Assumptions Create Wars

A simple act of kindness gets misread, and a war erupts. We open 2 Samuel 10 and watch David extend honor to Hanan, only for fear and bad counsel to twist his motives and humiliate his envoys. From there, we connect the ancient narrative to the everyday moments where our own assumptions ignite conflict in group chats, hallways, family tables and explore how wisdom, patience, and careful words can keep small sparks from becoming bonfires.

Along the way, we share a personal story of friendship strain during prom season and the sting of being misrepresented in public. Together they offer a practical roadmap: ask clarifying questions, protect dignity, and let your tongue move at the speed of wisdom, not adrenaline.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Purpose Of Devotional
• 0:28 Personal Faith Journey And Podcast Aim
• 1:12 Theme Announced: Assumptions Create Wars
• 1:31 David’s Intentions In 2 Samuel 10
• 2:24 Advisors’ Suspicion And Public Humiliation
• 3:18 David Restores Dignity And War Ensues
• 3:42 High School Story Of Misplaced Loyalty
• 5:18 Proverbs On Listening And The Tongue
• 6:31 God’s Restoration And Reconciliation
• 7:03 Key Lessons And Practical Encouragement
• 8:11 Closing Prayer For Wisdom And Grace
• 9:01 Teaser For 2 Samuel 11 And Hope
• 9:26 Final Encouragements And CTAs

