Daily Devotional for Tuesday 14th November
The Hollow Crown
Once again, the writer of the book of Samuel has a masterly touch with vivid narrative. David finds himself in an impossible position – he’s fabulously popular with everyone, but Saul knows that he himself is on a downward path (Samuel spelt it out in chapter 15), and he now suspects David is being lined up to succeed him. But the ‘natural’ successor to Saul would be Jonathan – his eldest son. After all, that’s why countries have kings, isn’t it – so that succession and continuity are clear, and there’s no civil war when a king dies. What do you do when you have to remove an anointed king? God’s chosen one? Shakespeare dwells a lot on this in his cycle of plays about the English ‘Wars of the Roses’ of the fifteenth century. Richard II (a bad king) claims immunity because he was properly crowned and anointed:
“Not all the water in the rough rude sea
Can wash the balm from an anointed King;”
Over the century’s kings came to see themselves as above the law, and immune from any petty rules and regulations (a bit like some modern politicians...?). God appointed them, and no-one can remove them. But what if they go mad? This seems to be what’s happening here: Saul swings from throwing spears at David to promoting him (although maybe hoping David would be killed in battle). Verse 12 is the key verse here. We’ll see that Saul gets more desperate, and devious, and more violent, until war is unavoidable. But every way he twists and turns, the inevitable happens: David gets more popular and Saul less.
Time to reflect…
All this is a long way from our day-to-day experience, isn’t it? Can we relate to it in that we need to be sure we are following the path God wants for our lives? We should be seeking God’s guidance in the major decisions we make. More on this as the week goes on.
Pause to pray…
A well-known prayer on this theme:
“O God and Heavenly Father, grant to us the serenity of mind to accept that which cannot be changed, courage to change that which can be changed, and wisdom to know the one from the other through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.”
