The Last One Standing Wins

“By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.” (Ps 41:11 AV)

Sometimes we get so focused on the failures we forget that we are winning.  Or at the very least, we are not losing.  Psalm forty-one is written around the time of Absalom’s rebellion.  David has much of which to be discouraged.  His son rebelled against him largely because David did not render judgment in the rape of his daughter Tamar by the hand of Amnon.  There is no indication David refused.  It simply was not handled acceptably by Absalom, Tamar’s brother.  Not seeing Amnon disposed of quickly enough, Absalom does so himself.  Some suppose David was not quick to render judgment because he still suffered the sting of guilt from having an affair with Bathsheba.  Perhaps he felt his credibility would be questioned.  If the reader put all of David’s failures together from the death of the priests at Nob to Absalom’s rebellion, he might conclude David is losing the war.  Looking at the purely cumulative nature of David’s faults might lean one to the opinion David was more of a screw-up than a success.  But that is not the case.  As long as David stood, no matter how many hits he took or mistakes he made, that was proof enough that God favored him.  He didn’t need to win every battle to know the LORD was still by his side.

As a pitching coach for little league and high school, there was a balance I tried to establish in the minds of my pitchers.  Sure, you take one pitch at a time.  That is the focus one must maintain.  Otherwise, concentration is lost over obsessing other numbers like pitch count, strikes and balls, outs, and the score of the game.  But those things are important too.  We use the phrase, chasing your tail.  It means to chase something that can never be caught to the detriments of making progress.  Our pitchers concentrated on making the perfect pitch.  If we called for a four-seam fastball, that is what he threw.  If we called for a slider or curve, that is what he focused on.  The downside of that laser focus is failure.  If he failed to throw the perfect curve, he might obsess over it, throwing it again and again.  He could get caught up in trying to make the perfect pitch and become discouraged when he cannot make it.  At this point, the coach would go to the mound and remind him he is winning the ballgame.  If the curve isn’t working for him, we will find another successful pitch selection.  If we were not winning the game, we would remind him of his success at locating his pitches.  The trick is to keep that pitcher’s mind balanced so the failures do not outweigh the successes.  If we do not do that, the pitcher will get down on himself, the team, or the situation and he becomes useless.

We have to be reminded that if we are walking with God, there will be failures.  There will be times when we feel we are not of any value to the LORD or that He is so greatly disappointed with us there is no hope.  But we must also remember the truth that if the adversary does not triumph over us, the LORD does indeed favor us.  The Devil will never triumph over us.  Not in light of eternity, anyway.  In the word of God, there are only two times mentioned when Satan could overcome a saint.  There was the fornicator of 1Cor 5.  There was also Hymenaeus and Alexander who taught a heretical doctrine of the resurrection.  Peter was rebuked as one influenced by Satan.  Judas Iscariot is said to have been influenced by Satan.  I hope the reader sees these as extreme exceptions.  The vast majority of those mentioned in the New Testament were never defeated by the Devil.  Thus, the truth is obvious.  David had many successes equal to, or greater than is failures.  Most importantly, no matter if it was self-inflicted or divinely sent, the fact he was still standing was proof enough of God’s favor.

Pointless Acts of Love

“And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.” (2Sa 21:10 AV)

While Saul was king, he broke a treaty with the Gibeonites made by Joshua and slew many of them.  For this, the LORD sent a famine among Israel.  When David enquired, the LORD told him seven descendants of Saul had to be hanged for the curse to be lifted.  Among them were two sons of Rizpah.  These seven are hung but left on the gallows.  Rizpah, being the loving mother she is, takes her sackcloth, a garment meant to be worn, and constructs a tent.  She then dwells there day and night to keep the birds from mutilating the bodies of her two dear sons.  Interestingly, no other mother did as she did.  She remained there until it was told to David.  To which, David had the bodies removed and given a proper burial.  Once the bodies of the seven men were interred along with Saul and Jonathan, then the LORD sent rain again.  When I meditate upon this, I cannot help but be moved at the depth of love and devotion Rizpah had for her children.  Her sons were not to blame for the actions of their forefather.  Yet, there they hung in disgrace for the choice of another.  The Bible does not indicate how long Rizpah camped out there.  Probably only a matter of days.  But still, she lived in the wilderness under a garment draped between stones to protect the honor of her sons.  That is love!

