David was the focus of our second message on reflecting God’s heart. Many people think of David as a shepherd, a victorious warrior and a king. But David’s journey through life was full of wounding events and one particular persecutor who hounded him for many years.
When we examine many of David’s relationships we see a father who thought he was worthless, brothers who considered him foolish and eventually his father-in-law king Saul who hated him. Saul was tormented by a demon which cause him to compete with David and do everything in his power to ruin him. Saul eventually robbed David of his best friend, his wife, his home, and forced him to live around a decade of life in the run being hunted like a dog.
Shockingly David never retaliated or sought revenge against Saul. David was not shy about sharing his pain. Samuel knew it, his friends knew it, and he shares it in the Psalms. But instead of revenge, which would hurt his own heart, David turned Saul over to God. Twice David had the “perfect opportunity” to kill Saul and be done with it, but he refused.
David seems to understand the difference between defending someone else and taking revenge. He also knows that when we forgive and set someone free from our vengeance, we find that the one we really set free, is ourselves. When God takes ownership of all vengeance (“vengeance is mine declares the Lord”), He gives us an amazing gift. If we let him handle vengeance, it protects our heart and everyone around us who we would probably wound.
Where can you let go of vengeance and forgive?