QT 26 Dec 13, Don't wait to do good, seek it out

2 Sam 9:1, 6-8 (ESV) And David said, "Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" . . . 6 And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, "Mephibosheth!" And he answered, "Behold, I am your servant." 7 And David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always." 8 And he paid homage and said, "What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?"

NOTE: What stands out in this passage is that David sought out good to do. He did not sit back and simply respond to life by doing good, as he ought, but took an active interest in doing what was right. Mephibosheth is lame because his nurse either dropped him or he fell because of the haste in such a way as to damage his feet. The response of Mephibosheth suggests he is much older at this point in the story. David's recognition of him suggests he was older than a baby when he fell, since David would hardly remember Jonathan's baby. So, it is not completely impossible to suggest that this story occurs much earlier in David's reign than is suggested by the placement in 2 Samuel. Additionally, Jewish literature placed thematic position more important than chronology. But whenever it occurred, it shows David actively looking to do good.

I fail at this. I wait for events to occur and then seek to do the right thing--which is certainly a good thing. But a better example is to actively look and search for things that I can do that would bring good to others. I think the keys are asking the right questions and having an observant attitude.

QT 23 Dec 13, Live in Rightness

2 Sam 8:14b-15 (ESV) … And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.

15 So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people.

NOTE: This verse summarizes a long discussion of battles and victories in chapter 8. Israel was the powerhouse of the region during the 80 year reign of David and Solomon. In part it was in fulfillment of God's promises, but it was also because David did what was right and just. Ultimately, our greatest need politically is for justice. The word for justice is mishpat which is from a root word for verdict, and is abstractly, justice or a participant's right or privilege. The word for equity is tsedaqah is rightness or righteousness (in a case or cause). It is also part of Melchizedek's name, translated king of righteousness. The first occurrence (not including its use in Melchizedk) in scripture is Gen 15:6 where God, on account of Abrams' faith, credits him with tsedaqah, righteousness. This is the 14th of 157 uses in the OT, most of which occur in the Psalms, Proverbs and major prophets. So what does it mean for me? God will give me opportunities again in life to lead people and even when I'm not leading people, I need to exercise rightness in my actions. I need to treat people equally and fairly. I need to avoid favoritism or even disliking someone because he/she is dislikeable. I want to be different and live differently.

QT 20 Dec 13, Secret is to be a person after God's own heart

2 Sam 7:18-29 (ESV) 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. 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. 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."

NOTE: David is overjoyed (verse 29); He feels unworthy (verse 18); He feels both insignificant (verse 18) and significant (verse 19); He is almost speechless (verse 20), and yet full of speech (verse 27b); He is floored (verse 21); He is honest as he shares his feelings to God. And what has David done to reach this pinnacle? Nothing. Well, he does love God and he does care for people. He does try to the right thing. He tries to show justice. He doesn't take things into his own hand that are not his, but waits upon God. But the most important thing, according to the scriptures is that he was a man after God's heart. He wanted to know God, love God, and please God with his life.

In order to a person after God's heart, we need to do two things. One, we need to fight our sin nature and its natural selfishness. To do that we need to transform our thinking. We need our bodies washed. We need to be so saturated in God's word that it weeps through our pores. Secondly and somewhat related to the first, we need to put a priority on our relationship with God. It must come first. It must be important. It must take precedence. It is not an afterthought but the first-thought. If we live this way, then God is truly the desire of our heart. And it will change the way we treat and interact with others. We will truly represent Jesus to others when the word of God and the Holy Spirit have transformed our old self.

QT 19 Dec 13, Lives exalt God, not buildings

2 Sam 7:8-16 (ESV) 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, 11  from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. 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.'"

