After this, King Nahash of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun became king. David said, “I am going to show loyalty to Hanun just as his father, Nahash, was always loyal to me.” So David sent ambassadors to express sympathy to Hanun about his father’s death (2 Samuel 10:1–2).
The kindness that Nahash had shown David is not known, but, in general, the history of the Ammonites toward Israel was not favorable. So it was not completely unreasonable for Hanun to suspect David’s motives in sending a delegation. But Hanun’s humiliation of David’s envoys guaranteed that David would not mistake Hanun’s heart. His snub of David’s kindness resulted in war and great loss.
Questioning the motivations behind an apparent kindness is not necessarily wrong, but choosing to wrong a person is never right. Hanun returned evil for good and suffered for his mistake.
Prayer Suggestion: Help me to honor God and show goodness to others.
Quicklook: 2 Samuel 10:1–5
