2 Samuel 3:37-39 - So
on that day all of the people of Judah and Israel understood. They knew that
the king didn't have anything to do with the murder of Abner, the son of Ner. The king spoke to his men. He said,
"Don't you realize that a great commander has died in Israel today? I'm the anointed king. But today I'm weak.
These sons of Zeruiah are too powerful for me. May the LORD pay back the one
who killed Abner! May he pay him back for the evil thing he has done!"
Toward the end of the terrible civil war….that lasted many
years…Saul’s military leader …Abner…took a few to many privileges to satisfy
Saul’s son Ishbosheth. Abner slept with
one of Saul’s concubines…and the heated argument he had with Ishbosheth after…had
him changing camps. He would have been a
great addition to David’s army…if Joab hadn’t killed him to satisfy his need
for vengeance…because he had killed one of his brothers earlier in the war. David
immediately mourned the death of Abner….his sadness and loss evident in the
fasting and tearing of his clothes…and the words of a song he wrote for Abner’s
funeral.
David recognized the evil in Joab’s actions….but refrained
from punishing him himself. David showed
the people he would rule using the higher law of God…written in Deuteronomy 32….when
Moses spoke words of peace and repentance to the evil that was plaguing Israel during
his leadership. Verse 35 recorded the words of God…relayed by Moses… “It is
mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of
disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them."
Good advice in our world as well…where maybe even worse evil
exists than David’s time…evil that erupts out of the soul of evil men…controlled
by satan. Just in the last few months I
have processed the sadness of a mass bombing by terrorists…the shooting of an
innocent toddler by a depraved teen…and the mass shooting of unsuspecting
theater guests…satan clearly in control of more people that I care to admit. My
heart cries out to God to avenge these horrible deaths…and stop satan from
causing any more loss….but deep down I know this is just the beginning of the ‘birth
pains’ God revealed to us in Mathew 24… that will bring the evil in our world
to a complete end.
The Bible is clear what God expects us to do with evil…for
any other response is to become evil ourselves.
Romans 12:17-21 says… “ Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do
things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do your part to live in peace with everyone,
as much as possible. Dear friends, never
avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, "I will take
vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it," says the
Lord. Instead, do what the Scriptures
say: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give
them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to
you." Don't let evil
get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.”
Hard pill to swallow…then read 1 Peter 3:9…or 1
Thessalonians 5:15….or Matthew 26:52-54….or Leviticus 19:18….they all say the
same thing. We are to pray to God for the strength to do what David did….mourn
and fast…and wait on God to serve justice in his own time. Maybe my prayer will create enough strength
to snatch at least one person from satan’s evil grasp.
Father…I sit this morning and remember many times that satan
succeeded in destroying innocent people with his evil. I feel
so small and unable to change the many people around me that have been tricked
by satan to let evil overcome their lives.
Help me to love…in spite of the hurt and pain these losses cause my
heart. Help me Lord to use your peace to
help me conquer the fear that threatens to enter my heart. Give me your strength to wait …and model for
others the peace that allowed David to understand that waiting on your justice
was the right thing to do. Help me not to give up on others that seem to be
controlled by satan’s hate and evil…but reach out to them with your love…because
your love is more powerful than any evil satan can come up with. Amen.
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