The Pecking Order

And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” 2 Samuel 9:3

I was probably oversensitive, but as a kid, I felt picked on because of my weight. I was chunky, I knew it, and it hurt when other kids made fun of me for it. Once though, in my misery, I clearly remember making myself feel better by turning and picking on another kid who was lower in the pecking order than me. And it worked. It was making me feel better . . . until I made him cry and then realized that I’d become the monster. As I despised others for mocking me, I suddenly despised myself for doing the same thing to another.

I’d like to say that I vowed that day to never make fun of anyone again. And I’d like to say I’ve kept that vow into adulthood. I’d like to be able to say those things. The truth though, is that there’s still a pecking order in life and that I don’t always think noble thoughts or say noble things. Though no one makes fun of my chunkiness (to my face at least) anymore it’s still a temptation to treat those higher than me differently than I treat those lower than me.

How we treat others – above or below us – in our social hierarchy says everything about us. This is the lesson from today’s passage, which tells how King David treated the last living member of the house of Saul. Saul had been David’s political enemy and had tried to kill him for years. Saul and his family were wiped out though and David ascended to the throne. Still, David didn’t seek vengeance. Rather, because of his love for Jonathan, Saul’s son, King David sought out the last living remnant of Saul’s house and paid him homage. David could have ignored him. David could have mocked him. He even could have put him to death. This was a crippled man – physically and politically – who had no power to defend himself. Instead, though, David showed him the kindness of God.

Jesus taught that I am to love my neighbor as myself (Matthew 22:39). As a follower of Christ, I must show the kindness of God to those he’s put in my liffe – no matter where they are in the pecking order. In fact, as a Christian, there should be no pecking order. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). How I treat those around me says everything about me. So today, what does my treatment of others say about me?