THE SINS OF LEADERS

In I Chronicles 15 we read of the majestic manner by which David brought the Chest of the Covenant of God into Jerusalem.  David was initially pleased but then had a discomforting thought:

After the king had made himself at home, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Look at this: Here I am comfortable in a luxurious palace of cedar and the Chest of God sits under a tent.”  [I Chronicles 17:1 -  All quotes from the Message Bible unless otherwise noted]

God seems pleased with David’s idea of building a temple, but then decides that this task should be accomplished by David’s heir to the throne – one of his sons [Solomon].  God’s reasoning for this decision is exposed in a later passage:

“You’ve killed too many people, fought too many wars. You are not the one to honor me by building a sanctuary – you’ve been responsible for too much killing, too much bloodshed.”  [I Chronicles 22:8]

God assures David of how pleased He is by promising to make David famous, “ranked with the great names on earth”  [v.8].  Then God proceeds to give David and Joab [his commander] many sequential victories over:

o   the Philistines

o   the Moabites

o   Hadadezer the king of Zobah

o   the Arameans, and

o   the Edomites.

Chapter 18:14 declares: Then David ruled over all of Israel. He ruled well, fair and evenhanded in all his duties and relationships.

HOWEVER, notice the opening words of chapter 21:

Now Satan entered the scene and seduced David into taking a census of Israel.

Satan fans the flame of David’s pride!  Suddenly, he needs to know how many people he is ruler over!  His commander, Joab, immediately sees that this is a waste of time and resources. He courageously speaks his mind to David, but David ignores his counsel and persists with his command.

GOD IS NOT HAPPY WITH DAVID!  He sends Gad, David’s pastor, with a message:

“You have your choice of three punishments; choose one and I’ll do the rest.

Do you want three three years of famine, three months of running from your enemies while they chase you down, or three days of the sword of God – an epidemic unleashed on the country by an angel of God? Think it over and make up your mind.”   [21:10-12]

David responded immediately:

“I’d rather be punished by GOD whose mercy is great, than fall into human hands.”  [21:13]

The resulting plague caused the death of 70,000 Israelites before a special sacrifice by David halted the work of the angel!

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Leadership is encumbered with responsibility!  The one making decisions that impact others must think carefully and choose wisely!

For those of us who follow Christ, however, there is another factor: Satanic opposition! 

Leaders must be on-guard 24/7! They are ALWAYS vulnerable – especially when things are prospering!  The blessing of God triggers the temptation of Satan!  David fell prey to Satan’s prideful temptation, and 70,000 Israelites paid the price for him dropping his guard!

Leadership can be a burden! The responsibility can be heavy!

David had surrounded himself with good people, but then he failed to take the advice of Joab. Good leaders remain accountable!  They recruit individuals who can ask them the tough questions at any time! They seek accountability! They maintain close relationships with peers and older, wiser leaders of the same (or greater) stature!  They recognize their vulnerability!

When a leader falls – inevitably others WILL BE HURT, SHOCKED, DISAPPOINTED AND DISILLUSIONED!  The fall-out is immeasurable! When the leader is a Christian, many will question their faith and possibly lose their spiritual direction! How tragic!

This is why the Bible encourages us to pray for our leaders!

 The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live. [I Timothy 2:1-2]

 

Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it’s God’s order. So live responsibly as a citizen. If you’re irresponsible to the state, then you’re irresponsible with God, and God will hold you responsible. Duly constituted authorities are only a threat if you’re trying to get by with something. Decent citizens should have nothing to fear. [Romans 13:1-3]

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IF YOU’RE A LEADER:

Act responsibly!

Lean on God for direction and wisdom!

Find an accountability partner and meet with them regularly!

IF YOU’RE NOT A LEADER:

Pray for those who provide leadership!

Support them with your cooperation.

Don’t speak ill of your leaders! Rather, if you have problems or questions – go directly to them and share your thoughts appropriately and with respect.

