1 Samuel 26
Bible Passage: 1 Samuel 26
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”
“Revenge is a dish best served cold”
These are common themes in TV shows, movies and songs.
These attitudes could be applicable to our daily lives too. To prevent ourselves from losing out, from getting the shorter end of the stick, we must fight back, so we are better than others, or we feel better about ourselves. When people ‘say’ us we must retort back, cannot let ourselves get bullied. When rude and strong aunties push us on the bus or train, we must push them back, we must not be weak.
At work, we must fight back against backstabbing colleagues. In school, we must be selfish towards classmates who refuse to lend us their notes.
In this pressure-cooker society, we must fight back and not 吃亏。
Sounds familiar? But how do these incidents we face in our lives today compare to what David had to face? Saul wanted to kill David, and he had to be on the run away from him. But not once did David fight back and sin against God. Well, he did slice off abit of Saul’s robe, but he felt really contrite and remorseful after that.
Again does this sound familiar? After we ‘seek revenge’ against an enemy, or when our enemies suffer, do we really feel good in the end? Surely our conscience prick at us, surely we don’t feel genuine joy at other people’s demise.
Someone very dear to me once told me it does not matter that we get the shorter end of the stick or吃亏. Even if the whole world thinks we are losing out, it is ok. Because our God knows that we take a step back, 让步. We must continue to do the right thing, because the truth will reveal right at the end. Our reward of living hope is waiting at the end point for us. What matters the most is our destination.
In the end, Saul who hated David with passion, blessed David instead. The tables have turned indeed. Saul who wanted David dead in the first place, is grateful to David for sparing his life. This reminds me of a verse mentioned yesterday in Shalom’s sharing:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”Romans 12:20
David kept God’s commandments right till the end, and God’s promise and blessings really prevails. It is proven that as long as we keep God’s commandments, things will never go wrong and blessings beyond our imagination will be poured down upon us.
1 Samuel 25
