We Need Correcting

“Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:” (Ps 17:13 AV)

This is an interesting statement.  The wicked is the sword of the LORD.  It may be interesting, but it is also accurate.  If the people of God sin against the LORD, who remains as the means of God’s chastisement?  There were Assyria, Babylon, Medea-Persia, Rome, and Germany to name a few.  When God’s people need correcting, it is often the wicked whom the LORD uses for that correction.  The book of Judges is a history of this very pattern.  The people of God fall away and the LORD used her neighbors as the means of turning them back to the LORD.  The church is no different.  We read of the great commission in three of the four gospels.  We read that our LORD and Savior told the church to scatter.  We are told to take the gospel into the world.  Yet Acts tells us even after the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, they remained in Jerusalem.  It took the persecution of Saul to scatter them.  It took the sword of the wicked to motivate believers to do what the LORD has instructed them to do.  Now, we can fast forward to 2020.

The last few months have been the least from what we call normal.  With the vast majority of citizens being asked the shelter in place or stay at home, our lives are anything but normal.  All non-essential businesses are told to close their doors.  This would include houses of worship.  We would argue that places of worship are the most essential of all.  One could make the case man is body, soul, and spirit.  If a hospital or mental health clinic is essential for the well being of the individual, so too is the house of worship.  Some would argue that online services would suffice.  This is not true.  All one had to do is survey the people of God and they will tell you that in-person ministry and corporate ministry bring much-needed healing that electronic fellowship cannot provide.  And, I would be right there to make the same argument.  But let me address all who might consider themselves believers.

There is a difference between a hospital or clinic and a health spa.  There is a difference between a grocery store and a restaurant.  There is a difference between a gas station and a car wash.  The first of these are places we must go to and are willing to sacrifice our well being to patronage.  The second, although similar, is not something we would be compelled to go to even if we were risking life or limb for it.  Which brings me to my point.  We have been treating church much like a non-essential or a house of entertainment than we have a place of true worship.  When we orchestrate our services to please ourselves rather than to acknowledge the one true God by repentance and obedience, we are treating the house of God as a consumer product.  Give the world some credit.  They can see right through all this.  They can see the vast majority of what we call essential ministry is nothing more than non-essential entertainment.  But there is another aspect we must consider.  We have our day of grocery shopping.  We schedule it.  We plan for it.  We budget for it.  Only a serious illness would keep us from it.  However, when it comes to attending the house of God, we see it as a preference rather than a conviction.  The world sees this too.  They see nominally committed Christians and judge that if we do not treat church as an essential, coming as often as the doors are open, then why should they?  We have done this to ourselves.  We have dumbed down our services to the most carnal level.  We have treated attendance as optional.  Now, when the world calls our bluff, we cry foul.  Perhaps this should be a great teachable moment for the church.  If we treat the fellowship of the saints as anything less than an essential, the sword of the wicked will take it from us.  If we treat corporate worship no differently than the world would treat a sporting event, maybe we deserve what we are getting.  It is about time revival hits.  It is about time we apologize to the world for our hypocrisy and when restrictions are lifted, treat the command to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together as a non-negotiable.  Perhaps when we get to the other side of all this, we can confess to the LORD we have shamed His house by treating it like a stand-up comic event rather than true repentant and humble worship that demands a change in the lives and hearts of God’s people.

No Perfect Answer

“And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.” (1Sa 27:7 AV)

We can make mention this was probably not the best of ideas.  However, who would blame David?  David was on the run from Saul for about eight years.  David had come close to ending it all several times.  Each time Saul promised to stop his pursuit.  It didn’t take long before Saul went back on his word.  Understandably, David gets tired.  He is exhausted.  He had nowhere to lay his head for any length of time.  Traveling roughly five hundred miles, on foot, over that period helps us to understand what David might have gone through.  He stayed at over twenty different places in those six and a half years.  This means he moved about once every four months.  When we stop and think of how David had to live his life because Saul wanted him dead, we cannot help but empathize with David if he could find a place he could call home for a year and a half.  We can second guess David here.  I am sure he did a lot of that as well.  Especially when Achish wanted him to go into battle against Saul, assisting the Philistines as well.  It is here David felt completely abandoned when invaders dragged off family and belongings.  It is said that David had to encourage himself in the LORD because all the men were preparing to leave him.

