Today's Scripture Reading (June 9, 2025): Psalm 54
I am not sure if this is a
weird response, but in the Star Trek Universe, I get Captain Jon Luc Picard's (a
fictional character played by Patrick Stewart) idea of a vacation. The
Enterprise Captain seems to have to be forced into them, but when he finally
takes a vacation, he often finds someplace pleasant just to sit and read. His
friends frequently seem to urge him to do some other things, something more
exciting, but all Picard needs is a book, although he also always seems to be
drawn into an adventure of some sort. I mean, it wouldn't be much of a
television episode if all we got to do was sit and watch Picard read a book.
However, I understand the desire.
Every summer I take some time
and go away. I am admittedly an introvert, so a favorite activity is to find a
beach somewhere and sit with a good book, or a few good books. I am not looking
for activities or friends with whom I can share a meal (not that I would turn
down the opportunity). I want to go somewhere where no one knows me, and I can sit
and spend some time with a good book. I am lucky that I married someone who
understands my idea of a vacation and is willing to come and sit beside me with
a book of her own.
David goes to Ziph, a town in
the Judean mountains, South-east of Hebron, just needing to get away. He may
not have been looking for a beach and a book, but he was looking for a place to
relax, if only for a little while. In the mountains, he hoped that he would be
an unknown and that he and his men could let down their guard and relax.
Unfortunately, his break
would not be a long one, as some of the inhabitants of Ziph recognized David,
and they went to Saul to tell him that David was hiding in the wilderness close
to the town. So, once again, David and his men must get back on the run.
The inscription to the Psalm reads,
"When the Ziphites had
gone to Saul and said, 'Is not David hiding among us?'" What I am unsure of is when the Psalm was written. Was it after Saul's pursuit had been cut off because his
attention was needed to defend the nation from the Philistines, or was it amid the danger of Saul's pursuit? Did David wait until after his narrow
escape to praise, or is this expression of deliverance a down payment, a memory of all the times that
God had come to his aid in the past? I don't know the answer, but I admit that part of me thinks
that the escape hadn't happened, not yet. This last verse is a statement of
faith, a reminder of all of the other times God had come to his
rescue, and because of those times, David knew that God would come to his defense once again.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading:
1 Samuel 24
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