Church and State - An Often Strained Relationship

The David and Saul dynamic shows us the often challenging relationship the Church will have with the world. If we take David as a picture of those in Christ and Saul as a picture of the world we will gain an understanding of the good and bad of an often strained relationship.

We see Saul swinging from one extreme to the next throughout chapter 19:
1 Samuel 19:1 (ESV) And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted much in David.


Jonathan quickly intervenes for David bringing peace between him and Saul:
1 Samuel 19:6–7 (ESV) And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, “As the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death.” 7 And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.

Things will not stay peaceful for long... soon there's war and then more friction:

1 Samuel 19:8–10 (ESV) And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him. 9 Then a harmful spirit from the LORD came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing the lyre. 10 And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.

1 Samuel 19:15 (ESV) Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.”

Back and forth, on and off the relationship goes for Saul and his attitude toward David.

Now what we have here is a picture of what the Church can expect from the world. The world will play nice at times with the Church, then suddenly get nasty toward the Church when the pressure is on. What is more, David is given a wife from Saul's own family - his daughter Michal who we find out very quickly is not really for David as much as she is afraid of her father. At first, she helps him escape and when questioned she fights only for herself:
1 Samuel 19:17 (ESV) Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me thus and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go. Why should I kill you?’”

Michal represents the allegiances the world will try to impose upon the Church. Just as Michal's marriage to David was Saul's idea, these allegiances are always the world's idea to get the church to compromise for the sake of the world's protection and self-preservation - think Constantine or Henry the 8th or the current leadership of many Church-state nations. 

What we are being asked to see as well is that at times the Chruch MUST withdraw from this relationship. We may not be able to stop the world from trying to align with us as many of these relationship structures are deeply embedded into the society to which we were born, but we can vacate and get alone with God to hear from Him as David will do. 

The big point of this passage is to see the world for what it is - utterly and inescapably self-concerned. Do not make the mistake that the niceties are for the welfare of the Church. The kingdoms of this world have their own interest at heart - no matter what hemisphere they are from. 

Being people of the true David, Jesus Christ, our hearts must be discerning and aware of these relationship structures so that we can follow the leading of the Spirit and do what He asks. There is no other option and by God's grace and preservation, we will do well and ultimately inherit what God has promised.