Rising Above The "See Level"!!!

Instability...

Heard of a Pakistani terrorist who would become one day become one of the key Generals’ of the Indian army? Welcome to yet another similar albeit a Biblical account which would figure in Ripley’s Book of Believe it or not. The David and the Ittai the Gittite Story, Ladies and Gentlemen!!! The residents of Gath were called Gittites....mind you one notorious Philistine Warrior and an avowed enemy number one of Israelites answering to the name of Goliath was also a Gittite- 1 Sam 17:4 (sic).

Let’s pick up action from 2 Samuel Chapter 15 verse 13 onwards and what do we see? King David’s situation which was the very definition of instability!!! With the shocking News of rebellion of one of his favourite sons’ namely Absalom just trickling in, the totally unprepared (for civil war) King David justifiably presses, as it were, the panic button. One of immediate flight from Jerusalem his capital city with his loyal Jewish men in tow!!! Where would he flee for safety? When and where would he re-organize his army? With these kinds of misty questions hanging before David, it would take quite a loyalist to throw his weight behind him during this crisis. In this “gloom and doom” scenario, it is a safe bet that David was forced to rub his eyes in disbelief when he saw the Philistine Asylum seeker Ittai the Gittite marching right alongside his other Jewish loyalists at this hazy time of hasty flight from Jerusalem. What was David’s reaction??? Over to the Scripture...

“What are you doing here? Go on back with your men to Jerusalem, to your king, for you are a guest in Israel, a foreigner in exile. It seems but yesterday that you arrived, and now today should I force you to wander with us, who knows where? Go on back and take your troops with you, and may the Lord be merciful to you.” - 2 Sam 15:19-20 (TLB)

And Ittai’s perceptive response? Let the Scripture take over once again...

“I vow by God and by your own life that wherever you go, I will go, no matter what happens—whether it means life or death.”- 2 Sam 15:21,

Are not discerning readers’ seeing here a virtual action replay of the Naomi-Ruth tale enshrined in Ruth 1:15-17? Hmmmm...didn’t the wise Law insist on having two witnesses to underscore a point (Deu 19:15)... which in this case is benefit of wise perceptivity?

Before the perceptive eyes of Ittai the Gititte, the image of David though physically forlorn was not one of instability but one of security. Presently chastising but a covenantal God would never leave him or forsake him forever (2 Sam 7:8-16) but rather would guard him as the “apple of his eye” (Psa 17:8).

Now what benefits accrued to Ittai, courtesy his amazing perceptivity? Can you believe it...promotion to being one of the Commanders of David army? Keeping in view, Ittai’s background is it not an amazing privilege especially when we factor in the fact that King David’s army is also called the “Army of God” (1 Chro 12:21-23 CJB). Boy...a despised gentile hailing from an enemy country now is helming a regiment of the Lord’s army!!! While such a juicy News item would have been heaven sent manna for WSJ (had it been in circulation in that Biblical age), for the faithful lot who feed on God’s Word treating it as spiritually nutritious food a la Jeremiah (Jer 15:16), it is yet another reminder of how the blessings (privileges) would come one’s way on account of wise decision making borne out of wise perceptivity.