Judges 16 shares the story of the Philistines trying to trap and capture Samson. The story sounds like an action movie today.
Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her. 2 When it was told to the Gazites, saying, "Samson has come here," they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. And they kept silent all night, saying, "Let us wait until the morning light, then we will kill him." 3 Now Samson lay until midnight, and at midnight he arose and took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two posts and pulled them up along with the bars; then he put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of the mountain which is opposite Hebron.
Can't you just see the story unfolding. His enemies were watching for a chance to capture and probably kill Samson. At lest they wanted to imprison him as they did at the end of his life. He had been a thorn in their sides for 20 years. (15:20)
So when he walked into Gaza, one of their own cities the time seemed opportune to spring their trap. Verse 2 almost sounds incredulous. "He is HERE." So they laid an ambush, waiting for him to walk out at daylight. "We will kill him."
Samson did not wait for light, however. He walked out at midnight. No sweat. Right? They probably had a spy watching, just to make sure that he did not sneak away. "We will just grab him as soon as he clears the gates."
This is hard to read without bursting out in wild guffaws. Just as calm as you please, he "took hold of the doors, and the two gate posts, and the bars...." The gates were 8 or 10 feet tall or more and several inches thick. If you have any experience with fences, you know that the posts are big and strong to hold the gates as they swing. They are buried deeply in the ground. Often the bar was a heavy beam designed to withstand a battering if enemies attempted to force the gates open. Most were so heavy that two or more men were required to lift them into place.
Samson picked up the gates, the posts, all of the hardware and carried them out of the city. The mountain Hebron is about 37 miles away. Some commentators surmise that the wording implied that the "mountain" was a smaller one in the area, but in the direction of Hebron.
Regardless of how you interpret that, it is an interesting feat of strength. (Ya think?) Let's listen in as the Philistines are lying in wait. "Here he comes! Get ready!"
And then Samson walks out–carrying the gates on his back. "Uh, what is that? My light is a little weak. What do you see?"
The word raced through the assembled assassins. "Maaayyybbbeee we ought to wait until he puts that down."
"Yeah. Great idea. Let's wait a minute. He will probably get tired and be easier to overcome."
Regardless of where the mountain was, no one left their places. And when the morning dawned, I surmise that Samson was not the only one who was gone.
What an interesting vignette. It would be a lot more inspiring had we not been given the perspective of verse 1. But the Bible does not pull any punches, even for His servants. That is why the story is so believable. The Lord takes ordinary dudes and dudesses and uses them to carry out His plans. And He provides the strength to do it.
Anyone up for a 40 mile stroll?
Monday, January 30, 2017
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Psalm 51:4, 5 Definitions
David was repentant for his actions and did not pull any punches when describing them.
V. 2, 3 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me.
Last time we gave a quick definition of them and we will explore them in more detail now. Iniquity relates to our inner nature. Sin is the outward manifestation of the nature. And transgression is identifying the offended party, God.
"Iniquity, sin, transgressions," are his descriptions. Verse 4 has him going deeper into the problem. A lot of times, defining the problem helps to solve it. He continues by reversing the order. He begins with the transgression. He has broken the boundary of what God demanded.
4 Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight,
He gives us a three-fold description of his actions, then evaluates them: "Iniquity, sin, transgressions." And in verse 5 he defines the root cause. That is because David is working from the inside out.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
Notice verse 5 says that he, and we also, were brought forth in iniquity. That does not mean that his mother was a prostitute and he was illegitimate. It means that he had a sin nature from his father. And his father got it from his father, and so on back to Adam. (Incidentally, the "creation understanding that says man arose from monkeys, even if God did "make the changes," has a hard time fitting Adam and his sin into the picture. Animals do not have sin natures, or consciences, even if we condition them to "look" like it or anthropomorphize their actions to mimic shame. Don't get to use the "a" word every day. But I digress.)
David recognized that he, and we, have a sin nature. It is called depravity. "Depravity" does not mean that we are as bad as we could be. It means that we are as bad OFF as we could be. Or as I like to say, we are hapless, helpless, and hopeless. (We don't know what to do. We could not do what we need to do, even if we knew. And we wouldn't do what we need to do if we knew what that was and could do it. We can summarize it as we do not have the knowledge, nor the power, nor the will to deliver ourselves.) (New acronym: KPW)
David recognizes that his sin nature is not just a proclivity to "fun stuff." It is a curse that drives all of us to rebel against what God desires. It leads to sins. We sin because we are sinners. But the key item here is against Whom we sin.
Verse 4 delineates it explicitly. "Against You, and You only...." He further evaluates his actions. They are evil. This is transgression. We have transgressed God's commandments. The list of the Ten that David broke includes just about all ten. "Transgress" means to pass or cross over. When we "transgress" the property line we are trespassers. We are in territory where we ought not to be.
