Encouraging Words From an Understanding Father

“I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. Take fast hold of instruction; let [her] not go: keep her; for she [is] thy life.” (Pr 4:11-13 AV)

Solomon’s sweet words to his grown son.  Solomon was not a perfect father.  If he had to do it all over again, he would probably make some different decisions.  Starting with limiting himself to one wife would have been the first.  Towards the end of his life, he compromised because of his multiple wives and concubines.  My father was not perfect, neither am I.  I am sure my father did the best he could with the experience he had.  He taught us a lot of good.  The first being to fear God.  However, as I read this, I could not help by calling to mind what the above verse might mean if it was the LORD speaking it directly to His children.  He could have.  It was God who provided our earthly fathers, who in turn taught us wisdom.  More directly than that, it is God who teaches us wisdom by His word, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and life’s experiences.  Our failures tend to make us believe the LORD has been unsuccessful in teaching us the way of wisdom.  Our falls tend to lead us to believe that we have not been led in the paths of righteousness.  Yet, the word of God does not lie.

Tying one’s shoes is a skill not easily learned.  It is a prerequisite to entering kindergarten.  As much as we wanted to learn so we could go to school, it took some time to learn it.  Tying the bowline hitch is even more difficult.  To earn certain Boy Scout merit badges, one must master that knot.  There was a saying that went with it.  Up the hole, around the tree, and back down the hole.  However, if the loop to which the free end was thread through was not facing the right way, the knot would not form.  It would fall apart.  After much practice and frustration, the young man learns to tie his shoes.  After a few hours of practice and teaching it to others, the scout would have the bowline hitch mastered.  From that time forward, the young man or scout would hardly fail.  The young and the scout would tie those knots instinctively.  What he did, however, was define his worth by the failures.  Once he learned to master the knot, tying it successfully was never given a second thought.  Doing it right was instinctive and automatic.  Because tying these knots became second nature, the thought of how it could have been tied and failed never enters the mind.

The problem with defining life by our failures is it is too easy.  It is easy to see where we have failed.  It is easier to see how we fell into sin more so than to see when we did not.  Living above sin is not so easily seen because we are not looking at those successes.  We are not looking at the pits we avoided or missed altogether because we were on the right path.  It is hard to conceptualize where we might have been if the LORD did not save us, teach us, and transform us.  We can look at other poor souls and surmise that might have been us, but we will never know for certain.  When the LORD states that He has taught us wisdom and He has led us on the right paths, eyes of faith must accept that.  We may still fail the LORD.  We do.  There is no ‘may’ about it.  If we are constantly focused on the failures, we will get the wrong impression of God’s work in our lives.  The Bible tells us that we are His workmanship.  This means there is constant improvement.  As long as we yield to the master’s touch, we are better than we could have been.  We do learn even if we don’t recognize it.  We are not failures.  We are trophies of God’s grace.  Just because we fail does not make us failures.  That is the story of God’s grace.  I cannot help but to see the tenderness of God’s voice in the proverb above.  The words may have been from an earthly father to his child, but we can also assume these words are from our heavenly father to our discouraged and defeated soul.  God did lead you in the way of wisdom and the path of right.  Trust Him as you accept His words of affirmation and encouragement.

The Past Explains, But Does Not Excuse, The Present

“And unto Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name [was] Tamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.” (2Sa 14:27 AV)

I am sure there are scoffers who love this verse.  In chapter 18, we learn that Absalom erected a pillar because he had no heir.  At the time of his death, he was childless.  I am sure there are plenty of voices that would declare God’s word has a mistake.  But alas, they would be wrong.  The Bible never tells us that Absalom was childless his entire life.  The Bible does tell us that at the time the pillar was erected, he was childless.  Therefore, any honest commentator would aptly point out Absalom’s children must have died young and, therefore, Absalom was moved to erect a pillar to his name.  There are plenty of honest Bible students who do just that.  But what does this have to do with our daily devotions?  I couldn’t help but wonder if the loss of his four children at an early age had anything to do with his rebellion against his father.  There is not evidence to that fact, but losing one’s family has to affect a person.  Significant loss can change a person.  This might also be a cause why he sought justice for his sister.  She may have been the only family he had.

