Basics of Christian Faith

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This study examines the core beliefs essential to the Christian faith—why we believe what we do about God, the Bible, the creation of mankind and subsequent Fall, Jesus Christ the Lord, our need for salvation, the Holy Spirit and the church.

Related Topics: Basics for Christians, Curriculum, Discipleship, Faith

Deborah: The Woman God Uses

Judges 4–5

Judges 5:31 "So may all your enemies perish, O LORD! But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength."

After attending a lecture at the seminary where I teach, I saw a female student whom I’d not seen in months. After greeting me, she enthusiastically told me about the exciting ministries God was allowing in and through her life. Then she concluded with a puzzling statement: “It’s just sad to think that God is having to use me because a man somewhere has failed.”

“Excuse me?” I was pretty sure I must have misunderstood.

“God wanted a godly man to lead, but since he apparently didn’t, I get to be part of ‘Plan B.’ I’m glad for God to use me, but it makes me feel badly that someone failed.” I heard a marked sadness in her voice.

I asked where she got that idea, and she said it was right out of the book of Judges—Deborah’s story, in fact. Someone had taught her that a godly woman leading meant a man had failed somewhere. “God uses a good woman only when a good man can’t be found,” she said.

We talked further and she explained more, pointing out that Barak was supposed to be the judge, but when he turned out to be a wimp, God raised up Deborah.

“What makes you think Barak was supposed to be the judge—that he was ‘Plan A’?” I asked, noting that Barak doesn’t come into the picture until Deborah is already well established as a leader and a prophetess. In fact Deborah summons Barak and speaks God’s word to him before we know what Barak is going to do.

“But God knew ahead of time what Barak’s response would be. And we know God would prefer to use a man to lead instead of a woman.”

“How do we know that?”

“The story of Deborah.”

Circular reasoning.

I shook my head. Obviously continuing to discuss Deborah’s story wasn’t going to help. So we considered another prophetess in the Bible. We find her story in 2 Kings 22:14–20:

Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan and Asaiah went to speak to the prophetess Huldah, who was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District.

She said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people, according to everything written in the book the king of Judah has read. Because they have forsaken me and burned incense to other gods and provoked me to anger by all the idols their hands have made, my anger will burn against this place and will not be quenched.’ Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says concerning the words you heard: Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD. Therefore I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place.’”

So they took her answer back to the king.

Huldah. Most studies of Bible women exclude her, but Jesus would have passed often by Huldah’s tomb and crossed through Huldah’s gate to enter the Temple in Jerusalem. At one time in Israel’s history, all the faithful would have known about her.

The first person mentioned in the list of those who consulted with Huldah was Hilkiah the priest (2 Kings 22:14). Interestingly, we find him mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah, which begins with these words: The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin (Jeremiah 1:1, italics mine). In other words, one of the very men who sought God’s word from Huldah was the father of Jeremiah, the prophet (2 Chron 35:25). But there’s more—the prophets Zephaniah (Zeph. 1:1), and probably Nahum, and Habakkuk were also living at the time, and were even presumably in the same city—Jerusalem. Why didn’t the delegation seeking a word from God go to one of the other prophets in town?

Are we to conclude all of these men were spiritual wimps? Isn’t it more logical to conclude that God sometimes uses a good woman even when a good man can be found?

Consider the many female leaders and prophetesses in scripture starting with Miriam (Micah 6:4)—she led during the time of Moses. In the New Testament we find Anna (Luke 2:36) and Philip’s daughters (Acts 21:9) the young prophetesses on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:17) and all the women who prayed and prophesied in Corinth (see 1 Corinthians 11). This is far from being an exhaustive list.

Apparently God sometimes decides to use a woman as the Plan A, first-best, nobody-failed option.

Are you willing and ready to be that woman?

Going back to Deborah, note in Judges 5:4 that the same word is used for Deborah ‘judging” as was used for the male judges. Some translations say she was “leading,” which she was, but the text actually labels her as one of Israel’s judges. Three verses later, the text refers to Deborah as a “mother in Israel” (v. 7) This does not necessarily mean she was a biological mother. Sometimes the titles of “mother” or “father” were given to leaders. Consider that the “Son” in Isa. 9:6 is called an “Everlasting Father.” Judges 4:4 says, “Now Deborah, a prophetess, [a woman] of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. She would sit (i.e., give legal counsel) under the Date Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites would come up to her to have their disputes settled.”

What a woman, that Deborah! First she was a prophetess and probably a wife. In Hebrew the same word is used for “woman” and “wife,” so we don’t know for certain if Deborah was a “woman of Lappidoth” (a place) or “wife of Lappidoth” (a person) (4:4). But most likely Deborah was married. The whole reason “woman” and “wife” weren’t separate words in Deborah’s day was because a female could be one of three things: a virgin, a married woman, or widowed. Deciding to live single was not on a young woman’s list of options unless her husband had died and she had a big enough dowry to keep eating.

We know that Deborah was a “mother in Israel” (5:7). Yet we don’t know for certain if that means she was a biological mother. More likely “mother in Israel” is a title indicating that the nation looked to Deborah for leadership as the nation’s mother similarly to how the childless George Washington could be called “the father or our nation” in the USA.

Deborah was a prophetess. And note what she told Barak, whose name means “lightning bolt” (4:6–7): “She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead the way to Mount Tabor. I will lure Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’”

Here’s Barak’s response to the Lord’s command: Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go” (v. 8).

Barak had faith, but with hesitancy. In response to God’s command, he said, “I’ll obey if. . .” Yet Deborah didn’t abandon Barak for his lack of faith. Rather, she accompanied him and gave him strength in accomplishing God’s purpose. We have here a great example of a man and woman partnering as they obey the commands of God. Is there someone in your life whose faith you can bolster by your presence? If so, who is it and what can you do?

Now the plot thickens. Judges 4:14–16 tell us this:

“Then Deborah said to Barak, "Go! This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the LORD gone ahead of you?" So Barak went down Mount Tabor, followed by ten thousand men. At Barak's advance, the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot. But Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim. All the troops of Sisera fell by the sword; not a man was left.”

Do you see any indication that Deborah actually engaged in battle?

Sometimes people say Deborah was not a judge because Hebrews 11:32–33 does not include her:

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions.

Gideon fought, Barak fought, Samson fought, and Jephthah fought. David killed Goliath, and Samuel killed Agag, king of the Amalekites. But did Deborah conquer with the sword? No. Some have suggested that the exclusion of Deborah from this “Faith Hall of Fame” list in Hebrews 11 means she was not the “real” judge—that Barak was the judge. Or they say that a woman leading was wrong, so she was excluded from the list. Yet the writer of Judges refers only to Deborah as the judge to whom the word of the Lord came (Judges 4:4, 6). While Deborah went with the army, she did not engage in battle. Perhaps the New Testament writer meant to list only those who literally conquered kingdoms. While it’s not entirely clear why Deborah is not listed in Hebrews 11, we must avoid reading too much into her absence. Joseph, Daniel, and Mary—to name a few—are not mentioned, either. In fact it appears that in most cases the writer of Hebrews 11 seeks out the more flawed characters to highlight as people of faith. What an encouragement to us!

