Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 19:1, Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David; but Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted greatly in David.
Sadly, Saul’s hatred for David was so strong that he wanted everyone to hate David. In doing so, Saul was putting everyone in a difficult position, as they would now have to divide their loyalty between Saul and David. As followers of Jesus, we must be very careful that we not allow our insecurities, fears, prejudices, or fleshly desires, cause us to hate others and be divisive amongst God’s people. We cannot be the type of Christians who claims to love Jesus while hating our own brothers and sisters in Christ. As a matter of fact, we cannot even excuse hating those who are not of the faith. Why, you ask? We cannot justify hating those whom Jesus loved and died for. John 3:16 is very clear that Jesus died for the world. He did not die for a particular group of people, a particular culture, or a particular type of person. What God does hates is sin, not the sinner. He loves the sinner, and proved it on Calvary. Romans 5:8 clearly states, “But God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” 1 John 2:9-11 says, “He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. 10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. 11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” 1 John 4:20-21 also reiterates, “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.” In his desire to kill David, Saul put others in a difficult position, who both admired and loved David. When we let our own foolishness and pride cause division amongst God’s people, we put others in a difficult position. More importantly, when we cause division, we do something that God absolutely hates. Proverbs 6:16-19 tells us, “These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, 18 a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 a false witness who speaks lies, and one who cause discord among brethren.” Like Jonathan, we ought not buy into other people’s hatred and divisiveness. When someone comes to us gossiping about others and attempting to cause division by using us to spread such divisive hatred, we need to be bold enough to stop it right in its tracks, with both humility and love. I heard it once said that anyone who talks to you or me about someone else will talk about us to others when we are not around. In David’s case, we see that the love of Jonathan toward him was greater than Saul’s hatred toward him. We must keep from allowing hatred, for anyone, to creep into our hearts; and if we are the ones on the receiving end of someone else’s hatred, always remember that God’s love for us is always greater than the hate some will have for us. Especially the hatred that we will face for stand up for what is right, and living for Jesus. Ultimately, it was God’s love for David that protected him from Saul’s hate. As God’s children, let us not allow hatred to flourish in our hearts, or allow ourselves to infect those around us.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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