We continue our series "There's An APP For That" where we are studying each attribute found in the Fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
As we consider KINDNESS today I would like to walk you through a passage in the Old Testament. There is a really neat story in 2 Samuel 10 that shows us a thing or THREE about being kind.
#1 Kindness is CONTAGIOUS and may cause an EPIDEMIC.
Listen as King David, a man after God's own heart, wants to return the kindness shown to him: 2 Samuel 10:1-2a (NIV) “In the course of time, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun succeeded him as king. David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me. So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father.”
Its important that we understand David's motive. He didn't have an agenda--other than to show kindness. He felt sorry for the boy who had lost his father and just wanted to do something nice for him. However...
#2 Kindness is so RARE it could cause SUSPICION.
People WILL notice your kindness but may wonder if you have an agenda! Thats what happened to David.
2 Samuel 10:2b-3 (NIV) “When David’s men came to the land of the Ammonites, the Ammonite nobles said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think David is honoring your father by sending men to you to express sympathy? Hasn’t David sent them to you to explore the city and spy it out and overthrow it?”
Were Hanun's advisors correct in their assessment? NO!
What a lesson for us about being careful from whom we take our cues! 1 Cor 15:33 (NIV), "Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
David didn't have an agenda other than love. Hanun's guys were absolutely wrong--just like some of the people that you and I will come into contact with.
When we are kind in a mean world it may cause suspicion. Hanun listened to his ill-advised advisors and, 2 Samuel 10:4 (NIV) “...seized David’s men, shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks, and sent them away."
David’s ambassadors of kindness were completely humiliated. Their kindness was thrown back in their face—or rather, cut from their face: Even today cutting off a person’s beard is one of the most disrespectful things you can do in Arab culture. Many would rather die than have their beards shaved off. Adding to that—they cut off their clothing from the waist down and sent them back to David.
Have you ever had your kindness thrown back in your face? We, as ambassadors of kind, are sent to share our King’s kindness—but sometimes it is met with disrespect. What should we do?
That brings us to our THIRD point..
#3 Kindness is CONSIDERATE and may restore HOPE.
Scripture tells us that "When David was told about this, he sent messengers to meet the men, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, “Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back.” (2 Samuel 10:5)
What a kind gesture Kind David made to his men! When you look at a map you realize that Jericho was halfway between where they were and Jerusalem---David gave them the time they needed to be fully restored. He didn't make them come home or go to war--he just offered them rest and growing time!
David climbed into their pain and, as a result, lifted them up from the pit. There are a lot of people that wish we would do that.
Something we need to understand in this unkind world...God is not oblivious to our pain and He will eventually right the wrong done to us (so did David by the way--read the rest of the chapter when you get a chance!). In the meantime, we cannot allow a few unkind characters to keep us from being kind.
This world needs kind people. Be one of them.
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