Saturday, May 20
Friends and attributions
Scripture: 2 Samuel 9-10, 2 Corinthians 4
2 Samuel 9:1 Then David asked, “Is anyone still left from the family of Saul, so that I may extend kindness to him for the sake of Jonathan?”
Observation
Now that the kingdom was firmly in his control, David intended to honor his dead friend, Jonathan. David and Jonathan made a covenant with each other, and David intended to honor this relationship even though Jonathan was gone. David’s intention could have been easily misunderstood. There had been years of enmity between David and Saul, and most would expect the new king to wipe out the family of his enemy. When Mephibosheth heard that David wanted to see him, he was probably terrified and thought his life was over. But David intended blessing not harm. David wanted to honor his friend.
In chapter 10, David intended to express loyalty to Hanun, the new king of Ammon, just as Hanun’s father had been loyal to David. But Hanun’s officials misrepresented David’s intentions to Hanun—“David is spying out the land to conquer it”—and war resulted. Negative (and untrue) attributions resulted in huge conflict.
Application
Two things.
First, honor a friend today. This week, I played golf for three days with a group of old friends—some of our friendships go back 50 years. When we were done and reflecting on our time together, there was a shared sense of the richness of our friendships. Lasting friends are a treasure. Honor them whenever you can—do it today.
Second, make positive attributions, not negative. We don’t know others intentions, and often gravitate toward negative attributions. Instead, begin with a positive attribution. Assume the best about the other person and their motives. So many conflicts begin with negative and untrue attributions.
Prayer: Lord, I love You! Thank you for my friends—I’m a rich man! Help me to honor them today—and every day, present or absent. And help me to start with positive attributions, to assume the best about others.