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“Lesson 05 - Conflicts Between Light and Darkness”
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Lesson 5
Conflicts Between Darkness and Light
January 8, 2012
Introduction
On a steamy August morning in 1974, Richard Nixon addressed the White House staff as he and his family prepared to board a westbound plane to California. This was no typical morning, however. In a nationally televised speech the night before, he announced his resignation as the President of the United States. A nation filled with shock and disbelief was glued to their televisions, as reporters covered the surreal events. Never before, had a sitting President resigned. As Nixon approached the podium, with his family standing behind him in support, heavy emotion filled the room. In a very moving twenty-two minute speech, the formerly bold and confident leader, was now a broken man. A political career that had propelled him to serve as a United States Representative and Senator, Vice President for eight years, and now President for over five years had crashed into smoldering ruins. Driven by insecurity and distrust, Nixon’s bad political decisions led to fatal errors, which then had to be concealed in a massive coverup. As investigators did their work, bringing to light what had been done in darkness, the undeniable truth presented itself. There was no way out. His time of reckoning had come. As Nixon reflected on his situation that morning, he said Only if you have been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.1 Nixon died in 1994 and is still one of the most polarizing figures in American politics. While it can be argued whether Nixon was truly repentant for the misdeeds he committed while in office, no one can deny that darkness overruled him and it cost him everything.
Previously, we have discussed the constant conflict between spiritual light and darkness. Light represents God. Darkness represents evil. The work of God is diametrically opposed to the activity of Satan and his subordinates. Spiritual darkness is not passive. Its very nature is militant as it is actively promoted by Satan and his forces. We must understand the ever present danger of Satan’s methods to penetrate our defense and use us as a pawn to advance his agenda. He does this through the hardening of our hearts. Satan influences us toward personal and active opposition to God’s rule and truth. One of the strongest examples in the Old Testament of personal rebellion against God is seen in the actions of Israel’s first king. Saul was God’s chosen representative to lead Israel. After a flashy beginning, Saul quickly found himself on a downward descent, struggling with insecurity, selfish pride, and disenchantment from the people of Israel. After his disobedience led to God’s decision to reject him, Saul’s descent rapidly gained speed. When David comes on the scene, Saul’s affection for him quickly turns into jealousy and rage which later morphed into hatred and attempted murder. Spiraling downward, Saul’s life ended with a chain of events that resulted with his death at the hand of his own sword. His squandered talents and wasted opportunities are glaring examples of the deadly impact darkness can have on our physical and spiritual life.
Saul’s lack of spiritual and national leadership left the nation in a depressing gloom. The nation craved genuine and bold leadership. David fit this need perfectly. “More than with any other person, Israel is fascinated by David, deeply attracted to him, bewildered by him, occasionally embarrassed by him, but never disowning him.”2 David gave the people someone to believe in and as time progressed it was clear to all that God was with him, 1 Samuel 18.14.
When compared to the life of Saul, David is presented in dynamic contrast. David was a man after God’s own heart, Acts 13.22-24. He brought unparalleled success to Israel and set the example in glorifying God at every turn. His life of faith and humility serves as a blueprint for how we can withstand any incursion of darkness. While David’s successes are numerous, his struggles and escapades into sin are notable. In later life, darkness severely impacted David’s effectiveness as king. But yet, the majority of David’s life can be characterized by his continual trust in the deliverance of God. David is distinguished from Saul in the way he depended on God and how he responded to God in turning from seasons of sin. Psalm 51 is a great example. After being confronted by Nathan for his sin with Bathsheba and the murderous coverup, David opens his heart to God. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise, Psalm 51.10-17.
In this chapter we will examine Saul’s continual conflict with darkness. How did it blind Saul from seeing the delivering power of God? How did Satan use Saul’s personal insecurities as an entry point for pride and rebellion? What must we learn as we seek to overcome the incursions of darkness in our life?
Saul’s Continual Conflict with Darkness:
Even with an early military victory over the Ammonites, Saul seemed to be an underachiever as king. This was not because he did not have every opportunity to excel. Saul had been hand-picked by God. “God did not pick Saul to fail. God picked him because he had the potential to succeed. God would have made Saul’s descendants a continuing dynasty over Israel.”3 Even though God had made it clear that He would stand behind Saul, he struggled with insecurity and this allowed spiritual darkness to go to work.