Likewise, David was in forbidden territory when he committed adultery. He not only violated Uriah's "property rights," he was crossing the line that the Lord had drawn. (Incidentally, if man is just an elevated animal, why all the fuss about marriage? Animals do not commit adultery or even lust. That seems to be a uniquely human characteristic. Without trying to provide a rigorous definition, we can agree that all life has a body of some type. Animals have what would be called a primitive soul. They are conscious, and even somewhat sentient. They can carry out mental exercises. But only man has a spirit, which is from God. It is how we link to God. Our souls and spirits are related, but can be separated. Hebrews 4:12)
A second "trespass" would be in taking of life. David was way out of bounds in ordering the "murder by enemy combatant" of Uriah, Bathsheba's husband. I am sure that it exposed him to "extortion," even though subtle or implied from his army commander, Joab.
David recognized and confessed that he was a sinner, driven by iniquity, and out of bounds. He even tells us that he had been acutely aware of his condition. "My sin is ever before me." (More later.) His conscience was not seared or deadened. Do you think that he woke up in the morning, and seeing Bathsheba, did not reflect back on what he had done? We do not know how long the baby lived before Nathan's visit, but how could he be anything but another reminder?
David needed to be washed, cleansed, redeemed. Washing just takes off the surface dirt. Cleansing is a deeper, even internal cleaning. It could even mean sterilizing. In verse 10 he goes the final step. He needs a new heart, to be born again.
And just to finish the thought, he recognized that the Lord was present and in control.
So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.
In the following verses, David turned his focus to "You." The focus, beginning here, moves to the Lord. He is justified or accurate and without error when He judges. David recognized that even though the penalty was painful, God was not petty, mean, or careless in pronouncing it. (Careless in both meanings.)
Let's pray with David. "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak."
David is broken and broken hearted. It is not because he "got caught," but because he did something that was so terrible that he needed to be caught. There is no pleading innocence or ignorance. He does not try to plea bargain. He accepts and admits his guilt. God is right.
The good stuff is yet to come. Stay tuned....
V. 2, 3 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me.
Last time we gave a quick definition of them and we will explore them in more detail now. Iniquity relates to our inner nature. Sin is the outward manifestation of the nature. And transgression is identifying the offended party, God.
"Iniquity, sin, transgressions," are his descriptions. Verse 4 has him going deeper into the problem. A lot of times, defining the problem helps to solve it. He continues by reversing the order. He begins with the transgression. He has broken the boundary of what God demanded.
4 Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight,
He gives us a three-fold description of his actions, then evaluates them: "Iniquity, sin, transgressions." And in verse 5 he defines the root cause. That is because David is working from the inside out.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
Notice verse 5 says that he, and we also, were brought forth in iniquity. That does not mean that his mother was a prostitute and he was illegitimate. It means that he had a sin nature from his father. And his father got it from his father, and so on back to Adam. (Incidentally, the "creation understanding that says man arose from monkeys, even if God did "make the changes," has a hard time fitting Adam and his sin into the picture. Animals do not have sin natures, or consciences, even if we condition them to "look" like it or anthropomorphize their actions to mimic shame. Don't get to use the "a" word every day. But I digress.)
David recognized that he, and we, have a sin nature. It is called depravity. "Depravity" does not mean that we are as bad as we could be. It means that we are as bad OFF as we could be. Or as I like to say, we are hapless, helpless, and hopeless. (We don't know what to do. We could not do what we need to do, even if we knew. And we wouldn't do what we need to do if we knew what that was and could do it. We can summarize it as we do not have the knowledge, nor the power, nor the will to deliver ourselves.) (New acronym: KPW)
David recognizes that his sin nature is not just a proclivity to "fun stuff." It is a curse that drives all of us to rebel against what God desires. It leads to sins. We sin because we are sinners. But the key item here is against Whom we sin.
Verse 4 delineates it explicitly. "Against You, and You only...." He further evaluates his actions. They are evil. This is transgression. We have transgressed God's commandments. The list of the Ten that David broke includes just about all ten. "Transgress" means to pass or cross over. When we "transgress" the property line we are trespassers. We are in territory where we ought not to be.
Likewise, David was in forbidden territory when he committed adultery. He not only violated Uriah's "property rights," he was crossing the line that the Lord had drawn. (Incidentally, if man is just an elevated animal, why all the fuss about marriage? Animals do not commit adultery or even lust. That seems to be a uniquely human characteristic. Without trying to provide a rigorous definition, we can agree that all life has a body of some type. Animals have what would be called a primitive soul. They are conscious, and even somewhat sentient. They can carry out mental exercises. But only man has a spirit, which is from God. It is how we link to God. Our souls and spirits are related, but can be separated. Hebrews 4:12)
A second "trespass" would be in taking of life. David was way out of bounds in ordering the "murder by enemy combatant" of Uriah, Bathsheba's husband. I am sure that it exposed him to "extortion," even though subtle or implied from his army commander, Joab.