I learned a tremendous lesson recently.  The LORD provided the means by which Lisa and I could visit my son in Brazil.  It was a glorious trip.  We met some fantastic people.  It is always a wonder to me how our relationship with Christ spans cultures and languages.  Having Christ as our common denominator is a miracle that I would suggest any and all who could go on a mission’s trip do so.  Anyway, we were talking one morning about man-problems.  I won’t belabor you with the details, but the crux of the matter was to what I attributed my concerns.  I always thought that my situation was not as unique as it might seem.  I attributed it to things of my past.  Things that I knew my son had never experienced.  Trauma of the past seemed to be the peg on which I hung most of my concerns.  Most of my shortcomings were seen through the lens of this hardship.  Then my son opened up and stated he suffered the same concerns.  This is where I was puzzled.  He said he felt the same things and thought the same thoughts.  Again, he did not suffer the experiences I had, so I was confused.  Now, he would admit that perhaps my feelings and thoughts were far more severe than his.  We shared these thoughts and feelings, but not to the same degree.  This was an eye-opener for me.  Before this conversation, I felt there was no escaping this trauma.  I thought for sure, I was destined to suffer until glory was my place.  Now, I know that what I suffered with was common among all men and even though my suffering in this area might have been magnified by my past, it wasn’t hopelessly so.

I shared all this because Absalom’s rebellion is common among all men.  To one degree or another, we are all rebels.  What made the difference is that Absalom’s trauma magnified his faults.  He allowed hardship and trouble to affect him to a degree that he lost his life.  We all suffer hard things.  No one is immune.  Although my sons did not have to suffer in ways I did, they still had hard times.  Some of those times I never suffered.  Two of my three sons were gravely ill while on a mission’s trips.  I cannot imagine what it would be like to be very sick yet thousands or tens of thousands of miles away from Mom and Dad.  My youngest was in a hard school for someone like him.  He moved away from friends in his senior year of high school and attended two separate high schools.  We all go through hard times.  It is how we allow them to affect us that mattered.  Absalom used the loss of his family and the abuse of his sister to motivate him to insurrection.  Others, like Moses and Abraham, used trauma to become stronger and closer to God.  Paul lists a plethora of abuses he suffered.  Yet, not one turned him against the LORD.  They all strengthened him and gave him increasing resolve to love the LORD, grow in Christlikeness, and serve Him faithfully until his death.  We will all suffer tragedy.  What we decide to do with it makes all the difference.

The Incredible Grace of God

“And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.” (2Sa 12:13 AV)

Most people, upon hearing the account of David’s affair and murder of his lover’s husband, would be appalled.  While Uriah was away in battle, David had an affair with his wife.  Bathsheba was with child.  To try to cover it up, David had Uriah return from the battlefield and enticed him to go home and lie with his wife, Bathsheba.  He refused.  So, David had Joab put Uriah in the forefront of the battle and retire from him so the archer’s arrow would take his life.  Uriah wasn’t the only one to die that day.  There were others who were too close to the wall of the city under siege as well.  What David did was irresponsibly cause the death of good men because he couldn’t refrain himself.  What made matter worse is Nathan the prophet reminded David he already had plenty of wives and concubines to fulfill his physical needs.  There was no need to take Bathsheba.  As I wrote earlier, on reflection of what David did, many would be appalled.

However, if we are honest, we would have to admit we are no better.  Our sins might be different, but sin is still sin.  When compared against the glory of God, we are all totally and utterly wicked.  We have done things that others know nothing about.  God knows.  Mankind may not.  If they did, they would be equally appalled at our actions.  Praise the LORD our lives are not open books.  David’s actions could not be hid.  Nathan’s words from the LORD indicated that even the enemies of Israel knew about what David did.  It would be very difficult to hide.  Bathsheba was pregnant when Uriah came home.  Even if he did have relationship with his wife, the timing of the birth would have made it obvious it wasn’t his.  David took Bathsheba as his wife not to fool anyone concerning the pregnancy.  Rather, he took her because he got her pregnant.  Again, most would be appalled at the misuse of his position as king.  Let us remember our sins are no better.

