S ) "12 Then the people said to Samuel, 'Who is he that said, "Shall Saul reign over us?" Bring the men, that we may put them to death.' 13 But Saul said, 'Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has accomplished deliverance in Israel.'"
1 Samuel 11:12-13 (NASB)
O) In the previous chapter, Samuel had anointed Saul as king, and the majority of the Israelites supported him as their king. But, at the end of chapter 10, we read that there were some who did not support him. The Bible refers to them as "worthless men." Well, in this chapter, there was a siege at Jabesh-gilead, and Saul rallied the entire nation of Israel to come to their aid. After the city was delivered from the Ammonites, Saul had essentially proven himself as worthy of kingship, and so his followers were full of zeal for him. To this point in Saul's story, he had done nothing to jeopardize his reign, and in his response in the above verse, we see him still giving glory to the LORD, and desiring to reflect God's grace back onto His people. God had just delivered them from death at the hands of a foreign threat, so Saul had mercy on his domestic opponents, because that preserved the lives of his countrymen from threat, without and within.
A) There is a careful balance between grace and mercy. The LORD is totally just, as a completely righteous judge. But, He also desires mercy for all (see 2 Peter 3:9). However, when I am wronged, there is sometimes still a tendency for me to want justice, punishment, and not much mercy for the offender (hear me now, this is not regular, but it happens). The reality, though, is that I need to approach every conflict with the same grace that the LORD has afforded me, in the mercy I received through Jesus Christ. But by the grace of God go I. Just as Saul saw the present grace in the lives of those whom the LORD had just delivered, I need to recognize the grace present in my own life (ever-present grace, that it is), and it should be my desire that the same grace would be shown to those in conflict against me. I cannot impart God's grace to them (that is, I cannot force the hand of God to save them by grace), but I can show them the form of grace I have received, by reflecting grace to them. In that way, I might glorify Him who saved me by His grace.
P) Father, Your grace overwhelmed me. Everyday, I can see how I still need Your grace, I still need Your mercy. Open my eyes to see the need of carrying that grace to others. Open my ears, to hear their needs. Whether a person sins against me, or I simply learn of the offense, give me the patient perspective to see how You would approach the person. Give me the wisdom and direction, to react in obedience that will glorify You. Clear my mind of misconceptions, clear my heart of misgivings. Let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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