Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands...  1 Timothy 2:8

Prayer Challenges

Thoughts from Doug Knox.

April-October 2018

The Life of David, Part 1

Deuteronomy 17:14-20

God’s Vision for a King in Israel

 

Both Sides of the Issue

When we think about David the King, what do we see? A warrior who is also a lover. A man of violence who brings healing with music. A man who is intensely loyal but who is capable of betrayal. A man who stands up to nations but who admits to crippling fear during his prayers. A man who experiences stratospheric highs and hellish lows. A man who loves justice but is still capable of treachery.When the LORD seeks “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14), he found his desire in David. David is a passionate man, but he is also human. He shows us what real worship looks like. These qualities make his life such a delightful study.

A Deep Need from Israel’s Deep Past

Typical studies of David begin somewhere around Israel’s demand for a king in 1 Samuel 8. There the people approach Samuel the prophet, who has been acting as their judge for the better part of his life. We know the story. The people see only benefit for their request. Samuel, who comprehends the bigger picture, tries to discourage them from what he perceives to be a shortsighted choice. The people outvote him, and Saul becomes their first king. If we study this passage alone, we come away with a very negative understanding of the role of the king. In order to understand the full significance of the king whom God sets over Israel, we need to look into Israel’s deep past. Four hundred years before David, the LORD spoke through Moses the prophet and said “When you come into the land that that LORD your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ you may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will chose” (Deuteronomy 17:14-15).

What a King of Israel was to Look Like

God welcomes Israel to seek a king, provided that the chosen man steps up to his task. Here are the king’s rules for conduct, along with the blessings that a good king could expect from the LORD, as God delivers them in Deuteronomy.

He is to be an Israelite by birth.
He is to avoid seeking excessive horses for a standing army, or to look to Egypt to supply horses.
He was not to build a large harem, “lest his heart turn away” (Deuteronomy 17:17).
He is not to seek excessive wealth.
He is to write a copy of the Book of the Law (probably Deuteronomy) and study it closely, “that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left” (Deuteronomy 17:20a).
In other words, he had to be one whose passions made the LORD large. When the LORD large in the king’s thinking, the king’s own ego can be contained.

The Blessing of a Faithful Rule

After the requirements, the LORD gives a hint about the extended blessings of kingship. The king whom the LORD would choose would be called to follow the commandment, “so that he will continue long in his kingdom, he and his children in Israel” (Deuteronomy 17:20b). The promise involved a dynasty, a standing family ownership of the throne. But just how long is “long”? While the Deuteronomy passage leaves the question open, 2 Samuel 7 answers it. After David takes the throne over all Israel, the LORD makes a covenant with David. In it, he tells the king, “I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish he throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:12-13). That is a story for a later installment, however.

What This Story means for Men of Our Time

God’s covenant with David is an everlasting covenant. In a very real way, Deuteronomy looks forward to David, and David looks forward to Jesus, who has become the once-for-all occupant of the throne of David. These two truths hold specific connections to us as men. For one, Jesus is a direct descendant of David (see Matthew 1:1). This fact ties us to David’s history. Beyond, that, however, the Apostle Paul ties David to the gospel message itself (Romans 1:1-6). Jesus, as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, stands on David’s shoulders. As Jesus’ followers, we become united with David’s heritage. Therefore, David’s life is more than just an example to follow. It is part of our spiritual heritage. No one else will walk David’s particular path of faithfulness. But we still stand on his shoulders. Both David and Jesus were called to be faithful. We are called to that same end.

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May 2018

The Life of David, Part 2

1 Samuel 10-11

Saul's Brief Journey as King

Behold the King…Now What?

If you have been in the job market recently, you know how frustrating a search can be, especially since the online search has opened the market to anyone from anyplace in the country. The dreaded words, “The qualified candidate will have…,” can erect a barrier the size of the proposed Mexican border wall.The employer faces a similar problem. A job seeker may appear to be the company’s dream on paper, but in the end falls flat. Ultimately, this is the story of Saul. At the beginning, he looks like the perfect man for the job.

And when [Saul] stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see whom the LORD has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

--1 Samuel 10:23-24

Saul’s Early Reign

On the surface, Saul is a qualified and often powerful leader. For example, soon after the inaugurtation, a crisis occurs. The Ammonites invade Jabesh-gilead and threaten to put out all the men’s right eyes and enslave everyone (1 Samuel 11:1-4). Saul steps up to the crisis and galvanizes the twelve tribes under a national banner. His dramatic victory over the Ammonites (1 Samuel 11:5-15) shows Israel how to think like a nation with national interests. Further, 1 Samuel 13:1-4 portrays Saul as a fierce warrior-king with standing success in battle.

Failing to Clear the Bar

So why does Saul ultimately fail while David succeeds? First, we need to look at Saul. Three early events begin to reveal Saul’s vulnerabilities. They appear harmless at first, but the pressure of the office becomes too much. Like cracks in a dam, they bring the whole man down.

Self-preservation

The first crack appears at the beginning of Saul’s story, before he learns that God has chosen him to be king. At the beginning of the saga, Saul’s father’s donkeys escape, and Saul’s father sends Saul and a servant to look for them (1 Samuel 9:1-4). The search takes them to the land of Zuph, where Samuel the prophet is staying. The readers can see easily what remains invisible to Saul and his servant. The LORD is bringing his chosen man to Samuel for anointing. But when the search begins to run long, Saul wants to give up. “Come. Let us go back, lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us” (1 Samuel 9:5). It is the servant rather than Saul who suggests that they go consult the prophet. Saul’s comment appears to be trivial at first, but it belies a unaddressed need for self-preservation. This need ultimately will consume him. Let me say at the beginning that there is nothing wrong with a man in charge who listens to his subordinates. This is a mark of wisdom in Proverbs. The picture in 1 Samuel is different, however. One of God’s stated duties for the new king is a call to “restrain [God’s] people” (1 Samuel 9:17). Saul shows an early tendency to be open to persuasion by his people. His indecisiveness will become the cause for his downfall in the end (1 Samuel 15:24-29).

