How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! 2 Samuel 1:25a – The battle that took place in the last chapter of 1 Samuel is over and we see the devastation that was brought over Israel. Many Israelites lost their lives that day, and on top of the lives of the soldiers we see that King Saul, Jonathan, and Saul’s other two sons were killed in this battle. This was a horrible defeat for Israel that left them with a vacant throne. This was a hard message for David to hear, and we see that despair laid out in the verses of our chapter, for many are like the verse we have above. While that grief is easily seen, let us not forget the nature of relationship David had with Saul. Saul was continually seeking to kill David. Saul had taken multiple envoys of soldiers and chariots to hunt David down and wipe David off the map. Saul had even tried to personally assassinate David twice with a spear. While we may expect then David to be overjoyed at the news of Saul’s death, instead we see despair and grief. What we learn here is a lesson I read in a commentary over this chapter…hatred, bitterness, and unforgiveness are chosen emotions. We do not have to camp out in such emotions, and they are not a forced way we have to exist. Through Jesus we can forgive those who have hurt us and return hatred towards us with love. Will that be easy? No. Will this look completely odd to all those around us like David’s reaction seems odd to us? Yes. Can we let go of our bitterness, hatred, and unforgiveness? Yes, with the help of Jesus. While this path of choosing to let go of these fleshly emotions is hard, it’s possible with Jesus and it’s the path Jesus is calling you to take. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3020
Question To Ponder: Why are emotions like bitterness, hatred, and unforgiveness so easy to settle in?
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