Kim Hale is a dancer whose dream is to dance on Broadway. But in her 20s and 30s, it didn’t happen for her. So she moved to California, and eventually became a dance teacher. A one point she stop dancing, and her dream faded away.
Before I tell you what happened to her and how her dreams relate to what we’re talking about this week, we need to finish the story we started in the previous post. We have heard time and time again in this series on the life of Israel’s great King David that he is a man after God’s own heart. How will David respond when the Gibeonites ask David to apply the death penalty to seven of the previous king, Saul’s descendants, because of Saul’s murder of numerous Gibeonites decades before? As I asked in the previous post, the Gibeonites’ request cannot possibly be what justice looks like, can it?
The problem is that David is stuck. Israel has been experiencing a severe famine for three years, and God has told David that the reason for the famine is that Saul’s sin against the Gibeonites has gone unatoned for. So David has to do something to make this right with the Gibeonites. But the Gibeonites are asking David to condemn seven innocent men to death as payment for their ancestor’s sin. What does David do?
In 2 Samuel 21, verses six through fourteen, David puts seven of Saul’s descendants to death. It is an awful gruesome situation, and in the end, the famine was over.
How should we Christians evaluate this application of justice? Consider how Jesus reflected on this in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, verses 38 through 48,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
When I think about the story of the Gibeonites, frankly, I disagree with how it is resolved. It is an example of ancient justice that we should not support. Thankfully, Jesus teaches us a new way of love in the face of pain. True justice is rooted in love.
((Sidebar: 2 Samuel chapter 21 includes with a second story in verses 15-22, which features more conflict with the Philistines. A powerful Philistine, Rapha, had descendants, and the story talks about how David’s men killed them in battle. Take a look at verse 19. It says that Elhanan killed Goliath. But didn’t David kill Goliath? Yes. Almost certainly this is an error in the passage, and the parallel account in 1 Chronicles 20 corrects it. David killed Goliath. Elhanan killed Goliath’s brother.))
To conclude this week of posts on 2 Samuel chapters 8, 10, and 21, what do we learn about God from these three rather bloody military chapters? Two things: (1) God is a God who is work, and (2) God wants leaders who pursue righteousness and justice.
The conquest of Canaan was started by Joshua hundreds of years before David. It started off well, but eventually stalled and it went dormant for centuries. Maybe you have had a situation like that in your own life. Remember, Kim Hale, the dancer I mentioned at the beginning of the post? With the advent of social media, now in her 50s, she began posting short videos of her dancing, and some went viral. A Broadway producer commented on one post, encouraging her to never give up on her dreams. She moved back to New York City, and is again trying to get a break on a Broadway show.
Our hopes and dreams from the past can seem to be distant memories. Perhaps we had a goal that now seems like the ancient past. Maybe we think we failed. Maybe you think there is no hope.
Not in God’s heart and mind. When God is at work, and when his people pursue his heart of justice and righteousness, that which is dead can come back to life.
This is why I am so excited my church has a Church World Service Welcome Team. Our team was amazing in how they cared for a refugee family from Africa.
I am so excited that my church has a Prison Worship Team. Last month at the prison, our team members got to spend time in prayer with inmates. Some of our team members have even done one-on-one visits with inmates.
I am so excited that my church is invested in hosting a local social service agencies ESL classes. We are building great relationships with people from all over the world who have moved into our neighborhoods, sharing the love of Jesus.
While Christians are not pursuing a military conquest, there is something Jesus taught us to pray: “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We are the people who usher in the Kingdom of God through our demonstration of the Fruit of the Spirit, allowing God’s righteousness and justice to flow throughout our community, so people can experience the love of Jesus in word and deed. Let’s keep seeking ways we can demonstrate righteousness and justice, empowered by God, in our community.
Engaging Scripture 