17 David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, I am ready for you to join me. But if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free from violence, may the God of our ancestors see it and judge you.”
David’s default setting was as a man of peace. He wanted peace and fought only when there was no other way. These words are spoken to a small group of enemy defectors. David wants to find out if they are going to be loyal to him before allowing them to join his ranks. Oh how I wish we could do this in Iraq and Afghanistan! We have no way of knowing who our enemy is and who our allies are. We have seen this in recent months, when someone who worked beside us ends up pulling the trigger on us, or exploding a vest. The problem is that lying is a core principle of Islam. They are allowed to lie to non-Muslims, and it is not considered wrong. David is in a hard place. If he lets these leading fighters enter his ranks, and they are not loyal, he will always have to be watching his back. His attention will be divided, never knowing if they are going to turn. This is an impossibly intolerant position. David must be confident of his men’s loyalty to the Lord and to him. Fortunately for David these men turn out to be loyal to him. Have you had someone you regarded as a friend turn to become an enemy? Not many things in life hurt this much. I pray our default setting is peace and that we only resort to violence when there is no other way, both on the personal and geopolitical level. Peace is where I like to live.
The Arnold Journey 