he'd done nothing worthy of death, and said, “Shall I not now require his blood from your hand and destroy you from the earth?” in a statement reminiscent of Genesis 9:5.
- In 2 Samuel 3:26-30, David attests it was not his intent for Abner to be killed simply because he’d been Saul’s general, declaring, “I and my kingdom are innocent before the Lord forever of the blood of Abner.” He cursed the man who had done it.
Thus we see that, when the way became clear for David to assume the throne, he put an end to what would have become an endless cycle of vengeance and retribution. By mourning for Saul and his sons, David honored God and His image-bearers.
And so we see that, despite one huge departure from his commitment to the sanctity of human life (which we’ll address in our next post), the pro-life principle was a significant theme in David’s life. It also found expression in his writings: Psalm 8:3-8; 9:12; *10:3-14; 11:5; 26:9; 37:12-15, 32; 54:3; 55:9, 21 & 23; 56:6; 59:3; 62:3-4; 86:14-17; 139:13-18.
*Psalm 10 is unattributed but has historically been linked to Psalm 9, which is by David; they are viewed as originally having been two parts of a single psalm.
_________________________
Image credit: David with his harp by Marc Chagall, 1956, https://www.wikiart.org/en/marc-chagall/david-with-his-harp-1956.
Comments
Post a Comment
Thank you for visiting my blog and going to the trouble of commenting. Once your comment is approved, you should receive notification of its publication.