WORSHIP AND WORSHIP PREPARATION

I was leading churches when the transition was being made from ‘Song Leaders and Instrumentalists’ to “Worship Teams’. The worship tradition of the 1950’s and 1960’s for many churches was to have a song leader who was accompanied by a pianist – and sometimes also an organist.  The following years saw gentle transitions to adding guitars and other instruments. Before long, we were using worship teams to direct our singing. Platforms had to be rebuilt to accommodate an influx of instruments, monitors, mike-stands and speakers!

I read in I Chronicles 13-17 this morning and observed the worship transitions and structures of the Israelites under King David’s influence.  King David: Remember him? He was the youngest in his family of boys and had responsibility for watching over his father’s sheep! He had a poetic mind and wrote lots of songs/psalms. We also envision him with crude stringed instruments – and eventually a harp – playing and singing for his audience of One!

These chapters chronicle the evolution of worship under the new King David’s direction as he reunited Israel [the northern kingdom] and Judah [the southern kingdom]. 

A few chapters earlier [9] we learn that David reinstituted a cadre of families who had responsibility for maintaining the Tent of God and all of its accoutrements. Whole family systems were tasked with caring for the maintenance needs of this sacred area, while other family systems and individuals were assigned responsibility for planning and leading worship times! It’s rather shocking to learn that “…1760 skilled and seasoned servants were involved in the work of worshipping God.” [I Chronicles 9:13  All quotes from The Message unless otherwise noted.]

We can assume from all of this that the worship of Israel was rather important at this stage of their history!  Sadly, through future generations it would deteriorate and be watered down with idols, horrendous things like child-sacrifice and sexual practices!  But while David was king, the worship remained central and pure!  What does THAT tell us about leadership?

I took particular notice this morning of the variety and volume of instruments used in the worship of God:

o   bronze cymbals

o   lyres [small stringed instrument]

o   harps

o   trumpets

o   every kind of brass and percussion and stringed instruments  [all mentioned in chapter 15]

I just wrote in my granddaughter Rylie’s Bible that I’d love to have a video of Israel’s worship from this period! 😲

In a psalm of David included in chapter 16, David exhorts the people to “Shout Bravo! To God”!

There were many responsibilities tied to the worship of the Israelites:

o   Maintaining supplies of incense

o   Making incense

o   Baking bread

o   Maintaining supplies of wine, flour, oil, and spices

o   Around-the-clock guards

o   Maintenance people [remember, the Temple at this time was a massive tent]

o   Priests

o   Levites – the only ones who were authorized by God to move the Temple and its furniture.

o   Instrumentalists

o   Worship planners

The lives of the children of Israel centered on the worship of a mighty God who had chosen them and brought them to this point in history as a light to the world! 

Maintaining this position of influence required total dependence on God and appropriate, constant worship of Him! 

Toward the end of his life, David realized that he was living in a palace while God was still living in a tent. He immediately approached God about building a Temple.  Initially, God gave him a green light, but then told him that his son, Solomon, would be the one to build the Temple. David didn’t seem disappointed at all by this decision. Instead, he began aggressively gathering materials to be available to Solomon for when he was ready to begin construction! 

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Reading all of this may make us pale as we reflect on the miniscule time we tend to devote to the worship of God! Frequently, we walk into church on Sunday morning having given no thought whatsoever to the worship we’re about to engage in.

In the churches that I served we tried to have music playing for a half-hour before worship with an encouragement for people to come into the sanctuary and pray before worship. I tried to spend at least a few minutes at the altar before worship. There were others who frequently visited that altar before AND DURING worship!

I have ALWAYS trained worship team members that worship is NOT a time to show off skills and ability. Humility is essential if worship is to be genuine and meaningful!

When I was a boy, I remember preachers praying before their messages asking God to “hide me behind the cross as I share Your Word this morning, Lord!”  This was a way to express their desire for help in not being a showman but a deliverer of the Holy Word of God! 

We’ve all likely been in churches where worship leaders/team members – and even people in the congregation – seemed focused on performing rather than worshipping God!  This can be  a distraction from worshipping God! There have been times when I’ve moved to another seat so as NOT to be distracted by fellow worshippers.

It’s fitting for us to remember that initially God set apart a whole day of rest. Some still retain this focus on observing the Lord’s DAY! 

It’s also appropriate to remember Psalm 34:1, [NASB, 1995]

"I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth."

COMPROMISE

Before King David died, he made certain that Solomon was appointed as king in his place!

Solomon, at that point, was fully dedicated to the Lord God! He fulfilled the wishes of his father, David, and established his kingdom with the full acceptance of the people of Judah [southern kingdom, 2 tribes] and Israel [northern kingdom, 10 tribes – eventually known as Samaria].

Early in his rule, God gave him a dream in which He said: “What can I give you? Ask.”

Solomon’s response to God in this dream was beautiful:  I Kings 3:6-9 TM 

[All scripture quotes from The Message Bible unless otherwise noted]

“You were extravagantly generous in love with David my father, and he lived faithfully in your presence, his relationships were just and his heart right. And you have persisted in this great and generous love by giving him—and this very day!—a son to sit on his throne.

 

“And now here I am: God, my God, you have made me, your servant, ruler of the kingdom in place of David my father. I’m too young for this, a mere child! I don’t know the ropes, hardly know the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of this job. And here I am, set down in the middle of the people you’ve chosen, a great people—far too many to ever count.

 

“Here’s what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?”

God’s response was one of great pleasure:  [vs.10-14]

God, the Master, was delighted with Solomon’s response. And God said to him,

 

“Because you have asked for this and haven’t grasped after a long life, or riches, or the doom of your enemies, but you have asked for the ability to lead and govern well, I’ll give you what you’ve asked for—I’m giving you a wise and mature heart. There’s never been one like you before; and there’ll be no one after. As a bonus, I’m giving you both the wealth and glory you didn’t ask for—there’s not a king anywhere who will come up to your mark. And if you stay on course, keeping your eye on the life-map and the God-signs as your father David did, I’ll also give you a long life.”

 At the end of chapter four, Solomon’s wisdom is described in remarkable terms:  [vs.10-14]

God gave Solomon wisdom—the deepest of understanding and the largest of hearts. There was nothing beyond him, nothing he couldn’t handle. Solomon’s wisdom outclassed the vaunted wisdom of wise men of the East, outshone the famous wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than anyone—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, wiser than Heman, wiser than Calcol and Darda the sons of Mahol. He became famous among all the surrounding nations. He created 3,000 proverbs; his songs added up to 1,005. He knew all about plants, from the huge cedar that grows in Lebanon to the tiny hyssop that grows in the cracks of a wall. He understood everything about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. Sent by kings from all over the earth who had heard of his reputation, people came from far and near to listen to the wisdom of Solomon.

All of this causes us to be quite impressed with this young leader!  But as I was reading through these passages this morning I noticed a verse that indicates a chink in Solomon’s character. 

Solomon loved God and continued to live in the God-honoring ways of David his father, except that he also worshiped at the local shrines, offering sacrifices and burning incense.  [3:3]

It’s a minor observation – hardly worth mentioning, right?

It may be an indication that Solomon was a people-pleaser. He didn’t want to offend any of the groups who believed in these shrines; so he participated in their worship, even to the extent of offering sacrifices and burning incense.

We’re immediately reminded of the first two commandments:  [Deuteronomy 5:7-9]

No other gods, only me.

 

No carved gods of any size, shape, or form of anything whatever, whether of things that fly or walk or swim. Don’t bow down to them and don’t serve them because I am God, your God, and I’m a most jealous God.

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King Solomon began building the Temple in the fourth year of his reign and completed it in his eleventh year.  At that point, the [unknown] author of Kings made an astute observation about Solomon:  [I Kings 11:1-8]

King Solomon was obsessed with women. Pharaoh’s daughter was only the first of the many foreign women he loved—Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite. He took them from the surrounding pagan nations of which God had clearly warned Israel,

 

“You must not marry them; they’ll seduce you into infatuations with their gods.” Solomon fell in love with them anyway, refusing to give them up. He had seven hundred royal wives and three hundred concubines—a thousand women in all! And they did seduce him away from God. As Solomon grew older, his wives beguiled him with their alien gods and he became unfaithful—he didn’t stay true to his God as his father David had done. Solomon took up with Ashtoreth, the whore goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, the horrible god of the Ammonites.