David recognized and confessed that he was a sinner, driven by iniquity, and out of bounds. He even tells us that he had been acutely aware of his condition. "My sin is ever before me." (More later.) His conscience was not seared or deadened. Do you think that he woke up in the morning, and seeing Bathsheba, did not reflect back on what he had done? We do not know how long the baby lived before Nathan's visit, but how could he be anything but another reminder?
David needed to be washed, cleansed, redeemed. Washing just takes off the surface dirt. Cleansing is a deeper, even internal cleaning. It could even mean sterilizing. In verse 10 he goes the final step. He needs a new heart, to be born again.
And just to finish the thought, he recognized that the Lord was present and in control.
So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.
In the following verses, David turned his focus to "You." The focus, beginning here, moves to the Lord. He is justified or accurate and without error when He judges. David recognized that even though the penalty was painful, God was not petty, mean, or careless in pronouncing it. (Careless in both meanings.)
Let's pray with David. "Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak."
David is broken and broken hearted. It is not because he "got caught," but because he did something that was so terrible that he needed to be caught. There is no pleading innocence or ignorance. He does not try to plea bargain. He accepts and admits his guilt. God is right.
The good stuff is yet to come. Stay tuned....
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Psalm 51: A Spade
Psalm 51:2, 3 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me.
Last time (Psalm 51: The Beginning) we examined David's plea for forgiveness. We follow that with verses 2 and 3. A remarkable thing here, is that David did not excuse, minimize, or rationalize what he had done. He did not call it a goof, an indiscretion, minor or otherwise, a mistake in judgment, an error, an oopsy, or a slip up. (Can you think of any more?) He called it by its right name. A spade is a spade. He used "iniquity, sin, transgression." We will not define those in detail, but suffice it to say, they are admissions of guilt. (Iniquity relates to our inner nature. Sin is the outward manifestation of the nature. And transgression is identifying the offended party, God.)
He did not even rationalize it. "Why was she taking a bath on the roof of her house?" Didn't she know that the king's house was next door, and taller? And the king, excuse the candor, is somewhat of a womanizer. Surely she knew that. He had a bunch of wives already and probably had a reputation for a "roving eye."
Some commentators place the "bath" on the ground level discretely hidden from view by a fence or shrub. It would be easily visible from a taller building, however, like the palace. It might have been on a lower roof with the water set out earlier in the day to take advantage of "solar heating" before the bath. The reason is not critical. Whether Bathsheba intended to "seduce" the king or not is also not an issue. David hit it on the head. "...my iniquity...my sin...my transgression." It was me. There was no Flip Wilson to teach him, "The devil made me do it."
But let's look at what Paul Harvey used to call, "The rest of the story." What, or better, who is behind this whole episode? We do not have to look far in the Scripture to find the prime mover in most, if not all, of the adverse events recorded. It goes back to Genesis 3:15 when the Lord promised a Seed to crush Satan's head.
During the Viet Nam war we learned a new phrase: preemptive strike. That meant to take out the enemy before they could launch an attack on us or on our allied forces. Satan launched a preemptive strike immediately. First Cain killed Abel. That took out two candidates for the "seed" in one stroke. God countered with Seth.
And the battle has continued throughout the ages. Another notable chapter was when the entire earth had been so polluted with sin that Satan was certain that he had won. Either God would have to relent and compromise His holiness in order to avoid killing the entirety of mankind, or let Satan have a second chance.
Actually, he did not want a "second chance." His motivation was to actually claim the prize that he had originally sought, to be above God. His reasoning was flawed, which is why either option was a disaster for the creation. Satan, then Lucifer, sought worship. He inferred this same base motivation to God. He reasoned that if God did not get the worship He desired or needed from man, that the Lord would have to let Satan have his way. Or God would be forever denied the adoration of man.
He did not, nor can he understand the Divine Mind. God did not create man so that He, God, would receive worship. Man was created so that man could participate in the wonder of being able to worship and adore the Divine Majesty. We join with the Trinity in the fellowship of adoration. So the "loser," in Satan's plan, was man. Either we would worship Lucifer or nobody. Neither was or is a good choice.
God's intervention at the flood and later the tower of Babel (Genesis 11) was to preserve the legacy for man to worship Him. And when the world was completely wicked, "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." (Genesis 6 and following) Doesn't that give you goose bumps?
The attack on the godly line of the seed touched David. Satan had already "postponed" the Messiah for ten generations by Judah having fathered his offspring with his daughter-in-law. The law required a ten generation hiatus before an illegitimate child could enter the sanctuary. So any "seed" would be disqualified from participating in the corporate worship with the people.
David was, himself, the tenth generation, so God's plan was "back on track." By introducing another illegitimacy, Satan was attempting to further delay and thwart God's redemption of man. (Aside: David's older sons were pretty unsuited for the task. One, Amnon, raped his sister, and in response his brother, Absalom, murdered him. (2 Samuel 13) Another "twofer.")
Again Satan had eliminated two candidates for the Seed. He was attempting to eliminate the third. God intervened and stopped David before any "more damage" could be done.
