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Have you ever been really thirsty? Like not being able to drink water for a long period of time? Having your mouth so dry that you almost choke? Feeling totally dehydrated to the point of weakness?
Most of us have never been that thirsty. We have water readily available to us. And we drink when we get thirsty. But what about our soul? Can you even tell when you soul is thirsty? Physically, we can only go without water for three days or so. But what about spiritually? How long can you go without God?
In Psalm 42 the Psalmist says:
As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God? (42:1-2)
Have you ever felt “thirsty for God?” So much so that your soul is panting? In Psalm 5, David says
In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly. (5:3)
While we can definitely meet with God any time of day, there is something good about drinking God in during the morning hours. It prepares us for our day. It helps us get the nourishment we need to make it.
On the flip side, we learn from Psalm 38 that our sin literally makes us unhealthy. That’s a profound thought. And from Psalm 41 we see that our integrity upholds us and sets us in God’s presence (41:12). Integrity is when the parts of our person are “integrated” or “connected” so that our soul functions like it’s supposed to. Interestingly, in Psalm 42 the Psalmist talks with his soul like it’s a person. Maybe if we treated our own souls a little more like that, we’d pay better attention to what they’re telling us and what they need.
As the consequences to David’s sin continue to unfold, two words stood out to me from the reading today: “mourning” & “grieving.” While the Bible tends to use the word “mourning” more often, psychologists tends to use the word “grieving.” I think they communicate the same action – taking the time and making the space to be sad and accept the loss of a significant hurtful event. It says
And for the whole army the victory that day was turned into mourning, because on that day the troops heard it said, “The king is grieving for his son.” (19:2)
Why did these words stand out to me? A couple of reasons. First, whenever loss happens, mourning is the healthy response to take. Rather than ignoring the reality and pretending like everything is okay, making the space to mourn is one of the most important steps someone can take. When a loss isn’t grieved, feelings of depression can easily come in response to the loss. Grieving helps prevent that depression.
Second, the fact that David mourned the loss of his son gives us another window into his heart and character. His son had usurped the throne and wanted his father killed. Yet David still has compassion for his son and humbly responds from a place of love, rather than other more negative emotions. As David has others rebel against him, this is important to keep in mind. The character of a leader is often displayed consistently throughout both the decisions they make and the kind of life they lead. Continue to look for ways that David has a different kind of heart as a leader.
Here’s another confession – I like things to be right. People tease me about this a lot. I’m the guy who walks by the crooked picture and straightens it. When something is out of order, I put it in order. I try to keep clean that which gets dirty. Okay, I even categorize my clothes. But I only feel a little “OCD” (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) when I find myself doing things like eating food in a certain order or counting my steps when I walk. Maybe I should get some medication for this.
But because I often see the world through this kind of lens, I think a lot about things not being right. They are out of order. They break too quickly. They rust and fade. They don’t work like they should. Can any of you relate? (and others of you are thinking “this guy is a little nuts!”)
The Psalms have some recurring themes. For example, we’ve read a lot of Psalms asking for God’s protection and provision. But I see a different theme rising out of our reading today. The Psalmist prays for God’s vindication, that God wouldn’t hide or conceal or withhold his goodness, and that God would hear and protect and hide me when necessary. Another way to see these requests is that God would set things right. They are currently wrong – but one day can be made right. They are now impacted by evil – but can move toward goodness. They are out of place in our fallen world – but can be rearranged in a redeemed world.
This is actually a pretty deep theological subject, and one that the author/scholar N.T. Wright spends a good amount of time writing about. You might even want to do some study on how God is redeeming his world. But I love the simplicity in which the Psalms long for God to set things right. That’s a good prayer. That’s a kingdom hope shining through the darkness of everyday stresses. And it’s definitely much better than throwing in the towel because the world is such a mess!
In what is possibly one of the most tragic statements in all of Scripture, David cries out:
“O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!” (18:33)
It’s the heart of a father in grief over the tragic loss of his son. While it’s not like we couldn’t see it coming, it is still painful to watch, even at a distance. Families rise and families fall. Some relationships grow deeper and flourish, while others grow cold and wane.