Because of his lack of faith in God, Saul’s low sense of self worth and insecurity morphed into an acute case of self centeredness. Saul could never break free of himself. This self-worship led to Saul’s undoing. He constantly felt the need to remind everyone around him that he was king. One example is seen in 1 Samuel 14.24 where Saul declared the Philistines as his personal enemy. This conflict was not about Saul - it was about God. Selfishness caused him to lose sight of the real purpose. The Philistines were the enemy of God, not Saul, 10.7-8. Darkness blinded him to what would have been a perfect opportunity to draw the attention of his ragtag band of soldiers to the delivering power of God. His men came into battle unskilled and woefully equipped, lining up against a Philistine force that was one of the most highly trained and heavily armored of its time. Excelling in metal-working, the Philistines used advanced weaponry and took over all the blacksmith shops in Israel, limiting the Israelites ability to produce swords and spears, 1 Samuel 13.19-22. Even though the circumstances looked bleak, Saul forgot that God was on their side and would provide a crushing victory. Darkness hampers our ability to see past the obstacles and examine the guaranteed deliverance promised to those who trust in God. Later in 1 Samuel 14, the chain of events that resulted from Saul’s rash vow so diminished the spirit of his men that they walked away from an opportunity to pursue the fleeing enemy. In the span of just a few seconds and with a few short words, Saul’s lack of faith cost his nation what could have been a decisive and permanent victory against Philistia. The reason for the missed opportunity can be placed only on one thing. Darkness.
After his victory over the Amalekites, Saul’s self centeredness is seen again as he busied himself with setting up a monument to call attention to his victory, 1 Samuel 15.12. Why not a monument built to remember God’s great victory? Darkness. The building up of his image as king was the foremost thing on his mind. It was all about Saul and never about God. This story teaches us an important lesson in that sin is self motivated. Satan is very successful in tempting us to believe that we are doing God’s will, especially when we are more concerned about our own desires than God’s purposes. Saul walked right into this trap and hardened his heart. If not dealt with decisively, darkness can cause our heart to harden like concrete. We see this process in vivid detail in how Saul reacted after David’s victory over Goliath, 18.8-9. There was no room for anyone else on the stage. David had to be eliminated. Nothing else mattered. What propelled Saul down this path of bitterness, hatred, and murderous intent? Darkness.
Darkness influenced Saul to blame others in order to justify himself. In moments of crisis, Saul always placed his confidence in himself and not God. When confronted about his justification for offering a sacrifice rather than continuing to wait for Samuel, Saul was quick to point the blame somewhere else. In his mind, it was Samuel’s fault. The people were scattering from me, and you (Samuel) did not come within the days appointed, and the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, 1 Samuel 13.11. While we at first might be sympathetic to Saul’s case, as his forces were deserting him in droves, a spiritual leader would have drawn the attention of the people to God. But yet, we see no reference to Saul’s leadership in calling his troops to petition God in prayer. His faith went only as far as he could see. His confidence rested in his own military strength rather than divine action. It was not Samuel’s fault that Saul failed the test. Saul’s lack of spirituality caused him to fail the test and it cost him greatly. Because of his sin, God determined that his family would not be the ruling dynasty of Israel, 13.13-14. This pattern of shifting the blame continues in 1 Samuel 15. When confronted by Samuel, he twice blames his disobedience on the people, 15.15, 21. Did Saul fear the people more than God?
Fear caused Saul to have the tendency to take matters into his own hands. A prophet delayed? I’ll do it my way. Kill every Amalekite and utterly destroy their spoil? Don’t bother me with the facts, I’ll do it my way. He based his actions on what seemed wise to him at the time - even in situations where God plainly revealed the specifics of what He wanted, 15.2-3. We can develop a stronger devotion to our own logic than the wishes of God. Blaming others can become nothing more than a cover for cold hearted rebellion. Time after time, Saul demonstrated a myopic and near-sighted determination to ignore God’s expectations. Understand that darkness takes away our respect for who God is. What we want can become more important than anything. Where are your desires? How much do you respect God?
Finally, darkness led Saul to only have an association with God. While Saul believed in God and communicated with Him, he never built a relationship with God. Outwardly, all looked well. He was present at sacrifices to make fine speeches, he surrounded himself with priests, he used religious sounding words and tried to create and maintain an aura of personal piety and loyalty to God. But inwardly, he was very far from God. Saul wanted all the benefits God had to offer, but refused to surrender to God. “In every human interaction, there is an enormous difference between commitment to a relationship and commitment to an association. The most significant of human interactions always are devoted to a pursuit of and a maintenance of relationship. People committed to God always seek relationship, not mere association. The manner in which relationship and association react to the realities of personal insecurity are radically different.”4 Saul’s bad decisions reflected his impetuous and self serving attitude. His efforts to free himself from the rule of God resulted in a far worse bondage to Satan, sin, and death.