 

Solomon openly defied God; he did not follow in his father David’s footsteps. He went on to build a sacred shrine to Chemosh, the horrible god of Moab, and to Molech, the horrible god of the Ammonites, on a hill just east of Jerusalem. He built similar shrines for all his foreign wives, who then polluted the countryside with the smoke and stench of their sacrifices.

 

Obviously, God saw all that Solomon had done and reacted:  [I Kings 11:9-13]

God was furious with Solomon for abandoning the God of Israel, the God who had twice appeared to him and had so clearly commanded him not to fool around with other gods. Solomon faithlessly disobeyed God’s orders.

 

God said to Solomon, “Since this is the way it is with you, that you have no intention of keeping faith with me and doing what I have commanded, I’m going to rip the kingdom from you and hand it over to someone else. But out of respect for your father David I won’t do it in your lifetime. It’s your son who will pay—I’ll rip it right out of his grasp. Even then I won’t take it all; I’ll leave him one tribe in honor of my servant David and out of respect for my chosen city Jerusalem.”

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COMPROMISE IS OUR ENEMY!

In the very beginning, Solomon harbored a small space for compromise. It grew and multiplied until it replaced his deep devotion to God!

We’re all susceptible to this kind of undermining! We weaken the foundations of our love for God and devotion to His ways by holding on to certain practices or beliefs. At first, they don’t seem so bad. It may be ‘just our little secret’.  But, over time, they grow and begin to take on greater power and influence in our lives.

The end result can be tragic – THE LOSS OF OUR FAITH AND THE DISCREDITING OF OUR WITNESS!

Compromise has no place in a Christian’s life! Our dedication to God and His ways must be absolute! God will only accept first place in our lives! He must be on the throne!

If compromise has been part of your life, you are not deceiving God! He knows!

We must confess these secret desires or practices and terminate them!

We must daily declare our loyalty to God by devoting ourselves fully to His ways! 

Perhaps without realizing it, this wise man – Solomon – passed on devastating circumstances to his heirs.  The degeneration of his faith precipitated the utter failure and godlessness of the next generation! We must be diligent to pass on faithfulness, integrity and devotion to our follow-up generations!  Their destiny depends on our consistency!

THE THRONE OF YOUR LIFE

Ego is a powerful thing! Self-discovery begins so early! Have you watched an infant discover his/her toes – even fingers? At that stage, it seems that everything new gets the ‘taste-test’ – it goes right to the mouth!  😂  Almost everything is new to this new-born! S/he is on a journey of discovery and self-identification that will continue unabated throughout life!

I’ve been seeing a series of ‘reels’ lately where a tiny little girl stands nose-to-nose with a huge, furry, friendly dog. She screams in his face as she scolds him. He could easily shove her to the side with his powerful front legs, but he just stands there and submits to her supposed authority with an occasional ‘woof!’ of response.  I laugh when I see it because of this little girl’s early audacity to think that she is the lord of this massive family pet!  Such is the ego of young children who are still learning and growing.

As we grow, we increasingly come to think that the world revolves around ‘us’! This is because we are the center of our experience!

As childhood emerges into the adolescence years the process continues as the young person begins to distinguish him/herself through the self-identification process. With a fully developed personality by age seven, this child continues to grow, learn, explore as they approach adulthood and the realization of accepting responsibility for the direction of their life! It can be an awesome experience; it can also be terrifying.

BUT THIS IS NOT A PSYCHOLOGICAL TREATISE, BUT A THEOLOGICAL ONE!

