Scripture References: 2 Samuel 5:1-5,9-10; 2 Corinthians 12:2-10
The beauty of following a story through a series of Sundays is being able to see how characters develop. You think back to just a few weeks ago when we were reading about the boy who ran around with a slingshot in his back pocket, following the sheep around the pasture, running errands for his dad and his big brothers. You think about this little boy who bragged to the soldiers of Israel, I could beat that old giant any day! And they laughed him off. And then he did.
That cute little boy from the hick little town of Bethlehem, ruddy and innocent – look at him now. He’s king over all Israel, ruling from his new stronghold, the city on a hill, the city of David. All the tribes of Israel came out to see him, they praised him and honored him. They made a covenant with him and anointed him king. He was 30 years old when he began to rule. Not bad. Not bad for the man, and not bad for the nation. These were the glory days for Israel. David occupied the stronghold, he became greater and greater, and Israel became greater and greater. As their leader, he defeated enemies and increased their territory and wealth. These were the glory days. They were on top of the world. Taking possession of the city on a hill, the stronghold, this was a critical point in their rise.
It wasn’t easy, of course.
David wanted this city for his capitol because it seemed impregnable. High on a hill with good vantage points all around, there was no way to sneak up on Jerusalem. The Jebusites, who occupied it at the time, felt pretty confident that they were keeping it. In fact, they were so confident they taunted their enemies saying even their blind and lame could defend Jerusalem.
But that turned out to be wrong. David’s army managed to surprise the Jebusites by taking the less-traveled route. They shimmied up a water shaft and – surprise! – popped up inside the fortress. At that point it was essentially a done deal. All they had to do was get in there, and the city belonged to David. Occupation was all they needed.
It got me thinking about the spaces we occupy. In some way, the space we occupy defines who we are. To be the occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, or 10 Downing Street – we know who you are. To occupy these addresses is to occupy a seat of power. When David arrived in the city of Jerusalem, I guess dubbing it the City of David was just a formality. To occupy this city was to claim power. And it still is today, as we witness ongoing power struggles over control of this city.
But the matter of occupation and power impacts all of us, even those of us who are not kings, prime ministers, and presidents. The space you occupy means something. The space you occupy says something to the people around you. When you have the biggest house on the block, or when you have the tall-steeple church in the center of town, it says something about your importance.
Israel was flying high on that day when they took the city of Jerusalem, and for many years after. And they probably thought it would last forever, because that’s the way we tend to think. If you’re sitting on top of the world, why wouldn’t it always stay that way? But, of course, it didn’t.
A few hundred years later they were exiled from the land altogether. Some of the tribes of Israel were beaten so severely and scattered so thoroughly that they were never reunited. They are known as the lost tribes of Israel. Others were sent to a foreign land, Babylon, where they lived as captives. Later, they were permitted to return to Jerusalem and rebuild, but they were never again the masters of their own land. They were always in the company of one unwelcome occupier or another. By the first century CE, they were living under Roman occupation.
And so it’s interesting to me that Jesus, the descendant of King David, grew up in an occupied land, under the oppressive rule of Empire. And it’s also interesting to me that Jesus claimed no space of his own. He occupied only the space that he happened to be in at any given moment. And what’s more, he asked the same of his disciples. An interesting 180 degree turn from the glory days of King David, isn’t it? Just what, exactly changed?
The theology underpinning the books of Samuel and Kings draws a strong connection between Israel’s obedience to God and their fortunes. The covenant law holds that the foundation of the relationship between God and the people of Israel is their obedience. As long as they are obedient to God, God will be with them, and they will receive the benefits of God’s presence with them. The story says that David became greater and greater, for the Lord was with him. At other points, they tell us that Israel suffered losses because of their failure to obey God’s laws.
This passage from Samuel is affirming this theological point. Yes, David’s army was great; they had strength, ingenuity, courage, and all sorts of good qualities. But they didn’t take the city because they had good qualities. The scripture wants us to know that they took the city because God was with them. They were successful, they prospered, because God was with them. And God was with them because they were obedient to God. That is the message of Samuel.
Honestly, it is a message that probably doesn’t work for all times and places. We know full well that there are people in the world who lack goodness and compassion and humility, yet still occupy high places. They prosper because they are ruthless and greedy. I will not say that their prosperity and success is due to their godliness, or even that God has reasons for wanting them to be successful.
The story of our faith gives us more than kings, though; it also gives us prophets. Prophets were sent to Israel, again and again, to show them the ways they had strayed and to bring them back to their God. The prophets told them in so many ways that their failures to care for the least among them was a failure that would bring them great pain and suffering. Their failures to care for the well-being of all, instead of allowing a few to prosper at the expense of the many – this would be their great failure. But did they listen?
Jesus grieved for Jerusalem, calling it “the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it,” he said. He said, “Your house is left to you”; they still occupied the city on a hill. But he would not be left with them – for much longer.
How we occupy the space we occupy is the question that matters. This is a matter of spiritual occupancy.
Paul writes to the Corinthians “I once knew a man who was caught up into third heaven”. Whatever that is. Ancient religions sometimes spoke about the layers of heaven, that there were seven levels of heaven – hence, the term seventh heaven. Apparently, there are some extra-biblical writings that speak of these levels of heaven, although I don’t know much about it, but I have read that some believed that God resides in the third heaven. So, to be co-occupants with God in the third heaven, that would be a big thing.
Scholars agree that Paul is really referring to himself, when he says, “I knew a man who went to the third heaven.” But he probably doesn’t say so because he is preaching to the Corinthians about humility. He is trying to steer them away from the so-called super-apostles who boast about their credentials, back toward himself, Paul, who has said previously that if he boasts at all he boasts only of Christ. That if he would boast at all, he would boast of his weakness.
He would not boast of having the biggest house, the best address, the most powerful position. He will not boast of his education or his evangelistic achievements – but only of his weakness and his need. This thorn in the flesh that was given to him, whatever it was, kept him humble, always knowing that but for the grace of God he would be nothing.
The spiritual space we occupy is what matters. This will make the difference in how we use whatever we have been given. Think about what we have: buildings, location, endowment, a long and rich heritage and countless spiritual gifts amongst us.
The question we must ask ourselves is this: How will we choose to occupy it?
