by Arthelo Palma
1 Samuel 24
Here is another point I see why Jesus would want us to love our enemies.
Literally, Saul was not David’s enemy. But for king Saul,
David was his rival as he considered him a threat to his influence over the
people in Israel .
So if we look at it, these two people have a significant gap between their
relationships. In reality, and in the same circumstance, we do not have good
working relationships with our enemies.
There was a moment when God delivered Saul to the hands of
David. But David, full of God’s Spirit, impressively uttered these words to
Saul:
“I will not lift my hand against my master, because he is
the Lord’s anointed. See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my
hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. Now understand
and recognize that I am not guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not
wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life. May the Lord judge
between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but
my hand will not touch you. As the old saying goes, ‘From evildoers come evil
deeds,’ so my hand will not touch you. Against whom has the king of Israel come
out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea? May the Lord be our judge and
decide between us. May he consider my cause and uphold it; may he vindicate me
by delivering me from your hand” (verses 10 - 15).
Hearing all those words, Saul wept aloud saying, “You are
more righteous than I. You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly.
You have just now told me of the good you did to me; the Lord delivered me into
your hands, but you did not kill me. When a man finds his enemy, does he let
him get away unharmed? May the Lord reward you well for the way you treated me
today. I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel
God’s message:
Showing love to our enemies could silence their hearts, and put off the fire of hatred in them. Believe it. It's the principle Jesus Christ would want us to understand, but sad to say only few have quite understood.
God’s promise:
Showing love could restore conflicts and broken relationships,
for God would want to restore each life.
God’s command:
Love our neighbors as ourselves. We do not want to hurt
ourselves, so God expects us to do the same with our brothers and sisters.
God’s warning:
Unrighteousness results to a life full of hatred. But a life
full of love learns to appreciate the value of restoration.
Applications:
Make it always a lifestyle to always aim for making good
relationship with others, by showing love and kindness to them.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, Creator of Heaven and Earth, praises to
Your Name. Thank you for this another wonderful day you are allowing for us to
experience once again. Today, do not harden our hearts as we heard your word. Give
us all the humility we need in order for us to learn more about your great love
that you want us to share with other people. Knowing your love will always
erase away all the pride we might have stored in our hearts, that is why it is
hard for us to understand You in our lives. Help us Father to walk with You
always, so that we can always release forgiveness and wide understanding to all
people around us. Thank you very much! This we ask and pray, in the name of
Christ Jesus. Amen!
photo credit: Lel4nd via Flickr cc
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