The first reading for mass is a powerful account in scripture of David’s mercy to King Saul, when he spared his life. It stirs up many deep emotions that almost all human beings share in common. Jealousy, pride, hate and revenge are some of the negative emotions that King Saul experienced. Many people have been in good relationships that went bad too, and deteriorated into bitter negativity, opposition and distrust. This happens a lot in marriages, families and friendships.
Hate is often love turned bad. We sometimes end up hating those that we love the most and that seems to be the case with King Saul and David. David first declares his love for King Saul by saying, “I will not raise a hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed and a father to me.” Then, when David is finished pouring his heart out to King Saul, the king answered him saying, “Is that your voice, my son David?” and then he started crying. They both loved really each other.
The whole thing was just a terrible misunderstanding that should have never happened. But, it was a good thing it did in a way. It tested the mettle David was made from, and revealed his heart of gold. Is there no wonder that Jesus Christ is his descendent? God sure knows how to pick the right person for the job, but still, we have free will and could disobey Him like King Saul did. David revealed his true character though, in this very negative series of events.
Our true character is also revealed when we are under pressure, feel threatened, or have others view us negatively and turn on us. This is the test of genuine love. Genuine love always desires the good of another person. It isn’t selfish. David exemplified the most perfect example of genuine love, in today’s first reading for mass. We would do well to never forget his example. It is beautiful. David was the true hero and even King Saul realized that toward the end of the reading, because he said, “And now, I know that you shall surely be king and that sovereignty over Israel shall come into your possession.”
King Saul gathered three thousand hand picked men, in today’s first reading for mass, and sent them on a mission to search for David. It sounds like he took the best resources he had to search for David in the wilderness. Now, contrast that with Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was a much greater king than Saul was. Jesus is the son of God, and his kingship is for all time and all people and yet, he only picked a dozen men as apostles, who would establish his kingdom on earth. Brute force and a large quantity of resources are not always the best way of going about accomplishing a mission. In fact, David resolved the very explosive, large scale conflict with King Saul all by himself. He also killed the giant Philistine that no one else could, by himself, by carefully thinking about it first. David carefully thought through his actions in the cave too, when he had the chance to kill King Saul. He made the decision to act for King Saul’s good and not his own. It was a decision that reverberated throughout the ages and helped to bring about God’s plan of salvation for the world.
We all have varying degrees of intelligence, gifts and abilities but we are each uniquely equipped to accomplish God’s purpose for our lives too. David was just a young shepherd tending sheep in the field, when God decided that he would become a king and that His own son would be born from David’s bloodline. In today’s gospel, Jesus chose twelve apostles who were just ordinary men with varying degrees of intelligence, gifts and abilities and yet each one of them accomplished his will for their lives. Even Judas. Jesus even knew what kind of person Judas was and yet, even his evil heart brought about God’s will for Christ’s life and the salvation of mankind.
Everything that exists serves the Lord, even the negative events in our lives, if we allow them too. God can take the greatest evil in our lives and turn it into a greater good.
What is a negative circumstance in your life right now? Can anything good come from it? With some serious thought and a little prayer, God just might be able to help you turn it around too. God can turn evil into a greater good. No situation is ever hopeless, or without some good that can come from it, if we just take the time to look for it, like David did. God will show us the way if we allow Him alone to guide our lives.
