He was impatient, self-willed, foolish, jealous, and afraid. Even so, Saul, king of Israel, was the anointed of God to lead these people. David had many opportunities to disgrace or to kill Saul, but took none of them. David counted the life of Saul as precious because he was the anointed of God. News of the death of Saul and Jonathan struck at David’s heart. The young Amalekite, thinking he would find favor with David, said that he had mercifully killed the wounded Saul. No understanding of that servant of God and respect for the anointed. What a harsh reprisal, we may think, as David commanded his execution! “How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” David had such great reverence for the Lord that he counted even those deemed fools by others to be worthy of honor.
He was young, idealistic, powerful, compassionate, the Anointed One. Yet the leaders of the age could not accept Him as the Leader of their world, not as they knew it. “We will trap him! We will confound his wisdom and expose him to the world as a fraud!” The “best and brightest” of that Age come to confound the Rock of Ages. No understanding of that servant of God and respect for His Anointed. “Shall we pay taxes?” Ah, this will divide the people! Say, “Yes” and the common man will hate him, say, “No” and He is an insurrectionist to be arrested. Either way He is out of here! His answer still convicts us, asking whom we really serve. Then the question which still divides our friends today, is there life beyond the grave? Is there marriage in heaven? Once more the question came from those who did not even understand or truly reverence the One whose temple they occupied. Truly a conundrum, we have him now! The Anointed One turns it back on them, turning back on them the Scriptures from which the Sadducees derived their own power. We see the answers in today’s world as, yes there is life beyond the veil, we shall have no need of gender or race or color, all will be the children of God.
What is the real center of these passages? Reverence of God and respect for His Anointed. When we do not understand God’s will, when Jesus just does not make sense, when holiness and righteous living are far outside the scope of practice for the “modern” world, who is out of kilter? Who lacks a connection to reality? Who fails to understand the needs of emerging cultures and countercultures? It is man, we are the uninitiated, ignorant ones who kill the Anointed thinking we are doing the powers of this world a favor. Let us revere our Creator, follow His anointed so that the true life, the true order of the universe, the Reality of our being comes back into the service of the One who loved us and gave Himself for us.
Prayer: Today, almighty God, help us to understand what steps we must take today to follow your will, to glorify Your name, and respect Your Anointed One, Jesus of Nazareth. For Jesus’ sake, thank You for hearing us, help us to hear You.
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