David's Celebration

David is mentioned more times in the Old Testament than any other person. More than 1,100 times. Much more than Moses, than Elijah, than Saul - than any other human. Why is that? David was far from perfect. He sinned against God and man when he had Bathsheba's husband killed so he could claim her for himself. And that's just one example.

He was a fallen, sinful person, guilty of murder, treachery, and corruption. But - and this is a big but - he was a man after God's own heart. (See both 1 Samuel 17 and Acts 13). In today's passages, we see that David returns the Ark of God to a central place in the life of Israel, and he and his followers - 30,000 of Israel's finest young men - have a parade of thanks, of joyfulness, and celebration to honor the ark. David's joy is boundless: "They were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymblals" (2 Samuel 6:5; see also Psalm 150).

And what is in the ark? Is there a graven image of God? Are there priceless relics? No. The Word of God is in the ark. God's word MUST be central to our faith. God speaks truth to us through his word. He guides us, protects us, convicts us, comforts us, through his Word. Have you celebrated God's word lately? Would your celebration look like David's and his men? Or would it be more circumspect?

I confess that a celebration like the one described in 2 Samuel 6 and in Psalm 150 seems more like how we celebrate when the Buckeyes win the National Championship. Oh, Lord, that I would celebrate your word and your power with such joy and abandon! Help us, Lord, to see the centrality of your Word in our lives, and to act with joy and gladness and thanks for your many blessings. Amen.

Taste and See - the Lord is Good!

Psalm 34

I have always loved this psalm, but today as I did some 'Bible-study research' on it, I learned some new things.  And, while I still love it, I am seeing it through fresh eyes - thanks be to God that His word is new every day.

Did you know that David wrote Psalm 34 after he faked being insane in order to escape from evil King Abimelech?  I Samuel 21;10-15.  So, let me get this straight:  David is fleeing from the wrath of King Saul, who wants to kill him.  This other king, Abimelech or Ashich - apparently he went by different names - also hates David.  So in this king's presence, David pretends to be insane - foams at the mouth and makes incomprehensible marks on the city's gates. The king sends him away in disgust.

And then he writes Psalm 34, including verses like this:

Glorify the LORD with me, let us exalt his name together.  (v. 3)
I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears (v. 4).

He doesn't pat himself on the back and say, nice acting job, David - Ashich fell for your ruse.  Instead, he  gives all the glory and all the credit to the Lord.

David was afraid of King Ashich.  Samuel doesn't tell us that he called on the Lord in the midst of his fear, but we can assume that he did as we read through Psalm 34.  He calls on his followers to praise God as well:

Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who takes refuge in him (v. 8).

God is good.  David knew that firsthand.  He delivered David from his enemy.

What are you afraid of?  Do you think God can help?  Or is your God too small?  Count the ways he has delivered you in the past.  Thank him for his goodness.  And be bold - your God wants you to taste and see that He is good!

Lord, it's after Thanksgiving.  The turkey is eaten, the relatives have dispersed.  Life will soon be back to 'normal.'  Help me to face my fears, and to count on you to deliver me from all my fears.  Amen

Tell it to a Friend

If you peeked at my journal entries over the past 6 years you would notice how my whining and bartering sounds an awful lot like the pleas of King David's in Psalm 13. How long Lord? When will it get better? How much more do I have to endure? 

Psalm 13:3 (NIV) 

Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

I wonder if King David found as much comfort when he wrote down his worries and concerns as I do when I write in my journal each morning. Sometimes I sound like a broken record, but I know God understands.

David had a wonderful friendship with Jonathon, King Saul's son. That relationship is an example to all of us. Good friends like this are people we can confide in when we need a sounding board, when we need someone to steer us in a different direction. It is wise and helpful to have that ‘someone’ in our life who knows us and wants only what is best. They will listen and love and laugh with us.

Sometimes all we need to do is talk a problem over with a friend, That is what my journal writing practice is for me; talking it over with a friend. What a friend we have in Jesus. He will listen, speak to my heart or point me to a person I need to share with, listening to my friends, sometimes sharing and other times learning from them. 

Jesus,

Sometimes when we feel the burden of life closing in, sensing that it just isn't fair, give me someone to talk with. If that someone is you, open my ears to hear. Thank you for always being my confidant. 

Psalm 13:1-3

David does not see his own sin

March 14

Read 2 Samuel 12:1-10 and reflect on the passage.

