Today’s Scripture Reading (February
19, 2013): Psalm 28 & 29
A few years
ago I was in serious conflict with someone inside my church. From my side, I
totally understood why he was mad at me and why we were in conflict. What I
really could not figure out was how to fix it. And for a guy, that is a hard
moment to arrive at – we want to feel like we can fix anything. We tried a few
things, even spent some time with a third party to try to resolve the conflict.
But none of the efforts worked. And so we would come together almost every
weekend and pleasantly welcome each other, but inside of me I knew that it was
all fake – what he wanted more than anything was to be able to come to the
church and not have to see me, and he was working as hard as he could toward
that end.
It probably
came to a bit of a head at a family gathering that we held in the church. By
this time I had actually left the church, but there was this one last family
function that we had booked at the church long before I knew that I was
leaving. And as we started the gathering, I looked up and there he was with a
small group of his supporters. And, inside of me, all that I wanted to do was
cry out at him – what are we doing? You do not have to be here – so why are
you. Do you want to work this out between us – or is there some other reason. I
just do not understand.
David seemed
to have the same concern for some of those who had gathered around him. After
the rebellion of his son and the civil war that had ensued brought on by that
rebellion, David had moved back into Jerusalem. But he had no idea who it was
that had actively moved against him, and who it was that were simply victims of
circumstance. And David’s reaction was simply that he would not take any action
against anyone, he would wipe the slate clean for every person in Jerusalem,
but that action would not remove the hate that some of them held for their king.
David just had no idea who they were. And these people would make a cordial
greeting when they met him, literally they would come to him with the word
shalom on their lips (and shalom means peace), but there was no peace in their
hearts.
One of the
realities when you are in that kind of situation is that you are in danger of
becoming just like them. There is a danger that we will mirror our opponent and
that we will speak the word shalom but not really want peace for the other
person. David’s prayer here is that God would guard his heart so that he would
not fall into that trap. When he greeted people with the word Shalom, he wanted
to be able to say that I really do want you peace, no matter what it is that
you really wish for me.
And that is
my prayer as well. May a true shalom fill you and your life – today, and everyday.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 31
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