DO NOT PUT SOMEONE DOWN TO IMPRESS OTHERS

PROCLAMATION

“They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, ‘Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who tried to kill you.  This day The Lord has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.’”  2 Samuel 4:8 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

Rechab and Baanah were brothers who were low ranking officers in Saul’s army under Abner.  When they heard that Abner, their commander, was killed by the men of David, they turned on their king and conspired against Ish-Bosheth in order to gain favor with David.  They killed him while he was resting on his bed.  They stabbed him and then they cut off his head and took it to David. (2 Samuel 4:5-8)  Instead of being pleased with their actions as they expected, David had them both killed. (2 Samuel 4:10-12)

APPLICATION

We should not put someone down in order to make ourselves look good or to impress others.  We should never assassinate one person, including character assassination, in order to gain favor with another.  When we want to stand out in comparison to others, we need to let our good deeds speak for us.  We should not try to promote ourselves. (Romans 12:3)  Promotion comes from the hand of God. (Psalm 75:6-7)  The Lord God knows our good deeds and He will not forget them. (Nehemiah 13:14 and Hebrews 6:10)  We are not to speak evil of one another, (James 4:11) or to lie on one another, (Exodus 20:16) or to kill one another (Exodus 20:13) especially for our own personal gain or benefit.  We cannot help ourselves by committing a sin.  The quote which is attributed to Machiavelli, “the ends justify the means”, is wrong.  The good ends do not justify sinful means.   We should never seek to benefit ourselves or to impress people at the expense of others.