There are plenty of examples in Scripture of people’s lives lived
in the pit and pinnacle, those who lived enigmatic,
paradoxical lives. Samson was
magnificent as he led God's people against the Philistines, yet Delilah gave
him more than a close shave. Solomon
prayed a child-like prayer for wisdom, yet exhibited crass foolishness in his
excessive appetites for material things.
Peter denied the Lord when a little girl asked him if he knew Jesus, yet
stood in front of thousands to proclaim the Lord on the Day of Pentecost.
Prince and pauper is not a new concept to any of us in the human
race. We are plagued with the proclivity
towards the mundane and trivial, while our spirits crave the higher
plateau. We have all played the
fool.
There is still one fascinating example above all others....David,
the greatest sinner, and possibly the greatest saint in the Old Testament. He was called a man after God's own heart;
the servant of the Lord -- yet he is also an adulterer and a murderous betrayer
of loyal friends.
Let's look at the war of character going on in the servant of God,
son of Jesse, the Judean forefather of the blessed One, Jesus of Nazareth.
David was a Selected Servant
Saul was the very first king in Israel
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7.
David is chosen for the fact that he was submissive to God in his
heart. God chooses people for their
potential according to what we will allow Him to change. In short, God chooses
us on His terms. He
didn't need us to create the world and all it holds...and we don't bring
anything to the table but a willing heart.
We are just like David; chosen to be God's servants. We are picked-out from before the foundation
of the world in Christ. Answering, Yes, Lord to that servanthood
is always the correct response to God’s call.
David was a selected servant, and…
David was a Submissive Servant
He was Submissive in the COURT[1]
Saul's incredible disobedience had caused God's Spirit to abandon
him, leaving him vulnerable to an evil influence of depression and
madness. The need for a skilled musician
to soothe the beast in Saul brought
David to the palace. David was
submissive in laying-down his shepherd's staff for a harp. He served his king. But he was also a submissive servant...
He was Submissive in the CONFLICT[2]
The story of David and Goliath is known even by pagans who have
never read the Bible. What the church
needs to realize is that the battle isn't the story of a little boy beating the
big, bad giant (all 91/2 feet of him), but the record of
the vindication of God's sovereignty over ANYTHING.
David came armed, not with a sling and stones, but the Name of the
Lord God; and sword, spear and muscles are no match for David's God! You facing any Goliaths today? Remind them of the name of your God. The Book of Revelation reminds us how God will
deal with those that call God's servants "dogs".
He was Submissive in the CAVE[3]
The madness of jealousy had completely overtaken Saul, and his
attempts to kill David caused the young man to flee to the caves of
Adullam. Saul was so driven by evil that
he actually killed 85 of the Lord's priests, and destroyed the town they lived
in, because they gave aid to David in his flight. While Saul is pursuing David[4],
he unknowingly comes within a few feet of him in a dark cave. David is close enough to cut off a small
sample of Saul's cloak, without Saul even being aware. David's friends urged him, this is God's way of changing the guard, kill
Saul. But David refused to retaliate against
the one God had put on the throne.
Nail the Bad Guy movies are
popular these days. Arnold Schwarzenegger
obliterates 750 bad guys a minute in his movies. Video games allow you to BE Schwarzenegger
and blow the bad guys to kingdom-come. We
love to see the bad guy get what's
coming to him. Those are
human feelings; it’s important to remember those aren't CHRISTIAN
feelings! God says, don't YOU even think about retaliation;
vengeance is only mine...You couldn't handle it.[5]
This selected servant, David, was also submissive to his God and
his God's king. We are to be that way
also. Having been chosen, selected since
before the beginning of time to receive salvation in Jesus Christ, we must
simply receive. Be submissive, accept
what God has done for you in Jesus.
David was a Sinning Servant
The story of David's sin with Bathsheba is so well known. Let’s unpack it.
The FOUNDATION of the SIN was in David's heart!
If you recall Psalm 51:10, David prayed for restoration, a new
heart. That sin isn’t something that
happened TO David, it proceeded out FROM
a his human heart.
When did it all begin? According
to Deuteronomy 17 a king over Israel
And David realized that the Lord had confirmed him as king over Israel and had blessed his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. After moving from Hebron to Jerusalem, David married more concubines and wives, and they had more sons and daughters. 2 Samuel 5:12-13
David’s pattern of lust was established long before he saw Bathsheba. In fact, the sin with Bathsheba was just the fruit; the seed
had been growing inside all along. David
would later write of this growing process of sin in Psalm 1,
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. Psalms 1.1(KJV)
Note how the progression takes a man from walking (entertaining a passing evil thought), to standing
(considering participation), and sitting (also known as wallowing in the
hog-pen of sin).
