Love Your Enemies

In our Women’s Bible Study we have been going through Elizabeth George’s book, A Women After God’s Own Heart. We have been extremely challenged, to say the least. Hence, God is teaching me about being a woman after His heart, as David was.

In my morning reading I’m going through the Old Testament. At this point I am reading through 2 Samuel, today I read about Saul’s death.

As of late God has been showing me some things about Saul and David’s relationship, and of course teaching me some things (He is always refining me and there is still quite a bit of dross that He is wanting to melt away).

God grabbed my attention when I read David’s response to his enemy’s (Saul) death – 2 Samuel 1:11-12, 17 – Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them;…And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul,…And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul…

Wow! No wonder God had sought himself “a man after his own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) and this man was David. Given Saul and David’s history, I would think that David’s response would have been one of relief; one of saying, “Good, I don’t have to be on the run anymore. I don’t have to be hiding or looking over my shoulder. This ‘difficult person’ is gone!” Then a big sigh of relief…NOT!!! David’s response was far from that, in fact, it was totally the opposite.

And, once again, given the past stories that we’ve read about David and Saul, could we have expected any other response from David? David had many opportunities to defeat and destroy Saul, yet David always chose the higher road.

Ya think this Scripture applies here?

Matthew 5:44 - But I say unto you, 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;

In fact we don’t ever hear of David sitting with his buddies and telling them all his woes and how awful Saul was to him in spite of David being there for Saul.

Proverbs 10:19 – In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.

1 Peter 4:8 – And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

Lots to learn…lots to meditate on.

God is absolutely not done with me yet. Thank God for His long-suffering.