Making Way
1 Samuel 17:55–18:9
David and King Saul got off to a good start. In chapter 16 of 1 Samuel, after Saul was tormented by an evil spirit, he requested that his servants find a lyre player whose music would offer relief. One of his servants describes “a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a warrior, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence; and the LORD is with him.” Saul finds this description appealing, and sends messengers to Jesse, asking that David join him. David does, and we’re told that Saul loved him greatly, that David became his armor-bearer, and that David’s lyre-playing did indeed drive away the evil spirit.
So it’s strange that in the next chapter, it sounds like Saul and David haven’t yet met. The backdrop is a battle between Israel and the Philistines, whose champion has been taunting the Israelites, daring someone to face him. David is the only one who accepts his offer, and he famously defeats the proud Philistine, who is often identified as Goliath.
If you read 1 Samuel as a history book, you might then be confused that Saul asks his army’s commander who the young man’s father is. They summon David, who is still clutching the head of the Philistine champion in his hand, and ask him whose son he is. David doesn’t reply by saying, “Uh, it’s me. David. I’m your armor-bearer. I play the lyre to chase away the demon that sometimes torments you. You summoned me from my father.” Instead, he says simply, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
Scholar Rober Alter reminds us that this isn’t the first time the Bible includes a continuity issue, and that it’s meant to be more than a history book. He says “the variants of a single story are sometimes placed in a kind of implicit dialogue with one another,” such as with the differing creation accounts in Genesis. In those instances, each iteration serves a purpose, and highlights a different aspect of the story. Alter says that in chapter 16, “David is emphatically elected by God, is associated with the spirit and with song, and gains entrée in the court of Saul by using song to master the spirit. In [chapter 17], David makes his way into Saul’s presence through martial prowess, exhibiting shrewdness, calculation, and rhetorical skill.” (Alter, loc. 31690)
Chapter 18 continues the story, with Saul appointing David to lead his army and David experiencing success doing so. But then there’s a quick (and confusing) look back at David’s return from killing the Philistine, during which women are celebrating the Israelite victories and assigning ten times as much credit to David as to Saul. This makes Saul angry, and he begins to fear for his kingship.
If this gives you the feeling that things aren’t going to go well between Saul and David, you’re on the right track. Isn’t that usually the case in stories where the person in charge starts to cling too tightly to their power, and spends more time focused on perceived threats to their authority than to those in their charge? Indeed, we find Saul throwing his spear at David just a few verses later.
What motivates us to cling to power and authority so tightly, even when we know deep down it’s time to create space for someone else to take on more responsibility? What keeps us from stepping aside when it’s time for something — or someone — new?
It might be due in part to perception. I was reminded of how perceptions can stray from reality last week thanks to my daughter, and to the Drive Safe & Save app from State Farm. You might be familiar with this app, or to a similar one offered by another insurance company. You keep a beacon in your car, and it communicates with your phone using Bluetooth. It tracks your driving, including acceleration, braking, and cornering, and assigns a grade for each trip. Your insurance rates are adjusted accordingly.
My daughter was driving us to Carlisle Pike via some back roads, so there were lots of curves and stops and starts. I thought she did a fair job, though it seemed like her steering, braking, and acceleration were all more abrupt than mine. That’s what my perception was, anyway. I thought to look at the Drive Safe & Save app the next day, and found that in the unbiased view of State Farm, Olivia’s driving was qualitatively similar to mine. Like most people, I consider myself to be an above-average driver, but apparently my driving is not so far above average that it significantly outranks that of my 17-year-old.
A healthy and accurate perception of our abilities can be tough to achieve. When I worked in cyber security, I frequently ran into people who were quite knowledgeable about many of the disciplines within our profession, but lacked confidence. Many suffered from imposter syndrome, thinking that the gaps in their knowledge were so broad that they weren’t as valuable in their role as they should be. I also ran into a fair number of people who were too confident and probably weren’t ready for the role into which they had been placed.
I had the privilege of leading a team of cyber security professionals for several years, and as I aged, I often wondered when it would be time to step aside and let one of the many talented younger people on the team take over. I never had to make that decision, because a call to seminary led me to a different profession, but eventually my abilities would have slipped to the point that making way for someone new would have been the right move.
Sadly, many do not step aside when faced with such a scenario. Those in positions of authority choose not to step aside because their perception tells them they are still the best ones for the job, because they are too accustomed to the privilege their position affords, or because they simply can’t envision someone else in the role. Also, in many professions there are not good succession plans in place when you’re ready to take a step back.
You might be more accustomed to the other side of that equation, waiting to take a step up in your career but having to wait for those in authority to make space. Many of us can relate to that experience as well.
The consequences of denying succession when it’s time can be significant. For example, look at many of the politicians in this country who are clinging to their seats despite their advanced years. Both frontrunners in the next presidential election are four generations older than that election’s youngest voters. They can’t even relate to those young voters, and their failure to act adequately to address the biggest threat to younger generations — the climate catastrophe — is evidence of that.
Some of the characters in today’s scripture passage can see that succession is coming. Women from across Israel welcome the army back from their victory against the Philistines, singing and dancing, and making it clear that David’s prowess in battle is superior to King Saul’s. Perhaps their wisdom informed their songs, and they recognized that God had big plans for David. Saul’s reaction, however, was to become angry and cling more tightly to his authority.
