Day 24: Why Extending Mercy Increases Compassion
of The Heart of God: Through David’s Eyes
Below is Day Twenty-Four of the study, but there is an introduction to check out which gives context and sets the tone, and previous weeks to look at below. If you would like the full content all in one place, this book is now available for purchase on Amazon. Week 1 - He Longs for Us to Know Who We Are
Week 2 - He Longs for Us to Respond
Week 3 - He Longs for Us to Know Him
Week 4 - He Longs for Us to Reflect His Heart
Day 22: How Despair & Community Impact We Reflect God’s Heart
Day 23: Benefits of Noticing and Experiencing God’s Righteous Anger
Day 24: Why Extending Mercy Increases Compassion
The word compassion is a complicated one. Merriam-Webster defines compassion as “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it”. In other words, compassion is a choice to allow ourselves to be emotionally impacted when we become aware of another’s distress, and the awareness motivates us to contribute to alleviating their distress.
With a refresher of what compassion actually means, we can look again at the mercy that David displayed towards Saul despite his attempt to kill him over and over again. We spent a day (9) studying chapters 24 & 26 of 2 Samuel. David faced many days of overwhelming fear and anxiety while he ran and hid. He was overwhelmed by the incredible stress of the situation.
The most significant choice he made is the one he chose when Saul was within reach. The anger we discussed yesterday, even when it is righteous, fair anger, can often leave us feeling a need to move or do something. Ironically, David’s lack of action spoke volumes more than violent actions ever could.
There is a high likelihood that David did not kill Saul not only due to his anointing as king, but due to compassion for him. David had also been anointed as king of Israel and perhaps he was well aware that he would also screw up in the future by getting jealous or rageful. In the months David was hiding, and with his pensive posture, he likely considered the turmoil Saul must have experienced in order to want to kill him so badly.
Regardless of if he felt compassion for Saul at this particular moment, David at least noticed a drastic shift in the way Saul was treating him. Saul was promoting David repeatedly, welcoming him into the palace, offering his daughter to him in marriage, and then all of a sudden, attempted to murder him. Their relationship took such a dramatic turn, it would have been surprising if David took it personally. For Saul to be so upset and thrown off by the success of David to such an extent that he completely ignored the ramifications of his rage, it makes sense David was more confused than eager to jump on the rage train. He repetitively asks Saul why he was trying to kill him, because he was still shocked after several attempts that Saul actually desired something so cruel and far from David’s desires.
📸: Karolina Grabowska (pexels)
When we see others who are so deeply disturbed that they are acting far so outside of who we know them to be or at least who God is, compassion may pop up unexpectedly. This is increasingly present if we can see clearly that the person acting out of character is distant from God or doesn’t know Him at all. It makes sense that those far from God would react poorly and be easily hate-filled or corrupted by the perception of others. David was not excusing Saul’s behavior, he also was not simply reacting in the same way. The quality that separates David from those who travel alongside him was that David genuinely valued Saul. He may not have understood the way he was behaving , but he respected that God could intervene as He saw fit. He had enough compassion for Saul to not want to react to his behavior by harming him. Those around David in these scenarios were openly debating what was legitimately fair and right to do.
Ultimately, David chose obedience instead of seeking validation from those around him who would excuse murder in this case. David didn’t not kill Saul out of respect for God’s anointing, however, a couple chapters later, we see the true compassion toward Saul in David’s heart when David found out about Saul and his three sons’ deaths. These words were written in response to processing their death, and he required the people of Judah to recite it. The second half of the lament was not only with gratitude for his best friend, Jonathan, but also for Saul.
Saul and Jonathan— in life they were loved and admired, and in death they were not parted. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.“Daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and finery, who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.“How the mighty have fallen in battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights.I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women.“How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!” (2 Samuel 1:23-27)
David lost the King who had pursued him for years as well as his son, his best friend Jonathan, in the same moment. Instead of only focusing on the pain of losing his friend, he also mourned the man who was cruel and aggressive towards him for years. The depth of compassion that David had for Saul even led him to kill the man who finished off Saul in his final struggle. Even though he came to inform them of what happened, he sinned against God and faced the consequences.
David showed compassion to others throughout the many aspects of his life, but there is something noble about respecting who God chooses to lead and still seeing value in those who sin against you. It is a difficult thing to practice, but part of what reflects God’s heart in David’s life. The easy thing to do would be to see his own life and thoughts as more valuable than Saul’s because he would be the future king, however David was not concerned about what he could get others to validate. Instead, he used God’s measurements of value by extending compassion to Saul even after his death.
How did David display his compassion for Saul?
In what ways have you found God to be compassionate?
How is considering the distress of others and allowing it to emotionally impact you a challenge for you? Are there any parts of being compassionate that come easy to you?
Reflection
Reflect on ways God could develop your compassion for others. Write a prayer asking God for compassion and also share your desire for compassion with a trusted friend. After you talk to your friend, ask yourself: How did sharing your desire for compassion with your friend go? Did anything happen that you did not expect?
An excerpt of The Heart of God: Through David’s Eyes by Jill Ng