It is tough when the average Joe Makes a Big Mistake; but when a leader falls the ramifications are felt all the more. That was the case with Israel’s “Golden Boy,” the man after God’s own heart—King David. We know from the text that things were turning down a dark path when David does not go with the army to fight in the spring. The idle time did him no good and he finds himself making huge compromises and breaking multiple commandments. David even has one of his dearest friends murdered to cover up his sin. This was not David’s best day.

But by God’s grace, he is confronted by one of the Lord’s prophets. Nathan tells David a story of a rich man who robs a poor man of a prized possession. Even in David’s sinful state he knows the gravity of the offense and pronounces capital punishment for the rich man. That is when Nathan turns the tables on the king—David is the rich man in the story, and he is the one who ought to “pay.”

If not for God’s forgiveness, this “man after God’s own heart” would have had to pay a debt he could not afford.

Questions

1. Have you done something that you know is wrong that needs to be confessed?

2. Will you ask God to search your heart and remove every unclean thing?

Prayer

Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior: have mercy on me, a sinner. Amen.

—Brodie Taphorn

The Holy Spirit Gives Us Power

Being able to drive is a big deal.

 

Most teenagers can hardly wait to drive. It means “freedom” and not having to depend on parents for transportation. You have the wherewithal to get to where you want to go.

 

Some of the best stories in my family folklore involve teenage driving. Driving is a big deal! In fact, it might be a rite of passage in our society.

 

We don’t let just anyone drive. Driving is a huge responsibility. One must be credentialed with a license first. Only then does one have the basic skills necessary for driving.

 

Today’s reading is Acts 1:1-8.

 

The resurrected Jesus is giving his apostles instructions before he goes back to heaven. The apostles still don’t understand what is happening. They think Jesus will return to set up an earthly kingdom, a kingdom that restores the military might and lavish grandeur Israel had a thousand years earlier under King David.

 

Rather, the apostles will be charter members of The Kingdom of Heaven, which is more lavish and more powerful than King David could ever imagine.  Membership has responsibilities and that requires certain power, powers the apostles did not yet have.

 

Jesus tells the apostles to do nothing until they receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gave the apostles (and us, too!) the power to carry out their responsibilities.

 

Like the apostles, we are to carry out the mission of the church. We are to spread the good news of Jesus to the ends of the earth, teaching new believers what it means to be Christian. Of course, we are to love all people, and that means to care for them.

 

It is the Holy Spirit that gives us the power to do these things.

 

Driving is a privilege with responsibilities. Our training gave us what we needed to drive.

 

Being a member of Christ’s Body is also a privilege with responsibilities.  The Holy Spirit gives us what we need to carry out our mission.

 

So ….

 

Go out into the world and drive home the fact that Jesus is King!

Praise the Lord

I went to a party several years ago. My wife and I had a great time. We left with several other people. Everyone said their departing pleasantries, but I forgot to say “Thank You.”

 

The next day, when I realized my omission, I felt bad. I remedied the situation with a phone call, but I still felt a bit foolish.

 

Today’s reading is Psalms 103:1-10.

 

King David is praising the Lord for all he does. David tells us that the Lord heals, forgives, provides, loves and provides justice. David goes on to say that the Lord does not hold grudges and is compassionate.

 

David’s praises go far beyond “Thank You.”

 

Today, 3,000 years later, we have a lot to be thankful for. God has given us families so that we are not alone.  He provides us with food and clothing. He has given us the gift of medicine, and he has given us vocations so that we can help each other.  When our vocations get the best of us, he even gives us vacations to refresh and renew ourselves.

 

More importantly, God has given us wisdom. He gave us his Word, that is, the Bible, and he has given us the Holy Spirit so that we can understand his Word. His Word tells us a bit about God and how he loves those he created.  It also tells us how God expects us to live. It even gives us tasks that will please him. When things get rough, His Word gives us hope.

 

Most importantly, however, God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to atone for our sins. Although he might get angry at us for not living up to his standards, Jesus’ death on the cross “forgives all our sins.” Jesus' painful act of compassion assures us that we will have eternal life with him.

 

Sometimes we take God’s graciousness and love for granted. We get busy with work or with our families, or perhaps even watching a football game. When we realize our forgetfulness, it can make us feel bad.

 

Remember all God has done for us, and, like David, praise God and give him thanks!

 

You don’t even need a phone to remedy the situation.

Take it to The Lord

Ever had one of those times in your life when nothing went well?

My daughter moved into an apartment. She drove two hours from our house to her place, only to discover that the door would not open. After 45 minutes of panic, she was finally able to get the key in just the right position to get the door open.

