Power, revenge, murder for hire: political turnovers usually involve bloodshed. What’s a king to do? King David trusted God’s Word—specifically, the Ten Commandments. He knew that God would not honor the killers of Abner or Ish-Bosheth. God’s people can trust His Word even during difficult times.
Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
Have you ever been really angry with someone and wanted to take revenge on them? Why is acting out in anger a bad idea?
An assassination is a murder that is committed against someone, usually someone of some political importance. An assassin is the person who commits the murder. This type of killing is usually done because the target is someone in power and the assassin wants that person out of power. Sometimes, the killing doesn’t have much to do with the targeted person at all; it’s about people wanting power for themselves. Sadly, there have been many leaders of nations and political movements who have been assassinated. Ask a parent or older sibling to help you do some research to find at least one leader in the last thousand years who was assassinated. See if you can understand why that person was targeted. What do you think would have happened if the people who wanted power had understood that they could fully trust God to lead them instead?
Dear God, help me to act with honor even when I’m tempted to take revenge. I want to trust in Your Word even when my choices are difficult. Amen.