Fear over Dignity

The second crack appears during Saul’s coronation. When Samuel’s servants attempt to present Saul to the people, they ultimately find him hiding among the baggage (1 Samuel 10:20-24). Some have claimed that his action (or inaction) shows humility on Saul’s part. I disagree. Appropriate humility calls for a man to embrace his mission with dignity. Hiding only draws negative attention to a person. Again, Saul will show himself unwilling to obey completely.

Leaders with Training Wheels

The third crack appears in the midst of a show of strength. During the Ammonite threat to humiliate Jabesh-gilead, the people become paralyzed. All they can do is weep over the tragedy. Saul, on the other hand, is outraged, as he should be. His rallying cry stands as one of the great pronouncements in the Bible—except for the addition of two words.

“He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of the messengers, saying, ‘Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen!’ ”

--1 Samuel 11:7

“Saul and Samuel”?

A man is perfectly justified in including his mentor in the summons. Every man of principle stands on another man’s shoulders, and many find their niche in serving under another authority. But the text uses Samuel’s inclusion to foreshadow a darker truth. The king is the highest authority in the land, but Saul finds himself unable to stand as king. He never outgrows his need for Samuel’s approval. Like a child who is afraid to ditch the training wheels on his bicycle, Saul will prove to be a man who is unable to act unless he has Samuel in tow. By the time God rejects him, Saul becomes more concerned about Samuel’s appearance with him before the people than God’s rejection of him (1 Samuel 15:24-31).

Saul’s Missing Ingredient

If a single verse embraces Saul’s life as king, it is this one: “Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the LORD” (1 Samuel 10:25). Samuel gives Saul the tools called for in Deuteronomy 17. According to the commandment, the king is to write a copy of the law and

…read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children in Israel.”

--Deuteronomy 17:19-20

Ironically, we never see Saul engaged in God’s word. Is it any wonder that he fell to the self-preservation and fear that led to his ultimate loss of his authority?

God’s Servants in God’s Word

What do these observations mean for us as men? After all, none of us is a king. Further, each of us carries baggage. Thankfully, God does not call perfect men. He calls men to be faithful and to take up the responsibility he has given them. We may be sons, husbands, fathers, mentors, authorities, or servants. Whatever our particular calling happens to be, we need to strive to serve reverently instead of seeking self-preservation. We need to serve with dignity tempered by humility. And we need to embrace the authority that God has given us. We accomplish this by grounding all our actions in God’s word.

 

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The Life of David, Part 3

1 Samuel 17

David versus Saul on Goliath’s Turf

Missing the Bar

During the years that I have studied King Saul, I have had to change my opinion about the man. First, he is a man who faces incredible hurdles. God calls him to perform a monumentally difficult task with only minimum guidance. This would be daunting for anyone. Second, his ultimate failure as king is far from a shutout. God gives him one chance to clear the bar, and he misses the goal by inches. A few mistakes at exactly the wrong moments disqualify him. In strictly human terms, Saul almost succeeds.

More than Humanly Possible

Therefore, when David appears in 1 Samuel 16 as the man who will replace Saul as king in Israel, the bar moves to impossible heights. Where Saul fails, David must thrive. Where Saul succeeds, David must outperform him. The road to success as king of Israel is more difficult than humanly possible, but this is the point of the story. David, who is guided by the Spirit, stands in contrast to Saul at every point. Upon his anointing by Samuel in 1 Samuel 16, the Spirit rushes upon him “from that day forward” (1 Samuel 16:13). He will become a man whose principal guide is God’s Spirit, even during the latter dark period of his life.

David and Goliath in Context

We need to notice the rapid transition that takes place over three chapters:

1 Samuel 15: The LORD rejects Saul as king
1 Samuel 16: Samuel anoints David as the new king of Israel
1 Samuel 17: Saul and David each have their day before Goliath

1 Samuel 17 has more to do with David versus Saul than it does with David versus Goliath. (For example, the chapter contains 58 verses, but the fight goes down between verses 48-51). In this chapter, David is the God-driven hero. God uses the events in 1 Samuel 17 to place David in the public’s eye.

Saul versus David in the Face of Adversity

At this point, we need to understand the king’s job description as it developed during Saul and David’s time. A number of passages in 1 Samuel 8-10 drop hints regarding the king’s marching orders:

The people call for a king who will “judge us and go out before us and fight our battles” (1 Sam. 8:20). That is, the king will rule on behalf of all the people and will represent the nation in battle. He will bear ultimate responsibility for the outcome of their battles. When the LORD grants the people’s wish, he acknowledges the legitimacy of this role for his king.

Just before Saul’s anointing, the LORD declares to Samuel that the man “shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come before me” (1 Sam. 9:16). The king stands as God’s chosen representative in the ongoing drama of redemption. He is required to fight on his people’s behalf. He must lead, even when leading is difficult.
The king is called to restrain the LORD’s people (1 Sam. 9:17). This duty harkens back to Judges 17:6 and 21:25. The two verses are identical. “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” The verses frame the narrative that runs from Judges 17-21. The level of moral decay during the Judges is unmatched in biblical history. A necessary part of the king’s responsibility is to restrain God’s people.

The king is to be a prince over the people (1 Sam. 10:1). That is, he is to conduct himself as a man who represents the high regard that the people place in him. He is required to bring respect to the office.

The king will “reign over the people of the LORD and …save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies” (1 Sam. 10:2; cf. 11:12-13). In earthly terms, the king is to be a savior on behalf of the people.

In 1 Samuel 17, Saul stumbles at every point with regard to his duty to God and his people. The man who stands head and shoulders above the rest of the people (1 Samuel 9:2) refuses to fight the people’s battle. He fails either to lead or restrain his people. And he declines the call to save God’s people from the hand of their enemies.

