Scripture

Our verse for today comes from 2 Samuel 20:12, ” And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the highway. And anyone who came by, seeing him, stopped. And when the man saw that all the people stopped, he carried Amasa out of the highway into the field and threw a garment over him. ” 

Background

Unless you have never been in a car, you will absolutely appreciate what I am about to describe. Heading down the highway, you suddenly come upon heavy traffic, to the point of cars completely stopping in their lane. Gradually, perhaps excruciatingly, you make your way to the point of the congestion, only to discover that there is no issue on your side of the highway. All is well in the direction you are travelling. The cause of the bottleneck, the reason your speed went from 65 to 6.5, resides on the opposite side of the freeway. A wreck has occurred in their lanes, but the drivers that went ahead of you were so curious as to what happened, that they slowed down enough to get a good look. And before long, your free- flowing roadway was clogged and bogged down to a crawl. We all know why, too, and it’s not because these people have never seen a wrecked car before. No, what they want is to see some wreckage. They want to see damage and drama, and maybe a touch of gore. They want a story to tell, and the bigger the better. Evidently, it was no different in King David’s day. When Amasa lay dead on the Gibeon highway, the soldiers of Joab stopped as they approached the spot. To be sure they had seen casualties before, for they had experienced battles and bloodshed. But that didn’t stop them from wanting another look at another victim.

Application

I wonder if you like to rubberneck? I’m not so interested in the type that impedes the flow of traffic, although it would be nice if there was less of that. I’m more interested in whether you like to get a glance and then go about retelling the faults and flaws, the wreckage, that someone may have caused. The harm was done, but the damage spreads when we feel it’s acceptable to rehash the event, and usually with our two cents thrown in for good measure. Peter wrote that love covers a multitude of sins, and he for one ought to know. Choose love, and leave the carnage behind. Let bygones be gone bye-bye. 

Charge

As we seek Him today, be the bearer of good news, or don’t bear anything at all. 

Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words