I ain't Gonna Study War No More

2 Samuel 8:11-15-  King David dedicated all these gifts to the LORD, along with the silver and gold he had set apart from the other nations he had subdued --  Edom, Moab, Ammon, Philistia, and Amalek -- and from Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.  So David became very famous. After his return he destroyed eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.  He placed army garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites became David's subjects. This was another example of how the LORD made David victorious wherever he went.  David reigned over all Israel and was fair to everyone.

 

David was given victory in every battle that reclaimed the land of Canaan for Israel. Even the kings of neighboring lands were brought to submission…and paid taxes to David. He shed much blood in the process….but somehow managed to earn the reputation for being fair.  His name brought  both fear and respect throughout the land….as God looked after him and protected him as he had promised.

 

I will admit that I have a hard time accepting these war stories…this killing of thousands of lives…as a good thing…as just and fair. It is just so hard for me to accept this as necessary. My brain kept trying to total the number of lives that God allowed to die to set up David’s kingdom…but I stopped after verse 6…with the number 43,000 in the margin….the number already too big for my heart to deal with.  I can’t stand to watch a baby bird die… or know I hit a rabbit driving home….let alone deal with the knowledge that more than 43,000 people lost their lives during this part of David’s  reign.

 

Then I remembered the promise of God…to give the land of Canaan to his people…and drive out the pagans that worshiped other gods. Joshua started the process…now David was given the skills and temperament to finish the job. David was given the personality and heart to do the job God gave him to do.  The wars of David’s reign had a unique purpose…just for that time….carried out by exactly the person God had trained to do the job.

 

I am so very thankful that God allowed me to live in a time where wars are few.  Even reading the passages here in the Old testament…I see no purpose for the wars we as Americans are engaged in…for we are not claiming land for Christ.  Christ came and gave his life for us on that cross…and he does not need us to kill to show his power anymore.  Jesus came as a humble servant of peace…and is returning someday to fulfill the new promise I look forward to….given to us in Isaiah 2:4… “He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”

 

Father…Help me understand the need for war in my lifetime.  I need your wisdom and love to help me accept the senseless killings that send our American soldiers home in boxes ready to be buried. I need your love and compassion to help me forgive those that have taken these lives.  Thank you for this story that reminds me not to dwell on the loss of life…but instead claim your promise that peace will someday rule our world again. Amen.

 

PS… I couldn’t help but think of the old song ….Down By The River Side….written and sung by a people that longed to see the world at peace…..even though their lives were characterized by hate and injustice.  They must have known about the promise of God too!  Here’s a link to a Pete Seeger version on youtube….    http://youtu.be/LgOXqNq7fqc  

Thank You Lord...For Blessings I Don't Deserve

2 Samuel 7:18-20 -  Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and prayed, "Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?  And now, Sovereign LORD, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving me a lasting dynasty! Do you deal with everyone this way, O Sovereign LORD?  What more can I say? You know what I am really like, Sovereign LORD.

 

God had granted David a time of peace…a season of rest from all the war and fighting.  He was just walking around one day…reflecting on how much God had blessed him...when his eyes beheld the simple tent he had placed the Ark. In that moment …it felt wrong to David to live in such a grand cedar palace…when the Lord resided in a tent. He spoke with the prophet God had placed near him for counsel….about his idea to build God a proper house.  But God spoke to Nathan the prophet too…and told him to deliver a message back to David…that one of his sons would build his temple….and that David had shed too much blood for the task.

 

God’s message also contained the great promise to build a lasting dynasty from David’s sons.  I am pretty sure David did not understand the deeper meaning…that through his family the Messiah would finally come to minister to our needs on a different level.  The promise God gave him that day was simply to build his family into a dynasty of kings….that God would build him a house of descendants so strong that Israel would never be without leadership again.

 

David’s prayer of acceptance is such a humble configuration of words. He speaks form his heart the truth of his sinful life so far….and offers his gratefulness that God could bless him so much in spite of the state of his heart. As he sat before the Lord… he humbly thanked God for the wonderful blessings he had already received in his life…and embraced the promise of his future.

 

I share David’s awe at the wonderful things God has blessed me with in my lifetime…despite the many times I have failed him.  That is our God though….always chasing after us…willing to wash us clean with his precious blood once again…and show us the direction he planned for us to go all along.  It reminds me that I need to make time to let him know how very much I appreciate all that he has blessed me with…the beautiful rock house rental I live in…my friends…my church….my children…my job…okay I’ll stop or we will be here all day…for I could never list the many blessings in one sitting.  God is building in me a new dynasty…of faith and hope and trust…to walk with him on a day to day basis…and know in my heart that he has plans to prosper me too.

 

Father….I thank you for your mercy and grace that does not punish me continually for my many sins…but raises me up to walk with you in a new life….full of hope for my future…because I ask you to live in my heart when I was just 14.  I will never deserve or be able to repay you for what you have done for me.  All I can do is cry out a great THANK YOU…for being my God…and rest in the promise you have given me from Jeremiah 29:11…that you know the plans you have for me…plans for good….and you will prosper me…simply because you love me.  It is amazing my father…to even begin to comprehend the great vastness of your love…and know that even as you would do this for me…you do it for all that come to know you and ask you to be their Lord. I praise you with my humble words….and simply say how honored I am that you would choose a sinner like me to love…but I am so glad you did.  Amen.

