Daily Devotional for Monday, December 18

David’s Respect

“And it came to pass after this, that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead. Then said David, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon,” 2 Samuel 10:1, 2.

Kindness and respect are in short supply today. Just ask any fast- food worker. You have probably witnessed an angry customer who was disrespectful, even hateful, toward a teenaged cashier doing his best behind the counter. I have witnessed foul language, temper tantrums and thrown food, all because of too much or too little mustard or ketchup. I hope you have never been on the receiving (or sending) end of one of these encounters.

David attempted to show respect to a neighboring king upon the passing of his father. Hanun’s father, Nahash, had shown kindness to David at some point in the past, so David wanted to return the favor to his son Hanun. He was under no obligation to do this. As far as we know, perhaps only David and Nahash even knew about the kindness that had been previously shown. Nonetheless, David sent an entourage of servants to bring comfort to Hanun. This show of respect, however, was not well received. This misperception even led to war. A good deed backfired.

We, too, live in a disrespectful age. Our acts of kindness and respect will not always be understood or accepted. This might mean that our acts of respect and kindness are understood as weakness or even worse. Obviously we want to avoid that misperception, but that does not mean we should quit being respectful.

REFLECTION: Keep doing right, even if no one understands it. God does, and He will reward it.

Jason Rutherford