Today’s
Scripture Reading (March 25, 2019): 2 Samuel 1
For
better or worse, we all tend to create our own
morality, our understanding of right and wrong. We often pretend that there is
a basis for the understanding but, usually, there is no basis, just an innate
understanding of right and wrong. For Christians, we want that basis is to be
the Bible, but it can also be based on family
or religious traditions. Not everything that we consider moral is found in the Bible.
A
few weeks ago we celebrated Ash Wednesday. It is a celebration that I decided
to recover about fifteen years ago, and it has enriched my understanding of
Lent and our journey toward the cross and Good Friday that we make every year.
This year we advertised the celebration on Facebook. One person replied, “Where do you find that in the Bible?”
Unfortunately, the answer to the question is not a Bible and verse, but a reading into the biblical texts and an
understanding of church tradition. The Bible does not say that we should celebrate
Ash Wednesday and Lent. The Bible also is silent on Advent and Christmas. And
there is also no mention of Good Friday. Easter, on the other hand, is supposed
to be celebrated every Sunday (this is why Christians traditionally have
worshipped on Sunday), not just once every spring. But we have the birth
narrative, and so Advent and Christmas grew out of that story. We have the
story of the crucifixion, and so we have developed the celebration of Good, or
more literally “God’s,” Friday. Jesus said that when he returned to heaven, his
followers would fast. We understand the great sorrow of Jesus disciples as they
turned and began to walk toward Jerusalem and death. This is the story that is partially
told in John 11 and 12. And so we have taken this understanding and
began to celebrate Ash Wednesday and Lent, a time of fasting, sacrifice, and
mourning, as we walk with Jesus toward the cross of Good Friday. It seems good
and moral for us to celebrate these things. But these celebrations are not
overtly commanded within the biblical text.
The
story of David and the young Amalekite is the story of a clash in morality. We
might have wondered at the refusal of the young armor-bearer of Saul to kill
his King even though Saul was wounded and would not recover. In our
understanding, killing Saul, or even our suffering pet, is an act of mercy. He would be putting Saul “out of his
misery.” And that was precisely the way
that the young Amalekite had summed up the situation. If the King could not
survive the wounds that had been inflicted
on him, then it would be merciful for someone to come and kill him. (In
actuality, the real sin of the young Amalekite is that the whole story is a
work of fiction. By the time the young man came upon the King of Israel, the
King was already dead by his own hand.)
The young Amalekite’s story reveals his morality. First, he says that he killed
the king who was already dying. And second, he brings the crown of the dead
king to David, who the Amalekite believes is either the next king or knows who the future king might be.
David’s
morality is shared with the armor-bearer.
Life is precious, and no one has the
right to kill the King except God. Even if the King is dying and in great pain,
to extinguish his life is an affront to
what is good and moral. The Amalekite had
no right to kill Saul, and therefore must be punished.
It
is this argument that still rages in our euthanasia debates. Do we have the
right to take a life? I am not sure that I know the answer. I think David would
argue no. But the ultimate solution might
not be found in the pages of our Bibles. Instead, this is something that we
have to work out together, through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in
us.
Tomorrow’s
Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 2
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