"Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.
Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the Lord hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.
For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike."
1 Samuel 30:22-24
This was interesting to me because I was reading what the "wicked men" said, and it made sense in the modern world. If they didn't help, then why are we giving them part of the reward? And because it sort of makes sense to us, God teaches them, and us today, a good lesson.
David reminds us that the Lord has given us whatever riches or loot that we have. It should be used for the good of the community, and shared. Not only because he gave it to us, but also because everything we have and do should be for the benefit of all, not just ourselves. That's a hard thing for us to wrap our heads around sometimes, because we are used to competition, comparison, and judgment. But hopefully we all have one or two people that we feel like that about--that we care about their welfare and happiness as much as our own. And those people can be our examples in how God feels about, and asks us to treat, others.
Today, let's work on doing things for the good of the community, suppressing our natural selfishness and greed, and learning to be more loving and generous. Let's turn to God and do as he asks with the blessings that he grants us.
Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the Lord hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.
For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike."
1 Samuel 30:22-24
This was interesting to me because I was reading what the "wicked men" said, and it made sense in the modern world. If they didn't help, then why are we giving them part of the reward? And because it sort of makes sense to us, God teaches them, and us today, a good lesson.
David reminds us that the Lord has given us whatever riches or loot that we have. It should be used for the good of the community, and shared. Not only because he gave it to us, but also because everything we have and do should be for the benefit of all, not just ourselves. That's a hard thing for us to wrap our heads around sometimes, because we are used to competition, comparison, and judgment. But hopefully we all have one or two people that we feel like that about--that we care about their welfare and happiness as much as our own. And those people can be our examples in how God feels about, and asks us to treat, others.
Today, let's work on doing things for the good of the community, suppressing our natural selfishness and greed, and learning to be more loving and generous. Let's turn to God and do as he asks with the blessings that he grants us.
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