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Topic: Dirty Politics
[DCLM Daily Manna Saturday July 7, 2018]
Text: 1 Samuel 20:24-34 (KJV)
Key Verse: “So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame” (1 Samuel 20:34).
MESSAGE:
Politics is said to be a dirty game because of how it is played. A lot of scheming, diplomacy and intrigues are employed to attain desired goals. Some even involve in character assassination, deceit, fetish practices or even gruesome murder of opponents to secure positions.
From our text, we saw the dangerous and dirty politics Saul played. He wanted David killed so that the kingship could be retained in his family. Whereas the king was surrounded by sycophants and yes-men who would rather allow injustice to prevail in order to benefit from it, Jonathan, Saul’s son, was not afraid to declare his mind that David was innocent. He proved to be a true friend of David and a man who lived by his conscience. All along, he thought David’s fears of his father intention to kill him were unfounded. To confirm this, David arranged to be absent from dinner for a few days to see how Saul would react. When Saul eventually discovered that David was permitted by Jonathan to take a few days off, it offended him greatly. In his anger, he threw a javelin at Jonathan because his support for David was detrimental to the succession plan.
In politics, self-serving interests, not truth, bring people together. When evil men, like Saul, begin to appeal to tribal and family sentiments to justify their wrongdoing, Christians should have nothing to do with it. Like Jonathan, we must rise to defend the truth and oppose injustice and oppression no matter how much benefits we stand to gain. We must adopt our choices in life with eternity in view. Our lives must never be predicated on self-interests, however enlightened. We must be strictly governed by eternal and heavenly values only.
Thought For The Day: Incorporating eternity into one’s plans and ambitions is wisdom.
Bible Reading In One Year: Jonah