There are acts of love that may seem pointless.  Oft times, these are the greatest.  It brings to mind the many times I have gone to visit someone who was very near the end of life.  To some, it may seem pointless.  There is nothing that can be done.  That is exactly how one feels sometimes.  What does someone say as they breathe out their last breath?  What comfort can be given as they writhe in pain?  When I was in my twenties, my grandmother passed away.  She was in a coma for a few days before she passed.  My brother and I were the only ones at the time who had surrendered to God’s plan of salvation.  We so badly wanted to give my grandmother the plan of salvation.  But how do you do that?  She cannot respond.  Up until then, there was great debate as to whether a person in a coma can hear and process what happens within earshot.  We didn’t know any better.  So, my brother and I would give my grandmother the plan of salvation over and again.  How pointless, someone would say.  She cannot hear.  She cannot respond.  Whether she could hear or not wasn’t the point.  We had faith in God our efforts were not in vain.  It was a few years later when I came across an Anne Landers advice column.  In that column, a writer had shared how they could hear and process everything that was said in her hospital room while she lay in a coma!  What a comfort to my heart!

Rizpah showed great love for her sons and because of it, David was moved to bury the bodies.  When he did, and only when he did, the famine ceased and rain came.  This mother’s pointless act of love resulted in the saving of a nation.  We may think our efforts don’t amount to much.  We may fear ridicule by our “pointless” acts of love.  But that doesn’t matter.  If the LORD has directed you to share the love of Christ in a way others cannot understand, so be it.  Love is never pointless.  There is always fruit by it.  Even Saul and Jonathan benefited by this mother's pointless act of love.  In a world that is becoming more and more self-centered, love is in short supply.  We stand on opposite sides of the aisle rooting for the other side to suffer.  Wear a mask.  Don’t wear a mask.  Wear gloves.  Don’t wear gloves.  The opinions don’t matter.  We have forgotten how to love.  Maybe you don’t see the point.  That doesn’t matter.  Sacrifice.  Put your own feelings aside and perform a pointless act of love.  It just might change a nation.

Sole Trust

“He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.” (Ps 62:6 AV)

There is one word that jumped out at me.  Only.  Not God and something or someone else.  He only!  He alone!  Our problem is we have our hope in God plus something else.  God and our spouse.  God and our church.  God and our government.  God and science.  God and our abilities.  God and our health.  God and our doctor.  God and the statistics.  God and our finances.  God and our educational institutions.  God and the media.  God and our friends.  God and the internet.  David wrote this Psalm sometime around the rebellion of Absalom.  In fact, there are a good number of Psalms written with that event as the backdrop.  The most significant ordeal David ever went through was the rebellion and consequent death of his own son.  When David left Jerusalem he had a very small contingent willing to aide him.  The vast majority of Israel went after Absalom.  This was similar to Saul’s pursuit of David but ramped up tenfold.  David could not initiate any hostilities against his own son.  He couldn’t because it was his own son.  When David said God alone was his hope, he wasn’t kidding.   We also want to notice the exclusivity of the object of faith as it relates to the depth of faith he has.  Making God alone the object of one’s faith serves to strengthen that faith, not weaken it.

I don’t care for flying.  Well, let me clarify.  I don’t like taking off or landing.  As long as I don’t think about it, the in-between isn’t all that bad.  The funny thing is, if one must fly, one must learn to place his or her trust in one single individual.  The pilot.  There is no other choice.  There is support one can lean on.  The structure of the plane has some safety about it.  Knowing it can stay aloft for a time even in the midst of power failure.  It can still glide.  As we saw, a plane can even land in a river.  There are flight attendants who can calm the nerves.  There are pills one can take to make the trip a bit easier.  But when all is said and done, the traveler’s life rests in the capable hands of one person.  The one behind the controls.  Years ago, to overcome my fear of flying, a friend of mine gave me a discovery flight for my birthday.  That is when a trained pilot takes a novice up and allows that greenhorn to fly the plane.  This pilot allowed me to take the plan up and fly around.  To and from Chicago from Milwaukee.  It was a blast.  It was fun because, at any moment, she could take the controls and fly the craft herself.  She controlled the rudders while I controlled everything else.  That is until we came in to land.  She coached me through it but I could feel her strength overpowering my input.  I finally took my hands off the yoke and said she had the plane all by herself.  Before that, it was her and me.  Knowing I was out of my league, I surrendered full control to her.  A great relief came over me because I knew the moment I surrendered any input and gave it 100% to her, we would be safe.

