In the blue cormer, the man who slayed Goliath, the son of Jesse, anointed to be the next king, the man after God’s own heart, David! In the red corner, the reigning king, Saul!
We read in 1 Sam 24 the confromtation between David and King Saul. Saul had been sending his men to take David’s life. David had been on the run. He had a chance to kill Saul to end it all. He did not. Instead of getting revenge, he chose forgiveness. Instead of taking matters into his own hands, he chose to trust God.
We see a contracst between David and Saul. Saul was driven by jealousy. He got upset by a song. He wanted to hold on to his throne. He wanted to get rid of the threat to his throne regardless of the consequences. He did not care that God had annointed David. He did not try to follow God’s will. David, on the other hand, was guided by faith and integrity. He chose to honour God. And because of that, he was able to exercise restraint even when revenge seemed justified.
Trust God for Justice. There are times when revenge or retaliation seem tempting. Look at David. In our Christian walk, true victory is achieved by choosing forgiveness and honouring God’s way, when when the world wants vengeance for everything and anything. God has his own timing.
Restraint is strength. Choosing not to react impulsively is a sign of strenght. It is not a weakness. Opting to leave vengeance in God’s hands honours God.
Speak the trugh with humility. When David confronted Saul, he did not taunt, he did not gloat. He just presented his case. Be humble..
Have you been tempted to get even? It’s 1013 in the morning. Are you still thinking about the 17 drivers and riders you saw on the way to work, who change lanes without using the signal? Did you wish you were driving a garbage truck or a tank, so you could just plow into them to teach them a lesson? When you are stuck in heavy traffic along the highway, and you see drivers taking advantage of the emeergency lane, do you wish they get caught further down the way?
In what ways can you show your trust in God’s justice and mercy in your daily life? What areas in your life that you need to consider surrending to God? What areas in your life that you need to leanr to trust God’s timing?
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