David as the Man who will be King

Then David enters, and in a reckless show of faith, accomplishes what Israel’s first king has failed to do. His words of defiance, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he would defy the armies of the living, God?” (1 Samuel 17:26), demonstrate faith that Saul does not know. David’s ultimate shock-and-awe maneuver is to take Goliath’s sword and remove his head with it. The move not only verifies Goliath’s death—no one returns from a beheading—but it also shows David’s mastery over the enemy. He has disgraced the Philistines’ champion. David’s victory reverses the course of the battle between Philistia and Israel. David owns the moment because he takes it in faith. The events in this chapter open a door that cannot be shut. David shows that the battle is not about us. It is about faith in action.

 

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June 2018

The Life of David, Part 4

1 Samuel 14

The Foundation for Friendship

 

The Nature of Friendship

I think I have mentioned the fact that I am a reclusive person by nature. Still, close friendships have carried me throughout my life. I am not sure how long ago the realization hit me, but some time ago I looked back over my personal history and understood that the most blessed times have been when I had a close friend to stand beside me. From grade school through adulthood, my closest friendships have shared certain characteristics. We hung out together. We shared common interests and dislikes. When one of us hurt, we both hurt. Mutual sharing was more importance than dominance. Lighthearted activity was as important as significant communication. Sharing mattered as much as taking. My best friends brought out the best in me.

The Foundation for a Close Friendship

When we come to Jonathan and David’s friendship, Jonathan becomes the giving member. His self-sacrifice helps David to succeed. Here in the background. In 1 Samuel 13, Saul has begun to waver between stubbornness and insecurity. His heavy-handed leadership style has begun to undo him, and his troops experience a new low in their morale. At the same time, the Philistine armies become more dominant in their conflict with Israel. Jonathan makes his first appearance in 1 Samuel 14, a full two chapters before we meet David. In contrast to his father, he is a strong and confident individual. 1 Samuel 14:1-5 introduce Jonathan. Out of sight of his father, he and his armor bearer decide to attack a Philistine garrison. The chapter begins, “One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armor, ‘Come, let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side.’ But he did not tell his father….He told his armor bearer, ‘It may be that the LORD will work for us, for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few’ ” (1 Samuel 14:16). These words tell us much about Jonathan as a man. He is an independent thinker and a man of action. While everyone else sits around, Jonathan recognizes that a war is going on. He is also a man of faith, and when he determines that the LORD will give him the victory, he commits to action. Their strategy is both bold and successful. The garrison falls, and the Philistine army falls into a panic (1 Samuel 14:8-15). The battle shifts the momentum from the Philistines to Israel. In the Bible’s words, “So the LORD saved Israel that day. And the battle passed beyond Beth-aven” (1 Samuel 14:23).

Saul’s Reaction to the Rout

Unfortunately, the rout catches Jonathan’s father off guard. Saul joins the battle late and tries to take charge. The move ultimately backfires when Saul places his men under the oath, “Cursed by the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies” (1 Samuel 14:23). “Until I am avenged on my enemies”? This is a telling phrase.

The men comply out of fear (1 Samuel 14:25-26). They fight to the point of exhaustion, only to slaughter the spoil and eat it raw. When word comes back to Saul, he deflects the blame. “Then they told Saul, ‘Behold, the people are sinning against the LORD by eating with the blood.’ And he said, ‘You have dealt treacherously…’ ” (1 Samuel 14:33). We call this kind of response shooting the messenger.

Jonathan’s Growing Opposition toward his Father

When Jonathan learns what Saul has done, he says out loud, “My father has troubled the land” (1 Samuel 14:29). The wisdom in his comment may be questionable, but he has a point. The text goes on to show the truth in Jonathan’s observation. After the blood-eating incident, Saul tries to take control of the momentum that his son has inspired. He is wants to plunder the Philistines until they have taken everything. “But the priest said, ‘Let us draw near to God here.’ And Saul inquired of God, ‘Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?’ But he did not answer him that day” (1 Samuel 14:36-37). God’s silence means something, and in this case it is because God has rejected him as a leader. Saul misses the obvious, and apparently looks back to an incident that had occurred generations before, during the Conquest. After the rout of Jericho under Joshua’s leadership, Israel stumbled at the city of Ai. The ultimate cause turned out to be sin in the camp (Joshua 7:1-26). The people could not continue in God’s blessing until they rectified the wrong. Saul takes exactly this approach to the situation. “Come here, all you leaders of the people, and know and see how this sin has arisen today. For as the LORD lives who saves Israel, though it be Jonathan my son, he surely will die” (1 Samuel 14:36-37). Well, what do you know? Jonathan in fact has broken Saul’s oath about eating anything until evening, because he never heard the order. During the rout, Jonathan found a bee’s nest and took some of the honey. The renewed energy gave him the ability to finish the battle (1 Samuel 14:25-27). Saul, however, has become blind to his own failure and continues to pursue his blame game. When he learns what Jonathan has done, he tries to have him executed. Jonathan lives only because the people intervene. “Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel?” (1 Samuel 14:45).

The Conclusion of the Matter

The episode ends abruptly in 1 Samuel 14:46, leaving everyone with a sour aftertaste. The people have had to stand against their own king in order to preserve Jonathan’s life. Saul fails to understand that the LORD’s silence has come by his own hand (1 Samuel 13:13-14). And by Jonathan’s assessment, the battle remains less than what it could have been (1 Samuel 14:29-30). When we examine Jonathan, we can see some of the reasons why he will be able to build such a strong friendship with David.

  • Jonathan listens to the opinions of those around him, and gets response.
  • He is a respectable man who respects others.
  • He invites others to come alongside him and trusts their commitment.
  • He is mission-focused rather than self-focused.
  • His vision for God’s kingdom allows him to invite others to join him.

Principled understanding of this sort fulfills the command to love our neighbor as ourselves. In order to have friends, we need to learn to be a friend. Grounded friendships will make our strengths even stronger. We need to be deliberate about friendship, because we cannot maintain the journey on our own.

