One of my favorite movie quotes comes from the wise, more than 800-year-old Jedi Master Yoda from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. In it, Yoda teaches Anakin Skywalker about his fear, saying, “Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering.”
I use this analogy to open up my thoughts concerning the behaviors of two kings. Right now I am reading 1 Samuel in my devotions and reading about the life of David. In this time, David had served King Saul faithfully, but his popularity among the people grew so much that Saul became afraid of David and wanted to kill him. So David is on the run and hiding behind enemy lines. Along the way he got help from Ahimelek, the priest of Nob, who provided him bread, and the sword of Goliath. Following David are over four hundred members of the tribe of Judah, his kin.
I read the follow-up of Saul’s hunt for David. He found out that Ahimelek helped David and ordered his men to kill him, his family and everyone in Nob. However, his own men refused to strike down the LORD’s priests, and so Saul commanded an Edomite name Doeg to do it. In the genocide Abiathar, one of Ahimelek’s sons, escaped and went to David.
At the end of the chapter David said something to Abiathar that caught my attention. He said, “Stay with me; don’t be afraid. The man who wants to kill you is trying to kill me too. You will be safe with me.” Now I wouldn’t say that I find that statement encouraging when you are trying to flee from a madman and the guy protecting you is on his hit list too. But those last words, “you will be safe with me,” speaks volume about David’s courage and his faith.
Yes, David was on the run for his life, but that did not make him a coward. God was reserving David to become the next king of Israel. When David needed direction on where to go next, he asked God and followed according to what God told him to do. He did not act out of fear, but out of faith. I think David said to Abiathar that he would be safe with him because he knew that God was protecting him, so the safest place for that guy to be in was among David’s men.
As for Saul, I think it is evident that he was growing more and more paranoid, and it was evident to those who followed him. It was clear that God was with David and Saul could not take it. But his men were God-fearing individuals, so when he ordered them to kill Ahimelek they would not compromise their faith in God over the fear of the king.
Ironically, as I keep reading about Saul, I notice a consistency with him. Almost everywhere he goes, he has a spear. It was like he needed it out of some misplaced security. Whereas David relied on God for his security, Saul relied on a spear.
Again, these are the behaviors of two kings. Saul chose to live in his fear of David. By doing so the Spirit of God departed him, and Saul experienced those very emotions that were described in the first paragraph. David on the other hand chose to live in his in God, so that even though he was hiding from Saul, he felt at peace knowing that God would protect him. God’s presence was so evident that he could lift an encouraging word to a friend and say, “you are safe with us.” To add to Yoda’s words of wisdom, I believe that to step as far as you can from the “dark side,” you must choose faith over fear; joy over anger; love over hate; and then instead of suffering, you have freedom.
Life Among Lions 