Will Be Back on Monday

Going for a long weekend to Las Vegas to celebrate my wife's birthday with family! See you Monday!

Always Read the Instructions - 2 Samuel 6 (1-11)

Does this sound familar? Your wife comes home from the store with a huge box filled with seemingly hundreds of pieces of processed wood and hardware. The picture on the front of the box shows this beautiful entertainment center standing majestically in a pristine living room. And you know your wife expects hers to look equally majestic. After you fight off the urge to procrastinate and continue watching the football game, you rip open the box and dump its contents on the floor. Your manhood has now been challenged. You want to please your wife, to show her that her husband is capable, smart, and good with his hands. The last thing to fall out of the box is a thick instruction book written in eighteen different languages. Your supreme pride and arrogance quickly leads you to discard the needless manual written only for dummies who can't put a cap back on a bic pen. In a matter of 30 minutes, your project starts to take shape. You're feeling pretty good about yourself at this point. You're going to make your wife happy and stroke your ego all in one sitting. Yeah baby! But wait, something's not right, the dowel holes for the shelves don't seem to line up. What the? You soon realize that you had failed to face all of the unfinished sides of the different wooden pieces in the same direction!! AHHHH! A few curse words leave your lips and in walks your wife. "What's wrong?," she asks. The question alone stings your pride. And you can already anticipate the next dreaded question...."Did you read the....?" See, I can't even finish typing it!! I've been there, done that!

Now, the consequences of our failure to read the directions were more of an annoyance. It was a simple matter of disassembly and reassembly. It was my pride that was injured. No big deal. But 2 Samuel 6, is a whole different story.

David was establishing his new capital in Jerusalem. And one of the first things he decided to do was bring the ark of the covenant to the capital city. The ark had been staying at Abinadab's house for approximately 40 years where his sons were appointed to take care of it. It is interesting to point out that the ark was sent to Abinadab's house before Saul became king. (1 Samuel 7:1-2) Yet, Saul did not attempt to bring it to his capital. This shows the contrast between Saul and David's heart toward God. Unlike Saul, one of the first things David did when he became king over the united kingdom of Israel was to bring the very presence of God to Jerusalem. Certainly, David had good intentions with this decision.

However, David and his men failed to read or remember the instructions found in Numbers 4:1-10 regarding the proper handling of the ark. The ark was no entertainment center. The ark of the covenant was where the Lord literally dwelt! This was no common symbol or flag. This was the very habitation of God - the creator of all things!! The meticulous instructions on how to move the ark where set up by God to help the Israelites to appreciate the terror and power of God! They needed to understand that He was not to be taken lightly. That is why Numbers 4 instructs a certain clan of the Levites (sons of Kohath) to literally carry the ark. This was a great honor amongst the Levites. The transport of the ark would not be left to unpredictable animals. There would be no shortcuts to carrying the ark by hand.

Yet, what do we see happening in 2 Samuel 6? The ark is placed on a new cart pulled by oxen and driven by Abinidab's two sons, Uzzah and Ahio. What's wrong with this picture? Numbers 4 is being completely ignored. David's good intentions seem to be mixed with haste, arrogance, and irreverance. While David leads a marching band ahead of the cart, he ironically acts as though he does not understand the magnitude of the ark and God's literal presence. The ark was to be carefully and deliberately carried by Levites to its new home. This would have taken longer and required much more effort. But David, Uzzah, and Ahio took the shortcut. They didn't read or heed the specific instructions provided by God. His very presence was not fully comprehended. It became more about the event than God. It became more about ceremony and pomp and circumstance than Jehovah - The One true God of Israel. And the consequence of this irreverance and sloppiness with the ark cost the life of Uzzah. At first reading, this punishment may seem harsh. But this was a complete mishandling of the very presence of God! God was in their midst and they treated Him no better than a cargo of crops headed to market!

Two points I should take away from today's study: 1) Never allow good intentioned ministry to move ahead of God Himself and 2) God is to be revered and feared.

