I Samuel 10:27 ‘But certain worthless men said, “How can this one deliver us?” And they despised him and did not bring him any present. But he kept silent.’
We will have people in our lives that don’t care for us. This can be bothersome, if we allow it. We have different personalities and we won’t connect with everyone. This is partially a good thing, as we don’t have enough time and energy to do so. These usually aren’t hostile, usually indifferent.
Every so often we will have someone that is oppositional to us. Like the ones in today’s passage. They were vocal about it. “How can this one deliver us?” What do we do in this situation? Proverbs 26:4 says, “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Or you will also be like him.” Not to engage them is usually the best. This is true for several reasons. These tend to be argumentative. They aren’t seeking answers. They will twist our answers and use them against us. Avoiding them is like leaving a camp fire alone. It eventually dies out. If we choose to answer them it would be best to do it alone. They have no audience. A question “Why are you doing this?” is vulnerable and honest.
Jesus says in Matthew 5:24, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” He wants us to give this to Him. This is clearly abusive behavior and speech. Some would say this in enabling behavior. The Lord is working on them behind the scenes. We rarely would seek these out. Some times we do intersect with them. This is to be our response.
Bullying behavior haunts us. It’s difficult to let go. Romans 12:19 says, ‘Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.’ God understands our frustration. He’ll take care of it. Our response is to be kindness.
Psalm 23 describes what the Lord will do for us, “He prepares a table for me in the presence of my enemies.” He honors us. He does this for those who trust Him. He is the great equalizer. Kindness doesn’t appear to be the proper response, unless God is involved. He does this in His time. Our job is to faithfully trust Him.
Lord, thank You for helping us with bullys. Help us to be kind in the face of this. Thank You for honoring us in the process.