Thursday, May 16, 2013

Talk Ain't That Cheap

1 Samuel 25:1-42

 At this point, David has more than proven his faithfulness to God; and not a moment too soon because Samuel now dies and is buried at his home in Ramah. So, David moved to the wilderness of Maon (or Paran) near a place called Carmel. The time came to celebrate the sheep shearing, and David and his men wanted to participate. That being the case, they asked their neighbor to hook them up.

Now this wasn't just any neighbor; this was Nabal, a wealthy man with many goats and sheep and fields and servants. Not only that, but David's men had protected his sheep and shepherds while they were grazing through their area. So, surely this neighbor could return the kindness with this small request. But, the Bible tells us that Nabal means fool, so here's how it really went down.

David sent ten of his men to make the request in his name. Once he heard their request, Nabal replied by screaming all sorts of insults at them. He called them runaways, liars, freeloaders and probably all sorts of other  socially unacceptable terms, for the time. So, David's servants returned to him empty handed and told him what happened.

Oh, really?! When David heard that, he told his men to get their swords, while he was getting his own. He was about to go do some damage; he felt slighted, after all. He and his men had protected this man's livelihood out of friendly courtesy, and now he doesn't even know who David is? In David's mind, now he had to pay. Meanwhile, one of Nabal's servants went to his wife, Abigail, and told her what happened, warning her that she needed to do something or things were going to get ugly for all of them.

Fortunately for Nabal, his wife understood the value of words and their relation to actions. She immediately whipped into action, gathering all the items David's men may have had in mind when they made their request; and in no small volume. She sent the items ahead with the servants, then made her way toward David's camp on a donkey.

As they approached each other in a mountain ravine, David was declaring his rage and vowing vengeance on Nabal, his family and all he owned. When Abigail saw him, she approached him very humbly and respectfully, bowing deeply at his feet. Then, she went into her spiel about how great David was and how he feared God and was merciful, even to men who hunted him. She appealed to his devotion to God and his uprightness and sealed the deal by reminding him that he didn't want to have Nabal's blood on his hands for getting his own revenge.

David was impressed and agreed to accept Abigail's gifts and speech in exchange for Nabal's and their lives. (It probably didn't hurt that Abigail was also a beautiful woman.) So, she went back home to find her husband throwing a huge party and getting very drunk. Since she had not told him that she had done all these things, she decided to wait until the next morning, when he was sober, to fill him in.

And when she did, boy did he take it hard. Indeed, he had a stroke and lay paralyzed in bed for a full week and a half when he heard that news. Then, God finally put him out of his misery (or gave him what he earned) and struck him dead. Well, that word got back to David and he threw his own little party. Of course, he had to invite Abigail to join him...permanently. She gladly accepted the invitation, and became one of David's wives along with Ahinoam of Jezreel. (I know, it seems pretty shady, but, hey, that's how they rolled back then.)

So, what's the moral of this story? Well, there could be many. The main things I took from it - this time - are that 1) it's not expedient to return evil for good, 2) wisdom and sincerity (and attractiveness) can go a long way to mend relationships and save lives, and 3) words mean something.

We can't just go around talking to and treating people any old way and think that's okay; especially not a child of God. So, since we don't always know who belongs to him - and even when we do, we have to treat people with respect, dignity and fairness. Not just to avoid God's wrath if we don't, but because it's the right thing to do. Then, any additional blessings God decides to give us for doing what he says are a bonus.

Lord, help us to always do what is pleasing in your sight. We know that everyone will not always treat us right or live for you the way we do. But, help us to remember that others' poor treatment of us is no excuse to treat them poorly in return. Give us grace and wisdom to deal with them in the way that you would have us to. Show us how to love those that hate us and bless those that curse us. Teach us to forgive and move forward in life; not hang on to hurts of the past. Thank you for forgiving us and being patient with us, even though we continue to make mistakes. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Monday, May 6, 2013

When The Rubber Meets The Road

1 Samuel 24:1 – 22

David was on the run. Saul had been pursuing him, heatedly. He even enlisted the assistance of his entire army to find David so he could kill him; all because of his jealousy. David fled from town to town, and wilderness to wilderness, escaping Saul's pursuit. Even the people that David and his men rescued from their enemies could not be trusted to do the same for them when they were questioned. People were ratting him out left and right, and those who didn't were killed - their entire family and all they owned.

So, David found himself and his men holed up in a cave in the wilderness of En-gedi. Saul had delayed his hunt to fight off an attack by the Philistines, but as soon as that was handled, he was right back on his most wanted man. Now, clearly, he was not in his right mind. His jealousy had caused him to victimize himself, making David - his son-in-law and son's best friend - his aggressor. All this, when in actuality, David had never done anything against him. In fact, most of what David had done was to benefit Saul. And this was how he repaid him?

For most people, the tables would have turned a long time ago and David's flight would have turned to fight. But, that was not how David operated. Indeed, the fact that he was so intent on doing God's will is what got him in this predicament. So, what happened next? Well, David's mettle was tested.