If somewhere along this child’s path they are introduced to the love of a divine Savior, they may begin a whole new process with a completely different foundation!  If they embrace the reality of a God-directed life, then they – like so many of us – begin to explore the meaning of a totally different way of being!

Many have anchored their thinking – after serious reflection on the words of the Apostle Paul – found in Galatians 2:19-21 [TM]:

^{[Paul writing]} What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.

Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace.

It has been pictured as follows: 

Through a growing understanding of the Word of God and the Spirit-directed life, the young person [or person of any age] begins to desire to live a life that is totally pleasing to God and consequently brings the deepest satisfaction and joy!

The process of sustaining this last lifestyle is a growing process that will require our full attention throughout our life! It is a sanctifying process that involves repentance, forgiveness, prayer, immersion in the Word, and a desire to grow spiritually into a fruitful follower of Christ. It is a process that is highly defined by the depth and availability of God’s amazing grace!

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Today, I discovered a good biblical picture of this process in the life of King David in II Samuel’s closing chapters.

David is old! He’s living in the latter days of his life. His kingdom has just survived an attempted coo by his son, Absalom!  As David resettles into the palace and the routines of being king over a massive accrual of subordinate nations, David falls prey to his own pride.

The beauty of all biblical characters is the fact that they are all one-hundred percent human – just like us! The great, highly admired King David falters – just like we often do!

He sits one day and wonders how many fighting soldiers he has between Israel and Judah? “Hmmm. I’ll bet it’s a pretty high number!  I think I’ll have them counted!” [he muses].

David orders Joab – his army commander – to take others and move throughout Israel and Judah to count those men. Joab sees the foolishness of the task and resists the order, but ultimately submits.  After nearly ten months, 

“…they canvassed the whole country and…arrived back in Jerusalem. Joab gave the results of the census to the king: 800,000 able-bodied fighting men in Israel; in Judah 500,000…But when it was all done, David was overwhelmed with guilt because he had counted the people, replacing trust with statistics. And David prayed to God, ‘I have sinned badly in what I have just done. But now God forgive my guilt—I’ve been really stupid’” [II Samuel 24:9,10].

 

David’s pride got the best of him!

It happens. To all of us from time-to-time.

Unfortunately for David, this error cost the lives of seventy thousand of his people who died from an epidemic initiated by God as punishment for David’s audacity! A horrible reality that caused David terrible grief and pain! It's also a reminder that leadership has increased responsibility!

Even in the midst of this punishment, David is careful to keep himself pure! He is told by Gad the prophet to 

“Go and build an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”  

When David attempts to buy this threshing floor from Araunah, he tries to donate it to King David as a gift! But David is wise and responds: “I’ve got to buy it from you for a good price; I’m not going to offer GOD, my God, sacrifices that are no sacrifice…GOD was moved by the prayers and that was the end of the disaster” [vs.24-25].

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We must be vigilant in keeping Christ on the throne of our lives and NOT assuming that role on our own! This is why we call Him LORD!

JUST AS I AM

The hymn by this name was for decades, the traditional ‘Invitation Hymn’ of the evangelical church in America.

Having been raised in a conservative, Wesleyan church, it was used to invite people [typically] to come forward to an altar where they would kneel and pray to receive Christ into their lives.

IT’S HISTORY:

At the age of 32 [1821], Charlotte Elliott [of London, England] suffered a serious illness that left her a semi-invalid for the rest of her life. Within a year she went through a spiritual crisis and confessed to the Swiss evangelist Henri A. Cesar Malan that she did not know how to come to Christ. He answered, "Come to him just as you are." Thinking back on that experience twelve years later, in 1834, she wrote a poem titled: “Just as I Am" as a statement of her faith.

The original tune, "Woodworth", was written by William B. Bradbury, and was published in 1849. The "Woodworth" tune was first used for another hymn and then Thomas Hastings adapted Bradbury's tune for "Just as I Am" years later.

Just as I am - without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
-O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am - and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,
-O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am - though toss'd about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
-O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am - poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need, in Thee to find,
-O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am - Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
-O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am - Thy love unknown
Has broken every barrier down;
Now to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
-O Lamb of God, I come!

