BBD 09.18.09 Unseen Consequences
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>
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The Burning Bush Devotional
(A Devotional Classic from 2002)
Welcome to the 1013 new subscribers since January 1, 2009
09.18.09
Unseen Consequences
Then Nabal answered David's servants, and said, 'who is David, and who is
the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one
from his master. Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I
have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where
they are from?' - 1 Samuel 25:10-11.
David and his men were still on the run from King Saul, but meanwhile they
had been protecting the flocks of Nabal since they were in the area. It was
common and expected during those times to repay such kindness. When David's
men were sent to seek some modest compensation for their assistance, Nabal
was rude and selfish living up to the meaning of his name (Nabal means
fool.). Sometimes you can be rude to the wrong people. Sometimes you can be
mean and selfish at the wrong time, toward the wrong people. Not that it is
ever right, but the consequences sometimes are swift and severe as Nabal
found out.
David fully intended to destroy Nabal and his family because of the rude
response of the man. However, Abigail (Nabal's wife) met him on his way to
attack bringing gifts of food and pleaded with him not to do so. David
heeded the plea of Abigail and soon God struck Nabal and within days he was
dead. We need to remember that God says, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,
says the Lord (Hebrews 10:30)."
A couple of burglars in Dallas give another example of how you can pick on
the wrong people at the wrong time. They broke into the home of a Dallas
police officer that was home at the time of the break-in! Officer Chris
Gilliam shot and arrested one of the suspects, and the other suspect was
arrested a short time later.
There will always be persecution, trials, and tribulations for Christians.
However, the moral of the story is that if we live according to the
teachings of Jesus Christ then we will not have to worry about the
consequences we have seen in the incidents I have described. So before you
lash out in anger, before you are rude, before you act like a selfish pig,
remember that you do not always know what the consequences may be. And,
those consequences may be very unpleasant.
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