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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