Doing What We Can

 

Scripture

19 Saul spoke with his son Jonathan and with all his servants about killing David. But Saul’s son Jonathan took great delight in David. ² Jonathan told David, “My father Saul is trying to kill you; therefore be on guard tomorrow morning; stay in a secret place and hide yourself. ³ I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you; if I learn anything I will tell you.”  

⁴ Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul, saying to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have been of good service to you; ⁵ for he took his life in his hand when he attacked the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great victory for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced; why then will you sin against an innocent person by killing David without cause?” 

  ⁶ Saul heeded the voice of Jonathan; Saul swore, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.” ⁷ So Jonathan called David and related all these things to him. Jonathan then brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.  (NRSV)

Devotion

 Today's reading comes from a difficult time in 1 Samuel.  Having recognized a potential rival to his throne, an increasingly dangerous and erratic Saul has decided that David needs to die.  The plot to kill David is particularly painful for Saul's son Jonathan.  Jonathan knows that killing David is wrong.  What's more, the authors of Samuel make it clear that David and Jonathan love each other deeply.  At the same time, Jonathan knows that turning against his father is likely to result in his own death.   Jonathan is left with an awful choice: obey his father or save David.  And whatever he does will come at a cost. 

Jonathan decides that the best thing he can do is to warn David about the danger and then hide him as he pleads with Saul to change his mind. And only after Saul has swears that David shall be safe does Jonathan bring him out out hiding.  This is not the only time Jonathan saves David.  Later, when Jonathan once again pleads for David's life only to have Saul scream at his son and throw a spear at him, Jonathan warns David that needs to flee.  The two men bid a tearful farewell and go their separate ways, never to see each other again.

Jonathan's story reminds us that sometimes there are no good choices to be had.  Sometimes, even our best efforts aren't enough to completely fix things.  At such moments, the best we can do is pray for courage and then do what little we can.  In Jonathan's case, what he could do was buy time and try to calm his father down... and then later to let David know that it was time to run.  And while Jonathan probably greived that he couldn't do more for the person he loved--while he may have laid awake at night wondering what else he could have tried--God made what he was able to do enough to save David's life.

We live dangerous times full of incredible injustice and wrongdoing.  While none of us are able to fix everything all our our own, we are all called to do something.  Some, like Jonathan, are tasked with  staying within the system as they reason with those in power and work quietly behind the scenes to shelter people from danger.  Others, like David, end up finding themselves going their own way and then returning to openly challenge what needs to dismantled or changed.  The work we do may leave us tearful about the things we are not in a position to fix or the relationships that will suffer as a result of going where we need to be.  Others may accuse of us of not doing enough or caring enough; we may sometimes even make those accusations against ourselves.  But if we all listen to the Holy Spirit's guidance and do as we are able, then our actions will be enough to do more than we expected.  Slowly but surely, the world will begin to change.

I know life is hard right now.  And of last it often feels like we are taking two tiny steps forward only to take a very large one back.  But do not lost heart.  Instead, be like Jonathan.  Pray for courage and do as you are able.  And whether you are pleading a case to someone who just doesn't seem to listen or putting yourself at risk by protecting someone else or doing any number of other things that God has put upon your heart, do it with compassion.  For Jonathan acted out of love; and though he did not live to see David take the throne, it was Jonathan's love that helped win the day. 

 

Translation:

David and Jonathan

The soul of Jonathan was bound with the soul of David
and Jonathan loved him
as his own soul

Moreover, Jonathan
and David made a covenant because he loved him
as his own soul.
(and Jonathan loved him and David loved him bound are their souls
now and evermore)

[from Steven Sametz's 3 Biblical Love Songs]

 

Prayer

Oh God, help me not to fall into despair over all the things I cannot do.  Instead, give the resolve to accomplish the things I can do.  And may all that I do in your name be also done with love.  Amen.