The Bible doesn’t tell us much about what kind of father David was. We know he was a great warrior and had a heart for God . . . but then we learn far more about his humanity and failings . . . and then the consequences that rise out of these. It is still hard to imagine a son pursuing his father to kill him so that he could take the throne as king. But there is a verse that gives us a clue into Absalom’s heart:
During his lifetime Absalom had taken a pillar and erected it in the King’s Valley as a monument to himself, for he thought, “I have no son to carry on the memory of my name.” He named the pillar after himself, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day. (18:18)
Many people give their life’s energies to the good of humankind. They desire to make a difference in the world by helping others and reaching out. Then there is another kind of human being. One that would build “a monument to himself.” While some might admire such a person, others see through the superficiality of such a self-serving life.
There are many analogies for our relationship with God in the Bible, but one that definitely stand out in the Psalms is “God as shield.” As vulnerable humans, we need protection from all that life throws at us. We often find ourselves exposed and in need of protection. As one saying goes “we can always find God at the end of our rope.” We seem to need God the most in times of trouble.
David definitely expressed his need for God as he ran from Absalom. He has quite a history of running from enemies. And when you have a lot of enemies, or those enemies are attempting to do whatever is necessary to eliminate you, it’s definitely helpful to have a good shield.
In the Psalms for today God is referred to as a shield several times. And just as it provided comfort for the Psalmist, it can provide comfort for us as well. In fact, one of the most comforting verses in Scripture is:
Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken. (55:22)
Every good parent wants their offspring to have a life as good or better than they did. But what most parents don’t plan on is how their own lives effect the outcome of their children. God made it very clear to David that “the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.” (12:10) I wonder how much David stayed up at night wondering what God meant that the sword would never depart from his house. Who would kill whom . . . and when? And what would you do as a parent to try to prevent this from happening?
In the reading today, all hell breaks loose as Amnon (David’s oldest son) rapes his half-sister Tamar. He becomes so obsessed with lust that he makes himself sick (13:2). And even after Tamar warns hims (13:12-13), he proceeds to violate her irrespective of any consequences. When their father David hears about it, he’s furious, but as far as we know does nothing about it. Avoidance could be one of the most potent fuels in dysfunctional family life.
Absalom finally kills Amnon, and then conspires to take over as king, causing David to flee for his life just like he fled from King Saul many years earlier. For a man so brave he sure seems to be running a lot! The conspicuous absence of some form of reconciliation and forgiveness results in consequences larger than King David most likely anticipated. Things even come full circle as Ahithophel, Bathsheba’s grandfather, sides with Absalom. Here we’re reminded that events of the past somehow don’t stay in the past.
Without judging David’s family too harshly, as every family since Adam and Eve has been a dysfunctional family, there are many points to ponder from this narrative:
It’s possible to learn the lesson as a kid, but many don’t learn it until adulthood, and some never learn it. I think of childhood because that’s the first time we all do something wrong, and then feel bad because we know it’s wrong. We feel guilty, bad, ashamed, or whatever. Our mind races thinking about what to do (or not to do). Should I tell someone? Should I keep it a secret? Can I make up some kind of story that will explain it away? Maybe if I just keep quiet long enough no one will notice?
Psalm 32 and 51 are famous because through them we get to see the heart of David in response to his sinfulness we read about yesterday. Psalm 32 allows us to see what happens when we keep silent:
When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long. (32:3)
Doesn’t sound like a very good choice, does it? The better choice comes in not hiding, acknowledging, and confessing our sin . . . even though that often seems far more scary:
Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin. (32:5)
The result that comes from confession is happiness (32:1-2). The word “blessed” could be translated “happy” or even “having a sense of well-being.” A much better way to live than having our bones waste away! Medical research has even confirmed that those who have relationships with others where they can talk about the difficult things of life will live longer than those who keep it all inside.
Psalm 51 gives us a theology of sin, as we learn that sin has a way of staying with us (51:3), sin is against God (51:4), and sin begins at birth (51:5). Yet God has the ability to give mercy, show love, give compassion, blot out transgressions, wash away and cleanse iniquity, restore, deliver, and so on. Sin is explained with convicting clarity . . . and God’s ability to handle our sin is explained with compelling relief.
