Lately on Words of Grace, we’ve been considering stories from the life of King David. One thing I love about the Bible is its candid depiction of the lives of our heroes, sharing their victories and their failures. David is no exception to this rule, and so we learn of things such as his triumph over Goliath but also his sin with Bathsheba and the attempted coverup and murder which followed.

This past weekend, our focus was on the subject of revenge, specifically David’s lack of such upon King Saul, his sons, and their military forces. After the death of Saul, those loyal to the former king appointed one of his sons named Ishbosheth as king over Israel. This is common in monarchies; a king dies and his son assumes control. The problem? God had stripped the kingdom from Saul and given it to David. For a couple of years, there was war between the forces of Saul and David for the throne.

However, though now reigning over Judah in Hebron and fully prepared to defend his God-given throne, David was not out for vengeance. Being succinct, David was not consumed by bloodlust, as we find in three examples from his early reign. Namely, his punishment of the Amalekite claiming to have killed Saul after a failed suicide attempt, his condemnation of Joab for slaying Abner (Saul’s captain), and his punishment of those who slew Ishbosheth in his own home.

We explore these stories as well as their underlying biblical principle (vengeance belongs to the Lord) in our most recent edition of Words of Grace, To Avenge Or Not To Avenge. As always, you’re invited to listen and encouraged to subscribe to our podcast.