"Wash me...and cleanse me." David's plea was uncluttered by excuses or explanations. He was truly repentant. And God responds. I have to jump head a little here. "A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise." (Verse 17) And He didn't.
We can learn a lot from David. "Wash and cleanse me."
Last time (Psalm 51: The Beginning) we examined David's plea for forgiveness. We follow that with verses 2 and 3. A remarkable thing here, is that David did not excuse, minimize, or rationalize what he had done. He did not call it a goof, an indiscretion, minor or otherwise, a mistake in judgment, an error, an oopsy, or a slip up. (Can you think of any more?) He called it by its right name. A spade is a spade. He used "iniquity, sin, transgression." We will not define those in detail, but suffice it to say, they are admissions of guilt. (Iniquity relates to our inner nature. Sin is the outward manifestation of the nature. And transgression is identifying the offended party, God.)
He did not even rationalize it. "Why was she taking a bath on the roof of her house?" Didn't she know that the king's house was next door, and taller? And the king, excuse the candor, is somewhat of a womanizer. Surely she knew that. He had a bunch of wives already and probably had a reputation for a "roving eye."
Some commentators place the "bath" on the ground level discretely hidden from view by a fence or shrub. It would be easily visible from a taller building, however, like the palace. It might have been on a lower roof with the water set out earlier in the day to take advantage of "solar heating" before the bath. The reason is not critical. Whether Bathsheba intended to "seduce" the king or not is also not an issue. David hit it on the head. "...my iniquity...my sin...my transgression." It was me. There was no Flip Wilson to teach him, "The devil made me do it."
But let's look at what Paul Harvey used to call, "The rest of the story." What, or better, who is behind this whole episode? We do not have to look far in the Scripture to find the prime mover in most, if not all, of the adverse events recorded. It goes back to Genesis 3:15 when the Lord promised a Seed to crush Satan's head.
During the Viet Nam war we learned a new phrase: preemptive strike. That meant to take out the enemy before they could launch an attack on us or on our allied forces. Satan launched a preemptive strike immediately. First Cain killed Abel. That took out two candidates for the "seed" in one stroke. God countered with Seth.
And the battle has continued throughout the ages. Another notable chapter was when the entire earth had been so polluted with sin that Satan was certain that he had won. Either God would have to relent and compromise His holiness in order to avoid killing the entirety of mankind, or let Satan have a second chance.
Actually, he did not want a "second chance." His motivation was to actually claim the prize that he had originally sought, to be above God. His reasoning was flawed, which is why either option was a disaster for the creation. Satan, then Lucifer, sought worship. He inferred this same base motivation to God. He reasoned that if God did not get the worship He desired or needed from man, that the Lord would have to let Satan have his way. Or God would be forever denied the adoration of man.
He did not, nor can he understand the Divine Mind. God did not create man so that He, God, would receive worship. Man was created so that man could participate in the wonder of being able to worship and adore the Divine Majesty. We join with the Trinity in the fellowship of adoration. So the "loser," in Satan's plan, was man. Either we would worship Lucifer or nobody. Neither was or is a good choice.
God's intervention at the flood and later the tower of Babel (Genesis 11) was to preserve the legacy for man to worship Him. And when the world was completely wicked, "Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." (Genesis 6 and following) Doesn't that give you goose bumps?
The attack on the godly line of the seed touched David. Satan had already "postponed" the Messiah for ten generations by Judah having fathered his offspring with his daughter-in-law. The law required a ten generation hiatus before an illegitimate child could enter the sanctuary. So any "seed" would be disqualified from participating in the corporate worship with the people.
David was, himself, the tenth generation, so God's plan was "back on track." By introducing another illegitimacy, Satan was attempting to further delay and thwart God's redemption of man. (Aside: David's older sons were pretty unsuited for the task. One, Amnon, raped his sister, and in response his brother, Absalom, murdered him. (2 Samuel 13) Another "twofer.")
Again Satan had eliminated two candidates for the Seed. He was attempting to eliminate the third. God intervened and stopped David before any "more damage" could be done.
"Wash me...and cleanse me." David's plea was uncluttered by excuses or explanations. He was truly repentant. And God responds. I have to jump head a little here. "A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise." (Verse 17) And He didn't.
We can learn a lot from David. "Wash and cleanse me."
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Psalm 51 The Beginning
The reason for Psalm 51 comes in the first five verses. Listen to verse 1:
Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.
King James uses "Have mercy on me," and both "gracious" and "have mercy" help. Grace is being treated in a manner that we do not deserve. Mercy is not being treated in the manner which we do deserve. Both ideas are relevant here.
The "back story" is that Nathan the prophet has come to David and pronounced, "You are the man!" He had told David about a rich man who took a neighbor's family pet lamb for his dinner guests. The King was so incensed that he proclaimed that "that man" should die for his effrontery, selfishness, and arrogance, not realizing that the story was about David, himself.
Once confronted, David broke down in confession and repentance. It is clear by the context that David was not cruising along with impunity. We will get to that later. The monstrosity of what he had done was bothering him and Nathan broke the dam by revealing that God was not pleased either.