A classic prayer we might choose to pray are David’s words:
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (51:10-12)
From the time we met David in 1 Samuel 16, in some ways it has appeared that David could do nothing wrong. Chosen from among his seven brothers, “glowing with health,” “a fine appearance and handsome features,” armor bearer to Saul, kills Goliath the giant of whom everyone else was fearful, mercifully spares Saul’s life at least twice, assembles a band of mighty warriors, valiant in battle, anointed king over Judah and Israel, amazing poet/song-writer of dozens of Psalms . . . is there anything he can’t do?
But today we see the chink in the armor, the depravity, the proof that David is human just like everyone else. This tragic story does two things to me. First, it causes me to feel totally discouraged that this incredible leader lets his guard down and commits such serious acts of sin (he was guilty of breaking the sixth, seventh, ninth, and tenth commandments from Exodus 20:13-17). But second, it causes me to realize that even someone called “a man after God’s own heart” is susceptible to the same temptations as we are. When someone seems perfect (or almost perfect), they are very hard to relate to or even like. But when their humanity shows, they somehow become more endearing. That’s what happens with me and the story of David.
It’s hard to imagine what would have happened if the Law was applied and David and Bathsheba received the customary death penalty for adultery and murder (see Leviticus 20:10; 24:17). But instead God sends Nathan the prophet who delivers one of the most striking and famous parables in the entire Old Testament. And in David’s characteristic humble form, he submits to the message, recognizes his guilt, and confesses his sin:
Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will die.” (12:13-14)
We get the opportunity to see the beauty of God’s forgiveness, even though David will still experience the serious consequences of his sin – “the sword will never depart from your house” (12:10).
There are so many lessons from this brief narrative:
One of the dangers of prayer is only going to God to ask for things. While prayer is about asking at its core, there is something unhealthy or unbalanced about only taking my list of needs without talking with God about other things. Probably the best remedy for this tendency is to begin our prayers with praise. Psalms 65-67 do just that.
“Praise” is defined as the act of expressing approval or admiration; commending someone; or the offering of grateful homage in words or song, as an act of worship. I don’t think we take enough time to do that. Maybe you do, but I don’t. I really do admire God and am amazed as all he has done. But I don’t tell him enough. I don’t allow the awe of his greatness to permeate my whole being so that I’m brought to my knees in worship. I love what it says in Psalm 66:5:
“Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works . . . “
If we spent even a little more time doing that, I think it would totally energize our praise.
A few other phrases stand out to me:
“but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God who has not rejected my prayer . . .” (66:19)
“You who answer prayer, to you all people will come.” (65:2)
That’s such a comforting thought to know that God listens to and hears our prayers (when he could choose to reject them), and that he also answers our prayers. I’m sure this was amazingly comforting to David as he ran from his enemies who were more numerous than most of the enemies we will have in a lifetime! What is it about persecution and suffering at the hand of others that turns us to God in prayer?
It’s one thing to make your own bad decision. It’s another to follow the bad advice that someone gives you. If you’ve done this, and we all have, there is something really painful it. Maybe it is the guilt of being stupid enough to listen to someone else who was not wise. Maybe it’s the frustration that comes from suffering the consequences. But a strong theme in the Bible is learning to follow wisdom rather than foolishness.
The reading today is a tragic story. King David wants to show kindness to Hanun king of the Ammonites because his father had been kind to David. So he sends a delegation to express his sympathy. But the Ammonite commanders convince Hanun that David’s motives are to spy out their land and overthrow it. After they humiliate the delegation a war ensues resulting in 47,000 people dying!
When I read a story like this, I feel so frustrated! I find myself thinking things like “if only they had been slower to judge those David has sent,” “if only they had taken the time to listen,” “if only they had not been so fearful and controlling of the way they thought things were coming down,” “if only they had given them a chance.” But they didn’t, and to their own detriment.
There are a lot of lessons in this brief story for us today:
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