(1 Sam 23) David, while fleeing for his life from King Saul heard of the danger threatening the inhabitants of Keilah. He asked counsel of the Lord, and assured of God's blessing went and fought the Philistines. He placed his life in jeopardy for the inhabitants of Keilah. But when Saul heard he was there he called the army together to besiege Keilah and capture David. God revealed to David that the people had such ingratitude toward David that they would deliver him up to Saul. The Scriptures do not relate to us how David felt about their base ingratitude, but it tells us of another instance which sorely tested David.

This is an experience that I have contemplated, and never fully comprehended until circumstances taught me the same lesson that David had had to learn in the school of affliction.

(1 Sam 25) David had spent night and day for months in the wilderness watching for thieves, bandits, wild animals and anything which could harm Nabal's herds and herdsmen. This assistance was rendered without a desire for gain or any selfish motive. It was given from a genuinely good, unselfish heart. His generous, good, kind heart is seen in numerous instances throughout the Scriptures. But Nabal was a selfish man according to the Scriptures. When David and his men were suffering, and in need of provisions, Nabal, completely ignored David's goodness and kindness toward him. And besides that, Nabal, repeated the false accusation circulating about David.

Let us put ourselves in his position in a modern day situation to really understand what he was experiencing. Suppose we labored day after day, with many sleepless nights month after month, stretching our nerves, and energies to the limit to help someone. And suppose that we never heard one word of thanks from immediate family members that should have been the most grateful. And suppose rumors were spread, our character was slandered, and our motives misjudged. Suppose there was no Abigail, and our desire to know the well-being of the person we had helped, in fact our every communication, as well as our gifts, were totally ignored. If this was our experience, how would we feel?

David told his men to gird their swords on and they hastily set out to destroy Nabal and his household. Perhaps we don't respond in that way physically today, for we would be thrown in jail. But we may respond with anger, bitterness, a feeling of rejection, discouragement and despair. But fortunately for David, God had an Abigail. She, Nabal's wife, having heard the whole story, set out at once loaded with gifts, and met David on his way. She spoke words that could have been inspired only by the Holy Spirit. She counseled that we should not fight our own battles, but the Lord's, and that vengeance belongs to the Lord to take care of.

Oh, for an Abigail when we need one! Sad to say, seldom will we have an Abigail. They are few and far between. However, we have the lesson from the history of David to speak to our hearts. And we need to learn this lesson, for the disposition to hurt or destroy those who don't appreciate our work or who act contrary to our ideas, is the spirit of Satan.

Have we had a similar experience? We can receive solace in the fact that Jesus was unappreciated, falsely accused, and rejected. When the disciples wanted to call fire down from heaven on the Samaritans for refusing hospitality to Jesus, Jesus said “... Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.” (Luke 9:55-56)

Jesus was tested in the same way when “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.” (John 6:66) With a yearning heart, Jesus saw those who had been His disciples departing from Him, the Life and the Light of men. The consciousness that His compassion was unappreciated, His love unrequited, His mercy slighted, His salvation rejected, filled Him with sorrow that was inexpressible. It was such developments as these that made Him a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.

Just one Leper out of ten returned to give thanks to Christ.

May God help us to rise above discouragement, disappointment, anger or other wrong feelings when our love is unrequited; our efforts unappreciated; our interest in their welfare, our communication and gifts ignored.

Because God disapproves of the disposition to retaliate against those who don't appreciate our sacrifices for them, does that mean God looks lightly upon the sin of ingratitude? Absolutely not. It is mentioned as one of the sins characterizing the perilous times of the last days. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,” (2 Timothy 3:1-2)

Christ values acts of heartfelt courtesy. When anyone did Him a favor, with heavenly politeness He blessed the actor. He did not refuse the simplest flower plucked by the hand of a child, and offered to Him in love. He accepted the offerings of children, and blessed the givers, inscribing their names in the book of life. In the Scriptures, Mary's anointing of Jesus is mentioned as distinguishing her from the other Marys. Acts of love and reverence for Jesus are an evidence of faith in Him as the Son of God. And the Holy Spirit mentions, as evidences of woman's loyalty to Christ: "If she have washed the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work." 1 Timothy 5:10.

