Thousand Silver Pieces (Ordinary Time - Day 78)

2 Samuel 18:9-18

In this passage, King David has specifically told his commanding officers to protect the young man Absalom, who happens to the war general of the opposing forces. While Absalom is riding his mule through the woods, he has a problem. A low hanging tree branch gets in the way, and his head gets stuck. Ouch. He's left dangling, vulnerable to attack. 

A solitary soldier finds Absalom hanging there helpless and reports it to Joab. He remembers what David said, to protect Absalom. Yet, after reporting it to Joab, Joab asks the soldier, "Why didn't you just kill him right then and there? I would have given you ten silver pieces and a fancy belt!"

The soldier responds, "I heard what the king said. I wouldn't take a thousand silver pieces to kill the king's son."

Joab doesn't want to waste any time talking to the soldier, and proceeds to take out three knives, all for the heart of Absalom. Shortly after, Joab's armor bearers show up and start hacking Absalom to pieces. Then they bury Absalom in a huge pit in the forest, covering him with a mound of rocks.

The young soldier chose to follow the dictates of his higher power. He could have been rewarded greatly for going against the king's orders, but he objected firmly. He wasn't willing to take any reward if it meant disregarding the instructions of the king. As a result, he was questioned and scoffed at by one of the king's own officers. 

Are we willing to compromise doing the right thing for a promised reward? What if there is no promise of a reward for doing the right thing?

When we do what we believe God wants us to do, we don't have to apologize to anybody. The tension lies in staying true to the direction. Sometimes, in our prayer and meditation, we receive inspired ideas. Sometimes, it's in our gut. We just know from the core of our beings which way to go. Usually, it's a direct correlation with our passions and unique talents, and sometimes it's a seemingly random thought or action that seems appropriate at the time. 

I've found that when a spark of imagination comes, in other words an intuition or a word from God, it's very hard to stay true to the course. There is fear, there is opposition, people question our motives. The hardest part about following God is trusting through the questioning of others, and even the scoffing of others. But, when we follow the dictates of the voice that won't keep quiet, and pursue it through our fears, trust builds. Faith grows.

In the case of the young soldier, the command was to protect the young Absalom. So, he did. Did he get rewarded for it? No. He was questioned, scoffed at, and disregarded. Yet, he stayed true to the king's orders and kept his hands off of Absalom. 

We all have unique contributions to the world, and I believe the way to find out what they are is to first find out what we are passionate about. What are we good at? When we pinpoint what we're good at, then ask God to shine his light on a pathway to unleash those passions, the path will be shown. The question is, are we brave enough to stay true to the course when our pathways are unorthodox, crazy, and uncertain? Herein lies the difference between the young soldier and Joab. The young soldier followed some crazy orders to let Absalom live. Joab thought the orders weren't relevant, and were ridiculous. Yet, the orders were given. The young soldier believed in the king, while the commanding officer didn't. The young soldier believed the king's idea, however crazy it sounded, was the right thing. Joab didn't trust the king's judgment. 

The King welcomes all - from the infantrymen to the commanding officers - to experience life and preserve it. We don't have to be theologians to follow the dictates of a higher power. The truth is, we just have to be ourselves. We have to fight through the opposition of our own defects and the defects of others, believing that the King knows what's best. Even when it seems illogical, irrelevant, and against the norm, we believe that the King knows the best route to go. 

Today's Actions: In what way are we most wired to contribute life to the world? In other words, what are we most passionate about? Are we trusting that something greater than ourselves gave us that passion, therefore it is good? Are we trusting that no matter what kind of opposition we face, that our passions are signals of where we're headed? For further thought on this, please visit: http://mysubplot.com