Let’s See How You Like It

And they said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life. The LORD has avenged my lord the king this day on Saul and on his offspring.” 2 Samuel 4:8

When my kids were 3 and 4 years old, they wanted to have a snowball fight. I helped make their small forts, which were only a few feet apart because they couldn’t throw snow very far, and then we began throwing snowballs. I was on my daughter’s side because she simply couldn’t throw her snowballs very well at that age. In fact, because she couldn’t hit her brother, she repeatedly picked up handfuls of snow, turned to me, and simply threw them in my face. After the third or fourth time, I picked up a handful of snow and threw it back at her face. She immediately burst into tears, wanting to go inside. As I wiped off her face, telling her she was fine (and not to tell mom), I reflected on my poor parenting. In the frustration of the moment, after I’d asked her not to throw snow in my face – I’m on your team! – it seemed like throwing snow in her face was a good idea. Immediately after though, when she burst into tears, I realized that I’d failed, repaying hurt with hurt.

It is, unfortunately, our nature to repay evil with evil. That’s the lesson of today’s passage, which tells of the death of Ish-bosheth, King Saul’s son. Upon Saul’s death, Ish-bosheth assumed the throne and found himself in conflict with the house of David, who also had a claim to the throne. In today’s passage, two of Ish-bosheth’s captains assassinated him, taking his head to David, hoping to be rewarded. Unimpressed with their treachery and murder, David had them put to death. The two captains saw Ish-bosheth as being in the wrong and so, they did something about it, killing him. Then, enraged, David killed them. One evil led to another which led to another.

Though the snowball story may be amusing, our tendency to repay evil for evil is sadly often most often revealed in our own homes. It is those we’re closest to with whom we’re most comfortable with our harsh words. When a spouse or child says something unkind to us, we’re often quick to return the offense. Evil doesn’t solve evil though. It only propagates it. If we’re not careful we can, in our offense, find ourselves in a downward spiral in relationships with those we’re supposed to love the most. So, if I desire healthy relationships with those around me, when offended, I must resist the urge to repay evil for evil. Daily, I must treat my loved ones with love, kindness, and respect, even if I’m hit repeatedly with snow in the face.