Deborah’s story has often been at the center of the battle over what God does and doesn’t want women to do in service to Him. We find no indication in the text that Deborah did anything but follow God with a whole heart.

Sadly the focus from Judges 4 can become so limited to gender issues that we miss the overall message of the story, which is not about gender at all. It’s about Him.

Unconditional Obedience

Deborah was a judge and a prophetess. The only other person who was a combination prophet/judge was Samuel. And Deborah was a singer and songwriter—she had an impressive resume.

So when Deborah warned Barak that his conditional obedience would mean that the glory for defeating Sisera would go to a woman (4:9), we might assume she’s referring to herself getting the glory for going with Barak. But Deborah was not speaking of herself at all. She was actually prophesying Sisera’s death at the hands of tent-peg-wielding Jael, another heroine in the story. At the time, pitching tents was “women’s work,” and Jael used what she had to serve God. She didn’t act in a traditionally feminine way by nailing the skull of God’s enemy to the floor, but God is more concerned with our conforming to His will and being zealous for His purposes than in our conformity to some socially constructed gender norm.

So if the honor going to a woman was “God’s punishment” for Barak’s lack of faith, what does that say in general about a woman being more honored than a man? Precisely nothing. Elizabeth had more faith than Zechariah. Mary is better remembered than Joseph. Several times Paul mentioned Priscilla before her husband, Aquilla.

Just because it was dishonoring to be outdone by women in Deborah’s day, that doesn’t mean God sees women as “less.”

Allow me a contemporary illustration.

About thirty years ago, a young athletic star named Billie Jean King was challenged to a tennis match in what was billed as the “Battle of the Sexes” exhibition. Another American tennis star, Bobby Riggs, 55, had been considered the best player in the world years earlier, when he won Wimbledon and three U.S. Open championships. But years later he thought he still “had it” and could beat a 29-year-old—because she was a woman. Riggs even practiced in a T-shirt that said “If I am to be a chauvinist pig, I want to be the number one pig.”

Before a live audience of thirty thousand and a viewer audience of about fifty million, King soundly trounced Riggs in consecutive sets 6-4, 6-3, and 6-3.

Riggs was humiliated, as the match actually advanced the argument that a young woman could beat an older man—something few people today would even question. Clearly the honor went to a woman.

Was Riggs humiliated because a woman winning goes against nature? Or was his humiliation due in part to his erroneous views of women?

God got His message through to Barak in a way that Barak would understand: You lack faith, you lose honor. Rather than seeing this as a battle-of-the-sexes message, we need to see the much more significant spiritual message: When you know what God wants you to do, but you tell Him, “I’ll obey, if. . .” you’ve put conditions on your obedience. And when you put conditions on your obedience, God doesn’t lose—you do.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for making me a woman. And thank You for Jesus, who revealed He was the Messiah to a Samaritan woman, even when the disciples couldn’t understand why He would speak to a female. Thank you for using Deborah and Jael to help deliver Your people from oppression. Use me in the battle against evil. Remove the obstacles in my life that keep me from absolute obedience to you. Help me never to put conditions on my obedience, but always to be ready to immediately respond to the promptings of the Spirit. In the name of Your Son I pray, Amen.

Excerpted and adapted from Java with the Judges (AMG) by Sandra Glahn.

Related Topics: Leadership, Women's Articles

Proverbs of Solomon Family Discussion Guide

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Introduction

Purpose

Introduction

Purpose

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17 NKJV). Bringing up a child to study the Bible, and so to be able to access its riches, is one of the many privileges God gives us as parents. Many sources are available to help a parent teach Scriptural principles to children, such as church programs, entertaining videos, computer games, and musical CD’s. These are all good for assisting a parent with spiritual education. However, these resources should not be relied upon to educate your child.

It is a parent’s responsibility, first of all, to have God’s Word in his or her own heart, then to teach it to the children in the natural course of daily life (Deut 6:6-7). The purpose of this material is to start Scripture-based dialog between a caring Christian adult and a child. Such discussions will help a child to capture the parent’s love of the Bible as God’s revelation of Himself, and will help prepare the child’s heart for God’s call to faith in Jesus Christ through His Holy Spirit. If the child is a believer, studying God’s word aids spiritual growth.

How to Use This Book

This book is intended to be a starting point for biblical discussions between a parent and child, a grandparent and grandchild, or other combinations of caring adults and the children they love. It is to be used with joy as you discover together the truth of God’s word. It should be used to stimulate a special time of shared insight.

This is not a workbook or a textbook. It is a guide to help your family talk of God’s Word “as you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Deut 6:7).

Get comfortable on the sofa, the park bench, the porch swing, or the floor. You get the idea. Eliminate distractions. The TV and the radio are turned off, of course. A telephone caller understands that you will have to call back later because you are having a special time set aside for your child. What child would not love having this kind of attention? One of you should pray, thanking God for this special time together and for the amazing gift of His Word.

This is difficult, but do not preach. This is not the time for that. This is a time for discussion and discovery. A one-sided sermon is certain to foster dread in the child! Talk with your child, not to your child. Go slowly. Only cover a question or two per day if necessary to accommodate short attention spans.

Look your child in the eye. Let him or her know you are focused on the discussion at hand and you care to listen. Patiently explain the “big” words.

Remember the joy!

Chapter 1 About the Proverbs of Solomon

About King Solomon

King Solomon ruled over the people of Israel about three thousand years ago. Although Solomon did make mistakes, God has a place of honor for him in the Bible. Solomon prayed to God for an understanding heart, and the Bible tells us that God was delighted to give him wisdom (1 Kgs 3:8-13). Solomon did not ask for riches, but God generously gave him riches (1 Kgs 3:13). Solomon had greater riches and wisdom than any other king on earth (I Kgs 10:23).