NOTE: This is properly called the Davidic covenant. It follows David's desire to build a house for God's name (7:13). It is a lofty promise to a man who made his share of errors. David was not perfect, but his heart was to do the right thing. He fails in a multitude of ways, but he succeeds in many more. The Davidic covenant is by grace but it is initiated on the basis of works, works of the heart. David desires something to do for God, to exalt him, to show him praise. David lives in a house of cedar (luxury) and God's name dwells in a tent (7:2). Actually, God's dwelling is the universe, and nothing can capture the grandeur of God's tent. It is unfathomable in size and awesome in beauty--even more so as telescopes show us more and more of the heavens. God doesn't need David to exalt him, but God is pleased that David wants to exalt him. David's whole tenor of life, humility and honesty, have honored God, and now God honors David. Because really, David can do nothing to honor God with a building, but in the eyes of people, there is nothing greater than a life lived to please God--that is what honors God.

That is what I desire-to live in a manner that exalts God. I have a new opportunity in a new job to do that very thing. I look forward to the new year and how my life can exalt my savior.

QT 17 Dec 13, Leadership is an honor and a responsibility, not a right

2 Sam 6:12-13 (ESV) 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.

…

2 Sam 6:20-22 (ESV) 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 make merry 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."

NOTE: David had learned his lesson. The ark is now carried (vs. 13) as required by the Law. The rejoicing and sacrificing was not required but neither was it disallowed. It was an exciting time for David. It was a fulfillment of many dreams. Jerusalem was the new capital; there was peace and prosperity in the kingdom; God's promises of his kingship were fulfilled; and now the tabernacle resided in the capital city--making it also a worship center for the whole kingdom. In the midst of all the joy, Michal's words must have stung. Her reaction is both bitter and jealous. Her words suggest class distinction. She placed herself above the common people. David placed himself with the common people. And he was even more convinced that was the place where he should be as the king. His position never placed himself over others--he remembered his roots and he also knew, that God gave him the position, not because he was better, but because he was chosen. And having been lifted up by God, he could be brought down by God at any time. Jesus said it even more clearly, that we are called to be servant-leaders, which is unlike the model of the world. Lord, help me to never think of myself as higher or more important than others.

QT 16 Dec 13, Wise counsel can prevent disasters

2 Sam 6:1-9 (ESV) 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.

5 And David and all the house of Israel were making merry 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 burst forth 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?"

NOTE: God's response seems harsh but there is much to learn from this passage. First, Uzzah, as a Levite (very probable from the context), should have known better. Num 4:15 makes it clear that only the Priests could touch the holy things and anyone else would die. There were specific rules for moving the Ark, it had to be carried, not put on a wagon with ox pulling it, as the Philistines had done. Why the Israelites chose the Philistine method versus God's word is lost on me. Their fear of God and reverence for his holiness was lacking. The death of Uzzah, warned by scripture, clearly changes everything, especially David's attitude toward God. Even the idea of bringing up the ark seems to come out of nowhere. There is no indication that God wanted it moved. David probably had good reasons for bringing it up to Jerusalem, but there is no indication that he sought God's leading. He does place importance to the event by bringing up 30,000 men for an event that only took a few dozen, possibly a hundred Levites (to include Priests) at most, but it was not researched, and he does not appear to have sought counsel. The result is another one of David's internal failures. He does well in battle, but decisions and choices within the kingdom do not always go well. One possibility is that in battle, David relied upon others, his commanders and the soldiers--David knew that he could not win wars by himself. But as king, he seems to make decisions by himself, without the input of godly counsel. He lacks wisdom in ruling, but exercises it well in battle. Maybe that is why Solomon asked for wisdom in ruling--for all of his father's strength, and his great heart, he did not use counsel well. Solomon's son Rehoboam would use another approach--he would look for counsel from multiple sources but then pick the one he wanted to hear, not the one that was actually the wisest choice. As a result, Rehoboam would split the kingdom into two. The application is to seek wise counsel and not to try to make decisions by ourselves.

QT 13 Dec 13, Public victories can be ruined by the private defeats

2 Sam 5:17-21 (ESV) 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. 18 Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. 19 And David inquired of the Lord, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?" And the Lord said to David, "Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand." 20 And David came to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. And he said, "The Lord has burst through my enemies before me like a bursting flood." Therefore the name of that place is called Baal-perazim.  21 And the Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.

