Egyptian Allusion

Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Psalm 51:11 NASB

Cast me away – What does it mean to say that you have been cast away? Is it like the Tom Hanks’ movie? Shipwrecked? Deserted? Or is there perhaps a biblical connection to a much older story, a story of an Egyptian thrown out of the presence of her owner? Perhaps David is thinking of Hagar. The Hebrew verb, shalak, would provide the connection. In Genesis 21, Hagar and Ishmael are thrown out into the desert. Hagar expects them to die. She “casts” Ishmael under a bush and waits for the inevitable. But something completely unexpected happens. She is confronted by the angel of the Lord, given new hope. If David knew this story, perhaps he hoped for a similar outcome. He already felt abandoned. He was already outside the “camp.” In his present condition, he might as well have been left to die. What he needed was an encounter with the Lord that would result in renewal and return.

The prophets use the same verb. “The sense of ‘abandon’ appears in Ezk 3:1 and 20:7–8, in which God admonishes his people to abandon, renounce their sins, to throw them away entirely, having nothing more to do with them. This is an important spiritual truth as is also the admonition in Ps 55:23 to cast our burdens on the Lord. That is, our cares and burdens are to be thrown away, abandoned into his care, so that we have nothing more to do with them.”^[1] It seems that shalak has both negative and positive application. We renounce. We throw away. And God responds. He casts off our sin so that it no longer affects the relationship. David recognizes that being cast away from the presence of the Lord is the equivalent of death under the bush in the desert. So he pleads not to be thrown out, and since his plea is accompanied by casting off his sin, he has confidence that YHVH will respond.

David committed some terrible acts. We think of the first sin in this sequence as adultery, but that probably isn’t the appropriate description. David is the king. He has power over the people. David abuses that power by initiating sex with one of his subjects, a married woman. The sin is more likely rape than adultery. Of course, Bathsheba is married so it is technically adultery, but it is hard to imagine that she entered into the relationship willingly. David took advantage of his position and “sent” for her. Do we really think she could have refused? Of course, the litany of sins continues. Lying. Conspiracy. Murder. More lying. Eventually the death of an innocent child. A tragic story in every sense. But what is the point of including this tale of abuse and humiliation in the Bible? Is it just an historical account of David’s life, or is it simply a moral lesson? We might be inclined to offer both explanations, but there is another message, sometimes forgotten but incredibly important. We are not (hopefully) rapists, adulterers, murders, and abusers of power. Our sins are of a lesser order (if such a hierarchy exists). David’s sins are far worse and yet he is forgiven. That is a message of incredible hope. If David is restored to the presence of the Lord, if the action of the Spirit is not removed from his life, then you and I can trust that YHVH will look upon us, find us in the desert of dying, and restore us too. “Lord, do not cast me away,” is our plea and if YHVH can answer David, then He can answer me and answer you. Yes, we may be sent back to the camp of humiliation. Yes, we may have to face our accusers. But YHVH will not abandon His beloved. David proves it.

Topical Index: cast away, shalak, throw, Genesis 21:15, Ezekiel 3:1, Psalm 55:23, Psalm 51:11

^[1] Austel, H. J. (1999). 2398 שָׁלַך. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament.