David was a great warrior. He defeated the Philistines, the Moabites, the Ammonites and the Edomites. It says that "David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people." - 2 Sam. 8:15 NIV
David was a wise king as well. He didn't try to do it all himself, but chose good men for top positions: Joab, Jehoshaphat, Zadok, Ahimelech, Seraiah, Beniah and his sons all had their areas of responsibility.
And most importantly, David was a good, kind and loving king. He sought out news of any survivors of Saul's family, and when he was told of Mephibosheth, Jonathan's crippled son, he restored his fortunes, provided servants to do the work for him and gave him a permanent seat at his table as if he were one of David's own sons.
Nahash, the king of the Ammonites died. At some time or other, he had shown kindness towards David, so David sent condolences to his son. Hanun, the kings son, was persuaded by his noblemen not trust David's motives, so they shaved off the representatives beards and cut their robes so short that they were exposed, humiliating the entire delegation.
The Ammonites realized their mistake, but it was too late. Even after hiring the Arameans to go with them against David, they were not successful. David routed both the Ammonites and the Arameans. They had not learned the lesson that Mephibosheth had, that at the core, David's heart was good and forgiving.
No comments:
Post a Comment