So often we can get involved in a minstry in our church and get caught up in the activity and make that activity a complete substitute for communing with God. The ministry may provide accolades, increased popularity, status, and personal gratification. And then God slowly fades into the background in our minds and hearts. Be careful not to be like David, Uzzah and Ahio and get caught up in the ceremony and good intentions and forget that God has specific instructions for your life that are found in His word. And when those "good" activities conflict with God's instruction manual, we need to stop, disassemble, and reassemble. Otherwise, the very "good" we think we are doing is all in vain.

The ultimate purpose for which we were created was to fellowship and worship God and God alone. He is to be feared (respected, to be in awe of) and reverenced. In our culture today, even in many churches, irreverence is in style. It's cool to give Jesus nicknames, use slang when speaking of God, and make worshipping God more like a rock concert or a means of showing off. But do not forget the example of Uzzah. While God is a God of love, patience, and forgiveness, He is a holy God, an omnipotent God, a God we cannot even look upon without Christ's blood covering our countless sins! A true understanding of God's presence will drop us to our knees with our face in the dirt and proclaim we are on Holy ground!

Prayer: May I never be so lazy, flippant, and arrogant to toss aside Your instruction manual for my life. May I learn to reverence You name and presence in my life as I continue to learn more and more about You and Your awesomeness! Forgive me for those times I have treated You like any other hero, celebrity, or idol. You require and deserve so much more!

A Tale of Two Cities (2 Samuel 5)

Jerusalem. The City of David. The center of God's eternal plan. This beautiful city is now the capital of David's kingdom. This is a momentous day in the history of Israel and mankind for that matter. From this day forward, Jerusalem would become a thriving economic center, a religious battleground, and a stumbling block to the rest of the world. Even today, in 2009, Jerusalem is a thorn in the side of world leaders as they try and manufacture peace. Today, Jerusalem awaits the return of the Prince of Peace on the mount of olives just outside its gates. It is a dream of mine to one day walk the streets of this ancient city. So much history is found within and without its walls. But I digress.

Chapter 5 is a pivotal moment in David's reign. The elders of Israel arrive in Hebron after the death of both Abner and Ish-bosheth. They proclaim David's rightful claim to the throne of Israel. I wonder when these men got a clue? Where was this speech for the last seven years?

Nevertheless, David's kingdom is now united. Israel is one nation again. But what strikes me about this chapter is more about David's dichotomy. On the one hand, we see David recognizing God's hand in all of this. (v.12) On the other, David takes in more wives in direct violation of God's law. (v. 13-16) (The taking of wives was borrowed from surrounding cultures where kings would use marriage to consolidate power within and without his government.) Then, we see David enquiring of the Lord before going to battle against the Philistines in verses 19 and 23. And also David obediently burns the images of the Philistines after God gives him the victory. One of those images may have been similar to the idol that had once been in his own house with Michal when we examined 1 Samuel 19-20. Another lesson learned maybe?

While David has made progress, he still harbors sin in his home. The multiple wives and concubines would be a sinful practice he would pass down to Solomon. And this very practice would serve as an instrument of Solomon's undoing.

While we may pat ourselves on the back from time to time because of the good works we may do, we must be careful not to be blinded by our own self-righteousness to sin that remains. Should we rejoice when God gives us victory? Yes. Should we strive to please God and obey His word? Absolutely. But in doing so, never lose sight of our tendency to fall back into sinful ways. We must constantly be on guard for breaches in the dam. For at the height of David's reign, in the midst of victory, at the moment of deliverance, David still disobeyed God. A better title may have been, "A Tale of Two David's". But like David, we are not really two different people. We are simply flawed people in need of a savior. And thank God we have a savior, Jesus Christ, who constantly argues on our behalf when we falter. Jesus' blood washes away our sin! Where sin abounds, grace does abound more! (Romans 5:20)

Have a great weekend! And never take the grace of God for granted!! Thank Him daily for it!!

Prayer: God, thank You for Your grace. Grace that is personified in Your Son Jesus Christ. Grace that abounds without limit. Grace so undeserving. Let me never take it for granted. May I abhor sin as do You!!