Which brings me to my point.  As horrible as his sin and are sins are, God puts them away.  God is a God of mercy and grace.  I cannot wrap my head around this.  God has every right to cast us all in a devil’s hell.  We deserve it.  What made David’s sin even worse was his relationship with the LORD should have prevented it.  He did not commit adultery as a lost man.  He did not occasion the death of his lover’s husband and others because he did not know the LORD.  He did not try to cover it up because he was lost.  All these things happened while he walked with God.  We are no different.  We would like to think that once the Holy Spirit came to dwell within that we live perfect and without sin.  We would like to think because we read our bibles, pray, and seek God’s face that the flesh never gets the better of us.  Being saved in no guarantee against sin.  We still have the will capable of doing horrible things.  It is only by the grace of God we are not destroyed.  Praise be to God!  Thank God for His wonderful grace that will cast our sins away.  Hallelujah!  Praise God!

From His Own Lips

“Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.” (Ps 91:14 AV)

The last three verses of Psalm ninety-one are words spoken by God regarding the psalmist.  The psalmist seeks deliverance and goes to the only one who can help.  The LORD sees his heart and because the writer desires only the LORD and His help, He honors that heart.  A note of interest is the past tense action of the writer.  He has set his love on God.  He has known his name.  These are past tense actions.  That does not suggest these things were a onetime action that no longer exists.  Rather, there was a time when the writer turned from whatever it was he loved and identified with unto the God of Israel.  He may not have been consistent in his love and identification.  He may not have always loved the LORD as he should have.  He still struggled with sin, as we all do.  Yet, because he chose to love the LORD and identify with Him, the LORD delivered him time and again.

That first phrase is a humbling one because, by and large, we don’t feel like we truly have set our love upon the LORD.  Our old man is a problem.  He is dying a slow and agonizing death.  We struggle with the flesh.  We fight the world.  The devil and his minions are at our side, harassing us every chance we get.  We fail.  We confess.  We forsake.  We reconcile.  This patter continues our entire life.  So, to say the only way to love the LORD is to live perfectly sinless would mean the LORD could never say the above phrase about any of His saints.  That is why that first phrase is so encouraging to me.  Sometimes, we beat ourselves up far more than the LORD does.  He may chasten us.  We certainly need it and deserve it.  Many times, though, we are harder on ourselves than God is.  It is nice to be reminded of successes.  For the LORD to say that we have set our love upon Him is flattering, humbling, and a good check against the persecution of the devil.

When I think of the above phrase, I am reminded of children.  Especially our own.  I have three sons.  They are all grown now.  They have children of their own.  They did not always obey me.  In fact, there were times they rebelled more than they obeyed.  They didn’t always trust me.  There were times they had to figure it out on their own.  However, with all the challenges to my leadership, authority, and love, I never once doubted they set their love upon me.  They never sought to change their last name.  They always remembered who they were and what that meant.  As a dad, I never required perfection.  Why would I?  That is an impossible standard.  I never required complete and total compliance before I was willing to parent them.  Because they set their love upon me and were willing to identify with me as their father, no matter how successful or unsuccessful they were at the moment, they had my parental love and protection.  I cannot help by be very grateful this morning at the reminder from the LORD’s own mouth that I love Him!  To know that He is pleased with me even if I fail Him encourages me to try even harder.  Praise the LORD for His wonderful grace!

Contrary Voices are Needed

“And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that [was] in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.” (2Sa 6:3 AV)

David bears all the responsibility for what follows.  Because the ark was transported on an ox cart rather than how the law required, a man lost his life.  David, in this chapter, takes it rather hard.  He should.  It was his instruction and command that led to the death of a faithful servant.  The ark was supposed to be transported by the sons of Levi.  They were to bear it upon their shoulders using rods of wood plated with gold.  The process of transportation was not obscure.  It was spelled out in a specific way.  What I was wondering is why no one said anything to David regarding his command to transport the ark.  The Bible tells us that 30,000 men were chosen out of all Israel to transport the ark.  The men were the best of the best.  No doubt, there would have been priests involved.  Yet, the Bible does not reveal one single individual who said anything to David as to the method prescribed by law to transport the ark.  I have to believe if David knew, he would have done it the correct way.  David is not Saul.  He does not substitute his ‘better’ judgement for the law of God.  So, part of the responsibility for the failure here are men who respected the office of king to the degree they would not confront the king when he was wrong.

