Thursday, May 5 ~ Miriam

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is 1 Samuel 24-27; Luke 23:1-25.

Good day-before-Friday, everybody!

Twice in today's reading David has the opportunity to kill Saul, and twice he refuses.  He makes a very good point when he says it will go badly for the person who kills God's anointed.  Even though Saul is no longer blessed with the Spirit, he was still anointed king over Israel, as was David.  David refuses to sink to Saul's level by repaying evil with evil.  However, when it comes to Nabal, he's more than ready to repay evil with evil because they had provided service to Nabal in the past and he now refused to provide them with supplies.  Thank goodness for Abigail, who prevents David from this ungodly action.

I'm pretty impressed with Abigail, actually.  She brings them food, humbles herself before them, and reminds David of his responsibilities to his God.  Abigail recognized the situation for what it was and took action to keep David "from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands" (v. 26).  The thing that stood out to me most from her speech was verse 28:  "Please forgive your servant's offense, for the Lord will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights the Lord's battles.  Let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live."  The battle he was about to fight against Nabal wasn't the Lord's.  David chose the correct choice against Saul, who was trying to kill him, but against Nabal who merely refused him and his men supplies, he very nearly chose the wrong.  Abigail pointed this out to him before he had a chance to make the mistake.

How easy it is for us to let our human nature take over and want to strike back at someone we feel has wronged us.  Often we're offended or insulted by things people say or do, though most of the time we wouldn't consider killing them, and certainly not every male of all who belong to them!  However, while I don't think we should be doormats, we should also not take slights too much to heart and we should definitely not retaliate in a similar way.  People can and will think what they want about us, and often will not change their mind regardless of what we do or say.  Our actions have to speak louder than our words.  If someone spreads a rumor or gossips about someone else, it will not serve that person in any way to do the same in return.  In fact, he or she will look as foolish and immature as the first person does.

As an aside, I wonder if David's response against Nabal had something to do with the fact that Nabal wasn't anointed by God.  Was it perhaps a double standard, or was it just anger that he'd done Nabal and service and now Nabal was refusing to do him a favour in return?  What do you think?

Moving on to the Luke passage, there were two things of which I took note.

1)  "That day Herod and Pilate became friends--before this they had been enemies."  Neither of them found any reason to condemn Jesus.  Neither of them wanted to be the one to sentence him to death.  Ridicule and mock him?  Sure.  Punish him?  Fine.  Kill him?  Nope, not me.  You do it.  Interesting that something like this would bring them together.

2)  The last verse of today's reading says Pilate "surrendered Jesus to their will."  It was not only the will of the people, but the plan of God that Jesus be crucified.  To me, this is a clear demonstration that the things that we consider terrible, horrible, evil, and/or appalling - caused by the will of people - are still a part of God's plan.  Things like war or the Holocaust.  People like Hitler or Osama bin Laden.  Evil acts and atrocities committed by human beings, the will of people, and yet woven into God's plan to ultimately bring Him glory.  Incredible, how something as terrible as the crucifixion of His only Son because of the will of the people became the most beautiful expression of God's love that the world has ever seen.

TTFN!

 Tomorrow's passage:  1 Samuel 28-29; Luke 23:26-56.