Psalm 18:37-45
New International Version (NIV)
37 I pursued my enemies and overtookthem;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
38 I crushed them so that they couldnot rise;
they fell beneath my feet.
39 You armed me with strength for battle;
you humbled my adversaries before me.
40 You made my enemies turn theirbacks in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.
41 They cried for help, but therewas no one to save them—
to the LORD, but he did not answer.
42 I beat them as fine as windblowndust;
I trampled them like mud in the streets.
43 You have delivered me from theattacks of the people;
you have made me the head of nations.
People I did not know now serve me,
44 foreignerscower before me;
as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
45 They all lose heart;
they come trembling from their strongholds.
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
38 I crushed them so that they couldnot rise;
they fell beneath my feet.
39 You armed me with strength for battle;
you humbled my adversaries before me.
40 You made my enemies turn theirbacks in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.
41 They cried for help, but therewas no one to save them—
to the LORD, but he did not answer.
42 I beat them as fine as windblowndust;
I trampled them like mud in the streets.
43 You have delivered me from theattacks of the people;
you have made me the head of nations.
People I did not know now serve me,
44 foreignerscower before me;
as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
45 They all lose heart;
they come trembling from their strongholds.
Genesis 32:1-21
New InternationalVersion (NIV)
Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau
1 Jacob also went on his way, and the angels ofGod met him. 2 When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the campof God!” So he named that place Mahanaim.
3 Jacob sent messengersahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4 He instructed them:“This is what you are to say to my lord Esau: ‘Your servant Jacob says, I havebeen staying with Laban and have remained there till now. 5 I have cattle anddonkeys, sheep and goats, male and female servants. Now I am sending thismessage to my lord, that I may find favor in your eyes.’”
6 When the messengersreturned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he iscoming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”
7 In great fear anddistress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups, and the flocks andherds and camels as well. 8 He thought, “If Esaucomes and attacks one group,the group that is left mayescape.”
9 Then Jacob prayed, “OGod of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, LORD, you who said to me, ‘Goback to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ 10 I am unworthy of allthe kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staffwhen I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps. 11 Save me, I pray, fromthe hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, andalso the mothers with their children. 12 But you have said, ‘Iwill surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand ofthe sea, which cannot be counted.’”
13 He spent the nightthere, and from what he had with him he selected a gift for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred femalegoats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty female camelswith their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and tenmale donkeys. 16 He put them in thecare of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Go aheadof me, and keep some space between the herds.”
17 He instructed the onein the lead: “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who do you belong to,and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?’ 18then you are to say,‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau, andhe is coming behind us.’”
19 He also instructed thesecond, the third and all the others who followed the herds: “You are to saythe same thing to Esau when you meet him. 20 And be sure to say,‘Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.’” For he thought, “I will pacify himwith these gifts I am sending on ahead; later, when I see him, perhaps he willreceive me.” 21 So Jacob’s gifts wenton ahead of him, but he himself spent the night in the camp.
Matthew 12:9-21
New InternationalVersion (NIV)
9 Going on from thatplace, he went into their synagogue, 10 and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for areason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal onthe Sabbath?”
11 He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and itfalls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Thereforeit is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
13 Then he said to theman, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it wascompletely restored, just as sound as the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might killJesus.
God’s Chosen Servant
15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Alarge crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. 16 He warned themnot to tell others about him. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through theprophet Isaiah:
18 “Here is my servantwhom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.
21 In his name thenations will put their hope.”
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.
21 In his name thenations will put their hope.”
***
Thesethree passages all seem to carry one central theme: Conflict.
Conflictcan be a scary thing for people (OK, most people.) Some thrive off of it, butmost people try to avoid it by either not causing it or running away from itonce it is caused by someone else. We may be at odds with someone in our home,our school, our workplace, or all three at once! Conflict can be overwhelmingand exhausting.
Inthe first passage, we see David speaking about his righteous retributionagainst his attackers and how God has delivered him up from a place of weaknessto a place of power and strength. It’s clear, in the context of the passage,that this action is not only justified in God’s eyes, but is fueled andsupplied by Him (v. 39-40). If you’re the kind of person that faces conflicthead on, like David in this passage, is that action a holy one? Are yourepresenting & reflecting Christ in your head-on approach toward conflict?
Inthe second passage, we see Jacob attempting to make amends with his brotherEsau for taking their father Isaac’s blessing deceitfully. Esau was so angrythat Jacob stole their father’s blessing that he had plotted to kill Jacob(Gen. 27:41). If you have time, read this entire story; it’s reallyfascinating! In terms of conflict, Jacob confesses where he has been hidingfrom his brother (the land of Laban) and offers him a sacrifice as a truce.Esau is angry and Jacob knows he is in the wrong. Jacob displays wisdom andhumility in this passage. How does humility play into the way you deal withconflict? Do you automatically approach every situation assuming you are rightand everyone else is wrong? Are you open to different perspectives, thoughts,and ideas? Is it easy to admit your faults to someone else, or does pride getin the way?
Inthe third and final passage for today, Jesus has a verbal confrontation withthe religious leaders about the letter of the Law vs. the spirit of the Law.Jesus did three things here: He spoke truth, he acted in love, and he exercisedwisdom. Sometimes the best way to deal with conflict, when you know you’re inGod’s will, is to lovingly disagree with the person and leave it at that. Godmay have something for the person to learn, and it may not be yours to teachthem. Acting in love towards someone, even if it causes conflict, may be thebest option sometimes.
Sowhat can we take away from these three passages?
1. Howdo I typically deal with conflict?
2. IsGod honored in my actions and attitude when conflict arises?
3. Isthere anyone I need to humble myself before?
4. Isthere any holy action I need to take?
5. Prayfor God’s guidance in the area of conflict this week.
God bless you and your time in the Word this week!
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