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Let's look for hidden pearls (10 mins.)
2Sa 10:4, 5. Why was what Hanun did so humiliating to the Israelite men? (it-1 284).
It was so humiliating because the beard for men was a sign of their manly dignity. Also, God's law for Israel prohibited cutting the hair that grows on each cheek and the ends of the beard. A prohibition that is possibly due to the fact that pagan peoples used this practice with religious and immoral connotations.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
In ancient times, many peoples of the East considered the beard as proof of manly dignity. God's law made it forbidden for Israel to cut the locks on their sides, that is, the hair that is allowed to grow on each of the two cheeks, as well as the end of the beard. This prohibition was surely due to the fact that among some pagan peoples this practice had religious connotations.
It was very humiliating because in this culture and at that time, the beard was considered a test of manly dignity, and God's law forbade adult men to count the end of the beard.
It was so humiliating because, as the quote says, when the Israelites' beards were cut, they lost their manly dignity and it was also a great humiliation because many peoples who worshiped false gods cut their beards, and this perhaps for the Israelites who suffered this humiliation because they made them see as if they were part of these pagan peoples.
The beard was proof of manhood, and Hanun shaving off half of their beard was an act of humiliation towards the Israelite warriors, an act of dishonor to them.
In biblical times the beard was synonymous with being manly. This included in most of the towns of the East. Although some of these peoples had the custom of cutting their beards on the sides, that is, on the cheeks, but they did so for false religious reasons.
For this reason Jehovah prohibited by law the cutting off of “the locks on his sides” as well as the end of the beard to distinguish himself from the heathen nations. For that reason, cutting their beards was humiliating for them from the sacred point. David decreed that until they grow up they do not return so as not to be judged incorrectly.
What spiritual gems have you found about Jehovah, the ministry, and other topics in this week's Bible reading?
2 Samuel 9:1. This question from David teaches us that we should always show loyal love to our brothers and relatives. And more than that, seek and go to meet family and brothers who need help and that we can give them ours. This makes Jehovah truly happy to see how we help each other.
2 Samuel 9:1. David did not forget the promise he had made to Jonathan. We must show loyal love to our brothers, this goes beyond just lamenting how bad they are going through, this implies taking action in difficult times.
2 Samuel 9:1. Although David was already the king appointed by Jehovah over all Israel, he did not forget those who helped him grow and mature for that role, that is why here he tries to find someone who is from the family of his best friend Jonathan, because you want to show loyal love in memory of your friend, we can also show loyal love to our dear brothers and friends.
2 Samuel 9:2. Samuel makes us see that the love and consideration that David showed Mephibosheth, the disabled son of his dear friend Jonathan, is an example of how we should treat those of humble condition, so this example can help us a lot in our ministry, because it teaches us that we must be very considerate of others, especially those who have had special circumstances in life.
2 Samuel 9:3. David with this question wanted to investigate who might need help. In the same way, let us search the congregation for people who need material help and help them. Jehovah does not forget this type of worship because he left it in his word for us.
2 Samuel 9:5. David sent for this needy person to show him his loyal love. This teaches us, and reminds us of our dear brothers who live in other countries who are experiencing difficulties, either because of the economy or because of persecution. Although they are far from us, God's organization on Earth provides us with many tools and means to help and show our loyal love.
2 Samuel 9:6. Reading this, we might ask ourselves, why was Mephibosheth afraid? It must be remembered that his uncle Ish-bosheth had reigned as a rival to King David, and therefore there might be those who believed that Mephibosheth was entitled to rule. Since it was common for eastern rulers to secure his position by killing all possible rivals, Mephibosheth may end up losing his life.
2 Samuel 9:6. We see the humility of Mephibosheth, because he appears before David and says: "Here is your servant", many may have thought that Mephibosheth had a certain right to the throne, on the contrary, and even felt unworthy of receiving David's help, which teaches the attitude that we should always have towards those who lead Jehovah's organization, we should always make ourselves available and be willing to accept the assignments they give us.
2 Samuel 9:6,7. Mephibosheth was very afraid to be called by David. It is possible that this was because his uncle Ish-Bosheth usurped the kingship that belonged to David and perhaps believed that he would be mistreated for it. However, the king immediately reassured him and confirmed his love for his father Jonathan and extended it to his. This example reminds those who take the lead in the congregation that many brothers can feel fear when approaching some of them and it will certainly be very useful if their face and words reflect calm to reach the brothers who need help.
