1 Corinthians 16:13 (ESV)
13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
There’s an old adage that goes like this: “don’t get caught with your pants down.” I’ve not had the honor of serving in the military. However, I think the saying stems from the concern of an enemy sneaking up on you while relieving yourself. We see an instance of this between King Saul and David.
1 Samuel 24:3–7 (ESV)
3 And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. 4 And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’ ” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 5 And afterward David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s anointed.” 7 So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.
There in the cave, under the cover of darkness, the man Saul had been pursuing had his sword while Saul was vulnerable. Though David could have taken Saul’s life, he honored the anointing Saul had received and only cut off part of his cloak. He then uses the garment to prove that he had no treasonous intention toward Saul.
This scene is a great feat of self-control. Here, David found himself with the upper hand against the man who had taken up arms against him. Though David was not a man without faults, this is a moment where his character shines. Rather than brutalizing his enemy in revenge, he spares him and pursues peace. The scene with Goliath proves that David was a man of God & Country. Perhaps David wanted peace rather than a victory that could perpetuate civil unrest.
I believe Jesus did something similar in his engagement with the religious leaders of the day. There’s a scene where his authority is challenged. The priests ask him: “By what authority are you doing these things?” Jesus puts it back on them. “I’ll give you an answer if you give me an answer. By what authority did John baptize in the Jordan?” Jesus silences the debate and prevents a heated escalation.
Matthew 21:23–27 (ESV)
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
23 And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things.25 The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.