“And it came to pass after this, that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead. Then said David, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father shewed kindness unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon. And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it? Wherefore Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away. When they told it unto David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed: and the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return.”
(2Samuel 10:1-5)
As this account unfolds for us, we are told that Nahash, the king of the Ammonites, has died. The last time we saw his name was back in 1Samuel 11. He had attacked the city of Jabesh-Gilead. He was not a friend to Israel, but he had shown kindness to David. This was most likely out of his dislike for Saul rather than for any love for David. However, David had been treated kindly, at that time, he was in desperate need of it, and he was the kind of person that repaid kindness. We should always be thankful and show gratitude to those who are kind to us, even if they are doing it for the wrong reason. God is the only one that knows the heart and their purpose for doing it, but we should thank them and return the kindness when we can.
David was living out a good Bible principle to weep with those that weep. David could understand what it is like to lose someone you love, especially a father. He sent his representatives to grieve and comfort the new king Hanun. This action was an offer of great respect to the former King and the new King. A gesture like this should have gone a long way in creating an opportunity for peace between the two nations. From David’s perspective, it surely would be met with gratitude and help in negotiations the next time the two countries were in conflict. We should always be looking for an opportunity to build the foundations of peace with our neighbors. We can not set back supposing that our kindness will not be received. We must take action in goodness and assume the best of others.
However, Hanun receives bad advice from those around him. They immediately assume the worst of David and cast on him wicked intentions. They look at his kindness with disdain. After all, from their perspective, he is the bad guy because he is the king of Israel. It is us against them, and they are evil. One thing that we all have to be careful of is assigning bad intentions to others without evidence. Some of us may be more prone to this kind of thinking than others. But we all can be susceptible to it.
The problem with the assumption of bad intentions is that it reveals more about us then it does about the person we are accusing. A cheater is more likely to accuse others of cheating. A liar is going to assume everyone else is lying. When some people see a car with the key in it, they jump in and steal it. For most, this would never cross their mind. You can learn to be safe and take the appropriate actions to secure your property without thinking the worst of everyone. Over the years, I have come across Christians who would accuse other Christians of vile sins without evidence. Somehow these people felt it was acceptable for them to do this, but the reality is that it revealed more about themselves and their fantasies. It is good to assume the best of others unless we have evidence to believe otherwise.
The king listens to this lousy counsel and takes action. The ambassadors get half of the beards shaved, and their garments cut in two. It is hard not to smile at the thought. However, this was a great insult to these men because of the reason they did not shave their faces. This custom was a religious observance, not just a style choice. Hanun knew this. He meant it to be an insult and an act of war with David. The smarter thing to do if they thought there were evil intentions would have been to receive them, thank them, and send them away quickly but politely. Instead, he takes the most aggressive action possible toward these men.
Extremes can get us into a lot of trouble. For some reason, people tend to resonate with extremes. We see it today with the media and social media. The most outlandish gets the attention. I think there will come a time when people will get over this, and they will look for cooler heads and avoid outlandish behavior. A lot of trouble can be avoided by subduing our actions and reactions to others.
These men return to Israel in disgrace. They are sent to stay in a secluded place to regrow their beards. What do you do when someone insults you or is rude to you. It is wise to let it rest for a while. Time has a way of healing wounds. Let God deal with the situation. This restraint is not natural, but it is better than taking things into our own hands. When we do, we definitely make things worse. Give those burdens to the Lord and let him deal with it.
If Mephibosheth is a picture of a sinner receiving God’s grace, then Hanun is a picture of a sinner rejecting God’s grace. David shows kindness to Hanun, but it is rejected, and he is accused of evil intentions. These men could have had an excellent relationship, but instead, they were at enmity. How often do sinners in need of salvation do this? They hear the free offer of grace and redemption and instead of humbly receiving it. They reject it and accuse God of evil actions. Saying, “how can God sent people to hell?” These are bold and aggressive actions taken by sinners against a good and holy God. While God is out of their reach, just like Hanun, they take out their ridicule against God’s messengers. Abuse them, shaming them, and driving them from their cities.
When David heard of it, he was insulted. It was an act of war. While God’s mercy suffers long on the wicked, his wrath will be executed upon them for their rejection and actions. Hanan might have reconsidered his actions and made peace with David and avoided war. It is wise for the sinner to end their resistance against God and plead for forgiveness.
As we look at this portion of the story, we can see a spiritual truth played out here. We can compare it to chapter nine and see two people that received kindness. One received it with humility, and one received it with disdain and baseless accusations. Hanun pictures for us the person who hardens their heart to the kindness of God and His offer of salvation.