David does not stonewall or offer excuses and rationalizations. The story is in 2 Samuel 11 and 12.It is not clear exactly when David wrote this Psalm of repentance, but it would make sense that it was right around this time. Since the baby has already been born, we know that at least nine months elapsed since the events in question.
The realization that the Lord was "displeased" with him seems to be the catalyst for David's confession and admitting that he was wrong. His sin was not secret. His appeal was to God's loving kindness. (One word) It is more than just being kind to a poor dumb animal. It is a combination of extreme love coupled with care and compassion. "Lovingkindness" can at times allow us to suffer. A child who burns his finger on a hot stove can be comforted and consoled, but the pain will have to dissipate over time. The memory of "hot" will not dissipate.
An, "I told you it was hot," will be more loving, in the long run, than, "Oh you poor baby. Let Mommy kiss it and make it all better. Here's a treat." Taking their mind off the pain will ultimately serve to, in some instances, entice them to try again. There was no soothing word for David.
In fact, the baby died. Before I had kids, I did not understand that. Now I do. David went through that several times. "Would that I had died, instead of you...." (2 Samuel 18:33) He understood grief and this was tearing him apart.
Notice the appeal is not to his previous "good behavior" or merit. It is based solely on, "Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion...." There is no other source of forgiveness that is sufficient. We will find out why later, but for now the two deaths, the destruction of a reputation or two, deceit and conspiracy, theft, adultery, lust, and probably a few others makes the list of infractions pretty daunting.
"...blot out my transgressions." Notice the foundation for the request. It is not based on David's past history or even his penitence. But according to "Your tender compassion" or "mercies." Note again, not a deserved benefit, but one given in lieu of what we do deserve.
David knew what he "deserved," and appealed to the Lord on the basis of Sovereign character. He also implies that a change has occurred. It would be presumptive to assume that he, or we, can just "confess" and then keep going right on down the same path. Inherent in the plea for forgiveness is the admission of guilt and, AND a change of direction.
The theological word is "repent" which means essentially to turn around and go the other direction. David was going the wrong way. He needed help. And that is the basis for the Psalm. In fact, David realized that this was not a one time only event. Read it again:
Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.
"Trans-gress-ionS." (Emphasis added.) There were more than one. The litany of the Ten that he broke here is almost overwhelming. And he was acknowledging and confessing each and every one. He was also in the "forsaking" business.
Let our prayer tonight begin, "Be gracious to me, O God...."
Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.
King James uses "Have mercy on me," and both "gracious" and "have mercy" help. Grace is being treated in a manner that we do not deserve. Mercy is not being treated in the manner which we do deserve. Both ideas are relevant here.
The "back story" is that Nathan the prophet has come to David and pronounced, "You are the man!" He had told David about a rich man who took a neighbor's family pet lamb for his dinner guests. The King was so incensed that he proclaimed that "that man" should die for his effrontery, selfishness, and arrogance, not realizing that the story was about David, himself.
Once confronted, David broke down in confession and repentance. It is clear by the context that David was not cruising along with impunity. We will get to that later. The monstrosity of what he had done was bothering him and Nathan broke the dam by revealing that God was not pleased either.
David does not stonewall or offer excuses and rationalizations. The story is in 2 Samuel 11 and 12.It is not clear exactly when David wrote this Psalm of repentance, but it would make sense that it was right around this time. Since the baby has already been born, we know that at least nine months elapsed since the events in question.
The realization that the Lord was "displeased" with him seems to be the catalyst for David's confession and admitting that he was wrong. His sin was not secret. His appeal was to God's loving kindness. (One word) It is more than just being kind to a poor dumb animal. It is a combination of extreme love coupled with care and compassion. "Lovingkindness" can at times allow us to suffer. A child who burns his finger on a hot stove can be comforted and consoled, but the pain will have to dissipate over time. The memory of "hot" will not dissipate.
An, "I told you it was hot," will be more loving, in the long run, than, "Oh you poor baby. Let Mommy kiss it and make it all better. Here's a treat." Taking their mind off the pain will ultimately serve to, in some instances, entice them to try again. There was no soothing word for David.
In fact, the baby died. Before I had kids, I did not understand that. Now I do. David went through that several times. "Would that I had died, instead of you...." (2 Samuel 18:33) He understood grief and this was tearing him apart.
Notice the appeal is not to his previous "good behavior" or merit. It is based solely on, "Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion...." There is no other source of forgiveness that is sufficient. We will find out why later, but for now the two deaths, the destruction of a reputation or two, deceit and conspiracy, theft, adultery, lust, and probably a few others makes the list of infractions pretty daunting.
"...blot out my transgressions." Notice the foundation for the request. It is not based on David's past history or even his penitence. But according to "Your tender compassion" or "mercies." Note again, not a deserved benefit, but one given in lieu of what we do deserve.
