Day 57: I Samuel 21-24
Jesus' idea of turning the other cheek when someone is out to harm you is actually found in the Old Testament. David has a chance to kill King Saul (who has been chasing David all around the countryside trying to kill him), but he doesn't do it. Instead, David cuts off a corner of Saul's robe when Saul isn't looking and presents it to Saul. When Saul realizes that David could have killed him but didn't, Saul weeps. He is deeply saddened about his own actions and begs David not to kill off his family. David swears not to kill them off.
Have you ever done something so bad that after you do it you weep about your actions and/or behavior? I know that I have. Saul here shows a contrite and repentant heart and sometimes it takes someone showing us another way before we realize what we have done. Saul's weeping is significant because it shows us that he does have a conscience and he is sorry for his behavior. But it took a very dramatic event in which he almost died in order to come to this point.
We don't often think of our sins as serious (at least not on a day-to-day basis). Jesus came and died for our sins and he has made us pure again, right? Well, this is true, but when we do spend some time reflecting on the choices we make and the sins in which we are entangled, we are formed in cruciform ways, ways that will affect our perspective, emotions, and actions.
From Saul we can learn the importance of evaluating ourselves and where we are in our life. We can also learn about the importance of making things wrong with people that have wronged us or whom we have wronged.
And from David we can learn about the importance of turning the other cheek when someone wrongs us. He also shows us how to praise God in the midst of pain, worry, and fear.
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