Second Samuel 15-16

God’s message to me: It’s easy to feel that an enemy which doesn’t play by the rules deserves similar treatment in return. Those who stand up and demand we act in accordance with our morals and treat enemies better than they treat us are not wrong. While this view does not make life easy it ensures that we remain honorable.

They say discretion is the better part of valor. Certainly David lived by that view when he chose to run from Saul and from Absalom rather than engaging in a bloody and dangerous fight. Had David stayed and fought for the throne the civil war might have torn Israel apart. Instead he cut and run leaving it in God’s hands to make a way for things to be put right.

We have every right to defend ourselves as a nation and to attack those who intend evil against us. That point is quite clear in the bible. We must remember to live up to a higher standard than our enemies if we are to find any meaning in that fight. If we overcome our enemy by acting like our enemy then all we are fighting for is already lost. We will have lost the very freedoms and values we sought to defend.

Promises: Doing the right thing always pays off with God. David lived a life that proves no good deed goes unpunished but, he still refused to return the favor. He continued to act in kindness to all. When battle was called for he fought with vigor but he would rather run from evil than attack those who acted from misguided views of entitlement among his fellow Israelites. He also treated no Israeli allies with all the kindness and friendship they had shown him and more. While his goodness was often repayed with evil he refused to stoop to that level.

Commands: “I want it and I claim it” does not equal “it’s mine.” I don’t care what the TV preacher told you, you can’t claim what isn’t yours. God didn’t anoint Absalom king. He didn’t choose him to rule Israel. He didn’t remove David from the throne. Absalom didn’t have a right to the throne but he wanted it, he claimed it and he got people to support him in that claim. It didn’t make him king in God’s eyes and didn’t mean he could have what wasn’t his.

Timeless principles: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. David’s kindness came back in pain. Absalom was forgiven for killing his brother and he stole the throne in return. Mephibosheth was treated like a son for Jonathan’s sake and he sided with Absalom hoping to get the kingdom back. Saul’s relatives cursed David as a traitor despite his constant efforts to be loyal to Saul and his house and his revenge on those who attacked Saul’s family. Ahithophel was David’s councilor but joined Absalom in treason to take the throne and sent the boy in to rape David’s concubines in order to make him seem powerful. David was forced to run into the wilderness in order to avoid murder by his own son. After his years on the throne he was right back where he had been when Saul was king.

How can I apply what I’ve learned: This application applies more to national philosophy. While it may be fashionable to apply all our rules to our enemies it is total nonsense to apply our legal system to a wartime situation. investigating and prosecuting acts of war and terrorism through our criminal system is a recipe for disaster that no sensible individual could justify. They are acts of war that must be dealt with militarily. By the same token, we cannot apply military sensibilities to civilian operations. Dealing with domestic terrorism does fall under the jurisdiction of our criminal justice system and we don’t have the right to treat US citizens as enemy soldiers outside of a full blown civil war. We also cannot change our values and sense of proper behavior to match an enemy who doesn't share our view.

Terrorism isn’t restricted to Islam as the resurgent Irish Republican Army is proving in Europe. It is, however, the primary source of danger to the United States. These Jihadists do not share our values or sense of decency and no amount of “playing nice” is going to change their behavior. They will continue to attack us and to torture prisoners and execute “infidels” in accordance with their beliefs until they are rendered harmless by military action. On the flip side of that coin, we cannot alter our behavior to match them.

In addition to the fact that this means we cannot treat their prisoners with the disdain that they treat ours it also means we should not sacrifice freedom for security. The recent actions by our government to restrict the activities of citizens in the name of security is precisely opposite of what should be done. Our founding fathers, guided by their faith in God and their understanding of scripture, set up a system which provided maximum freedom for the individual and depended on the individual desire for liberty to protect the nation.

Taking away arms from citizens makes them targets for armed thugs. Strip searching random citizens to satisfy a twisted sense of justice while ignoring individuals that fit the profile of known terrorists for the same reason infringes on freedom without delivering safety. The use of life threatening torture techniques in place of more traditional and effective methods of interrogation including lie detectors and chemical truth agents like sodium pentathal (I probably spelled that wrong) isn’t an improvement and it sacrifices our values. It is not better to gain the world and lose your own soul. I’d rather die fighting than sacrifice my beliefs to survive.

The simple fact is that the goal of Islamic terrorism is to force us to accept their way of life and “Submit” to their views. If we begin to behave like them in order to defeat them we have handed them the victory.

more to learn for in-depth study: Amnon’s crime against his sister was extreme and could bring the death penalty. In that, Absalom was not completely wrong to kill Amnon though his method of ambush was certainly questionable. David, who had a habit of making his own life miserable, forgave Absalom and brought him back to Jerusalem. Absalom returned the favor by turning the people to follow him and then conspiring to take the kingdom in a coup. Once again, David found himself on the run in the wilderness, hiding from a person claiming ruler ship of Israel. The 600 men that had stood by him against Saul were still there to run with him from his son.

tomorrow: Second Samuel 17-19