Have you heard the phrase, “the ends justify the means”? This common statement suggest that if we are pursuing a good goal, we might need to use not-so-good methods to achieve that goal. All that matters is achieving the goal. The goal, in other words, is so important that we can allow for inappropriate behavior as we strive for the goal. Can we lie, cheat and steal, for example, on our way to providing food for the hungry? We can. But should we? Is providing food for the hungry so important a mission that it doesn’t matter what method we use? Do the ends (providing food for the hungry) justify the means (lying, cheating, and stealing)?
In our posts this week, we have studied the story of David and Abigail in 1st Samuel 25. In this final post, let’s think further about whether the ends justify the means. But first, the story has a surprise ending!
As we saw in the previous post, David and Abigail part ways in peace. In 1st Samuel 25 verses 36-44, with both the minor and major roadblocks removed, David continues progressing toward the role that God promised him, to become the leader of Israel. In this passage we learn a few details about that journey. Remember David’s first wife, Michal, who was King Saul’s daughter? After David ran away, Saul gave Michal to another man. This is not the last we’ll hear of Michal. Now single again, David learns that when Abigail told her selfish husband Nabal about how she averted disaster on their community, Nabal has a heart attack or stroke and dies. So David invites Abigail to marry him, and she accepts. Obviously, he was extremely impressed with her. End of story? No!
David has married another woman also. Ahinoam. Now David has had three wives, two of which he is currently married to. A reader might question, “Wait…three wives? What’s going on there? After losing Michal to the other man, why didn’t David try to rescue her? Did they get divorced? She is with a new husband. So then why did David marry two more women? This is odd. Isn’t that wrong?” Yes it is, and we will eventually return to this quandary, as David marries multiple more wives, leading to one of his downfalls.
For now, think with me about the phrase, “Get out of your own way.”
As we have seen in this week’s study of 1st Samuel 25, David was his own roadblock. He was absolutely convinced that he was heading to do the right thing by eliminating Nabal and his men. But Abigail showed David that he was wrong. David’s self-assurance should cause us to pause and reflect on our lives. We can be so self-assured that we are right, and yet actually be wrong.
We can pursue God’s mission but using methods that are out of line with God. That was Abigail’s point to David. “David, God has a great mission for you, but this warpath you are on is wrong, very wrong, and you do not want that on your conscience.”
What about us? In our contemporary society, there are Christians who believe that mission justifies method. For example, think about the mission of Jesus, that people would become his disciples. Think about the mission of God’s heart for justice to produce flourishing in society. Those important parts of God’s mission are what we disciples of Jesus are to be about. But that doesn’t mean we can pursue his mission using any method we want. As the saying goes, “the ends do not justify the means.” Instead, we pursue the mission of Jesus using the methods of Jesus. The Fruit of the Spirit is our primary method.
Sadly, Church leaders across the country have made the news because they have been so aggressive in their style of leadership that they left a trail of broken people, employees and church members, in their pursuit of the mission. Listen to the podcast, The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill for one story. Read the book A Church Called Tov. Read the book Jesus and John Wayne for how the “mission at any cost” philosophy has played out negatively for some contemporary Christians.
Take a minute and think about yourself. What do you know of yourself and your own roadblocks? What tendencies within yourself do you need to keep an eye on? Is it possible that you might have a roadblock or two that you might not be aware of? Do you find it difficult to reign in the roadblock tendencies you ARE aware of?
What are you doing about that? What could a next step be in becoming aware of your roadblock, so that you can becoming more like Jesus and better pursue his mission? David, though he had a major roadblock within himself, was still humble enough to listen to Abigail and evaluate if she was right. He was teachable. Having a teachable heart is vital if we are to be people who see the roadblocks, so that we can remove them.
Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash
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