Evidence against David’s choice here is mostly anecdotal.  It is assumed he didn’t do the wisest of things by fleeing to Gath.  It is supposed because he had to live in relative secrecy while holding up in Ziklag.  He had to lie to Achish leading him to believe the spoils came for the southern territory of Judah.  It is often assumed because he lived among the Philistines, he was compromising just to be there.  However, not one time did David violate his core beliefs.  He never fought for the Philistines.  He never made any kind of treaty with them.  David never gave in to a foreign god and his men never took upon them any customs or idols of the people with whom they dwelt.  As near as we can tell, David lived among them separated to the point they were able to keep to themselves and live with a clear conscience before God.  When placed in a position of hypothetical compromise, the LORD delivered him out of it.  In the battle that would eventually end Saul’s life, Achish wanted David to go and fight Saul alongside him.  Without having to make that choice, the princes of Gath advised Achish against it.  So, David was held back.  God kept him from having to make a now-win choice.

These times may come.  Times when the battle has been so long and hard, we simply need to step back and rest for a while.  It is not a permanent solution to a difficult problem.  The battle still rages and we must be engaged.  However, we do need a furlough.  We need a break.  The key is to take that break without opening oneself to potential compromise.  Had David thought about it, perhaps he might have taken a better option.  But he had none at the time.  Not every problem has a perfect solution.  Sometimes it is the better of two evils.  We get this idea that whatever problem we are faced with, there is a perfect solution with no downside.  It will meet the need without any negative consequences.  The longer we live, the more aware we are that life doesn’t always work that way.  If a patient comes down with cancer, being completely cured with perfect health to follow is not a choice.  There are side effects from the medicine.  Some residual complications or adjustments have to be made.  In a bad situation, the right choice might be the one that makes things a little bit better rather than seeking a choice the resolves all issues.  David made the choice he felt he had to at the time.  It wasn’t a perfect choice.  But it was a choice that allowed time to prepare for the kingdom.

Overwhelming Comfort

“When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me.” (Ps 142:3 AV)

By most accounts, David wrote this psalm during his flight from Saul.  Or at least upon reflection of it.  To say he was overwhelmed seems almost unnecessary.  Most cannot fathom the depths of which David suffered.  He had a promise from God and Samuel had anointed him to be the next king.  He was to be the next king.  How could Saul seek his life when he was no threat to him?  David showed no avarice towards his father-in-law nor exhibited any indication he wanted Saul and his house destroyed.  There was no reason for David’s trials other than the pride of a condemned man.  David went from haunt to haunt seeking refuge among those who had little to no integrity.  Outside of the six hundred men who traveled with him, He had no friends.  He was forced to send away his parents to the care of Gentiles until Saul was killed.  On several occasions, David had no choice but to seek refuge among the enemies of Israel.  David is learning so great truths which will play a large part in his success to lead.  Unfortunately, there is no other way to learn these important truths.  He must live through them.  Above, he tells us that when overwhelmed, his comfort was not in knowing everything that had to be done or a foolproof plan of escape right down to the very detail.  All he needed was a God who knew all those things.  This is faith!

We know David is remembering God’s omniscience in the midst of being overwhelmed.  Note the word ‘…then…’.  This does not mean that God learns something.  He is our God who knows all things.  So, the word ‘then’ does not mean that something has occurred to God.  God knows all things.  Therefore, the word ‘then’ is showing us that David remembers that God knows.  It is the comfort David has when he is overwhelmed.  Not only does God know the future path we will take, but He also understands the past path we have trod.  David can take comfort he worships a God who understands all he has gone through.  He cares for His faithful servant who has been asked to endure hardships that others can only read of.  David is overwhelmed.  Knowing God who knows all things makes the trial much easier to bear.