Oh Brothers, What Art Thou? (2 Samuel 4)

Violence rears its ugly, bloody head (pun intended) in this short chapter. When word gets out that Abner, the real power behind Ish-bosheth's throne is dead, Ish-bosheth knows his days are numbered. Two of his military captains who are brothers, Baanah and Rechab, devised a plot to kill Ish-bosheth in his bed.

It is a bloody scene where the two brothers walk straight into the kings room, stab him in the stomach, and cut off his head. They escape and run straight to David in hopes of finding favor with the king of Judah. These two evil men have the audacity to then claim before David that "The Lord has avenged my lord the king..." v. 8. How dare they represent themselves as agents of God? When their true motive was self-preservation now that they could see the writing on the wall. David would soon be king over all of Israel. And Saul's house, whom they served against David, would finally crumble.

David clearly saw this counterfeit claim for what it was....evil. The ends do not always justify the means. Certainly, it was clear that God had anointed David to be king over all of Israel. And one could argue that the killing of Ish-bosheth brought David one step closer to him unifying the kingdom. But David's handing down of a quick death sentence on these two brothers demonstrated once again that David would never condone such cavalier action. David was still confident God would deliver in His good time.

Is there a righteous cause you support? For example, all christians agree that abortion is sin. (Or they should) But should we go around bombing abortion clinics? Absolutely not! We deceive ourselves when we think that such violence is of God. We should recognize, as David did, that vengance is God's. He will repay.

And while most of us aren't going around bombing abortion clinics, there are other righteous causes we may pursue. Personally, my righteoous cause is doctrinal accuracy in our churches. But sometimes, in trying to promote that goal, my pride and arrogance gets in the way. I justify my biting attacks on other christians because I'm just "trying to get them to see God's truth". Who am I to make that happen? Is God, through His Holy Spirit, not able to bring church leaders into the knowledge of truth? Of course He is! How ridiculous of me to use a sinful attitude to try and accomplish something that only God can do!! David had learned that lesson. And chapter 4 shows how we should respond as well - put to death all of our own devices. Stay out of God's way!

Always remember that sin is never justified, even for a righteous cause.

Prayer: Father, I keep coming back to the same problem. I do not trust You enough. I rely on my own sinful flesh so often. Forgive me. I put my trust in You and you alone.

"My Name is Abner, General Abner" (2 Samuel 3)

Reading chapter 3, I find myself rather perplexed in trying to figure out what to take from this portion of scripture. There is so much sin going on here I want to just gloss over this and get to the happy ending. But I won't take the easy road here.

I'll start by referencing James Bond. Really? Yep. The Bond character we all know and love has at his core a suave confidence and arrogance about him. It's what has the ladies flocking to him. He's a badass, a modern day cowboy. He needs no one and mostly works alone. But while arrogance may be attractive on the big screen, it's repugnant to God.

(BTW, Timothy Dalton was the worst Bond ever!)

In chapter 3, Israel is still divided between David's kingdom (Judah-Hebron) and Ish-bosheth's kingdom (Israel - all other tribes). Our main character is Abner. He's the general of Saul's army. (And for me, he's kinda like our James Bond of the bible.) Many commentators suggest that Ish-bosheth was a puppet king propped up by Abner, the true power in Israel. The chapter opens with Ish-bosheth accusing Abner of sleeping with Saul's concubine. I'm sure Abner 007 had his share of the women folk. Even after the king dies, apparently his wives and concubines were off limits. This may have been an attempt by Ish-bosheth to break free of Abner's influence and establish his own power as king. Abner is greatly offended by this accusation and decides to abandon Ish-bosheth and join forces with David.

Abner sends word to David that he will unify Israel under David's rule. By Abner's own words, he seems to recognize that David is the true anointed king. But what strikes me here is the apparent arrogance of Abner in thinking he will be the one to unify Israel. He gives no credit to God.

