Discerning motives ...

Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, "Tear your clothes, and put on sackcloth, and mourn over Abner." And King David followed the bier. They buried Abner at Hebron. The king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. The king lamented for Abner, saying,

"Should Abner die as a fool dies?
Your hands were not bound,
your feet were not fettered;
as one falls before the wicked
you have fallen."

And all the people wept over him again. Then all the people came to persuade David to eat something while it was still day; but David swore, saying, "So may God do to me, and more, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun goes down!" All the people took notice of it, and it pleased them; just as everything the king did pleased all the people.

So all the people and all Israel understood that day that the king had no part in the killing of Abner son of Ner. And the king said to his servants, "Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? Today I am powerless, even though anointed king; these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too violent for me. The Lord pay back the one who does wickedly in accordance with his wickedness!"
2 Sa 3:31-39 – NRSV

In times of great injustice, in times of unspeakable tragedy, leaders must send clear messages. There is no room for ambiguity. There is no place for misunderstanding. Sentences must be simple. Words must be clear. Actions must be both. Words and actions must agree.

David gives simple and clear instructions to his people, and specifically to Joab, the cause of all of this trouble. There are symbols: sackcloth, a bier, a tomb. There is ritual: tearing clothes, mourning, marching, burying. Words are spoken and tears are shed. Not only is there grief, but also there is a sincerity in that grief, at least for David. Sincerity that distances David from Joab. David can wrap Joab in sackcloth, but not sorrow.

Then there is lament. David lifts Abner up as one who is wise, not a fool. David tells the people that this valiant warrior deserved to die in battle, or as a captive of his enemies, but not as a helpless victim of the wicked. The unnamed, but not unknown, wicked one, Joab. David creates more distance from Joab. And then there are more tears.

Meals are common to funerals in many cultures, and it is no different here. Yet David will not eat. He will fast; he will not let go of his mourning until the evening comes. The people are satisfied that David is sincere. This sincerity makes the idea that he had anything to do with plotting the death of Abner seem unlikely, perhaps even unbelievable.

After David retires to be with his personal staff, David’s complaints are more pointed. Those sons of my sister: Joab and Abishai. They are the problem. David, as king, does not have to take revenge on Joab for killing Abner; he could apply law and justice. Instead, he decides to put Joab into the hands of God.

Up until this point in the narrative, David’s sorrow seems real. Yet the notion that Joab could continue to serve as general of the king’s armies sounds a note that seems out of tune with the chords of David’s grief. Is David really that weak? Is Joab really that strong? Is David really that concerned that revenge belongs to the Lord?

I don’t know if David was innocent or guilty. To me, Abner’s death appears to have set David back a considerable length of time. Some, though, make a strong case that Abner was more predictable as an enemy than as an ally. He could have been trouble for David’s young dynasty. In reality, it may be that only God, David, and Joab know the truth.

Do we understand the dilemma here? Human beings gauge the motives, the actions, and the character of other human beings from such small clues, many of which can be taken more than one way. From this person’s perspective, David is innocent. From another person’s perspective, David is guilty.

Humans make these judgments about each other’s behaviors every day. What did Ron mean by that devotional? Was it really a coincidence that he talked about that text today? Why did he choose that word? Why did he not use this obvious idea? Did he think that …

On and on we go every day. The best of us, communicating in the clearest of terms, have the best of our actions misunderstood. Even God is misunderstood. “Because the residents of Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize [Jesus] or understand the words of the prophets that are read every sabbath, they fulfilled those words by condemning him (Acts 13:27-28). A part of human and divine suffering is being misunderstood, even by those who love us.

This pain ought to warn us of the dangers of being quick to judge. This is especially true with children. It is so easy to misread the clues, to misstep in our interpretations, and to misjudge guilt or innocence. It is frighteningly easy to bring trauma instead of justice. This difficulty in knowing how we know what we know (epistemology) is a good reason to be careful in assigning consequences and to avoid exacting revenge altogether. This difficulty in knowing with absolute certainty is a compelling reason to prayerfully discern these situations in community, thus gaining the power of multiple perspectives.

May God give us the wisdom to discern wisely, and together.

Ron

The point of the story ...