David knew what he "deserved," and appealed to the Lord on the basis of Sovereign character. He also implies that a change has occurred. It would be presumptive to assume that he, or we, can just "confess" and then keep going right on down the same path. Inherent in the plea for forgiveness is the admission of guilt and, AND a change of direction.
The theological word is "repent" which means essentially to turn around and go the other direction. David was going the wrong way. He needed help. And that is the basis for the Psalm. In fact, David realized that this was not a one time only event. Read it again:
Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.
"Trans-gress-ionS." (Emphasis added.) There were more than one. The litany of the Ten that he broke here is almost overwhelming. And he was acknowledging and confessing each and every one. He was also in the "forsaking" business.
Let our prayer tonight begin, "Be gracious to me, O God...."
Gideon and the Fleece
Have you heard the story about Gideon the believer? We all know the story about Gideon and his famous fleece in Judges 6. But why did he ask for the special sign? Reading the story gives a different impression than we often entertain.
My impression had been that Gideon was not sure about God and doing things, so asked for a verification of Who He was. Not so. Gideon had already obeyed the Lord's command to tear down the altar of Baal and remove the Asherah pole. Then he built an altar to the Lord and offered a sacrifice on that. He was committed to repelling the Midianites.
The famous or infamous fleece tale (or is it tail?) comes after Gideon had gathered men from his family, Manasseh, and from Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali. This confederation came together and the question, for Gideon, at least, was, "Am I the right one to lead this army against the Midianites?"
So he was not doubting God at all. He was seeking confirmation that he was the one to lead the conquest of their enemies. He was not a timid Timothy or doubting Thomas looking for an escape hatch. He had already displayed his courage in destroying the altar of the false gods. (Granted he did it at night, but apparently not secretly enough to escape detection.) His demonstration of courage in rejecting the "popular" god of the time may have inspired the following that responded to his call for assistance.
Gideon was not questioning God's ability. He was reaffirming his own call to lead. He was obedient. He just wanted to make sure that he was on the right path. There are a couple of lessons here.
First, he was acting out of obedience. He was not looking for an "out" to avoid following the Lord. Asking for guidance when we are not obedient to what we have already be given is a sure way to get no answer. At times the Lord does repeat instructions, but He always waits for us to "catch up" with our obedience before He leads in the next step. Gideon was already there.
Second, we may even choose outlandish requests. Dare great things. Joshua asked the Lord to "stop the sun." Done. Moses asked the Lord to make a way in the Red Sea. Done. Moses asked for water to come out of a rock. Done. Later on, Elijah asked for fire to fall on a sodden sacrifice. Done. We can go on and on. But the key connector in all of these incidents was the willingness to obey once the verification was done. Gideon was ready and he obeyed, even in the face of common sense objections. "Three hundred against a zillion? You sure?"
Remember what happened next? God trimmed Gideon's army to 300 men. Whoa! It is a good thing Gideon had asked before, wasn't it? If he had not been convinced prior to this, he would probably joined the 31,700 who went home. Incidentally, the opposing army was numbered at about 135,000. The next chapter recounts that about 15,000 survived and 120,000 were killed.
When we obey what we know, God will work miracles on our behalf. And with this knowledge, we do not even have to put out a fleece. Thank you Gideon.
My impression had been that Gideon was not sure about God and doing things, so asked for a verification of Who He was. Not so. Gideon had already obeyed the Lord's command to tear down the altar of Baal and remove the Asherah pole. Then he built an altar to the Lord and offered a sacrifice on that. He was committed to repelling the Midianites.
The famous or infamous fleece tale (or is it tail?) comes after Gideon had gathered men from his family, Manasseh, and from Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali. This confederation came together and the question, for Gideon, at least, was, "Am I the right one to lead this army against the Midianites?"
So he was not doubting God at all. He was seeking confirmation that he was the one to lead the conquest of their enemies. He was not a timid Timothy or doubting Thomas looking for an escape hatch. He had already displayed his courage in destroying the altar of the false gods. (Granted he did it at night, but apparently not secretly enough to escape detection.) His demonstration of courage in rejecting the "popular" god of the time may have inspired the following that responded to his call for assistance.
Gideon was not questioning God's ability. He was reaffirming his own call to lead. He was obedient. He just wanted to make sure that he was on the right path. There are a couple of lessons here.
First, he was acting out of obedience. He was not looking for an "out" to avoid following the Lord. Asking for guidance when we are not obedient to what we have already be given is a sure way to get no answer. At times the Lord does repeat instructions, but He always waits for us to "catch up" with our obedience before He leads in the next step. Gideon was already there.
Second, we may even choose outlandish requests. Dare great things. Joshua asked the Lord to "stop the sun." Done. Moses asked the Lord to make a way in the Red Sea. Done. Moses asked for water to come out of a rock. Done. Later on, Elijah asked for fire to fall on a sodden sacrifice. Done. We can go on and on. But the key connector in all of these incidents was the willingness to obey once the verification was done. Gideon was ready and he obeyed, even in the face of common sense objections. "Three hundred against a zillion? You sure?"
