It is easy to like people that look good, but it is also easy to hate people that do not look good to us. It is also easy to disregard people that do not fall into either category. The Lord says if we treat one person one way and another person a different way just because of the way they look, talk or dress, then we are knowingly and willfully causing pain and distress to a person. In other words, we are being cruel (James 2:2-4). People hated our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because He did not look like people thought he should. Like Jacob’s first wife, Leah, there was nothing special or impressive about the way Jesus looked. Leah was hated because she was not like her sister, Rachel, who was beautiful and well favored (Genesis 29:17). There was nothing about Leah that Jacob could see that would cause him to like her the same as Rachel and there was nothing physically attractive about Jesus that would cause the world to like him; “…He wasn’t some handsome king. Nothing about the way he looked made him attractive to us” (Isaiah 53:2 CEV). People were so cruel to our Savior that people would not even look at him when he came towards them because they would turn away from him in disgust (Isaiah 53:3).
Being attractive pleases the world but being obedient pleases God. Jesus was obedient so he was very attractive to His Father; “… the servant grew up obeying the Lord” (Isaiah 53:2 CEV). Even though he was obedient to God, people still treated him like someone of no importance. The cruelty that people had towards Jesus escalated because He was always there in their way. They could not get rid of God in the flesh. They would turn away from His face because they were disgusted by how He looked but there He was again right in their presence; “People would not even look at [turned their backs on; hid their faces from] him” (Isaiah 53:3 EXB). Our treatment of people in this way says more about our cruel, despicable attitudes than it does about how another person looks. They tried but they could not get rid of Him. They could not get rid of the One that they were disgusted by because He was in God’s will, and He was obedient to God’s Word. Obedience to God’s Word keeps us in God’s will no matter how cruel people are to us. When they turned around, He was right there again, doing His Father’s work. They could not stand to look at Him, but they had no choice because He was right there all the time, healing people, helping people, and saving people from their sins. As a result, their attitudes escalated into physical abuse and violence. They could not stand the way God in the flesh looked, so they spit on God. They mocked God. They slapped our Savior’s face. Their hatred for the way He looked not only escalated into them spitting in Jesus Christ’s face and slapping Him, but they hit Him with their fists (Matthew 26:67). When people are cruel to us, they are also being cruel to the God, who now lives in His children; “I will put my Spirit inside you…” (Ezekiel 36:27 ERV).
Jesus Christ was the perfect example of how to properly respond to cruelty; “He was treated harshly but endured it humbly; he never said a word. Like a lamb about to be slaughtered, like a sheep about to be sheared, he never said a word” (Isaiah 53:7 GNT). God is pleased when we respond properly to cruelty. The Lord says that if we suffer, we need to make sure our suffering is for doing what is right. When we suffer for doing what’s right, then we are behaving like Jesus and when that happens, we will have God’s blessing. The Lord tells us not to be afraid of the people who make us suffer after we do what is right (1 Peter 3:14). Abigail warned David that cruelty is a trap (1 Samuel 25:31). Cruelty is designed to derail us from fulfilling God’s purposes for our lives. If we respond like Jesus did to cruelty, we are promised to receive God’s blessings. Abigail told King David that if he did not fall into the trap of cruelty and responded properly then God would make his family strong. If we respond properly to cruelty, then people will never be able to find anything bad about us. If we respond properly to cruelty, then when we find ourselves in danger God will save our lives and defeat our enemies. If we obey God’s Word and respond like Jesus Christ did to the cruelty of people, then the Lord promises to do many good things for us and the Lord keeps His promises (1 Samuel 25:28-30). When we respond properly to cruelty God blesses our lives and our families. King David told his men; “Maybe the Lord will see the wrong things that are happening to me and give me something good for every bad thing…” (2 Samuel 16:12 ERV).
Obedience results in our sons becoming strong as trees and our daughters as beautiful as the carved columns of a palace. Obedience results in our homes being filled with foods of all kinds. Our resources become so productive that our homes are full of everything else that we need for our families. People around us will be blessed (Genesis 39:5). If we obey God’s commands and refuse to let Satan derail us with his cruel devices, then the Lord puts a hedge around our homes and no enemy can break through its walls or carry away any of our people. There will be no cries of pain when we obey the Lord. We may suffer for a little while (1 Peter 5:10) but soon joy replaces pain and we can rejoice and shout about how wonderful it is to have such blessings! Yes, great blessings belong to those who obey the Lord their God (Psalm 144:12-15).
Submitted By Trustee Stanley Ridley