Anger and Mercy

Peter Fitch, St. Croix VineyardSunday, May 17, 2015

1 Samuel 24:1-7

1 Now when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, saying, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Rocks of the Wild Goats.

1 Samuel 24:1-7

3 He came to the sheepfolds on the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the inner recesses of the cave. 4 The men of David said to him, “Behold, this is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold; I am about to give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.’”

1 Samuel 24:1-7

Then David arose and cut off the edge of Saul’s robe secretly. 5 It came about afterward that David’s conscience bothered him because he had cut off the edge of Saul’s robe. 6 So he said to his men, “Far be it from me because of the Lord that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand

against him, since he is the Lord’s anointed.” 7 David persuaded his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And Saul arose, left the cave, and went on his way.

Quite a bit about anger . . .

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city (Proverbs 16:32)

Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity (Ephesians 4:26-27)

Good anger and bad anger

• Good motivates you to do something!• Bad churns you up inside . . . Like swallowing

poison in the hope that you can spew it out on the ones who hurt you

Responding in the opposite spirit

• Saul and 3000 men come aggressively after David and his rag-tag crew

• David is not passive– He hides– He keeps everyone silent– He takes a piece of Saul’s garment– He speaks up (taking a huge risk)

He introduces Mercy

• It’s like a new spirit fills the scene• The maddened king comes to his senses• He can see things as they are• He can see a better future

How do you get it?

• David remembered that Saul was “the Lord’s anointed”

• We can remember that the ones who have hurt us are also “the Lord’s anointed”

• We have all been anointed with life, with love, with hopes and dreams

• Even if we have been living in a tragedy, we are not loved any less by God

People deserve something better than revenge . . .

• Bad anger makes things worse—it always exacerbates a situation

• It’s like pouring gasoline on a slow-smoldering fire

• It builds walls and keeps people in prisons of bitterness or separation

Mercy

• Is the introduction of a new spirit• Can only be done by love• Grows out of remembering that everyone

involved is loved by God and has infinite worth

• Involves risk, but can lead to a big win

Zoe’s thesis

• The opposite of violence is not passivity; it is creativity

• Making a way for a better spirit to enter the situation and the relationships

Apple a Day

• The story• The gift• The request and the help• Someone else’s story

“For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13).