People of the surrounding nations knew about Solomon’s great riches, knowledge, and wisdom, and came from far and wide to hear him speak (1 Kgs 4:34). The Bible says Solomon spoke three thousand proverbs, knew over one thousand songs, and knew a lot of information about plants and animals (1 Kgs 4:32-33). In addition, God gave Solomon honor, and said that there would not be another king like him all his days (1 Kgs 3:13). The proverbs we study in this book are some of King Solomon’s many proverbs.¹

About Proverbs

God gave us the book of proverbs, “a collection of wise sayings and instructions for living a useful and effective life.”² They help us as we think about hard things that are part of life.³ Proverbs teach successful living for an individual and a community.⁴ The proverbs are a style of literature, called “wisdom literature,” which was popular in Solomon’s area during his lifetime.⁵ Wisdom literature had been popular for several hundred years by his time.⁶ A proverb may give a command or a suggestion, and it may give a reason to follow the teaching.⁷ In some proverbs, the meaning is so clear that it is not necessary for the writer to give a reason to follow the advice.⁸ The purpose of a proverb is to teach.⁹

The proverbs are a form of Hebrew poetry that uses words in a dramatic way to teach us an important point and to help us remember by its word pictures and interesting word patterns.¹⁰ Proverbs have power because they sound good and create pictures in the mind, making them easy to remember.¹¹ This form of poetry is useful because it leaves the meaning somewhat open to the reader. The reader may first see one meaning in a proverb, and then later realize that the author may have had something more general to say about life, or something spiritual to say about our relationship with God.¹² A proverb will generally be true for a person living at any time in history dealing with the same types of problems and opportunities.¹³

About the “Proverbs of Solomon”

Several wise people contributed proverbs to the book of Proverbs in the Bible, but the section of proverbs we study in this discussion guide, Prov 10:1-22:16 are from Solomon.¹⁴ His proverbs contain practical advice for every-day life.¹⁵ In order to correctly understand his proverbs, each verse should be read as a whole.¹⁶

Chapter 2

Fear the Lord

“Fear of the Lord” means that we understand God has power over us and over the world. We understand that we can make Him angry, and that God’s anger is powerful. Having a proper fear of the Lord means that we respect God’s power and anger.¹⁷ Fear of the Lord make us want to learn from the Bible how to please Him. We want to tell Him we think He is wonderful by worshiping Him.

A person who fears the Lord is thinking about God in the correct way. That person’s behavior should then show that he respects the power of God. God loves us, but we disappoint him and make him angry when we do not obey him Disobeying God is called “sin.” God wants the best for us, and sin spoils life for us. Understanding God’s best desire for us leads us away from sin. Respecting God’s power and his anger, which we call “fear of the Lord,” actually helps us to have a better life. It help us be less afraid of normally frightening things because we know that He is more powerful than the scariest thing we can think of.¹⁸

Read with Me

The fear of the LORD prolongs days,
But the years of the wicked will be shortened.
Prov 10:27

In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence,
And His children will have a place of refuge.
The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.
Prov 14:26-27

Better is a little with the fear of the LORD,
Than great treasure with trouble.
Prov 15:16

The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom,
And before honor is humility.
Prov 15:33

In mercy and truth
Atonement is provided for iniquity;
And by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil.
Prov 16:6

The fear of the LORD leads to life,
And he who has it will abide in satisfaction;
He will not be visited with evil.
Prov 19:23

By humility and the fear of the LORD
Are riches and honor and life.
Prov 22:4

Talk with Me

1. After reading some proverbs of Solomon on the last page, what do you think are some good things that are likely to be true for a person who fears the Lord?

2. Read Prov 10:27. Why do you think that a person who fears the Lord may live for a longer time than a wicked person may live? What day-to-day choices might be involved with that?

3. Do you see a verse that tells us a person’s family may benefit from his or her fear of the Lord? Can you think of a way that your parent’s fear of the Lord could protect you from harm?

4. Look again at the same passage (Prov 14:26-27). Think about a beautiful water fountain you have seen at a park. Did it bring you happiness? Did it make you feel peaceful? Did you ever get to play in a fountain or sprinkler to cool off on a hot summer day? Do you drink cool water from a fountain at school or church to refresh you and keep you alive? How could fear of the Lord be like a fountain of life?

5. Explore with Me: Thinking about the fountain of life, read John 4:1-42. How does this passage remind you of the fountain of life?

6. Read Prov 15:16. It seems that great treasure would be a good thing. What are some ways it could possibly bring trouble? (Remember that King Solomon was richer than any other king, so he really knew what he was talking about!) What does this verse tell us is better than great treasure?

7. Explore with Me: Read Matt 6:19-21. What does it say about treasure trouble? What is better than earthly treasures? How do you think you could get treasures into heaven?

Chapter 3

Guard Your Heart

God is very much concerned about your “heart condition.” If a person has a medical problem with his heart, we might say that the person has heart disease, a heart problem, or a heart condition. Actually, we all have a heart problem. I am not talking about the physical structure in your chest that pumps your blood. I am talking about a part of you that makes you “tick” in a different way. I’m talking about the “I-love-you-with-all-my-heart” heart. Proverbs has many verses that talk about a spiritual heart that has feelings and leads you to decisions. This particular heart is where love can grow and God can work to make you His and then make you more like Jesus. Sadly, a person’s heart can be a diseased, dirty mess where bad feelings and evil plans grow – the types of things that spoil your life.

In order for God to work in your heart, your heart must be clean. The Bible has a lot to say about ways to take care of your spiritual heart so that it can function in the way God intends. He cares about your heart because He wants to be in charge there. Let’s look at some heart care verses from Proverbs.

Read with Me

Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the LORD,
But the blameless in their ways are His delight.
Prov 11:20

Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression,
But a good word makes it glad.
Prov 12:25

The heart knows its own bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.
Prov 14:10

Even in laughter the heart may sorrow,
And the end of mirth may be grief.
Prov 14:13

A sound heart is life to the body,
But envy is rottenness to the bones.
Prov 14:30

Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD;
Though they join forces, none will go unpunished.
Prov 16:5

Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty,
And before honor is humility.
Prov 18:12

Who can say, "I have made my heart clean,
I am pure from my sin"?
Prov 20:9

Talk with Me

1. Read Prov 11:20. A person with a perverse heart is thinking in a bad way. His or her thoughts are turned around the wrong direction and are displeasing to God. In fact, this verse says that God detests that kind of heart. What kind of heart makes God happy?

2. Explore with Me: See 1 Cor 13:4-7. These verses show some differences between a heart that loves and a heart that is perverse. What are some differences?

3. Read Prov 12:25. Anxiety in your heart means that you are worrying about things that may or may not happen. How would that be bad for your heart? What is something that your heart feels anxious about today? Can you think of a time that a “good word” made your heart glad? Say a “good word” to the person who is with you now.

4. Explore with Me: Read Phil 4:6-7. What do these verses say about an anxious heart? What should we do when we are anxious?

5. Read Prov 14:13. How could your heart be happy and sad at the same time? This type of emotion is called “bittersweet.” Maybe you were happy about getting a new puppy, but you were sad because you missed your old dog. Maybe you were happy about starting kindergarten, but you missed your family while you were separated from them. What bittersweet time can you think of?

6. Read Prov 20:9. Remembering our lesson on the fear of the Lord, do you recall what “sin” is? How would sin be bad for your heart? Do you think God wants sin in your heart? Can you make your own heart clean?

7. Explore with Me: Read 1 John 1:5-10. Who cleans sin from your heart? How do you get Jesus to clean your heart for you?

Chapter 4

Gain Wisdom

King Solomon is qualified to write about wisdom. Solomon asked God for a heart that understands the difference between good and evil. Solomon’s request pleased God, and God gave him a wise and understanding heart (1 Kgs 3:9-13). Solomon was the wisest of all the kings of the earth (1 Kgs 10:23).

