Title: Amazing Response/Topic: Respect

Today’s Reading: 2 Samuel 1; Psalm 140; Matthew 13

Scripture: 2 Samuel 1:11,12
11 Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them. 12 They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
Observation: I have always found David's attitude toward Saul amazing. Saul had been pursuing David for years, trying to kill him. As a result, David had been forced to live as a fugitive, away from his home and family. But when he gets the news that his enemy Saul is dead, he mourns him and speaks of him with great respect. Even though Saul was his enemy without cause, David had respect for Saul's position of authority as king. He never did anything to harm or disrespect him.

Application: This kind of respect is so rare today. Oh that we would revere our leaders as David did, even when their faults are quite visible to the public. I often hear Christians, who tend to be conservative, bemoan and deride the liberals who lampoon and slander President Bush, but I remember Christians doing the same thing to Bill Clinton when he was president. Bill Clinton was no more immoral than King Saul was in his day. We need to take a page out of David's book and respect the position of those in authority even when we don't agree with their values.

Prayer: Father,give me a pure heart in this matter. May I respect those in authority while at the same time working to make sure that our leaders are moral and integrious in their behavior.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.