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The Life of David, Part 5

1 Samuel 18:1-5

The Incredible Power of Friendship

 

The friendship between David and Jonathan is one of the most celebrated in the Scripture, and yet it runs its complete course through just six chapters, 1 Samuel 18-23. I invite you to read them on your own to get an idea of the landscape there.

The Moment of Change

When David vanquishes Goliath in 1 Samuel 17, his life changes once for all. Within days, the once anonymous shepherd from Bethlehem becomes front-page news. To use modern terminology, the report on his victory on the battlefield goes viral. A number of events follow the battlefield conquest. The immediate reaction occurs among the men of Israel and Judah. With the Philistine champion’s death, the enemy loses their power of intimidation. The battlefield momentum shifts to Israel, and the Israelite army awakes from its dread to rout the Philistines (1 Samuel 17:52-53). Following the rout, Saul seeks an audience with David (1 Samuel 17:55-58). After all, a fighter with a brand like David’s is too good to waste. The opening of chapter 18 records two other significant events that follow the introduction.

As soon as [David] had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house.

--1 Samuel 18:1-2

David in Hostile Territory

Let’s look at the events in reverse order. First, Saul seizes David. David not only has become the champion of the people, but also has become the king’s asset. Saul’s refusal to allow him to return home shows how deeply his new identity runs. The tension that grows from this move winds like a clock spring. Saul’s effectiveness as a leader has been diminishing for some time. He needs David as an advisor more than he realizes. But at this point he is unable to grasp that the man whom he has invited into his presence as an advisor is God’s choice to replace him as king. To add to the tension, Jonathan recognizes deep common ground in David and finds himself drawn to him. His attachment is so immediate that he senses what God has called David to do.

Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.

--1 Samuel 18:3-4

Jonathan is Saul’s heir apparent, the next in line for the kingdom, yet he surrenders his position to David. David’s entry into Saul’s household and Jonathan’s attachment to him create a tsunami. None of the three men can comprehend how completely the two occurrences in these verses will affect their lives over the next several years.

The Shock Wave at Work

We know the big story from long exposure, so we tend to overlook the surprise here. Samuel’s anointing of David in 1 Samuel 16:13 is still a secret. Only David’s brothers know that it took place, and they resent David (1 Samuel 17:28-30). They will be the last people to announce David as the anointed king. Yet God has made David’s entry into public life so dramatic that his ultimate seizure of the kingdom becomes inescapable. Presently, only Jonathan senses the inevitable. Still, his stepping aside for David is a sacrifice of unimaginable depth. From another angle, David and Jonathan’s friendship emerges in the midst of a moral crisis on a national scale. Saul, himself a giant who stood head and shoulders above the people (1 Samuel 9:2), has proven himself unable to meet the Philistine giant. The man who was supposed to “go out before us and fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:20) cowered with everyone else on the field. Without David’s intervention, the only possible result of this situation would have been surrender and humiliation for Israel and Saul. Instead of letting that defeat take place, the LORD brings David on the scene to rescue God’s people. The victory momentarily steals the light from the bigger issue, but that issue cannot stay buried for long. God no longer works through Saul. David will prove to be loyal to Saul, but Saul will be driven by his growing fear of him. In the meantime, Jonathan’s dedication to David will pit him against his own father.

The Kind of Man who gives his Friendship

David and Jonathan’s friendship is not a friendship between equals. From the beginning, Jonathan is the giver in the friendship, while David is the receiver. “The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul” (1 Samuel 18:1). Jonathan’s dedication to David is a sacrificial one. He forfeits his own interests for David’s protection. Several years ago, a well-known evangelical pastor observed that because Jonathan made the more obvious personal sacrifices, he was the “more mature” man in the friendship. Personally, I believe the issue is more complex than that. The course of David and Jonathan’s friendship runs against the backdrop of the years that David spent in Saul’s court. During this time, Saul repeatedly attempts to murder David, even when he knows he needs him. Therefore, as long as David ministers to Saul, he performs an equally sacrificial duty to his best friend’s father. Jonathan enables David to minister to Saul. At the same time, David’s presence in Saul’s household postpones God’s judgment of Saul. Therefore, while David is the recipient in his friendship with Jonathan, he serves Jonathan by attending to his father. Saul, David, and Jonathan perform one of the most complex dances in Scripture. Saul stands under God’s judgment and fights to hold onto his position as king. What Saul fails to understand is the other side of the same truth. God uses David’s presence to preserve him from judgment for a time. Jonathan stands between Saul and David, while David ministers grace to the condemned man.

Being a Friend

Friendship is not showmanship. It is personal dedication. The 1969 song by Three Dog Night, “Easy to be Hard,” understood the difference between those who work for show and those who had substance.

How can people be so heartless
How can people be so cruel
Easy to be hard
Easy to be cold

How can people have no feelings
How can they ignore their friends
Easy to be proud
Easy to say no

Especially people who care about strangers
Who care about evil and social injustice
Do you only care about the bleeding crowd
How about a needy friend, I need a friend...

The Bible never tries to portray either man in a greater or lesser role. David and Jonathan complement each other. To have a friend is to enjoy one of God’s greatest blessings. To commit to being a friend is to become that blessing from God.

 

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July 2018

The Life of David, Part 6

1 Samuel 18:12-17; 20:14-15

The Incredible Power of Friendship

 

Finding Refuge in a Close Friend

The end is in sight for David and Jonathan. Not because of any falling out, but because circumstances place our mortality before us once for all. The final episodes involving David and Jonathan take place against the backdrop of Saul’s growing obsession to kill David. They are a study in contrasts. This passage in 1 Samuel 18 sums up Saul’s situation.

Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul. So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. And he went out and came in before the pole. And David had success in all his undertakings, for he LORD was with him. And when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.

