UNHEALTHY COMPARISONS (1)

‘…Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.’
1 SAMUEL 18:7

Instead of celebrating David’s victory over Goliath with those who sang ‘David [has slain] his ten thousands’, Saul became jealous. As a result, he opened himself to ‘an evil spirit’ (1 Samuel 18:10 NIV). There are three lessons here:

1) Those who help you today, may hurt you tomorrow. So what should you do? When Saul threw spears, David refused to throw them back. Instead he forgave, prayed for Saul, and positioned himself to be promoted. It’s not easy, but it’s a winning strategy. ‘You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven…’ (Matthew 5:43-45 NIV).

2) Those who love you today, may loathe you tomorrow. God says, ‘…I have loved you with an everlasting love…’ (Jeremiah 31:3 NIV). All other sources of love are subject to change. You can marry someone who resents you for being what you are, and you end up thinking, ‘You chose me because I’m outspoken; now you don’t like me because I speak out,’ or ‘You liked me because I was quiet; now you say I’m boring.’ You feel betrayed when people invite you, then fight you. But God will be faithful to you!

3) While others speak well of you, some will resent you. Notice, David didn’t sing, ‘Saul killed a thousand, but I killed ten thousand.’ You can understand why that would irritate others. But David didn’t boast about his success. Sometimes those who congratulate you can create enemies for you. That’s because some folk can’t celebrate anyone other than themselves.

written by Bob Gass