Wisdom is described in the last paragraph. A wise person has the ability to understand the difference between good and evil. As you know, something may appear to be good although it is actually bad. Good appearances can trap us into believing that a thing is good, and that very thing might end up hurting or destroying us. A wise person sees consequences ahead of time.

Just as Solomon prayed for God to give him an understanding heart, Jas 1:5 says that a person who lacks wisdom may ask God for it. God will give it generously, and will not make that person feel embarrassed about asking for it. People who do not know God have their own type of wisdom, but that wisdom does not work for your good. God wants you to have His wisdom that is found in His Son, Jesus Christ (1 Cor 1:18-31).

Read with Me

When pride comes, then comes shame;
But with the humble is wisdom.
Prov 11:2

A man will be commended according to his wisdom,
But he who is of a perverse heart will be despised.
Prov 12:8

By pride comes nothing but strife,
But with the well-advised is wisdom.
Prov 13:10

A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it,
But knowledge is easy to him who understands.
Go from the presence of a foolish man,
When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.
The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
But the folly of fools is deceit.
Prov 14:6-8

The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom,
And before honor is humility.
Prov 15:33

How much better to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
Prov 16:16

Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding,
But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
Prov 17:24

Talk with Me

1. Read Prov 11:2. If you have humility in your heart, you will show respect for other people because you know that you are not more important than they are. Having a humble heart shows that you are thinking correctly about yourself. Humility leads to wisdom. True humility pleases God. Pride is the opposite of humility. A proud heart is twisted. It makes you think you are more important than other people. Pride is a sin that leads you away from God. What are some ways that pride could embarrass you and cause pain for God?

2. Read Prov 12:8. In our last question we focused on the fact that the attitude of one’s heart affects his relationship with God. For this verse, think about how your wisdom or your pride affects your relationships with people. What is the out come of wisdom? What is the outcome of pride?

3. Read Prov 14:6-8. What do these verses say about a fool? What do they advise you to do when a person is acting in a foolish way? Why would that be a good idea? What could be the outcome of hanging around a foolish person?

4. Read Prov 15:33. The fear of the Lord goes together with wisdom.¹⁹ If you have wisdom, you should also have the fear of the Lord. What goes along with humility? What might come to you together with foolishness?

5. According to Prov 16:16, what could possibly be better than having gold? How can you improve on having silver? Do you agree that this could be true?

6. In Prov 17:24, what can be “seen” by a person with understanding? What does a foolish person look toward? What do you think that means?

7. Explore with Me: Read Heb 12:1-2. Where should our eyes be looking? Why should we look toward Him? Where is He now? If we cannot actually see Him, how is it possible to fix our eyes on Him?

Chapter 5

Build Your Home

God designed the family. He made man and woman in His image and joined them together as a team (Gen 1:26; 2:21-24), as a husband and wife. He gave them children (Gen 4:1-2). Children live in a family for their growing years. God provides for a child’s food, shelter, and clothing through parents. Parents provide training for children so that they will know how to live among other people, and so that they will grow to be independent adults. In some families, grandparents or other relatives are in the home or nearby so that they can also help a child understand this huge world in which we live. These are very important functions of a family.

There is a more important work that parents should perform. Parents are responsible for providing the foundation of a child’s love and trust in God. Parents should teach their children about Gods faithfulness and His Word, the Bible (Ps 71:18, Deut 6:4-7). Children also have a responsibility to the family. Children are to give respect to their father and mother (Exod 20:12, Matt 15:3-6). Your experiences in your family should lead you to the time when you will leave your parents to start your own family that will honor God (Gen 2:24).

Read with Me

A wise son makes a glad father,
But a foolish son is the grief of his mother.
Prov 10:1

A wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish man despises his mother.
Prov 15:20

He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favor from the LORD.
Prov 18:22

Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers,
But a prudent wife is from the LORD.
Prov 19:14

He who mistreats his father and chases away his mother
Is a son who causes shame and brings reproach.
Prov 19:26

The righteous man walks in his integrity;
His children are blessed after him.
Prov 20:7

Even a child is known by his deeds,
Whether what he does is pure and right.
Prov 20:11

Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Prov 22:6

Talk with Me

1. Read Prov 10:1. What is a possible result for your family if you are wise? What might happen if you are foolish? What is an example of your actions that make your parents glad? What could you do that would make them sad?

2. Read Prov 15:20. It is similar to 10:1. What is the difference in the verse between a wise child and a foolish man? If you have despised your parent, you have shown that you do not love your parent, and you have treated them as though they are worthless to you. You would have caused them deep sadness and embarrassment. Think about what you know about sin. Would treating your parents this way be a sin against God?

3. Explore with Me: Read Exod 20:12 in the Old Testament. What does God say in the Ten Commandments about treatment of parents? Read Matt 15:3-6 in the New Testament. Who is speaking in these verses? Do you get the idea that the way we treat our parents is important to God? Does your responsibility to bring your parents honor rather than grief ever end? What if you are fifty years old and your parents are seventy-five? Would your responsibility to honor your parents end then?

4. Read Prov 18:22 and Prov 19:14. It is important to God for a person to be married to a “prudent” (wise) husband or wife. In the last lesson, we saw that wisdom and the fear of the Lord go together. What do these verses say about the type of person you should marry? If you understand that your husband or wife is a gift from the Lord, how will that affect your attitude toward that person?

5. Read 2 Cor 6:14-18. Being yoked to a person means that you join in a relationship. Marriage is certainly being yoked together as partners. These verses have pairs of words that show the differences between those who fear the Lord and those who do not. What are some of these differences? Why would it be important to God that you marry a righteous person? Why would it be important to Him that you would not be joined to a wicked person? How will this affect your choices about people you will date and about the person you will marry?

6. Read Prov 20:7. If your parent walks in integrity, he would be living with a truthful heart. This way of living pleases God. How does your parent’s way of living affect you? How will your way of living affect your children?

7. Read Prov 20:11. God knows what is in your heart, but people cannot see what is in your heart (1 Sam 16:7). What can people see that makes them form opinions about you? What kinds of deeds show that your heart is pure and right? How old do you need to be to do good deeds?

Chapter 6

Work Diligently

Many people in our world today are looking for the easiest possible lifestyle. It is considered desirable to do as little work as one can get by with, and then play, play, play. Everyone needs playtime. It is a good part of life. However, too much play can cross over to sin if personal responsibilities are not met. Work is a way we participate in life with others. We do our share to make the world a better place. A person may work to make money to provide shelter, clothing, and food for his or her family. Some adults work at home to take care of children or parents. Some people have enough money and work for no pay as a volunteer in order to serve others. A child’s work is to go to school, do homework, and share some responsibility at home. Sound familiar?

The Book of Proverbs has a lot to say about the importance of working well in order to have a full life. A lazy person may think he has a good life, but he does not. He hurts himself and others. His life is out of balance. He does not honor God. We need to balance play and work. They are both gifts from God (Eccl 5:19, 1 Tim 6:17).

