My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 76:7 But you, you are to be feared! Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused? Psalm 76:8 From the heavens you uttered judgment; the earth feared and was still, Psalm 76:9 when God arose to establish judgment, to save all the humble of the earth. Selah
Jerusalem was a den for the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. As the Assyrian commander taunted the king, and threatened the City of the Lord’s people, we saw Asaph describing the city as a den for the Lord, not unlike a den for a lion, ready to pounce on a hapless victim. I think the picture Asaph paints in the passages before is awesome, showing a personal link with the Lord of creation.
But Asaph goes from what might appear to be a tribal, local deity protecting a city state to the truth of who this Lion is that has roared.
Asaph no longer is describing a God that is relegated to a small city, a local protector of a geographical region or a God who is concerned with a tribal power structure. No – not at all, for these verses speak of our God uttering judgement from the heavens, and the result was that the earth feared and stood still.
He clarifies one additional point. He isn’t there to protect the proud and arrogant. Those who by their religion feel they have a right to this protection, that they have all the right rules and practices, and because of this will be protected. No – Asaph clears that up for us also. The Lord is the One who will save all the humble of the earth. That is His goal. Now if some in a city are protected though they be proud, that may be considered collateral “blessing”, but make no mistake about the goal of the Lord.
Psalm 76:9 when God arose to establish judgment, to save all the humble of the earth. Selah
One more point at the danger of overelaboration – Note that it is the humble of the earth, not simply those who claim a physical lineage with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. His goal is not territorial, but global.
My friend, as Asaph opened our passage this morning, consider who you fear.
Psalm 76:7 But you, you are to be feared! Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused?
Asaph makes it clear that the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the heavenly God who is on the throne and is the One to be feared. If you have angered Him, (and which of us have not!) run – do not walk – to the only refuge available. The very same Lion of the Tribe of Judah has shed His own blood to provide those who hate Him with a salvation none could have imagined.
He wants to save the humble. Will you humble yourself, bend the knee to Him, confess your sin, both your acts of sin and your nature of rebellion, and turn to the Living God who walked out of a tomb?
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
2 Samuel 8:2 And he defeated Moab and he measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground. Two lines he measured to be put to death, and one full line to be spared. And the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute.
In our previous verse, David made an offensive strike against the Philistines, changing the course of the nation. The Philistines were a thorn in the side of Israel since day one, and David put them in thier place.
This mornings verse addresses the nation of Moab, a nation that descends from Abraham, through the union on Lot and one of his daughters.
Moab also fought with Israel during the reign of Saul. But for David to continue fighting the Moabites is difficult to understand, for David had connections with these people.
His grandmother, Ruth was a Moabitess, and though she converted to the faith, her roots were of the nation of Moab. David had a family connection with the nation of Moab.
Matthew 1:5,6…Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king…
Not only did David have a Moabite in his lineage, the nation harbored Davids parents during the persecution of Saul.
1 Samuel 22:3,4 ESV – And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay with you, till I know what God will do for me.” And he left them with the king of Moab…
So for David to attack Moab as decisively as he does seems overdone in my mind. Of course my mind is infected with human reasoning and a logic that wants to overrule the will of God, so I need to consider reasons that David turned on the relation that existing between him and the Moabites.
First, it is well known that David was a man after God’s own heart and that he was zealous for the God of Israel. Moab did not adhere to this same dedication. As a matter of fact, the daughters of Moab were instrumental in bring Baal worship into the Lord’s people.
Numbers 25:1-3 While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.
David was placed on the throne of Israel by God and David’s zeal to cleanse the nation of idol worship was a natural outgrowth of his committment to God. Moab’s influence must be diminished.
Centuries after David, God issued commands to destroy Moab through the prophets Jeremiah, Isaiah and Amos. but during the time of David, no specific command had been issued. David may have seen the idolatry of Moab, which included the worship of Chemosh, as reason enough to subdue the people of Moab. His zeal to cleanse the nation and spread the news of the One True God was second to none.
There may have been one additional motivator for David. Centuries prior to David’s rise to power, a prophet of God rose and prophecied of Moab’s destruction. This prophet’s name is Balaam, and the King of Moab, seeing the threat of Israel entering the land, hired Balaam to curse the people of God. Though Balaam turned out to be a “hired gun” for the king of Moab, Balaam did provide very explicit prophecies of the nation of Israel.
One of Balaam’s prophecies included the fate of Moab, which must have shocked his employer. Nevertheless, this prophecy speaks of a king rising out of Jacob, crushing the forehead of Moab.
Numbers 24:17 I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.
David fit the bill. He came on the scene over four centuries after Balaam, rose out of Jacob and was granted the scepter over Israel by the Lord. David may have accepted this prophecy as pertaining to hiself, and sought to perform the Lord’s will. It may explain David’s harsh treatment of the Moabite soldiers, killing two thirds of the army, but not quite.
The prohecy speaks of crushing the forehead. Does the implication of this phrase include the subjugation of a nation, or the obliteration of the nation.
One other passage in the Old Testament also speaks of the bruising of the serpents head.
Genesis 3:15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Genesis speaks of the Messiah bruising the head of the serpent. If Balaam’s prophecy links a similar treatment of the Moabites as we find Jesus in crushing the serpents head on the cross, we might conjecture that David reduced the influence of Moab on Israel while allowing them to exist as a slave of the nation.
How my reader understands the current existence (and usefulness) of the enemy in relation to the New Testament saint may provide an opportunity to consider how David, in decimating the army but allowing Moab to exist may mimic our current situation.
In all of this, let’s remember the Son of David is the One who perfectly fulfilled both Balaam’s and Moses’ prophecy of crushing the enemies head.
Jesus is the King and His crushing of the head of the serpent has provided salvation for all. All god’s who sought influence over the creation have been publicly reduced to mere puppets under the hand of the Messiah, for His resurrection has proven His superiority over all.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 76:4 Glorious are you, more majestic than the mountains full of prey. Psalm 76:5 The stouthearted were stripped of their spoil; they sank into sleep; all the men of war were unable to use their hands. Psalm 76:6 At your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both rider and horse lay stunned.
In our last post, we considered the the passage in light of a picture of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, residing in the nations capital, ready to strike. It was a picture of Jerusalem acting as the den for a lion to hide in until the attack.
We also suggested that the attack was the mighty and complete defeat of the Assyrian army under Hezekiah’s reign, and was triggered by the heartfelt repentant prayer of the king. Many factors surely played into the complete decimation of an army of 185,000 men, including the taunting of the Lord’s people, in that fateful night. But one direct, humble and helpless prayer, lit a fire under the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and the Assyrian’s had no chance.
If this picture is accurate as I have developed it in my mind, Asaph has a response to this salvation the Lion has provided.
Praise. Praise to the One who delivered His people by striking them as a lion from a hidden den.
And yet the Psalmist speaks of the mountains full of prey. Is the psalmist continuing with his description of the defeat of Sennacheribs army, or is Asaph simply changing his topic and beginning a new discussion on mountains?
A key consideration is that Jerusalem in surrounted by mountains, (or by hills if we are thinking of mountains as Everest.) Current names of some of the mountains in the region of Jerusalmem include Mount Zion, the Mount of Olives, the Temple Mount, Mount Scopus, Mount Herzl, Mount of Rest, Mount Hotzvim, and Har Nof.
If this is Asaph’s context, then the Assyrian army could be the object of Asaph’s description of prey. Again, the psalmist describes the defeat in a metaphor of hunting, with the Lion being so much greater than the hunted.
Verse 5 refers to the stouthearted, or the proud “sinking” into a sleep. A metaphor for falling dead! The men of war were helpless against the One from Jerusalem. Asaph goes on to state both the horse and the rider, the formidable power of the Assyrian army, “lay stunned”, as in a deep sleep. There was no waking of these mighty soldiers!
In those ancient days, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah rebuked the mighty army of Assyria. An army that had defeated over twenty cities of the nation of Israel. Israel was in tatters, but the capital stood, and Jerusalem remained.
