Overreacting

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

I was reading through 1 Samuel last night. In doing so, I read an account when David blew his stack, literally! Now, you don’t have to answer this, I think I already know the answer to what I’m about to ask:

Have you ever overreacted? Blown up? Had an emotional tsunami? Perhaps you were hanging tough through a difficult time when something happened — the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back — and you cut loose; you let it rip. 

Well, that’s what happened with David. He and his small army had been running from Saul in the Desert of Moan. There was a wealthy man in the area named Nabal. While he was tending to his property and possessions near Carmel, it appears David watched over his flocks so that nothing was stolen before he returned. David sent a few men to ask him for some supplies. Nabal refused, giving them a rather off-the-cuff remark. The men reported back to David and that’s when he had a melt down. 

He sent 400 soldiers to kill Nabal and all his employees. Talk about overkill; that’s like killing a gnat with a 5 lb. sledgehammer! Thankfully, Nabal’s wife intervened, stopping the inevitable massacre.

While running and hiding from Saul, David spent a lot of time on the emotional edge, just as we do sometimes. Add to that fatigue, disappointments, stress and you have a recipe for a volcanic-like eruption. 

Be careful, though. Reactions, especially overreactions, often create collateral damage. During stressful times, keep your trust in God. You can depend on Him in pressure cooker situations. He’s always there in an emotional furnace. 

David had just been saying, “A lot of good it did to help this fellow [Nabal]. We protected his flocks in the wilderness, and nothing he owned was lost or stolen. But he has repaid me evil for good. May God strike me and kill me if even one man of his household is still alive tomorrow morning!”  1 Samuel 25.21-22