Pay it forward entails the beneficiary of a good deed repaying it by doing something kind for another person—not the original benefactor. In our fallen world, however, we sometimes “pay forward” pain by hurting someone in response to offenses committed against us—perhaps in the past—by a different person.
But Jonathan in 1 Samuel shows us that a person can choose to treat people well even if they’ve endured past hurts. Jonathan’s own father committed many wrongs against him. First, his dad—King Saul—was often too preoccupied to give much thought to his son. At one point, it appears that he didn’t even notice that his son had slipped out of a camp and ventured into enemy territory (1 Samuel 14:2-4).
On another occasion, Jonathan had to plead with his father to spare his life instead of killing him for tasting a little honey. “Does that deserve death?” Jonathan asked his dad (1 Samuel 14:43).
“Yes, Jonathan,” Saul said, “you must die! May God strike me and even kill me if you do not die for this” (1 Samuel 14:44). Despite Jonathan’s legitimate question, Saul intended to put his son to death and only relented when the soldiers protested (1 Samuel 14:45).
Yet even when King Saul set out to kill Jonathan’s best friend David, Jonathan didn’t pay his father’s sins forward. Unlike his father, Jonathan chose to believe “nothing can hinder the LORD” as he trusted in God (1 Samuel 14: 6).
Jonathan’s trust in God led him to courageously head into enemy territory to help his people overcome them. Like Jonathan, you and I can move past our pain and trust the Lord as we do His will. Paying pain forward inflicts harm on others. Instead, let’s trust in God as we seek to help them.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Acts 8:1-25
More:
Read Matthew 18:21-35 and consider how forgiveness can help you to not pay forward sins done against you.
Next:
Is there someone you need to pay back with a blessing instead of an insult? Why is it so destructive to hang on to past pain?
Gary Shultz on October 18, 2014 at 6:45 am
I agree, being human we do often reflect our pain on others. Each day the world seems to produce more bitter people. Sometimes the only way to stay sane is to pull from the love Christ has for us. Then we really have something to pay forward. Thanks
ghchong on October 19, 2014 at 4:25 am
Whack la Eze 18:4 (ESV) “Behold, ALL SOULS ARE MINE; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.”
and
Eccl 12:13-14 (NKJV) “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.”
Mike Wittmer on October 24, 2014 at 9:27 am
This is an important lesson for life. My own father showed me that it is possible to break the chain from one generation to the next, and he cherished me even though his own dad had walked out on him.
Roxanne Robbins on October 27, 2014 at 10:05 am
I’m late in the game on this thread but wanted to thank Mike for sharing a personal example of his own dad breaking a negative chain of poor fathering. Real life examples of people choosing to follow and honor God and their families, even when that wasn’t modeled for them, demonstrates God’s restorative and redeeming power!