2 Samuel 9:7. David did not offer a punctual gesture, but he said that you will always eat at my table. When we do something out of loyal love, it must be from a sincere heart and not out of obligation or once we do the act say: "I have already fulfilled". No, if our brother needs our help, and he is in our power, we will be by his side as long as he needs.
2 Samuel 9:7. David showed great hospitality to Mephibosheth, we can also show hospitality to our brothers, Jehovah likes to see that we share with each other, and this will bring us blessing, as it says in Hebrews 13:2.
2 Samuel 9:7. King David's hospitality to Mephibosheth, the son of his friend Jonathan, made him see that he would show him loyal love and that he would even eat from David's table, this was a test of his loyalty to a previously established relationship, we can still be hospitable to our brothers by inviting them to spend an afternoon with us, by sending them an encouraging letter to give them our help when they need it.
2 Samuel 9:8. David did not notice the deficiencies that Mephibosheth had nor did this situation turn him back, his loyal love was the same. This teaches us that we should not discriminate against our neighbor for the physical defects that he may have, our love, kindness and generosity should be the same as every servant of Jehovah dressed in the new Christian personality.
2 Samuel 9:8,10. Mephibosheth was confused by David's kindness. In Mephibosheth's own opinion, he was totally worthy of it. By referring to himself as a "dead dog," he acknowledged that he held the lowest position he could possibly have. To Mephibosheth it must have been a real surprise to have received favorable consideration from the king. First of all, there was the question of the land that had belonged to Saul. He would also have the privilege of eating regularly at the royal table. This was a favor generally granted, not to helpless cripples, but to men distinguished by deeds of valor. This teaches us that Jehovah does so with us, he blesses us in unexpected and undeserved ways, we must be grateful to Jehovah at all times.
2 Samuel 9:8-10. Mephibosheth felt like a nobody who even felt like a dead dog, something that nobody wanted, but David comforted him by assuring him that even everything that had belonged to Saul would be his, likewise, we may meet people who feel inferior because of certain situations that have happened, so we should always try to speak in a way that comforts others.
2 Samuel 9:9,10. David provided Mephibosheth with everything he needed as well as his family. While it is true that David was King with great material possessions. What this biblical passage teaches us is that, and within our possibilities, we should not be stingy but be kind and really help our brothers and people who need it.
2 Samuel 9:9,10. David endeavored to give practical help to Mephibosheth since he knew that her physical condition did not allow her to work adequately on behalf of his family. So he arranged for Zibah to farm the land that had belonged to Saul. It must have been large enough to work with Ziba's 15 sons and 20 servants.
2 Samuel 9:7,11. It shows the hospitality of King David to Mephibosheth, it is derived from his kindness, in the same way, the servants of God today must be generous with humanity in general, but express our continuous loving-kindness, or loyal love, especially with our brothers in faith, who are those who share our same values.
2 Samuel 9:1,13. We see the consideration that David showed Mephibosheth who was the son of Jonathan but who was crippled in both feet. David's example shows us how we should treat the humble and that teaches us a lot when we are preaching that we should not prejudge all people and that we should declare the good of the kingdom to all without exception Because the only one who knows the people's heart is Jehovah.
2 Samuel 9:13. If we do what is right in this system of things, Jehovah will see to it that we eat with kings in the new world. Let's strive to visualize those occasions to have courage to do the right thing.
2 Samuel 10:2. Sometimes we find people who do not appreciate acts of loving kindness, we are not surprised since the Bible says that it is normal in the last days that many act like this, even people who belong to some religion, this motivates us to examine ourselves and think about how we respond when someone tries to do us a favor, there are those who respond that they did not ask for any favor and therefore they do not have to give thanks, it is something sad and unfortunate, and without a doubt, it is not the will of Jehovah that his servants let's be like this
2 Samuel 10:3. What does this verse teach us? That distrust and jealousy within the people of God cannot exist. This way of thinking will lead us to think things that are not, it will turn us into toxic people and we will be contaminating the Christian environment of the congregation by thinking that our brothers do things out of interest instead of disinterested.
