10/06/2022
It is hard to stand silent when we are being disparaged by someone. We are tempted to confront those who do this to us, and yet we have two examples of this happening in scripture that we should use as our guides when this occurs to us. The most obvious is Jesus as he stood accused before the chief priests, and again before Pilot. Even unto death He did not quarrel or defend Himself. The second was King David as Shemei, a relative of Saul, cursed him in front of all his men. This man chased after David and derided him, while throwing stones and dust at him, but David did not retaliate. All of us have been in such situations, and I ask that we each reflect on how we behaved.
“It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today.” So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust.”
2 Samuel 16:12-13 ESV
It is hard to stand silent and let someone shout insults at you, call you a coward, or challenge your faith, or integrity. As a boy growing up on military bases I faced many conflicts like this. I would be challenged to fight, and I would like to tell you that I remained silent, or walked away, but I didn’t always do that. I went toe to toe with lesser boys in shouting matches, and I resorted to fisticuffs, and wrestling matches, way too often, but when it was over I never felt better… I felt dirty… oh that I had stood silent like Jesus before Pilot.
“So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?””
John 19:10 ESV
So we wonder at this, and the strength it took for Jesus to remain silent. Here He was, the Son of God, who could have called angles down to defend Him, and yet He said nothing… He simply did His Father’s will. Have we ever exhibited such strength when we were confronted in this way?
“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.””
John 10:17-18 ESV
As for David, his men asked if they could behead Shemei. If David was not going to defend himself then they wanted to silence this man for him. Would we hold back our friends when they asked to defend us? Could we resist fighting with this man?
“Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my Lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.””
2 Samuel 16:9 ESV
I said earlier that I had gone toe to toe with boys who ridiculed or confronted me, and I did. I also said that when it was over I felt dirty, and that is also true. I have written before about fighting two boys who were bull whipping a handicapped friend that would not defend himself, and I beat those two boys that day. Then I took my friend home to his mother. I left him there with her, and she thanked me, but somehow I didn’t feel worthy of her thanks.
I walked home, and as I approached the back door of my house I began to cry. My mother met me at the door and looking at me she asked if I had been in a fight. I told her yes. She asked if I was hurt, and I told her no. Then she asked me why I was crying since I won the fight, and was not hurt…. so I told her it was because I was made to fight them.
To my friend’s mother I was a hero for defending her son, and to my mother I had done the honorable thing, but if these things were true then why did I feel so bad, so dirty, and as if I had not done the right thing? It was because I didn’t remain silent, I didn’t take my friend and walk away, no, I had chosen to fight, to seek retribution, and that action did what those two boys could not do… it hurt me inside, and made me feel less. Jesus, in His pain on the cross asked why God had forsaken Him, but here I stood in quite a different posture; I felt like I had forsaken God, and all I could do was cry, and ask for His forgiveness.
“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?””
Matthew 27:46 ESV
Such situations have occurred throughout my life, not just as a boy, but as a teenager, a young man, a businessman, and now as an old man. I would like to tell you that I handled each one as David, and Jesus did, but I didn’t. Many times I walked away, or took the silent high ground, but on a few occasions I fought back. I have spent painful hours in my prayer closet crying in remorse over those particular failures. There on my knees I’d seek the blood of Jesus and ask that it wash away the filth I was feeling. In the eyes of society I might have been right to defend myself, but so were David and Jesus.
““You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.”
Matthew 5:38-41 ESV
My story is similar to so many men and women of faith, and I have even watched as some of these conflicts played themselves out within the pews at church. Defending right, arguing religion, feeling one must defend God or Jesus, yes, there are so many reasons why we speak out, or don’t walk away, but in the end it doesn’t matter whether we are right or wrong, we still feel dirty, we feel bad, and in the end we are brought to our knees.
“Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.”
2 Timothy 2:14 ESV
Let’s look back on those moments when we were anything but silent, and when we went toe to toe with someone when we could have walked away. Then let’s challenge ourselves to do as David and Jesus did… let’s show the world that truth, and right, are exactly that, and that even when we remain silent while they are challenged they remain true. Can we do that? Can we avoid the filthy feeling that comes from arguing and fighting?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for teaching us to turn the other cheek when someone challenges us, and to remain silent when we are ridiculed. Thank you for giving us the strength, courage, and resolve, to avoid needless conflict. Help us Lord to stand firm on your Word, the truth, and to realize that nothing can change truth. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who stands up for us, and makes the unshakable case for who you are. Praised be your name for each time that we can walk away victorious without a fight, and win an argument by our silence. Merciful are you who guides us to victory without harming others, and protects us from injury in so doing. By your grace we are made righteous, and by your meekness we are made strong. Wash us in the blood of Jesus, and cleanse us of sin, and the filthiest snd hurt it makes us feel. Transform us as we obey you, and see only the humble image of Jesus when you judge us. Seat us at your table, and feed us your Word forevermore.
Rich Forbes