The king returns: The fruit of a generous spirit

I once overheard a travel agent deal with a disgruntled customer who missed her flight through no fault of her own. The woman was outraged at how she had been treated and poured onto the agent a tirade of angry words. The agent, however, refused to rise to the bait and offered helpful alternatives. She went out of her way to provide a solution and, by the end of her patient engagement with the stranded passenger, she managed to mollify her so that the customer’s original offended stance was entirely transformed. While a cynic might say that this was all just technique, anyone who has tried to respond to antagonism with generosity knows how hard such a stance can be. Whatever the motivation, the results were spectacular and well demonstrate the principle that generosity has a disarming effect. As we shall see, David had a phenomenal capacity to be generous to enemies and this emerges in the process of his reinstatement as king.

Eroded trust – the rocky road back into God’s service

Once David has been spiritually restored (sitting in the gate – 2 Sam 19:8; see my previous post Joab’s rebuke), the way opens for him to be reinstalled in God’s service as king. After sin and failures, spiritual restoration must precede service. However, when trust has been eroded in conflict, the road to reinstatement may be rocky and this is David’s experience. The northern tribes of Israel quarrel and debate over the possibility of recalling David as they remember his past achievements (2 Sam 19:9), though no doubt some also bring his shortcomings to mind. After all, Absalom’s rebellion could not have gained such broad support had there not been failures on David’s part. The verdict eventually falls in David’s favour, though the rhetorical question suggests some tension between the pro-David contingent and others (‘you’ in 2 Sam 19:10) who were less keen for his return.

David’s generous gesture

When it comes to Judah, reconciliation seems to need an extra push. The ones closest to us, whether friends or family, may find rebuilding trust and restoring fellowship the hardest after conflict. Understanding perhaps his own failures, David takes the initiative to repair the damage. He appeals to his kinship with the tribe, but more importantly, he makes a generous gesture in appointing Amasa (the rebels’ commander) over the whole army instead of Joab (2 Sam 19:12-13). Amasa (like Joab) is David’s nephew, son of his other sister Abigail (2 Sam 17:25). Yet, this man stood with Absalom and is no friend of David’s, so that putting him into a position of power speaks of tremendous trust on the king’s part. David’s capacity to forgive antagonism towards himself is remarkable and his generosity disarms Judah (2 Sam 19:14). The way is now free for the king to cross the Jordan and return home. The crossing at Gilgal is a significant place in Israel’s history as it was here that Israel renewed their covenant commitment with God when they first entered the land (Josh 4:19-24; 5:8-10). It was also at Gilgal that Israel’s first king, Saul, who had a mixed reception from the people initially (1 Sam 10:26-27), was confirmed again as king (1 Sam 11:14-15). These echoes of past events at the crossing create a sense of a momentous occasion.

Learning to be generous

What does it take to have such a generous spirit as David’s? It may be rooted in a recognition of our own failures so that there is a desire to right wrongs and go the extra mile to restore a relationship. When we are innocent of any wrongdoing and can reciprocate with an open-handed attitude, it shows a willingness to relinquish power to hurt the person who hurt us. David behaved this way earlier towards Saul refusing to harm or kill him. Ultimately, it is the Lord Jesus, who is our best model. Although He endured ridicule, contempt and ultimately death, He did not retaliate in kind. He was dished out death and He gave us life. May we treat others with His generosity because we have been forgiven and loved despite the pain we have caused Him.

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