After all, it was the Lion’s den! And for now there were a people who looked to the Lion for thier help.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 76:1 To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A Song. In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel. Psalm 76:2 His abode has been established in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. Psalm 76:3 There he broke the flashing arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah
Many of the psalms of Asaph are difficult to place historically, and there are reasons to believe that a possible direct descendent of Asaph may have written this particular psalm. In our next post on this psalm, we will find a possible reference to the victory of Israel over Sennacherib, the Assyrian general whose army of 185,000 soldiers was wiped out in one night.
This psalm is a psalm that speaks of the might of the Lord and the proper fear to be granted to our God.
The psalmist speaks of the knowledge of God. This knowledge is not merely the evidentiary knowledge of nature, where the soul who is honest, can see evidence of the God of creation in everything around us.
Romans 1:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.
No, for in Judah, God is known personally, as He has revealed Himself to the people of God, revealing His nature, His laws, His specific will, His covenant mercy and His protective power. It is the protective power that this psalm displays.
The psalmist continues to identify the One who is God, as to where He is known. He is known in Judah, but the focus becomes tighter, as it is in Salem (Jerusalem) that the Lord has His abode. His temple has been in Jerusalem since the days of David.
But most interesting to this saint is the next description of the Lord. When the psalmist describes the Lord as having a “dwelling place” he is using a word that is often associated with a den of lions.
Job 37:8 Then the beasts go into their lairs, and remain in their dens. Job 38:40 when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in their thicket? Song of Songs 4:8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride; come with me from Lebanon. Depart from the peak of Amana, from the peak of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of lions, from the mountains of leopards. Amos 3:4 Does a lion roar in the forest, when he has no prey? Does a young lion cry out from his den, if he has taken nothing? Nahum 2:12 The lion tore enough for his cubs and strangled prey for his lionesses; he filled his caves with prey and his dens with torn flesh.
The psalmist is painting an image of the Lord’s “dwelling place” similar to a lions den. With this image, the Old Testament saint could imagine the Lord Himself in Jerusalem, crouching in His “den”, waiting to pounce on the victim.
If this psalm was written during the Assyrian invasion, this picture is very powerful. Before the fateful night, all the power seemed to reside in the Assyrian generals hands. Yet lurking in the city, the city that was on the brink of disaster, a city that was close to starvation, a lion was ready to pounce.
A reading of 2 Kings seems to fit our picture of the lion ready to pounce, and it is instructive to notice the flow of narrative in 2 Kings.
Hezekiah enters the temple in sackcloth 2 Kings 19:1
Isaiah encourages Hezekiah with a message of his prayer heard. 2 Kings 19:20
The Lion of the Tribe of Judah pounces 2 Kings 19:35
Over and over again, the Lord has provided protection for His people as they rely on Him, seeking His face. In this psalm, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah responded to the prayer of the king, pounced on the enemy and delivered His people from certain death.
Our God is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He has delivered us from death by hanging on the cruel cross. And He will deliver us from all of our enemies!
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 75:9 But I will declare it forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. Psalm 75:10 All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.
Our psalmist closes his thoughts with these last two verses on a psalm that speaks of the judgements of the God of Israel. Our psalmist speaks of his thankfulness that the Judge of all the earth is a righteous Judge, a Judge who is equitable.
We often hear of the goal of equity in our word today, of the need to have “social equity”, of developing a fairness and justice that is to be provided to each person in our society. Many times the message is that all are to have the same position in life, the same experience in life, the same opportunities in life. Sounds good a face value, but the outworking of such a lofty goal seems fraught with danger. But this post is not intended to discuss the serious problems with an approach to equity for all, but possibly the reason for such an emphasis.
When a nation, country, society or culture walks away from God, (which is abundantly clear we are in the midst of doing), there remains in the culture a desire for some sort of justice. With God, the administrator of all equitable justice being rejected, the culture needs to fill in that gap. We all seek some form of justice in our lives, and without the knowledge of God, we are destined to find a replacement, a “cheap knock-off” that will give the illusion of justice.
This is an impossible pursuit. Any form of justice that removes the One who is Just, the One who is equitable, the One who is Righteous in all His acts and pronouncements is doomed to failure.
Judgement will be handed out by the Judge, for He will not be mocked. But in every case, as the Psalmist expresses his thankfulness, we too can be thankful that our God is not One who considers favorites, or accepts false evidence in His pronouncements. He is truly equitable, a word in the Hebrew that speaks of straightness of way, sincerity, justice.
The term “equity” we find in this Psalm is also used elsewhere in the Word. One interesting find is in Daniel 11:6
Daniel 11:6 After some years they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement. But she shall not retain the strength of her arm, and he and his arm shall not endure, but she shall be given up, and her attendants, he who fathered her, and he who supported her in those times.
The translators of the NASB have provided an expanded translation of the term below
Daniel 11:6 NASB95 – ….. the king of the South will come to the king of the North to carry out a peaceful arrangement….
Notice the intent of the word. There is a goal of peace in the use of the word here.
I would like to remind my reader that equitable judgement is not averse to the offer of peace and reconciliation. Is it not true that the Judge of all the earth is a Judge who is seeking peace, who has laid down His very life for the pursuit of peace with those who reject Him?
Yes, as the Psalmist closes this psalm, he teaches us that God will cut off all the horns of the wicked. Yet there is still time for those who have chased after a “cheap knock-off of equity”. Realize the futility of seeking justice apart from the true Judge, understand that He is seeking peace with us, turn to the Savior for forgiveness (not justice!) and the Judge suddenly becomes your Father, your Guardian, your Protector and Guide.
Yes – He is a Judge who provides equitable judgement on the nations, and for that we can and should be thankful. But far greater blessings are available as He seeks to provide peace, reconciliation, and restoration to all who look to the Savior for forgiveness.
To those who seek equity, may I suggest your chase will end in frustration and bitterness if you reject the True Judge. To those who will admit justice can only be administered by the Judge of all the earth, I have good news. He seeks a “peaceful agreement” with us. He has sought us, bought us and provided forgiveness instead of justice.
Don’t be frustrated chasing after equity. Be forgiven in Jesus, the Lamb of God who has taken away the sin of the world.
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
2 Samuel 8:1 1 After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines.
As soon as David reunited the kingdom, the Philistines gathered together for a visit.
2 Samuel 5:17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went down to the stronghold.
The most troublesome people group of the region were not going to let David get away with uniting the people of God, and becoming more of a threat to their dominance. This could not be, so they gathered their forces and marched to Israel, just like every other time in the past.
At that time, David sought the Lord for guidance, and soundly defeated the enemy.
Our passage this morning is short but indicates a turning of the tide for the nation of Israel. No longer was Israel the Philistines water boy, existing in the area under threat of another attack.
Yes David has shown defensive moves that effectively gave notice to the Philistines in chapter 5. Since then, he has taken Jerusalem as his city, and received the promise of his Son ruling forever, his family becoming a dynasty under God.
It is time to give notice that the kingdom of Israel is about to explode in the region, and the first (of many) recorded victories were against the Philistines.
There is a subtle but important item to notice in this verse that shows a mindset change in the Israelite army, and their commander.
David did not simply defend, he aggressively took a Philistine city.
David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines
Methag-ammah. I had never heard of this location during my readings, and assumed it was a small hamlet on the edge of the Philistine territory. A good first step in David’s dominance over Israel’s enemies.
But alas, I was wrong again. Methag-ammah, meaning “the chief city” was no small victory for David. As a matter of fact, according to a parallel passage in 1 Chronicles, the city was also known as Gath. A principle, arguably the most important city of the Philistines.
1 Chronicles 18:1 After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath and its villages out of the hand of the Philistines.
This was no small victory. In one campaign against the Philistines, the Israelites dominated the entire people group of the Philistines, turning the tables and becoming the nation tribute would flow to. Influence, authority and respect had landed in the nation.
Israel was on the march.
For us today, this small verse has a challenge for us. Are we in a defensive position regarding some sinful attitude, or weakness in our Christian life?
David, knowing the promise of God, took the offensive stance toward his enemies. He overcame the resistance that had plagued the Israelites since they entered the land. David did not let the past dictate the future.
How about us? Are we excusing something in our life because that is how we have always done it? It is just the way it is?
