DCLM DAILY MANNA DEVOTIONAL FOR JANUARY 23, 2023 (NO RETALIATION)
TOPIC: NO RETALIATION
Text: 2 Samuel 3:22-27 (KJV)
22 And, behold, the servants of David and Joab came from pursuing a troop, and brought in a great spoil with them: but Abner was not with David in Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace.
23 When Joab and all the host that was with him were come, they told Joab, saying, Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he hath sent him away, and he is gone in peace.
24 Then Joab came to the king, and said, What hast thou done? behold, Abner came unto thee; why is it that thou hast sent him away, and he is quite gone?
25 Thou knowest Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive thee, and to know thy going out and thy coming in, and to know all that thou doest.
26 And when Joab was come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, which brought him again from the well of Sirah: but David knew it not.
27 And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him there under the fifth rib, that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.
KEY VERSE: 2 Samuel 3:27
“And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him there under the fifth rib, that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.”
MESSAGE
Many believers find it difficult to obey Christ’s command which says, “love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Nevertheless, we know that all the commands of the Lord, without exception, must be obeyed.
Those who neglect this command fail to realise that rather than making things better, revenge worsens situations. Studies in America have shown that while at least 20 percent of the homicide cases are driven by revenge, over 60 percent of school shootings are attributable to revenge.
Today’s text contains the bitter revenge of Joab against Abner because he killed Asahel, his (Joab’s) brother in battle. Joab and the others in David’s army had just returned with great spoils from battle against the house of Saul.
Joab was not happy that David has hosted Abner and sent him away peacefully. He summed up Abner’s visit to David as that of an enemy coming to spy on his plans.
And without David’s knowledge, Joab sent his servants to bring Abner back to Hebron. Pretending that he wanted to discuss with Abner, Joab took him aside and killed him in cold blood.
People who exact revenge in an attempt to regain peace, end up losing their peace. Revenge aggravates the effect of the actual wrong done in the mind of those who take the course of action.
On the other hand, not taking revenge enables you to find a better way to cope with the wrong done through forgiveness. The price of revenge is a lifetime of sorrow and regret.
Jesus was emphatic in prescribing forgiveness to those that offend us and avoiding retaliation under any pretence. Whatever the offense of people against us, we are to freely forgive and leave the judgment to God.
More significantly, the Lord made forgiving others a pre-condition for receiving forgiveness from God. It is that important.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Revenge is like a boomerang – it harms the initiator.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Exodus 23-25
Daily Manna is the daily devotional of the Deeper Christian Life Bible Ministry (DCLM) written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi. It is an extraction of God’s Word designed to draw the sincere seeker closer to God on a daily basis through an insightful exposition and analysis of God’s Word.
