Saul Chases David

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There was much movement in today's reading, so here's a map that will show where the action took place:

It's hard to read but the best I could find (I looked at about 10 of them)--if you know how to increase the size on your browser, you can increase it in size. It gives a good general flavor to where the activity took place.

Psalm 52 clearly describes the future of all tyrants, and 52:1 in particular presents the case for why that judgment will be harsh, severe and CERTAIN. At the beginning of today's reading, 1 Samuel 22:7 describes how Saul (and all tyrants) operate--through fear, coercion and favors for support. Saul was only able to complete the massacre of the priests of Nob because he had a lackey in Doeg who was willing to throw away any sense of morality and justice for personal gain.

But those gains are short-term, and anyone who thinks otherwise hasn't been paying attention to the news. Everything occurring in the Middle East in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen and elsewhere is precisely because the tyrant in charge (be it elected like Mubarak in Egypt, coup plotters like Gaddafi or whatever manner) lost control of his army, his source of enforcement and protection. This has been occurring throughout Africa for the past twenty years as thug leadership throughout the entire continent are either waging civil war or being overthrown by the people. Being a tyrant is a good job when you have an army to enforce the regime, but loses its allure when the masses tire of despotic rule and realize that their numbers will overwhelm anything a tyrant can manage.

For those old enough to remember, Psalm 52:5-7 is an excellent description of what happened in Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Repressive governments were overthrown in in East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Hungary and other Iron Curtain countries, and the people in those countries were jubilant. There is a very real chance that similar events will happen in Cuba and North Korea in the near future, since the piles of money necessary to support an oppressive army are dwindling and unrest is building. Being a despot is usually not a good long-term strategy.

The important thing for us to remember is that David never lost faith during these ordeals, and as we face our travails in life, we need to have the same steely resolve of David and remain faithful. We're all good Christians when times are flush, but it's when times are tough that our true character is revealed. Pray that we all remain faithful like David when we suffer setbacks in life.

Scott