Spite Is a Horrible Thing

“David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.” (1Sa 17:37 AV)

Saul really didn’t believe David would be victorious.  So, why let him go?  Did not Saul remember the challenge?  According to Goliath, to the victor goes the spoils.  The winner of the Mono-a-mono would claim the loser’s nation as his servants.  If the Philistines won, the Israel would become servants.  And then what of Saul?  If Israel won, then the Philistines were supposed to become servants to the Jews.  This begs a question.  If Saul did not think David could beat Goliath, then he was signing his own freedom away.  This only goes to show the depth of Saul’s rebellion.  He would rather be a servant of a heathen king than allow David to reign in his stead.  If he cannot have it, then no one can.  This is exactly what the Devil does in Revelation chapter twelve.  If he cannot reign on the earth, then he will seek to destroy is so that Christ cannot reign either.

This type of behavior is the ultimate in rebellion.  From this point forward, Saul is bent on destroying David.  He will give the motive of securing a line of kings through Jonathan, but he real motive is his hatred for David.  He knows that God ordained David and Samuel anointed him.  There is no undoing this.  Jonathan was never going to sit on that throne.  So, if Saul cannot have what he wants, then no one can have it. This reminds me of poor patients.  These patients know they cannot have peace of body and mind, so they make it their mission to be sure no one has it.  If they cannot be in perfect soundness, then no one can.  These are the kind of people that “ruin it for everybody.”  The old, “If I have to be miserable, then everyone has to be miserable.”

How does this apply to where we live today?  What about attitude?  What about our spirits?  We are not having the best of days so no one can.  When we walk into a room and our attitude affects all those around us.  I knew of such a person.  The man could turn a celebration into a funeral.  When he walked into a room with his rage and violent spirit, he didn’t have to say a word.  Immediately his disposition changed the entire ambiance of those gathered.  When once they were jovial, they were all quiet not wanting to poke the bear.  These kind of people need to find a hole and crawl into it.  If they will not change their hearts, they need to change their location.  How is our disposition affecting others?  Are we that bitter that we think life is so horrible that all have to share the same?  Are we so self-centered that if we cannot have fun, then no one can?  Are we so angry that we cannot allow joy in others for the blessings which they share?  Saul, from this time forward, was a miserable man who died a miserable death.  How sad.

Grief Over The Hopless

“Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.” (1Sa 15:10-11 AV)

There is no doubt that Samuel loved the LORD and his people.  When he saw that Saul did not have it within himself to walk in obedience to God’s word, it grieved him deeply.  This grief was not founded in a lack of faith that God could not fix this.  God did in the person of David.  Samuel had more faith than this.  I think what grieved Samuel so much was Saul himself.  He saw a man that could have done a wonderful service for God and the people of God, yet when push came to shove, preferred his own value judgment over the word of God.  Saul was pragmatic.  If the king Agag and the best of his sheep could be of some use, then why destroy them as God directed?  If Samuel does not show for the noon sacrifice to the convenience of Saul, why not circumvent the office of priest and prophet and offer the sacrifice himself?  Samuel grieved because Saul was a self-willed man who had a lot of things right, but whose will was not surrendered to the LORD.

Years ago my wife and I had the opportunity to work with young people.  Junior and senior high school students to be specific.  There were great joys.  But also great sorrows.  When we would survey the group of young people before us, we could see the potential of each and every young person.  We could see how the LORD gifted them and what the LORD could do with their lives.  The hardest reality of youth work is seeing so much potential go to waste.  There were those young men we were sure God would call into the ministry, or who would serve as deacons, or who would love the LORD and serve in the church.  There were the young ladies who had gentile spirits who we were sure would grow up godly, find a godly man to marry, and be the epitome of a godly mother.  They would love the LORD and serve Him in the church as pastor’s wives, Sunday School teachers, nursery workers, church staff, etc.  The sad reality is, the vast majority would fall to the world or fail because of poor parenting.  The potential we saw often went to waste and it grieved those who worked with them.

The man of God who loves the LORD and loves His people will be bothered by underachieving.  It isn’t enough to preach to them.  It isn’t enough to teach them.  There must be some grieving.  There must be some tears of sorrow and disappointment.  We cannot get to the place that regret is tolerated or ignored.  As much of a disappointment was to Samuel, he never stopped praying for him and grieving over him.  Yes, we should not ignore the healthy sheep in favor of those who will not comply to the word of God.  But that doesn’t mean we should stop grieving altogether.  It should bother us.  It means God has given us a heart for the sheep.

Because It Pleases Him

“For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.” (1Sa 12:22 AV)

There are several truths in which the child of God can take comfort.  The first and foremost is that God will not forsake His people.  Can will not.  He cannot.  To forsake His people of covenant would go against His character and nature.  He can no more forsake the people of His covenant that He can express a lie.  More than that, His love and mercy will not allow for it either. It is the second half of the verse is which we wish to meditate.  The second half of the verse gives motive to God’s faithfulness to His people.  It reveals the very heart of God towards those to whom He has made promise.  He has not sworn faithfulness because of anything accomplished by the people.  He has not promised His faithfulness because of some worth they bring to the God of faithfulness.  He has not vowed His faithfulness due to some intrinsic value which the people possess of which God may profit.  He has promised His faithfulness because it pleases Him to make the saints His people.  He is faithful because it brings pleasure.

