FRIDAY HOMILY FOR 2ND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME / YR. B
THEME: DON’T ACT IF IT ISN’T GOD’S PLAN.
BY: FR. KARABARI PAUL
‘Listen for God’s voice … He is the one who will keep you on track.’
Proverbs 3:6
In the First Reading today ( Samuel 24:2-20), after being anointed king of Israel, instead of immediately going to Jerusalem and claiming his throne, David was forced to spend years living like a fugitive and hiding in caves because Saul was out to take his life. More than once, he must have asked himself, ‘What about the promise God gave me?’ Then an interesting thing happened. One of David’s soldiers found Saul asleep; he came to David, saying, ‘God has delivered your enemy into your hand…let me strike him.’
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What an opportunity! Get rid of the man who wants to kill you, come out of hiding, and claim your throne. After all, you are already anointed to be king! It all made sense, except for one thing; it wasn’t God’s plan. As much as David wanted to rule Israel, he knew that in order to succeed he must do it God’s way. It is not every enemy you fight to destroy. Allow God to handle their case.
When someone has betrayed or hurt us, our first instinct is often to look for ways to get revenge. And it can be hard to resist those feelings, especially if we can see an easy opportunity for payback, or if people around us encourage us to even things up.
Consumed by jealousy, King Saul took every opportunity to try and destroy his God-ordained successor, David. Saul was driven by a desire to eliminate him, so he took three thousand soldiers to find David and kill him. David just cut off a corner of Saul’s robe and showed it to Saul later as evidence that he had spared the king’s life. David’s men probably thought his strategy was ridiculous, but David lived by a different code; God’s Word! He told his men, ‘Don’t kill him. For who can remain innocent after attacking the Lord’s anointed one?’ (1 Samuel 26:9).
The Bible says don’t take revenge, because justice is in God’s hands (see Romans 12:17-21). So what should we do instead? We need to set our instincts aside and show kindness. The Bible says, ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink…overcome evil with good’ (Romans 12:20-21). It might not necessarily change the attitude of the person who’s hurt us, but it will change our attitude, and God will be pleased.
This story should make you think twice, and pray before acting. When Abishai offered to kill Saul, he had David’s welfare at heart. So be careful; your friends can give you advice contrary to God’s will. That is when it is hard not to go along with it, or defend your decision by rationalising that the end justifies the means. Never let anyone, however well intentioned, persuade you to do what you know is wrong. ‘Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice…he’s the one who will keep you on track’ (Proverbs 3:5-6). GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. God bless you and your household always through Christ Our Lord Amen. Good morning.
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