Then David fled from Naioth at Ramah and went to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying to kill me?” – 1 Samuel 20:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (January 29, 2016): 1 Samuel 20

Maybe one of the saddest stories to come out of last weekend’s killer snowstorm which blanketed the Eastern coast of the United States and Canada involves the killing of a Good Samaritan in North Carolina by the very person he hoped to help. According to reports, a Good Samaritan (actually a group of Good Samaritans) stopped to help a motorist who had slid off the road in the icy conditions in North Carolina. Apparently the would be Good Samaritans also phoned the police. When the driver heard the call to the police, he opened fire at the group, hitting one of them. Then the driver walked up to his downed victim and just continued to fire his gun into his victim’s body. The driver seemed possessed by some kind of irrational rage. Police say that the driver appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

But the story reinforces the fact that sometimes things just don’t make sense. Why would a man in need of help lash out at those offering assistance. Obviously the drugs or alcohol had damaged the way that the man perceived the world. Unfortunately the result of the story is more likely to be that future Good Samaritans will think twice before they offer any help to a stranded motorist.

Often we know what we have done wrong to create anger in a certain situation, but sometimes the truth is that we don’t. Sometimes someone is angry and the real truth is that we have no idea why we are the ones to take the brunt of that anger. And David would seem to find himself in exactly that situation. He knows that Saul is angry, but what he can’t figure out is why. And David would seem to be very sincere in his ignorance. Make no mistake, David understands that he has been anointed as the next king of Israel, but David also knows that he will not take any action to make that a reality. Until the day that he becomes king, he will be nothing more than the best servant that Saul could hope for – and this becomes the source of David’s confusion.

Of course, Saul is hoping for more. His hope is that the prophecy of Samuel will end up being not true, and that, as a result, Saul will enjoy legacy. And it is that idea of legacy that gnaws like a drug at Saul’s brain. The idea of legacy, and the knowledge that God has stolen that legacy away from him, makes the king lash out in anger. Maybe he didn’t know that David was the king that would follow him interrupting his legacy, but he definitely suspected. Of all the people in Israel with the capability of being king, David headed the list. And that knowledge was all that was needed to spur Saul’s anger into overdrive.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 59