But the king replied: “What business is it of
mine or of yours,
sons of Zeruiah, that he curses?
Suppose the LORD has told him to curse David;
who then will dare to say, ‘Why are you doing this?’”
sons of Zeruiah, that he curses?
Suppose the LORD has told him to curse David;
who then will dare to say, ‘Why are you doing this?’”
I believe it was King Henry II,
played by Peter O’Toole in Lion in Winter, who declared, “I am the
king. When I pray, God answers!” King David has learned a different lesson after
his many years in authority, “God is still in charge.”
Authority has a way of settling into one’s
nervous system, seeping through and around whatever reluctance or resistance we might
place before it. When Barack Obama
walked into the press room after his inauguration he was taken aback when everyone
stood up. Then he remembered he is the president and that’s what people do. But
he got used to it. Five years later he would take it amiss
if someone were not to stand up.
In authority, you might remind yourself you are only
representing a higher authority. You might ponder Jesus’ words to Pontius
Pilate, “You would have no authority
whatsoever were it not given you from above.” But, you get used to the deference
your former peers give to you. It takes root in your identity.King David had been to the top and, as he fled Jerusalem and his son’s advancing army, he was on his way down. Out there on the road he had left the “bubble” of advisors and courtiers who habitually deferred to him. Hearing the unfamiliar curses of “Shimei, the son of Gera of the same clan as Saul’s family” he remembered that Saul’s kinsmen resent his authority. Despite David’s efforts to distance himself from Saul’s battlefield death, they suspected his complicity.
He also remembered that he was once a lowly shepherd boy, the least of his family of stalwart men. He was not always high and mighty. Most importantly, he remembered God’s rebuke when he took Uriah’s wife as his own, and the subsequent death of their child.
Shimei’s curses fit David’s mood. High authority had not completely erased his capacity for self-doubt. The rebellion of his son Absalom, a man of principle and a very capable commander, shocked the King. He had neglected his own family while he tended to matters of state. "In any case," he thought, "there’s no harm in doing penance."
Perhaps the LORD will look upon my affliction
and make it up to me with benefits
for the curses he is uttering this day.”
This story of King David’s penance
reminds us the virtue of penance is not for the faint of heart. Nor does it
belong to those who habitually dismiss or ignore their own worth. It is rather
a reminder to the powerful – those who have grown accustomed to privileges
and perks – that God brings down the powerful and
exalts the lowly.
and make it up to me with benefits
for the curses he is uttering this day.”
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.