Dropping the ark back at the rental place

 This week's verses are 2 Samuel 15:13-26: 

Then a messenger came to David and reported, “The men of Israel are loyal to Absalom!” So David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, “Come on! Let’s escape! Otherwise no one will be delivered from Absalom! Go immediately, or else he will quickly overtake us and bring disaster on us and kill the city’s residents with the sword.” The king’s servants replied to the king, “We will do whatever our lord the king decides.”

So the king and all the members of his royal court set out on foot, though the king left behind ten concubines to attend to the palace. The king and all the people set out on foot, pausing at a spot some distance away. All his servants were leaving with him, along with all the Kerethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites—some 600 men who had come on foot from Gath. They were leaving with the king.

Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why should you come with us? Go back and stay with the new king, for you are a foreigner and an exile from your own country. It seems as if you arrived just yesterday. Today should I make you wander around by going with us? I go where I must go. But as for you, go back and take your men with you. May genuine loyal love protect you!”

But Ittai replied to the king, “As surely as the Lord lives and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king is, whether it means death or life, there I will be as well!” So David said to Ittai, “Come along then.” So Ittai the Gittite went along, accompanied by all his men and all the dependents who were with him.

All the land was weeping loudly as all these people were leaving. As the king was crossing over the Kidron Valley, all the people were leaving on the road that leads to the desert. Zadok and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. When they positioned the ark of God, Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city.

Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back to the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s sight he will bring me back and enable me to see both it and his dwelling place again. However, if he should say, ‘I do not take pleasure in you,’ then he will deal with me in a way that he considers appropriate.”

These verses take place when King David's son Absalom rebels and tries to take the kingdom. David's own son has started an insurrection, and it appears he has the people on his side. What do you do in a situation like that?

Most kings would fight hard to hold onto power. They'd probably have Absalom assassinated or captured, or they'd gather a loyal elite force around them and fight to the death. Not King David.

David sees the throne as a gift from God and does not fight to hold onto it. He humbly steps down and urges those around him to escape the capitol before it is too late. When Absalom arrived, he would likely try to consolidate power in a bloodbath, especially given how popular his father was before him.

David puts others' safety and well-being higher than his own dignity and personal career goals. It's the same humility he showed when he was hunted by Saul. To David, it is God's prerogative whether to give or to take away.

He even gives up the ark of God. The ark could be seen as a kind of nuclear weapon, a divine guarantee of protection. David essentially gives the nuclear football to the priest and tells him to bring it to his enemy. He leaves his fate and the fate of Israel in God's hands. His actions attest that God is not Jerusalem and God is not the ark. God is still God.

This is so opposite to how we act! If someone was trying to destroy you, or even was just making your life difficult, would you have the humility to put things in God's hands and be ready for whatever the outcome might be? Most of us would fight instead, either directly or passively. We'd try to hold on to what we perceived as our right.

King David's way is the better one. He avoids bloodshed and needless conflict by leaving Jerusalem, while affirming his trust in God. He tries to save lives, including those of his enemies. He gives God the chance to put someone else in power, if that is His plan.

Next time you are in a situation that seems to demand conflict and self-advocacy, ask yourself if King David's humble approach may be better instead. All good things come from the Lord, and we should trust him to provide for whatever we truly need.