Read with Me

As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the lazy man to those who send him.
Prov 10:26

The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the lazy man will be put to forced labor.
Prov 12:24

Commit your works to the LORD,
And your thoughts will be established.
Prov 16:3

The person who labors, labors for himself,
For his hungry mouth drives him on.
Prov 16:26

He who is slothful in his work
Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.
Prov 18:9

Laziness casts one into a deep sleep,
And an idle person will suffer hunger.
Prov 19:15

Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty;
Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread.
Prov 20:13

The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty,
But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.
Prov 21:5

Talk with Me

1. Read Prov 10:26. When have you had vinegar on your teeth or smoke in your eyes? Was that annoying? These are interesting word pictures to describe a lazy person. Some people have problems and cannot work. What might keep a person from being able to work? A lazy person can work but chooses not to work. This displeases God and it displeases people. What types of things would a lazy person do on his job to annoy his boss? How would a lazy person’s behavior affect other people?

2. Read Prov 16:3. If you are working as though you are giving your work to God, how will that affect the way you work? Would this be true only for big work in your life, or is it only true for small work? What are some examples of “big” work you may do in your life that you can give to God? What is some “small” work that you can give to Him?

3. Explore with Me: Read Eccl 9:10. King Solomon also wrote this verse. What does it say about how we should work?

4. Read Prov 16:26. How does a person’s hungry mouth cause his work? Do you work for your food, or does someone else do that for you? Have you thanked that person lately? When are some times that other people have worked to feed your hungry mouth? When might you work to feed others?

5. Read Prov 18:9. A “slothful” worker is a lazy person. How do you think a slothful person could destroy himself or others?

6. Read Prov 19:15 and Prov 20:13. What do these verses say about sleep? What is a reasonable amount of sleep for a person your age? Your parents have probably set a proper “bedtime” for you. Are you obedient and cooperative with this bedtime? What are some possible outcomes if you sleep too much?

7. Explore with Me: Read Col 3:23-24. Who benefits from your work? Who rewards you? Read the verses a second time. Which work are we supposed to do as for the Lord?

Chapter 7

Show Mercy

Mercy is treating someone with love and kindness when they do not deserve it. Mercy started with God. God described Himself to Moses as merciful (Exod 34:6). King David (Solomon’s father) wrote a song praising God for His mercy which “endures forever” (1 Chr 16:34). David also gave us a word picture of God’s mercy following him around for the rest of his life (Ps 23:6). The prophet Jeremiah describes God’s mercy as “new every morning” (Lam 3:23). Mercy starts with God, and His mercy never ends.

One example of God’s mercy is our very lives. We deserve death because we have offended our Holy God with our sin (Rom 6:23). However, He chooses to show mercy by giving life with Him forever to those who trust in His Son, Jesus (Eph 2:1-10, John 3:16).

God wants you to show His mercy to others. You may give clothing or food to a person who has none. You can help a person who is sick or hurting in body or mind. It is important that when you show mercy, you are doing it out of love and not in order to get something back from the person, or to impress someone.

Read with Me

A righteous man regards the life of his animal,
But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
Prov 12:10

He who despises his neighbor sins;
But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.
Prov 14:21

Do they not go astray who devise evil?
But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.
Prov 14:22

He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker,
But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.
Prov 14:31

He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker;
He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
Prov 17:5

He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD,
And He will pay back what he has given.
Prov 19:17

Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor
Will also cry himself and not be heard.
Prov 21:13

He who has a generous eye will be blessed,
For he gives of his bread to the poor.
Prov 22:9

Talk with Me

1. Read Prov 12:10. How will a righteous man treat his animals? How will he then treat people? Why could a wicked person not show mercy?

2. Read Prov 14:21. What type of behavior does this verse name as a sin? What does it say will make you (and God) happy?

3. Explore with Me: Read Luke 10:25-37. According to this teaching, who are you responsible to love? Who are the bad neighbors in the parable of the Good Samaritan? The people who were expected to show love did not. Who did show that he loved his neighbor? Who are your neighbors? How can you show God’s love to them?

4. Read Prov 14:22. If you “devise” something, you make plans to cause something to happen. What happens to a person who causes evil things? What is the reward for a person who devises good things?

5. Read back through all the verses on the previous page. What do you learn about how God expects you to show His love and mercy to the poor?

6. Explore with Me: Read Mic 6:8. What three things are listed in this verse which God has shown us are good? How would those three things “look” in the life of a person who fears the Lord?

7. Look back at Prov 14:22. Discuss with your family the ways in which your family shows mercy to others. If your family does not already have a plan for showing God’s mercy, will you work together to “devise” a plan for the good of someone else? Is there a person or group or church in your area with an established mercy ministry who needs your help? What can you personally do to help?

Chapter 8

Possess the Right Riches

God cares for us by providing everything we need. Our needs include food, clothing, and shelter. We can trust Him to provide for us. Jesus taught in a clear way that God’s creation does not worry about these basic necessities, and we should not worry about them (Matt 6:25-34). If God takes care of the plants and animals he will certainly take care of us.

God provides work for people to earn money for these necessities. If you are a child, someone else earns money to take care of you. People who cannot work at all, or who are not working temporarily, can get help from family members, government programs or church ministries.

Everything you have is a gift from God. Whether you have a lot or have a little, everything is from Him. God expects your family to generously, cheerfully give to the work of the church and the care of His people (2 Cor 9:7-12). He expects you to earn your money honestly, spend it wisely, share it generously, and think about it properly. Your money is a tool for honoring God, and should not be worshiped in place of God. It is He, and not your money, who takes care of you.

Read with Me

He who trusts in his riches will fall,
But the righteous will flourish like foliage.
Prov 11:28

There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing;
And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.
Prov 13:7

Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase.
Prov 13:11

Better is a little with righteousness,
Than vast revenues without justice.
Prov 16:8

How much better to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
Prov 16:16

The rich man's wealth is his strong city,
And like a high wall in his own esteem.
Prov 18:11

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
Loving favor rather than silver and gold.
The rich and the poor have this in common,
The LORD is the maker of them all.
Prov 22:1-2

By humility and the fear of the LORD
Are riches and honor and life.
Prov 22:4

Talk with Me

1. Explore with Me: Read 1 Tim 6:10. What is the root of a plant? What does it do for the plant? Does this verse say that money is bad? What is the “root of all kinds of evil”? Knowing that loving money is the “root of all kinds of evil,” what ways can you think of that would make loving money a root for evil things? This verse tells about bad outcomes for some people who have loved money. What were those bad consequences?

2. In 1 Tim 6:10, we saw the love of money growing into a terrible thing. Read Prov 11:28. Who will grow beautifully? What happens to a person who trusts in his money to take care of him, rather than trusting in God? What does it mean for a person to “fall” in this way?

