Through the Bible: 2nd SamuelSample

Choose Better, Not Bitter

David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?”

2 Samuel 1:14 (ESV)

And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son.

2 Samuel 1:17 (ESV)

Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles. 

Proverbs 24:7

One of my most impressionable trips abroad was a breathtaking boat ride down a river with crystal clear reflective waters in New Zealand. In the Scriptures, the Lord reminds us repeatedly of the importance of the condition of our hearts. In 1 Samuel, we read of David being greatly wronged, suffering under the evil intentions of King Saul. Yet, in 2 Samuel 1, upon receiving news of King Saul and Jonathan’s death, David’s immediate response was contrary to what the Amalekites had expected. David did not rejoice in Saul’s fate but mourned the loss of ‘the Lord’s anointed’. In Proverbs, God’s Word defines that ‘as a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.’ David was a man after God’s heart. He deliberately chose the better response, not bitter. His heart was contrite before God through persecution, recognizing that in all things, God is sovereign.

Prayer:

Loving Father, we come to You and seek Your forgiveness for the times we had chosen otherwise, allowing bitterness to fester in our hearts. As we surrender our thoughts, words, and deeds to Christ, may we be like a crystal river reflecting Your glory in the midst of adversity, being governed in love above all else. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.