October 30 -- "The People Were Pleased"

 Today’s Reading: 2 Samuel 3

"The People Were Pleased"

Monk and poet John Lydgate once said, “You can please some of the people some of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you cannot please all of the people all of the time.” A very insightful quote about how difficult it is to please everyone.   Trying to please everyone is actually a characteristic of our fallen human nature. The psychologists say it is a disease called co-dependence. It's unhealthy and hurts those who try to be everything to everyone. Examine your Bible and you will see that there is not a single verse that tells you to try to make everyone happy.   It does say, however, that we should do our best to please God.

David was relatively new at this king thing. He didn’t really know the proper political protocols in many situations. He didn’t know how to please the people. In today’s chapter he was rebuked by Joab for his “blunder” in not imprisoning his sworn enemy, Abner, when he had the chance to do so. David wasn’t a “polished” monarch with decades of experience. But David’s heart was set on pleasing the Lord. And because of this, the Lord made it so that the people were pleased at his actions. In fact, verse 36 says “Everything the king did pleased the people.”

Proverbs 16:7 says, “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”  It is an astonishing thing, but when God approves of your life, even your enemies will end up shaking your hand. They will recognize the quality of your character and the soundness of your decisions. This doesn’t mean that if your ways please the Lord, you will never have an enemy. Everyone will not agree with all you do but they will be “at peace” with you.

So why are we so worried about pleasing other people? If you are worried about pleasing other people, you need to change your priorities and put all of your focus on pleasing God.  He is the most important Person in your life.  When we please God we may not be pleasing everyone around like David, but we are staying in tune with the reason we were created.  God creates us, He saves us and He gives us life.  Your value comes only from God and will never come as a result of people pleasing. The only applause we should be seeking is that of His nail-scarred hands.