Daily Devotion 29th October 2018

I find it reassuring and encouraging that the first King of the Hebrews was in many ways a disaster, although actually Saul achieved a huge amount in the face of what I see as a massively challenging health condition.  And likewise David, as we shall explore later, is far from lily-white. But again what I admire about the compilers of the tales is that they included the stories when the characters let themselves down dreadfully! Moses, Samson, Jephthah and indeed David are cases in point and their imperfections were not written out of the Scriptures.

But here, David does the right thing even if not the strategically advantageous thing.  He proves his worth and his loyalty when he has the opportunity to deal with his adversary once and for all.  He chooses, rather, to show mercy to his father-in-law. We live in an era when people, politicians and world leaders, in my view, far too often jump to conflict and confrontation when meeting, talking and working out things peacefully are not only possible, but preferable too.  

Would we have the Syrian refugee numbers, the rise of al-Qaeda / ISIS etc. if that better way had been followed, I wonder?  We follow a Saviour who taught justice, peace and turning the other cheek after all, and one who perhaps, as a Son of David, exhibited the same level of love and mercy and his ancestor, even forgiving his persecutors while on the Cross.