The Civil War Begins

II Sam. 2
David is king, but his troubles were not all over. Judah, his own tribe, accepted him with open arms. The rest of Israel, however, was not immediately convinced. They attempted to raise up Saul's son Ishbosheth ("man of shame") as king. The driving force behind this move was Abner, Saul's cousin and former captain of his army.

We have to remember, though, that though there was differences of opinion about who would rule, there was still a measure of friendliness and familiarity between the two armies. This is seen in the relationship between Joab and Abner.* The two seem a bit chummy. They meet together, almost to prove who is stronger in a friendly way, but what begins in a game ends in a battle. Abner was the instigator. "Let the young men play before us." It starts like a tennis match almost, with men evenly paired to fight. Each young man kills the other, though, and the match turns into a free-for-all. It ends in a massacre.

In this contest of skill, both generals were foolish, but Abner especially so. He, in his pride, suggested the contest. Later, when his army was losing, he called for terms of peace. Abner's desire to flaunt his power actually had the effect of revealing his inferiority when his men suffered the worst losses--320 versus Joab's 19!

Pride always calls for comparisons to prove itself. And pride comes before a fall. I've found in my own life that I am most prone to comparisons when I've just learned something or gained a new skill. "Hey, look what I discovered! Look what I can do!" I just can't help sharing it with everyone, with the ulterior motive that maybe they will share my newly-inflated view of myself! Usually I find out (and God usually has this happen on purpose, I think) that the person I'm crowing to has known these things for years and has practiced them as a matter of course for a long time. It's better to keep my pride to myself, and seek to mortify it, rather than crow about it. As Abner found, it just causes strife and brings shame.


*The friendly terms of the two generals is further illustrated by Abner's reluctance to kill Asahel, for, as he says, "how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother?" He has some standing in Joab's eyes and doesn't wish to upset it.

Thank God He Doesn't Turn Off the TV

I'm skipping ahead of myself a little...this is not from my journal, and I'm a lot farther in the story of the Israelite kings...but this is an overall impression I'm getting from my readings.

I'm considering this whole, long, drawn-out saga of the Israelites. There are a couple of bright spots but for the most part it's a downward slide.

Have you ever started flipping through channels on a lazy Saturday and get drawn into some drama...maybe you're not even sure what it is, but the characters look interesting? Then the thing starts going downhill. You keep watching, thinking surely it's got to get better, redeem itself, but no, the characters keep doing stupid things...cheating on each other, lying, blindly making the same mistakes over and over.

What do you do? You finally turn the thing off in disgust. Well, thank God he didn't turn off the TV after watching Israel mess up over and over and over again. He kept intervening, saving them from their enemies, warning them, sending prophets.

And at the end of the OT we might be tempted to think He finally turned off the TV. There is complete silence, unbroken by a single word of Holy Writ. But He was just preparing the most wonderful intervention of all. Christ appears and breaks the silence. God is faithful and keeps His promise. He not only blesses Israel but the whole world as well.

I am so glad God doesn't "turn me off" after watching me mess up so many times. I'm glad His patience and love are a lot stronger than mine. I'm struck--this time reading through the OT--with what a longsuffering, loving God we have. Before I sometimes had trouble justifying some of His actions to myself. He seemed harsh and unloving. I don't know how I missed it before, but there are so very many instances of His delaying judgement, warning people, and giving second and third (and fourth and fifth!) chances. He doesn't want everyone miserable. He wants to warn them from evil and its consequences. He is not looking for an excuse to destroy these people. He is looking for an excuse to forgive them.

Dealing With the Aftermath of a Bad Leader

II Samuel 2
So, Israel's first king turned out to be a dismal failure. David handles the transition beautifully. He doesn't slander Saul or his followers. They've suffered enough, been disillusioned and seen their hopes crushed. His response reminds me of Lincoln's after the Civil War--comforting the losers and promising to rebuild. David lets it be known that he is pleased with the men who stole Saul's body from the Philistines. He doesn't tell them they were wrong to serve Saul, simply that it is over now and that he has been anointed king by the men of Judah.

David has learned his lesson from his liason with Achish. This time he inquires of the Lord whether he should go into Judah or not, and where. He doesn't rush into the opportunity pell-mell.

David must have been genuinely sad at Saul's death (certainly at Jonathan's), but also elated because at last he was no longer an outlaw! Finally he could live safely in his own country.

What a great lesson to us to be gracious to those led astray by sinful leaders. We ought not condemn but restore. When we finally "get our day in court" and come up on top, we ought not to gloat or seek to get back at others. I think of Germany after WWI...because they were treated unmercifully for their belligerence, they grew hopeless and bitter. This led them to be open to the leading of an evil man like Hitler, who played on their feelings of hopelessness and loss of national pride. The Allies learned from this mistake in WWII, and made deliberate efforts to restore Germany. Going after our "pound of flesh" only begets more hatred, more wounds. The problem is made worse. Punishment of someone according to every jot and tittle of the law leaves us all in hopelessness. Vengeance is the Lord's, and see how He dealt with us in mercy.

Mercy gives hope and allows others to change.

Melville and the Bible

It is helpful to read literature with Bible characters in mind. You can gain a clearer understanding of the Biblical character. And you can see how their flaws and strengths might work out in a different setting.

Melville read the Bible (most educated people did) so his "Moby Dick" could have been influenced by the story of Saul. Parallels between Captain Ahab and Saul: Ahab is hurt by the Whale and blames it on God. Saul is injured (he thinks) by David, and rebels against God. Ahab seeks the company of a heathen who has occult powers. Saul seeks advice from the Witch of Endor. Both Fedallah and the Witch of Endor predict how the men will die. Ahab and Saul are obsessive in their quest for vengeance. Starbuck, the good-hearted first mate, remains loyal to Ahab, though he knows it will be fatal. Sounds a bit like Jonathan. The ship's crew correspond to the army of Israel, all of which are brought down by Ahab's/Saul's madness.

When you read "Moby," you can see how a man like Ahab, though close to insanity, can still inspire respect and loyalty. I imagine Saul in his decaying state still retained a commanding presence. Saul has his moments of lucidity as well as his "fits." So does Ahab. At one point in the story, after an emotional appeal by Starbuck, he nearly changes his mind and gives up the chase. This is like Saul's response when David reasons with him. Both characters are plagued by dark moods...Ahab pacing the decks by night, Saul plunging into depression.

I think "Moby" rings true because the flaws of the characters and the effects of their flaws ring true.