I have been in a defensive mode with a certain behavior, and with David’s example and the help of David’s Greater Son, I want to turn the tides.
May we all find a habit or attitude we can consecrate to the Lord, commit to attacking the problem instead on simply asking forgiveness, and move on to more victories.
David did.
Remember, as believers, we only have one offensive weapon. To find the victory in any battle, we need a passage, portion or verse that will be the weapon to use against any sin.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 75:6 For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up, Psalm 75:7 but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another. Psalm 75:8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.
I woke this morning, not knowing what topic was on my schedule to blog about. As I readied my black vitamin (my coffee) and prepared for my time with you, I was impressed about the topic of competition, and how the proverbs direct the saint to enter into competition.
Unexpected? Very much so. Yet I appreciated the nudge towards the topic, and scheduled the blog to be published tomorrow.
I then opened up my scheduled topic and found I was to be in Psalm 75. The verses to be considered this morning, after I had detoured into the proverbs on the topic of competition, were…
Psalm 75:6-7 For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up, but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.
How appropriate. I referred to the New Testament in my discussion on competition, when all I had to do was turn one book back in the Old Testament, and find our verses for this day.
Do we see the connection. It is from the hand of the Lord that even the saint is elevated or is put down. Granted, this psalm is global in its descriptions, for the psalmist is discussing the rising of one nation and the downfall of another nation, but is not the truth is applicable to the individual.
Effort, drive and desire are key elements in the success of the saint in pleasing the Lord. That cannot be denied. Yet the passage above defines the source. The Lord elevates and reduces nations and individuals.
In the midst of this discussion, it is important that remember that any humbling of the saint, whether by choice, or by circumstance, (which admittedly must be from the Lord), is to be taken with a thankful heart, for we know that the path of humility is the path to be taken for the saint.
For the nations, this is not so. Every kingdom, country and nation which has rose from obscurity has fallen. Great kingdoms have fallen in as little as one night – I’m thinking of Babylon, and some have taken centuries to fall – I’m thinking of the Roman empire.
Only one nation will endure forever, the kingdom of the Lord Jesus, and all other kingdoms must fall, simply because they are not the Lord’s kingdom. The righteousness of all other kingdoms are as wickedness when compared with King Jesus, and though each nation/kingdom will eventually take of the dregs of the cup of foaming wine, and the saint may be caught up in the trials of the fall, we can rest in the assurance that the eternal kingdom of the Lord is established on a firm foundation.
Let us be thankful for the King, and His righteous reign, and cling to the promises He has given us in the midst of any trials we shall endure.
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
Prayer of GRATITUDE – David’s God
2 Samuel 7:25-29
25 And now, O LORD God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken. 26 And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The LORD of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you. 27 For you, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. 28 And now, O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. 29 Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”
David has been informed he is to be the recipient of one of the greatest promises made to a mere mortal, a sinful man under the law, a man who has a heart for God but who has slipped into sin a number of times, and sadly will slip into egregious sin again.
At this point in his life, may I suggest, he understands his nature to sin, his propensity to wander and his ability to go against the God he loves. At times, David seems to be a man out of touch with his own time!
His prayer concludes with a focus on the Lord Himself, with the Lord’s abilities to perform the Word He has declared to His servant. David, after being told he will be the father of a dynasty, a man whose name will be remembered forever, since his Son will be on the throne for all eternity, speaks not of himself, but of the Lord’s name being magnified.
David repeats truths back to the Lord, speaking of God’s relation to His people Israel, and of His revealing the dynasty of God through David. But again, as a servant, David is taking the back seat, a passive receptor of the Lord’s goodness and mercy, of the Lord’s unbridled grace to a man who sees himself as a servant.
David had consistently taken the position of a servant in this prayer, not unlike that which the Lord described in Luke 17.
Luke 17:7 “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Luke 17:8 Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Luke 17:9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? Luke 17:10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”
In taking this position of servant, David is now experiencing the greatest of gifts, and proves his commitment to a servant life by his humble reaction to this revelation.
In the last two verses, as David seeks to please the Lord in his prayer, he refers to himself as a servant three times.
David was a servant of the Lord, and the Lord’s name will be magnified in David, and even more so in the greater Son of David! For the house of David was to be established by the Word of God in this promise, and is blessed forever through the Son of David! Jesus the Messiah has fulfilled all the promises of the Word, and this promise to David is clearly fleshed out in the Son of Man, the promised Messiah.
May we also take the position of servant to the Most High, and seek to please Him in our daily efforts, walking in the Spirit, resting in His provisions and trusting His promises.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 75:2 At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity. Psalm 75:3 When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars. Selah Psalm 75:4 I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn; Psalm 75:5 do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with haughty neck.’”
Even at the start of our discussion on the judgement of God which is the force and topic of this psalm, is God’s determination (judgement) of the appropriate time, of a set time that He appoints.
We have nothing to do with the timing of this judgement. God will pick the time, at His discretion and to His glory.
Before I get very far into this psalm, let me ask a question. Is it possible that the “set time” the Psalmist speaks of refers to the final judgement of all mankind? Although he may be referring to an immediate judgement in this Psalm (Sishak’s invasion of Rehoboam’s kingdom), as with many of the Psalm’s, a bigger picture may rise out of the immediate prophecy.
This is something to consider. If so, this speaks of His patience and willingness to wait (for millennia) for those who need to hear. It is good to remember that He will set a time when all our work is done, and we stand naked before Him.
Back to the Psalm though. As mentioned, He is described as the One who determines the time of judgement, and for verses 3-5, He speaks of His work of stabilizing a tottering creation. We do well to remember this creation is on a collision course with ultimate death, that the curse is a very real truth none can escape from. Yet as all of creation is careening towards the end, tottering and crumbling, the Lord is the One who steadies it’s pillars. He steadies the pillars!
Not only is He extending the existence of creation for His peoples sake, He is also extending the time for those who are wicked and boastful. He provides wise counsel, counsel that will be of benefit to them. He is not bringing any to judgement too early, but pleading with those headed to judgement to “not boast” and “not to lift up their horn”, or “speak with a haughty neck.”
Consider – He extends the time for repentance by supporting a dying world, ravaged by sin, pleading for those in rebellion to turn from their wicked ways.
When I first read this passage, I was somewhat reluctant to jump in, but as I read, I was enlightened by the mercy of God towards those He will ultimately judge.
I came away from this short passage, seeing our God as the One who seeks our best, as the God who set’s aside immediate judgement in order to provide opportunity for His creation.
A little later in the Psalm, the author speaks of a cup of foaming wine, with the wicked draining it to the dregs! What a horrible, terrifying picture of judgement.
John 18:11 But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?”
The wicked will drink the foaming wine, drinking it down to the dregs, drinking down the foulest portion of an already bitter wine. The wicked will drink it and what a horrible day that will be. But One Righteous Servant also drank the bitter wine, the cup of suffering, interrupting the wicked’s march to destruction.
The wicked will drink it. Don’t be fooled. But for now, there is time – Don’t be of the wicked. Turn to the One who drank the cup of suffering for you. Follow after Jesus, for He is the only hope we have in this toppling, crumbling world. He has set up a kingdom with foundations, setting the pillars right!
Hebrews 11:10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
God is the Judge and we, as the Psalmist spoke in the first verses, should be thankful for such a merciful and kind God!
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
Prayer of GRATITUDE – David’s Nation
2 Samuel 7:23-24
23 And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? 24 And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O LORD, became their God.
David has just been informed by the prophet Nathan, of his kingly lineage being established as an eternal dynasty. Not only that his kingdom would be eternal in length, but the Messiah would be the King. The Deliverer would come through David’s bloodline. David’s dynasty would not just have an endless quantity of years, but the highest quality of rule.
But as any one who may recieve blessing from God knows, those recieving a gift automatically think of others in their lives that are also the recipients of God’s mercy. In this regard, David pulls into his prayer his nation over whom this dynasty will rule.
He speaks of Israel being redeemed by the hand of God two times in as many verses, and describes this redemption as great and awesome. He brought them out of Egypt, a slave state, and cleared the path for this people as they entered the land He promised.