I believe in the line of authority in the home, in the church, and in government.  What I don’t like is when that line of authority is so stringent that no one feels the liberty to express to that authority figure when he or she might be wrong.  Authority is a frightening thing.  It is too easy for the ego to take over and the leader to shut all voices out but his own.  It is too easy to take advantage of the responsibility of authority and make decisions without any contrary input.  This is not a good thing.  The Bible tells us counselors are a good thing for a leader.  He needs to hear opposing views to test his convictions.  Any leader who cannot entertain opposing views is a weak one!  If he is so defensive that he cannot mull over in his mind other options than the ones he is considering, then he is weak of conviction.  It is often seen as a strength for a leader to be unwavering in all of his thinking.  This is generally so.  But only after he has considered all points of view.  To admit one does not know everything needs help in the decision-making process, or that he might be wrong, is seen as a weakness.  But it is quite the contrary.  To surround himself with people who add something to his ability to carry out his calling is wise, humble, and more successful than not.

We are not talking about rebellion here.  Rather, the law was very specific.  The ark was to be transported a very specific way.  Any number of priests could have taken the law to David and pointed out his method was not according to God’s law.  I don’t think David would have reacted defensively.  His track record says otherwise.  Putting up with Joab and his rash temper is a good indication.  Listening to, yet rejecting, the advice of his men to take the life of Saul is another.  Still more evidence is listening to the advice of his wife, Bathsheba, in anointing Solomon as king before he passed shows us David humbly took advice from those he led.  A godly leader does not want ‘yes’ men.  He does not want blind loyalty.  He does not want quiet and submissive subjects who feel they cannot express what they think our how they feel.  This makes for a short-sighted leader.  Rather, a godly leader must be humble and listen to dissenting voices who add wisdom to his management.  He needs voices who are not afraid to share a different insight as long as they do so humbly and with respect.  I, for one, appreciate contrary voices.  I could not lead without them.

No Shield Against Discouragement

“And I [am] this day weak, though anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah [be] too hard for me: the LORD shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness.” (2Sa 3:39 AV)

This is David’s response to Joab’s actions.  Abner, the chief of staff under Saul, fought for the house of Saul when Saul died.  A son of Saul requested the concubines of Saul as a way of usurping authority and gaining the kingdom.  Abner took offense and allied himself with David.  While returning from his meeting with David, Abner was pursued by the brother of Joab.  Joab’s brother wished to slay Abner so that he might gain a name among the fighting men of David.  Abner warned Asahel more than once to turn aside.  Asahel was swift of feet and ran alongside Abner’s ride.  Abner encouraged Asahel to turn aside and fight with one of the younger men.  Asahel would not listen, and Abner was forced to take his life in battle.  Joab did not take this well.  When given the opportunity, he met with Abner under the pretense of planning to bring the kingdom to David and murdered him in cold blood.  It took a bit, but Israel understood the death of Abner was not occasioned by David.  As a leader, David was weakened because those under him did not act in his best interests.  His anointed station as king didn’t matter.  His authority was not a factor.  Joab’s revenge was more important to him than the king’s honor.  Therefore, David was weakened even though he held an office.

However, I think David was also touched by the actions of Joab and his brother.  He was discouraged that those who were tasked with following did just the opposite.  This was a habit with Joab.  David’s uncle, more than once, exercised his own judgment apart from the king’s direct order.  The death of Absalom come to mind.  The application is a bit more basic than the context might require.  Just because one is anointed to an office or responsibility does not protect one against discouragement.  David had plans.  It was his reputation on the line.  When Joab did what he did, it was a major disappointment.  Being anointed was not a shield against times of weakness.  This was not the first time, nor would it be the last.  David would face times of victory.  But he would also face times of defeat.  His anointing was not a wall of protection against life.  He would lose a wife.  He would suffer embarrassment at causing the death of innocent priests.  David would lose four sons.  He would fail in his marriage.  David had much in his life that was not desired nor welcomed.  All these events brought times of weakness and not position or calling was going to change that.

