Avoid crossing swords with the wrong people

Avoid this at all cost, never ever cross swords with the strong and powerful. Of course you may never know the background of a person from his looks, but that being the case the best thing to do would be to walk away. By walking away you are not only saving your honor but your future.

The world we live in is filled with all sorts of people, the rich, the strong, the powerful and uncrowned kings. And most too often these people of means and power will never advertise their capacity and their versatility out to the world for the very fact that the more you come to be known the more common you become.

So if you want to stay focused on your purpose then the best thing to do would be to stay clear of the Powerful. For a mere insult would get you in their bad books and they would literally spend all of their resources hunting you done.

Why would they do that? Simple, you have offended them and to them, pride, ego and self esteem rules high in their priority list and any act that even slightly scratches their pride means sprinkling salt in their eyes. Thus, take this advice as if it is the most priceless thing given to you in your life. Why is it so? It is because this single advice would save you from extinction.

Develop your inner vision to foresee issues and avoid them at all cost

There is this story in the Bible which talks of a very Rich man named Nabal . The man was so rich that he owned scores of Sheep, Camel, Horses and servants. Since in those days, land was plentiful and the chances of getting robbed by bandits and thieves were even more, people always lived in fear and in most cases would employ the services of horsemen and desert warriors who would take up the responsibilities of securing properties for a small price.

The man, David was one such leader, who later became the king of Israel, led his men in the wilderness, taking up responsibilities of guarding the Rich. Nabal was one such man who had his properties coming under the watchful protective eyes of David.

As it was said, one day, David’s men came up to him and expressed the lack of provisions for daily sustenance and suggested if they could reach out to Nabal for the same.

Since in the good old days, the element of trade was through mouth say and services were rewarded through livestock and other edible goods, David, agreed to his men’s suggestion and sent forth his men to Nabal, asking him to provide for the services that they had been rendering.

Avoid foolishness at all cost

Now, Nabal, was a man of foolish wit and miserly means. More so, he lacked the visual senses to foresee the consequences of crossing swords with the Powerful. At this point, it is imperative to understand that there are two primary sources of Power, one being the Power that money gives while the second one would be the Power that Muscle renders. Both are equally potent and have their areas of strengths.

In Wilderness where most Rich and famous have assets and livestock roaming, the Power of Money is but a mere commodity that the Strong would loot. There, it is the language of Muscle that people understand well and comply instantly.

While combing back to the story, when David’s men reached Nabal and expressed their desire to have some Bread, Wine and Meat, Nabal hauled them up with words of insults. “Who is this David? and why should I provide him with my Bread, Wine and Meat? there are plenty of servants like David who had fled into the Desert and the only thing they know is to ask for alms?

When David’s men returned to him and told him the treatment that they had received from Nabal, David’s anger hit its bounds. “How dare this fool has put his tongue to his teeth and had spewed insults at me and my men, it was me and my men who had protected his flocks and his home from the Syrians and the Moab invaders and from all those who laid in waste to snatch his household and his honor, but today, he has this audacity to insult me?”, he continued, “mount your horses my men, today we shall end this Nabal’s household”

Sometimes, servants are more wiser than a foolish master

While mean time, one of Nabal’s servants had noticed as to how his master had treated David’s men and knowing the consequences for such an act, he quickly heads off to report the issue to his Mistress, Nabal’s intelligent wife, saying thus.

“Oh queen, today the end has come to Nabal and his house hold, your husband’s foolishness is going to cost our lives. This man has foolishness written all over his body. When David’s men had approached Nabal, for food and water, he had insulted them asking, “who is this David and why should I give him my food and wine”

“Oh queen, during all of these days, when David and his men had watched over our flock, not one was lost or stolen,his men were a Rock unto us and shield to our household, but this fool had insulted them so much that they would be now on their way to burn this place down. Please intervene before it is too late”

The important point to observe here is the ability of the servant to see the invisible consequences that was prewritten by Nabal’s foolishness. For sure, when you cross swords with the wrong person, they would spend all their life in ensuring that you are burned to ashes. This is what Nabal had just done, for the fool could see nothing because his folly has covered his eyes.

Now the story would have it that Nabal’s wife was intelligent and she immediately orders her servants to pack everything that David had requested for and heads off to catch David, midway.

There she meets David on his way, and begs for his mercy. David being a man of Honor and Wisdom, forgives the foolish Nabal and returns. Of course, this is just one of a case where a Rich and a Powerful man had extended forgiveness, but rest assured a deed of this magnitude will never happen today, for men of David’s integrity and grace is never to be found in the world we live in. So shut up and work, and avoid confrontations at all cost.