NOTE: The phrase "carried away" could also be translated burn (in the idea: to lift or take). 1 Chron 14 .11 describes the same event but uses a more common word, to set on fire. Deut 7:25 commands Israel to burn a capture idol. And so, in contrast to Saul's foray against where he brings the ark, in imitation of the nations around him, David attacks and destroys the gods of those who bring their gods to attack Israel. He has a major victory here, at Baal-perasim, "the Lord breaking through." And he follows it up with a campaign that strikes down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer. And so begins a period of time where Israel is successful in battle against every enemy. There are no defeats, only victories. But defeats do come. The defeats would come internally as David allows himself to get caught in sexual sin. Eventually, it would affect his children and in turn, the nation itself. It is a great start and David is, for the most part, a great example. But his sin probably begins with his multiple wives, and continues with his unchecked lust. The strength of David is that, when he was rebuked, he accepted the rebuke. He did not put himself above God's law. He accepted and took responsibility for his sin. Maybe that is why he had so much difficulty when some of his sons rose up against him, because he blamed himself for their rebellion. Suffering rebellion was a form of penance against himself.

We need to take action against our sins, especially our secret sins. Yes, we are forgiven, but we serve a holy God and we must not be complacent with our nagging struggles. Our sins do affect others around us. The reminder is to repent, and to burn, and to return to our God.

QT 12 Dec 13, Great leadership is Just

2 Sam 4:7-12 (ESV) When they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and put him to death and beheaded him. They took his head and went by the way of the Arabah all night, 8 and brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron. And they said to the king, "Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life. The Lord has avenged my lord the king this day on Saul and on his offspring." 9 But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, "As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity, 10  when one told me, 'Behold, Saul is dead,' and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. 11 How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and destroy you from the earth?" 12 And David commanded his young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet and hanged them beside the pool at Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner at Hebron.

NOTE: Again and again, men do a poor job of reading David. They apply a human standard as the likely measure of David's reaction and the result is that they misjudge him. David had a relationship with God and while it did not prevent him from some stupid decisions, it did affect his life in a positive sense. David was more interested in doing the right thing and treating people in the right way, than getting revenge or consolidating his power. He realized that God was his avenger, and God was the power behind the throne. He saw through the deception in men, and for the most part dealt with evil men as they deserved (with the possible exception of Joab, although we don't know the whole story). He had done the same thing once before with regards to the news of Saul's death. Men could have reported a death in battle and there would be no consequence, but murder was wrong. David displays one of the fine aspects of a great leader, justice. He deals with people in a way that is right. When justice reigns, there is peace. When injustice exists, there is insecurity and evil. David sets the tone from the beginning, even when he might be the beneficiary of injustice, he stamps it out. As a result, most people will think twice about killing an enemy of David without sufficient cause. So, David's power might suffer, but he believed God gave him his power, not men. So too, I must remain a man of justice even if I might gain by the unjust action. Dishonest gain is wrong. God, help me to have open eyes so that I am not fooled by folly.

QT 11 Dec 13, Do not turn a blind eye to morality to speed things up

2 Sam 3:23-28 (ESV) When Joab and all the army that was with him came, it was told Joab, "Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has let him go, and he has gone in peace." 24 Then Joab went to the king and said, "What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why is it that you have sent him away, so that he is gone? 25 You know that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing."

26 When Joab came out from David's presence, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern of Sirah. But David did not know about it. 27 And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the stomach, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother. 28 Afterward, when David heard of it, he said, "I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the Lord for the blood of Abner the son of Ner.