Relieved, she opened a blind to look outside, only to have the blind fall down. A couple of days later, the ceiling in her bathroom caved in.

Things were not going well for her at all!!

Sometimes we are up to our neck in water
(Courtesy AP)

Today’s reading is Psalm 69:1-8. Things are not going well for King David, either. David was probably  guilty of a sin and God was punishing him, but his enemies kept piling on, giving David an even more difficult time. David was sharing his dilemna with the Lord.

Sometimes bad things do happen to us. Sometimes they are the direct consequence of our actions. Other times we are merely collateral damage in a world filled with sin.

Unfortunately, mankind sinned against God and we get to live in his sin-corrupted creation. Living in God’s creation is a blessing. Yet sometimes, when the ravages of sin become too much, it can feel like a curse. It can be very frustrating!

It is our nature to compound the problem by taking our frustration out on a fellow human being. We may yell at someone we do not know, or have sharp words with our spouse. Some may even kick their dog (okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration).

Rather than making the situation worse, like David, we should take our frustrations to the Lord.

We can do this directly through prayer or even by talking things out with a fellow Christian. Either way is beneficial to our soul.

God cares for us. Like a good friend, he wants to hear about our joys and our pains. He is our best friend.

After all, he sent his only son to cleanse our souls of sin and to perfect a fallen creation.

Take it to the Lord!

 

Psalm 56:9-11

I have spent a lot of time reading from the Book of Psalms and have found they speak loudly to me. They convict me, console me and challenge me.  King David, the author of most of the Psalms, had lots of troubles, even though he is considered to be, "A man after God's heart."  He struggled greatly over the years with sin, as we all do.

David had this wonderful relationship with God.  He could cry out to Him for help when he felt his very life was threatened.  He could turn to Him and beg forgiveness for his sins.  He could be himself before God, and never fear God's rejection.  He knew God because he stayed close to Him.  He seemed to hold a steady conversation with His Lord, baring all of his heart to the One True God.

God wants us to have this kind of relationship with Him.  He wants to hear from us all the time.  He desires our adoration and love and respect.  He wants us to worship Him 24/7.  During the months I was alone in northern Wisconsin I learned to lean on Him every day.  I lived a fairly isolated existence during this season, and I spoke to God all the time.  First thing in the morning I would communicate with Him by writing in my journal all my fears.  I discovered they were many.

It took a while for me to understand the need to surrender these fears to Him.  I wasn't afraid being alone, I wasn't spooked or anything like that.  No, my fears usually were related to my finances.  I was so secure for the past 5 years or so that I feared having to go back to my previous ways of living paycheck to paycheck.  God took me to task for that and taught me to give up control of these things to Him.  I have to admit, that is still a struggle for me, but I am working on it.

During this time I kept asking myself, "what is the worst that could happen?"  I seemed to come up with the same answer, "nothing could be worse than what I had just been through."  My finances, or rather my fear of not having any, took on a new perspective. The Psalm 56:11 words spoke to me.

"In God I trust and am not afraid.

    What can man do to me?" 

These words help me daily when I worry about something that God has under His control.  I know He doesn't need any help from me.  You too, have probably faced a few giants recently and can ask the same question, "what can man do to me?"  Freeing isn't it?

This week I am writing on six favorite verses. Each of these verses God used to speak to me in some way during the first five months of this year.  I would love to hear from each of you, about your favorite verses, and how God used them to show his love in your life.  Feel free to comment below or if you prefer, you can email me here.

Read Psalm 56:9-11 here

Listen to Psalm 56:9-11 here

1 Samuel 16:1-13

“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

I wonder how many fewer divorces there would be in the world if humans were able to see people as God sees them.  Did you ever give thought to this?  When I look at someone and truly see them, flaws and all, would it change my choices, my life?  The saying, "You can't judge a book by it's cover," comes to mind.

When Samuel looked at Eliab, David's older brother, Samuel saw a good-looking, strong and vital young man.  We don't know what exactly God saw, but God had someone else in mind.  After reviewing Jesse's sons and finding none of them acceptable to the plan God had, "He asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” (1 Samuel 16:11)

How can we hope to see others as God sees them?  It would require being very close to God, learning His heart so we can discern His will for us.  We will never be able to perfect this, but, we can save ourselves a lot of pain and hardship by praying about everything we do, every decision we make. "Pray continually." (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Read the 1 Samuel 16:1-13 text here.    Listen to the 1 Samuel 16:1-13 reading here.