1 Samuel 19:1-8
One day, Saul told his son Jonathan and his officers to kill David. But Jonathan liked David a lot, and he warned David, “My father is trying to have you killed, so be very careful. Hide in a field tomorrow morning, and I’ll bring him there. Then I’ll talk to him about you, and if I find out anything, I’ll let you know.”
The next morning, Jonathan reminded Saul about the many good things David had done for him. Then he said, “Why do you want to kill David? He hasn’t done anything to you. He has served in your army and has always done what’s best for you. He even risked his life to kill Goliath. The Lord helped Israel win a great victory that day, and it made you happy.”
Saul agreed and promised, “I swear by the living Lord that I won’t have David killed!”
Jonathan called to David and told him what Saul had said. Then he brought David to Saul, and David served in Saul’s army just as he had done before.
The next time there was a war with the Philistines, David fought hard and forced them to retreat.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
In 2001, Kent Heitholt, a reporter for the Columbia Daily Tribune in Columbia, Missouri, was viciously bludgeoned to death as he approached his car in the newspaper’s parking lot after a work shift. The case remained unsolved… until 2004, when a young man who had a history of problems with drugs and alcohol came forward. Chuck Erickson claimed that he was having dreams that he had been present at a murder… and he thought these might be flashbacks. With him in the dream was a “friend” named Ryan Ferguson. I’ll skip all the details here and get to the nuts and bolts… Erickson implicated Ferguson, and while nothing matched… DNA, hair samples, footprints – NOTHING – Ferguson was arrested… and convicted… and sentenced to prison, where he stayed for 9 years, 8 months, and 2 days.
On November 12, 2013, Ryan Ferguson was released from prison and is now a free man. Try to imagine being 19 years old and hearing a judge sentence you to 40 years in prison for a crime you did not commit… something of which you had absolutely no knowledge. Imagine how Ferguson’s parents felt as they saw their son led away as the result of a judicial system whose ruling was based on false testimony that piled up from two “key witnesses”. Think about the incredible fear, betrayal, disrespect, and sheer panic this young man must have experienced. Try to envision how he felt for nearly 10 years as he sat behind bars for something that he didn’t do, trying to clear his name. We would all agree that Ryan Ferguson has every right to be angry… upset… heartbroken… that he should be ready to tear the world apart for this indignity and affront.
There has also been a lot of information in the news lately about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy…fifty years ago this week. I watched an interview with the Secret Service agent who is shown in film footage reaching across the trunk of the President’s limo toward Mrs. Kennedy. as she climbed toward the rear of the car. The agent says she was retrieving the portion of Kennedy’s head that had just been blown away. The interviewer asked, “What did she say to you?” The agent replied, “She told me, ‘I’ve got the President’s brains in my hand.’” Imagine her shock and horror. Imagine the indignation of having your husband’s head blown away as you sat beside him. Can you even fathom the dishonor and disrespect – the downright evil – of pulling the trigger and taking another person’s life? Jackie Kennedy is reported to have refused to change from the pink Chanel suit that bore her husband’s blood stains, saying, “I want them to see what they have done.”
Don’t we all feel this way sometimes? When someone disrespects, insults, or hurts us in some way, don’t we often want to lash out… and rightly so? I have no doubt that you have been mistreated somewhere along the line – maybe even today! And maybe much like Jonathan’s question to King Saul, you are saying, “Why is this happening to me? I have done nothing wrong.”
I certainly do not have all the answers – about anything! But here’s what keeps coming to me about this dilemma… remember Jesus. Remember that He did nothing wrong, yet he was falsely accused, beaten, persecuted… and sentenced to death. As if that were not enough, his murder was brutal and indignant. He was mocked, stripped, pierced, horrifically tortured… and spit upon. And still He cried, “Father, forgive them.” Tall order? You betcha! There have been times when I have argued… “But how am I to forgive? Haven’t I had enough?” The answer is a resounding… “Seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:21-22…” Peter came up to the Lord and asked, “How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me? Is seven times enough?” Jesus answered: Not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!”) The temptation for revenge can be great… even to the extent of “I want them to see what they have done.” The answer to my prayer is found in John 13:34…” But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you.”
If you continue to read the book of 1 Samuel through at least Chapter 23, you will see that Saul did not keep his word. He became consumed by the devil and tried several times to kill David. And you may feel like you keep getting kicked and disrespected and knocked down over and again. You may be tempted to quit… to give up and walk away from the people or situation that is causing you so much pain. I encourage you to spend a lot of time in prayer and ask God to show you how to proceed. Feel His hands on your shoulders, holding you and absorbing your tears and frustration. Allow Him room to work… and listen as He shows you where to back away – and how far to go. Let God give you the strength and wisdom to handle indignation and disrespect with grace, confidence and peace. Continue to fight hard… in Jesus’ name…and because He did it for you.
I don’t know how a 28-year-old man adjusts to re-entering society after almost a decade of injustice. But I do know that with God, all things are possible. Won’t you allow Him to work in your life today? Will you ask God to give you empathy and sensitivity for those who have been unfairly treated… and a strong confidence that God understands the heartbreak of disrespect and offense, because He experiences it firsthand as we mistreat Him? Can you look beyond your own burdens and operate in God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness?
When was the last time you apologized to God for how you have disrespected and disappointed Him? Isn’t this a good place to begin your healing journey? As you begin to repair your relationship with God, you will find the strength, courage and wisdom to operate in His grace and mercy toward others. Just as Ryan Ferguson cannot retrieve the near-decade he lost to prison… and we cannot bring back those who have been murdered and taken from us…we cannot change our past. But God can equip us to handle the future… and to enjoy our life as Christian disciples. Are you with me?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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