FACING OUR ENEMIES
I Samuel 17: 1a, 3-11, 19-023, 32-51
Psalm 91
Rev. Gary Paterson
June 21, 2009
What a great story, David and Goliath -- good versus bad; underdog wins; kid defeats giant. I’d bet that even folks who have rarely darkened a church door or cracked the covers of a Bible would know the basics of this story. It ranks up there with Daniel and the lions’ den, or Jonah and the whale. You may not remember all the details, but you sure recall the central action. I don’t know why Disney hasn’t done a number on David and Goliath… why, there’s even opportunity for classic comedy, as the little shepherd boy dons the armour of King Saul, and finds he cannot move.
It’s a story that gives hope to every kid who has ever been bullied. Don’t let size frighten you; use your smarts, your faith, your courage. You can do it; all it takes is one small stone, a sling, a good eye, and a whole lot of God – who is usually on the side of the little guy. And the hope grows even larger when you realize that this story is also all about politics, with little Israel fighting back against the big, bad Philistines; it promises that marginalized, seemingly powerless people can overcome tyrants.
This story of David and Goliath is filled with metaphor in a way similar to fairy tale and myth … Jack and the beanstalk; George and the dragon; Ulysses and the Cyclops; cyborgs and John Connor in The Terminator films. I have a childhood memory of a David movie, and I can still vaguely remember Goliath’s appearance -- huge, overwhelming, each step he takes shakes the earth; and when he pauses, and pounds upon his breastplate, and roars out his defiance… well, it is an ancient Jurassic Park scenario. Be very, very frightened.
Goliath becomes the embodiment of all that threatens and frightens us; all that oppresses. Don’t kid yourself; Goliath is out there, although in our times he may wear a different face. From schoolyard bullies, to political dictators – totalitarian, military, theocratic -- a dime a dozen; think multinationals and banks; or faceless bureaucracies who are so well-armoured that you don’t know how to fight back. Secret police; censorship; homeland security; distant economic forces…. so many giants out there, throwing their weight around, immobilizing us with fear, a sense of powerlessness. There are forces at work in the world that are anti-life, enemies of grace. We cannot afford to be naïve and sentimental about this.
To offer up one example… I have just finished reading a mystery novel set in Berlin in the 1920’s and 30’s (trying to prepare for my summer holiday in that city). It was a disturbing book, as it described the fearsome rise of the Nazi movement, beginning with Brown Shirts and storm troopers slowly creating a reign of random violence and terror, fomenting a hatred towards Jews that was unbelievable. Except that it happened… Goliath keeps rising up, stomping through the world, sowing fear and destruction.
But the story of David and Goliath is a story of hope. Goliath is not impregnable; he can be defeated; the forces that work against life are not the final word, no matter how powerful and frightening they may seem. The challenge is to find the way through. But the suggestion of this Biblical story is that we will not defeat Goliath by drawing on the same source of power that energizes the giant. Hence the point of David’s abandoning armour and sword, and turning instead to his slingshot and one smooth stone -- this is not a technological fix. What the story presents is the necessity of spiritual power in order to achieve victory, calling upon principles and values informed by faith to stand up to the bullies of the world, to look them in the eye, saying, “No more!” Soul power… not the sword.
Strangely enough, David’s battle with Goliath is short and swift – a couple of verses are enough to describe his downfall. But what precedes those events is David’s proclamation of faith, his conviction that God will stand with him, that there is a power of holiness that will overcome everything that Goliath represents. David had hope… not in himself, but in God, and God’s commitment to a holy vision of peace and justice, of grace and righteousness. He believes that God will not cease being involved in the unfolding of history until God’s holy dream has come to pass… no matter how long it will take. And because of that conviction, because of that faith, David is not afraid. “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”… and surely that is what Goliath always embodies.. the valley of shadow of death… “I will fear no evil, for thou are with me.” Not that there isn’t evil… but we no longer need be afraid. One smooth stone and a slingshot; faith and prayer… and a whole lot of God.