As New Testament believers, we can look back at all of this tremendous work of God and realize this was looking forward to the Son redeeming His people. His people who have made the Lord their God. Even as David spoke of his gratitude to God for His many blessings, he was careful to describe Israel as God’s people, those who made the Lord their God.
24 And you, O LORD, became their God.
Was David thinking of the political nation of Israel? The theocratic kingdom? Or might he have been considering the remant within the nation that had an active and living faith. That remant that did not bow to baal, or ashtoreth, or any such abboration for the people of Israel.
David’s prayer was breathed from a man who was reduced to simple gratitude. It is interesting that throughout this prayer, He uses “I” only once, and that was earlier in describing himself as nothing. “Who am I?”
He constantly refers to himself as a servant though a king, a king who has just been informed his bloodline will rule for eternity. His bloodline will rule not only in quantity of years, and in quality of rule, but also over a people who look to God, a people who seek to honor the king and that bless others.
An ideal kingdom!
To those who have trusted the King, may we be the people David describes, a people who have made the Lord our God, reflected in our decisions each day as we live in the Messiah’s Kingdom.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
Prayer of GRATITUDE – David’s Lineage
2 Samuel 7:18-22 18 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 19 And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord GOD. You have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord GOD! 20 And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord GOD! 21 Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. 22 Therefore you are great, O LORD God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
David has just been told he will have an everlasting kingdom, with a son on the throne forever. How would you respond to such news? Can we consider his reaction to God’s message in this prayer to God.
First off, may I suggest David’s reaction is one of a God fearing man, a man who considers himself a servant to God, though a king with an eternal lineage promised to him. I bring up the servant topic, because in the prayer David prays, he refers to himself as a servant of God ten times.
Ten times.
For those of us in the modern world, when a preacher gets in front of an audience, and speaks of receiving a message directly from God, it is as if he was “chatting with a friend” A couple buds considering each others opinions. This is not David’s witness! I have mentioned this contrast previously in other posts, where men of God have received a promise or direction from God and the reaction is one of self deprecation, lostness and an utter confession of worthlessness. Consider multiple Old Testament saints as I sought to describe in Psalms for Psome – Ps 36.00.
The man who speaks of meeting God in a casual off handed manner does not reflect the reactions we find of the saints in the Word.
David begins his prayer being astounded by how far the Lord had brought him thus far. After becoming king, he sought to provide an offering of thanksgiving to God in the form of a temple, a glorious offering to the God who had made him the king. This “obvious”‘” assumption on the part of David, though a noble gesture, was not in the mind of God, for God was looking for an eternal kingdom, an eternal temple, an eternal city and an eternal people, all centered in the Eternal King.
David was a lynchpin in this plan to build God’s will in this world, and David’s bloodline would produce non other than the Messiah, King Jesus.
I suppose the best thing David speaks of is that all of this is dependent on God’s promise, on God’s heart, and the revealing of God’s eternal plan to David. Nothing in this prayer speaks to me of David’s accomplishments, but only of God and His will to perform His work.
Although this prayer continues for a few more verses, and the topic changes to the people of God, it is good to see such a prayer as being relatively short. In my reading of the prayer, my watch clocked in at 59 seconds. Under a minute. David had just been given one of the greatest promises revealed to any man, and he spoke for one minute before his God.
Does this observation provide an excuse for short prayers?
Yes and no.
Yes – for if all we do is ask, ask, ask, provide flowery statements and repeat requests over and over, some may consider that to be as the gentiles pray.
Matthew 6:7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
No, for if in our prayers we are humble in our confessions of weakness, focused in our communication of praise and adoration, specific in our requests and remain God centered (as opposed to us centered), the length of prayer may not be a factor.
As a matter of fact, true prayer before the Lord may erase the time factor totally. For if I am thinking of the time, I am not thinking of Him.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
2 Samuel 7:11b-17
11b Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” 17 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
We continue in the passage describing God’s efforts, His plans to build a house, an empire for David, through his lineage. What started out as a well intentioned dream to build a temple for God, becomes God’s plans to build the church through the Son of David.
A continual refrain throughout this passage is the “foreverness” of the kingdom God will establish through the line of David.
But David would have to pass away, enter into death, prior to the realization of this kingdom. And so he entered the grave for a thousand years, waiting to see his Son arrive on the scene. Waiting after multiple sons came and went on the throne, eventually becoming corrupt and worthy of the discipline spoken of above.
This covenant with David (the Davidic Covenant) spoke of the Lord’s training of David’s lineage, and though privileged highly, would not escape the need for discipline when the king sins.
It is not a given that all David’s sons sin, for the passage speaks of discipline “when” those in the house of David sin. As a lineage that had the inherent capacity to veer from obedience to the Father, this inevitably became a reality in each of David’s sons.
Until One came on the scene who obeyed. He obeyed the law, fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law, and was not required to suffer for His own disobedience. Yet He suffered, a terrible beating, a whipping that should have in itself killed the Man, and then the humiliation and suffering of being nailed to a cross, experiencing the taunting, the ridicule, the helplessness of His experience, the abandonment!
He was disciplined “with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men”, but not for His own iniquity, for He was spotless. His suffering was vicarious, in our place, for our rebellion and sinfulness.
Yet there is a portion of this passage that makes me stop and think.
When Nathan is told that God “will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son” gives me no pause. Surely there was never a father /son relationship that was clearer, cleaner and consistently based from love than that of the Father and the Son.
What shocks me is that the next verse speaks that the father’s “steadfast love will not depart from him.”
A verse to consider that may impact this promise.
Matthew 27:46 …Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Even in the Father’s abandonment of the Messiah on the cross, as the Messiah cries out to His Father of abandonment, are we to consider this equal to the Father removing steadfast love from Him.
Can this abandonment, this turning of the Father away from the Son while He carries our sins, can this be combined in the heart of God. Can the Father turning from the Son, and the Father’s everlasting love for the Son be one and the same? Is the love of the Father large enough, complex enough, committed enough to allow pain to enter the Son for the sake of the outcome?
Hebrews 12:2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
The depths of God’s love for His Son is beyond us, and will always be beyond our understanding. Thankfully we do not need to understand everything that happened that horrible day. We simply need to accept the truth of the One who hung for our sins, and that rose from the dead, providing us salvation and security!
He is the Great Son of David, the One who has established the forever Kingdom God promised David.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
2 Samuel 7
8 Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11a from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies.
The Lord is continuing to speak to Nathan, telling His side of the story after the king and the prophet both assume He wants a massive, impressive temple. It makes sense doesn’t it, for the Lord to want a house that will impress all the nations and the people of Israel.
No, not from the Lord’s point of view. The Lord is about to illuminate Nathan in relation to David and the people of Israel. And it is all about the Greater David. But I am getting ahead of myself.
This initial portion of the great prophecy of David’s Greater Son, begins with the work the Lord has performed in David’s life, taking him from humble beginnings and making him a prince over His people. Because of the Lord’s work, enemies fell before David, and Israel’s second king will become a man of renown, famous not only in the major religions of the world, but on the national scale, a historic figure.
Through David, the nation will be secure.
Note that the security promised is not necissarily immediate. When I read this passage, I assume the promise will be within David’s lifetime, or at least within his immediate son’s life. But it is important to understand that a son, in the Wordm may refer to a grandson, or a greatgrandson, or any of his lineage. Solomon was a son. So was Joseph. And so was Jesus.
Why do I belabor this point? The prophecy speaks of the future, and it may be months, it may be years, it may be decades or it may be centuries before the promise is realized.
So when Nathan hears verse 10, where the Lord’s promise includes the appointment of a place for my people Israel and that He will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more, it sounds awsome. The Lord continues with the promise of violent men not afflicting them, as formerly.
This is incredible news for Nathan to communicate to David. The assumption is for the promise to be immediate. Let me remind you that although there was a short period under Solomon that the nation enjoyed a security and peace, it was short lived, and the earthly kingdom split apart. Violence continued through Davids reign, Solomon’s reign, through the Babylonian captivity and past the time of Jesus.
That is for those who were of national Israel. For those of the remnant, the faithful, those who followed after the Lord, the promise was real even if physically the promise seemed to be unrealized. Centuries passed and a Teacher arrived, One who would appoint a place for God’s people, and plant them that they be disturbed no more.
