#452 Sorry, Perception Ain't Reality

And it came to pass after this, that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead.

2 Then said David, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father shewed kindness unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father. And David's servants came into the land of the children of Ammon.

3 And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?

4 Wherefore Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.

5 When they told it unto David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed: and the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return.

6 And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Bethrehob and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand footmen, and of king Maacah a thousand men, and of Ishtob twelve thousand men.

7 And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men.

8 And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the entering in of the gate: and the Syrians of Zoba, and of Rehob, and Ishtob, and Maacah, were by themselves in the field.

9 When Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians:

10 And the rest of the people he delivered into the hand of Abishai his brother, that he might put them in array against the children of Ammon.

11 And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will come and help thee.

12 Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the Lord do that which seemeth him good.

13 And Joab drew nigh, and the people that were with him, unto the battle against the Syrians: and they fled before him.

14 And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, then fled they also before Abishai, and entered into the city. So Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem.

15 And when the Syrians saw that they were smitten before Israel, they gathered themselves together.

16 And Hadarezer sent, and brought out the Syrians that were beyond the river: and they came to Helam; and Shobach the captain of the host of Hadarezer went before them.

17 And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together, and passed over Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in array against David, and fought with him.

18 And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, who died there.

19 And when all the kings that were servants to Hadarezer saw that they were smitten before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and served them. So the Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon any more. 2 Samuel 10 KJV

There is nothing that leaves so much of an impression upon us as kindness, both done to ourselves and even richer when we extend this to others. The lame now have a place at the kings table, and it must hold the memories and comforts of a faithful friend, though not the person but the glimpse, the smile. In time of peace it is good to look around for and after the turmoil of others, that we stay busy in doing good, that we pray without ceasing, resisting such temptation to suggest that must starve so that I may be fat. He remembers the kindness of another king to himself, and so he wishes to comfort that man's son in his passing. He sends his own faithful servants as the Lord of the field sends His servants first and in the last He sends His Son. Now men will always be suspect of one another, but these men have come in peace, yet the princes of Ammon do not come to that truth. They are Godless men, politicians who deal with like men from all over, not looking for another's best, but to best another. People always say to the point that I am sick of it, that "their perception is their reality", but for one small problem, the truth. I have heard long defenses of people's perception, but all for not, because the issue can only rightly be settled on the truth, otherwise the outcome is not just. "David could not have sent these men to comfort you, because we would never do that ourselves, unless we were going to spy out the land." To the pure all things are pure, and walking home with half a beard and my ass hanging out to my shame, I would have to wonder, what did I do? Men swore upon their beards then, were shaved off only to show that they were no longer their own person, but slaves to another. You expose my nakedness and shave off my beard as if to say that my dishonesty has been exposed, that you have brought to light that which was not even darkness in me? I am shamed if this is what my king sought to do, but I had no knowledge of it. This was not David's intent and he is jealous for his servants as if it were his own beard, and what is done to his people is done also to him. He sent them with their feet shod in the preparation of the gospel of peace, to comfort those he thought mourned, but they would not be comforted. They disdained the kindness of the king, in their arrogance they thought themselves above it, they tormented the servants that he sent and now they do realize that their own actions have caused them to stink. They do not repent of their actions but fortify themselves against that day of justice. They refused peace and knowing that they have now agitated the sword, they call upon Syrians and all else who will stand with them. Joab and his brother split their forces to deal with the different armies, and David crosses the Jordan to oppose this hoard. We should stop here and never go on, so that our perception could shape some wonderful "reality", but the Bible is too honest in it's assessments of men, and while we may glory in the present, so much of the rest of David's story is too painful to continue. He has been called up by God to be the shepherd of His people, he has expanded the kingdom, penned some of the most wonderful and prophetic Psalms, but he is no Christ. Those that looked for Messiah in his day, must look for another. Lord, teach my heart, let me be ever so careful, nothing I have is without Your grace, and no evil that befalls me is without your permission. Let us not shrink from this history, but rather be all the more careful where we stand, lest we be tempted and fall. 

And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. 2 When the season came, he sent a servant[a] to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. 6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this Scripture:


“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;[b]
11 this was the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

12 And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away. Mark 12: 1-12