However, the more I kept working away on this story of David and Goliath, the more uncomfortable I have become. Yes, there are enemies, people, systems, forces that work against life, and they do need to be challenged, confronted and stopped. On the other hand, there is something very dangerous about assuming that God is on “our side” and that we now have divine sanction to kill those others whom we have decided are enemies. The world has seen far too much killing and mayhem committed in God’s name. When David proclaims his conviction that God will slaughter the Philistines, I cringe. Listen, and see what you think:
Well… maybe; but maybe not. I’m not so sure that God is that committed to the killing business.“This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel and that all this assembly may know that the … battle is the LORD’s and he will give you into our hand.”
Interestingly enough, the actual text assigned for today’s worship ends at verse 49:
We don’t usually hear the rest of the story… like verse 51…David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.
And it doesn’t stop there. David grabs Goliath’s head, and brings it to Jerusalem, and presents it to King Saul. That could be a hard sell for a Disney film – blood dripping down David’s arms; Goliath’s dead eyes wide open and staring. This is as violent as anything that Goliath might have done. It almost sounds like a ritualized killing that dehumanizes the enemy and glorifies the cult of the warrior and violence. I find myself beginning to wonder about Goliath the person, not just the symbol or the metaphor. And what about those Philistines… were they really so awful… didn’t they have just as much right to live and thrive as the Israelites? Is this really what God wanted? Really?Then David ran and stood over the Philistine; he grasped his sword, drew it out of its sheath, and killed him; then he cut off his head with it”
I came across a very helpful article by Daniel Clendenin entitled “David and Goliath: Sacred Violence” (from The Journey to Jesus: Notes to Myself, Daniel B. Clendenin, Joureny with Jesus Foundation, 2009). He writes:
Suddenly the story of David and Goliath becomes very problematic. Precisely because it is not an isolated example. Israel’s liberation from slavery also includes the slaughter of every first-born Egyptian; the entry into the Promised Land meant attacking the people who were already living there, thank you very much. And it isn’t just a “guy thing”…remember the story of Judith? The Babylonian armies were attacking Israel, and Judith lured their general into her tent for an evening’s dalliance. She plied him with enough wine to avoid the promised sexual encounter; and when he was asleep… you guessed it… she took his sword and cut off his head. And all Israel rejoiced; the question is… did God?Whether ancient or modern, violence in God’s name knows no boundaries. All religions have engaged in sacred terror, including widow burning, child sacrifice, caste systems, mass suicide, female genital mutilation, witch hunts, ritual abuse, ethnic cleansing, suicide bombers, and apartheid.. the list is depressingly long. Christians killed thousands in the Crusades and Inquisitions, defended slavery, were complicit in the Holocaust that killed six million Jews, ravaged the Native American peoples and have murdered abortion doctors and gays.
Both Judaism and Christianity must deal with these stories of sacred violence that are part of their Scriptures. I know that in Israel many have been challenging a naïve use of the David and Goliath story as a framework to interpret their country’s ongoing battle with the Arabs. To identify the Palestinians with the Philistines is to invite disaster for everyone.
As a Christian, I find myself arguing against today’s text, not only because the glorification of violence in this story is dangerous, but because I also believe that it presents a distorted understanding of God. However, the way I want to approach this is by using Scripture to refute Scripture. This is one of the reasons I am so passionate about the Bible… it is not a monolithic, one-voice statement, but rather, an on-going conversation over the generations, as Israel and then the Church struggle to discern God’s will.
As a Christian, I turn to the teaching and the ministry of Jesus… and discover a Jesus who said “Love your enemy.” Who talked about turning the other cheek; forgiving those who have wronged you; blessing those who persecute you. Not sure what David would have thought about that!
As Daniel Clendenin points out, there are only two places in the Gospel where the possibility of violence is invoked. One occurs in Luke’s gospel, (Luke 9:51-55)…. Jesus and his disciples are leaving a village in Samaria, where the people have been decidedly unreceptive to his message. In anger, James and John ask, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” Ah now, wouldn’t that be satisfying? But, says the gospel, “[Jesus] turned and rebuked them.” Indeed other ancient authorities suggest that Jesus was even more pointed in his reaction: “[Jesus] rebuked them, and said, ‘You do not know what spirit you are of, for the son of Man has not come to destroy the lives of human beings but to save them.’” Now there’s a word to hold onto every time you feel tempted to ask God to smite your enemies.
The other incident is perhaps better know… in the Garden of Gethsemane, when the troops come to arrest Jesus, and one of his disciples whips out his sword and whacks off the ear of one of the servants of the High Priest. But according to Luke Jesus responded by saying, “No more of this!” and touched the servant’s ear and healed him
Jesus rejects the way of violence. He will not use the sword; and he denies this option to his followers. Mind you, Jesus is not sentimental and naïve. He knows there are enemies out there, men who are seeking to kill him; he knows that the Roman Empire is a terrifying Goliath, and that the Jewish religious authorities are complicit in death-dealing ways; he understands the pain and oppression of the people. But he chooses to love his enemies; he will not de-humanize them. He sees them, really sees them, their fear, hurt, greed, anger; but he continues to love them. And he invites us to do the same. This does not mean backing away from speaking the truth, and from the inevitable confrontation. Jesus is clear about that. But he is equally clear that his way is one of non-violence, even if it means that he will suffer, even if it means his death
You say it is not realistic, this Jesus way. And maybe you’re right… I don’t know how it would have gone down with the Israelites as they faced the Philistine army in the early morning light. But sometimes someone chooses this Jesus way… and we are amazed. Let me tell you the story of Martin Luther King, Jr. You have heard this before… but some things need to be heard many times.
I want to take you back to 1963, to the city of Birmingham. There had been marches and demonstrations; King had been thrown into jail on Good Friday; no one knew what would happen next. Then, some students and children decided to take up the protest, and on May 2nd a thousand young people hit the streets. The next day there were 2500 young people marching for freedom. But when they reached the line of police security, all hell broke loose. The captain, Bull Connor, roared out in his Goliath voice, “Let’em have it!” and with fire hoses, billy clubs and dogs the police attacked the children and their parents. “Look at those niggers run,” cried Bull Connor, as he and his men spread mayhem… and all the world watched as their TV screens fill with screams, and blood and tears.
No one knew what would happen next… the possibility for retaliatory violence was great. But that’s when Martin Luther King chose the Jesus way, and proclaimed for all to hear:
We must say to our white brothers all over the South who try to keep us down: We will match your capacity to inflict suffering with our capacity to endure suffering. We will meet your physical force with our soul force. We will not hate you.
And yet we cannot in all good conscience obey your evil laws. Do to us what you will. Threaten our children and we will still love you. Bomb our homes and our churches and we will still love you. We will wear you down by our capacity to suffer.
In winning the victory, we will not only win our freedom. We will so appeal to your heart and conscience that we will win you in the process.
Two days later there was another march, a prayer pilgrimage to the Birmingham jail. Three thousand young people faced the police lines, but instead of turning back, instead of preparing for battle, they fell to their knees in prayer. And when Bull Connor again cried out, “Let ‘em have it!” the police and firemen refused to obey; and despite repeated order to turn on the hoses and release the dogs, they would not do so. One month after this President Kennedy presented the Civil Rights Act, which outlawed segregation forever.
Let me finish with a word from Martin Niemoller, a German minister who challenged Hitler’s anti-Semitic policies, and who as a consequence was arrested and imprisoned in the concentration camps for eight years. He stood up to Goliath; he named the enemy; he challenged evil when he saw it sliding across his country. But he remained true to the Jesus way; he did not cut off Goliath’s head. Indeed, he once confessed, “It took me a long time to learn that God is not the enemy of my enemies. He is not even the enemy of his enemies.” Think about that, and if you forget the rest of this sermon, hold onto this: “God is not the enemy of my enemies; God is not even the enemy of his enemies.”