A Word about Assuming Risk

Today I want to share a word about assuming risk, as I comment on 1 Samuel 24:1-22. This passage reads:

And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi. Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats. And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave. And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily.  And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt. And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord. So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way. David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself. And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt? Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the Lord had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the Lord's anointed. Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it. The Lord judge between me and thee, and the Lord avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea. The Lord therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand. And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept. And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not.  For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day. And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand. Swear now therefore unto me by the Lord, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father's house. And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the hold.

Have you ever thought about the old saying "I only bet on a sure thing"? The person who says that must never bet on anything! 

Life is full of risks, and we often must assume risk so we can achieve something important or even just useful. David took a risk once to try and resolve a conflict. He modeled behavior about assuming risk that we can and should emulate. We see this behavior in our text for today.

DAVID'S SITUATION:

 David was caught in the middle, which is never a good place to be! It is never good to be caught between a rock and a hard place, either metaphorically, or physically either. As a chaplain, I once visited a Soldier who had been pinned between a dump truck bed and a wrecker. It crushed his pelvis, but had the pinch point been a little higher on his body, it might have cut him in half or at least severed his spine. Only slightly better than that would be to get caught between two fighting animals.

In this case, David was caught between God and Saul, and he was as totally innocent as any frail or limited human could be.  He had done nothing against Saul, and he had not asked to be king - that was God's idea. He was not responsible for Saul's jealousy.

We all have probably heard stories of a boss who resents an employee because of their success. It can be a dangerous situation for all concerned and, in this case, David was definitely in danger. Saul was probably mentally ill. He had tried to kill David before and in this case, Saul was hunting him with an army.

DAVID'S OFFENSE: 

Despite his current state of mind, Saul was God's anointed. God had chosen him and set him apart; therefore, he was due honor as king. And, despite Saul's sin, God had not yet replaced him. To dishonor the king was to dishonor God. David should have "honored the rank if not the man."

In truth David was just being flippant. There was no useful purpose in cutting off part of Saul's robe. His only purpose was to embarrass Saul, and this was not a Godly action or attitude. In this case, David was acting like the man who paid his child support bill with a wheelbarrow full of pennies. He was childishly acting out of arrogance and spite.

To his credit, however, David did realize he was wrong, and he restrained his servants. Even better, he did not kill Saul, or allow him to be killed, and he also repented in his heart.

DAVID'S CONFRONTATION:

 Repenting of his own sin was not enough for David. He could have "stood pat." He could have protected himself and his followers. If he did, however, his relationship with Saul would never have been repaired. The Children of Israel would still have been divided. It would be like using duct tape to close a rip in clothes, but not repairing the tear properly. An open wound in the kingdom would be left to fester. David could not abide that, so David confronted Saul.

It is highly risky to confront an unstable person. Even though David had evidence of his own faithfulness to Saul and even though he pledged his loyalty and honor to Saul, this scenario could have ended badly. Saul had been searching for David to kill him, and Saul might have capitalized on the opportunity David gave him. David had marked himself as a target for Saul and he could have been calling the shots onto himself (and his troops). David, however, felt it was worth the risk to do the right thing for Saul and for God. 

Blessedly for David, Saul's response was, for a change, rational and humble. He recognized David's righteousness and that he had treated Saul like a friend and not like an enemy. He also recognized David's right to be a future king and that David would honor his word. He left David in peace, and returned to his palace, if not to a place of peace with God.

DAVID'S COUNSEL TO US:

If David was with us today, I think he would have some words of counsel for us. First, he’d tell us to be sure that our attitudes and actions are right. He’d say, “Don't hold grudges and don't be sophomoric.”

Next, he’d tell us to be willing to assume risk. In this case, everyone concerned benefitted from David’s willingness to take a necessary risk: He did. His troops did. The kingdom did. Even Saul did.

I think that David would also tell us to be wise in how we assume risk. Don't back someone into a corner and be sure you have proof if you need to. Also, it usually doesn’t pay to embarrass someone needlessly, especially your boss!

Finally, David would encourage us to be confident in God. He is our ultimate Savior and Protector, and He will be our guide if we seek His wisdom.

The bottom line is that David was willing to assume risk to resolve the conflict with Saul and to do the right thing in service to God. Are we willing to do the same? 

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt