Good For Evil

Good For Evil

Then he said to David: “You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil.

I Samuel 24:17

Christlike behavior is powerfully influential. It affects both friend and foe. David had the opportunity to end the life of Saul. He could have killed Saul in the cave when Saul wandered into the very location where David and his men were hiding. David, by the Grace of God, behaved in a genuinely Christlike manner. He spared the life of Saul, and then took the time to confront Saul with his wrongdoing. We can only say that the Holy Spirit convicted Saul for his wicked behavior. Our text for today is his admission that David has done right, and that Saul has done wrong. The larger passage elaborates, ‘And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore, may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day.’ Here is an encouragement for us. We cannot force others to do right. We can look to Christ, and by His Grace, as the Holy Spirit works righteousness in us, imitate Christ. That imitation of Christ will have an effect upon others around us, even our enemies. Unlike Saul, they will often not admit that it has an effect; yet it does nonetheless. God works for the long goal. He conforms us to the Image of Christ and then uses our behavior to have an effect upon even the bitterest of our enemies. We cannot drum up this behavior of ourselves. Christ Alone can do it, by the Power of the Spirit. As we look to Christ, He will enable us to show His Likeness to others. It will not be us who attracts them, but rather the Mirror Image of Christ in us.

Our most Gracious and Wise Savior,
We praise You, that You set before us,
the pattern of Your Own Great Self.
We rejoice, that by contemplating You, we can,
by the Power of the Holy Spirit,
learn to imitate You.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning