“Half A Beard…”

August 18, 2018

“Half A Beard…”

Blessings folk!

Sometimes the good deeds we do are not receive.
Sometimes they are thrown back in our face.
Sometimes they are rejected.
Sometimes suspicion, doubt, fear and defensiveness cloud the thoughts of people.

David experienced of such.

Here is what happened…

2Sa 10:1-5

Now it happened afterwards that the king of the Ammonites died,
and Hanun his son became king in his place.

Then David said,
“I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent some of his servants to console him concerning his father.
But when David’s servants came to the land of the Ammonites,

the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord,
“Do you think that David is honoring your father because he has sent consolers to you?
Has David not sent his servants to you in order to search the city,
to spy it out and overthrow it?”

So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle as far as their hips, and sent them away.

When they told it to David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated.
And the king said, “Stay at Jericho until your beards grow, and then return.”

We might give Hanun’s princes a bit of leeway.
They had seen what David had done to his enemies.
They knew of his victories.
They knew that Hanun’s father had shown kindness to David, but, they did not believe that David would truly reciprocate.

So, they convinced Hanun to question David’s motives.

Then Hanun went beyond.

He humiliated the servants of David.
He shaved half their beards.
He cut the bottom half of their garments off.
He sent them back.

The men were greatly humiliated.
They were not sent as soldiers to fight.
They were sent as emissaries to communicate.

They had not been received well.

David sent for them.
David comforted them.
David told them to go to a place, Jericho, and wait.
Await the growing of their beards.

Knowing what we have seen about David to this point, I wonder what his response will be?

Know this, much of what true believers say and do in the Kingdom will be received in like fashion…by the world, yes. By religionists, even more.

Fear not.

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