David had no choice but to leave it all to the LORD.  Our instincts tell us the more objects in which we can place our trust, the stronger that trust becomes.  If I am in a tree stand and I can trust the tree to withstand the wind, the tie-offs to maintain their strength, and the stand to hold together under my weight, the more strong my faith becomes.  This may be true of the natural world.  Yet, when applied to life, God alone should be our trust.  We can do our due diligence.  We can tie the stand down with new ties.  We can tighten all the bolts and be sure the stand is securely anchored into the ground.  We can examine the tree for size and durability.  But ultimately, our trust should rely on God alone.  That pilot could have had a seizure and I would have had to land that plain.  New ties can still snap.  A million things could happen to the safeguards we have put in place.  But God is faithful!  He never fails.  That’s upon whom our trust should rely

A Measure of Wisdom

“A reproof entereth more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool.” (Pr 17:10 AV)

The measure of a person’s character is what it takes to correct him.  Reproof is the mildest of all forms of correction.  According to our friend Webster, reproof is “Blame expressed to the face; censure for a fault; reprehension; Blame cast; censure directed to a person.”  Rebuke is the next step up.  There is action taken.  There are checks or restraints added.  Note in our verse the comparison to of extremes with no middle ground as relevant.  The wise man will react wisely when gently corrected.  The fool, on the contrary, will not change his ways no matter how much pain is inflicted.  The opposites are compared so that all the range in between becomes the point.  That which it takes to change our behavior is the measure of our character.  That which it takes to correct behavior is an indication of how deeply rooted our faults are.  How we choose to respond to correction is the measure of our maturity.

There are several things I miss.  We moved from the country to a large city.  I miss, most of all, my hunting trips with my good buddy, Bunk.  Bunk is one of the most humble men I have ever met.  He is a simple-hearted man who doesn’t have an enemy in the world.  He is a man of strong character who does not compromise what he believes, but at the same time, carries himself in a very unassuming way.  We spent hundreds, if not thousands, or hours in the deer woods.  I’ve never moved and secured more tree stands in those nine years than I have the rest of my life combined.  The thing is, when it came to thinking out a plan and executing it, Bunk and I could have been labeled fools.  We learned a lot of lessons.  Unfortunately, they were learned the hard way.  With stripes!  To make us feel better about our misdeeds, we called them adventures.  One such adventure ended with physical maiming.  All because this hunter would not listen to his buddy.  My friend Bunk, in his younger years, used to coach girls basketball.  He knew how important hydration was to the one exerting physical energy.  He would constantly ask if I needed water.  It was really annoying.  That is until I blew out my calf muscle.  Even today, three years later, my left foot is in so much pain because I didn’t listen to my buddy tell me I needed to drink water.  I was the fool.  You would think I learned my lesson.   But no.  Fast forward a few years and I sat in a golf cart with my father-in-law.  He, too, is a believer in hydration.  What do I do?  Refuse the offer of water.  Low and behold, guess who is too sick to eat any lunch? 

The key is to allow that correction to enter in.  This is where I failed.  Why didn’t I listen?  Pride.  I didn’t want someone to think I was dependent upon their opinion.  That is a fool.  I was a fool.  In some ways, I still am.  How many times do we go to the doctor and he tells us we need to change our life’s habits if we want to improve or maintain our quality of life.  Do we?  How many times do we ignore the advice of parents, a spouse, our an author only to realize we would have been much better off if we did?  How many times do we listen to the sermon, takes notes, laugh at the anecdotes, and admire the hand of the Holy Spirit only to go our way relatively unchanged?  It will be more than a blown-out calf muscle.  It could be a heap of damage we pile up.  It could be a diagnosis that cuts to the heart of both us and those whom we love.  Why?  All because we would not let the reproof of God’s word or voice to enter the heart and change it.  Correction is not comfortable.  It never is.  But consequences are a whole lot more painful.

Emotional Swing

“But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company. Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.” (Ps 55:13-15 AV)

The general theme of this Psalm is Absalom’s rebellion against David.  Specifically, the above verses relate to Ahithopel, David’s trusted counselor and friend.  Prophetically, this passage speaks of Judas Iscariot and his betrayal of Jesus.  Ahithophel was Bathsheba’s grandfather and may suggest it was the reason he abandoned David for Absalom.  What the Spirit has impressed upon the heart is the radical change between the tenor of verses thirteen and fourteen compared with verse fifteen.  In verses thirteen and fourteen, David heaps accolades upon Ahithophel.  He remembers just how close they were and how much they were united in heart and mind.  He shares how they went to Tabernacle together.  David takes pains to put himself and Ahithophel at the same eye level.  The king did not lord over Ahithophel.  He saw him as an indispensable colleague to the inner court.  The bond they shared can only come second to the bond David shared with Jonathan.  Then the wishes of verse fifteen, which would include Ahithophel, are in stark contrast.  What a radical change of heart from the near kinship David felt for Ahithophel to wishing him a quick trip to hell.  We know that David’s circumstances and calling are not the same as ours.  He has a physical kingdom to run.  The church, on the other hand, is called to love our enemies and try to reach them with the love of Christ.  We are not called to do the same as David.  However, that does not mean this passage is without a practical application for the New Testament saint. 

