Today’s Scripture Reading (January
30, 2016): Psalm 59
William Shakespeare’s
“Timon of Athens” tells the story of a man that is loved as long as he has
money, but when the money runs out and Timon is left with nothing but creditors
to confront, and his friends are nowhere to be found. Timon’s generosity ends
up also being his ruin. At one point in the Story, Timon holds a feast for his
friends, but when his guests uncover their dishes there is nothing but lukewarm
water in their bowls. At this point in the story Timon throws his lukewarm water
in the faces of his guests, who seem to come out of the woodwork to take but
are mysteriously missing when he is in need of them. Timon yells at his surprised
guests “Live loathed and long, most smiling, smooth, detested
parasites” (Act 3, Scene 6). His friends never really deserved his generosity,
but the tragedy for Timon is that he didn’t realize that fact until it was much
too late.
We can
almost hear Timon’s voice in the words of David in this Psalm. His prayer is
that God would not slay his enemies, but that he might uproot them and bring
them down. Timon’s voice is even clearer as we realize that the subject of the
psalm is King Saul whom David has served and for whom he has played his music
to calm his fears. King Saul, whom David has loved like a father just as he has
loved Jonathan, the King’s son, like a brother. King Saul to whom David has dedicated
his life – at least up until this point. Timon’s words almost sound strangely
appropriate in this situation - Live loathed and long, most smiling, smooth,
detested parasites.” Saul had taken the best of what David had to
offer, but now he was just seeking to throw David away like a worthless piece
of garbage.
And while
there is no doubt that David is upset, his behavior outside of this Psalm may
lead us to believe that there might be another reason for David’s request that
God uproot rather than kill his enemy – that is, another reason other than that
he wanted his enemy to serve as a visual reminder for his people of what
happens when we violate God’s laws. The reality is that other than in the
introductory statement to the Psalm, King Saul is simply not mentioned. David
talks generically about his enemies. But if the introductory statement is right
and the generic enemy that David is talking about is really Saul, then there
may be nothing else that David felt he could do with Saul other than to ask God
to allow him to “live loathed and long.” If David refused to take the life of
the reigning King of Israel with his sword, something that we know David proved
at least twice that he was unwilling to do, then it is unlikely that David
would have felt that he could ask God to kill Saul either. The Philistine
Goliath may have gone to the grave quickly, but Saul needed to “live loathed
and long” – after all, Saul was the king, and good or bad, the cry remains the
same – “Long live the King.”
David’s
request might also have been about Saul’s redemption. His prayer might simply
be reinterpreted as “God uproot him but do not kill him, that Saul might see
the error of his ways and return to you.” Such an attitude would have been in
keeping with a David who only wanted the best for his king – and who was
willing to wait his turn before he began his own reign as King of Israel.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1
Samuel 21
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