NOTE: The bible accurately records the events as they happen, but most of the time, at least in the histories, does not offer much commentary. In this case, Joab argues that Abner's truce was merely a pretense for intelligence (vs 25), although earlier passages give cause (losing the war, dispute with Ish-bosheth, and his conversations with the elders of Israel who wanted David to be king). Some commentary is offered for the death of Abner--that Joab did it to avenge the blood of Asahel, his brother. This is murder and while David recognizes it as wrong, he does not actively discipline Joab. He (Joab) was probably the de-facto Army commander at the time, and so, maybe David did not feel his position as king was secure enough to dismiss such a powerful leader. But that would mean that David also failed. He did not trust God enough to risk losing the kingdom in order to bring justice. In the next passage, David goes to a great deal of mourning and publicly praising Abner to mollify any concern that he was complicit in Abner's death. While it was probably murder, Abner's actions in rebelling against the Lord's anointed were also wrong. And while he held considerable power as a king maker, that did not justify deliberations with him. Abner stood opposed to David's rule and now he was actively undermining Ish-bosheth's rule. He was a weasel trying to play on the winning side. David and Joab were both wrong in both of their responses. The right actions would have been justice, a trial for Abner, and no secret negotiations. Let God bring about the results in his time and place. This is not a hard rule though. In this case waiting was good because the opposite of waiting meant cavorting with an enemy who had opposed God's will. Maybe if Abner had repented in a true manner, it might have been better. But none of that is discussed in the text. Another approach would have been started discussions directly with Ish-bosheth. If we have to turn a blind eye to morality to speed something along, then waiting is the better approach. If it is not a moral issue, then waiting is a personal choice between the person and God.

QT 10 Dec 13, Where do we fight against God's will?

2 Sam 3:6-12 (ESV) While there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul. 7 Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ish-bosheth said to Abner, "Why have you gone in to my father's concubine?" 8 Then Abner was very angry over the words of Ish-bosheth and said, "Am I a dog's head of Judah? To this day I keep showing steadfast love to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not given you into the hand of David. And yet you charge me today with a fault concerning a woman. 9  God do so to Abner and more also, if I do not accomplish for David what the Lord has sworn to him, 10 to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba." 11 And Ish-bosheth could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.

12 And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, "To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring over all Israel to you."

NOTE: Abner was the one who put Ish-bosheth (henceforth, Ish) on the throne, and without Abner, Ish would be nothing. Of course, Abner gained too. With Ish, a legitimate heir to the throne, Abner retained his power and position. Without Ish, Abner may not have done as well in an Army with most of the leaders coming from Judah and David's band of men. But Ish's real problem is that he was not the legitimate rule and Abner was wrong to perpetuate a lie. He knew David was the true ruler as evidenced by verse 9. Ish's rule is almost like a puppet. When he rebukes his commander, his commander rails back at him. His fear is justifiable since the whole structure is but a house of cards. When Abner leaves, everything will fall apart. And apparently a failing war and a rebuke from a puppet-king causes Abner's loyalty to falter. Abner begins a behind-the-scenes effort to give the kingdom to David. Abner will die because of Joab's treachery, but Abner's action are hardly self-less. The correct course of action should have been to accept David's rule immediately, rather than to have spent seven years fighting against David.

So what are the things that I fight against? What are the areas that I refuse to give up? Where am I being foolish?

QT 9 Dec 13, Disunity among brothers is strange

2 Sam 2:19-23 (ESV) And Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he turned neither to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner. 20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, "Is it you, Asahel?" And he answered, "It is I." 21 Abner said to him, "Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and seize one of the young men and take his spoil." But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. 22 And Abner said again to Asahel, "Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?" 23 But he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died where he was. And all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.

NOTE: This story is similar to stories from the civil war, where many of the generals on both sides knew each other from school (West Point), or from previous assignments together as young officers. It is one thing to fight against an enemy you do not know, but quite different to fight against your fellow brothers. Still, the tribes will separate again in about 80 years thanks to Rehoboam's  folly (1 Kings 12). So, the concept of tribes did not create a natural unity among the people. In fact, differences in natural connections seem to naturally create disunity. People must rise above their sinful selves to see a higher good. As a church, we are the body of Christ. We have a natural unity. We have the Holy Spirit who can help us see beyond our sinful selves. And yet, we still see disunity in the church. Why? I think it must be our immaturity in Christ which ultimately causes disunity. A mature believer would only raise a ruckus if the issue was of such an important nature as to impinge the gospel message or sound doctrine. I suppose, there would be disagreement over what is sound doctrine, but I think most churches do a good job of defining the "things we believe" in their charters. And if an issue arises which is not part of the charter, the mature believer should not cause disunity with the issue. He can approach leadership; he can lay out a case to the leaders; he can ignore the issue; and / or he can find another local body if the issue is not satisfactorily  answered. The last thing he needs to do is to cause brother against brother fighting. It is not natural and it is not right.

