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2 Samuel 10:1-4 – The King’s Kindness Rejected

The chapter begins by telling us about the death of a king we haven’t heard of since way back in 1st Samuel 11 and 12. Those chapters tell us that the threat posed by Nahash was one of the reasons why God’s people wanted a king in the first place. Sure enough, Saul’s first act as king is to defeat Nahash and the Ammonites and liberate the Israelite city they were besieging. Then v2 of our current chapter tells us something that we don’t hear of anywhere else: Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had dealt loyally with David. We aren’t told when that took place or what it looked like – but it would have been when David was on the run from Saul. Whether David and Nahash had formally made a covenant – or whether David just felt bound to him because of his act of kindness – we’re not told. But the point is that Nahash had been kind – he’s shown steadfast love – covenant love – to David. As a result, when David hears that he’s died, he sends ambassadors to console Nahash’s son, Hanun.

In the last chapter David showed kindness to someone within the kingdom – Mephibosheth. In this chapter he shows kindness to someone outside the kingdom. In both cases it’s surprising. Both times he shows kindness to people we wouldn’t expect him to show kindness to. Both times he shows kindness to people who don’t deserve his kindness. Both times he’s motivated by covenant loyalty.

So how do they react? Well as we saw last week, Mephibosheth reacted gratefully. But this time, the response of Hanun couldn’t be any more different. He doesn’t just politely decline David’s kindness – he publicly shames his ambassadors. That was something that just wasn’t done. Ambassadors were – and still are – considered privileged, even at times of war. So to humiliate an ambassador was a very serious thing indeed. Obviously it showed how Hanun felt, not just about the ambassadors, but about David himself. God’s king, in his kindness, had sent him a message of comfort. But he threw it back in his face. We need to be prepared for that reaction as well.

Question

  1. What had Nahash done for David?
  2. What did Hanun do to David’s kindness?

Prayer Points

  1. Give thanks for the kindness of God.
  2. Use prayer points from your congregation.
  3. Pray for family matters.