A Tale of Three Kings (7 page)

Zadok, not certain if he should be hearing David’s words or not, spoke out. “My king?”

David turned, his eyes moist.

“At last,” David said quietly. “At last this matter will be resolved. Perhaps tomorrow someone besides God will know.”

“Perhaps,” said Zadok, “but perhaps not. Such questions may be debated even after we are all dead.”

“That might also be tomorrow,” laughed David. “Go, Abishai, tell Joab. You will find him in the turret of the east wall.”

Abishai departed as he had entered, in haste and in fury.

“I wonder, Zadok,” mused David, “if a man can force God into a position where he
must
tell.”

Chapter 26

Abishai rushed across the courtyard and into the eastern rampart, where he charged up the spiral staircase. At the top of the stairs, Joab stared down at Abishai. In the flickering light of torches, each man studied the face of the other.

Abishai spoke. “Have you heard, Joab?”

“Have I heard! ’Tis midnight, yet half the city is awake with the word. How can it be, Abishai—a son against his own father!”

“When kingdoms are vulnerable, men see queer sights,” responded Abishai with a distant stare.

“And they’ll sacrifice anything to satisfy ambition,” added Joab angrily. “What think you of these things, Abishai?”

“What think I?” responded Abishai, matching Joab’s anger with his own rage. “This! Absalom has no authority in the kingdom. He holds no power, no office, yet he has risen up to divide the kingdom. He has raised his hand against the very anointed of God—against David! David—who has never done or spoken one evil word against him.

“What think I?” Abishai’s voice rose toward a crescendo. “If Absalom, who has no authority, will commit this deed; if Absalom, who is nothing, will divide the very kingdom of God—” His voice now rolled like thunder. “If Absalom will do these evil things
now
, what in the name of sanity might that man do if he be
king?”

Chapter 27

David and Zadok were alone once more.

“And now, what will you do, David? In your youth, you spoke no word against an unworthy king. What will you do now with an equally unworthy youth?”

“As I said,” replied David, “these are the times I hate the most, Zadok. Nonetheless, against all reason, I judge my own heart first and rule against its interests. I will do what I did under Saul. I will leave the destiny of the kingdom in God’s hands alone. Perhaps he is finished with me. Perhaps I have sinned too greatly and am no longer worthy to lead. Only God knows if that is true, and it seems he will not tell.”

Then, clenching his fist, yet with a touch of wry humor in his voice, David added emphatically, “But today I shall give ample space for this untelling God of ours to show us his will. I know of no other way to bring about such an extraordinary event except by doing
nothing
! The throne is not mine. Not to have, not to take, not to protect, and not to keep.

“I will leave the city. The throne is the Lord’s. So is the kingdom. I will not hinder God. No obstacle, no activity on my part lies between me and God’s will. Nothing will prevent him from accomplishing his will. If I am not to be king, God will find no difficulty in making Absalom to be Israel’s king. Now it is possible. God shall be God!”

The true king turned and walked quietly out of the throne room, out of the palace, out of the city. He walked and he walked . . .

Into the bosoms of all men whose hearts are pure.

Epilogue

Well, dear reader, the time has come for us to say good-bye once more. I will leave you to your thoughts and to reflect on the hidden motives of your own heart.

Oh, by the way, the players are working on a love story. Perhaps we can see it together when it is performed. I believe it shall be called . . .
The Divine Romance
.

I trust, then, by the mercy of God, we shall meet again.

Book Discussion Guide

1. How can you break the cycle of wounding? What makes this hard to accomplish?

2. God’s prophet had anointed David when he was a boy, but for years David saw only hardship and danger. How can a person remain faithful between the promise and the payoff? What might make it difficult to remain faithful even after the payoff has arrived?

3. Have you been broken? Why do we tend to avoid this? Is it always necessary? Are you willing to live through pain, or do you avoid it? When do you most clearly see the sufficiency of God’s grace?

4. Who throws spears at you? How does God want you to respond?

5. Are you clinging to God’s promises or to God himself? What is the distinction (if any)?

6. Chapter 6 deals largely with God’s divine establishment of authority. Read Romans 13 and consider your reaction to these concepts. What do you find hard to swallow? Are there any exceptions to this general rule?

7. Do you agree with the author’s assertion that God knows, but he never tells us? How does your answer affect your view of God’s relationship with his children?

8. What needs to happen to put your own inner Saul to death?

9. David’s men saw the opportunity as a sign from God, but David refused to harm Saul. If an opportunity arose, would you do something drastic to ensure your own safety? to exact justice? to take revenge?

10. The author points out that God does not rescind his gifts, even when people use them unfaithfully. (But contrast the story of Samson in Judges 16.) What does this show about God’s character?

11. Do you know any Davids who have been condemned as Sauls?

12. What makes a true leader? How should a real leader approach and handle his or her authority?

13. The author equates rebellion with thievery, taking what is not rightfully one’s own. Do you agree with the author’s statement that “no rebellion in the Kingdom of God is proper” (p. 64)? What differentiates dissenters or reformers from schismatics and dividers? How would you apply these truths to historical events like the Protestant Reformation or the American Revolution?

14. Do you agree with David’s commitment to “raise no hand,” or do you find this course too passive? How can we know when God wants us to take action and when he wants us to accept action taken against us?

15. In this story, David considered the throne to be God’s, not his own to have, to take, to protect, to keep. He asserted that he desired God’s will more than God’s blessing (see p. 75). Could you say the same about what God has given you? How would you respond if your job, your home, your family were all taken from you?

