by Wesley Blackburn
There's just something really appealing about integrity. It's something that we don't see a lot of in today's world; I feel like every week I hear some story about a corporate executive, politician, or (unfortunately) even a pastor who has had some severe lapse in their judgment that reflects poorly upon their own personal integrity.
But there's just something about integrity. People who have integrity have these intrinsic quality and characteristic of being honest, trustworthy, and dependable. People with integrity aren't always perfect, but they strive to live a life before God and man that is just clean with people. They don't have anything to hide or conceal because they're living in one of the central characteristics that God wants to define our lives.
David was a man of integrity. In our story today, King Saul has continued his paranoid chase of David, attempting to kill him so that David cannot become king. Can you imagine the emotions going through David's head? I know in this situation, I'd be so bitter and angry against God and Saul. God told David that he would be king and that he would be blessed... surely God couldn't have meant that David would need to make a habit of running for his life? Anger against Saul is certainly understandable... David has never done anything to hurt Saul, and yet he still continues to try and take David's life.
But in this story, David gets the perfect opportunity to kill Saul. The king is in hot pursuit of David, and happens to need to "relieve himself" (don't sugarcoat it... this means exactly what it sounds like!). The twist? David and his men are in the back of this cave. Surely, they would never see Saul in a more defenseless position than... well, you get the picture. David's men even say, "Look! God has given Saul right into your hands! This trouble and running that you're going through can all end right now!" Surely that had to be exceedingly tempting for David.
But David was a man of integrity. As the saying goes, "two wrongs don't make a right." David understood that just because Saul was acting in the wrong (and making his life a living hell) didn't give him the right to take his life. As far as David saw it, the right to give and take life was and is God's alone. David was right.
I don't know exactly what his thought process was, but could you imagine the consequences of David's decision if he had killed Saul? All of a sudden, assassinating a ruler because you didn't like him could have become commonplace. The monarchy of Israel could have quickly turned into that of something like the Roman Empire, where rulers were being killed left and right by those who sought the power, money, and prestige that would come with ruling the kingdom. Of course, this goes without saying the cost of character and personal integrity that this would be to David; surely he wouldn't be able to stand before God (and men) without an overwhelming sense of guilt. And certainly David couldn't expect those around him to act with integrity, especially considering that when push came to shove David didn't either.
But the character and integrity that David displays here is certainly a high standard to live up to. In whatever I do, I want to be known as a man who has nothing to hide. I want to be a person who doesn't have to live a lie, constantly working to cover up things in my life that I don't want people to know about. Living life in that way is just easier in the long run. And I believe with all my heart that that is a truly blessed way to live.
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