3. Read Prov 13:7. This verse would not make sense to many people. How is it possible for a rich man to be poor? How can a poor man be rich? Is a rich man always “poor”? Is a poor man always “rich”? In addition to money, what makes a person rich or poor? Does this verse make sense to you?

4. Read Prov 18:11 while thinking about a person who trusts in his money rather than trusting in God. What kind of word picture does this verse paint for you about that person’s attitude about money? How could riches seem like a strong city and a high wall to that man or woman? Would riches really be protection for that person, or would it only seem that way? What could happen to tear down that kind of strong city or high wall? What or who could a person trust that could never be torn down?

5. Read Prov 13:11 together with Prov 16:8. According to these verses, what are two bad ways to gain wealth? What are two good ways to gain wealth?

6. Read Prov 16:16 with Prov 22:1-2. Name four things that are better than gold, silver, and great riches. These four things cannot be seen or held in your hand. How are those four things better than gold or silver or dollar bills, which can be held in your hand and traded for things that are beautiful to your eyes?

7. From Prov 22:4, what are the sources of riches, honor, and life? What is your part in your riches, honor, and life? What is God’s part? What do you need to say to God about this?

Chapter 9

Deal Honestly

There are many ways in life that we interact with other people. We buy items from shopkeepers in the neighborhood, and we exchange information on the Internet with people we have never seen. We hear information and pass it along to our friends and family. Someone may ask us to perform work. We may be asked by a boss, a customer, a teacher, a friend, or a family member to complete a task. Often that person will never know whether we did that work correctly or whether we did it at all. All of these situations are built on trusting that we are dealing with each other in an honest manner. Honesty and fairness are basic daily expectations we should share with others.

However, there are times when we all fall short of this ideal situation. Sometimes people cheat to make extra money they did not earn. Sometimes people lie to cover up a mistake or to hide the fact that they neglected responsibility. The fact is that anytime we do not deal honestly with another person, we sin. The other person may never know about our sin, but God, who “sees in secret” (Matt 6:4) will know and be offended. Be a trustworthy person and honor God in all of your business and personal relationships.

Read with Me

He who walks with integrity walks securely,
But he who perverts his ways will become known.
Prov 10:9

Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD,
But a just weight is His delight.
Prov 11:1

The integrity of the upright will guide them,
But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.
Prov 11:3

Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD,
But those who deal truthfully are His delight.
Prov 12:22

He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house,
But he who hates bribes will live.
Prov 15:27

Better is a little with righteousness,
Than vast revenues without justice.
Prov 16:6

Honest weights and scales are the LORD's;
All the weights in the bag are His work.
Prov 16:11

A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back
To pervert the ways of justice.
Prov 17:23

Talk with Me

1. Read Prov 10:9. Remember talking about walking with integrity? It means showing with your life that you are telling the truth to God and to other people. If you walk with integrity, then you will “walk securely.” How would a secure walk be different from a perverse (turned a wrong direction) walk? What will be known about a perverse person, and who would know about it?

2. Read Prov 11:1 and Prov 16:11. Back when Solomon wrote these verses, businessmen had scales and weights to measure their goods. Some had scales and weights that showed the wrong weight in order to cheat customers. Read the two verses again. How are these two verses similar? How are they different? What do they both tell us about God? Why would God care about a businessman’s weights and scales? How would honest weights and scales delight the Lord? Why would they belong to Him? How would they be His work?

3. In Prov 11:3, who is guided and who is destroyed? Why? Why is an honest person called “upright?” Why is a perverse person called “unfaithful?” To whom would he be unfaithful? Why would it matter?

4. Read Prov 12:22. This verse describes two types of behavior that come from a person’s heart. What are the two ways of behaving? How does God feel about each kind of behavior?

5. Read Prov 15:27 with Prov 16:6. How are these two verses alike? How are they different from each other? Why would they be included in a lesson about honesty?

6. If you bribe someone, you are paying him or her to twist the truth around until it becomes a lie. What are some reasons why one person would bribe another? Read Prov 15:27 and Prov 17:23. Why would a wicked person need to hide the bribe behind his or her back? How would a bribe make God angry? Why would it be useless to try to hide this sin?

7. Explore with Me: Read Phil 4:8. Talk about why this is a good verse to look at during a discussion about honesty. Do you think this would be a good verse to memorize so that you will have it in your brain when your brain is going the wrong direction? If the verse seems too long, start by trying to remember to think about things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. Tuck that away in your brain. You will need it often!

Chapter 10

Watch Your Words

Words are more than alphabet letters arranged on a page. Words are more than sounds that pour from your mouth. Words are tools to let another person know what you are thinking or feeling. Words can express your love to God or to a special person. Your words can make someone feel better when the day is not going well. However, your words can wound a dear friend if you tell his secret or smear her reputation. Careless words can murder a friendship or destroy a family.

In the book of Proverbs, you may read about the mouth, the lips, the tongue, or speech, which are all just different ways of talking about words. Many verses in the book of Proverbs remind us to use our words wisely, honestly, calmly, and kindly. One verse even tells the shocking truth that at times your best move will be to shut your lips (Prov 17:28). Keeping your mouth shut at the proper time can be difficult, but knowing that bit of wisdom can save you a lot of trouble!

Read with Me

A talebearer reveals secrets,
But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.
Prov 11:13

There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise promotes health.
Prov 12:18

A soft answer turns away wrath,
But a harsh word stirs up anger.
Prov 15:1

The heart of the wise teaches his mouth,
And adds learning to his lips.
Prov 16:23

Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.
Prov 16:24

An evildoer gives heed to false lips;
A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue.
Prov 17:4

He who answers a matter before he hears it,
It is folly and shame to him.
Prov 18:13

Whoever guards his mouth and tongue
Keeps his soul from troubles.
Prov 21:23

Talk with Me

1. Prov 11:13. How does this verse describe a person who tells a secret? How does it describe a person who keeps a secret? What usually happens when a “secret” passes from person to person? What should you do if someone tells you a “secret”?

2. Read Prov 12:18. What is something bad that could happen because of your words? How would “piercings of a sword” hurt? Has anyone ever hurt you that badly with words? Do you need to apologize to someone for hurting him or her with words? Do you need to confess this sin to God? Now for the good part! What good can come from your words? Read Prov 16:24. Say something “sweet” to the person with you!

3. Read Prov 15:1. If an angry person confronts you, what is the best way to handle that? Is that what you naturally feel like doing, or is that difficult? Why is this a better idea than answering with a shout or a sarcastic remark?

4. Read Prov 16:23. What determines the words that come out of your mouth? Why do think that is true? In your Bible, find Luke 6:45. How does that agree with Prov 16:23?

5. Read Prov 17:4. This verse is a bit surprising. What words name a person who listens to destructive talk? Why is the listener called these two words? Do you find yourself listening “eagerly” to gossip? How should you react?

6. Read Prov 18:13. What should adults and children do before they give an answer to someone? If you get this out of order and tell what you think before you hear someone’s statement or question, how are you and the other person affected?

