Those Pesky Human Experiences

“Now it came about on the next day that an evil spirit came mightily upon Saul, and he raved in the midst of the house, while David was playing the harp with his hand, as usual; and a spear was in Saul’s hand.  Saul hurled the spear for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.”  But David escaped from his presence twice.  Now Saul was afraid of David for the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul.”  1 Samuel 18:10-12

This is David who killed Goliath.  He saved the Israelites from destruction.  This tremendous feat initially brought him honor and appreciation and an appointment as a military leader. However, King Saul became jealous of David’s popularity.  Saul thought David was a threat to his power and that perhaps he should kill David.  Eventually, David ran away and hid until Saul cooled off. 

In modern times, some might argue that David was at fault for Saul’s jealousy.  This is the same thinking that says if you are a Christian and are having trouble, maybe it’s because you aren’t doing what you are supposed to be doing.  This puts entirely too much weight on Christians for the actions of those who act because they are evil.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a French Jesuit said, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience.  We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” 

When things go wrong for us, as they did for David, we need to remember that we are having a human experience, which does not diminish our salvation through Jesus Christ.