We are foolish to think we can be isolated from life simply because of our responsibilities, calling, or status.  There is one event that happens to us all.  No amount of money, success, or accomplishment can keep us from the negative events of life.  Discouragement is part of life.  Disappointment comes regardless of how well we insulate ourselves against it.  Life is what it is.  The only guarantee is glory.  When our days are done, then we can rest from the troubles of our temporal life.  We are naïve to think life can be trouble free.  We are immature if we think there are things we can to do eliminate discouragement.  For those who preach a prosperity lifestyle as though there is victory to be had at every turn do not live in reality.  David was king!  He was God’s chosen!  God’s hand was upon him with reservation.  Yet, discouragement was still part of his life.  We must not seek the foolish promise of a trouble-free life.  That will only result in the greatest disappointment and discouragement of all.  David was king.  So what!  He still had to live with events of life that weakened him.  That is life!

Turning The Page

“So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.” (1Sa 31:6 AV)

When Saul died, all who were closest to him died as well.  This is no reflection on their character.  Jonathan was a man of integrity, humility, and honor.  For me, there are very few men who really speak to my heart.  Jonathan was one of them.  He stood for what was right when there was absolutely nothing in it for him.  He defended David while serving his king.  That had to be challenging, to say the least.  What struck me is all those who served God, and the king died with the king.  They all died together.  What application that has I don’t know as yet.  One could surmise that when God closes a door, He does so completely.  Other than some holdouts like Abner, the transition from the house of Saul to the house of David was rather seamless.  They all died together so that God could turn the page.  Again, this is no reflection on the character of those who passed.  Saul himself, although in rebellion against God, still joined Samuel in paradise.  Saul’s armourbearer was a fine young man.  His death was not a judgment.  The LORD certainly was not judging Jonathan.  It was time for change.  That change was complete.

We recently returned from a trip abroad.  I learned much.  The biggest thing I learned was existing in a country where you don’t speak or understand the language may be entertaining at first, but it quickly turns to isolationism.  Trying to navigate an airport without knowing the language is near to impossible.  One thing I came away with is how radically different a missionary’s life becomes when he steps foot in his country of service.  People are people, but language and culture are not.  One cannot surrender to the mission field unless he or she is willing to turn the page on a former life.  My son may still be a citizen of the U.S., but living and working in a foreign field has a way of changing who and what you are.  They have not been there terribly long.  They have not made the emotional change from their country of their nativity to their unfamiliar country.  If they follow the trajectory of other missionaries, it is bound to happen.  One thing is for sure, living and serving in a foreign mission field is impossible unless one chooses to turn the page.  To be used of God, one must be willing to turn the page. 

Things change.  Times change.  Circumstances change.  Change is part of life.  It is not easy.  Change can often include pain.  I am sure there were families that mourned the loss of Saul, his house, and his servants.  The armourbearer had a mother and a father.  He may have had a family of his own.  We know Jonathan had at least one son and if he had a son, he had a wife.  We also know that Saul’s daughters lived through this.  They had to bury their father and brothers.  The change listed above caused some discomfort.  But change was necessary.  Incremental change is much easy to handle.  We can adjust as the change occurs.  But to flip the page and go on is rather dramatic.  To know that the past is gone forever is not comfortable.  Changing one’s life in a radical and complete way takes much doing.  Anxiety, fear, etc are all part of the experience.  Change comes hard.  But sometimes a new a fresh start is necessary.  Israel could not have gone on unless they went on from Saul.  Wholey and completely, the house of Saul, needed to pass into the past.  For David to be the king he was called to be, the past had to stay in the past.  Something new had to happen.  Pain was involved.  But glory followed.  If we are unwilling to turn the page, we will be stuck in the same maturity level for our remaining life.  The chapter has to end before a new one can be written.  That is the way of life.