--1 Samuel 18:12-17

God has begun to bless David in every possible way, and Saul can do nothing to stop the avalanche of his popularity. In many ways, Saul’s distrust of David has become self-consuming. The more he tries to trick David into making a fatal mistake, the greater David’s victories become. Even worse, David’s transparency before the people makes him ever more popular in the public’s eye. David and Jonathan’s friendship grows in this caustic atmosphere. Jonathan’s efforts to reason with his father fail because Saul has lost the ability to listen to reason. Saul’s fearful awe will degenerate into obsession. Jonathan senses that the end of David’s time with Saul is unavoidable, he sides with David. His plea is a deep one.

“If I am still alive [when David secures the kingdom], show me the steadfast love of the LORD, that I may not die; and do not cut off your steadfast love from my house forever, when the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”

--1 Samuel 20:14-15)

The term steadfast love is one of the most important declarations in the Old Testament. It refers to the unbreakable and altogether faithful love that God holds for his people. God’s essence is steadfast love (see Exodus 34:6). Here Jonathan uses the term twice—once to describe God’s mercy toward him, and once to call David to that same kind of love.

Jonathan’s Last Contact with David

Jonathan’s plea to David forms part of their final covenant with each other. Following this, Jonathan makes a final appeal to his father. By now, though, Saul is in such dread of David that he hurls a spear at his own son (1 Samuel 20:26-34). Jonathan runs out of the house and tells David that the time has come to flee for his life. The two men’s exchange in 1 Samuel 20:41-42 marks the last time that David and Jonathan will see each other.

The Importance of Seeking Deep Friendships

Close friendship between men is meant to imitate God’s loving care for us. It is a concrete expression of God’s invisible relationship to us. In the end, friendship balances us because it places our moral center of gravity outside of ourselves. Notice the difference between Saul and Jonathan’s approach to their particular circumstances. Saul is unable to trust others, and his life ends in despair. Had he recognized David’s value for his own preservation, he might have welcomed his presence. As events turned out, he could see David only as a threat. Jonathan, by contrast, maintains emotional balance even when he knows that his life may be cut short, largely because he rests on a healthy dependence on a trustworthy friend. While we are on the earth, we need to know that we matter to someone and that someone matters to us. Intimate friendship and the respect that grows out of it give us purpose. I wonder how many recent suicides by otherwise successful people have metastasized in a relationship vacuum.

A Lasting Legacy

Looking ahead, in the last chapter of 1 Samuel, Saul and Jonathan will die in battle against the Philistines. Of course, the loss leaves a power vacuum. After a couple brief skirmishes, the people recognize David as the most qualified to take over the throne. Normally a new king would eliminate everyone associated with the previous dynasty in order to protect his power base. David does the unexpected when he mourns Saul. We would expect this from a man of his character. But David moves beyond mere character. In one of the most shining statements in all of Scripture, David asks, “Is there anyone left in the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (2 Samuel 9:1, emphasis added). David never forgets Jonathan’s legacy. When he becomes established as the second king over Israel and Judah, his joy is to fulfill his promise to his friend.

 

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The Life of David, Part 7

1 Samuel 21-22

When Life shatters our Expectations

 

More than a Man can Handle

Anyone who has shouldered any kind of responsibility has had to face difficult moral choices. David is no exception. Saul remains obsessed with David and continues to pursue him. The pursuit drives David to Nob, where he meets Ahimelech the priest and asks him for provisions. David tells Ahimelech that he is on a secret mission to conduct the king’s business, which of course is a ruse. Likely the reason for this is to protect Ahimilech from implication, should Saul come. Unfortunately, the tactic fails. Saul comes to the city and when he confronts Ahimelech is beyond reason. He has the priests and residents of the city slaughtered. Only Ahimilech’s son Abiathar escapes. After this incident, David becomes a Robin Hood figure. “And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul joined him. And there were with him about four hundred men” (1 Samuel 22:2).

The Attack at Keilah

It is under these circumstances that one of David’s most difficult tactical decisions occurs. “Now they told David, ‘Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors’ ” (1 Samuel 23:1). Officially, this matter belongs to Saul. It should be his business. Officially. However, Saul has become obsessed with pursuing David, and David has received the news about the crisis at Keilah. If we are paying attention, we see a God moment here. It is time for David to step up to the role that God has chosen for him. The next couple verse shows us where the God moment goes.

Therefore David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” But David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go the Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?”

--1 Samuel 2:2-3

Nothing like a dose of reality to spoil a perfectly good day. Yes, David is a fighter, and his men know it. When he sees injustice, he needs to fight it. But his men know an impossible situation when they see it. David claims the winning hand. “Then David inquired of the LORD again. And the LORD answered him, ‘Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand’ ”(1 Samuel 22:4). I love this sequence. Sometimes the clearest path to fortitude comes when we set aside the danger and force ourselves to concentrate on the mission.

And After All This…

The LORD keeps his promise. In an almost anticlimactic ending to the paragraph, David and his men go down to Keilah, fight the Philistines, defeat them soundly, and save the residents. Then—wouldn’t you know it—Saul learns that David is in Keilah and goes down to lay siege on the town (1 Samuel 23:6-8). David asks God whether the residents will deliver them into Saul’s hands, and the answer is yes. We cannot blame the residents for their hypocrisy. The news is that Saul is coming “to destroy the city on [David’s] account” (1 Samuel 23:10). He has slaughtered men, women, and children at Nob already (1 Samuel 22:18-19). He will do the same here. So after a victory over the Philistines, David and his men are on the run again. The Bible’s conclusion is, “Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go” (1 Samuel 23:13). All that work and so little to show for it.