Remember what happened next? God trimmed Gideon's army to 300 men. Whoa! It is a good thing Gideon had asked before, wasn't it? If he had not been convinced prior to this, he would probably joined the 31,700 who went home. Incidentally, the opposing army was numbered at about 135,000. The next chapter recounts that about 15,000 survived and 120,000 were killed.
When we obey what we know, God will work miracles on our behalf. And with this knowledge, we do not even have to put out a fleece. Thank you Gideon.
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Psalm 51 A New Heart
We will make a study of Psalm 51 in the next few thoughts, but we will begin with verse 10. This is not to change the divine order of the chapter, but because this part fits today's problem and will lead us into the remainder of this great meditation.
I know that the above was not the scintillating introduction necessary to draw in readers, but that is how it seems best to proceed. Leading with the sensational and titillating would perhaps draw more interest, but it would also send the wrong impression of what we are attempting to communicate. So settle back and enjoy the sensation.
A newly, less popular pundit recently tweeted (often we use twit and it seems appropriate here) that the youngest son of President Trump would probably end up being the first home school shooter. I hope I don't offend you, but I thought that comment was neither funny nor clever. The first thing that sprang into mind was that "out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." (Matthew 12:34)
That heart needs to be cut out and thoroughly cleaned before replacement. Then I read Ps 51:
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
And it struck me that a lot of hearts need to be re-created, and not just cleaned, mine included. (Aside: Kathie Hill wrote a nice little children's musical called "Dr. Newheart." If you are looking for material for children's ministry you cannot go wrong with that. My kids and wife sang, and perhaps still do sing, it for years after they learned it. But I digress.) We need a new heart.
Doctors today can transplant hearts and that might come to mind. But the "replacement" heart already has some miles on it. It is not "new" it is just different. And, unfortunately, that will not solve the problem. It is not the muscle in our chest that needs to be re-created.
A word study informs us that "heart" is the center of our emotion: The "me" that makes me, me. The heart that needs replacement is not physical, but spiritual. This is a bigger job than any physician can undertake.
David's prayer is seemingly coincidental with the description Paul penned in 2 Corinthians 5:17: a new creation. (Paul repeats that phrase in Galatians 6:15.) We are way past cleaning, just as my old t-shirt was after I changed the oil–and got some on me. It had to be retired to the rag-bag and replaced with a new one.
Paul and David both focus on the necessity of not just cleaning up, but of re-creating the old heart. But David does not stop there. "...and renew a right spirit within me." Notice the order of action. Trying to impose a different or right spirit onto the old frame is doomed to fail. We require a new heart, then a right spirit. Any other order would be akin to putting new decking boards on a rotten deck frame. The whole thing will come crashing down. (I am just filled with mechanical comparisons, today.)
Paul said we need a new start, a new heart. Jesus said the same thing to Nicodemus in John 3. Nic, and I, need a second chance, a new start, the new birth. Once that happens, as Paul reports, we are new creatures. And boy did David understand that. We will go back and look at his path to this realization. I can hardly wait.
Our final thought on the reckless tweet comes from Proverbs 12:16 without comment. (That is a comment in and of itself, isn't it?)
16 A fool's displeasure is known at once, but whoever ignores an insult is sensible.
I know that the above was not the scintillating introduction necessary to draw in readers, but that is how it seems best to proceed. Leading with the sensational and titillating would perhaps draw more interest, but it would also send the wrong impression of what we are attempting to communicate. So settle back and enjoy the sensation.
A newly, less popular pundit recently tweeted (often we use twit and it seems appropriate here) that the youngest son of President Trump would probably end up being the first home school shooter. I hope I don't offend you, but I thought that comment was neither funny nor clever. The first thing that sprang into mind was that "out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." (Matthew 12:34)
That heart needs to be cut out and thoroughly cleaned before replacement. Then I read Ps 51:
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
And it struck me that a lot of hearts need to be re-created, and not just cleaned, mine included. (Aside: Kathie Hill wrote a nice little children's musical called "Dr. Newheart." If you are looking for material for children's ministry you cannot go wrong with that. My kids and wife sang, and perhaps still do sing, it for years after they learned it. But I digress.) We need a new heart.
Doctors today can transplant hearts and that might come to mind. But the "replacement" heart already has some miles on it. It is not "new" it is just different. And, unfortunately, that will not solve the problem. It is not the muscle in our chest that needs to be re-created.
A word study informs us that "heart" is the center of our emotion: The "me" that makes me, me. The heart that needs replacement is not physical, but spiritual. This is a bigger job than any physician can undertake.
David's prayer is seemingly coincidental with the description Paul penned in 2 Corinthians 5:17: a new creation. (Paul repeats that phrase in Galatians 6:15.) We are way past cleaning, just as my old t-shirt was after I changed the oil–and got some on me. It had to be retired to the rag-bag and replaced with a new one.