David’s life stands in great contrast. In almost every situation, he looked for ways to exalt God. David was God-centered. Because he had a “relationship” with God, he was secure, humble, and dedicated to using every opportunity to honor God’s greatness. David’s viewpoint of God differed from Saul. In almost every instance, David reacted differently to life circumstances. This is because David kept an open heart and sprinkled his life with humility. Even while caught up in the most awful of circumstances, when confronted directly with sin, David refused to blame someone else and took full responsibility for his actions. The contrast between Saul’s response to Samuel in 1 Samuel 15 and David’s response to Nathan in 2 Samuel 12 and Psalm 51 cannot be greater.
How to Overcome the Incursions of Darkness
The problems that David and Solomon faced are no different today. In some way, Satan and his forces of darkness will use their influence to undermine your relationship with God. John said, For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever, 1 John 2.16-17. Satan impacted both men in all three aspects and will do the same to us in ways that are unique to our individual circumstances and situation. How can we resist?
Understand your existence is about God - not your selfish ambitions. God determines your purposes, not your own personal desires. In day to day life, Paul successfully exemplified this, Galatians 2.20. Think of his willingness to walk away from a very prominent and lucrative position in Judaism to serve God. When reflecting on this he wrote, But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ, Philippians 3.7-8. And I would be remiss if I did not mention the supreme example in Jesus who set aside His personal wishes in order to accomplish God’s redeeming work of mankind, Luke 22.42; John 5.30; 6.38; 12.27; 17.1-3.
Never push God out of your life. David made some awful mistakes, lowering himself to commit adultery and murder. For over a year he hoped that the matter would just be swept under the rug, with no one ever knowing the depths of his sin. God was patient during this time, hoping David would turn on his own. When he did not, Nathan delivered the difficult message. It was a message David needed to hear. He was convicted of his sin and turned back to God. Don’t misunderstand just how important this time was in his life. For David, the easy thing would have been to push God out of the picture (like Cain and Saul did) and go his own way. But here, in the darkest of moments, David invites God back into his life. Even if you make disastrous mistakes, you can always come back to God. In this life, you can never drift outside of God’s reach. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them, Hebrews 7.25. Develop the kind of heart that is always ready to repent.
Accept responsibility for your choices - even the sinful ones. This is so difficult while living inside a culture that has diminished the idea for personal responsibility. If you are headed down the wrong road, stop living in denial. Quit lying to yourself. Don’t shift the focus onto someone else. Stop moving away from God and turn around. Invite God into your life. Think of the beautiful story recorded in Luke 15. The prodigal son blew it. He could not have gone much farther into the mire. When he came to his senses, he came home to the loving arms of his father who welcomed him as a forgiven son, Luke 15.11-24. Own up to the situation and come home. Let the loving arms of your eternal Father surround you and feel the warmth of His gracious touch.
Conclusion
In the American political scene, Richard Nixon’s fall from grace could not have been greater. He will forever be associated with one of the most egregious abuses of power our nation has ever known. During the two decades after his presidency he dedicated his life to rehabilitating his image. But the consequences of his actions followed him wherever he went. Still to this day, the mention of his name stirs the emotion of every American who lived during that time. As we look at his failure, let us be impressed with the power of darkness and the hidden reality of brokenness and shame that comes along with it. When we go through seasons of disobedience and times of doubting God, let us realize the glory of being on the mountaintop with God and trust that through our humble and repentant heart, He will lead us home to eternal bliss in heaven.
Questions for Discussion
1. In what ways did Saul worship himself?
2. How does darkness hamper our ability to see past the obstacles of life?
3. What pushed Saul down the path of bitterness and hatred?
4. How does darkness take away our respect for God?
5. Describe the difference between an “association” with God and a “relationship” with God.
6. What are some key components in building a “relationship” with God?
7. What are some ways we can keep a heart that is “ready to repent”?
8. After succumbing to sin, what are some things Satan tells us about the reach of God?
1 Nixon, R. (1974 August 9).”Final Remarks to the White House Staff.” Retrieved 1/4/2012 from http://watergate.info/nixon/74-08-09final-remarks.shtml
2 Hill, J. H. (1934). From Joshua to David. Nashville: Convention Press. 97.
3 Chadwell, D. (2005). “”The Contrast.” David: the Man After God’s Own Heart. Retrieved 01/04/2012 from http://www.westarkchurch.org/chadwell/david/teaching/y2005q4l1.htm.
4 ibid.
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