In the last few days, God has humbled me and showed me where arrogance has been festering in my heart. So maybe I'm a little over-sensitive to Abner's arrogance. But I do question Abner's real motives here since he seems to think quite highly of himself and his abilities. Had Abner told David, "I recognize you as king of all of Israel anointed by God. I know He will deliver Israel into your hands. If I may be of service to my Lord and my king, I submit to your rule," I would feel alot better about Abner. But I think God wanted to show David that He didn't need to use a prideful, arrogant man like Abner to restore David's kingdom. And granted, Abner certainly seemed to be the perfect man to help David accomplish unification. But Abner shows his heart is not right. Pride and arrogance plague him.

And what happens? Joab, David's current general, comes back from a battle and hears that Abner has just left Hebron after consulting with David. I'm sure Joab felt threatened by this. He probably feared that Abner was a double agent coming to deceive David. Or, if Abner was sincere, Abner would pose a threat to Joab's power in David's government. And for some icing on the cake, it was Abner who killed Joab's brother (Asahel) in the initial battle that started this civil war! (See chapter 2) One commentator pointed an interesting fact about Joab's plot to assasinate Abner. Joab lured Abner outside the gates of Hebron before killing him. Why? Probably because Hebron was a city of refuge where Abner had protection under the mosaic law for the killing of Joab's brother during battle. One could argue that Abner's previous act of killing Asahel was of self-defense since he was running from Asahel when he thrust the spear into him. So long as Abner remained within the walls of a city of refuge, the avenger could not touch him. But outside the walls, Abner was fair game. And so, Joab kills Abner. And unlike in the movies, the prideful, arrogant 007 meets his fate. As God would prove in due time that He does not need prideful, arrogant people to accomplish His purpose.

Through all of this, David is a passive observer. He laments the fact that Abner's blood was shed by his general. David is seen still patiently waiting for the Lord to put him in his proper place in the kingdom. In the meantime, what a mess is being made by sinful men.

The lesson I have learned is pride and arrogance have no place in God's kingdom. It is sin. And when I find such sin stirring up in my soul, may I repent and ask God to purge it.

Prayer: Forgive me Lord when pride and arrogance rear their ugly heads in my life. May I give no place in my heart for such attitudes. They are not from You. And they are sinful. Create in me a clean heart and renew a right Spirit within me.

I Want My Throne NOW, Daddy!!! Whaaaa!

Have you ever felt that your rights were infringed upon by someone? Did a co-worker get promoted, praised, rewarded for something that you were really responsible for? Did a fellow church member get credit for a ministry accomplishment that you spent more time working at? Or, have you ever felt that someone else simply stole your blessing? We often times react with righteous indignation or plain ol' anger and jealousy. We too often lose patience and feel as though God has forgotten our hard work or diligent effort. We start to question if God is really fighting for us. We resort to taking matters into our own hands. We many times act with an air of entitlement. Shame on us!

If anyone had reason to feel entitled it was David. In 2 Samuel 2, David finds himself still in Ziklag - his hometown in the Philistian territory. Saul is dead. God had chosen David as Saul's successor and Samuel confirmed this by anointing David when he was still a shepherd boy. The throne was David's to claim. And here, we find David once again consulting God for direction. He asks God if he should now return to his tribe of Judah. God says "Yes". He then asks to what town should he return. God responds, "Go to Hebron". David is maturing isn't he? I seem to remember that he failed to ask God if he should go to Ziklag when he was running from Saul. And look at the trouble it brought him. He did not want to make the same mistake again. David's showing his repentance by turning away from past mistakes. He won't move now without God's direction.

When David settles in Hebron, his tribe anoints him king of Judah. And as a gesture of good will, David sends word to Abner and the rest of Israel's leaders and blesses them. David tells them that Judah has anointed him king. But Abner, Saul's cousin and military leader did not want to relinquish control of Israel so easily. Abner props up a falsely claimed son of Saul, Ish-bosheth, as king over the rest of Israel. And Ish-bosheth reigns for two years without incident. But then, a contest of military skills between David's servants and Ish-bosheth's quickly escalates to a bloody battle that starts a civil war.

