Hitting the Motherload

“Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn back again, that I may die in mine own city, and be buried by the grave of my father and of my mother. But behold thy servant Chimham; let him go over with my lord the king; and do to him what shall seem good unto thee.” (2Sa 19:37 AV)

 

What an amazing exercise of kindness and grace.  Chimham was servant to a man named Barzillai.  Barzillai was a wealthy man who conducted David over and across again the Jordan river.  He used his resources to take care of the legitimate king of Israel.  Barzillai was a very aged man.  A man of eighty years old.  When Absalom was defeated and David was headed back to Jerusalem, Barzillai came to the river Jordan and conducted David across.  He arranged all the expenses David would need to return to the capital city.  As an act of appreciation, David offered to Barzillai a permanent place at his table.  David wanted to care for him for the rest of his life.  Barzillai, on the other hand, wanted to return to his home and live out the remainder of his days in his own home, around his own family, and be buried with his father and mother.  In turn, Barzillai asked that his servant return with David and that David would do for him as he wished to do for Barzillai.  When I read this, I was taken aback by how this servant must have felt.  This came right out of left field.  There was no way he could have expected this to happen.  It was a spur-of-the-moment offer from David and an even more spontaneous request from Barzillai.  I am sure at first, Chimham was stunned.  Then came a humble gratitude that overwhelmed him.  Lastly, a sense of security and joy must have followed.  The master bestows on the servant grace and blessings that rightly belong to him, yet showers them on an unexpecting servant.

This reminds me of Charlie in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  Willy Wonka gave away a few among millions of candy bars wrapped in golden paper.  Inside was a ticket to tour the chocolate factory.  The factory was a deeply held secret and no human being had ever been inside.  Charlie was one of those who held a golden ticket.  Charlie was from a very poor home.  He shared his one-bedroom home with his parents, siblings, and grandfather.  As the tour progressed, one after another the other kids were eliminated from the tour.  One for greediness.  Another for overindulgence.  Still another for being a spoiled brat.  Finally, Charlie was the only one left.  The prize offered was never mentioned.  No one knew what it was.  Into what looked like an elevator Willy Wonka and Charlie went.  It ascended rather rapidly and shot out of the top of the building.  Charlie and Willy were floating above this vast empire of candy and Willy tells Charlie he is to be the sole heir of the factory.  Willy never married and had no children.  He was trying to find the one righteous soul to whom he could leave everything.  Charlie was speechless.  He was stunned.  He didn’t deserve any of it and even tried to refuse such generosity.  Charlie hit the motherload purely by the grace of someone he barely knew.

Jesus is God.  He owns everything, and that, without limit.  The Father bestows blessings on the Son, and He, in turn, shares them with us. When we accepted Christ and became His servant, we hit the motherload.  Heaven awaits with glories that cannot be comprehended.  In this life, we abound in blessings.  We did nothing to earn it.  We did nothing to deserve it.  The blessings we receive are because the Father appreciates the sacrifice the Son was willing to pay that the kingdom be restored unto God.  The Father desires to bless the Son yet the Son owns it all.  So, the Son rains blessings upon His brothers and sisters.  One wonders how much we appreciated what God does for us and how richly we are blessed.  One wonders if we still stand in awe contemplating the unmatchless grace and love of our Creator God!  How wonderful He is to the children of men.  We have a place at the Father’s table because the Son sacrificed for the glory of the Father.  We have a place in heaven because the Son paid the bill to the Father.  We have eternal life because the Son sacrificed all He had that the Father’s wrath would be satisfied toward our account.  We are so richly blessed we should react as Chimham did.  Stunned to silence.  Humbly grateful.  And faithfully following.