A Tale of Three Kings Read Online Free Page A

among us.
    Who, then, can know who is a David and who is a Saul?
    God knows. But he won’t tell.
    Are you so certain your king is a Saul and not a David that you are willing to take the position of God and go to war against your Saul? If so, then thank God you did not live in the days of crucifixion.
    What, then, can you do? Very little. Perhaps nothing.
    However, the passing of time (and the behavior of your leader while that time passes) reveals a great deal about your leader.
    And the passing of time, and the way you react to that leader—be he David or Saul—reveals a great deal about you .

 
Chapter 17
    Two generations after the reign of Saul, a young man enthusiastically enrolled himself into the ranks of Israel’s army under a new king, the grandson of David. He soon began hearing tales of David’s mighty men of valor. He set out to discover if one of those mighty men might still be alive and, if so, to find him and talk to him, though he calculated that such a man would be over a hundred years in age.
    At last he discovered that, sure enough, one such man still lived. Having learned of his whereabouts, the youth hastened to his dwelling. Anxiously, if not hesitantly, he knocked on the door. Slowly it opened. There stood a giant of a man, gray . . . no, white haired . . . and wrinkled beyond expectation.
    “Are you, sir, one of David’s mighty men of long ago—one of those men of whom we have heard so much?”
    For a long moment the old man surveyed the young man’s face, his features, his uniform. Then, in an ancient but firm voice, he replied, never taking his steady gaze off the young man’s face.
    “If you are asking if I am a former thief and cave dweller and one who followed a sobbing, hysterical fugitive, then yes, I was one of the ‘mighty men of David.’”
    He straightened his shoulders with those last words. Nonetheless, his sentence ended in a chuckle.
    “But, sir, you make the great king sound like a weakling. Was he not the greatest of all rulers?”
    “He was no weakling,” said the old man. Then sizing up the motivation for the eager young man’s presence at his door, he replied wisely and softly, “Nor was he a great leader.”
    “Then what, good sir? For I have come to learn the ways of the great king and his . . . uh . . . mighty men. What was the greatness of David?”
    “I see you have the ambitions typical of youth,” said the old warrior. “I have the distinct notion you dream of leading men yourself one day.” He paused, then continued reflectively. “Yes, I’ll tell you of the greatness of my king, but my words may surprise you.”
    The old man’s eyes filled with tears as he thought first of David and then of the foolish new king only recently crowned.
    “I will tell you of my king and his greatness: My king never threatened me as yours does. Your new king has begun his reign with laws, rules, regulations, and fear. The clearest memory I have of my king, when we lived in the caves, is that his was a life of submission . Yes, David showed me submission, not authority. He taught me not the quick cure of rules and laws, but the art of patience. That is what changed my life. Legalism is nothing but a leader’s way of avoiding suffering.
    “Rules were invented by elders so they could get to bed early! Men who speak endlessly on authority only prove they have none. And kings who make speeches about submission only betray twin fears in their hearts: They are not certain they are really true leaders, sent of God. And they live in mortal fear of a rebellion.
    “My king spoke not of submitting to him. He feared no rebellion . . . because he did not mind if he was dethroned!
    “David taught me losing, not winning. Giving, not taking. He showed me that the leader, not the follower, is inconvenienced. David shielded us from suffering; he did not mete it out.
    “He taught me that authority yields to rebellion, especially when that rebellion is nothing more