2 Samuel 10, 1 Chronicles 19
Scripture:
2 Samuel 10:3-4 But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?” 4 So Hanun took David's servants and shaved off half the beard of each and cut off their garments in the middle, at their hips, and sent them away.
2 Samuel 10:3-4 But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?” 4 So Hanun took David's servants and shaved off half the beard of each and cut off their garments in the middle, at their hips, and sent them away.
Observation: Sometimes it isn't always a wise idea to listen to the suspicions and conspiracy theories of other people.
Application: Gossip and slander are rampant and words that follow "Can you believe that they.....?" "Did you hear.....?" flow so easily. I'm a terrible person to keep secrets--even the good ones!-- and I know that many times I have fallen into the trap of gossip and it has hurt people.
In James it says in 3:8" but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." How true it is that we can take a simple misunderstanding and turn into a restless evil and cause great harm to others and even to ourselves. When David sent the messengers to bring comfort he did it with the right intentions. David was genuinely repaying the good relationship he had with Nahash and doing what he felt best would console Hanun in his grief. David didn't intend for his actions to be anything less than a sign of support. Despite his good intentions, they were misinterpreted by the advisers of Hanun and chaos ensued. The misunderstanding caused unbelievable death and destruction and changed the relationship among the people involved.
We don't always know the whole story. We might even misjudge a person's motives and intentions. We need to choose our words carefully. This makes me think of a time that my friend spoke in chapel a few years ago. She ended her devotional with this:
The princes of the Ammonites may have believed that David was, in fact, trying to spy on them but it wasn't the truth. Their interference was not ultimately helpful. It did not inspire good relationships after that. It turned out not be be necessary and it was not kind to take a gesture of goodwill and turn it into something sinister. May we use the above filter in our own lives to prevent destruction and chaos.
Prayer: Lord, we often think we have it all figured out. We guess and create stories that fit with what we believe to be true. We fall short all the time. Thank you for the forgiveness we have through you and the change to begin again when we fail. Give us the desire and Your strength to try and fix our mistakes. May each day be a chance to begin again and to THINK about what we are saying before we speak.
1 comment:
Great post, and I love that acronym
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