If I Only Love Those Who Love Me...

"O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
Who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet,
Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
" How have the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!
Jonathan is slain on your high places
(2 Samuel 1:24,25 NASB)

 David was anointed to be king over Israel when they already had a king.  Talk about awkward, he then went to work for the current king and was amazing.  In fact, so amazing that the current king became jealous and tried to kill him on numerous occasions.  Part of the issue was that this was also the first king of Israel, and until one of his sons sat on the throne after him, he was really more of a 'battle chief' than true king.  Well, that wasn't going to happen, he knew it, and David was God's obvious choice.  Of course, the other issue was that Saul was just plain crazy too.

So, after years of being pursued, vilified, attempted murders, having his wife given to another, and so on, David decides to flee Saul by going to live with the Philistines.  He lives a sort of double-life pretending to work for the king of Gath while actually sending gifts to the rulers of Judah.  While that is great for his relationship with Judah, it's not so great for his relationship with the other 11 Tribes of Israel.  David lives in a difficult political situation, somewhat in exile because of a raving egomaniac currently reigning in Israel.  It's a tough life.

And this tough life is after God has chosen him to be king.  That has to rub him the wrong way.  This guy 'sitting in his seat' is trying to kill him, and is making his life difficult.  David has had multiple times to kill Saul, but each time chose not to.  He would not raise his hand against the anointed of the Lord, the one thing they held in common.  That's a good lesson to teach your rough and ready men, but it's a difficult way to live your life.  David is waiting for God, Who chose him, to also provide the opportunity to be what he has been called to be.  In so doing, it would be expected that David would resent Saul, daily.  But such resentment doesn't seem to exist with David.

When the news of the battle reaches David, he mourns over the people, and Jonathan.  But he also mourns for Saul.  The man who claims he killed Saul is executed for 'raising his hand against the Lord's anointed'; even though he thought he was doing David a favor (and that he didn't actually kill Saul - rough consequence for lying).  David then composes a song of lament, and it's about Saul!  He then teaches it to the people of Judah, even though it's about SAUL!  It's about the people and Jonathan too, but it's about SAUL!

So the application here is obvious and ridiculous.  I'm supposed to love those who try to bring me down and destroy me.  I'm supposed to love those who are taking up a place I've been given by God; they're in the way, blocking me from fulfilling God's purpose in my life...and I love them.  Seriously?  They rebel against God, treat the call and relationship with my Master with contempt, and I'm supposed to love and respect them? Yes.  Wait, they prevent me from the life God has called me to, try to kill me, defame me before all the people I'm supposed to lead, and I'm supposed to love them?  Yes.  Okay, so I'm in exile because of their actions and I'm supposed to love them?  Really?  Yes.

How many times have I read the Sermon on the Mount, and thought, "Well, yeah, but that's Jesus; I can't do that," and therefore excuse myself from His commands and teaching?  So, David, a "man after God's own heart", is also a wild sinner committing adultery and murder, and is therefore someone I can sort of identify with (at least we both love God and fail miserably).  And here I find him living out the Sermon on the Mount; only he's not Jesus.  Great, I'm out of excuses.  Lovely.  The guy-like-me lives out Jesus' impossible commands some 1,000 years before Jesus walks on the earth.  Awesome!  Okay, fine, I'll love my enemies; I'll pray for those who persecute me; I'll follow the path of my Master and not merely love those who love me.  Wow, how do I do THAT?

This is probably one of those things I can only do through worship.  I have to honor my Master, praise Him, acknowledge His Awesomeness, His reign, His power, and His glory.  Then I will be in the right frame of mind to obey, even when it's nuts to do so, or impossible.  One bright spot in this challenge is that, right now, no one is in the way of my calling, trying to kill me, or causing me to live in exile.  In counting my blessings, I certainly need to include that one.  It could be worse, and by the mercy of my Master it's not.  Still, there are those who fit in the category of 'my enemy', and I'm still supposed to love them along with my neighbors.  Better get to praising.  I've got a lot of worshiping to do.