Gene Edwards, A Tale of Three Kings: A Study in Brokenness
Edwards writes an allegorical retelling of David's experience with Saul and Absalom and how David's character led him to be unlike the other two kings. Edwards attempts to describe how someone can suffer under wrongdoing and remain pleasing to the Lord. A Tale of Three Kings soothes the soul of the suffering minister.
There are three key takeaways that Edwards wants the reader to learn from his allegory:
- Broken men are the men God wants to use. Edwards argues this because broken men are incapable of devolving into the madness that King Saul did. Broken men understand that they are utterly dependent upon the Lord.
- Authority and position are not something to take or to protect. Edwards writes that the reader may very well be under a King Saul who is unworthy of the position or may have an Absalom trying to overthrow him, but the reader never has the right to take or defend his position. Authority belongs to God, and positions are His to assign. God does not need anyone to defend His kingdom, so any defense is only of one's own kingdom.
- The answer to suffering evil is never to return evil. Edwards asks, "What do you do when a spear is thrown at you?" The reader's assumed response is, "Well, you throw it right back at the person who threw it!" Edwards notes that if that is the response, the reader has become King Saul the Second. Edwards borders on belaboring the point that it is worse to become a Saul or Absalom than to suffer under a Saul or Absalom. Edwards argues that God's goal in allowing suffering in the reader's life is to kill the Saul and Absalom in the reader.
Ministry is hard. Sheep sometimes bite, but, as David learned, the Lord is always good. A Tale of Three Kings is worth having in your library for when hardship and suffering come. It will guide you through difficulties and prepare you for unfamiliar storms.
Klayton Carson