Worship Styles Are Different

2 Samuel 6:13-16  -  After the men who were carrying it had gone six steps, they stopped and waited so David could sacrifice an ox and a fattened calf.  And David danced before the LORD with all his might, wearing a priestly tunic.  So David and all Israel brought up the Ark of the LORD with much shouting and blowing of trumpets.  But as the Ark of the LORD entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she was filled with contempt for him.

 

David took 30,000 troops with him to bring the ark of God back to the City If David.  He had not been told to do so…but it just seemed right to him to have the presence of God within the city where he would rule.  Perhaps he should have waited to retrieve it…for Uzzah was lost in the move because he dared touch the holy structure…and David’s relationship with one of his wives was damaged as well.

 

All the Bible tells us is that Michal looked down from her window and saw the great celebration taking place…and she had contempt for David in that moment. She greets him when he gets home with anger…and accusations of exposing himself to young girls. Perhaps her words were not the best description of David’s dancing and playing of instruments….but David does admit that his dance may have looked foolish to anyone who did not understand the deep emotions he felt for God as he praised him for allowing the ark to return to Jerusalem.

 

This story reminds me that God allows us all to worship the way our hearts believe is best.  Whether we dance…or run…or shout…or play instruments…or lift our hands in praise…or quietly bow our heads in reverence…our hearts are totally lost in the worship of our Lord….and his presence is felt in our lives…recharging us to go out and share his love with others.

 

Michal did not understand David’s worship…because she did not understand God. Her argument was doomed to fail from the beginning…as David was still giddy from the closeness to God his worship had brought.  It must have been lonely and miserable for her the remaining days in the palace…for it says she remained childless because she did not accept David’s way of worship.

 

I will admit that I used to be scared of going to churches that were not Baptist….I wasn’t ready to accept  the many other styles of worship in my head. God has been teaching me how very wrong I was for ever thinking that the Baptist faith had the only correct way to worship patented. He is softening my heart to understand that worship is not about me…it is about him…and true worship becomes a mix of the emotions within the hearts of the people present….and dancing…and singing…and playing instruments…and shouting….and running…are all acceptable…even required by the Lord to show our deepest love for him. I am stretching my understanding of worship…and love to watch other people get lost in the love of the Lord.  I simply can’t get enough church…and love going to different ones to see how they express love to God.

 

Father…thank you for making each of us different creatures…so we can enjoy the many different ways that people have learned to worship you.  Help me to never become like Michal….and put limits on how others express their love for you.  Let me worship you today with the other friends that will gather at my church. …let us lose our selves in the worship of your love for us…and praise you for all that you have done in our lives.  Let me enlarge my repertoire of ways to revere you…and allow your spirit to speak power and wisdom into my heart…so you can use it to help me do the work you have called me to do. Amen.

Praise The Lord for EVERYTHING!

2 Samuel 5:18-20 -  The Philistines arrived and spread out across the valley of Rephaim.  So David asked the LORD, "Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?"The LORD replied, "Yes, go ahead. I will certainly give you the victory."  So David went to Baal-perazim and defeated the Philistines there. "The LORD has done it!" David exclaimed. "He burst through my enemies like a raging flood!" So David named that place Baal-perazim (which means "the Lord who bursts through").

 

The leaders of Israel had come to acknowledge that God had Chosen David as their leader… David made a contract with them to be their shepherd and leader…and the anointing  that Samuel had performed when David was a young boy…was made real as they placed the crown on his head. David wasted no time making Zion his home…clearing out the people who taunted him….renaming the city after himself….and reinforcing the walls around it to make it more safe.

 

He had many choices of where to begin the great task of clearing Canaan of pagans….but he seemed to always ask God what to do next. Then he listened and obeyed Gods directives…and gave him praise for each victory in battle. His great faith…mixed with just enough humbleness…proved to be a great combination…for David grew stronger and stronger as he followed what God wanted him to do.

 

How wonderful it must have felt to walk free …leaving the memories of running and hiding in the past.  Oh how David must have thanked God for his new home…and the peace that came with the fulfillment of the promise he had been given so long ago. The waiting …the terror and confusion of being hated….the pangs of hunger as he begged for food…it was all ended as he renamed Zion…The City of David...and made it his home.

 

It is a reminder to me that I must continually strive to find the right combination of faith…confidence and humbleness.  I must know deep in my heart that God is there waiting to help me…then ask him what to do.  Then I must be ready to do what he says…and trust that he will bless it and make me stronger for being obedient. Then I must exclaim …like David my thanks for everything he has done. I must also put the past in the past…exchanging the memories of the mistakes I made…and the suffering God has allowed…to become a greater strength.

 

Father…I thank you this morning for this story that you have used to remind me of my need to praise you.  I praise you for the many good blessings you have showered upon me…and I praise you for the storms of life you have brought me through.  Help me to always remember to ask you before I act in the future….about all that I think about doing.  Then give me your ears to hear the answer…plain and clear…and the patience to wait when your timing does not match my earthly timeline. Turn all my memories of the past into sweet reminders of how you have guided me throughout my life…and then show me how to use the many lessons they have taught me …so I can be your servant here on earth. Amen.

Take Courage In The Lord

2 Samuel 4:1-3 - When Ishbosheth heard about Abner's death at Hebron, he lost all courage, and his people were paralyzed with fear.  Now there were two brothers, Baanah and Recab, who were captains of Ishbosheth's raiding parties. They were sons of Rimmon, a member of the tribe of Benjamin who lived in Beeroth. The town of Beeroth is now part of Benjamin's territory  because the original people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim, where they still live as foreigners.

 

Abner…Ishbosheth’s military leader had been brutally killed by Joab. He was left alone…with no leader…no counsel…no thoughts of what to do next.  Fear…so deep …gripped his soul so completely that he cowered in helplessness…and caused him to lay in his bed during in the late hours of the morning. It was easy for the two sons of Rimmon to sneak in to his bedroom one day and kill him.

 

Ishbosheth had placed all his eggs in the wrong basket.  He was depressed and scared and had no hope for his life in the next moment. He had placed his hope in an earthly man…forsaking the Lord who could have given him all the strength and answers he needed.  Ishbosheth took courage from Abner…so when Abner was gone… in essence…so was Ishbosheth’s hope.

 

It is no accident that David is the one writing great psalms like 31:24… “So be strong and take courage, all you who put your hope in the LORD!”  His strength and faith were becoming so mature because he knew in his heart that the Lord had anointed him king and he had a plan for when that would come to pass. His whole countenance modeled for others around him how placing your trust in God could provide you with an endless supply of strength and wisdom.

 

I have to admit that I have a lot of work to do in strengthening my faith…and using courage the way David did.  I still allow the pity party to win every once in a while…because I placed my trust in myself for so many years.  I am working daily to study God’s word…and break the many bad habits that might make me an easy target for satan…as he roams the earth…looking for someone to trick and lie to.

 

I want to grow up to be like David…and sweet Haggai…who is credited with writing a great book later in the Bible.  We find these words in Haggai 2:4… “But now take courage, Zerubbabel, says the LORD. Take courage, Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Take courage, all you people still left in the land, says the LORD. Take courage and work, for I am with you, says the LORD Almighty.” Good words to place deep in our souls…to give us strength…and help us to never allow satan to grip us so completely with fear that we become hopeless …and give up on the promise of God to prosper our future.

 

Father….  Thank you for the promise that you have plans to give me a great and prosperous future.  Help me to place these wise words deep in my soul…and have them prepared for satan’s next attack on my confidence.  Give to me the strength you gave to David…and Moses…and Paul….that helped them thank you in site of the hardness of the world around them…that helped them know deep down in their soul that there was nothing to fear…for you are with us...through dark valleys….through evil moments…for you are with me.  Your rod and your staff are my comfort…as you prepare for me a feast of victory over my enemies.  I smile this morning from the thoughts of how wonderful it will be to eat with you in heaven….knowing that the blessings you have showered upon me my 54 years won’t compare to the feast I will see the day I join you there. Thank you God for pursuing me…and never giving up on me…and chasing after me …till I someday join you to live forever in the house of the Lord. Amen.

Pray For Peace Admidst Evil

2 Samuel 3:37-39 -  So on that day all of the people of Judah and Israel understood. They knew that the king didn't have anything to do with the murder of Abner, the son of Ner.  The king spoke to his men. He said, "Don't you realize that a great commander has died in Israel today?  I'm the anointed king. But today I'm weak. These sons of Zeruiah are too powerful for me. May the LORD pay back the one who killed Abner! May he pay him back for the evil thing he has done!"

 

Toward the end of the terrible civil war….that lasted many years…Saul’s military leader …Abner…took a few to many privileges to satisfy Saul’s son Ishbosheth.  Abner slept with one of Saul’s concubines…and the heated argument he had with Ishbosheth after…had him changing camps.  He would have been a great addition to David’s army…if Joab hadn’t killed him to satisfy his need for vengeance…because he had killed one of his brothers earlier in the war. David immediately mourned the death of Abner….his sadness and loss evident in the fasting and tearing of his clothes…and the words of a song he wrote for Abner’s funeral. 

 

David recognized the evil in Joab’s actions….but refrained from punishing him himself.  David showed the people he would rule using the higher law of God…written in Deuteronomy 32….when Moses spoke words of peace and repentance to the evil that was plaguing Israel during his leadership. Verse 35 recorded the words of God…relayed by Moses… “It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them."

 

Good advice in our world as well…where maybe even worse evil exists than David’s time…evil that erupts out of the soul of evil men…controlled by satan.  Just in the last few months I have processed the sadness of a mass bombing by terrorists…the shooting of an innocent toddler by a depraved teen…and the mass shooting of unsuspecting theater guests…satan clearly in control of more people that I care to admit. My heart cries out to God to avenge these horrible deaths…and stop satan from causing any more loss….but deep down I know this is just the beginning of the ‘birth pains’ God revealed to us in Mathew 24… that will bring the evil in our world to a complete end.

 

The Bible is clear what God expects us to do with evil…for any other response is to become evil ourselves.  Romans 12:17-21 says… “ Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.  Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible.  Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, "I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it," says the Lord.  Instead, do what the Scriptures say: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you."  Don't let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.”

 

Hard pill to swallow…then read 1 Peter 3:9…or 1 Thessalonians 5:15….or Matthew 26:52-54….or Leviticus 19:18….they all say the same thing. We are to pray to God for the strength to do what David did….mourn and fast…and wait on God to serve justice in his own time.  Maybe my prayer will create enough strength to snatch at least one person from satan’s evil grasp.

 

Father…I sit this morning and remember many times that satan succeeded in destroying innocent people with his evil.   I feel so small and unable to change the many people around me that have been tricked by satan to let evil overcome their lives.  Help me to love…in spite of the hurt and pain these losses cause my heart.  Help me Lord to use your peace to help me conquer the fear that threatens to enter my heart.  Give me your strength to wait …and model for others the peace that allowed David to understand that waiting on your justice was the right thing to do. Help me not to give up on others that seem to be controlled by satan’s hate and evil…but reach out to them with your love…because your love is more powerful than any evil satan can come up with.  Amen.

Stop Your Fighting

2 Samuel 2:25-28 -  And the Benjaminites gathered themselves together behind Abner, and became one band, and took their stand on the top of a hill.  Then Abner called to Jo'ab, "Shall the sword devour for ever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will it be before you bid your people turn from the pursuit of their brethren?"  And Jo'ab said, "As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely the men would have given up the pursuit of their brethren in the morning."  So Jo'ab blew the trumpet; and all the men stopped, and pursued Israel no more, nor did they fight any more.

 

David wasted no time asking God what he should do after Saul died. He finally felt free to go home…but wanted to make sure God approved of this move. God sent him to the city of Hebron…a large central city in the territory of Judah. David took with him his two wives….all his household…and all the men who had followed him while he ran from Saul…where the leaders of Judah wasted no time crowning David king of what they called ...the Judean Confederacy.

 

He would rein as king of this confederacy for 7 and one half years…while a civil war was fought between the Judean Confederacy …and the other tribes that followed king Saul’s only surviving son…Ishbosheth. It gets confusing here…and commentaries didn’t really help….cause the Bible says that Ishbosheth only ruled for 2 years…with no details about who or what kept the tribes that followed Ishbosheth intact for the 7 and one half years that David waited to be king over all Israel.

 

Civil wars are sad …to say the least…for they solve nothing. They perpetuate and trick the participants into thinking that one earthly idea is so superior to the other that the loss of life is merited… till one side breaks from the fighting…and gives in.  The military leaders of David and Ishbosheth must have realized this…as Abner cried out to Joab …and questioned the senseless deaths of so many of his men. And the wise Joab agreed immediately…for he had already set in his heart to stop fighting in the morning.

 

Satan has tricked the people of our world into countless civil wars.  Many of which are just silly arguments that escalated into bitter battles of emotion.  They separate families and end the closest of relationships. They pit nations of innocent people against each other….each being loyal to an earthly leader.  And no one in today’s world wants to be the Abner…and shout that it is time to stop being so headstrong. 

 

The Bible doesn’t record the reason Abner shouted out those words of confusion and hurt that stopped the fighting.  Maybe it was exhaustion …maybe it was the grief from losing 360 men… but my heart wants to believe it was a seed of conviction planted by God.  For in the moment that Abner thought in his heart to stop the fighting…God had planted the same thought in Joab as well.  God is a God of love…not hate….he said we should turn the other cheek…not destroy the ones he gave us to love.

 

Father…thank you for the mighty love you give to all…even when we allow satan to trick us into deeds of clear hatred…that end up destroying families and relationships that you meant to harbor only love.  Help me this morning to evaluate the feelings I have for others….and make sure that I have asked you to help me forgive those who have hurt me…so satan cannot come and trick me into a civil war …that will destroy the love you have given me to share with others. Show me how to stop any fighting I have been participating in…even if  means I have to walk away with a loss.  Amen.

Forgiveness Brings Respect And Love

2 Samuel 1:  "From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.  "Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.  "Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you daintily in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel.  "How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! "Jonathan lies slain upon thy high places

 

The word of Saul’s death reached David’s ears by way of a greedy liar…an Amalekite who somehow gained possession of Saul’s crown.  He figured to gain some sympathy from David…who had run from Saul for so long…but he figured wrong.  For as soon as David had fasted and mourned for Saul and his best friend Jonathan...he killed the man who claimed he had been insolent enough to kill the Lord’s anointed king.

 

Then David honored his friend and the king that had served as king by writing a song …a song that spoke of the great things they had done. ….a song that memorialized the positive things that Saul had done….a song that spoke of his deep love for his friend.  The song he wrote contained no mention of the sorrow and pain David had been forced to live with as he ran….David put aside any feelings of hurt and bitterness…and showed the ultimate respect for his fallen friend and his father.

 

The heart of David knew that God’s love sometimes calls us to lay our own feelings aside… wrap ourselves in his merciful love for all people… and let God’s heart take control over the bitterness and pain that lives there.  David was modeling for us what the apostle John meant when he wrote 1 John 4:20…. “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.”  What courage and deep reverence for God must David had to be so mature in his love for others…  David understood how powerful on-going forgiveness is to a battered and broken heart.

 

Jesus used this very point to finish one of his great sermons from the mountains where he shared his heart with the crowds that followed him.  In Matthew  5:43-47 it says… "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?”  Jesus was calling them to be different…to take the love he was going to give them when he sacrificed his life on that cross…and use it to love unconditionally… to love not just the lovable…but love the unlovable as well.

 

I have to admit that I struggle with this one.  It is so very hard for my human heart to completely shake off the bitterness and hate that satan planted in my heart…and truly forgive the ones who have hurt me.  It is easier to whine and cry and have pity parties…but that only embeds the pain deeper in your heart.  I guess I need more moments kneeling at the altar at church….like the one night I cried out to God to help me let go…and forgive. It wasn’t as hard as satan tricked me into thinking it would be…. and I will never forget the awesome wash of peace that came over my mind…as I knew in that moment that God had somehow melted my heart a bit…so I could tolerate the pain a bit better. 

Father…thank you for this reminder that I do not have to live with the pain and bitter feelings of the past.  Thank you for the moments where you get through to this stubborn hard head of mine… and help me to tell satan to go way…and stop lying to me….so you can help me to use your love to release the hurts you have allowed in my life. Help me to take the small victories you have given me…and multiply them.  Help me to use the memories of how you helped me that wonderful night…to repeat the process with any more hurt I might have hidden deep inside my heart. Amen.

Inner Beauty More Important

1 Samuel 31:1-4 -  Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilbo'a.  And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan and Abin'adab and Mal'chishu'a, the sons of Saul.  The battle pressed hard upon Saul, and the archers found him; and he was badly wounded by the archers.  Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and make sport of me." But his armor-bearer would not; for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword, and fell upon it.

 

While David was restoring order to the city of Ziklag…and renewing his relationship with God…the Philistines were allowed to overcome the Israelites in battle.  Two of his sons were slaughtered outright…and Saul was wounded so badly by the arrows of the Philistines….that he feared the torture he might endure when they found him.  Immobile from his wounds…he begged his armor bearer to kill him…but he refused in fear… so Saul threw himself on his own sword to end his life.

 

Saul’s life ended the same way he had lived most of it….by taking matters into his own hands.   He continued his pattern of doing whatever felt best at the time…instead of asking God what to do. He simply ended his life…void of God…void of remorse for any wrong he had committed.  Saul died at his own hand…in the silence of his own sin.  Saul died never knowing the difference his life could have been had he ever asked God to be a major part in it.

 

My life application Bible commentary seemed to pop out at me as I read last night. It summarized Saul’s life by making five comparisons between what one saw when they looked at Saul’s outer body…and what he held important on the inside.  He was tall physically….but he was small in God’s eyes.  He was handsome…but ugly in God’s eyes. Saul had physical strength…but his lack of faith left him weak when he needed strength the most.  Saul lived in the lap of luxury….rich in gold and silver…..but he was spiritually bankrupt.  And Saul gave orders to many…but commanded respect from very few.

 

I am learning that God has an end for all of us….for I add to my list of friends and loved ones that have breathed their last breath every day. Some lived like David and Jonathan and are having some visit in Heaven while they wait on us….and some like Saul…well from the list above it’s pretty clear where he is waiting out eternity….and I really don’t want to visit him there.  I want to be where Jesus can give me that perfect peace…and wipe away my earthly tears…and make me perfect like him.

 

I will be honest and tell you that I struggle with just how much to worry about this outer shell he provided for me to walk the earth.  I am average at best….not a ten by any means…and it seems sometimes I place too much importance on the way I look to others…instead of strengthening the character that God placed on the inside of me.  I find myself applying makeup… getting haircuts…stressing about losing weight…or dressing in the latest fashion… that might push my physical worth into the upper range of the ‘pretty’ scale…instead of asking God how I can polish the inside…and use his love to release a faith and love that could make a difference in the world.

 

Father…I thank you for the reminder that my inside is more important than my outside.  Thank you for the inspired writers that recorded your words for me to find last night…and for the wisdom in the commentary of my Dad’s Bible that jogged my memory…and told me to condition my heart and soul more than I do the outer shell you gave me to walk the Earth.  Help me to worry less about what I look like….what I wear…and how I appear to others on the surface.  Show me how to strengthen my relationship to you so you can build a faith like David…rebuke sin like Jesus….and build a rich store of scriptures in my mind and soul to fight off any tricks of satan he might throw at me in the future.  Amen.

Tragedy ....OR.... Blessing

1 Samuel 30:6-8  -  And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.  And David said to Abi'athar the priest, the son of Ahim'elech, "Bring me the ephod." So Abi'athar brought the ephod to David.  And David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?" He answered him, "Pursue; for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue."

 

David and his men returned to Ziklag to find the town completely burned to the ground.  The Amalekites had come while they were off to battle and destroyed the town….and after they had plundered the town….they took all the women …children…and livestock captive.  David’s men were so bitter that they thought of stoning him…blaming him for the loss of their families and possessions.

 

Even though David was distressed… he strengthened himself in the Lord…turned away the temptation to be bitter and have a pity party….and sent for the ephod that held the urim and thurmin.  Then he asked the Lord what he should do….and gladly set feet to God’s directions. He and his men went to defeat the men who took their families…and brought them back home.

 

Tragedy has a way of focusing your brain on the hurt you feel.  And then satan grabs that small seed of bitterness and anger…and tries to explode it in your soul.  He wants you to turn from God and blame him for your loss. Satan wants you to hate God so much that you stay confined in your bitterness… useless to God and his plan for the rest of your life. And sadly… most of us act just like David’s men…and let the bitterness turn us into people of hate…blaming anyone that we can find for our pain… locked in a lifelong pity party that hides our eyes form the one person who can show us the way out of our pain.

 

But David modeled for us how to keep that seed of bitterness in check ….by turning to the only one who can help us when life throws those huge curveballs that devastate our soul.  His pain ….was seared into the heart that was just like his father…and it remembered the comfort he had once felt in those fields with the sheep.  David remembered the father above that had the answered so many prayers before…and he sent for the urim and thurmin to inquire of God what he should do.

 

There is a powerful comfort when you seek God as David did.  God fills the gaping hole in your heart with his love…and even returns some of your joy in the process. I can testify that David’s plan still works…for this story mirrors my own struggle with the pain of loss. My urim and thurmin are his Bible ….prayer….and the Christian friends he has placed around me to be my support. They have provided for me a new purpose and helped me to let go of ‘some’ of my pain. The passion God placed in my soul to learn more about his Bible…has kept the bitterness of satan far away from my soul….and the tears that slip out of my eyes on random occasions….continue to wash away the sadness and sorrow of my loss….and remind me that only God’s love can fill the hole in my heart.  Your tragedy becomes a blessing in disguise…that shows you that nothing in your life was more important than the God who gave you life.

 

Father…I thank you for the tragedies in my life that have brought me closer to you than I ever knew was possible.  Help me to recognize satan…the next time he tries to trick me into a pity party… and pull out your Bible…and seek you in prayer…so you can pull me closer to your side. Continue to wash away my tears of sadness…and replace them with your will for my life…that gives it purpose …and helps me understand the reason for my pain.  Amen.

 

God's Providence Protects

1 Samuel 29:1-3 -  Now the Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek; and the Israelites were encamped by the fountain which is in Jezreel.  As the lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing on in the rear with A'chish,  the commanders of the Philistines said, "What are these Hebrews doing here?" And A'chish said to the commanders of the Philistines, "Is not this David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me now for days and years, and since he deserted to me I have found no fault in him to this day."

 

The Philistines had gathered their troops to meet Saul’s army…David’s men bringing up the rear of the line.  But the Philistine leaders did not want him there…they feared that he would turn against them…as if his living there for the last year had been some great rouse to trick them into trusting them in battle…for the sole purpose of killing them from within.

 

Somewhere over the last year David had lived and served as king Achish’s bodyguard….he had let his frustration mask his loyality to the nation of Israel.  He was so far removed from his anointing to be king someday….he was willing to live with…and even join in the killing of his own people. Thank God that the Lord of all creation…used the leaders of the Philistine army to send David back….for God’s intervention saved him from what could have been a very difficult situation later. 

 

David has no clue just how far he has slipped form God’s anointing for him.  He is lost in his loneliness…and so lulled by the pats of love from king Achish...that he doesn’t even hear God talking to him.  God has to intervene by using pagans….who worship other gods…to keep David from making a very terrible mistake.

 

Makes me wonder how many times God has saved me the same way….and I did not even know it. And it makes me wonder how many times God might have used me to help him intervene for someone else. God’s providence …a mystery we should be grateful for…even if we don’t know we have ever had the pleasure of knowing he provided it for us.

 

Father…I thank you for the many times you have guided me with your great mercy and providence.  Help me to open my ears and eyes to all those around me that you are using to gently guide me the way you need me to go.  Amen.

Do You Need A Heart Transplant?

1 Samuel 28:3-6 -  Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city.   And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.    And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem:  and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.    And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.    And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.  

 

Saul found himself staring in many eyes of the mighty army of the Philistines. It was a fearful sight….an army of warriors so enormous that Saul cowered in fear. He couldn’t ask Samuel what to do…for he had died…and God would not answer him…not by his dreams….prophets ...or even if he used the urim himself.  Frustrated….scared and wishing he hadn’t  banned all the wizards and mediums from Israel…he broke his own rule about using wizards and witchcraft… and sought out a woman to use her dark powers to raise the spirit of Samuel.

 

He did not feel any better about his situation after he spoke with Samuel…for Samuel only repeated what he had told Saul while he was still alive…and added to it a message of death….for Saul and his sons. Samuel reminded him of how God had given his kingdom to David many years before….because he had not followed all of God’s laws. He told Saul that his days would end on the next day…and that his sons would also die with him.

 

It was so easy for Saul to revert back to the use of wizardry and mediums.  He had banned them from his kingdom for a time…but sought one out quickly when God was silent.  His heart had good intentions… but no real resolve to carry through with the commitment he had made. His mouth had spoken wise words …but his heart had never really committed the promise to God. And breaking his rule….using evil to find out what to do… did not help him one bit…it just confirmed his fears even deeper into his soul.  The problem Saul faced really had nothing to do with the evil powers he sought out to get his answers….the problem for Saul in this moment was realizing he had made a promise to God that he simply did not mean in his heart.

 

I sure understand Saul’s problem here….for I am guilty of making promises every day that I have failed to carry through with. I make well intentioned promises every day…then realize later… that to keep them would require more of my heart than I have asked God to help me give. I really cannot brag that I have truly kept any of my promises to God completely.  But that is the great thing about God… for I can realize in this moment that I can do better…if I ask him to help me….than let his power carry me farther than I ever could on my own.  If I place God’s word in my heart…and meditate on it day and night…then my life will be more acceptable in his sight…and he will give me the strength to completely change my heart…so his rules won’t just be a rule or promise to keep…they will become the very heart of what I believe will keep me close to his will for my life.

 

Father…I thank you for your great love…that forgives me for my many failings.  I thank you that your mercy and love can wash me clean of all my past sin…and help me to change my heart.  Help me this morning to search my heart for your presence…..then examine every action I intend to make today.  Let my heart be so full of your love …that I think like you think...and consider your ways in all that I do.  Give me a complete heart transplant if you need to…so I can begin to walk completely in your will for my life. Amen.

Use God's Heart To Decide

1 Samuel 27:1-4 -  But David thought to himself, "One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand."  So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maoch king of Gath.  David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal.  When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.

 

David had been running from Saul for some time now. He had lived in caves…he had lived in open areas made into strongholds.   David had supported at least 600 men through one of the toughest periods of his life. Most of those times he allowed God to encourage and support him…comfort and give him strength to be a leader for these men…but others he seemed to completely leave God out of the equation and make a decision on his own.

 

This time…David makes the decision to go to the Philistine king…and ask if he and his men can be a part of their community.  David clearly thinks that Saul will surely kill him if he stays where he is…but will leave him alone if he joins the multitudes of Philistines in the land of Gath.  He is proved right very quickly…as Saul immediately leaves off his chase after he learns where David has gone.

 

My mind hung on the beginning words of these verses…that lead me to believe David left God out of this decision.  The phrases …‘he thought to himself’ (NIV)… or ‘said in his heart’ (KJ)… show the human effort of his soul to try and work himself out of the daily running and hiding. And since it would place David and his men right smack in the middle of a pagan city…complete with idols and practices that could have weakened their faith…it was a dangerous move at best.

 

My mind also thought…even though we are not told directly… that maybe God planted this thought in his soul…for David has the smarts to request a more private area to live than inside the main city.  He uses this time in Gath to rid Canaan of some pretty evil people….and trick the king into thinking the Israelites must surely hate David.

 

Maybe both interpretations are right….David used his heart for God to make a decision on his own that God saw he could use…and so he blessed the time. The Bible never says it was wrong…and there doesn’t seem to be any negative consequences to his actions….so maybe sometimes God expects us to size up our own situations and use the wisdom he has already given us to make the decision that is best.

 

I know I am rambling this morning…cause there is no clear answer…but maybe that’s the point.  Sometimes…when God is asking us to wait on hos clear answer…he expects us to use the wisdom he has placed there before…to make the best decision we can.  And it reminds me that God is there…no matter what we do.  Our decision might have been made more from our own heart…but maybe that is okay…if we have a heart like God…because God will use it they way he wants to in the end.

 

Father…help me this morning to wait more patiently and trust in you completely.  Show me how to use the wisdom you gave me to make the best decisions I can…when I can’t hear your voice telling me what to do. Thank you for your covering and mercy when I might make the wrong choice…and thank you for the blessings you give in spite of the times I don’t ask…or wait on your clear answer. Amen.

Speak The Truth In Love

1 Samuel 26:18-20 -  And he added, "Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done, and what wrong am I guilty of ?  Now let my lord the king listen to his servant's words. If the LORD has incited you against me, then may he accept an offering. If, however, men have done it, may they be cursed before the LORD! They have now driven me from my share in the LORD's inheritance and have said, 'Go, serve other gods.'  Now do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the LORD. The king of Israel has come out to look for a flea--as one hunts a partridge in the mountains."

 

Saul was once again chasing David…but this time David knew he was coming…so he sent out spies to keep tabs on how close he got to his camp. One evening …the spies returned to reveal Saul’s position …so David enlisted a volunteer to go with him and check it out.  They found the king asleep…encircled by his men…also asleep.

 

David’s brave volunteer was ready to kill Saul….but David said no…and reminded him of Saul’s anointing….and the authority God had placed in his hands. But David did decide to take the king’s spear and water jug from him while he slept…and they both left for a hill just outside of camp…still within range for David to shout to the king and his men.

 

His speech revealed that he had had another chance to kill Saul…and that he had taken his water jug and spear as proof. He cried out to Saul…to name the wrong he had committed. David’s speech was a long…emotional vent of pain and frustration he had felt since he began running and hiding from the king.  It described how he felt cut off from his nation…and place of worship and ended with a spoken curse on Saul if this chase and pursuit were not God’s idea.

 

I can only imagine David’s cry on that hilltop…the pain and frustration all coming to an emotional head. He modeled for us all how a speech should be made to one we don’t agree with…factual…in love…with respect for all that might be hearing.  It was embedded with all that he had learned over the time he had been running from Saul…every uncomfortable night of restless sleep in a cave….every fear of what might happen if he had been caught…every prayer and song he had written to process the lesson God might be teaching him. Even disconnected from the people and tabernacle where he worshiped…David managed to cling to God for his strength and wisdom.

 

I know that I need to grow up and be more like David…for I am one that hasn’t mastered the art of waiting on God. I still flare up with righteous indignation way too much when I feel betrayed or wronged. I slump into that pity party too quickly. I want to shout out…but not in love and compassion. And I admit that I still enjoy… way too much the …the poetic justice that God allows me to witness sometimes. I need to allow God to speak to me in my times of frustration and pain…so he can use it to teach me mercy and compassion.

 

Father…I thank you for this story that reminds me to allow my pain and frustration to teach me more about your perfect love. Show me how to control my tongue…and wait for you to put together the perfect moment for me to speak your truth to others. Help me to cling to you in my moments of loneliness and pain…and allow it to draw me even closer to your sword pieced side.  Help me to reach out to your nail scarred hands …the next time I feel a pity party coming on….so you can guide me back to the warmth of your love.  Amen.

Give Thanks For Your Rebukes

1 Samuel 25:32-35  -  David said to Abigail, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me.  May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands.  Otherwise, as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak."  Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said, "Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request."

 

David and his men had been protecting a wealthy man that lived near their stronghold named Nabal… but when David asked him for food…Nabal very rudely turned him away.  David was so angry that he told 400 of his men to put on their swords...and he led them out to take vengeance against this one who had been so rude and callus toward them. If it had not been for the quick thinking and wise words of Nabal’s wife Abigail…David would surely have let satan trick him into killing Nabal…and taking justice into his own hands.