This song became an altar call song in the Billy Graham crusades in the latter half of the twentieth century. Graham used the title of the hymn as the title of his 1997 book - Just as I Am: The Autobiography of Billy Graham.

 

MY MEMORIES

This hymn was traditionally used at almost every revival meeting in my home church and also at ‘Camp Meeting’ every July.

There were others, of course, but this was the one most commonly used.

It’s powerful words and alluring tune had an influential impact on those who sang it.

Growing up in the 1950’s and 1960’s, we teens came to make a bit of fun of this hymn. Evangelists were famous for saying – as they extended the ‘altar call’ – let’s just sing one more verse.

Sometimes – to a teenager – it seemed that these ‘invitation appeals’ went on forever! I must confess that we snickered in the back of the sanctuary and made guestimates of how many more times we’d “sing another verse”!

The end of the service at Camp Meeting was filled with drama.

Sometimes, old ‘Harvey’ would let loose with his famous “Wooohooo”. It tickled us to see people jump when he did it!

There were a few little old ladies who would occasionally take off across the front of the sanctuary waving a hankie, crying and shouting “Glory to God!”

Occasionally, the district superintendent or evangelist would walk the aisles of the tabernacle and extend a personal invitation to come forward and pray! Even some of the older ‘saints’ would sometimes slip into the pew with someone and ask if they’d like to go forward to pray.

Sometimes we’d sing three or four ‘invitation hymns’ in a row. This part of the service could easily go on for half-an-hour or more. 

You may be thinking that I’m being cynical, but hey, we were teens! Just remember that there were a lot of times that we went forward during those altar calls and began the process of cementing our relationship with God through His Son, Jesus. During many of those services we felt the drawing of the Holy Spirit and responded. 

Actually, I’m writing this blog because sixty years later I get up every morning and spend hours reading and studying the Bible. It is my favorite time of the day – long before most people have even begun to stir. I never tire of this practice. I’m always finding new thoughts and perspectives.

Just today I was reading II Samuel 7 [in The Message Bible] where God initiates a covenant with David through his prophet, Nathan. It’s a pretty attention-getting passage:

[God speaking to Nathan] “So here is what you are to tell my servant David: The God-of-the-Angel-Armies has this word for you: I took you from the pasture, tagging along after sheep, and made you prince over my people Israel. I was with you everywhere you went and mowed your enemies down before you. Now I’m making you famous, to be ranked with the great names on earth...  Finally, I’m going to give you peace from all your enemies.

“Furthermore, God has this message for you: God himself will build you a house! When your life is complete and you’re buried with your ancestors, then I’ll raise up your child, your own flesh and blood, to succeed you, and I’ll firmly establish his rule. He [Solomon] will build a house to honor me, and I will guarantee his kingdom’s rule permanently. I’ll be a father to him, and he’ll be a son to me. When he does wrong, I’ll discipline him in the usual ways, the pitfalls and obstacles of this mortal life. But I’ll never remove my gracious love from him, as I removed it from Saul, who preceded you and whom I most certainly did remove. Your family and your kingdom are permanently secured. I’m keeping my eye on them! And your royal throne will always be there, rock solid.”

Nathan gave David a complete and accurate account of everything he heard and saw in the vision.

King David went in, took his place before God, and prayed: “Who am I, my Master God, and what is my family, that you have brought me to this place in life? But that’s nothing compared to what’s coming, for you’ve also spoken of my family far into the future, given me a glimpse into tomorrow, my Master God! What can I possibly say in the face of all this? You know me, Master God, just as I am.

[II Samuel 7:8-20 TM]

Now I’m well aware that this was not in Charlotte Elliot’s mind when she wrote her poem!  I’m not suggesting that this was the source material for this great hymn!

However, at the same time I couldn’t read these words without noticing them! 

David – King David – is overwhelmed with the honor that God is bestowing on him. “Your family and your kingdom are permanently secured.”

David was well aware of his humanity. Just three chapters later, we’ll find him sinning with Bathsheba!