Conclusion

The question, of course, is why. In cases like this one, where the Bible leaves us without neat answers, we have to be more cautious in drawing conclusions. Here are mine on the matter. First, The Bible does not try to fault David in the matter, and neither should we. The people at Nob, David’s first stop, died because Saul had them killed. Their blood is on his hands. Similarly, when the residents at Keilah turned on David, the reason was because of Saul’s threat and nothing more. David was there because God assured him—twice—that he wanted him to be there. Sometimes we do the right thing, and the results go badly. We do not have to beat ourselves up with what-did-I-do questions. Second, some of our victories are smaller than what would wish. In this case, David and his men have brief period of satisfaction for a job well done, only to realize that the city they saved is about to turn on them. In times like these, remember that God regards our faithfulness far more highly than explosive results. We do not have to win big to be successful in God’s eyes. We only have to be faithful for the day. And then we repeat the work the next. Third, on the plus side, the LORD gives them a subtle blessing. They are able to plunder the Philistines’ livestock during their rescue of Keilah (1 Samuel 23:5). God uses this to give them provisions for their period of running from Saul. To borrow the language from the Lord’s Prayer, God provided their daily bread. In the final analysis, we fight in a fallen world. The world has a lot of evil forces, and

bad things happen in spite of our right actions. Difficulties do not necessarily come because we do something wrong. In David’s case, victory at Keilah came about because he believed his God. The attempted ambush that followed came about because of Saul’s obsession. Part of spiritual maturity involves the ability to examine our works on their own merit and leave the results to God.

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August 2018

The Life of David, Part 8

1 Samuel 25

Passion Over Passivity

 

Why we love Passionate Characters

My wife and I have come to love the CBS television series, Bluebloods.  The drama revolves around the professional and familial lives of the four-generation Reagan family.  Frank Reagan, played by Tom Selleck, is a second-generation Police Commissioner and the pivotal character.  He often clashes with father Francis, who occupied the office before him. Frank’s three sons all have joined the police force.  His oldest exists in memory, having been killed in the line of duty several years before.  The middle son is a detective.  The youngest is a Harvard law graduate who has decided to enter the police force as a beat cop.  Frank also has a daughter who is the Assistant District Attorney. 

Three opinionated grandchildren round out the family cast. The series continues to run because the characters are so compelling. They are passionate about their causes, even if their passion drives them to cross boundaries.  They reject passivity, and because of that they are worthy of our concern. 

 

David’s Clash with Nabal

This kind of passion lies at the center of an incident with a man named Nabal. Late in David’s exile, he and his men go to the wilderness of Paran, where they encounter a group of shepherds under Nabal’s employ.  David’s men protect the shepherds while they pasture the sheep in the wilderness (1 Samuel 25:6-8, 14-16).  In return for their honor, they ask for a brief time of sanctuary when the shepherds return to sheer the sheep. Nabal refuses.  The message he gives David’s men is particularly cold. “Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?” (1 Samuel 25:11). Nabal has poked at the wrong lion.  While he sits in smug satisfaction, David prepares to attack with four hundred men.  Nabal is dead where he sits.

 

Nabal’s Wife to the Rescue…for David

Meanwhile, one of the shearers informs Nabal’s wife Abigail about the situation.  Unlike her husband, Abigail is a discerning person who understands the motivations of a zealous man like David.  She prepares a generous offering for David and his men and presents it to him personally.  Her offering is fitting, but her words to David illustrate the depth of her wisdom.  She acknowledges her husband’s foolishness (the name Nabal means fool), and then reminds David about the potential cost that his anger would pay for such a small man.  Here are some excerpts from her speech to David.

 

“Now then, my lord, as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, because the LORD has restrained you from bloodguilt and from saving with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal….For the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the LORD and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live….And when the LORD has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you prince over Israel, my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord taking vengeance himself.”

--1 Samuel 25:25-26, 28, 31a

 

Abigail’s statement, “Evil shall not be found in you as long as you live,” is not a promise.  It is an intervention.  She is calling David to remember his higher calling and restrain his desire for personal vengeance.  We could paraphrase her statement, “May evil not be found in you…”  In short, Abigail tells David that she knows her husband’s folly, and she also understands David’s anger.  Her appeal to David is to refrain from vengeance, because the cost to his reputation would be too high a price for such for such a petty individual. David’s reply is noteworthy.  He tells her, “Go up in peace to your house.  See I have obeyed your voice, and I have granted your petition” 1 Samuel 25:35, emphasis added). Obedience has nothing to do with commands, because Abigail has not ordered David to do anything. When David says he obeyed her voice, he acknowledges the strength of her wisdom.  She has brought him back to reason. At the end of the episode, Abigail told her husband that she had taken his goods to save his life.  The strain was too much for him, and he died of apparent heart failure.  In the Scripture’s words, “The “LORD struck Nabal, and he died” (1 Samuel 25:38).

 

Conclusions:

Passion is a gift from God that should be encouraged rather than smothered.  Like a loaded firearm, it is something that needs to be respected. Some have opted for passivity as a safe alternative for passion.  In the end, the appearance is an illusion.  If someone is zealous, praise God.  Passion can be directed, but passivity is almost impossible to be driven into action.  Nabal was the passive man in this episode.  Ultimately, his passivity took the form of selfishness, and it cost him his life. Abigail never tried to discourage David’s passion.  She was careful to shape her words in a way that prevented David from taking it in the wrong direction.  David in turn was discerning enough to understand the value of Abigail’s words (1 Samuel 25:32-34).  We all need to be ready to heed wise words when necessary, because they just might keep us from doing something foolish. In the end, Abigail’s counsel was to put the matter into the Lord’s hands.  Waiting for the Lord to act is not passivity.  It is a reality check that calls us to remember who knows the beginning from the end. Our calling comes from God, who fits us to the work he has for us.  For that reason, passion is good.  At the same time, when we are passionate about something, our emotional momentum can carry us out of bounds.  Out best defense is not to try to suppress our emotions, but to be ready to hear counsel like Abigail’s.

 

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The Life of David, Part 9

2 Samuel 7:8-17

Fulfillment At Last

 

Why so Long?

