“Then the men of Y’hudah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Y’hudah. They informed David that the men of Yavesh-Gil‘ad were the ones who had buried Sha’ul. So David sent messengers to the men of Yavesh-Gil‘ad with this message: ‘May you be blessed by Adonai, because you showed this kindness to your lord, Sha’ul, and buried him.'”-2 Samuel 2:4-5
So the men of Judah who crowned David king also told him about the brave men of Jabesh-Gilead.
These men risked their lives by facing the Philistines to take Saul’s headless corpse down from the walls of Beit-Shean.
Then, they gave him a proper burial in their city on the east side of the Jordan River.
Here, we see one of the reasons why David was called “a man after the Lord’s heart.”
Normally, when a new king took over, he would get rid of the old king’s family and anyone loyal to him.
But David did something different.
He reached out to the people of Jabesh-Gilead and even wanted to reward them for staying loyal to King Saul.
Remember, the people of Jabesh were not just loyal to Saul politically, but they were also related to him by blood, which is why they supported him in the first place.
David sent messengers to the leaders of Jabesh, telling them that because they had been kind to Saul, he was asking God to be kind to them too.
David also wanted to show them kindness himself.
The word “kindness” in the original Hebrew is CHESED.
CHESED means more than just being nice.
It’s a special act of mercy that reflects God’s kindness.
So the takeaway here is just as David showed kindness to his enemies, in this case Saul, who tried to kill David many times, you should do the same.
If vengeance is in order, trust that God will perfectly execute that vengeance in due time.
See ya all next time.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“You have heard that it was said,
‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
But I tell you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your Father in heaven.
He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good,
and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?
Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
And if you greet only your own people,
what are you doing more than others?
Do not even the gentiles do that?
Be perfect, therefore,
as your heavenly Father is perfect.“
-Matthew 5:43-48
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