For the first two years of Ish-bosheth's reign in Israel and even through the initial stages of the civil war, David stayed remarkably controlled and patient. His mistakes running from Saul and taking matters into his own hands had matured him. He could have easily gathered his men and marched to Mahanaim where Ish-bosheth reigned as king and claimed the throne that was rightfully his. He was God's anointed afterall! How dare this illegitimate son of Saul sit on HIS throne?! It wasn't right! But I believe David knew God had other plans. David had faith that when the time was right, God would remove all obstacles to David reigning over a united kingdom. David was careful not to get ahead of God's timing and purpose. And most importantly, David realized he was not entitled to anything but for God!

One of the most difficult lessons for me to learn in my life is to wait on the Lord's timing. And whenever I start to feel a sense of entitlement about anything, I need to remind myself that I am nothing...but for God. I have nothing...but for God. I would not exist...but for God.

Prayer: Forgive me Father when I have the audacity to lash out at others when I do not get what I feel I am justly entitled to. Do not ever let me forget that it is only by and through You that I am or have anything. And thank You that you still so graciously pour out blessing after blessing on my life!

The Tragic End of God's Anointed (1 Samuel 31- 2 Samuel 1)

When I read about the tragic end of Saul and his sons, I can't help but think about the tragic fall of the well-known evangelist, Jimmy Swaggart. I don't know how many of you actually remember him. But throughout the late 70's and early 80's his ministry flourished. Thousands of souls received Christ under his preaching. He was a pioneer in the area of televangelism. My family was encouraged and challenged by the no-nonsense, fire-branding messages that Jimmy Swaggart was known to bring. Rev. Swaggart would sit at the piano and sing passionately for the Lord. And frankly, in my humble opinion, few I have heard preach hold a candle to the anointing that was on this man.

But tragically, Rev. Jimmy Swaggart's worldwide ministry came crashing down around him when he was caught soliciting a prostitute. Those who followed his ministry were crushed. And those skeptics who hated what he stood for in the first place found ample fodder to bury the man. Even people who called themselves christians decided to jump into the fray and pile on. Few people hear of Jimmy Swaggart on the national or world stage anymore. Although, he and his son still have a large church in Baton Rouge, LA. But Rev. Swaggart will forever be known, not for the countless lives he reached for the Gospel of Christ, but for the scandal of sex and prostitution.

So what should our attitudes be when a fellow brother falls and suffers the consequences of his sin? (and please do not misunderstand my use of the term "fall" as meaning losing ones salvation. I do not believe this is what the bible teaches. But that is for another day.) The answer to this question is found in the reaction of David in 2 Samuel 1.

David receives word that Saul has been killed from one of Saul's men who had escaped from the battle. Considering David's history with Saul, his flesh would have rejoiced in this fact. Saul was dead! The king who was obsessed with killing him was gone! David was not only able to return to his homeland, he would return as king!! What glorious news this should be, right? But what does David say when he laments Saul and Jonathan's death?

"The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen! Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil. 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 were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their 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 in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel." (2 Samuel 1: 19-24)

I copied this entire passage to fully demonstrate David's amazing response to Saul and Jonathan's death. If you knew nothing of Saul before this lamentation you would think he and David had the same close relationship that David had with Jonathan. I think it is plain to see that David never lost focus of the fact that no matter what Saul had done wrong, he was STILL God's anointed king. And as God's anointed king, Saul deserved to be mourned. It is NEVER a day to rejoice when one of God's anointed falls! I believe David could respond this way because he knew that he was equally capable of falling into sin. Also, David knew that word of Saul's demise would only empower and encourage God's enemies. And David would do anything he could to preserve Saul's honor and not bring open shame to God and His anointed.

We as christians need also be careful how we judge and react to those in authority in the christian church who fall into sin. We need to be more like David and cry out in sadness when one of God's anointed falls. For who are we to stand and point fingers? Any one of us can find ourselves in the same predicament needing forgiveness and mercy. Don't get me wrong. I am not suggesting that an anointed leader of God can be restored to a prominent ministry after putting God to an open shame. Their ministry is often a casualty of sin. But a fallen brother's personal relationship wth God is not for us to decide. We must lament his or her condition, be quick to forgive, and be as David and proclaim the beauty of Israel! Remember and rejoice in the wonderful things God has done through that person. And gladly pick up the standard and continue on as David did!