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A Paradox Of Law...
By Terry Dashner, Fri Dec 9th
A Paradox of Law Terry Dashner…….Faith Fellowship Church PO Box 1586 BrokenArrow, OK 74013 There is an interesting paradox in II Samuel 3:13-16. May I tellyou the story?
“’Good,’ said David. ‘I will make an agreement with you. But Idemand one thing of you: Do not come into my presence unless youbring Michal daughter of Saul when you come to see me.’ ThenDavid sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, demanding,‘Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for theprice of a hundred Philistine foreskins.’ “So Ish-Bosheth gave orders and had her taken away from herhusband Paltiel son of Laish. Her husband, however, went withher, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner saidto him, ‘Go back home!’ So he went back.” (NIV) Here’s the gig. King Saul, when he was alive, had promised hisdaughter Michal to David for a bounty of blood. When Davidfollowed through with his end of the deal, Saul reneged, out ofcontempt for David, and gave her to Paltiel instead. This brokeDavid’s heart, but he got on with his life. When Saul died andAbner wanted to consolidate the tribes of Israel as one nation,he made a deal with David. David agreed to the terms on onecondition. He wanted Michal who was his wife legally. And he gother. It seems that God was okay with that. This, nevertheless, puzzles me. Did David have the right to askfor Michal? Legally, yes. Did Abner have the right to deliverher to David? Probably. Or so it could be argued. Now here’swhere the story moves from black-and-white to gray. What aboutMichal and her husband, Paltiel? Did they have any say in thematter? It appears that Paltiel was stricken and deeplyhurt. Did he have the right to protest? Did he have any legalrecourse? Let me advance the clock to modern day Israel. God gave Israelthe land of modern Palestine by covenant, during the life ofAbraham. The Jews lived and held the land for many centuries,until they were finally dispersed in 70 AD. It wasn’t until 1948that Israel occupied her home, once again, as a legal nation.And now she is asked to give back the Gaza which she has claimedsince the six-day
war of 1967. She is doing it as I write, butshe’s not doing it without major protests. May I ask you to solve this paradox for me, please? If Israelowns the land by divine right and by tradition, isn’t it herland forever? If not, then whose national law is superior toIsrael’s and has the right to condemn her? Outside Divine Lawand Israel’s sovereign law, whose law can force her to comply?And consider this: if her land was given to her by divine right,then logic says that only the Divine can serve her with theeviction notice, right? Okay, I know Paltiel got his feelings hurt, but his marriage toMichal was “fruit” from a poison vine (no pun intended) to beginwith and was, therefore, null-and-void, right? David had everylegal right to claim and demand what was legally his. The onlyquestionable action is this: should Paltiel be compensated forthe loss of something that didn’t belong to him in the firstplace? You decide and let me know. Apart from civil damages, material compensations, and theconcern regarding human feelings, I think, if anything, thisstory in II Samuel reminds us just how complicated life canbecome when unscrupulous men become a law unto themselves. KingSaul reneged on his contract simply because he despised David.And because he was king, he took matters into his own hands. I still believe that God’s Law should always by honored as thehighest law in the land. I believe that all laws should reflectGod’s law—criminally and civilly. Life functions in theblack-and-white when men honor God’s Law from the “git-go.”Nations thrive when they honor God by heritage. It’s only whennations hold God’s Law in contempt and establish their ownstandards that the black-and-white turns pallid gray. I believelaw is important to a civilized country. But, do away with God’sLaw and every man becomes a law unto himself. Andtouchy-feely-sentiment will become the prevailing order of theday. Keep the faith. Stay the course. Justice will prevail if not inthis life, in the life to come. Pastor T About the author:Pastors a small church. U.S. Navy veteran of the Viet Nam era.Retired police officer for the city of Tulsa. Father of threegrown children and grandfather of two--one rests in the arms ofJesus in heaven above.
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