16. Sauls see only Absaloms; Absaloms see only Sauls. Neither can recognize a David. How can we distinguish one from the others? Is it true that we can never be certain whether a leader is a Saul or a David, that only God can truly know?

17. The person who wields the rod of God’s authority should be the meekest, a broken man, lest his people live in terror. What kind of authority does a true leader have? How should he or she respond to that commission? How should his or her followers respond to that individual?

Please turn the page for an excerpt from
The Prisoner in the Third Cell
. . .

Chapter 6

People came to hear John because they were seeking something to fill a deep vacancy in their lives.

Merchants came to hear him and repented of their business practices, and were then baptized in the fabled waters of the Jordan. Soldiers came, repented of their brutality, and were baptized. The camel drivers came, the farmers, the rustic fishermen, housewives, women of renown, women of the streets, all kinds and all classes came. And all who came, it seemed, came holding some secret sin, repented thereof, and disappeared beneath the Jordan waters.

Every Jew knew the ancient meaning of a soul’s being plunged beneath the water of that particular river. It meant the end of life, the cessation of everything. Everyone awaiting baptism stood on the eastern bank, which was a foreign land. There they stepped into the water and disappeared . . . there to die. But each came up out of the water and stepped onto the western bank, safe within the border of the Promised Land, there to begin a new life with God. This simple drama was unforgettable.

There was one particular day at the Jordan that stood out from all others. It began with the arrival of horse-drawn carriages. A delegation of dignitaries had arrived. What important personages had come out to this obscure place?

It was the nation’s religious leaders.

When John saw these costumed men, every muscle in his body became motionless. There was not one outer movement on his countenance to betray his inward feelings. As these religious dignitaries cut through the crowd, John watched as ordinary people dropped their heads or genuflected in a gesture of honor. This did not at all set well with the greatest nonconformist of all time.

John read every man as he stepped out of the carriages. Some had obviously come to sneer, to gather evidence against John, and to condemn. Others came with a great deal of uncertainty, hoping to discover for themselves whether or not John was a true prophet. There were even a few among them, the youngest, who came truly believing that John was a man of God. These young men hoped the older, more respected leaders might agree with their unspoken opinion. After all, if the older leaders gave their blessing to John, some of the young men knew they would be free to become his disciples.

But John saw more than this. He looked in the heart of every man now making his way through the midst of the crowd, and discerned the ultimate weakness of each one. There was not
one
among them brave enough, on his own, to break with accepted religious traditions.

The crowd continued giving way before these vaunted leaders. The delegation was on its way to the front of the crowd, to take their rightful place of honor. This was more than the desert prophet could ever hope to stomach. The religious system of his day, coming
here
? And daring to impose their abominable practices
here
? How dare they come! How dare they bring their arrogance, contempt, disdain, and pride to
this
place!

John had not come to this earth to compromise, nor to win over such men to the ways of God. After all, these men saw themselves as authorities in God’s ways. John would not attempt to do the impossible: He would not call the leaders of the religious system to come out of that system. Yet the presence of these men was perverting the freedom which the baptized ones had gained as they laid aside the systemization of this world.

John, therefore, declared war. Open, unbridled, unquartered war . . . on Israel’s most revered personages. He wanted every human being present to know how he felt about the chains which traditionalists had forged upon the hearts and souls of God’s people. And just how did he feel? He felt this whole religious culture must perish.

There was nothing John could do better than thunder, and on this occasion he roared like a lion. Thrusting out the forefinger of one hand, he shattered earth and heaven with his denunciation.

“Who . . . who, I ask . . . who told you to repent?

You nest of snakes, what are you doing here?”

The crowd was stunned. No one had
ever
talked this way to
these
men. Many in the crowd instinctively rose to their feet; after a moment, wide grins began to appear on the faces of some. But every eye was now riveted on the religious leaders. What would be their reaction? And, was it possible . . . had John committed some kind of blasphemy? The people knew the rumors about John being possessed of a demon; this was not going to help. They loved him for his boldness, yet no one ever dreamed he would take on the religious leaders of their nation.
No one
did that!

Shock turned to disbelief as John continued.

“I ask you again, you nest of snakes, who told you to turn away from the wrath that is coming on you?”

The religious leaders stopped. No one could speak to them in this way. After a brief moment, one of the leaders pulled his cloak up about him, turned and whispered something to those nearest him. They, in turn, signaled to the others to make a sudden retreat.

But John was not finished.

“Your tree! An axe has been laid to your tree. The wrath of God is upon you. The axe will cut down your tree and destroy its root. The day is not far when all that you are shall be destroyed under the wrath of God.”

With that the delegation, as one, gathered up their outer robes and hurried back toward their carriages, each devising in his heart some form of vengeance to take against John.

Someone in the crowd began to cheer. Someone else clapped. With that, the whole multitude stood and took up the applause. Everywhere men and women felt shackles falling from their souls. At last, someone had dared to challenge the religious system!

Spontaneously, the multitude moved toward John. It seemed that every soul present who had not been baptized wanted very much to do so now. They had all, as one, glimpsed something deeper of John’s message, something they had never understood before.

It was a glorious day. Yet no one seemed to have laid hold of the obvious. Conduct like this would get John killed.

And then there was that other very memorable day.

Chapter 7

The door from the other realm opened, like a window, just over the Jordan River. Out from the very center of the being of God the Father came forth His own sacred Spirit, the Holy Spirit, somewhat as a dove might, fluttering out through the open door and coming to rest on one of the spectators who was listening to John speak.