By the pool of Gibeon, a fierce battle is in progress. Three fierce fighters are in the front of the fray, leading the men of Judah against Abner and the Benjaminites.

The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle.

Suddenly Abner, the oldest of the Benjaminites, breaks and runs in retreat for the regroup site. Across the crashing swords and shields, Asahel sees Abner retreat, and makes a single-minded vow that he will not get away.

Asahel pursued Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he followed him.

At first, Asahel is too far behind for Abner to be sure. Who is this man?

Then Abner looked back and said, "Is it you, Asahel?"

Asahel is not a man of many words.

He answered, "Yes, it is."

Abner keeps running, but when he looks back, he’s shocked. He thinks, “He’s already that much closer? This guy is fast!”

And Abner said to him, "Turn to your right or to your left, and seize one of the young men, and take his spoil."

But Asahel would not turn away from following him.

Asahel isn’t talking. Asahel is running. Now he is close enough that the features on his face are clear to Abner.

Abner said again to Asahel, "Turn away from following me; why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I show my face to your brother Joab?" But he refused to turn away.

Asahel doesn’t want to hear anything that Abner has to say. He’s heard enough words from this silver-tongued old rascal. The real reason for this chase is to silence that smooth talk. Then he can take the old man’s spear and deliver it to David. Surely that will prod David into taking some of that bounty that comes with being a king and sharing it with Asahel and his brothers. Just a few more steps …

So Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back. He fell there, and died where he lay. And all those who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.

Like so many young people, Asahel makes a rash decision. He commits to an idea because he is sure of how things will end, and fails to see that the story may have more than one ending. He sees the weakness of his enemy, but is clueless to his own vulnerability. He is certain in his knowledge of the way that the world works, yet doesn’t understand anything about what this old man would call wisdom. He is going to take what he wants; there is absolutely no need to negotiate.

Does this story sound familiar to us? Do we know any young people who chase after life like this? I think that this is a condition so common to youth that it is almost proverbial.

Yet, in reality, we all need to be careful about being too single-minded. Too often we rush through to carry out our plans because we are too sure that we are right. But the confirmation of what is right comes from wisdom. The surest wisdom comes from conversation. The wisest conversation comes from a community of discernment: from people of diverse skills, experiences, backgrounds, and ages who seek to follow the leading of the Spirit toward the will of God.

That’s why we spend so much time talking at Westview. We want to avoid the error of being rash, single-minded people. Our hope, our prayer, is to be a community of godly discernment that will love our boys into our community and toward an eternity with God.

Be wise.

Blessings,

Ron

2 Samuel 2:18-23 – NRSV

Testing truth ...

Today, prayers to guide us toward seeking and keeping the truth:

From the cowardice that shrinks from new truth,
From the laziness that is content with half-truths,
From the arrogance with thinks it knows all truth,
O God of Truth, deliver us. Amen.
- Leslie Weatherhead

Almighty God,
who hast sent the spirit of truth unto us to guide us into all truth,
so rule our lives by thy power,
that we may be truthful in word, deed, and thought.
O keep us, most merciful Saviour, with thy gracious protection,
that no fear or hope may ever make us false in act or speech.
Cast out from us whatsoever loveth or maketh a lie,
and bring us all to the perfect freedom of thy truth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
- Brooke Foss Westcott

O Lord,
Bring us a level, durable and true,
whose sure and steady bubble
incessantly seeks its way up to you,
undistracted by slanted foundations,
unmoved by shifting sand and
swelling clays, somehow then
it finds its home and balance when
it rests, wholly transparent to you.

O Lord,
Grant us a square, to try and true,
whose sure arm angles right to you
unconvinced by knotty quirk
or thickened plaster;
it will recognize and approve
the true carpenter’s work –
only perfection at the cross
will be its master.

O Lord,
Lower us a bob, still and heavy,
to center us in the shower
of your heavenly blessings.
Straight to the point,
it chases no rabbits;
by its stillness and silence
it plumbs for us truth-seeking habits.

O Lord,
Give us the wisdom
to seek out your truth.
For just as good builders
trust varied tools
to test the truth of their work –
help us trust a diversity of voices
to discern the truth of your way
from our confusion of choices.

Through him who is the Truth,
the Way, and the Light.
Amen.

Blessings,

Ron