Saul was now back on his trail, but he had to go potty. So, he went off into a cave for some privacy. Little did he know, the cave he chose was the very one where David and his men were hiding. David's men, of course, urged David to take Saul out, right then and there. I mean, surely this was God delivering him into his hands so, finally, he could have rest. So, David crept forward in the cave and cut off a piece of Saul's robe.

Then the guilt hit him. Yes, this man was trying to kill him for reasons beyond either of their control, but he was also God's anointed king (for now, anyway). And because David honored God, he refused to go through with it, lest he be judged. Instead, he let Saul finish up and leave the cave otherwise untouched. But, he did follow after him to prove his innocence.

David called out to Saul and showed him the fabric he had cut from his robe. He told him that it was proof that he had no ill intent toward him, otherwise he would be dead right now. He also reminded him that God is still in control and would be the judge of both of them. Saul had no response to that. In fact, he stood there and cried, acknowledged the truth of the situation and even blessed David for his kindness. He admitted, then, what he knew all along - that David would be king, so he went so far as to ask him to have mercy on his family when that time came. Really? But, David being the man of God that he was, agreed and took an oath of it. Then they both went back to their strongholds.

Now, I know that I am not yet where David was in his walk with God, but I do intend to get there sooner than later. Honestly, though, I still think bad things about people when they treat me unfairly or unkindly. I catch myself wishing they would get what they're dishing out and worse. But in those times, I have to pray because that's when the true test is passed or failed. God already knows our outcome. He just wants to see how we will trust him through the struggle. Trust him to judge his people and fight our battles, so we can claim the victory he has promised us.

Lord, give us a heart like yours, so when hard times come, we can see our enemies as they really are. Let us always yield to your will, despite our situation or selfish desires. Remind us that you are the sovereign God and final judge of all. Even in our turmoil, let us rest in you. We thank you for your favor, Lord; even when it is the cause of others' jealousy toward us. Help us to be able to love and forgive those who trespass against us, just as you do for us. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Beware The Green-eyed Monster

1 Samuel 20:1-42

Saul is so super-jealous of David, his tormenting spirit is in full swing and he wants David dead. In fact, he was encouraging people, including his son, Jonathan, to help him do it. But, Jonathan loved David, like he loved himself - apparently even more than he loved his father. So, not only was he not willing to kill David, he felt he had to warn David of his father's plan.

So, he did just that. However, even after vowing not to kill David - at Jonathan's urging - Saul's tormenting spirit caused him to try, again, to kill David with his spear while he was playing his harp. Of course, David escaped, so Saul sent out a lynch mob for him. This time it was Michal, David's wife and Saul's daughter, who stepped in to save him. She helped him escape in the middle of the night when they came for him.

David ran to Ramah, where he met with Samuel (yep, he's still around!) and told him what Saul had done. So Samuel took him in, but Saul found out and sent men there to get him. But, God wouldn't let that happen; he had big plans for David. So, when the men got there, they got caught up in the Spirit and began prophesying with Samuel and the others. Saul decided to do it himself, but ended up with the same fate.

So now, David had to flee Ramah and find Jonathan. When he did, he asked him why his father was so set on killing him. But, Jonathan was in denial. He told David that his father had said nothing of the sort to him and he would definitely say something if he were. So they came up with a plan to learn the truth about Saul's intent toward David.

At the upcoming new moon festival, David would fail to attend. When Saul asked of his whereabouts, Jonathan would tell him that he went to Bethlehem to worship with his family. If Saul was okay with that, they would know David was safe. If he got angry, Jonathan would warn David and help him escape. To do that, David would hide in a field and wait for Jonathan's signal. The signal was Jonathan's arrow; after he shot his arrows toward David's hiding place, if he told his servant he passed the arrow, he was safe, but if he told him to go further, David was in danger.

So they put their plan in motion and, sure enough, Saul asked where David was on the second night of the festival. Jonathan told him that he went to Bethlehem to worship with his family, and Saul boiled over with rage. He cursed and argued back and forth with Jonathan about it for a while, then he threw a spear at him! At that point, Jonathan stormed out of the room.

The next morning, Jonathan went into phase two of their mission. He took his servant out to the field where David was hiding and told him to run out to pick up his arrows. As the boy ran, Jonathan called out to him to go further. So the boy gathered all the arrows and brought them back to Jonathan, who then sent him away. Once the boy was gone, David came out and saluted Jonathan. They hugged and wept together, remembered their pact of friendship and parted ways.

Sometimes in life, God has assignments for us that come from the failures of others. When that happens, those who failed their assignment can become bitter and angry and jealous. Jealousy is a dangerous sin: on its own because it distorts your thinking, but more so because it can lead to deadly actions if not checked. Even though we may have to move out of our comfort zone and away from those we love in order to escape the situation, only God can remedy the jealousy. So, when others are jealous of us, we have to pray for them and not just the situation or ourselves.

Lord, help us to recognize your hand in our relationships with others, especially when jealousy is in the mix. Help us not to be jealous of others, but know that you provide for us all we need and put on us no more than we can bear. Give us understanding and forgiveness when we have to stay, and wisdom to know when it's time to leave. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.