Heed the Warnings
So Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I face your brother Joab?” - 2 Samuel 2:22
This is very interesting. They had been fighting each other, but as Abner ran with his men, he did not want to kill Asahel, Joab’s brother. While Asahel was definitely chasing Joab so he could kill him, that was not in the heart of Abner. He did not want to kill Asahel and make a greater enemy of Joab. Remember, they were already enemies. They had already battled against each other, but he did not want to kill Joab’s brother and cause bad blood between them. This would make the battle between them personal.
It seems as if Abner was extending grace to Asahel. He warned him not to follow, but Asahel would not listen to the warning. He wanted to take down Abner. He wanted the glory of defeating the commanding officer of Israel’s army, so he continued to pursue Abner.
Listen, there are so many times we are extended grace by people, but we ignore it. We are so set in our plan; we do not see the great kindness and favor someone is extending to us, for our own good.
It is the same with God. He extends His great love, grace and mercy to us, and we ignore it, so we can pursue things of the flesh. God will tell us, “Do not do it,” but we do it anyway, and then we end up getting hurt.
The worst thing about ignoring God’s grace and His warning is that when we get hurt, we blame God. If we had listened to Him, we would be fine. Remember, God is looking out for your best interest and heed the warnings.
Grace is stronger than circumstances.
~J. C. Ryle~
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