The pleasure of God implies so much.  Because His motive is within Himself and not from that which we are or do, this is liberating to the saint.  Both liberating, but also implies obligation.  This truth removes all pretense to our obedience and faith.  We do not live in obedience and faith because we are attempting to earn God’s favor or acceptance.  We have God’s favor and acceptance because it pleases Him.  Like a mother who sees her child only as a source upon which she may shower her love, God desires to bless those whom He loves.  As a mother will look beyond the faults and demands of a child, God loves us because He created us.  He loves us because it pleases Him to do so.

What is rather sobering is to consider how much of that love we take for granted.  A child can be excused from his selfishness.  He doesn’t understand the fullness of a parents sacrifice and love.  He will in time.  When he or she becomes a parent, it will become obvious that Mom and Dad sacrificed and love a lot.  The child of God has the word of God as his or her instruction of just how much God loves us in spite of what and who we are.  We are ungrateful at the sacrifice and love of those whom God has given.  Even more so, the LORD.  He loves us in spite of our nature.  In spite of our choices, He loves us because it pleases Him.  Yet, we take that love for granted and continue to live a life He has given to our own pleasure.  May we stop and meditate on the truth that it pleases God to love us and nothing more.  May the goodness of the LORD lead us to repentance.

Treating Symptoms While Ignoring the Cure

“And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Bethshemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us: it was a chance that happened to us.” (1Sa 6:9 AV)

The event of which this verse speaks is the smiting of the men of Philistines with emerods in their secret parts.  The Ark of the Covenant was captured in a war because of the rebellion of God’s people.  It was placed in the temple of the god Dagon of the Philistines.  The LORD smote their idol in the midst of this temple.  Furthermore, the men of Philistines were inflicted with painful boils in places one does not wish to be inflicted.  They concocted a plan to return the Ark to Israel with offerings attached to it.  If the boils disappeared when the Ark was returned, they would then know the God of Israel and His Ark was the cause of their affliction.  But the question arises.  To what end?  If it is proven God and the Ark was the cause of judgment, what are they going to do?  If they are enlightened to discover the God of Israel conquered Dagon, and was the cause of their affliction, what then?  Merely return the Ark?  Is that sufficient?

This reminds me of patients who treat the symptoms without addressing the disease. A patient may have a life-threatening condition brought on by lifestyle choices, and their solution is to address the symptoms alleviating the pain, all the while rejecting the cure. We do the same in our walk with God.  We suffer from our disobedience.  We address the pain caused by that disobedience on a case-by-case basis.  We seek relief from the worst of the consequences and learn to tolerate the more menial.  We forsake that which is causing the greatest amount of damage but neglect the underlying cause of it all.  When it came to the Philistines, the Ark was not their problem.  It may have seemed as though it was, for when it was returned, the pain ceased.  The problem was, in just a few short years, they would lose their champion Goliath and become tributaries to the very people whom they once inflicted.  Returning the Ark relieved temporary affliction.  It did not cure the problem.

God desire mankind to walk with Him in faith and righteousness.  If he does not, then man will suffer the consequences.  In the medical field, not all symptoms may be related to a single physical cause.  One might suffer joint problems that have no relation to shortness of breath.  One might suffer GI problems which has nothing to do with poor eyesight.  We treat the consequences of disobedience or lack of faith in one area while allowing another to fester.  It’s like trying to put out one little fire at a time without realizing our failure is wholistic.  The first and greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and body.  Until we do that, we can sent he ark back, but another problem will arise that will need relief.

Mindful of the Giver

“Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.” (1Sa 2:17 AV)

The two sons of Eli used the ministry to their own desires.  Besides having affairs with the women that would come to worship, they misused the sacrificial system to their own desires and profit.  The law was very specific when it came to exactly what the portion of the sacrifice was assigned to the priests.  It was certain parts of the animal.  These were specific and non-negotiable.  However, what the two sons of Eli did was to increase their take.  A three forked prong was thrown on the seething animal as it was offered upon the altar.  Whatever meat stuck to the prongs they also took.  All fat belonged to the LORD.  Yet, the two sons of Eli took a portion.  If any resisted, they used force to take what they wanted.  The end result was the people, who at one time rejoiced to offer for their sins and give for the support of the tabernacle and its priests, now abhorred or despised the practice.  I can identify with this.

When God’s people see a selfish motive of the man of God behind their giving, they will be discouraged as they give.  There is a fine line between teaching on giving and making giving about me.  When the man of God preaches on tithing, he will have to make mention of the fact that tithing is the means by which he receives his support.  That would be the Bible.  He cannot ignore passages in the scriptures that teach the man of God is to be supported by the tithes of God’s people.  But he needs to be careful that when he speaks of giving, he is not requiring of God’s people to do more for him than they are required to do.