When I was in the fourth grade, our Sunday school teacher taught the life of David.  All of the life of David.  Sunday after Sunday, we plowed through episodes about David’s fight to stay ahead of Saul’s pursuit. Eventually we managed to finish the material on David’s fugitive period.  In the last chapter of 1 Samuel, Saul dies in battle, and David becomes a free man.  Shortly after that, the people recognize David’s integrity and welcome him as their leader.  Still, I wondered why the story of David had to be so long. Part of the answer lies in the fact that Saul hounded David for about twenty years.  The biblical account reflects David’s history. There is a deeper reason, however.  Once we see the end of the matter, we will be able to close the loop and understand why the Lord took so much time to fulfill his word. 

 

God’s Protection over David

For that, we must jump to 2 Samuel.  David occupies the throne.  A kingdom torn by dual loyalties has welcomed him, and he reigns in peace.  In 2 Samuel 7, he wants to fulfill his longstanding dream to build a permanent temple for God, but he hears a different word from Nathan the prophet.  The beginning of God’s word to David recounts David’s history: 

“Thus says the LORD of hosts.  I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you.”

--2 Samuel 7:8-9a

 In two sentences, God distills twenty years of David’s life down to three points.  One, God has taken him from his job as a shepherd and elevated him to the place of a prince over God’s people.  Two, God has been with David wherever he went.  And three, God has cut off his enemies. The summary reminds David (and us) the other side of the issue.  Yes, twenty years is a long time, but God has accomplished great things during that time. 

 

God’s Oath Fulfilled

Nathan’s prophecy goes on.  God has even greater plans for David.  Here is part of what he tells him: 

“And I will make you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth….Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house.  When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.  He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever….And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.  Your throne shall be established forever.”

--2 Samuel 7:9b, 11b-13, 16

 God speaks in both an immediate sense and an eternal one.  In the immediate sense, one of David’s sons would build a temple for Israel’s worship.  We know this was Solomon. 

 

Closing the Loop

However, the part of the message that closes the loop speaks of an eternal sense. In order to close the loop, we need to look back to an earlier time in Israel’s history.  At the beginning of this series, I talked about God’s instruction to Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 17.  The people were welcome to call for a king.  If their king took care to follow the LORD’s commands, God said, “He will continue long in his kingdom, he and his children in Israel” (Deuteronomy 17:20b). Look at the difference in wording between Deuteronomy and 1 Samuel.  God told Moses that the future king who took care to follow God’s commands would “continue long.”  Now he tells David that his kingdom will last “forever.” The dynasty that will emerge from David’s line will never end.  From our New Testament perspective, we now know that God fulfilled this word in Jesus, who was born as a descendant of David and who now reigns from heaven over all creation. 

 

Conclusion

I want to move beyond the obvious applications, though, to a more practical application.  If we read the accounts regarding Jesus’ work carefully, we begin to realize that he did not just walk into his position as Lord.  He had to be proven every step of the way.  Writing about Jesus, the author of Hebrews states the case this way: 

In the days of his flesh, he offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.  And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him…

--Hebrews 5:7-9, emphasis added

When Hebrews says that Jesus was “made perfect,” it does not mean that he was defective to begin with.  After all, he is God.  The word perfect in this context means complete.  His mission, while he was on earth, involved nothing less than becoming the substitute for his people.  He had to prove his character, and the only way he could do that was to endure hardship. If we move back to the Old Testament, we see the same dynamic guiding David.  Can we expect less from the one whose dynasty Jesus inherits?  The bar that David had to clear was a high one because it pointed to an even greater King.  In the same way that Jesus had to prove his character, David had to prove his. From a practical standpoint, David learned to be a compassionate king through the difficulties he had to endure.  No other way existed for him to stand as Jesus’ forerunner. Likewise, we men sometimes endure dark times that appear to be endless.  We become tempted to compare our failures to those who know only victory, and we wonder what we are doing wrong.

Not necessarily as much as we might assume.  By themselves, challenges are not a sign of wrongdoing.  Sometimes, God takes us through difficult times in order to produce character that can only be forged through suffering. 

 

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The Life of David, Part 10

2 Samuel 11:1-3

When Good Men Fall

 

When Chance becomes a Willful Act

If we were to take a poll among Christians about the best-known stories in the Bible, David’s exploitation of Bathsheba would be near the top of the list.  The account begins simply. 

In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.  It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.  And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”--2 Samuel 11:1-3

 The opening verses record three events with only a minimum of explanation.  First, David sends his troops to battle.  The army is very successful in its fight against the Ammonites and the city of Rabbah.  And by the way, David remains at Jerusalem.  Not only a first event, but also a first chance occurrence weaves its way into the narrative.  The story leads directly to the next chance occurrence. 

Second, late one afternoon, he happens to see a woman from his rooftop.  This is no ordinary woman, however.  The text finishes the thought with the words, “and the woman was very beautiful.” 

Finally, David inquires about the woman and learns that she is the wife of one of his respected commanders. 

 

Crossing Lines

In six sentences, the narrative sinks its teeth into us like a pit bull.  It will not let us go.  The passage describes our universal craving, the longing to take what does not belong to us and run with it. 

We could argue that David crossed a moral line with the inquiry, but even this was an opportunity for him to come to his senses.  The woman was another man’s wife. 

We know what happens.  David summons her, violates her, and sends her home.  Then he gets the terrifying news that she is pregnant.  A series of foiled attempts to cover up the sin ultimately leads to murder.  David tries to maintain what he thinks is a secret until Nathan the prophet confronts him with the truth. 

 

Conclusions

Most of us know the incident well enough that we do not have to punish ourselves with the details.  Therefore, if you will indulge me, let me draw four conclusions from this passage. 

First, such a temptation not only happens to the best of us, but it also dogs all of us.  We are wired to appreciate beauty, and the desire to indulge is only a step away.  If we believe we are immune, we fool ourselves. 

Several years ago, I heard a conference speaker who wrote his dissertation on ministers who lost their wives to affairs.  He said, “I did more than a hundred thirty interviews, and every single man said, ‘I didn’t think it could happen to me.’ ” 

 

It can happen to any of us. 

