Go To Jericho...Stay Sweet

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.

2 Samuel 10:2 KJV

In 2 Samuel we see a story about offense, humiliation, and how the king dealt with it. The Bible tells us that offenses will come and that none are exempt. We cannot control the actions of others but we can control our reaction. Offense is something that God takes very serious.

In the book of Samuel we see that Nahash, who was close to King David, passes away. To show support King David sends two of his best soldiers to attend the funeral. The soldiers, out of obedience, arrive to show kindness on their King's behalf. Instead of being accepting, the people murmured that they were spies come to steal information. They take the soldiers and shave half their beards and cut the backs out of their tunics to expose their under garments. The two soldiers were sent back to their own people humiliated and offended.

Word reaches King David and before they reach home he tells them to go to Jericho until their beards return. The children of Ammon tampered with their identity and wounded them emotionally. In this culture, the beard of a man was a mark of his maturity. It signified that he was a man of honor. If you look up the meaning of Jericho, it means sweet fragrance. The king told them instead of seeking revenge go to the sweet place and I'll fight for you. Later on King David takes his men and they kill the very people who wronged his soldiers. God will fight our battles for us if we stay sweet and have the right spirit about us. Just like the father who ran to meet his prodigal son with the robe, our God will cover our shame. The two soldiers were only doing what the king ordered them to do. Not once do we hear of them fighting back against the people nor their king's word. In this life, you will find that offenses will come. Sometimes, while your doing the very thing God told you. Our King will fight for us! Stay in Jericho. Stay sweet!

The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

Exodus 14:14 KJV