The Sign of Jonah: The Counterfeit Hero

A few weeks ago ("The Sign of Jonah:  Heroes with Defects") I talked about some of the alternative types of heroes that don't follow the archetypal hero's journey:  the anti-hero, and the tragic hero.  There is another type of alternative hero:  the false hero, who claims to be the hero—maybe even has proof of being the hero—but during testing false hero's claims are proven to be false.  When the false hero appears early in the story, he usually presents the main obstacle to the real hero.

1 Samuel 24

For this whole series, I have compared the hero in scripture to a movie hero.  While it has been fun, and hopefully it has helped you to understand the hero's journey better, here I am at an impasse.  While there are plenty of false heroes in movies, nothing compares to this story of a king to be and a king wannabe.

Two kingly figures go into the cave.  Two go into the place of death.  Two are tested, but only one passes the test.  Confronted with one's own humanity, one's own limitations, to where does one turn?  In the dark, in the hidden place, Saul—the wannabe—is defecating.  He is relieving himself.  Is there a more self-indulgent act?  At the moment of the test, Saul can think only of himself and his own needs.  In the same dark, hidden place, David—the king to be—comes out of hiding.  No, Saul does not know of David's presence—not yet—but David's character is revealed by the test.

For Saul, the scene is darkly comic.  Saul is made smaller by the encounter.  He realizes that David has passed a test that he—the counterfeit king—would have failed.

Points to Ponder

Where is your cave?  When confronted with your limitations, your mortality, what do you do--indulge yourself, or be enobled by persevering through the test?