For the One who would effectively complete this promise for the people of God was the very One who became the place of residence and rest for the people of God. He is that place where the believer is planted, and where the believer is no longer afflicted by evil men, without the protection of the Master’s permission.
We will go on in our next passage finding out that the Lord not only reminds Nathan of His work in David’s life and his reign over Israel, but more importantly, declares the line of David to be an eternal dynasty, a house of David that will be reigned over by His Son.
It is truly amazing that the promise given to a king in Israel over 3,000 years ago has developed into the full blown expansion of the Body of Christ, the New Testament church where believers find securty and peace in the Son, and have a place of rest under His reign.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
4 But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, 5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. 7 In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”‘
In our last post on this passage, we spoke of how illogical God’s will may appear to us. Some things are so obviously right to do in our thinking that prayer and seeking God’s will seems to be unnecessary. I can’t tell you how often I have fallen into this erroneous thinking.
Our passage this morning speak of how David and Nathan, both men of God, never considered God’s silence in His desire for a “great house” to reside in. Although a difficult topic to enter into, (for one can sometimes prove anything out of a vacumm), it may be good to consider the silence of God regarding His “residence amongst men”
Now, for a little background chronology, the Lord refers to the time between bringing the people up out of Egypt up to David’s day, and per many timelines, we are looking at at least 4 centuries. The Lord had four hundred years to provide notification, and instructions on building a permanent structure in Jerusalem for His house. Not to labor the point too much but that is approximately 15,000 days to provide instructions.
Moses was never instructed. The Judges were never instructed. Prophets were never instructed. Priest’s were never instructed. Up till the peace of David’s kingdom, no one considered this possibility. David was never instructed. Nathan was never instructed. No one was told to build God a temple, a fixed building in a certain location.
But Moses was instructed that to make an altar of hewn stone was to have a polluted altar.
Exodus 20:25 If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it.
As an aside, how many hewn stones would be required for Solomon’s temple in the future?
Aside from that, David’s good intentions were corrected, and as we will see in the next segment of this passage, God provided a covenant with David that spoke of the kingdom of God, and David’s place in this Kingdom. His Son would be King forever, and though David may have understood that to be Solomon, we know better.
But for our passage this morning, let us remember that the silence of God may be instructive for our lives also. We sometimes want to add religiosity to our lives that has never been commanded upon us from on high.
To consider the silence of God for our own lives demands a maturity and a commitment to the will of God prior to addressing this topic. Coming to a clear understanding of the impact the silence of God has on our lives may surely be difficult, time consuming and spiritually dangerous, for you see, it may easily be abused for selfish and fleshly reasons. And yet the Lord reminds these two men of His silence and what that was to mean to them.
In relation to this very passage, where might the silence of God be found helpful in relation to our own methods of worship, congregating and living the community of Christ in our culture?
Questions concerning the silence of God relating to His current desire for His Temple that may come to mind may include.
Instructions regarding the need of dedicated buildings for church
Instructions for the order of church services
Instructions for the extent of church employment
Instructions for provisions within the church body
Instructions to support it’s leadership
There may be more silence regarding the church that I have not touched on, and there may be various ways to address this silence. Yet, as we seek to honor the Lord, we should consider the silence of God as a viable method of understanding God’s priorities for His people.
The Lord reminded David and Nathan of His silence, and even in this silence, God redirected His king to the future reign of the greatest King, the One who is ruling even now!
May we listen to all He say’s (and doesn’t say!)
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
2 Samuel 7:1-17 1 Now when the king lived in his house and the LORD had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, 2 the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” 3 And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”
Assumptions. Even awesome kings and great prophets make assumptions.
David’s Assumptions
David assumed that since he was in a great palace/house and that there was nothing to do – he had been given rest from all his adversaries – that it was time to honor God, to express his thankful heart and to bring attention of the nation to their God by building Him a temple, instead of simply letting the God of all Creation dwell in a tent.
At first blush, this all appears to be most honorable on the part of David. Sure he had to build his own house first, and he couldn’t build a temple while at war with his neighbors. But now that things are settled down, and his authority and position is established with the nation, it is logical given the many times God has provided guidance, and miraculous victories, that His house within the nation becomes greater, bigger, shinier, flashier and oh so awesome. An impressive house for such an impressive God, in such an impressive kingdom!
Yes, for David this all made sense, and he talked about it to Nathan, the prophet of God, the man that would provide guidance from God in relation to decisions of national interest, and personal life choices for the king.
Nathan’s Assumptions
Nathan seemed quick to agree. After all, David had just experienced a run of successes that proved that the Lord was with him. With a track record like David’s, and the idea of honoring God being presented to him, it must have seemed like a slam dunk type of question.
Get at it David. Your a winner and your idea is such a God honoring idea! How could this backfire, or displease God?
Well, as you may know, there was one other person that wanted to be involved in this decision. In our next post, we will see that making assumptions about God’s will can bring about some surprising responses from God.
For today’s passage, it is good to remember that God’s will is many times completely opposite to logical reasoning.
For instance, an easy example of God’s will being opposed to logical thinking is that of turning the other cheek.
If Bobby slaps me around, either physically, or emotionally, or even spiritually, it only makes sense that I provide a response in like kind. Logically, if I do not respond in like kind, this shows weakness, and may invite more violent actions against me. Of course, the Lord’s command was to provide another cheek, or to carry a load another mile.
That is even crazier!
Until you win your enemy through acts of sacrificial love. But you see, that is not the thinking of the world! That is not logical, for there is no satisfaction for myself in getting retribution, nor is there any guarantee that my act of self sacrifice will win my enemy over. It may very well open the door for greater abuse.
My assumptions of using logical reasoning to find God’s will is faulty at best. Many believers may think it wise to take the world’s logic, and patch God’s name to it to justify their actions, but this does no honor to the God we say we worship.
The Word and the Spirit provide guidance, and we do well if we refer to the sometimes illogical call of God to lay our lives down in a self sacrificial manner to honor Him.
Jesus did. And boy, did He ever honor God!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 74:22 Arise, O God, defend your cause; remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day! Psalm 74:23 Do not forget the clamor of your foes, the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually!
It was just a few verses back when Asaph wrote…
Psalm 74:20 Have regard for the covenant.
He is continuing in this same vein of thought, but he is escalating the request. Back in verse 20, he reminded God of the covenant, and was asking God to consider the promises He made. To have an internal reminder so to speak.
In this verse, Asaph is becoming very bold. The phrase “defend your cause” is written as though in a fight for justice, even as in a court.
Defend
רִיב rîyb. (Strongs #7378) The Hebrew word is translated as plead, contend or strive in a majority of the times we find it in the Word. It is not a passive word, but full of action, activity, and argument.
Cause
רִיב rîyb (Strongs #7379) My astute readers will notice that I seemingly have repeated the same Hebrew word, and I would agree, if it were not for the fact that the Strong’ Exhaustive Concordance deemed it fit to assign it a separate number.
Is the general meaning the same? Somewhat. This term describes a contention, a strife or a dispute. The concept of referring to a case in court may be associated with this term.
But Asaph may be going even more hardcore before the Lord, in that some translations include the phrase “your own cause”
Might Asaph be reminding God of an obvious truth, inferring that God has dropped the ball in completing His purposes? This is your cause and Your cause alone, and though we, your people are suffering, You alone can fight this cause.
Asaph must have been in tremendouse tension, after seeing the tabernacle/temple destroyed by the enemies of God, and there was seemingly no response. God was quiet, even though His people and the meeting house were crushed. He was begging God to arise, to stand up for His cause, as in a courtroom.
He did arise for the nation. He made his arguments clear and his proof before the judge irrefutable. His enemies have been shamed, and they are without a charge.
Was it in the timing Asaph desired? Not by a long shot, but even in our prayers, God still is in charge. Yes prayer changes things, and God is gracious, merciful and good to all, but His timing in answering is per His will.
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
2 Samuel 6:20-23
20 And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” 21 And David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the LORD – and I will celebrate before the LORD. 22 I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” 23 And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.
