It's Complicated (S2): WK 1 - THU

2 Samuel 2:4-6
4 Then the men of Judah came to David and anointed him king over the people of Judah. 
When David heard that the men of Jabesh-gilead had buried Saul, 
5 he sent them this message: “May the Lord bless you for being so loyal to your master 
Saul and giving him a decent burial. 
6 May the Lord be loyal to you in return and reward you with his unfailing love! And I, too, 
will reward you for what you have done.

Jabesh-gilead wasn’t just the place where they buried Saul, it was in Israel territory, the northern kingdom; otherwise known as the place that David was not yet king over. So sure, you could see this as enemy territory for this newly anointed king of Judah.

David offers the people of this town a peace offering in the form of a blessing. He loved Saul, and was thankful for their kindness to Saul and his family. David doesn’t want to be their enemy, he doesn’t want civil war any more. He wants to unite the kingdoms and God’s people, as Samuel foresaw all those years ago.

So in order to unite the kingdoms, David would have to expel a great deal of energy to win them over, to earn their trust, and to help them see that the best way forward is together, not apart. Of course, this would take time, almost 7 years to be precise. Was it hard, easy to want to give up at times? Absolutely. People would have to lay down their egos and self-interest to put not only others first, but God first. Was it worth it? Without a doubt.

We live in a day of division, fear, and anger. We cancel people for the use of a word we don’t like, or for an action we only can see part of. We see people with different opinions than ours not just as different, but wrong, or worse, an evil that must be stopped.

But our call as followers of Jesus is to be different. We are to love our enemies, turn the other cheek, pray for those who persecute us. Our table is to be open and welcoming to those with differing opinions, cultural backgrounds, even lifestyle choices. And our call to lovewell as a church, is something better done together, than apart.

I wonder if this is why Jesus took a servant-leadership approach in his time here on earth. Just look at the Last Supper. While his disciples, 12 of the most different people you could ever find, argued about which one of them was the best, Jesus quietly washed their feet. Maybe the way we win people over, is not by trying to prove how right we are, but through our quiet acts of love and kindness.

I recently listened to an audiobook I highly recommend by the late Eddie Jacku, WWII holocaust survivor. It’s called, The Happiest Man on Earth. He had so many gems to share, but for today I’ll leave you with this one…

“Your efforts today will affect people you will never know, it is your choice whether that effect is positive or negative. You can choose every day, every minute, to act in a way that may uplift a stranger, or else drag them down. The choice is easy. And it is yours to make.”

1. What kinds of divisions do you see in our world that cause you the most pain?
2. What kinds of divisions are there in your world, friends or family, that desperately need healing?
3. What’s one act of kindness you could perform today to help work towards unity over division?