The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their
troubles~ Psalm 34:7
I recall with perfect clarity the first
time I grasped just how unfair life could be.
I
was thirteen and my brother Charley was eleven. Charley was given permission to
ride the city bus downtown to see a movie with his friends. The next week I
asked if I could do the same thing and was told no. I of course demanded to
know why my younger brother was allowed to do something I wasn’t.
After much explanation (on my Mother’s
part) and debate (on my part) my exasperated and exhausted Mother ended the
conversation abruptly with….
“Let it go, Lisa. Things are just
different for girls”.
I get it now. I have two daughters and I
understand that, unfair as it may seem to treat boys and girls differently,
things really are different for
girls. There are plenty of creepy people running around who would be more than
eager to take advantage of a young girl, especially one who is all by herself.
Unfairness presents itself in many forms.
Sometimes it’s learning the gloomy truth that boys and girls really are
different. Sometimes it’s much more painful and life impacting. Like when we
learn we have been….
Lied to by someone we
trusted
Passed over for an
opportunity
Slandered by a friend or
co-worker
Misunderstood by someone who
should have known better
Cheated on
The victim of someone else’s
jealousy
Unfairness and injustice can cause us to
become angry and cynical. Anger and cynicism, left unchecked, provide fertile
ground for the development of the bitter roots we are admonished to avoid at
all costs in Hebrews 10:36. Unfair scenarios that trigger the development bitter
roots are sure to come into our lives. How we respond to these situations will
make or break us as Christians.
In
1st Samuel 25 David was at the end of what he could handle. Life had
been unfair to David for a very long time.
It all started when David received the
seemingly good news that he would be the future Monarch of Israel. King Saul caught
wind of God’s plan and unleashed the full force of his jealousy and wrath on
David. David spent the next two decades struggling to stay alive long enough to
see the prophecy fulfilled.
Fugitives from crazy Kings need to make a
living too. In 1st Samuel 25 David found a way to put food on the
table. During sheep shearing season David and his men would keep ranchers’ sheep
secure from marauding bandits. In return, the ranchers would provide food and
other goods for David and his men. It was an effective and lucrative system
until David met a nasty man named Nabal who refused to pay for services
rendered.
David, overwhelmed by the unfairness and
injustice he had suffered, lost control and vowed to all within earshot…
“May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave
alive one male of all who belong to Nabal!”
After years of being treated unfairly,
something within David broke and he gave into the temptation that all victims
of unfairness face eventually. He became unfair and unreasonable in the way he
treated others.
It’s reasonable to say that Nabal
desperately needed to be schooled on the subjects of integrity and respect. Murdering
every male on Nabal’s property regardless of guilt or innocence is not the type
of schooling God likes to see His people hand out.
Then along came Nabal’s wife, Abigail, who
reminded David of some truths that we all need to hear from time to time.
Abigail reminded David that…
Foolish and cruel people
should not be allowed to change who we are
The sin of one evil person
does not excuse our own
There are harsh consequences
for the choices we make in anger
God has a way of making
things fair in the long run
Abigail wanted David to understand that when
we reach that awful place where we have been treated so unfairly we feel inclined
to sin or seek revenge, we are quite likely nearing the end of our trial. Better
and brighter days are right around the corner. The trick for all of us is to
keep our eyes on God and His goodness rather than our own misery long enough to
see God’s plan come to fruition in our lives.
As you know, we count as
blessed those who have persevered.
You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally
brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy~ James 5:11 NIV
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