A Perplexing Question

So David took his 600 men and went over and joined Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath. [1 Samuel 27.2]

The relationship between David and Achish, king of Gath deserves a little attention.

Here is apparently how that relationship started:

So David escaped from Saul and went to King Achish of Gath. But the officers of Achish were unhappy about his being there. “Isn’t this David, the king of the land?” they asked. “Isn’t he the one the people honor with dances, singing, ‘Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?” David heard these comments and was very afraid of what King Achish of Gath might do to him. So he pretended to be insane, scratching on doors and drooling down his beard. Finally, King Achish said to his men, “Must you bring me a madman? We already have enough of them around here! Why should I let someone like this be my guest?” [1 Samuel 21.10-15]

And then, in today's OYCB reading, David goes back to Achish apparently in his 'right mind' this time, and here is what we find that relationship to be:

But the Philistine commanders demanded, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish told them, “This is David, the servant of King Saul of Israel. He’s been with me for years, and I’ve never found a single fault in him from the day he arrived until today.” [1 Samuel 29.3]

The interesting thing about this relationship in which Achish had complete trust in David and therefore asked him to join them in fighting Israel is that David had been raiding Philistine towns completely destroying everyone in them all the while telling Achish (lying to him) that he had been somewhere else raiding people in Judah. And, if that wasn't enough, Philistine Achish had made David his personal body guard for life!

Loyalty is an interesting topic as we consider it in light of today's passages in the OYCB. As an Israelite, David's loyalty to Saul and Israel was unmatched. Up to this point, we have seen David lie to Abimelech (a fellow Israelite - about being on a mission for Saul when in fact he was running from Saul), he feigned insanity on his first recorded encounter with Achish, then today we see that he flat out lied to Achish about his military activities. How do loyalty and integrity interact here?

Here is an interesting thought: integrity serves loyalty. By this, if David's example reveals anything worth considering, national loyalty outweighs personal integrity. Now this is said somewhat in contrast to what we believe integrity to be today. It would seem "principle" is even subject to loyalty.

Okay, so let's make an application here that might help us navigate life as we know it in the 21st century....

To join the Kingdom of God, a believer in Christ has forsaken all identity with the world. This includes national and geographic identity, work identity, and even family identity. Church identity should also be added to this list, although only as it exists as a religious institution. The Head and Body of Christ however is where our loyalty should be.

A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’ “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own. [Luke 14.25-33]

So, how far do we go to serve Christ? It is a perplexing question! 

Father, may I be found loyal to Jesus in continuing the ministry He began on earth. May my loyalty be to Him as He sent me as You sent Him.