QT 5 Dec 13, Make God a part of every major step

2 Sam 2:1-4a (ESV) After this David inquired of the Lord, "Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?" And the Lord said to him, "Go up." David said, "To which shall I go up?" And he said, "To Hebron." 2 So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3 And David brought up his men who were with him, everyone with his household, and they lived in the towns of Hebron. 4 And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.

NOTE: David knows that now is the time for the fulfillment of the promise. He is probably confident of Judah's acceptance of him as king but not as sure about the rest of Israel. As it is, it will be seven years before the rest of Israel will accept him as king. But it is exciting, to be back in the homeland; to not be running; to see his greatest desire of late (to go home) fulfilled. And it comes on the heels of a horrible event, the theft of the families and the destruction of their homes. Now, all of that pain over the last week must seem distant. Now, they are really going home. But still, David waits and asks God first. What a good example--prayer before every new step, even when it would seem so obvious. The principle alone is worthy of imitation. Before every step, to stop and give those steps to God in prayer. How much time does it take to make God a part of every major move of your life? A minute or two--it hardly compares to what God did for us.

QT 3 Dec 13, Honor ceremonies for the sake of others

1 Sam 31:1, 4, 6, 8, 11-12 (ESV) Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. . . . 4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me." But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. . . . 6 Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. . . . 8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. . . . 11 But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there.

NOTE: The Philistines defeat Israel; the people flee the cities near the border; many are killed; Saul, Jonathan, and Saul's two other sons are killed as well. Finally, their bodies are publicly displayed (Saul headless) nailed to a wall in Beth-shan. Saul's first public act was to rescue the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead. Now, they show great honor and courage by recovering the bodies. This city was on the other side of the Jordan, and yet they are the ones who choose to risk their lives for the honor of Saul's name. Later David would also publicly honor them for their selfless act. It seems like such a small thing. After all, Saul and his sons were dead. What difference does an empty shell of a body make? But it was a sign of respect for Saul and for the office. One might disagree with the leader on numerous accounts, but the office is still honored.

So how do we apply this? As a believer in eternal life, it is easy to be jaded toward funerals or ceremonies, and yet these events have special meaning to those who attend. They are a time of great emotional distress, maybe even release. They are to be honored. A dead body might be a shell, but it still represents a person who lived, and a person who was loved by someone in life, and if not by anyone, then loved still by God (… for God so loved the world that he gave his only son …). Ceremonies are important to others and for that reason should be treated with dignity and respect.

QT 2 Dec 13, We need to be generous to those around us

1 Sam 30:26-31 (ESV) When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, "Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord." 27 It was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in Jattir, 28 in Aroer, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa, 29 in Racal, in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, in the cities of the Kenites, 30 in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach, 31 in Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed.

NOTE: There are a lot of ways to interpret this, but good hermeneutics would remind us of a few things. One, this is a historically accurate account of what happened, that is, what one individual did. There is no moral commentary on the verse, nor is there any teaching that this is a good biblical principle. It is what it is. Secondly, which reiterates part of the first point, there is no commentary to suggest that what David did was wrong. In fact there are two different ways to view David's motives. In one case, he deceitfully was trying to gain influence in Judah through financial gifts. In another case, David was a generous man who shared the spoil with many who had helped him over the years. At this point, it is not clear that he has received word of what happened in the battle between the Philistines and the Israelites, or even if the battle had yet engaged. His week-long foray does not imply any sort of knowledge. Also, at other times, the two armies would sit facing each other for days on end--with the best example being the 40 days with Goliath. Another case is when Jonathan individually started a rout. Still, I'm sure the gifts were useful and helped to make the people of Judah even more fond of David, but were not an example of David seizing a moment to life himself up.

Jesus himself tells us to use our wealth to make friends in the world. Jesus' purpose is for the spread of the gospel. Generosity is a Christian trait. It is seen in the world but it ought to be most evident in believers. As I start a new job, I must remember to take advantages of opportunities to be generous as part of my witness to others.