For the Persecuted

Scripture passages that caught my attention today: Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
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1 Samuel 19:11-17 Saul sent messengers to David’s house to keep watch over him, planning to kill him in the morning. David’s wife Michal told him, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” 12 So Michal let David down through the window; he fled away and escaped. 13 Michal took an idol and laid it on the bed; she put a net of goats’ hair on its head, and covered it with the clothes. 14 When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.” 15 Then Saul sent the messengers to see David for themselves. He said, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.” 16 When the messengers came in, the idol was in the bed, with the covering of goats’ hair on its head. 17 Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this, and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go; why should I kill you?’”

Observation: David had all sorts of issues to deal with.

Application: I couldn’t help but reflect on the story of 1 Samuel 19-20 (part of today’s reading) after reading Jesus’ reflections on persecution as found in Matthew 5 (also part of today’s reading). We normally think of David as a great king and leader in the Old Testament. That’s true. But he also had an almost daily weight hanging over his head in the form of his father-in-law Saul who wanted to kill him.

It’s a reminder that almost all people have issues with which they need to deal. We tend to admire people in supposedly ‘high’ positions. But I’ve been in close-enough proximity with a lot of those kinds of people over the years to know that, regardless of their position/responsibilities, they also have daily challenges not all that different from anyone else…and sometimes even more so. Imagine being the anointed king and needing to spend much of your life in hiding and working out ‘signals’ for secret communication. Lots of things in this world are not easy and lots of people in this life (both of high and low estate) do not have an easy life.

Thankfully, this week offers opportunity to be especially mindful of another servant of God who experienced persecution—Jesus. It’s Holy Week…the week that includes the big three days for people of the Christian faith: Maundy Thursday [when Jesus: 1) demonstrated service by washing feet, 2) instituted the Lord’s Supper/Communion, and 3) was himself betrayed], Good Friday [when Jesus was crucified unto death], and, of course, Easter [when God raised Jesus from the dead]. In Christ we have someone who can easily relate to our various situations and still provide hope. Like they said long ago, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Prayer: Lord, in all that we face in this life, let us draw strength and encouragement from you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(readings today included: 1 Samuel 19-20, Psalm 34, and Matthew 5)