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)
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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