7. Read Prov 21:23. This verse tells you something specific you can do to save yourself a lot of trouble in life. What is it? What are some ways you can work on improving in this area?

Chapter 11

Form Faithful Friendships

Friends are a major influence in your life. You spend much of your time with your friends. Without realizing it, you can be affected by your friends’ opinions of you and of the world. This influence could be something basically harmless. Your friend may want you to come along to hear a new musician. Your friend could see a funny movie and suggest that you would enjoy it. Your friends might have an all-night party where everyone takes turns telling stories. These are a few examples of actual ways friends behave.

When you think about it, these three examples are illustrations of ways that friends could be a good influence or a bad influence. These examples show the reason God wants you to choose friends who have values and opinions that honor Him. Friends will make mistakes, as we all do, but God-honoring friends are less likely to lead you away from God than friends who do not give Him a place of honor in their lives.

Jesus set an example that we are not to isolate ourselves from people who are different from us. In fact, He told us to be salt and light among all people (Matt 5:13-16). However, choose carefully your closest friends.

Read with Me

The righteous should choose his friends carefully,
For the way of the wicked leads them astray.
Prov 12:26

He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will be destroyed.
Prov 13:20

The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor,
But the rich has many friends.
Prov 14:20

He who covers a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter separates friends.
Prov 17:9

A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.
Prov 17:17

A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city,
And contentions are like the bars of a castle.
Prov 18:19

A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Prov 18:24

Wealth makes many friends,
But the poor is separated from his friend.
Prov 19:4

Talk with Me

1. Read Prov 12:26 and Prov 13:20. What advice do you find for properly choosing your close friends? What generally happens if you make poor choices about your friends?

2. Explore with Me: Review 2 Cor 6:14-18. How do these verses affect your thinking about your true friends?

3. Read Prov 14:20 and Prov 19:4. How are these verses similar? What do they say about people’s hearts? What truth do they teach about choosing friends? Do you ever have these wrong motives for the friends you choose and reject?

4. Read Prov 17:9 and Prov 18:19. Tell how these verses describe the consequences of using unwise words against a friend. If you have spoiled a friendship by offending someone, what can you do to correct that situation?

5. Read Prov 17:17. Do you have friends that you love “at all times”? Who loves you at all times? Why do you think God encourages us to form healthy friendships? What does this verse say is a good reason to have a close friend? If a friend loves at all times – even in the bad times – what might that mean for you? What might it mean for your friends?

6. Read Prov 18:24. If you care about having good friends, what action should you take? How is a good friend described? What friends does your family have that seem like members of your family? What is special about those friends?

7. Explore with Me: Read John 15:9-17. Who is speaking? Who wants to be your best friend? Read through the verses again and find details about His amazing love.

Chapter 12

Explore Some More

Are you ready to explore the wisdom of Solomon on your own? The section we have been looking at is Prov 10:1 -- 22:16. Read through the passage in your own Bible and pick out the verses talking about anger. Sometimes a different word is used for anger, such as wrath or rage or quick temper. What important lessons about anger can you learn from these verses? Can you make up some questions of your own about ways in which anger can destroy you and others? What can you do about the problem of anger? I know you will see some important truths about this subject.

Take several days to think about those verses, and then try another topic. Some other good verses to look for are those talking about righteousness, wickedness, knowledge, foolishness, men, women, children, correction, and the king. What other topics get your attention as you read through the verses? These verses have been written and saved for thousands of years so that we can learn important lessons about ourselves and about God. Open your Bible every day to explore some more!

Bibliography

Clifford, Richard J. Proverbs: A Commentary. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1999.

Elwell, Walter A. Evangelical Commentary on the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1989.

McKane, William. Proverbs: A New Approach. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1975.

Radmacher, Earl D., Ronald B. Allen, H. Wayne House, eds. Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999.

Ross, Allen P. “Proverbs.” In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 5, Psalms – Song of Songs, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, 883- . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1991.

Ross, Allen P. “Proverbs.” In NIV Bible Commentary, Vol. 1, Old Testament, eds. Kenneth Barker and John R. Kohlenberger III, 938- . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994.

Whybray, R. N. New Century Bible Commentary, Proverbs. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1994.

¹Allen P. Ross, “Proverbs,” in NIV Bible Commentary, vol. 1, Old Testament, eds. Kenneth Barker and John R. Kohlenberger III (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 938.

²Ibid.

³Allen P. Ross, “Proverbs,”in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 5, Psalms – Song of Songs, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1991), 883.

⁴William McKane, Proverbs: A New Approach (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1975), 11.

⁵Ross, “Proverbs,” Expositor’s Commentary, 885.

⁶Richard J. Clifford, Proverbs: A Commentary (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1999), 8.

⁷Ross, “Proverbs, Expositor’s Commentary, 888-89.

⁸Clifford, 11.

⁹Ross, “Proverbs,” Expositor’s Commentary, 888.

¹⁰Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, H. Wayne House, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1999), 745.

¹¹R. N. Whybray, New Century Bible Commentary, Proverbs (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1994), 13-14.

¹²Ibid., 13.

¹³Ross, “Proverbs,” Expositor’s Commentary, 889.

¹⁴Ross, “Proverbs,” NIV Commentary, 938.

¹⁵Elwell, Walter A, ed., Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1989), 417.

¹⁶Ibid., 417.

¹⁷Radmacher, 767.

¹⁸Ibid.

¹⁹Ibid., 762.

Israel: Understanding the Setting of the Story of the Bible

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Simply put, setting is the location of the events of a story. It also serves as more than a backdrop. “The setting is important to our understanding of character type and of what to expect, as well as to the emotional value that arises from the conflict. As we need to know a character’s gender, race, and age, we need to know in what atmosphere she or he operates to understand the significance of the action.”¹

Authors use setting to ground us in the story and to give us cues as to the theme. The authors (and Author) of the Old Testament are no different. They evoke visual scenes using places and imagery both to engage the reader (or listener) and to add nuance to the story. Contemporary readers, distanced from these scenes geographically and temporally, miss the vivid pictures and signposts. “We often miss imagery in the Old Testament stories because we are unfamiliar with the historical realities they describe. We do not know what images to associate with the words.”² Familiarity with archaeology, historical studies, and the geography of Israel assist us with imagining the world of the original authors in a way that draws us into God’s story and lends a greater understanding. The text comes alive.

This brief survey of selected settings in the Bible gives an introduction to how setting functions and helps give readers a picture in their minds of the world of the Bible.

Jaffa (Joppa)

Located in present day Tel-Aviv, Jaffa, or Joppa, has a violent history. Nations fought over control of this port. It passed hands between the Philistines, Israelites, Assyrians, Greeks, Maccabeans, Romans, Arabs, and Crusaders. From this port also Solomon received cedars from Lebanon to build his temple (2 Chronicles 2). Later, lumber was again shipped to Joppa to rebuild the temple when the Israelites returned to the land after captivity (Ezra 3).