One thing to remember is that Ahithophel declared himself to be an enemy of David before David’s attitude about him changed.  Another truth to remember is just because David expressed emotion and offered a prayer under the influence of that emotion does not mean the LORD heard it, sanctioned it, or answered it.  In other words, just because the word of God records the words of a man does not mean those words were what the LORD would wish the man would say.  What we want to consider is not necessarily the substance of the words of verse fifteen as the change in emotion that occurred so quickly.  No doubt, David was deeply hurt by Ahithophel’s choice.  It is obvious by the words David uses.  What is astounding is how quickly and dramatically those emotions change.  A crisis can do that to us.  David’s wish on Ahithophel might be what the LORD desired.  We don’t know.  Perhaps it wasn’t.  But David has real and deep feelings about what had just happened.  He saw no reason for it.  Especially considering the talent of the man Ahithophel.  Surely this sage had enough wisdom to know the truth of the matter.  Surely he observed Absalom stealing away the hearts of the people while judging them at the gate of the palace.  Surely he understood the nature of the insurrection and that David was the rightly anointed king of Israel.  Then why?  As stated above, perhaps this was personal.  Perhaps Ahithophel feigned friendship all along and held a deep resentment over the affair between David and his granddaughter, Bathsheba.

Our emotions are a volatile and powerful thing.  They can influence us so quickly, it would be hard to control.  They could cause us to say things we don’t really mean.  I wonder if David really wanted the rebels to go into hell.  After all, he mourned over the death of Absalom more than was appropriate.  No one would blame us for feeling the way we do.  We have all been there.  No one would think any less of us if we felt as we did.  We all felt that way from time to time.  No one would be surprised if we harbor bitterness or resentment.  No one would judge us for being angry over injustice.  However, acting upon how we feel is a whole other story.  These emotions are normal.  These emotions are what make us human.  But these emotions must be processed.  This is what David is doing here.  He may or may not be sincere.  He may be fed up with all that he has had to deal with and is just venting.  The problem with venting is steam goes everywhere.  There are particulates that plume over everything.  Be careful.  Deal with the hurt.  But watch what you say in the process.  One cannot take back what was said once it was said.

Blinders Are Bad

“And with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were called; and they went in their simplicity, and they knew not any thing.” (2Sa 15:11 AV)

There was a small group of men who went with Absalom to Hebron on the pretext of a religious feast.  They went there believing they were participating in an offering and meal.  What they didn’t know is what was about to transpire.  Had they known, it is anyone’s guess if they would have gone.  It is implied they may not have.  These two hundred men were acquaintances of Absalom.  They were friends.  Perhaps not close friends.  But close enough to feel they should attend this feast.  It is implied by the statement above they were caught in a situation where they had to pick sides.  If they had never gone, then they would be able to remain neutral.  However, once they decided to go, returning while the rebellion grew would have made enemies towards Absalom of them.  If they remained, then they would have been required to be loyal.  Knowing the effect Absalom was having on the people and the current estrangement of Absalom from David, it had to dawn on them there might be an ulterior motive for Absalom to go to Hebron.  We may get caught in something, but it is our responsibility to get out of it.  Joseph did the same thing.  He was so unaware of his surroundings, it led to a false accusation and his imprisonment.

We have all gotten ourselves into these kinds of predicaments.  Before we know it, we have committed to something we shouldn’t have done.  We meant well.  We thought it was the right thing to do.  Years ago, I was caught between a rock and a hard place.  This couple wanted to bet married.  The groom was a recent graduate of Navy Recruit Training command (boot camp) and was on his way to his next school before going to his ship.  He only had the weekend to marry.  Then he would be off.  My pastor at the time wanted me to go ahead and marry them.  Being very green in the ministry, I felt a loyalty to my pastor.  What I wanted to do was to contact the parents to get their input.  They were not elated, but they didn’t forbid it either.  What do I do?  There was no time to adequately counsel them in premarital counseling.  All I could do was give them the materials to look through later.  I couldn’t tell you if it was the right or wrong thing to do.  They were both saved and their parents didn’t object – even though they didn’t support it either.  I was caught.