2 Samuel 10:3. We see what led them to a war for not knowing the facts or not being informed. This teaches me, for example, that when we don't know the facts there will always be misunderstandings. So if we want to maintain peace within the congregation or to settle a problem, we should speak directly with him, the brother involved, and try to solve the problems in order to maintain unity within the congregation.
2 Samuel 10:3. Upon learning of the death of the king of the Ammonites, David wanted to show his appreciation to his son to remember the friendship he had with that people. However, Hanun's advisers imputed bad motives to him, making them believe that David sent to spy on them and then wage war against them. One thing to learn is that it is possible to misread other people's attitudes and motives. It could happen that someone is a shy and withdrawn person. You may also have a stern facial expression. Others might mistakenly conclude that he is cold, proud, and unloving, though that may not be the case at all.
2 Samuel 10:4,5. It tells us that on one occasion King David sent his servants to comfort King Hanun of Ammon because of the death of Hanun's father, but the Ammonites were wrongly suspicious and because of that they humiliated David's men, which led to a war, then disastrous consequences were suffered for attributing bad motives, from this we learn that sometimes it is possible to misunderstand the attitude and motives of other people, perhaps it could happen that someone was a shy and withdrawn person or is very serious, which we It can lead us to mistakenly conclude that he is a cold, proud person, but we are seeing that we should not draw hasty conclusions that can lead us to make a mistake.
2 Samuel 10:4,5. This shows us how Jehovah and spiritual men always look for a way to respect the dignity of people. Let's never humiliate our brothers neither from the platform nor with jokes in front of others because as we see, David looked for a way to protect his humiliation, let's do the same.
2 Samuel 10:5. David showed empathy, consideration for his servants who had been humiliated, we can imitate David when a friend, brother of the congregation suffers a difficult situation, we can support him with words of encouragement, empathy in these times is something that is greatly appreciated.
2 Samuel 10:6. Over time, the Ammonites realized that they had earned David's hatred, or, in other words, contempt, when acting against one person unjustifiably can cause the other person to feel hurt and contempt. by the way we act, that is why we should always think before acting.
2 Samuel 10:6-8. A wrong thought led to a battle. We are the people of God and as we well know, there are already enough problems in the world to generate problems ourselves where there are none due to our judicious way of thinking. Although it is the natural tendency of man due to inherited imperfection, we are a separate people, and we must show a clean, humble and healthy thought towards our neighbor.
2 Samuel 10:11. It shows that in war the Israeli soldiers worked as a team and supported each other when a need arose as the case may be, when the named men and all of us in general adopted this attitude of working as a team, as friends who support each other it generates a pleasant atmosphere in the congregation, and as the watchtower showed a few weeks ago, the opposite is also true.
2 Samuel 10:11. This is how we should work when we go from house to house, invite experienced brothers and sisters, not only those we like, but all of us, perhaps that day we needed their knowledge in particular to help a person, knowledge or experience that maybe we didn't have.
2 Samuel 10:12. This text encourages us a lot and we could use it to encourage someone who is going through a difficult situation, it says that we must be strong and brave for our people, our family and that God will do the rest, this could seem contradictory especially if we feel that we already we have no strength, many servants of God have kept their faith in times like this, and have continued to trust that Jehovah will do the work, and it has been so, the important thing is not to lose faith in God and continue believing, trusting, trusting and obeying him.
2 Samuel 10:12. It is mentioned that previously he left the army of Israel and was cornered by both the Ammonites and the Sirius, however they were not discouraged, rather the words were not discouraged, rather the words of Joao were and Jehovah will do what seems good to him, this teaches us the importance of being patient when we have problems or command we are without difficulties and move on and wait for Jehovah to act.
2 Samuel 10:19. They finally agreed to peace. This teaches us a lesson to put into practice: problems and discussions are temporary and there may come a time when we realize that the fight we had with our brother was caused by something absurd or even false, as we have seen with David and Hanun. . But we have already lost that time and we are not going to recover it, has it been worth it? As servants of God we must always think the best and leave behind our personal ego.
2 Samuel 10:19. When all the kings saw that Israel had defeated them, they immediately agreed to peace with Israel and became their subjects and the Syrians no longer dared to help the Ammonites, this showed the consequences of trying to oppose the people of Jehovah and to support their enemies and that everyone who opposes Jehovah and his people would be put to shame, both in the past and in the near future.
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