Christ delighted in the earnest desire of Mary to do the will of her Lord. He accepted the wealth of pure affection which His disciples did not, would not, understand. The desire that Mary had to do this service for her Lord was of more value to Christ than all the precious ointment in the world, because it expressed her appreciation of the world's Redeemer. It was the love of Christ that constrained her. The matchless excellence of the character of Christ filled her soul. That ointment was a symbol of the heart of the giver. It was the outward demonstration of a love fed by heavenly streams until it overflowed.

The work of Mary was just the lesson the disciples needed to show them that the expression of their love for Him would be pleasing to Christ. He had been everything to them, and they did not realize that soon they would be deprived of His presence, that soon they could offer Him no token of their gratitude for His great love. The loneliness of Christ, separated from the heavenly courts, living the life of humanity, was never understood or appreciated by the disciples as it should have been. He was often grieved because His disciples did not give Him that which He should have received from them. He knew that if they were under the influence of the heavenly angels that accompanied Him, they too would think no offering of sufficient value to declare the heart's spiritual affection.

Their after knowledge gave them a true sense of the many things they might have done for Jesus expressive of the love and gratitude of their hearts, while they were near Him. When Jesus was no longer with them, and they felt indeed as sheep without a shepherd, they began to see how they might have shown Him attentions that would have brought gladness to His heart. They no longer cast blame upon Mary, but upon themselves. Oh, if they could have taken back their censuring, their presenting the poor as more worthy of the gift than was Christ! They felt the reproof keenly as they took from the cross the bruised body of their Lord.

The same want is evident in our world today. But few appreciate all that Christ is to them. If they did, the great love of Mary would be expressed, the anointing would be freely bestowed. The expensive ointment would not be called a waste. Nothing would be thought too costly to give for Christ, no self-denial or self-sacrifice too great to be endured for His sake.

The words spoken in indignation, "To what purpose is this waste?" brought vividly before Christ the greatest sacrifice ever made,--the gift of Himself as the propitiation for a lost world. The Lord would be so bountiful to His human family that it could not be said of Him that He could do more. In the gift of Jesus, God gave all heaven. From a human point of view, such a sacrifice was a wanton waste. To human reasoning the whole plan of salvation is a waste of mercies and resources. Self-denial and wholehearted sacrifice meet us everywhere. Well may the heavenly host look with amazement upon the human family who refuse to be uplifted and enriched with the boundless love expressed in Christ. Well may they exclaim, “Why this great waste?”

But the atonement for a lost world was to be full, abundant, and complete. Christ's offering was exceedingly abundant to reach every soul that God had created. It could not be restricted so as not to exceed the number who would accept the great Gift. All men are not saved; yet the plan of redemption is not a waste because it does not accomplish all that its liberality has provided for. There must be enough and to spare.

Divine love has been stirred to its unfathomable depths for the sake of men, and angels marvel to behold in the recipients of so great love a mere surface gratitude. Angels marvel at man's shallow appreciation of the love of God. Heaven stands indignant at the neglect shown to the souls of men. Would we know how Christ regards it? How would a father and mother feel, did they know that their child, lost in the cold and the snow, had been passed by, and left to perish, by those who might have saved it? Would they not be terribly grieved, wildly indignant? Would they not denounce those murderers with wrath hot as their tears, intense as their love? The sufferings of every man are the sufferings of God's child, and those who reach out no helping hand to their perishing fellow beings provoke His righteous anger. This is the wrath of the Lamb. To those who claim fellowship with Christ, yet have been indifferent to the needs of their fellow men, He will declare in the greatJudgment day, "I know you not whence ye are; depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity." Luke 13:27