Every now and again, I come across a man of God who makes the giving of God’s people about him.  Maybe it is not his salary or compensation he is pressing.  It could be his vision for ministry motivated by his own ego.  There are times that I hear of stories of the people of God who were, at one time, offended by a man of God who did such that.  These men usually make giving a major part of their preaching.  There never is enough.  There needs to be more.  They see God’s people not as individual sheep who are in need of ministry, but an inanimate object which can provide resources for their own ambition.  As a man of God myself, this is a battle that must be waged and won.  It is a battle that should be a one-time thing.  We are called to build sheep.  We are not called to build works.  If we are more interested in how the giving of God’s people affects us, then we will discourage them from expressing their love for God in their generosity for grace given.

The Question of the Century

“Then she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?” (Ru 2:10 AV)

This question is on the heart of very repentant sinner.  Why would God care?  The context here is Ruth who is gleaning at the field of Boaz.  As a Moabite, Ruth would have been considered an outcast.  She would have been left to the lowest position among those who were in need.  The farmer, in this case Boaz, would leave a portion of his field standing so that the impoverished would have something to glean.  They would follow the reapers and glean what they left behind.  When Boaz inquired of Ruth’s identity, hearing of what she had done for Naomi, he felt a special responsibility to allow her the best position among those who reaped the remainder.  When she was discovered and Boaz began to correspond with her, the question above is raised.  A question of humility.  A question free of pretense.  A question that reveals Ruth’s heart more than any action on her part.  She is truly a humble and faith-filled lady.

As a sinner, we are estranged from God.  Even if we were capable of gleaning and some moral choices, we are still estranged from the Husband.  We have no standing.  Our situation is far worse.  We are estranged because of Adam’s sin.  But, unlike Ruth, we are estranged because of our own culpability of our sin.  We are sinners by nature and by choice.  We are estranged because we choose to be.  Ruth was estranged merely because of her birth.  Which, makes this question even more convicting.  If Ruth, who was estranged by birth feels unworthy of the mercy of her lord, how much more should we feel unworthy of the mercy of our LORD?

David expressed the same attitude in Psalm eight.  As he looks up into the night sky and contemplates just how vast and magnificent God’s creation is, he inquires of the LORD of His interest in mankind.  We are insignificant little nothings.  We are worse than that.  We are insignificant little nothings that rebel against a holy and gracious God, expecting Him to tolerate and entertain our wickedness.  One must ponder the attitude and question of Ruth.  The saint would be better off for it if he or she thinks upon this question on a daily basis.  The next time we think we have earned any of God’s favor, this question should be in the center of our minds.  Why would God care a lick about me?  Why would He even expend one thought on such a worm as I?  Why?

Moral Outrage is the Beginning of Revival

“So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man.” (Jud 20:11 AV)

The background of this verse is perhaps one of the most unfortunate of all recorded events in the history of Israel.  There were so many moral failures that led to this verse.  A Levite took a harlot as a wife.  Both the Levite was in the wrong and so was the harlot.  She left him to play the harlot in her home town.  The Levite retrieves her, and on the way back home, she is repeatedly abused by the men of Gibeah.  The Levite awakes the next morning to find her dead on the front landing of the house.  He takes her body back home, dismembers it, and sends twelve pieces among the rest of the tribes of Israel.  They respond with outrage and gather themselves to take counsel as to what needs to be done to the men of Gibeah.  To say this is unfortunate is an understatement.  The response of the nation of Israel is that which we must contemplate this morning.

It is one thing to suffer moral failure to the degree which is recorded here.  But there is some encouragement here and a rebuke of our present condition.  When moral failure came, at least the nation was not so far gone that they failed to have feelings about what has transpired.  The fact there was moral outrage as hideous sin is a ray of hope.  If there are obvious and momentous feelings about something, anything, then there is hope of revival.  What our culture has done is to desensitize us to the repulsiveness of sin.  We do not feel a think anymore.  If there is mass shooting, a gang rape, children dying of drug related crimes; we are matte- of-factly coping with these tragedies as normal.  A nation that feels nothing is a nation that is nation without hope.

Jesus Christ correctly prophesied the love of many will wax cold because of sin.  When sin abounds, He said, the love of many will wax cold.  We will not care.  When I see my home state celebrate at the killing of newborns, and it seems as though the emotions of a nation are not repulsed by this, one wonders if there is any hope.  When we see extreme perverts influencing our young people in our public schools and there is no national outrage, one wonders if there is any hope.  The good news in all this is even though the nation of Israel was far from what God intended, there was a breaking point.  There was something that stirred the people back towards their moral center.  One can only hope and pray that our nation, churches, and families are not too far gone that we cannot be stirred again to a moral outrage at the repulsiveness of sin that abounds.