There are two types of wives. The type I got and the bad type. David had a bad one.
Mical couldn’t wait to attack the king. David was in a great mood, wanting to bless his household, and Micah comes charging out to meet him. Wow, I can just imagine her leaving her ivory tower, all prissy and proud, coming down to tell old David off!
And what was her big complaint? She got pretty specific, whining about how David uncovered himself before his servants female servants. Micah – me thinks you reveal too much!
Is that really the problem? Could she be honestly concerned with his reputation? I would suggest that if a wife comes out in public defaming her husband that it is not his honor she is concerned about. She just dishonored him in public! The king of Israel! Other kings would send her away, banish her to a lonely room ’til her death.
I suppose something else is going on here. She isn’t worried about his honor, but his attention. Follow me on this thinking.
Mical, being David’s first wife, was accustomed to competition for David’s attention. You see, after her marriage to David, he went out and acquired at least 6 more wives by the time of this conflict with David. I think her concern over David’s honor was simply a cover for a problem she was struggling with, and her mentioning David’s servants female servants may be tipping her hand. How could David’s servants female servants become an issue for Michal, other than that they were female! Her jealousy, which seems obvious was covered over by a concern for David’s honor. Nice try Michal, but the jig is up!
Peter may have been thinking of Mical when he spoke of using a cover up for evil.
1 Peter 2:16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
Of course Michal had no desire to be a servant of God, but all the more instructive for us who seek to serve God to realize that cover ups are obvious to all but ourselves. Covering for sin simply cover it over for our eyes, no one elses!
It seems the King above decided to leave her childless. David though, seemed to defend himself, and speak of the honor these female servant would freely offer the the king. Unlike his wife, who owed him honor and respect.
In this act of defiance, she showed her heart of jealousy, and became a mother to no one. So sad, for she had advantage that few women in Israel experienced, and she threw it all away because she was insecure in her relationship with her husband.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 74:20 Have regard for the covenant, for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence. Psalm 74:21 Let not the downtrodden turn back in shame; let the poor and needy praise your name.
Asaph is continuing in his lament over the destruction of the tent of meeting/sanctuary, and in this verse, he comes to a plea for God to remember His covenant with Abraham. God has made promises to the nation that seem to be failing under the watchful eye of Asaph, and he now pull the contract out, and lays it before the Lord.
Is this a move that could be interpreted as insulting, as if the Lord, the all knowing has forgotten something, even forgetting something as important as His word for His people? Is Asaph making a move that is too pushy, too “in your face” before the Lord?
I think not. It seems God relishes the faithful to remind Him of His Word, to recount of His promises to those who seek to know His will.
Isaiah 62:6-7
On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.
An amazing passage, as Isaiah is speaking of those in Jerusalem who are constantly pleading with and reminding God of His word, or His promises to the nation.
Jesus spoke also of the characteristic of the believer, describing the saint as one who never stops “bothering” God.
Luke 18:2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. Luke 18:3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ Luke 18:4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, Luke 18:5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’”
This widow was seeking justice, seeking for righteousness to be performed before a judge who cares little about the problem. How are we to interpret this story of Jesus when our Judge is ONLY concerned about justice, when our Judge is Righteousness Himself?
We could sit back, and knowing that our God is Righteous, that He is a Judge who will make things right, and rest in this fact. But the Lord speaks of His people “bothering” the Lord, pestering Him, and bringing His Word before Him, reminding Him of the relationship we have, of the promises He has graciously given, and that we trust in.
Asaph was doing what God wanted, facing an incredibly difficult time, yet finding refuge and hope in the promise of God.
May we take instruction from this saint of old, and continue to be before the Lord, reminding Him of His great promises, and thanking Him for the greatest fulfillment of His promises, Jesus our Savior!
2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
Yes – Jesus is all of it, and as we grow to know Him, we find He is the promise we can rely on, even in dark days when all is falling apart, when the very sanctuary of God seems to be in tatters. He is still the complete fulfillment of all of God’s promises for His people.
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
2 Samuel 6:16-19 16 As the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart. 17 And they brought in the ark of the LORD and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. 18 And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts 19 and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed, each to his house.
Michal, David’s first wife, the youngest daughter of Saul didn’t join David in this effort to bring the Ark of the Lord back to the center of Israel’s public life.
This effort to retrieve the Ark of the Lord appears to be of no real importance to her, for she remaining in the Kings house during this celebration. Of course, David may have instructed her to stay back, for fear of another judgement falling on some that are near the ark, but that seems highly unlikely. Her staying back, while all of Israel was joining in on the festivities and celebration seems to tell us a bit about this lady.
First, she had no desire to be involved with the God of Israel. We would do well to remember that Michal was raised in a family that was led by a man who suffered from fits of insanity. He was driven by jealousy, and at least once, resorted to the guidance of a witch. He abandoned God years before, and his life reflected that of a man out of control.
Secondly, she was better than the rest of Israel. I speak this sarcastically, in that she did not join David amongst the people of Israel. It is instructive to note that the text speaks of “the people”, “the whole multitude of Israel” and “all the people”. Also the text speaks of her looking out on the procession, and especially on David. This term often speaks of looking down, or looking out and down, or to look down on. Now it may reflect the notion that she was simply physically on a second floor, or a raised structure, but due to her inner reaction, I am seeing a self loving, privileged woman in Michal.
She had no desire to be with the God of Israel, and no desire to be amongst the “riff raff”, those ordinary people. She seemed to like being away from others.
It turns out she got what she wanted, for she died as a lonely childless woman.
David, on the other hand was in the midst of the procession, having removed his royal clothing, dancing and leaping before the Lord. After the procession had completed the safe transport of the Ark t the Temple, David offered offerings to the Lord.
I assume this is not David directly making the offerings, as this action was the sole responsibility of the priests. His part in the offerings was to supply the offerings. Nevertheless, the celebration centered on two types of offerings.
Burnt Offerings
The burnt offering is the sacrifice of a complete, unblemished male animal, totally burned on the altar. Prior to the consumption of the fire, the animal was to be skinned, with the hide given to the priests. The sacrifice represented the complete offering to God for atonement for sin, to satisfy God’s wrath, and a total surrender to the will of God.
This is a monumental action on the part of David and all of Israel, for this burnt sacrifice had not been offered for decades by the nation. To bring the Ark back into the tent meant all other actions associated with the worship of God was available to the people, and this lapse in worship by the nation needed to be confessed before the Lord.
Peace Offerings
The peace offering was an sacrifice that represented fellowship between the Lord, His priest’s and the people. The offering represented a reconciliation between the people and the Lord as they shared in the consumption of the offering. Although there were variations on the peace offering, for David to take part in this offering speaks of his understanding that the nation was in good standing with the Lord, that the sacrifice of the burnt offering had been accepted.
Out of this period of reconciliation to the Lord came a celebration of blessing on the people. Food was distributed to the people of Israel, and there was much rejoicing.
It was a fantastic day of rejoicing and reconciliation. David must have been on top of the world. But as it is with so many spiritual high times in our lives, the enemy will immediately seek to tear us down with those he can influence. And as he went home, David would have to meet up with Michal, a self loving privileged woman.
It is stories such as this one that highlight the great blessing of a family being one in worship, one in allegiance and one in dedication to the Father of the Lord Jesus.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
2 Samuel 6:12-15
12 And it was told King David, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing. 13 And when those who bore the ark of the LORD had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. 14 And David danced before the LORD with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn.
In our previous post, we saw Uzzah struck down for what seemed to be a healthy concern for the Ark. After all, it seemed he was only trying to protect the Ark from falling correct? We discussed the viewpoint of men and of God in that story, and realized that we too often default to a natural, man centered way of thinking, without considering the One who actually had given directions on how to relate to the Ark.
Yes Uzzah died, but it was an act of mercy from the Lord, and a reestablishment of the Holiness of God for a people who had ignored Him far too long. Consider my ramblings in Life of David – 37.01
For this mornings post, we are dealing with David continuing to retrieve the Ark for his capital city. After the death of Uzzah, it became increasingly apparent this Ark was not to be dealt with in a haphazard, frivolous way, and as time was needed to recover from this tragedy, and to consider options to retrieve the Ark without further deaths, David stored the Ark in the house of Obed-edom, the Gittite.
