Betrayed!!
Have you ever had a friend, a family member or perhaps even a leader betray you? I can't think of anything more emotionally painful; to have put your trust in someone that you love, and then have that person go behind your back and work to undermine you or perhaps tell lies about you.
That's what happened in 2 Samuel. Absalom conspired against his own father to try to win the kingship of Israel. Of course this didn't happen over night. Absalom laid the foundation for four years by intercepting people at the city gate when they came to file a complaint with the king. "Look, your claims are valid and proper, but there is no representative of the king to hear you." Then, "If I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that he gets justice. Verses 2-3.
Absalom was demonstrating the 14 charges that God levies against man without God in Romans 3:10-18. "There is no one righteous, not even one." "The poison of vipers is on their lips." "Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways" These are some of the charges listed in that portion of scripture.
It seems inconceivable that David didn't get wind of what was going on. Absalom was doing this at the city gate and it went on for four years!! Perhaps he was wrong to ignore it. When Absalom thought he had enough support he went to Hebron to set himself up as king and even seduced David's counselor, Ahithophel, to join him. When David heard what was going on he felt he must flee Jerusalem to avoid bloodshed, and he left with his entire household and with a great host of people following him, probably thousands.
The priests brought the ark of the covenant along with them but David told them to take it back into the city. I like his reaction. he said, "If I find favor in the Lord's eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again. But if he says,'I am not pleased with you,' then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him." As David often did, he was throwing himself upon God's mercy. I think by sending the ark of the covenant back he was demonstrating his faith that he would be returning to Jerusalem. We don't see any sign of bitterness in David regarding the betrayal. He did however not lose his ability to plan and strategize. He sent spies into Absalom's camp.
Jesus experienced betrayal. The Pharisees tried to kill him numerous times. Of course, they weren't his best friends.!! Judas, who had been with him for three and one-half years, betrayed him to the priests and rulers of the temple, and that with a kiss. His own Peter denied him three times the night before he was crucified. Jesus knew this would happen before it did, yet he continued to show his love to those who would betray him. No wonder the scripture says he was "touched with the feeling of our infirmities." Heb. 4:15 KJV. He knows exactly how we feel.
Knowing that we have a God who knows how we feel because he felt the same emotions himself, let's allow God to work his mercy in us and not let a root of bitterness spring up within us when we feel betrayed. Heb. 12:15. That's not to say it is an easy thing to deal with, but if we place ourselves and our emotions in God's hands he will work right responses in us. As David prayed, "Let him do whatever seems good to him."
Tomorrows Bible Reading - 2 Samuel 16, Jeremiah 20, Romans 5-6
God is good all the time,
Naomi Brinkman
2 comments:
Great Blog. Good reminder of how to respond when we feel let down or betrayed. Thank you for your wisdom Noami,
Melissa
My dad always says that what makes us different is how we respond to situations. People that live in the world respond how the world responds, but we can't, we belong to Him, therefore our responses should show that and in that order become a testimony.
This morning my husband and I read Romans, and ran across Romans 12:19-21 "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it[a] to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head."Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." And I was reminded of it when I read this blog.
Thanks for sharing!
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