Day 54: 2 Samuel 10:1–19

Then David said, “I’ll show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent his emissaries to console Hanun concerning his father (v. 2).

With 2 Samuel 10, we mark the end of the golden period of David’s reign. In the next chapter we will see him commit the sin that will dog the rest of his life, so let’s enjoy these final unblemished examples of his character.

When Nahash the king of the Ammonites died, David demonstrated a remarkable degree of sympathy for the suffering. David knew better than anyone that a crown did not make a person void of feelings and oblivious to losses. Even though Saul was not his father and had often treated him with malice, David had grieved his death. Likewise, Hanun was assuming the throne of the Ammonites but at the cost of his father’s life.

David was exhibiting the character of God as he extended sympathy to someone who had experienced loss. David knew the disappointment of reaching out to others for sympathy and not receiving it, but he learned from his experience that God is always compassionate and sympathetic. You can depend on God in your need. See how he described the sympathetic heart of God:

As a father has compassion on his children,

so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him (Ps. 103:13).

But His sympathy is not always accepted.

David experienced something similar when Hanun rejected his extension of sympathy. The Ammonite nobles led Hanun to believe that David had sinister motives for sending his men. They attempted to make the new king feel foolish for trusting David’s motives. “Do you think David is honoring your father by sending men to you to express sympathy?” (v. 3).

A possible paraphrase might be, “Are you some kind of gullible idiot?” They said David was spying out Hanun’s kingdom for conquest. Following his advisers’ counsel, Hanun humiliated David’s men by cutting off half their garments and beards. He was symbolically making them half the men they were.

I see an important similarity between David’s rejected sympathies expressed by the humiliation of his delegates, and God’s rejected sympathies expressed by humanity’s rejection of Christ. God’s most glorious extension of sympathy to a dying world was Christ, His Son. God sent Christ as the delegate of His sympathy to the misery of men.

Christ was also met by those who stirred up misunderstanding among the people, just like the Ammonite nobles. These people in Christ’s day were called Pharisees. Ultimately, His message of sympathy was rejected by the very ones to whom it was extended, and Christ hung on a cross in complete humiliation. For those who have received Him, Christ remains our sympathizer, ever ready to lead us to a door of escape from temptation or a door of mercy when temptation has turned to participation.

We saw David’s character reflect God’s sympathy. We now turn to another aspect of God’s character: the king’s fierce protectiveness toward his own. David sent messengers to meet the men so they would not have to be publicly humiliated. He made provision for them to stay in Jericho until their beards had grown because he knew a shaved beard was considered an insult. In effect, he threw a cloak around their exposed bodies and formed a plan to spare their dignity.

I’m not sure we can understand what this kind of humiliation meant to a Hebrew. The thought of being exposed in such a heartless manner would be humiliating to anyone, but to a Hebrew such humiliation was virtually a fate worse than death. They were a very modest people. Their enemy had preyed on one of their worst nightmares. David fiercely protected the dignity of his men.

God is even more protective of us.

Finally in this incident, we see David reflecting another clear example of God’s nature: his vengeance toward the enemies of his people and the mockers of his mercy. David did not just formulate a plan to spare the dignity of his men. He took on their enemy himself. God also takes on our enemies when we’ve been shamed.

Let me assure you, God can take on your enemy with far more power and might than you could ever muster. When someone persecutes you, your Father takes the persecution very personally, especially when you are persecuted for obeying Him, as David’s men were. The battle is the Lord’s!

God has extended His mercy to every single member of the human race. He sent His Delegate of sympathy for our sin problem to hang on a cross as the Divine Remedy. Those who reject His mercy and mock His motives will be punished sooner or later if they do not repent. Pray today for your enemies! Pray they will accept God’s Delegate of mercy toward them!