1 Samuel 15:1-6: a reflection

1Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you to be king over his people, over Israel. Now therefore listen to the voice of the LORD’s words. 2The LORD of Armies says, ‘I remember what Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way when he came up out of Egypt. 3Now go and strike Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and don’t spare them; but kill both man and woman, infant and nursing baby, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’” 4Saul summoned the people, and counted them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen and ten thousand men of Judah. 5Saul came to the city of Amalek, and set an ambush in the valley. 6Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

In the account of Saul's campaign against the Amalekites, a small but telling detail appears: before the conflict, Saul warns the Kenites to leave, sparing them because of a kindness they had shown long before. Go, depart, Saul tells the Kenites, for you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt. The kindness the Kenites had shown Israel generations earlier was remembered, and now, long afterward, it was repaid with protection and safety. A kindness done long ago was not forgotten but remembered and repaid. This shows that kindness shown is remembered, and can be repaid even long afterward; the good we do is not lost but can return to us in ways we do not foresee, even generations later. Kindness done is remembered and can be repaid, even long afterward. The good we do is not lost; it can return to us in time. Kindness shown, even long ago, is remembered and repaid. The kindness of the Kenites was repaid generations later.

Notice the reach of the memory of kindness: the Kenites were spared for a kindness shown generations before. Their ancestors had shown kindness to Israel when Israel came out of Egypt; and now, long afterward, that kindness was remembered and repaid with protection. The good done so long ago was not forgotten; it returned in the sparing of their descendants. This is a quietly encouraging truth: that kindness shown is remembered, and can be repaid even long afterward, in ways we do not foresee. The good we do is not lost, even if it seems to go unnoticed or unrewarded at the time; it can return to us, or to those who come after us, in God's providence, even generations later. Kindness is not wasted; it is remembered and can be repaid. This encourages us to show kindness even when we cannot see any immediate return, trusting that the good we do is not lost but remembered. The kindness we show may return to us, or to those after us, long afterward. Good done is not forgotten but remembered and repaid in time. Kindness shown is remembered longer than we know.

That is worth taking to heart, for kindness shown is remembered and can be repaid, even long afterward, so the good we do is not lost. We can show kindness and see no return, and wonder whether it mattered; but the kindness the Kenites showed Israel was remembered and repaid generations later. The good we do is not lost, even if it goes unrewarded at the time; it can return, in God's providence, even long afterward. This encourages us to show kindness without needing an immediate return, trusting the good is remembered. Show kindness even without seeing an immediate return; the good you do is remembered and can be repaid, even long afterward, as the Kenites were spared for the kindness their ancestors had shown Israel. Show kindness even when you see no immediate return, trusting that the good you do is not lost but remembered and can be repaid even long afterward, as the Kenites were spared for a kindness their ancestors had shown Israel generations before; for kindness shown is remembered longer than we know, and can return to us, or to those who come after us, in God's providence, even generations later, so that the good we do is not wasted even if it seems to go unnoticed or unrewarded at the time, but is remembered and can be repaid in ways and times we do not foresee, which encourages us to show kindness freely without demanding an immediate return.

Lord, in the account of Saul's campaign against the Amalekites, a small but telling detail appears: before the conflict, Saul warns the Kenites to leave, sparing them because of a kindness they had shown long before. Go, depart, Saul tells the Kenites, for you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt. The kindness the Kenites had shown Israel generations earlier was remembered, and now, long afterward, it was repaid with protection and safety. A kindness done long ago was not forgotten but remembered and repaid. Show me the reach of the memory of kindness: the Kenites were spared for a kindness shown generations before. Their ancestors had shown kindness to Israel; and now, long afterward, that kindness was remembered and repaid. The good done so long ago was not forgotten; it returned in the sparing of their descendants. This is a quietly encouraging truth: that kindness shown is remembered, and can be repaid even long afterward, in ways we do not foresee. The good I do is not lost, even if it seems to go unnoticed or unrewarded at the time; it can return, in your providence, even generations later. This encourages me to show kindness even when I cannot see any immediate return. Take that to my heart, for kindness shown is remembered and can be repaid, even long afterward, so the good I do is not lost. I can show kindness and see no return, and wonder whether it mattered; but the kindness the Kenites showed Israel was remembered and repaid generations later. Keep me from needing an immediate return for the kindness I show; help me show kindness freely, Lord, trusting that the good I do is not lost but remembered and can be repaid even long afterward, as the Kenites were spared for a kindness their ancestors had shown.