Author Archives: Andrew Kooi

There are times we may realise that we are not merciful and loving enough. Sometimes, we demand justice at all costs, and when we have gotten justice, we may not be fully satisfied or happy.

Today’s reading shows us that David’s men wanted justice against Saul and they thought they had an excellent opportunity to claim justice and get rid of Saul. But David chose to be merciful to Saul, even though Saul was all out to destroy him. David even forbade his men from harming Saul in any way. This shows the uprightness and character of David.

Have we learnt to be merciful and loving? Or are we always demanding an eye for an eye? Some of us may have asked God to forgive us our trespasses, but we may fail to realise that we too need to forgive others who trespass against us. Let us strive and learn to be more loving and forgiving, for “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind. (Mahatma Gandhi)”

Jealousy is the fear that something which we possess will be taken away by another person. When we are jealous, we could begin to commit greater sins to prevent others from possessing what we think is rightfully ours.

Today’s reading tells us that Saul was jealous of David because of David’s increasing popularity. Because David was becoming more popular, Saul began to worry that he may eventually lose his kingship to David. As a result, Saul began to think of ways and means to get rid of David to ensure the kingship remained his. We see another classic example of this where king Herod tried to get rid of the infant Jesus by killing the Holy Innocents. Saul and Herod were both very jealous men and they had no qualms about killing their competition in an effort to preserve their authority.

What about us? Have we been so jealous that we belittle or put down others? Sometimes in ministry, some of us may have been jealous of others who are more capable and talented. We may think that a particular position in a ministry belongs to us, and we may commit sin when we gossip, commit character assassination, etc. just to preserve the status quo. Are we humble enough to be willing to nurture others and help them grow so that they can one day take over leadership of a ministry? Or has jealously made us blind and hardened our hearts?

There are times God appears to have an interesting sense of humour. In today’s reading, we see this sense of humour appearing in a subtle form.

Since the Israelites had rejected God as their King, they were allowed to have Saul as their king. It is obvious that Saul was not doing so well as a king, since the battle with the Philistines was not going in the Israelite’s favour. Saul even relented to let David go fight Goliath, hoping that perhaps God would be with the boy. Perhaps Saul realised that he did not have any other option, since none of his other warriors wanted to take the risk and challenge Goliath.

So David goes forth to challenge Goliath. In the reading, he says: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel that you have dared to insult…” Here, we see the subtle form of God’s humour. It’s like saying; the Israelites chose Saul and what did they get? A person whom they thought could help them win battles, only to find that the person is not up to the task. On the other hand, God wins battles and His track record has been great. In this case, David slew Goliath with the help of God. Saul would not have been is able to do so on his own. So who is the real king the Israelites should have been faithful to, obeyed and followed?

In our lives, we too may have tried to win battles on our own and failed miserably. Let us not solely depend on our own strength, but on God’s help and providence, for it is He who can really help us.

When we go for a job interview, often the interviewer would look at the type of qualifications the interviewee has obtained. The interviewee’s mannerisms, attitude, behaviour, appearance and other factors may also play a part on whether the interviewee is successful or not. Even in a relationship, some people seem to look more at the externals of a person, thinking that the more attractive ones are more desirable.

However, God looks at us differently. Today’s reading tells us that “God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.” Our innermost being, often what many of us may overlook, is what God sees. Some of us may play games in the presence of others and appear to get away with it, but we cannot hide from God. Let us thus be genuine and true, for it is better to be who we are, rather than living a lie.