120 - "Our Worst Problem is not Personal Pain/ Relational Failure" 2 Samuel 8-9; 1 Chronicles 18

 

“Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Samuel 9. A precious story!

Here is a beautiful place in David's heart.  

To whom may I show God's Kindness.

Reflecting back on all the Goodness.

Emptying himself into strangers.

So moving to initiate Giving.

Makes you long to be kind.

Makes you long to live.

Wondering how real.

Is this the Gospel.

Lived out here.

Or what is it.

Self-slain.

Selfish.

Love.

God.

He.

I.

And days, months later.  

When kings normally go to battle in war.

David stays home.

And he shouldn't have.

Wondering why.

Why did not David go.

And nights pass.  

When kings normally tend to their affairs.

David takes a girl.

And he shouldn't have.

Wondering why.

Why didn't David turn.

There are places in all of us.  

Dark places where Light wants to Shine.  

And it will.

If we are His!

2 Samuel 8: 1-6 David brought the Philistines to their knees and took control of their countryside.  He defeated Moab and executed two-thirds of them.  He killed 22,000 Arameans.  He plundered gold and looted large quantities of bronze. He struck down the entire army of Hadadezer.  He built a victory monument.  Set up puppet governments. 2 Samuel 1:14 "God gave David victory wherever he marched." This guy had courage that is so intriguing and admirable!

He lived well.  He suffered well.  He ruled well.  But did he love well?  It just so captures my attention, my heart that he had all those concubines!!!  How did he "miss" God on that?  How do I "miss" God?  Does it seem to you that if Christians today have a flaw like David did or even more culturally accepted flaws (if there is such a thing) like raging anger, then they are DQ'd from ministry, from respect.  No one DQ'd David for adultery and murder! 

Crabb's words come to mind:  "We naturally believe that our worst problem is personal pain occasioned by others who relationally fail us.  Because we fear that pain, we protect ourselves against it and think that our greatest good is our immediate satisfaction."  That's what David thought.  And we arrange for it any way we can, whether through sex or hard work or achievement or even worship (wow, I'm floored that he threw worship in there---doesn't seem to be a distractor, does it?)  So, what's my greatest good in my current situation?  Holiness?  God?  Whatever pain you own today, God is at work in you by His Power making you and me aware of just how far short we fall of relating like He does.  Colossians 1:29 - He is powerfully at work in you doing whatever it takes to get us to relate to others and move in to really love them and live for the Greater Good!  Wonder what my Greater Good is today?

PHOTO:  Santa Rosa Island where I have spent countless of summers walking the beach thinking about what is in my heart.  I vividly remember one June walk in 2006. I was just a few feet away from the pier.  A girl on a blanket jumped up and called out to me that God wanted me to know that everything was going to be okay because His Sovereign hand is on you.  It was the lowest point of my life. The Great Divide.  How could she have known?