What we must also consider is David’s attitude towards what he is facing.  He doesn’t need all the answers even though he knows the God who knows all things.  He is not asking the LORD to show him the entire path of his life so that he doesn’t have to face more overwhelming experiences.  While I was a hospital chaplain, the hospital wanted to use the chaplains to assist patients as they filled out DNR orders.  We were a bit uncomfortable with this because most people do not have a biblical world view when considering end of life decisions.  However, the purpose of them is understandable.  The caregivers need some guidance in the care of a patient who may be incapacitated and unable to make their own health care decisions.  My wife and I have talked about it and we have come to the conclusion these events are often fluid and instructions are too vague. The best decision for us was to leave these decisions to someone we can trust.  We hope that if incapacitated or overwhelmed, someone who is removed from the immediate discomfort of our situation can make a wise decision for us.  We may not know the best course because of pain, confusion, anxiety, or a whole host of other reasons.  But, if we leave it in the hands of another, our stress is greatly diminished.

This is what we need to do when life overwhelms us.  God knows better than anyone else.  Including us.  He knows the path that I take.  He knows where I have been, where I am, and where I need to be.  He is the Creator and Master Designer. He knows best of all.  I don’t need to know.  I would rather not know.  I would rather know just enough of the path so that I can please the LORD and leave the rest up to Him!

Joy Speakable and Full Of Glory

“A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!” (Pr 15:23 AV)

Communication is a funny thing.  We practice it for all sorts of reasons.  But how often do we share communication with the intent of bringing joy to our own hearts?  Not fleeting happiness.  I fear that is too often the case.  Rather, joy.  Not satisfaction.  Which, by the way, is another major reason we speak.  We wish to feel satisfaction.  Joy is the cause here.  Not affirmation.  Or a sense of accomplishment or self-worth.  Joy is our goal.  Our communication can have nefarious motives like pride.  Pride is the enemy of joy.  Joy is an interesting word.  It means, “mirth, gladness, gaiety, pleasure; exceeding gladness, glee.”  Webster’s 1828 dictionary puts it this way, “the gratification of desire or some good possessed, or by a rational prospect of possessing what we love or desire; gladness; exultation; the exhilaration of spirit; Gayety; mirth; festivity.”  Think of it this way.  We may be happy that someone listens to us and it is manifested by self-gratification or affirmation.  This feeling lasts but a fleeting moment.  On the other hand, our conversation lifts the spirits of another, or ministers to help them overcome a difficulty, then we have a feeling that lasts much longer.  There is a delight as opposed to satisfaction.  This should be the motive for our communication.  What effect did our words have on another will go a long way in determining the joy, or lack thereof, which follows?

The idea of appropriate comes to mind here.  Knowing what to say and when to say it, or, not to say anything at all.  That is the understanding of ‘due season’.  Just like the snow storm we had yesterday or the below freezing temperatures we are experiencing this week, words spoken out of their season are not the best words to speak.  Imagine two types of conversations.  The first elevates self.  It is self-aggrandizing.  Sort of when we try to one-up the other or try to share an experience relevant to the topic at hand.  We become the center of our own conversation.  Or, perhaps we ask questions or share remarks that lift others up.  It is a whole lot more joyous to walk away from a conversation knowing that you have blessed someone else’s heart than your own.  Charitable words.  Gracious words.  Rebuke or reproof can also be done in a way that brings inner joy.  Rather than expound on why we think someone is wrong, we can ask guiding questions so they arrive at the conclusion which we have already ascertained. 

I am grateful for the experiences which have taught me some of these communication skills.  I am no master.  I grew up in a culture that is known for their faux pas.  We tend to lose sight of people’s feelings far too late.  Something is blurted out that is as honest as the day is long, but not appropriate for the occasion.  No joy there.  Over the years, the LORD has exposed me to cultures that know how to communicate.  Almost to a fault.  It borders on the insincere.  But, the do seek to use their words, for the most part, as a means to be a blessing to another.  Yes, there is a lot of overcompensation and sincerity is often lost.  But it does tend to bless the ears of the hearers.  This is what brings joy to the heart of the speaker.  So, the question this morning is, what are we seeking when we communicate with others?  Are we seeking affirmation?  Do we share or minds out of pride?  Do we want to win an argument?  To we look out for our own interests first?  If so, these may make us happy.  But that cannot bring joy.  Only that which ministers grace to the hearer can bring joy to the speaker’s heart.