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It’s a pretty incredible message for all of us!

God knows us just as we are! He knows our weakness and our frailty. He knows that we’re “Prone to wander – prone to leave the God I love”.*  Yet still He accepts us, redeems us, and provides for us far beyond what we deserve!

That – my friends – is AMAZING GRACE!

 

*  From the hymn: “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing”

I’M SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME?

The words usually flowed so easily!  He would sit down to write or compose, strum a few strings on the harp, and immediately the dam would break!  This was easy for David!  He’d been writing poems and songs since he was a young boy watching his father’s sheep.  The loneliness cultivated a quiet, humble attitude.  His voice and playing soothed the sheep.  His repertoire gradually grew to the point that he had songs for nearly every situation. 

Later in life, he was called to the court of King Saul to play comforting songs to ease his troubled mind.  It worked!  Saul was ministered to by David’s constant redirection to God and His faithfulness.  Saul came to love this young man because he was the only one who could calm Saul’s disturbed thinking.

Others came to know David’s songs.  Many of them became a regular part of the worship of the people!  It was an innovation added to the dry forms that had come to characterize worship in Jerusalem with its constant sacrifices and strict observations.  David’s songs were sung from the heart!  The people found themselves singing them in their homes, at their work and as they journeyed.

And now – to top it off – this beloved David had been their king for many years.  His succeeding of King Saul had been easy and natural.  He was beloved by the people!  His exploits and triumphs were legendary!  His reputation began with the killing of Goliath and continued with the radical expansion of his kingdom!  Many nations now paid tribute to David and the Kingdom of Judah,

But today, none of that mattered.  Today, his words didn’t flow.  Today it was as though there was an iron wall between David and Yahweh!  The strumming of the strings produced nothing.  He sat slumped in silence with his mind ruminating on deep, deep regrets. 

He sang several of his old songs, but none of them fit the need for today.  His grief and sorrow was real, but he had no means to express them. 

He was ashamed!  He had done dreadful things.  He had broken the commands of his God.  He had hurt people deeply.  He had betrayed his wives.  He was responsible for the taking of a life!  Oh, it had not been by his hand, but it had been done as a result of his instructions.  And to top it off, this man had been his friend and a respected leader in his army!  In fact, this man had been one of David’s ‘mighty men’; men who were deeply committed to David and his protection! 

It had all begun because David had not gone to battle with his army. This time – getting older – he had stayed home.  Instead of being where he should have been, he couldn’t sleep.  He went to the rooftop on a hot summer night.  He looked down and spotted a woman taking a bath.  He sent for her.  He seduced her.  She was the wife of Uriah, who was away fighting for Israel.  Shortly after, she sent David word that she was pregnant! 

And David’s world crumbled.  

In shame and desperation he set in motion a plan that would lead to Uriah’s death.  And David knew that things would never be the same. 

So here he sat, with nothing to say to the God he had so grossly disappointed and offended.

Till finally after sleepless nights and foodless days he lay in the dark completely defeated.  He woke up cold and wrapped his robe around him.  It was dark.  He hadn’t spoken to anyone for days. 

That’s when he finally found words that matched his desperation, despair and depression.

With tears quietly streaming down his face, he spoke to the One he had defied:

God,

Be merciful to me because You are loving.

Because You are always ready to be merciful, wipe out all my wrongs.

Wash away all my guilt and make me clean again.

 …weeping and sobbing…

 You are the one I have sinned against;

I have done what You say is wrong…

Take away my sin, and I will be clean.

Wash me and I will be whiter than snow.

Create in me a pure heart, God,

And make my spirit right again.

 

Do not send me away from You or take Your Holy Spirit away from me.

 

Give me back the joy of Your salvation!

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Be reminded today that there is always a way back into God’s graces!  It involves humbling ourselves and expressing sorrow over our bad choices.  It requires honesty and submission added to a sincere sense of regret! 

But there is a way to be restored!  Don’t delay.  Carry your concerns to God today – right now!