 

It seems so unreal…that David just days before…had used the conscience that God planted in his heart to rebuke his own men….for now he let satan trick him into a quick temper. Maybe it was his hunger…maybe it was the many days of protection they had given to this man…maybe it was sheer exhaustion from all the running he was doing….but he forgot to ask God what to do in this matter...and almost made a horrible mistake. So God sent the sweet…wise…Abigail….who counted on David’s faith in God to save her husband…and in turn saved David from sinning in a great way.

 

He thanked God for the wise…kind woman God sent to intervene before it was too late…and he graciously made her his wife after Nabal died from a stroke just days later. He was thankful not just for the food she sent….but for the way she renewed his ability to see mercy. David gave thanks for the rebuke he received….and the person God had sent to restore it.  David gave thanks to God for his intervention and reminder that vengeance in his alone…just like it was recorded for David in Deuteronomy 32:35… “To me belongeth vengeance and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.”

 

It started me thinking…how many times I have given thanks for the rebukes God has sent my way.  My mind can think of plenty of times when I took justice in my own hands…but is having a hard time remembering any moments when I actually thanked God for his rebuke.  I asked him to forgive me for my wrong…but I did not thank him for the lesson it may have taught me…or thanked him for the person he used to send his message of mercy.

 

Thank you God for giving to me a conscience….and thank you God for the many rebukes you have sent my way when I have allowed satan to trick me into not using it. Help me be more like David….who realized that you sent Abigail to help him…to renew his ability to use the conscience you planted in his heart to make merciful….Godly decisions. Help me to recognize the rebuke and thank you for the mistake it helped me prevent in my life.  Go with me this day…and help me make all my decisions …only after I have asked you what to do. Amen.

 

 

The Authority Is Not Always Mine

1 Samuel 24:4-7 -  The men said, "This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said to you, 'I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.' " Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul's robe.  Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe.  He said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD's anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD."  With these words David rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.

 

The chase continued…as Saul searched for David.  He was close this time…so close that as he went in a cave to relieve himself…he was close enough to David …for him to cut the hem off his garment.  David’s men wanted David to kill Saul…but the guilt David felt from just cutting his kings robe brought about a rebuke…and a speech that showed this men that he respected the title God had given Saul so many years before. David knew that God would let him know when it was time for him to be king.

 

The realization that he had done something very wrong…prompted him to leave the cave after Saul and shout to him. He called him king….and asked him why he would have spared his life just now if he wanted to kill him so badly.  He showed Saul the piece of material from his robe…and he vowed never to raise his hand against the Lord’s anointed king.

 

It must have been one of those epiphany moments for Saul…for the conversation brought tears...and a verbal admittance that David would be king one day.  It could even have been that Saul’s wisdom in that moment changed his heart that day…but David was not inclined to believe it…for they parted ways that day…Saul going home…and David returning to his men in their stronghold.

 

It shows me that I should pay more attention to my conscience.  God gave it to me…and has developed it with many years of love and lessons of his great mercy.  It tells me that should always respect the ones he places in authority over me…whether I agree with them or not. It shows me that I should trust God…and wait for him to move in situations that I feel betrayed or overcome with moments of harassment or overwork.  God knows I sure haven’t learned this lesson yet…even though he gave me another opportunity this last weekend.

 

Father…I pray this evening that you help me to be more loving and humble with others that you place in authority over me.  Give me the discernment of David…and teach me the secret of ‘perfect timing’ that David seemed to have learned from you.  Thank you for reminding me that I have much work to do in this arena. …and give me the strength to succeed with the next lesson you have planned for me. Amen.

Encourager...OR....Encouragee

1 Samuel 23: 14-18  -  David stayed in the desert strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.  While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to take his life.  And Saul's son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.  "Don't be afraid," he said. "My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this."  The two of them made a covenant before the LORD. Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh.

 

David had heard that the Israelite town of Keilah was being attacked by Saul…so he prayed to God for direction. In fact…he prayed twice...cause his men were overwhelmed by how many they were outnumbered by. David knew the battle was in God’s hands…so he encouraged his men…allowed God to go before them and win the battle….confiscate all their livestock….then stayed in dessert strongholds and the hills of Ziph. When Saul found out…he chased David with no success….even though he was seemingly trapped in a walled city at one point. The attacks continued until Saul found out that his own land was being attacked by the Philistines…and left David alone for a time. 

 

God sent a comforter to David...his best friend Jonathan.  They were allowed what is recorded as the last visit together…a time that Jonathan encouraged David in his faith.  They must have hugged each other and discussed old times.  They might have asked those hard questions…wondering if they had done anything to cause this crazy situation.  But the scripture says one thing for sure…Jonathan knew that David was to be king instead of him…and he accepted it….even felt a peace about the whole matter.  In what must have been an emotional moment for both of them….Jonathan claimed and reaffirmed the promise of God…and the secret anointing on David to be king.

 

The story models for us how we should all find someone to encourage.  We should seek out our best friends….support the community where we worship…and seek out even strangers to share the faith of God with.  We should mimic the example Jonathan set before us as he gave up his royal rights to a humble shepherd boy…because he knew God had created him for another purpose.  We should all cry out to God to lead us to the ones he would have us encourage …and pray for him to give us the wisdom and strong faith that Jonathan had to say… “Don’t be afraid!”

 

Father…I thank you for this story …that reminds me to be an encourager…and trust that you will send me a person to encourage me when I need it. Help me to build my faith in you…and be sure of my purpose…so I can be bold and courageous like Jonathan.  Give me ears to listen like David…so I will recognize your messenger when he comes. Amen.