Naïveté only works a few times.  After a while, we cannot use that excuse any longer.  Just because we are asked to do something does not mean we are obligated to do it.  Failure to ask questions is our problem.  Failure to be a bit skeptical is our problem.  Failure of patience is our problem.  Failure to take one’s time and thoroughly examine before we commit is our problem.  Look before you leap.  Always question.  That is the failure here.  Sometimes, we want to think only the best of a situation.  We see it through those lenses.  We don’t want to see the downside.  Only the upside.  We don’t want to consider what we see may not be all there is to see.  We commit to something or someone without doing our due diligence to discern the wisdom of it.  These two hundred men went up to Hebron with Absalom and because they did, they were forced to make a decision they may not have been prepared to make.  We will never know.  Simplicity can be an excuse for only so long.  After a while, a bit of skepticism is in order.  Had these men taken their time and not been so quick to commit, the decision would not have made itself.

The Only Thing That Matters

“Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” (Ps 32:2 AV)

I wonder how much we meditate on the blessings of atonement and forgiveness.  How much to we stop and think of how blessed we are with the simple truth that in Christ, we are forgiven?  How often does it occur to our minds and hearts the depth of debt we owed and the tremendous grace that forgave it all?  We are spoiled.  If life isn’t what we want it to be, we gripe and complain.  A little inconvenience becomes a major disaster.  Even in the harshest of circumstances, the fact we are forgiven should be enough.  Crisis is a great educator.  It forces us to learn and confront what we really are.  All the LORD has to do is allow an individual or a group of people to undergo difficult circumstances, and they will find out who and what they truly are.  Add a bit of adversity, and the ugly truth comes to the surface.  Or, like Abraham, a bit of adversity is what made him shine.  He didn’t realize he had the faith he did until the LORD made him confront that faith.  I say all this because I am concerned.  I am concerned at the discontentment among God’s people at the little bit of adversity which we are asked to endure.  We have forgotten the blessings of being forgiven.

Thirty-eight years ago this past March, my LORD, and Savior accepted my humble plea and granted His forgiveness and salvation.  He did so not because I earned it.  He did so not because I was worthy.  He saved me because I cried out in desperate conviction of sin and need of His grace, and He saved me.  I will never forget the release that followed.  There has never been, nor will ever be, a feeling like the one I had the bright Sunday morning.  A feeling of peace that defies mere words.  There isn’t anything that compares.  Knowing my standing had instantly changed from utterly condemned to fully absolved is something I will never forget!  I still remember that morning.  I still remember the walk down the aisle.  I still remember the ride home.  I still remember the wonder that pulsed through my being that the God of all creation had forgiven me and accepted me in Christ.  I have never lost that wonder.  All I have to do is recollect the pitiful and hopeless condition in which my soul was.  All I have to do is remember how hopeless and lost I was.  That all changed in an instant.  Just a few weeks prior, I was considering ending it all.  Then Jesus came!  He came and changed my whole world.  So, what do I have to complain about?

If the adversary thinks a bit of adversity is going to steal this joy, he is wrong.  Yes, there will be difficult times that will be hard to endure.  I just went through one a few years back.  I had to say goodbye to two dear friends and my mother.  I had to say goodbye to a church family which I had fallen in love with.  I had to say goodbye to all three of my children as they went off in life.  My physical health was failing.  I saw no purpose in life.  It was a dark time.  Through it all, the LORD had to remind me that no matter what happened in life, I was still a child of God.  Even if life takes a radical turn, it will never change my standing before the LORD.  Our sins are forgiven!  Stop the griping.  Our debt has been paid.  Stop the complaining!  You are on the way to glory with a totally clean account.  Stop the bickering!  You are accepted in Christ because he endured what you owed, imputing His own righteousness on your filthy soul.  Stop the fussing!  We don’t need a change of circumstances.  What we need is the return of our joy of salvation.  No man can take that away.  That is what Jesus said!  If you are there with a frown on your face because your life is a bit inconvenienced, it is not the fault of circumstances.  That would be your fault.  No man stole your joy.  You gave it up.  You did so because you forgot the most important fact of your brief life.  You are forgiven!  That is the most important truth of all.  Never forget it and live in the joy that one truth brings.