“And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.” – Sam. 24:17
I recently wrote about “Vices and Virtues” from Eph. 4:31-32). Today I want to sum up the virtues with one word – “mercy“. One of the best examples of this is found in 1 Sam. 24:16-22, where we find David sparing king Saul when he had the perfect opportunity to kill him. Rather than murder him he showed mercy – leaving for us a great lesson on dealing with difficulties.
Keep in mind that Saul was unfairly making David’s life miserable. He was determined to kill David and along with 3,000 men hunting him down like a wild animal. When Saul went to sleep in a cave he had no idea that David and his men were hid in the cave. But rather than kill the wicked king, David simply cut off a piece of his robe – giving evidence that he was not an enemy or threat to the king. He chose to be merciful to the man who was making him miserable!
That made an impression on Saul. He said, “Thou art more righteous than I: for thou rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil” ( 1 Sam. 24:17). This is a great example of what Paul meant when he wrote, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good” ( Rom. 12:21). Our natural tendency is to react to evil with evil. But the wise thing to do is to respond to the evil with good, to show mercy. That’s what Jesus did when he prayed for those who crucified him ( Luke 23:34).
There’s no doubt about it, regardless of how well you live there will be those who hate, abuse, use, and neglect you. In some cases they do it because you are godly ( 2 Tim. 3:12). Yet we are to respond in mercy, withholding the evil they deserve. That not only pleases God, it makes an impression on others and gives us the best possible chance to see them change. If for no other reason we ought to do it because “God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” ( Eph. 4:32). – HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346