Hard Times Ease Others

“Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.” (Ps 31:24 AV)

What makes the verse so important is the context in which we find it.  This psalm, it is believed, is written sometime in the first half of the years of David’s flight from Saul.  This psalm is a prayer for deliverance from those who would seek his life.  Verse fourteen and fifteen of this Psalm is the pivotal moment in this prayer.  David expresses his concern over the many times Saul sought his life, then he states his emphatic faith in God.  When he uses the past tense, he infers the prayer was made in the past, and God answered David is the present.  Then he tags the Psalm with the verse above.  He expresses his fear and anxiety over the threats of Saul, seeks and finds deliverance, then shares his experience as a means of hope to others.  Paul puts it this way, “For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.” (2Co 2:4 AV)  Paul went through hardships himself.  He knew, as well as David, these hardships have many purposes.  One of which is to encourage others who may also be suffering from hardships.

Many years ago, I had the opportunity to visit a cancer patient while he was in the process of receiving his chemotherapy.  The hospital in which I visited had its own outpatient area where this was administered.  It was a very nice area.  Each patient had his or her own cubical that looked like a small living room complete with a TV, recliner, and TV tray.  A coffee table and couch were available for visitors.  I couldn’t help but take notice the patients shared a common bond over their experiences.  They knew one another by name.  They conversed with one another.  They shared with one another.  They joked with one another.  They played cards with one another.  Each was suffering from a different specific cancer or stage in the progression, but that didn’t matter.  They were all in this together.  When a newcomer arrived, he or she was reluctant to join in.  But it didn’t take long before the group assimilated the new patient into the group.  What was interesting to me was how the patients were dealing with their cancer far more successfully than the family members who might have been there on a visit. 

This is the understanding of the verse above.  I couldn’t help but feel a bit warm inside when I read this verse in context.  What the Spirit illumined was the love David had for people he hadn’t even met.  He wrote the Psalm, and the concluding verse, for any and all who might need it.  He was glad to go through what he went through if it meant he could lift someone else out of their despair.  He was glad the LORD put him in these circumstances because it was through that all that God became very real to Him.  It was those hard times and the resultant hand of God which delivered him which gave cause to the encouraging words above.  In essence, David is saying that if he went through it and God met him, the same is true of all who will go through it.  Therefore, be encouraged.  God and not forgotten you.  He will not abandon you.  He has been and always will be faithful to His children.  And, when the LORD brings you through the deep waters, pray He sends you to someone in the midst of them.  That way, you can be an encouragement to someone else in need.

Satisfied Customer

“The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want.” (Pr 13:25 AV)

Note here there are two comparisons as pertains to the righteous and the wicked.  There is satisfaction compared to want and the soul compared to the belly.  This is significant.  The belly is the flesh.  The soul is the person within.  Therefore, what our wise sage is sharing with us is the righteous are moderate in their behavior and the wicked are excessive.  The righteous use only that which fulfills the need and desire.  There are limits to his needs and desires.  Otherwise, there would be no satisfaction.  Conversely, the wicked have nothing but want.  There isn’t enough to satisfy.  The righteous know how the tell the flesh ‘no’.  The wicked feed a ferocious appetite that can never be filled.

As I get older, I have noticed a trend.  It takes far less food to satisfy the appetite.  I have also noticed when it comes to unhealthy food, my taste for it is diminishing.  Yesterday was my birthday.  We have a tradition that a special meal for the birthday boy or girl is what the family enjoys.  Now that my wife and I are empty-nesters, it isn’t all that hard to whip us something.  When I was a kid, my birthday meal was tuna noodle casserole.  There is nothing wrong with tuna noodle casserole other than it is high in carbs.  Over the years my favorite meal has changed.  This year, I choose grilled shrimp and scallops with a medallion steak.  We had roasted potatoes and broccoli as our sides.  What is significant about this meal is up until about seven or eight years ago, I was not a seafood fan.  I figured I would rather avoid eating something that swam around in its own toilet.  Just think about it!  Anyway, with the experience of eating walleye and stuffed orange roughy, with an occasional blackened tilapia, my tastes began to change.  When we sat down to eat our birthday meal together, it was awesome.  Up until a year ago, I would never have considered eating scallops.  Yuk.  But marinade them in a tasty sauce and grill them lightly – YUM!  The thing is, we didn’t need to eat a whole lot to learn what satisfaction felt like.  A half a dozen shrimp, four scallops, and a six-ounce steak were all it took.  The taste was more than satisfied.  What made it even more special was the fact we made it at home with an indoor grill and everything came out to perfection.

