Today's Scripture Reading (June 18, 2025): 2 Samuel 1
In my late teens, I spent some
time working the night shift at a major department store. My shift started at
11:00 pm, and I worked until 7:00 the next morning. The job involved a
combination of janitorial duties and night watchman responsibilities. Essentially,
the insurance company for the store required someone to be present in the store
all night. The store's solution was the team on which I served, consisting of
four or five of us, depending on the night, who cleaned and guarded the store.
Not that they trusted us.
Every once in a while, they would leave some money for us to "find." The
money was a test to see if we would turn it in or keep it and pretend we didn't
know it was there. The unfortunate part of the plan was that even if someone
kept the test money, there was no way of knowing which member of the team
stumbled upon the cash. And usually, it was a very insignificant amount. I'm
not sure that any of us ever kept the money. We dutifully turned it back in,
maybe partially because we knew it was a test.
Sin often seems to be a lot
like the money at the department store. It is frequently not that we set out to
sin but rather that we stumble upon something that forces us to make a choice. Perhaps
we could call it a sin of opportunity, and it isn't much different from the
original sin of Adam and Eve. We don't intend to steal or lie, but when an
opportunity arises or a question is asked, we have to decide what our next move
should be. We also want to project an image of ourselves that may not
accurately reflect what exists inside us.
A young Amalekite comes to
David with a story. Some seem to believe that the story is fundamentally true,
but I am not among them. This kid wants to be seen as important, and so he is
willing to weave a tale. I suspect that the only true statement the young man
makes is that he happened to be on Mount Gilboa on the day in question. The
story this young man tells is that he arrived at Mount Gilboa and stumbled upon
King Saul. The enemy was all around, and Saul was mortally wounded. But he hadn't
yet died; in fact, he was still standing leaning on his spear. The King had
requested that this young man would kill him so that he didn't fall into the
hands of his enemy. The man complied with the request and then took the King's
crown and armband to bring to David. He believed that by bringing this news to
David about the demise of his enemy, he would be rewarded by the new King.
What really happened? I think
that the first thing the young man says is the truth: he happened to be on
Mount Gilboa. What he was doing there in the middle of a battle is a good
question that remains unanswered. I believe that the young Amalekite might have
even been close enough to hear the conversation between Saul and his
armor-bearer. Saul had asked his armor-bearer to kill him, but his armor-bearer
had refused. Instead, Saul had fallen on his own sword. And then his
armor-bearer had done the same.
It was at this point that the
Amalekite stole into the camp. With everyone dead, he picked up the crown and
the band that Saul had worn on his arm and escaped the gruesome scene. As he
makes his way toward David's camp, he brings not only the King's crown but he
develops what he thought was an outstanding story, even if it was a lie. But
the story is just a lie of opportunity and a tale that the young Amalekite
fatally misunderstands
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading:
2 Samuel 2
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