What? Who in tarnation is Obed-Edom? And what is a Gittite? Obed-edom was a Philistine, a man from the very same city as Goliath, David’s first arch enemy.
Ok, so the Israelites saw the Ark strike out at Uzzah, and then had Obed-Edom, a Philistine, store the Ark. That must have taken some serious negotiating, but Obed-edom took the Ark, and experienced three months of blessing! But Obed-edom was a dirty gentile, an enemy of the nation of Israel, and had no claim to the covenant! But he was blessed, and all the country side heard of it.
David also heard of it and was ready to try again, but this time with knowledge! David had men, presumably priests of the line of Kohath as commanded in the Law, carry the Ark, transporting the Ark to Jerusalem. A sacrifice was offered up after the first 6 steps of the priests. No death. Nothing tragic. Things appeared to be acceptable to God regarding the Ark, and it appeared David would have success!
We see in this instance a bit of the character of David, the desire and single heartedness of David in relation to his worship of God. He wore a linen ephod, not the kings robes, signifying a simplicity before the Lord on David’s part. He was not in full regal cloth, but a simple covering, signifying his standing before the Lord.
He also danced with fervor before the Ark, acknowledging the mercy of God in the work of bringing the Ark to Jerusalem. As a matter of fact, the entire nation joined in the celebration.
The nation was on the right path again, and God was being honored. Good times were coming to the nation, and the king would continue to be established in his kingdom. Yes – nothing could go wrong now! Every step of the Kohathite priest’s coming closer to Jerusalem meant more and more power for the king. Even as the Ark was approaching, the excitement was growing, but I need to ask a final question.
Why did the Ark need to be in Jerusalem?
Had there been instruction from Moses, or any prophet of God, as to the resting place for the Ark. I have always assumed it was to be in Jerusalem, but have had no success in finding that direction in the Word. Was God, in the representation of the Ark, happy to be with His people in the countryside? If Obed-edom taught us anything, it seems God was pleased to reside with a dirty gentile Philistine. Amazing! Do we sense that God “just couldn’t wait” to settle into Jerusalem? Who was driving this transporting of the Ark? God or David?
It seems that as a people of God, we want to control God, and want to isolate Him to a location, even to a building. Of course, for the Israelites, this was a temptation too easy to accept, since the Ark rightfully was the focus point for the nation of Israel to relate to. Yes, the Ark was central in the worship of God for the nation, yet for hundreds of years it had been in the wilderness, and prior to that, had been used as a lucky talisman to win a battle against the Philistines. That didn’t turn out to well!
David was seeking to honor God in his life as the king, and in doing so, the nation would be lifted to heights it had never experienced. But the nation may never quite get past the thought that the Ark was God.
We too may fall into the same trap of thinking that God is somehow restricted to a region, even a building. We tend to behave better when in certain buildings, thinking that God “resides” there. Let us remember that God is the God who is always present, with us in the darkest of days, with us as we go to work and with us as we lay our head down at night. With us as we remember Him, and with us as we forget Him.
The God whom the Israelites worshipped was a God who communicated to them through the Ark at specific times, and was represented by the Ark for times of worship, but their God was much more than the golden box that was called the Ark. And understanding the human hearts penchant for idol worship, the Ark was never intended to be an object to be worshipped!
The Ark represented a God that was far greater than they (or we) can understand. Even today, as believers who confess the omnipresence of our God, we tend to restrict Him to a building down the road, a building with chairs and a pulpit.
Let’s not get confused. The building is nothing. It is God who we are to worship, even as we go to work, or lay our head down for the night.
He is God, and we adore Him.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
2 Samuel 6:5-15 5 And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. 6 And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. 8 And David was angry because the LORD had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. 9 And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the LORD come to me?” 10 So David was not willing to take the ark of the LORD into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 11 And the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household.
A famous story of God supposedly killing a servant whose heart was right. After all, was not Uzzah simply trying to protect the Ark from falling? He was doing right, was he not? This story is one that unbelievers like to refer to, claiming God is a meany. I think they may not understand the story very well.
In our last post on the Life of David, we saw that the Ark had been with the house of Abinadab for years, even decades. Abinadab’s sons, Ahio and Uzzah had lived around the ark for possibly their entire lives. In their minds, this Ark may have become common, ordinary, of no special purpose, even a relic of days long gone, stored away and forgotten.
But now the new king has come to get the Ark. Everything was going as planned. All the people of Israel were celebrating and having a great time. The king was celebrating. Everyone was in high spirits!
Well, most everyone. One small issue would snowball into this tragic event of Uzzah falling before the God of the Ark of the Covenant. The issue that snowballed into tragedy was the fact that no one considered God’s will for the transporting of the Ark of His Presence.
So what is the harm of transporting the Ark on a wagon? The Ark was to be carried by men, using special poles slid through rings attached to the side of the Ark. The Ark was to be carried by men, but not just anyone, but men of the family of Kohath, a priestly family designated to perform this task. And the Ark was to never be touched!
How was the Ark transported in this story? On a wagon, bulled by oxen. The Ark on a wagon? Pulled by oxen? Where did that idea come from? It seems those who knew not the Lord – the Philistines – had provided the example. Seems the Israelites were paying attention to the wrong teachers!
It may seem strange to think of these regulations as important, but the Ark was God’s Ark. It was His Ark and His will for the treatment of the Ark were to be obeyed. The Israelites were not to copy the Philistines manner of transporting the Ark.
These folk should have known better!
It was just a matter of time before the Ark moved, for the trail to Jerusalem was over rugged terrain. Uzzah saw the Ark move, grabbed/touched it to “protect” it, and died. Good intentions? Possibly? But lets consider this situation from God’s point of view. I think we should consider the mercy and patience of God in this story.
First off, some questions. How did the Ark get on the wagon? Was it always on the wagon? Was the Ark on the same wagon it had been delivered on? As the people of God, had anyone considered the will of God in the transporting of the Ark?
I mentioned the patience of God in this story, only due to the amount of traveling the Ark endured prior to this judgement. At the very beginning of this story, way back when the Philistines returned the Ark, we find an indifference in the people of God. Consider the people of God had not only stored the Ark somewhere – obviously not the tabernacle – that the Ark had been ignored for decades, and that the Ark was now being jostled about on a “man approved” method of moving. Consider the patience of Almighty God in allowing this unrestrained indifference!
When Uzzah touched it, a specific individual would die for a specific well defined act of disobedience. If the nation had known the will of God this would not have had to happen. And note the kindness of the Lord in that the nation in their general disregard for the Ark survived. Only one individual died, and his death reminded the nation the Ark had an Owner. Dang it, the nation had an Owner and the Owner needed some waking up of His people!
And once Uzzah died, the nation woke up!
This tragedy of Uzzah’s death reestablished the Holiness of God in the minds of the nation, and especially in the mind of King David.
The eternal God is holy. It is for our benefit that we understand His has standards. Granted, it is difficult to understand some portions of the will of God.
Some portions of the will of God are very clear! For specific disobedience against the will of God, (whether we understand that specific will of God or not), judgement will fall, and may be fatal, instant and appear harsh. Harsh, if we do not consider God and His purposes in the situation.
As a nation, our indifference to the will of God is evident all around. No that is a wrong statement. We had indifference to the will of God decades ago. It is no longer indifference. We are now in a nation of defiance against the will of God.
May God have mercy in His waking us up.
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 74:18 Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs, and a foolish people reviles your name. Psalm 74:19 Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild beasts; do not forget the life of your poor forever.
It has been too long since I have spent a few moments in the Psalms for this blog. I have been busy with a new series regarding prayer, and have enjoyed bringing the answered prayers to my mind, to think on the many ways our Lord has delivered a poor ol fella like me.
But I must not abandon the Psalms, for everytime I enter these pages of the Word, I come away refreshed, challenged and comforted in the knowledge of a saint going before me, expressing his deep heart for us to meditate on.
For our passage this morning, consider the context of the psalm, a psalm that speaks of the desecration of the temple/tabernacle and the sense of loss experienced by the author. It is the complete loss of the center of the Jewish faith, the core identifying building for the Israelite and the physical location of all the priestly activity to approach the most Holy God!
