2nd Samuel 3:20- 21 Then Abner and twenty men with him came to David at Hebron. And David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. Abner said to David, "Let me arise and go and gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may be king over all that your soul desires." So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.
We see here that David treats Abner with great honor and respect. This is an interesting thing because David has much reason to not like Abner at all. Abner is the commander of the army who chased David for all those years. Abner has been leading his troops against David since he became King of Judah. David has many reasons to have real problems with Abner but he does not. We see, as I said, David treat him with honor and respect.
This though is David; he is showing his wisdom and a generous spirit towards a former adversary. David had his faults and areas of struggle as we well know if when we look at his life, but in this area he shows a very forgiving heart. Certainly a lesser man would never forgive Abner for leading an army against him, but David was a great, wise, and generous man. May we practice such wisdom and generousness?
How often are we found treating those who have persecuted us in the past in a manner that is poor? How often do we lack a generous heart with people who are friends let alone someone who has been an adversary? I have said it before – we need to make being generous what we are known for. We need to be generous brokers of mercy, grace, and love as well as financially.
So how are you with being a broker of mercy, grace, love, and financially? There are areas that I need to work for sure, but how about you?
