Tuesday, June 20, 2023

MISUNDERSTOOD AND HUMILIATED

PROCLAMATION

“And it came to pass after this, that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead.  Then said David, ‘I will shew kindness unto Hanun son of Nahash, as his father shewed kindness unto me.’  And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father … And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, ‘Thinkest thou that David doth honor thy father ... hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?’  Wherefore Hanun took David’s servants, shaved of the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.”  2 Samuel 10:1-4 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God after the death of the prophet Samuel by Nathan the prophet and Gad the seer.  When Nahash, the king of the Ammonites, died, his son Hanun succeeded him.  King David heard that Nahash had died he wanted to show kindness to his son Hanun because Nahash had been kind to him. (2 Samuel 8:12)   So David sent a delegation to Hanun to express his sympathy regarding his father’s death. (2 Samuel 10:1-2)  But King Hanun listened to the commanders of his army and treated King David’s envoy as if they were spies.  He humiliated them, cut off half of their beards, and then sent them away naked from the waist down.  Then he formed an allegiance with the Syrians, with the Maakahites, and with the Tobites to prepare for war because he felt that he had offended David. (2 Samuel 10:6)  When David heard of this, he sent Joab and the entire army against Hanun.  They killed thousands of them and the rest fled. (2 Samuel 10:7-19)

 

APPLICATION

Our good intentions and our efforts to be kind to someone can be misunderstood.  Sometimes something as simple as a smile, or a kind word, or a random act of kindness can be completely misunderstood.  Even when we clearly state our intentions, our words may not be accepted or believed.  That may be caused by the person’s own suspicions, lack of trust, or paranoia.  The misunderstanding may also be the result of some misinformation or bad advice from others.  Their personal opinions are not a problem for us unless they choose to take actions against us because of them.  Then we need to pray and ask The Lord God for protection, guidance, and directions.  If we are left to our own devices, we will probably make an emotional response and commit a sin. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

 

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