Saul’s son Jonathan, an heir to the throne who perhaps should also have seen David as a threat, had the opposite reaction. The passage says Jonathan’s soul was bound to that of David, and that he loved him as his own. Jonathan gives David his robe, his armor, and his weapons. Wilda Gafney provides background on such gestures in the Ancient Near East, writing “One of the most common forms of love in the Hebrew Bible is covenant love, between God and humanity and between monarchs on behalf of their nations and between individual men. Often there is unequal power between covenant partners. . . . While the specific nature of David’s covenant with Jonathan is not articulated, all covenants as well include loyalty as a primary element. Jonathan dressing David in his own clothes signifies an elevation of the shepherd boy to the same status as Jonathan, a prince. The love between Jonathan and David is more than covenant love. As David, profligate and promiscuous, would declare upon the death of Jonathan, his love for him was a wonder.” (Gafney, 268)
Perhaps God provided Jonathan with special insight, or perhaps Jonathan was naturally drawn to David; regardless, he helped make way, and David did eventually become king. Hugh Pyper suggests this can be interpreted in a manner that foreshadows the relationship between Jesus and his followers. He writes, “insofar as David is seen as a type of Christ, Jonathan can be seen as the archetypal believer, content to renounce his own power and privilege in devotion to the church.” (Pyper, loc. 12440)
Jonathan was in line to become king of Israel, but due to inspiration or wisdom or connection, he took steps to yield his authority and privilege to David.
The story of Saul and David and Jonathan doesn’t end with 1 Samuel 18; it occupies the rest of the book of 1 Samuel, and David’s story continues into 2 Samuel and is also covered in 1 Chronicles. If you read beyond today’s passage, you see that David is far from perfect. He makes mistakes and sins against others. But it seems God intended him to be King of Israel, and a way was made for that to occur.
I was recently able to travel to Oxford, Ohio, to visit my alma mater, Miami University. While we were walking around campus we made a point of stopping in the center of its oldest section to see the university seal. Inscribed on that seal is the motto, “Prodesse Quam Conspici,” which means “to accomplish without being conspicuous.” (Miami University) I know I’m biased, but I’ve always thought it’s pretty good as far as mottos go, and it’s one I try to recall when I’m tempted toward pride. It reminds me that when you’re in a position of privilege or authority, it’s usually better to defer credit for achievements, or at least to accept it collectively. Achievements often speak for themselves.
How might things have gone differently for Saul if he hadn’t become enraged at the singing of the women who were celebrating David’s victory, and if he hadn’t become jealous and paranoid? What if he had concentrated instead on the path God intended for him, and what was best for all of Israel? The stories in the Bible might not always be historically accurate, but they do offer opportunities to ponder the timeless struggles of humankind, including the consequences of pride, anger, and jealousy.
When is it time for us to make way? When is the way ours to claim? For those in positions of authority or privilege, how do we prepare a way forward for those who come next? How do we act as mentors or advisors, recognizing that mistakes and imperfections will occur just as they did when we were learning? For those who are ready to step into leadership roles, how do you know how to proceed and who to trust to advise you on your path? When is it time to bypass those who refuse to make way?
Some from younger generations who are seeing their future scorched by fossil fuels are tired of waiting. They see elders clinging to power and authority failing to make meaningful change that might help mitigate the climate catastrophe, so they are mobilizing. Climate Defiance, a group comprised mainly of young people, has spoken truth to power by carrying out non-violent direct actions such as confronting the Vice President, Commerce Secretary, and Deputy National Climate Advisor; interrupting the Congressional Women’s Softball Game; and disrupting the White House Correspondents Dinner. They know that those from their generation will suffer the effects of climate change to a much greater extent than those from older generations, and they are willing to sacrifice for the greater good.
When have you found yourself in a position like Saul’s, having to struggle with jealousy and pride and the temptation to cling to power? When have you found yourself in a position like David’s, where you had to proceed forward cautiously due to the perceived threat you posed to someone in authority? When have you been in a position like Jonathan’s, when you recognized it was time to make way for someone else, even when it meant giving up some of your own privilege or voice?
Three thousand years ago, our spiritual ancestors were wrestling with issues around pride, power, and jealousy, and we’re still struggling with them today. If we choose to, we can learn from the missteps and successes of our elders as we discern a way forward for ourselves, and as we make way for future generations.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
Works Referenced
Alter, Robert. The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary. New York City: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2019, Kindle edition.
Birch, Bruce C. “The First and Second Books of Samuel.” In New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume II. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015.
Gafney, Wilda C. A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church, Year W. New York City: Church Publishing, 2021.
Miami University. “The Great Seal: Rope, Border, Bricks, and Motto.” Accessed August 19, 2023. https://www.miamioh.edu/great-seal/framework/index.html
Pyper, Hugh S. “1 and 2 Samuel.” In Fortress Commentary on the Bible: The Old Testament and Apocrypha, edited by Gale A. Yee, Hugh R. Page, Jr., Matthew J. M. Coomber. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014. Kindle edition.
