May the mumbling commence!
Nothing hurts more than a friend or brother or sister betraying you. David knew this well. David was betrayed by his son Absalom. Our Lord and Savior knew this well, too. Judas, one of the twelve set-apart apostles of Christ, betrayed Jesus to his death. That’s where we get the phrase, “Please, don’t Judas me.”
History is full of Judases and Benedict Arnolds. Chances are you have or will have someone close to you betray you. Read the words of David as he reflected upon the Judases of his life in Psalm 55:
If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it;
if a foe were raising himself against me, I could hide from him.
But it is you, a man like myself,
my companion, my close friend,
with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship
as we walked with the throng at the house of God.
(Verses 12-14)
My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant.
His speech is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart;
his words are more soothing than oil,
yet they are drawn swords. (Verses 20-21)
Deception is difficult to swallow. When trust is broken, it is rarely if ever repaired. While we expect insults and drawn swords and attacks and war from our enemies, these same things from a friend are much harder to bear. We do not expect such things from brother or sisters who have joined us in sweet fellowship at the house of the Lord.
If someone is being too smooth or to soothing, beware! If it seems too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true.
Be careful where you place your trust. Psalm 55:22 tells us, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you.” That verse reminds me of one of my favorite reflective hymns – “The Cares Chorus.” While even friends and family will betray us, God will never betray us.
Look at the mutual trust and faith that had developed between David and his commanders as seen in the battle against Absalom, which is recorded in 2 Samuel 18:3-5 –
But the men said, "You must not go out; if we are forced to flee, they won't care about us. Even if half of us die, they won't care; but you are worth ten thousand of us. It would be better now for you to give us support from the city."
The king answered, "I will do whatever seems best to you." So the king stood beside the gate while all the men marched out in units of hundreds and of thousands. The king commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, "Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake." And all the troops heard the king giving orders concerning Absalom to each of the commanders.
David had decided to join his troops in the battle versus his son Absalom and his men. But David’s men forbid him from going to war, because David’s men knew that David would be the target most sought after in the conflict. David trusted his men – whatever seems best to you. David may have wanted to go to personally oversee that Absalom would not be harmed. So, David trusted his man to obey his command to be gentle with Absalom.
Even after the betrayal of Absalom, David did not wish his son to die. But betrayal reared its head again. Joab, the commander of David’s men, struck down Absalom. The men questioned the resolve of Joab, but Joab killed a helplessly stuck Absalom – his beautiful hair was caught in a tree. And David was grieved when he heard about Absalom’s death.
Did Absalom’s death save lives? Perhaps. But the betrayal of the command of David does not soften the blow of betrayal and loss that David felt.
Lean on the Lord. Nothing else has the strength and stability and trustworthiness.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
No comments:
Post a Comment