Our author is pleading with our God regarding the reproachment of the name of God. It is the loss of the tabernacle that is effecting the saint, yet his greater concern is how this desecration of the temple impacts the honor of the Lord.
Scoffing and reviling of the name of the Lord. This is the burden of the saint, the revulsion each saint experiences as he gets closer to God and yet lives in this old sinful world. And as we become sensitive to this scoffing and reviling, are we to lash out, to defend the name by attacking our assailants, our spiritual enemies?
Consider the psalmist’s next phrase, where he refers to the life of God’s turtledove. The psalmist begs that the wild beast, likened to the ones who destroyed the temple, not have the opportunity to destroy the turtledove.
Now what is this old saint speaking of? To think of a dove is to think of a harmless animal, a defenseless bird that is often used in the context of peace. In verse 19, the psalmist describes this turtledove in the second phrase as “God’s poor”.
Both the dove and the poor are perfect pictures of the helpless, those who cannot defend themselves. They are at the mercy of the enemy, and the saint is begging that God spare them from the enemy, the ones who desecrate and destroy.
Two things to consider.
Is not the God we worship the God who is for the orphan and the widow? He protects those that are the weakest in our society. Are we not also called to do the same? Are we not, in our following of the Messiah, to mimic the nature of God and provide a protection for those most needy in this?
Secondly, if God is the protector of the helpless, and He surely is, then how is it that the most peaceful of all was torn apart on the whipping post, nailed to a cruel tree and left to die a horibble death.
The very character of our Holy and Caring God was denied in the crucifixion, when the Father of the widows and orphans turned His face from His very own Son.
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
How can the heart of a Father turn from His Son? He not only turned away, but the Word speaks of the Father crushing Him, the fairest of the fair, the most peaceful of the turtledoves.
The suffering on the cross was beyond understanding. There was abundant suffering in the heavens also, for the heart of the Father was broken, having let the turtledove be crushed by the enemies of the sanctuary.
Such is the mystery of the love we live in, the love we exist in and are enveloped in. He is beyond description, both Father and Son, and the Spirit of grace that speaks far greater things than this.
May we be listening, learning and living the kind of life that pleases our Father and His Son.
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
2 Samuel 6:1-4 1 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the LORD of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. 3 And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, 4 with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark.
David was in the midst of gaining authority over the nation, having been inaugurated in Hebron/Judah, and eventually being lifted up to the throne of a united Israel. His military prowess was displayed in routing the Jebushites out of the City of David (Jerusalem) and he sho’ nuff put the hurt to the Philistines – twice!
On the way to the throne though, he had suffered for years, having lost his family, loved ones, nation and homeland. Early in his life, even as a teenager, at his initial inauguration under the hand on Samuel, his future looked bright, full of hope and expectation. Little did he know he just acquired a target on his back, and would be on the run for over a decade. Many a man who had went through the injustices he went through may turn bitter, or angry at the trials he went through.
David did not.
David may have slipped into some difficult times, especially when he became a mercenary for the Philistines, even deceiving the king who was protecting him. But David did not remain in his rebellion. He realized that throughout all the trials his God had protected him, even though it appeared at times that he was moments from death. His descriptions of his impending doom are recorded in numerous places in the psalms. Psalm 18 is just one example.
Psalm 18:4-5 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me; the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
No – David did not remain hardened to the experience of his early years, but sought to honor the God who rescued him from all his dangers.
There was only one thing for him to do. Bring the ark to Jerusalem.
I understand David was seeking to honor the Lord, yet throughout the history of the nation, the ark had been in a temporary, highly mobile “tent”. I can not find any instructions from the Lord as to a desired final resting spot for the ark of the covenant. It appears that God’s presence amongst His people was the intent. (It always has been.)
David sought the ark for His capital city, and to think of this from a political viewpoint, it makes sense for him to do this. So David takes three thousand men to a the home of Abinadab, a man who had two sons, and was in possession of the ark. It turns our Abinadab had the ark since the Philistines had sent it back to Israel on a cart. You remember that time, when the Philistines were struck with tumors in each of the cities the ark was taken to within their nation.
Eventually, they had had enough and sent it back on a cart, pulled by two young ox. For a little background on this story, refer to Simple Thoughts – 1 Samuel 6.
Given this history, David and his men (or possibly Abinadab and his family) though it best to transport the ark in the same manner the Philistines had. After all, it worked for the Philistines!
Yet the Word gives instruction on the manner of transporting the Ark, along with the penalty for touching the ark.
Exodus 25:13-14 You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them.
Numbers 4:15 And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry.
The Ark is to be transported only by a special class of priests, the sons of Kohath, and only by using poles covered in gold. The ark was not to be touched!
It seems that when the judgement fell on Uzzah, as we will see in our next post, the men of Israel decided to carry the ark in the prescribed manner. I assume this severe judgement on Uzzah, drove the men of Israel to “check the instructions” on how to transport the ark!
But for now, in this passage, we see two brothers, Ahio and Uzzah, who had been around the ark for most, if not all their lives. Someone decided to use a method of transport that made sense to them, due to their understanding of a traditional story or by their own experience, to transport the Ark to Jerusalem. The method? Use a cart pulled by oxen, traversing over fairly rugged terrain, up to Jerusalem. Yes it was a method they had heard of, and it seemed to make sense. Both the moving of the ark to Jerusalem, and the way it was moved seemed to make sense to those in this story.
We will see in the following post that actions that seem to make sense and actions that follow God’s instructions are not the same.
This story teaches us of how important it is for us to know His will in our lives, and to act in the way that pleases Him. Uzzah is about to find out that certain actions, whether he knew or not, will instantly deliver judgement!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.
Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.
22 And the Philistines came up yet again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. 23 And when David inquired of the LORD, he said, “You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees. 24 And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the LORD has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.” 25 And David did as the LORD commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.
You gotta hand it to the Philistines. They were suckers for punishment!
Didn’t they just come up on the valley of Rephaim to take on this new king of Israel? Did they not just become defeated, quite decisively buy this new king of Israel?
How did David describe the previous victory of the Philistines?
2 Samuel 5:20…The LORD has broken through my enemies before me like a breaking flood.
A breaking flood is not the description of a non decisive battle, but of a complete domination over another army.
And yet here they are again!
But the amazing thing about this passage, and that which I want to dwell on, is that though David found great success in his previous battle with the Philistines, he wasn’t about to simply repeat the method he was successful at earlier.
He saw the same scenario developing, the same enemy approaching the same battleground geography, and the same potential outcome if he simply attacked as before. Sure the Philistines may be better prepared for them but David could claim the earlier direction from the Lord as still being relevant, still applicable!
But he didn’t! He went to the Lord for fresh orders.
At this time in his kingdom, he didn’t rely on old orders or human assumptions. And because he sought the wisdom of the Lord in fighting the Lord’s battles, he found success.
Success that included an extended victory, all the way from Geba to Gezer.
As we considered the first battle, it was a quick and decisive strike against the Philistines. A show of superiority force against the power of a neighboring nation.
With this battle, strategy came into play, with a rear attack timed perfectly with the help of the Lord, removing any possible conventional escape plans the enemy may have had. Not only no escape, but David did not simply break through and disperse the Philistines this time. No – he chased them from Geba to Gibeon, a distance of over 12 miles!
David and his men accomplished a decisive and prolonged victory over the Philistines in this battle. This battle set the tone for David’s domination over the Philistines, eventually bringing the 5 major cities (Gaza, Gath, Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Ekron) of the Philistines under his control.
David was on the path to becoming a world power, and would bring Israel to her greatest political and military influence over the region. His desire to know and do the commands of the Lord for each situation and challenge he faced brought about this ascendency over the region.
We too are to be listening for the voice of the Lord for His direction, even asking for His leading. And as David was told to go around behind, requiring much additional effort on his part, and to be patient in the waiting for the “the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees”, we too may expect some of the guidance of the Lord to be unexpected and require additional effort.
I suppose that is part of the calling of the believer!
Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.
Considering the Bible 