The Ammonite commanders said, “Hanun, do you really believe David sent this delegation to express sympathy for the loss of your father? Don’t you think his intent is to explore the city, find its weak points, and overthrow it?”  1 Samuel 10:3 (Becky’s No-nonsense Paraphrase)

Intent Matters

As a child, I loved the movie Pollyanna. A young girl brought joy to an entire town by teaching residents to look on the bright side, and they returned the favor when she experienced tragedy. The story even impacted our dictionary. Pollyanna (noun) describes an optimistic person who tends to find the good in everything. I’ll be the first to admit my Pollyanna score isn’t 100%. If we’ve been hurt by other humans—who hasn’t?—assuming positive intent can be difficult in certain situations. But I don’t like the way irritation raises my blood pressure. Anger sparks migraines. I choose to be Pollyanna. Intent matters.

Making up a story (writer-brain never sleeps) about negative situations helps me give grace. The guy who just cut me off in traffic? His wife’s in labor. The grumpy cashier just found out she has to move to rural Alaska. The person I thought ignored my question is actually deaf in that ear. 

Most of the time, my Pollyanna game is strong. 

Interpreting Intent

When interpreting intent, listening to negative voices around us—or in our heads—is a terrible idea. Just ask Hanun. 

Sorry, right, he’s dead, so I’ll tell you his story (from 2 Samuel 10). 

King Nahash of Ammon died, leaving his son Hanun heir to the throne. Nahash had shown kindness to David (likely when he was running from Saul), so David sent his condolences to Hanun. 

Hanun’s advisors suggested he was Pollyanna-level naïve for believing David wanted to express sympathy. They were sure David wanted to take over Ammon. The advisors egged Hanun into overreacting. 

“Spy on me, will you? Nice try.” Instead of graciously receiving the delegation from David, Hanun ordered half a beard shaved from each man’s face and cut off their clothes “at the buttocks,” then sent them away. I know it sounds like a 90s frat-boy movie, but’s in the Bible, I promise.

Misinterpreted Intent

The Ammonites suddenly realized they’d messed up. Maybe David hadn’t been planning a war. Can you imagine that conversation? “Uh, King Hanun, sir, we’ve made a slight miscalculation. We may have misinterpreted David’s intent.” Rather than learn from the mistake—and instead of sending a big fruit basket with many apologies—Hanun assumed David would retaliate. He hired thirty-three thousand soldiers, mostly nearby Arameans, as backup. 

Kind Intent

King David couldn’t believe it. “I had kind intent, but first he insulted my men, and now he’s rallied an army. Hanun wants a war? I’ll give him a war.” David deployed troops. Both the Ammonites and the Arameans fled in the face of David’s army, so Israel’s commanders headed back to Jerusalem, content with the outcome. David wasn’t interested in retaliation. Yet. 

Intent on Winning

Rather than give up, the Arameans regrouped and called for reinforcements. When David heard the news, he probably said the famous line: “Okay, no more Mr. Nice King.” 

This time, he didn’t just send some troops. He was intent on winning. He led all Israel to the battlefield. His army decimated forty thousand Aramean foot soldiers and seven hundred charioteers. (Did you check that math? They flattened pretty much everyone.)

Positive Intent

Assuming ill intent puts us at risk. We make dumb relational mistakes, prepare for nonexistent fights, and escalate minor issues to nuclear levels. Sometimes we cause our own problems. Hanun’s war (and defeat) didn’t need to happen. 

As we move through this week, let’s look for ways to believe the best. We can assume positive intent, even when negative intent appears clear. Make up a backstory for that negative character. Give a bit of grace. Let’s all try to be a little more Pollyanna.