David attempts an act of peace. The Ammonite king has died and David would like to honor him & continue to keep Ammon as peaceful neighbors. I love that David is a wise king, but also a compassionate and loving king. He knows that his relationship with the Ammonites can change in a heartbeat under a new leader, so he sends delegates to honor the old king, and also make peace with the new one. Unfortunately, the new immature king listens to bad council and decides to make a show of force. He has half the beard & the bottom half of the garment cut off of the delegates sent by David. Yes, I'm sure they looked pretty silly, but this act is also incredibly disrespectful. In humiliating the delegates, they have basically made a statement of war. Honestly, I see this as a bunch of strutting roosters. This new king wants to make a name for himself, he wants to show himself to be strong and fierce so others don't mess with him. He's puffed up his feathers & he's parading around. Unfortunately, under those feathers is a scrawny juvenile chicken that has just challenged the head rooster in the barnyard. David wastes no time showing this new king who is boss.
So - two things about this passage:
1) A show of force is always going to bring trouble. If you feel threatened, stop and think about the situation. Is there a better way to handle things? Are you misinterpreting the situation? Do you have the back up to follow through with your actions? Now, obviously I'm not talking about a situation in which you face bodily harm. In that situation, pray & follow the Holy Spirit's leading. Actually, that's some pretty good advice regardless - pray & listen to the Holy Spirit.
2) Look at 2 Samuel 10:12 & 1 Chronicles 19:13 - Joab is encouraging this troops as they face a sticky situation. They are trapped between the Syrians and the Ammonites. I love his advice - be courageous, you are defending your people and your homes "and may the LORD do what seems good to him." That is a powerful statement. He's not asking God for victory, he's not demanding a certain outcome, Joab trusts the LORD to do what is right. Oh, that is so very hard for us. Look, God knows you inside and out. He knows what you're thinking, what you're troubled with, and the desires of your heart. He also knows what is best for you AND He sees the big picture. As humans we can only see what is right in front of us. We don't see the delicate patchwork that weaves everything together, but God does. If you know Him, really know Him - you know that God is working for the best outcome according to the big picture. We might not understand it, we might not ever see the end results (at least until we get to heaven) but we can rest assured that God is doing what is good, and right, and just. So, don't worry about it. Don't let life stress you out. Don't fixate on a certain problem and the outcome you think works the best. Talk to God about your troubles and your desires & then trust Him to do what is good.
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