Kindness Refused

 

    Life is strange.  Sometimes you may want to do something good for another person for no reason.  Sometimes you do something kind to make amends.  Sometimes kindness is just an overflow of goodness that you have received.  It is all a good thing, but sometimes your acts of kindness are rejected.  

    King Hanun of the Ammonites was distrustful of David maybe because he was so popular and powerful.   He was a new king trying to make a name for himself.  David wanted to show him kindness by sending emissaries to console him while he grieved over his father.  David's kindness was not received very well.  Hanun treated them like spies.

    Hanun went out of his way to humiliate David's advisors.  David went in person to try to make his men feel better.  He gave them permission to stay in a discrete location until their appearance was presentable.  However, this left a bad taste in his mouth.

    Hanun once again took the situation too far.  He hired 20,000 Arameans to fight against Israel.  Now the Arameans were known as the elite fighters of the time.  They were not the people anyone wanted to fight.  Hanun, just to secure his pride also hired 1,000 men from Maacah and 12,000 men from Tob.  

    David had no choice but to defend his people, so he sent Joab with his elite men to face Hanun's army.  He was not worried or anxious because God was on his side.  When the Arameans saw them all united and probably supernaturally strong due to God they fled.  When they fled, so did the Ammonites.  When the fight was over Hanun was the loser.  It all happened because he refused David's kindness.  His pride led to the death of many people.

    When rejected, it hurts and is confusing.  However, it says more about that person than yourself.  Some people are in such a bad place in their life that they can't accept kindness.  Some people have been hurt so badly, that they can't trust it without there being a catch.  Some are lost in their despair and can't comprehend an act of kindness  Some people just have a pride issue.  All these people need prayer, not judgment, because God is the only one that can heal their souls.

2 Samuel 10