Second, consequences are real.  David lost his moral authority over his family after this incident, and the Bible draws a straight line from his sin against Bathsheba to his son Absalom’s attempt seize the kingdom by coup (see 2 Samuel 13-18).  Absalom capitalized on his father’s inaction and ran with it. 

 

Consequences can be very bitter. 

Third, even though consequences are real, forgiveness is equally real.  In fact, God’s forgiving grace is just as great as his saving grace.  We see this in David’s prayer of confession in Psalm 51, and in his hymn of forgiveness in Psalm 32. 

In the midst of the brokenness and the fallout, somehow God makes us clean.  I do not know how he does it, but I am glad he does. 

Finally, we need to set up moral boundaries for our safety.  Defensively, we must be honest about our limitations (we all have them) and commit to staying away from them as much as possible.  Know where your limits lie, mark your territory, and commit to listening to the voice of the Spirit. 

Offensively, recognize the freedom that God has given us to take satisfaction in our wives.  Sexual urges are a gift from God to be used in the marriage relationship.  Proverbs tells us,

Let your fountain be blessed and rejoice in the wife of your youth,a lovely deer, a graceful doe.

Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;be intoxicated always in her love.

--Proverbs 5:18-19

The sexual act of marriage exists not only for our fulfillment and our protection, but also as a symbol of Jesus’ relationship with us.  The church is his bride.  When we love our wives physically, we imitate God’s love for us. 

 

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The Life of David, Part 11

2 Chronicles 21:28-22:1

Finishing Well

 

The Danger of Starting the Victory Lap Too Soon

When I was younger, I craved glory.  I dreamed of being able to exert a global influence in my field, whatever the Lord was going to cause that field to be.  I dreamed of relishing my triumphal, stadium-filled victory lap toward the end of my life. Reality turned out to be much more humble.  My sphere of influence has remained small.  To be honest, I have made a lot of mistakes.  My biggest hope is that the Lord shows mercy toward my many botched opportunities. 

David’s Premature Victory Lap

As life goes, I am far from alone in a lust for glory.  For reasons that remain concealed except to God, one of David’s last acts is a premature victory lap.  The incident occurs in 2 Samuel 24.  For this lesson, I want to go to 1 Chronicles, a later account.  This is because 1 Chronicles 21 includes an epilogue that is absent from 2 Samuel.  Here is how Chronicles describes the beginning of the event:

Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.  So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan and bring me a report, that I may know their number.”

--1 Chronicles 21:1

In ancient times, the census held one primary purpose, and that was to determine the strength of the standing army during wartime.  David’s census comes when the nation enters a time of peace.  His curiosity apparently is motivated by pride. Whatever the exact reason for the census, God brings David under severe justice.  He tells him,

“Choose what you will:  Either three years of famine, or three months of devastation by your foes while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the LORD, pestilence on the land, with the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.”

--1 Chronicles 21;11-12

The three choices fall into two broad classes.  The first class involves mediated punishment, in which the LORD uses natural or human agents to carry out his wrath.  Famine, the first choice, is mediated because it stands between God and the people with whom he is angry.  It would be slow to work, but it likely would produce the least costly results of the three. 

Three months of persecution under the enemies also represents mediated punishment, even though God drives the enemies’ fury.  The judgment would be quicker than the famine and probably would be deadlier, but it is still far preferable to God’s direct hand. David chooses the third and most terrifying alternative, which is to take away any buffer between himself and God.  He tells Gad, the seer who has delivered God’s message to him, “I am in great distress. Let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man” (1 Chronicles 21:13).  David’s choice looks to God’s mercy, but it also involves God’s unchecked wrath on the land.  Seventy thousand die (1 Chronicles 21:14).

The end of Wrath

David pleads with the LORD,

“Was it not I who gave command to number the people?  It is I who have sinned and done great evil.  But these sheep, what have they done?  Please let your hand, O LORD my God, be against me and against my father’s house.  But do not let the plague be upon your people.”

--1 Chronicles 21:17

God hears his prayer and directs David to go to the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite (Jebus is the older name for Jerusalem).  There David sees the angel of the LORD standing over the threshing floor, with his sword drawn.  David buys the threshing floor from Ornan for 600 shekels of gold and erects an altar to offer sacrifices (1 Chronicles 21:18-25). 

A Greater Work of Grace

God hears David’s prayer and directs the angel of the LORD to put the sword back in his sheath (1 Chronicles 21:27).  The narrative in 1 Samuel closes at this point, almost in anticlimax. Chronicles records what happens next. 

At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there.  For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time in the high place at Gibeon, but David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.

--1 Chronicles 21:28-30

This passage reflects David’s passionate relationship with his God.  He was not afraid to be afraid, and in this event, he is terrified. 

Where Wrath Ends and Mercy Begins

Fear is exactly what the LORD wants, because it erases dishonesty.  David cannot be a poser.  Once dishonesty is eliminated, David can see the truth.  It blazes in like a lightning bolt.  “Then David said, ‘Here shall be the house of the LORD God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel’” (1 Chronicles 22:1). To understand the significance of these words, we need to back up to Israel’s ancient history.  Generations before, Moses spoke to the people of Israel with these words. “You shall seek the place that the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation.” (Deuteronomy 12:5).  Deuteronomy 12 is dedicated to that theme. In the middle of judgment, the LORD brought a striking revelation to David.  The floor that he had bought from Ornan was to be the place where God would establish his dwelling.

A Different Victory Lap

David began what he thought would be his own victory lap.  Instead, it became God’s.  From this point on, David focuses his energy on gathering materials for the temple. Here are some points that have come from an examination of my own life:

 

  • One, while we are in the world, the race is still on.  Victory laps do not occur in this age. 
  • Two, very few know how long they have left on the earth.  For that reason, we have no cause to plan the lap.
  • Three, given the right circumstances, anyone can fall to pride.  We must guard against it.
  • Four, the need for purpose is critical throughout our lives.  We may slow with age, but as long as we are able, we must push for the long goal. 

 

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