Duality Review
"They visit me as if they were my friends, but all the while they gather gossip, Duality Review and when they leave, they spread it everywhere." (Psalm 41:6 NLT)David was often the target of jealous rivals. He knew the pain of being surrounded by insincere people. Their mission is to pretend they like you but only in order to gather some information that they may use against you. On the other hand, if we love someone, we can almost sense a resistance to negative talk about that person. We are hesitant to believe anything bad. Perhaps common sense is thrown overboard in this instance too, but we would rather go and find out for ourselves if what we hear is true, instead of just believing what others say about the person.
An example would be when we hear something bad about our children or parents. Because we love them, we will not be quick to believe bad things that are being said about them. Instead, we will defend them in the presence of others. Does anybody know what I'm talking about?
There was once a farmer who extended uncommon hospitality towards a destitute stranger who passed by his farm looking for lodging. The young stranger soon became involved in life on the farm, helping out wherever he could and he was also wholly accepted as a member of the family. The farmer had three sons who were very close and loved and respected their father dearly. The stranger often looked with envy at the special relationship between the sons and the father. Over time, his envy turned into hatred towards the boys.
Gradually he started finding ways to express his hateful feelings. Being fully aware of how much the boys' father loved and trusted him, he got permission to take them with him for nights out in town. There he would tempt them into getting up to all sorts of mischief. The boys were not accustomed to this kind of "exciting lifestyle" and despite protesting initially, they gave in as the young man convinced them how they are missing out on the best fun they'll ever have. Once, they went a little too far and were nearly caught in the act by the police. Their little secrets planted them firmly in his grip and gave him the leverage needed to mistreat them. He satisfied his hateful feelings by insulting them and sometimes hitting them -though always inconspicuously so as not to raise any suspicions.
He enjoyed the benefits of the farmer tremendously and He didn't want to risk that. He often felt guilty for the way he treated the sons of his benefactor and would try to mask those feelings of guilt by doing increasingly more and working harder to impress their dad. When he felt better he would continue his destructive carving away at the character of the boys. He threatened to tell their father of their indiscretions if they should dare to spill the beans. He would put fear in their hearts by warning them of the horrible punishment that awaits them if he should divulge their wrongdoings to their father. His tactics worked and paralyzed by fear, they simply resigned themselves to the situation. They didn't want to disappoint their father in any way. This carried on unnoticed by the father for some time.