Paul and David both focus on the necessity of not just cleaning up, but of re-creating the old heart. But David does not stop there. "...and renew a right spirit within me." Notice the order of action. Trying to impose a different or right spirit onto the old frame is doomed to fail. We require a new heart, then a right spirit. Any other order would be akin to putting new decking boards on a rotten deck frame. The whole thing will come crashing down. (I am just filled with mechanical comparisons, today.)
Paul said we need a new start, a new heart. Jesus said the same thing to Nicodemus in John 3. Nic, and I, need a second chance, a new start, the new birth. Once that happens, as Paul reports, we are new creatures. And boy did David understand that. We will go back and look at his path to this realization. I can hardly wait.
Our final thought on the reckless tweet comes from Proverbs 12:16 without comment. (That is a comment in and of itself, isn't it?)
16 A fool's displeasure is known at once, but whoever ignores an insult is sensible.
Monday, January 23, 2017
The Lord's Prayer (For His Disciples to Pray)
"Our Father Who art in heaven..." begins the Lord's prayer. (It is actually the Disciples' prayer that He taught them, and us, to pray. But for convenience and clarity, we will use the familiar name.) (Matthew 6:9-13)
Is this just a recognition of our Father's high and lofty position? Is is a bit of worship for the elevated nature of the One we revere? Does it recognize our relative position in not only this world, but within the universe? The answer is, "Yes...and No." All of the preceding are true, and we need to recognize them when we approach the throne of grace.
But there is an even more important reason for the statement. We find it in Matthew chapter 20:
16 So the last shall be first, and the first last.
This was pointed out to me during the last time I studied the prayer. Our prayer does not just recognize our position, it affirms and declares our subservience to Him. The word we are looking for is, "humility." I can recognize that someone else is better or more accomplished than I, but at the same time be proud of what I am. I may even flaunt my supposed humility.
The first phrase puts my attitude in tune with God's. Paul exemplified that when he called himself the "chief of sinners." There was no pride in that. It was with brokenness and a bitter spirit. Paul never forgot how far he had come. We all have, but just fail to remember.
"Heaven" is not the atmosphere, or even outer space, as majestic, incredible, and almost infinite as that is. Heaven is the perfect residence of the Perfect and Holy God. If we were invited to the White House or Buckingham Palace, we would not walk in swelling with pride, comparing it to our mobile home. Even if we lived in the best that the Trump empire has to offer, we would be humbled by the Palace.
Now put yourself into the shoes of a British subject, being shown into the entry way, then into the throne room. And the Queen beckons us forward. Knees buckling time, even for us Yanks. Any pride and self promotion that may have hitchhiked in the backpack are ejected.
This is not a pretentious, preening, pseudo-humility where we deliberately parade to a "lower" position at the feast for the purpose of being elevated by the host. This is an abject poverty of spirit recognizing that the lowest place is where I need to be and that I will be uncomfortable anywhere else.
Now go another step. The words that precede that really bring us to our knees. "Our Father." I am not a visitor to the throne room of the British Empire. I am an adopted son of the Sovereign of the universe.
"Our Father, Who art in heaven...."
Is this just a recognition of our Father's high and lofty position? Is is a bit of worship for the elevated nature of the One we revere? Does it recognize our relative position in not only this world, but within the universe? The answer is, "Yes...and No." All of the preceding are true, and we need to recognize them when we approach the throne of grace.
But there is an even more important reason for the statement. We find it in Matthew chapter 20:
16 So the last shall be first, and the first last.
This was pointed out to me during the last time I studied the prayer. Our prayer does not just recognize our position, it affirms and declares our subservience to Him. The word we are looking for is, "humility." I can recognize that someone else is better or more accomplished than I, but at the same time be proud of what I am. I may even flaunt my supposed humility.
The first phrase puts my attitude in tune with God's. Paul exemplified that when he called himself the "chief of sinners." There was no pride in that. It was with brokenness and a bitter spirit. Paul never forgot how far he had come. We all have, but just fail to remember.
"Heaven" is not the atmosphere, or even outer space, as majestic, incredible, and almost infinite as that is. Heaven is the perfect residence of the Perfect and Holy God. If we were invited to the White House or Buckingham Palace, we would not walk in swelling with pride, comparing it to our mobile home. Even if we lived in the best that the Trump empire has to offer, we would be humbled by the Palace.
Now put yourself into the shoes of a British subject, being shown into the entry way, then into the throne room. And the Queen beckons us forward. Knees buckling time, even for us Yanks. Any pride and self promotion that may have hitchhiked in the backpack are ejected.
This is not a pretentious, preening, pseudo-humility where we deliberately parade to a "lower" position at the feast for the purpose of being elevated by the host. This is an abject poverty of spirit recognizing that the lowest place is where I need to be and that I will be uncomfortable anywhere else.
Now go another step. The words that precede that really bring us to our knees. "Our Father." I am not a visitor to the throne room of the British Empire. I am an adopted son of the Sovereign of the universe.
"Our Father, Who art in heaven...."
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