The FALLOUT of the SIN in David's life was disaster.
When the sin, conceived in the heart evidenced itself in lust and
brought forth adultery, the result was a pregnancy in another man's wife,
murder, and coverup. David ruined the
lives of two families and the spirit of a whole kingdom.[6]
The FALLACY of the SIN is that it claims a good cover-up will avoid sin’s consequences.
As in the matter of David’s sin, or yours or mine, no matter who may
not know the details, there is ONE SET OF EYES THE WOOL CAN NEVER COVER!
But the thing David had done displeased the Lord. 2 Samuel 11:17(KJV)
The sinning servant is the most pitiable of all persons on
earth. With a heart that longs for God,
and a Spirit calling to that longing, the child of God who knows he's out of
fellowship is the saddest picture in the world.
David was a Shattered Servant
David denied his sin for a whole year. He had gotten
away with the coverup,
murdering Bathsheba's husband, Uriah; and then marrying her. But something down deep kept gnawing at
David. Perhaps every time he looked at
Bathsheba, the memory of Uriah's loyal service haunted him. Whenever he looked at the child of their
union, God's commandment, Thou shalt not
covet anything that is thy neighbor's, would echo a guilty verdict to take
away his sleep. David was
miserable. Later he would describe it in
another Psalm:
When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Psalm 32.3-4(KJV)
It’s only July, but the August-like dog days we’ve been having remind
us how David felt. In the oppressive
heat and humidity most of us drag around like an old, limp washrag. Sin has that kind of effect on our heart,
mind and soul. But, thanks be to God we
don’t have to stay in that condition. God
may wait until the dryness of our soul is conviction and pain; but eventually
there will be a
CONFRONTATION
We may attempt to deny our guilt, and rationalize our sin. I have a red warning light on the dashboard
of my car. If that thing goes on, I
could ignore it (probably smash it with a hammer), but sooner or later, that
car is going to say something else, and the confrontation
will cost a lot more than if I'd heeded the first warning.
David denied his warning guilt, and it cost him a confrontation
with the prophet, Nathan, who exposed David’s sin for the whole kingdom to see
CONFESSION
We read in Psalms 51 that David acknowledged his sin as being
primarily against God. It's true that he
hurt his family and Uriah's, and the whole nation of Israel
CONSEQUENCES
You say, Wait a moment; I
thought God forgives sin when you confess it. That is true, but just as you throw a stone
in the water, you may go and fish that stone out of the lake, but the ripples
are going to follow anyway. Your stone
may not drown, but the lake will never be the same. Wounds have their scars, and words can never
be retrieved. Some natural consequences
for sin in the life of a believer will be painful. For David's sin, the immediate result was
family strife and the death of Bathsheba's child. In addition, the open shame caused a discord
and rebellion in his son, Absalom, and rebellion amongst his armies. Considering the briefness of the pleasures of
sin, the payment is too costly.
Epilogue
The problem with the world is the same as it has always been. We have a sin-nature, and therefore we
sin. Some of us believe that because we
are good people and go to church we are not capable of sinning. I submit to you that if David, a man after God's own heart, could
become an adulterous, murdering betrayer of loyal friends....you and I are only
a blink away from the same premeditated fall.
And since we can say that, let us be cautious never to condemn
others, but be quick to see our own splinter
in the eye.
The lesson from David is clear...If a king can recognize his sin
and publicly confess and be restored, then we can and should also. We ought not to be ashamed at this
point. The Great Physician waits to heal
us.
When I was 16 I played football....badly. One afternoon in a collision with a lineman
three times my size, my spleen was ruptured, and I was rushed to the
hospital. Dr. Levitan worked at saving
my life, which hung in the balance for several days. I am not ashamed of my doctor. He gave me a second chance at life. If he were to walk through the door, I would
take him by the hand and introduce him to all my friends, this is my doctor....he saved my life.
That is how David felt:
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. Psalm 51:12, 13
To tell others that a Great Doctor has saved your soul is the response
of a grateful heart. That is what David
did…and so should we all!
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…Amen!
Go to VIDEO
[1] 1 Samuel
16:14-23
[2] 1 Samuel
17:45-47
[3] 1 Samuel
22
[4] 1 Samuel
24
[5] Loose
paraphrase of Romans 12:17-19
[i] All Scripture quoted is from The
New Living Translation (unless otherwise stated) Title Image:
Pixabay.com
No comments:
Post a Comment