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- Apr 25, 2006
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5 June 2007
2 Samuel 1 v 11-16
Then David tore his clothes to show his sorrow, and all the men with him did also. 12 They were very sad and cried and did not eat until evening. They cried for Saul and his son Jonathan and for all the people of the LORD and for all the Israelites who had died in the battle. David asked the young man who brought the report, "Where are you from?" The young man answered, "I am the son of a foreigner, an Amalekite." David asked him, "Why were you not afraid to kill the LORD's appointed king?"
Then David called one of his men and told him, "Go! Kill the Amalekite!" So the Israelite killed him. David had said to the Amalekite, "You are responsible for your own death. You confessed by saying, 'I have killed the LORD's appointed king.' "
Here he is, our wonder-boy in all his unrefined glory. David, Great King of Israel, a heart after God, and he makes another rash decision and kills a man! A man who obeyed the Lord's appointed King (Saul), sparing him a terrible death at the hands of the Philistines, and ran to David to let him know; even though David had slaughtered his family the previous week (see 1 Samuel). He didn't have to kill Saul, he didn't have to run to David. He was trying to do the right thing in both cases, and look where it got him!
I don't know about you, but I find this story quite difficult. It seems that whatever the Amalekite did, he was bound to fail, and whatever David did he was bound to succeed. You can imagine it today? The Amalekite is like Richard Park the headmaster from the TV series Fame Academy, David is like Ray Stubbs. It doesn't matter what Richard says, everyone boos, it doesn't matter how badly Ray sings, everyone cheers!
Similar things, bar the blood and death and torn clothes, have happened to me. I'm sure they've happened to you too. You know, sometimes you just can't win. You say or do the right thing and it is received badly by your boss, church leader, partner etc.
What can we do? In true Amalekite form, we die (to ourselves!) and let it go.
Ok, a bit of a prayer journey for you now.
Take that angry unjust memory, that time you were shouted down, that time when everything you said was mistaken by the person who mattered, and hold it before God.
Hold the person in your mind, put them behind a closed door.
God is on your side, and he opens the door to that person again, even though it's scary, but don't worry; He'll stop them getting to you.
What do you want to say to them?
What do they say to you?
Can you forgive them, and leave the door open for the future? If not, that's ok; God loves you, closes the door and stays with you.
Written by Laurence Keith
2 Samuel 1 v 11-16
Then David tore his clothes to show his sorrow, and all the men with him did also. 12 They were very sad and cried and did not eat until evening. They cried for Saul and his son Jonathan and for all the people of the LORD and for all the Israelites who had died in the battle. David asked the young man who brought the report, "Where are you from?" The young man answered, "I am the son of a foreigner, an Amalekite." David asked him, "Why were you not afraid to kill the LORD's appointed king?"
Then David called one of his men and told him, "Go! Kill the Amalekite!" So the Israelite killed him. David had said to the Amalekite, "You are responsible for your own death. You confessed by saying, 'I have killed the LORD's appointed king.' "
Here he is, our wonder-boy in all his unrefined glory. David, Great King of Israel, a heart after God, and he makes another rash decision and kills a man! A man who obeyed the Lord's appointed King (Saul), sparing him a terrible death at the hands of the Philistines, and ran to David to let him know; even though David had slaughtered his family the previous week (see 1 Samuel). He didn't have to kill Saul, he didn't have to run to David. He was trying to do the right thing in both cases, and look where it got him!
I don't know about you, but I find this story quite difficult. It seems that whatever the Amalekite did, he was bound to fail, and whatever David did he was bound to succeed. You can imagine it today? The Amalekite is like Richard Park the headmaster from the TV series Fame Academy, David is like Ray Stubbs. It doesn't matter what Richard says, everyone boos, it doesn't matter how badly Ray sings, everyone cheers!
Similar things, bar the blood and death and torn clothes, have happened to me. I'm sure they've happened to you too. You know, sometimes you just can't win. You say or do the right thing and it is received badly by your boss, church leader, partner etc.
What can we do? In true Amalekite form, we die (to ourselves!) and let it go.
Ok, a bit of a prayer journey for you now.
Take that angry unjust memory, that time you were shouted down, that time when everything you said was mistaken by the person who mattered, and hold it before God.
Hold the person in your mind, put them behind a closed door.
God is on your side, and he opens the door to that person again, even though it's scary, but don't worry; He'll stop them getting to you.
What do you want to say to them?
What do they say to you?
Can you forgive them, and leave the door open for the future? If not, that's ok; God loves you, closes the door and stays with you.
Written by Laurence Keith