The righteous have learned what is good to the satisfying of the soul and what is mere fleshly indulgences.  They have learned it doesn’t require a whole lot.  Not compared to what the world would have us believe.  There is a word of encouragement here.  The flesh and the world try to convince us we will never be content.  We will never be satisfied.  However, Solomon says the righteous well eat to the satisfying of the soul.  This suggests the soul can be satisfied.  All we need to do is check our priorities and realign our desires to match that which the LORD has for us.  Sitting at the lakefront near the lighthouse on a quiet and peaceful morning sure beats the longest day one can have at the amusement park.  A simple clean and fresh salad beats a plate full of fast food.  It’s a matter of disciple and gratitude.

Not An Easy Road for the Righteous

“The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.” (Ps 11:5 AV)

One would wonder why the LORD has to try the righteous.  If a person is righteous, what needs to be tried?  The word for ‘…trieth…’ means, to examine, try, prove, scrutinize, to test, prove, try.”  When compared against the wicked, one might think the wicked need to be tried.  The righteous can be left alone.  However, there is a distinction here that needs to be made.  The LORD tries the righteous, but the wicked He judges.  By implication, the motive for this ‘trying’ is love.  We assume this because of the emotional response God has towards the wicked.  He hates them.  Just a side note, God loves the wicked enough to sacrifice His Son for their soul.  So, study what the word ‘hate’ means as it pertains to the use of the word in the Bible.  The word does not mean the LORD cannot love the wicked enough to save them.  But let us return to the matter at hand.  God tries the righteous and His motive is love.  Or, the opposite of hate.

Job is our best example here.  Job was a man who feared God and hated evil.  He was a righteous man if there ever was one.  In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say Job was the most naturally righteous man that ever lived.  Yet, the LORD saw fit to try him.  Job struggled because he believed righteousness meant the absence of trying times.  He believed his righteousness earned him a life that was free from the deep troubles others may experience.  He believed that troubles were only a result of sin and since he was a man who loved and lived righteousness, he shouldn’t be experiencing the hardships revealed in the book that bears his name.  The thing is, God loved Job enough to require he suffer at the hands of his adversary.  This may sound strange, but the truth is, God loves us too much to let us live in the status quo.  He desires that we mature.

This whole business of the COVID-19 virus has even the elect acting a bit squirrely.  No one wants to get ill.  Especially when we consider the symptoms.  In 2009, the LORD saw fit to allow me to contract the swine flu.  It hit on the weekend I was to move to a new ministry and state.  The day we were packing out, I was in my office chair with a blanket over me, watching out a window as others packed the truck.  I couldn’t move.  Literally.  I was so sick I couldn’t walk twenty feet to the bathroom.  If that was the H1N1 virus, I certainly do not wish to come down with the Wuhan Flu.  The thing is, I can take as many precautions as I can prudently take.  I spend all but about an hour a day in my house.  The hour that I do spend is mostly outside with my dog.  Almost always in my front yard.  There might be another hour per week shopping, but other than that and live-streaming our services, I am around no one.  When we do go out shopping we practice social distancing and wear face masks.  However, if the LORD saw fit to ask me to suffer from the COVID-19 virus, there is nothing I can do about it.  It would be the LORD trying the righteous.  There would be areas of my life that need to be cleaned up or a lack of faith that needs to be challenged.  The LORD simply loves us too much to allow us to stay as we are.  We can always be a little bit more like Christ.