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Hello, hello. You're listening to the Jesse Morgan Devotions for the Christian Heart Podcast, episode 98. This week's devotional is titled Assumptions Create Wars. Let's do this. Study of David. Hi, I'm Jesse Morgan. I used to just share home decor and renovation tips on social media, but now I'm sharing something even closer to my heart. My journey in love for Jesus Christ, my savior. Welcome to the Jesse Morgan Devotions for the Christian Hawk Podcast. This is a weekly devotional I started back in May 2024, but the inspiration for it came much earlier. It was rooted in a faith journey that began when my daughter was born four months early in 2023. Through that challenging time, God worked in ways that truly amazed me. On this podcast, I share personal stories of faith woven together with Scripture to show just how incredible God's word can be in our everyday lives. My hope is that through these stories, you'll be encouraged, uplifted, and reminded of God's love and presence, no matter what you're going through. So I invite you to spend less than 15 minutes with me each week as we reflect on these devotionals together. Let's all pray within. Assumptions create wars. Key passage, 2nd Samuel 10. Hello and welcome back. If you can spare a few moments today or minutes, I believe this word is going to meet you right where you are. It really did for me. And I didn't realize how much of a blessing it was, but it has turned into such a big one for me this week. So excited to share. So today we're walking through 2 Samuel chapter 10. And at first glance, it looks like a political chapter, a war chapter, tons of kings against David, and David defeats them, blah, blah, blah. But when you slow down, it's about misunderstanding, it's about assumption, it's about how quickly kindness can turn into conflict. So in 2 Samuel 10, it talks about a foreign king had died. And in 10 2, David says, I will show kindness to Hanan's to Hanan, son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me. And it was interesting because you know David really takes it to heart when people treat him well. And he wants to, you know, give that back in return. He wants to show kindness in return. We know what he did last week with Jonathan's son. So we, you know, we can clearly see that David has pure intentions. Kindness, honor, respect, you know, that's how he works. So in but in 2 Samuel 10 3, Hanan's advisors um get in his ear because David sent some of his men to, you know, pay homage and and to show respect for the death of their king. And Hanan's advisors say in verse 3, Do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you? Hasn't David sent them to explore the city and spy out and overthrow it? No conversation, no clarification, no benefit of the doubt, just assumption. An assumption turned into humiliation, because in verse 4 it says, So Hanan sees David's envoys, shaved off half of each man's beard, cut off their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away. Public shame, public embarrassment, public misrepresentation. And in 2 Samuel 10 5, when David hears about this, he says, Stay at Jericho till your beards grow have grown and then come back. He gave them time to restore dig dignity, and what began as kindness ended in a war. That of course David won. All because someone assumed the worst. And when I read the chapter, it brought me back to something that happened when I was a senior in high school. I had two groups of friends. Um, and one group was a girl called Amy, someone I had known most of my life, loyal, steady, a little more reserved, but I loved her. She was like a sister. And the other group, there was this girl named Maria, outgoing, social, fun, always planning something. They didn't hate each other, but they definitely weren't close. They didn't get along that well. So prom season came around, plans were forming. Somehow Amy got invited to hang out with Maria's group after prom. Maria came to me privately and said, I just don't really want her there, Jess. I know she's your friend, I just don't feel comfortable. And I remember thinking, then you should tell her. And but she didn't want to. And I felt protective of Amy. I didn't want her walking into a situation where she wasn't welcomed. And it's our prom. You don't want to have bad memories. So I told her, in confidence, of course, not to gossip, not to stir trouble, but because I thought I was protecting her. And it blew up. Maria confronted me in the hallway. It got back to her. She called me desort loyal. She um said I ran my mouth, said I was a gossip, said I'm no good, I'm not her friend. And in that moment, I felt like those men in 2 Samuel 10, misrepresented, embarrassed, and exposed. She fussed at me in the hallway while people were switching classes. So everybody saw. Now let me be clear. Looking back, could I have handled it differently? Yes. Should I have stayed out of it? Probably. I was young, I was navigating friendships, loyalty without wisdom, per se. And that's where Proverbs 18-13 speaks directly to this. Because you know I've been doing this study with my with my Bible study group, and this verse just hit it right on the money. And it says in Proverbs 18, 13, to answer before listening, that is folly and shame. Maria assumed I betrayed her. I assumed Amy needed my protection. Nobody slowed down to communicate clearly, and that's how wars start. Not with evil, but with assumption. There's another verse that fits this perfectly too, Proverbs 1821, and it says, The tongue has the power of life and death. My words weren't meant to destroy, but they carried weight. Her words in the hallway, they carried weight too. Words can either clarify or they can escalate. And 2 Samuel 10 shows us what happens when insecure voices whisper suspicion. Proverbs reminds us what happens when words move faster than wisdom. But here's what I love about God. He restores dignity. Years later, Maria and I reconnected. She hugged me, she said she missed me, and even more beautiful, she ended up at my wedding. And Maria apologized for how she treated Amy. That wasn't teenage maturity. That was God's softening hearts. That was time doing its work. That was Grace closing a chapter. So 2 Samuel Chapter 10 teaches us these things. Not everyone will enter interpret your kindness correctly. Assumptions can create unnecessary battles. Public humiliation does not get the final word, and God restores what immaturity damages. And Proverbs teaches us, slow down before speaking, listen before reacting, guard your tongue, because assumptions can create wars. But wisdom prevents them. God will restore your dignity. You're going through a tough time, you have been misrepresented. Put it in God's hands and stay the course and be honest and be true to yourself through Jesus Christ. And anything can be your image, your reputation, anything can be restored with you know with Jesus by your side. Let's pray. Lord, guard our guard our hearts from assuming the worst. Teach us to listen before we react. Teach us to speak with wisdom. Humble us when we misstep, Lord. And when we misunderstood, restore our dignity. Heal old labels, redeem broken moments, and help us walk in grace. We thank you so much for this study of David, Lord. We thank you so much for so many different topics of assumptions and loyalty and friendship and everything that comes in between. And we're so thankful for this study. God bless everyone who listens. And we love you and we praise you, Lord, in Jesus' name. Amen. Love you all. Till next time. Just so you know, next week we're starting on um chapter 11 of 2 Samuel. And then just to let you know, this is gonna be a time in David's life that's gonna be a bit dark. So it's gonna be some heavy, heavy conversation um topics. But it what's so amazing is David, you know, he messes up a lot, but he still loves the Lord regardless. And it just shows that everybody goes through storms, everybody goes through, you know, they're wandering the wilderness and trying to figure out things, and but God is just waiting for you to basically pick up the phone, call him, and ask for directions to get you back on track. And that's what makes our God so wonderful. So, till next week, love you all. Well, that wraps up this week's episode. I hope these devotions help you draw closer to God each day. If this episode encouraged you, please share it with someone who might need the same message. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a weekly episode. Also, if you feek if you feel compelled, leaving a nice review would be so appreciated as well. For more information or to reach out, check the show notes or visit jessymorganhome.com or find me on Instagram at Jessimorganlife. Remember, God's timing is always perfect. Keep trusting him. Until next time, this is Jessie Morgan praying off.