More importantly, at this port, Jonah ran from God’s task for him. In a time during a political uncertainty and religious destitution in Israel, God asked Jonah to take his message of forgiveness to Nineveh—Israel’s enemy. Jonah is the only prophet who ran from God.

Approximately 800 years later, in Jaffa, God gave Peter a vision. He repeated the message he gave Jonah: take my message of forgiveness to the outsider (Acts 11). While the message was not new, its implementation would be on a larger scale.

Caesarea

After Peter received the vision, while “puzzling over what the vision he had could signify” (Acts 10:17), Cornelius, an officer in the Roman army in Caesarea, summoned Peter in order to hear God’s message.

Caesarea, a rich port housing a temple dedicated to Caesar, a theater, an amphitheater, a Roman garrison, bath houses (both for the noble and for the public) and one of Herod the Great’s palaces, was the Roman capital of Palestine. The palace in Caesarea was the home of the Procurator (Pontius Pilate in the time of Jesus), and archaeologists found an inscription here bearing Pilate’s name. With a mostly Gentile population, tensions between Jews and Gentiles ran high.³ Yet God chose this scene as the first place where the Holy Spirit would descend on Gentiles, much to the surprise of the Jewish Christians: “The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were greatly astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles” (Acts 10:45). God makes his message unmistakable: salvation is for everyone, even those considered enemies.

Visitors can stroll through the ruins, including part of Herod’s palace (most of it lies underwater due to a tsunami), where Paul was imprisoned for two years, and the hippodrome where Maximinus had Christians executed in gladiator games in the fourth century AD. Caesarea has a rich heritage for Christianity, from the first Gentile Christians to Christian bravery in the face of martyrdom.

Valley of Jezreel and Surrounding Mounts

Northeast of Caesarea lies the Valley of Jezreel and its surrounding mounts. The Valley of Jezreel is a lush, fertile area. Numerous stories, particularly of wars, take place in this large valley as nations battle over this rich land. Mounts, including Carmel, Tabor, and Megiddo, overlook it.

Megiddo is a tel (archaeological hill) overlooking the Valley of Jezreel to the west. Because of its position at the head of the Carmel Ridge, an important ancient trade route between Egypt and the east, whoever controlled Megiddo controlled the trades. This small hill was conquered, razed, and rebuilt 25 times beginning before 3000 BC. Archaeologists unearthed ivory, gold, and jewelry as well as impressive architecture, all of which testifies to the wealth of the city.⁴ With this history and position of power, it’s no wonder it became the symbol of the war to end all wars in Revelation (as Armageddon, which comes from Har Megedon, or the Mountain of Megiddo). God’s ultimate victory proves his authority on earth over all other powers.

Current visitors can walk through the ruins, including ancient gates, a palace built by Solomon, and a water tunnel system. Visitors can also view four temples and a large stone altar used by Canaanites.

Carmel is a 30-mile mountain range beginning near the Mediterranean coast. At its highest point, Carmel is 1742 feet, and Mount Carmel stretches to only 470 feet. Egyptian texts in 1600 BC refer to it as a “holy peak,” indicating that it was an ancient sanctuary.⁵ That holy distinction remained throughout the centuries across numerous cultures. It housed altars for Yahweh, Baal, and other deities. On this sanctified mount, where many people came to worship many gods, Elijah struggled with the prophets of Baal to display Yahweh’s supreme power and authority (1 Kings 18). After Elijah won the contest, defeating Jezebel’s god, and spotted the incoming storm, he ran down this small mount into the Valley of Jezreel.

Seeing the topography of Carmel helps readers understand Carmel’s place among the prophets. Carmel’s caves made it an ideal hiding place (Amos 9:3). A wooded mountain known as the “garden with fruit trees,” its fertile agriculture (attested to by cisterns and oil and wine presses cut into limestone; see 2 Chronicles 26:10) made it a symbol of fertility, beauty, and prosperity (Isaiah 33:9, 35:2; Song of Solomon 7:5; Jeremiah 46:18, 50:19; Amos 1:2; Nahum 1:4).

Across the Valley of Jezreel from Mount Carmel is the prominent hill, Mount Tabor, where Elijah and Moses appeared to Jesus at the Transfiguration (traditional site). It gained this designation because of its reputation of being a holy mountain (see 2 Peter 1:18). Mount Tabor had a history of religious practices and worship of the Israelite God and other gods.

Whereas on Mount Carmel Jezebel gathered her forces of prophets against Elijah, on Mount Tabor, the prophetess Deborah told Barak to gather his army for an attack against Israel’s enemy, Sisera, as the Canaanite army pursued them across the Valley of Jezreel from Megiddo (Judges 4). From one side of Jezreel to the other, perched on different mounts, the Bible gives us two examples of powerful women, one who ruled according to God’s Law and another who ruled according to her own desires.

Sea of Galilee

Northeast of the Valley of Jezreel lies the Sea of Galilee and its surrounding towns and villages. This is the setting of Jesus’ youth and early ministry. The Sea of Galilee is also known as the Sea of Kinnereth (Number 34:11; Joshua 12:3; 13:27) because of its harp shape (the Hebrew word kinnor means harp). It is also known as the Sea of Tiberias (John 6:1; 21:1) because of the location of the city of Tiberias along its western shore, the Lake of Gennesaret (Luke 5:1; also referred to as the Lake in Luke 8:22) because of the plain of Ginnosar on the northwest corner (Josephus also calls it the Lake of Gennesar in The Jewish War) and the Sea (Mark 2:13). Due to the surrounding channels, sudden gusts can surprise fisherman with storms in minutes (Matthew 8, 14). Visitors can see a 2000-year-old boat discovered during a draught in 1986 and preserved at Yigal Allon Centre (at the northeast side of the Sea).

Jesus grew up in Nazareth, a village of ten to fifteen family caves. Most likely, Joseph moved his family to this out-of-the-way place both to stay out of the reach of the murderous son of Herod the Great, Archelaus, and to work at Sepphoris, where Herod Antipas recruited masons for large construction projects.⁶ Nazareth is located six kilometers southeast of Sepphoris down the Romans road. Joseph went to work every day to Sepphoris as a carpenter/mason, an hour commute via donkey each way. As it was such a small place at the time—barely a village (“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” [John 1:46])—it explains why Jesus made Capernaum his home base during his earthly ministry.

Early in his ministry, Jesus moved to Capernaum, one of the most important cities lining the shores of the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:13). Three of Jesus’ disciples lived there, including the two first converts, Peter and Andrew, who moved there from Bethsaida. As it was a border city to Philip’s territory, Capernaum had a garrison and a customs office. The centurion who commanded the garrison built a synagogue for the Jewish inhabitants (Luke 7:5). The faith of this centurion amazed Jesus, who healed the centurion’s slave. One of the tax collectors at the customs office (Matthew) left his work to follow Christ (Matthew 9:9). In Capernaum, Jesus taught in the synagogue, healed the sick (such as the paralytic lowered through the roof by his friends), and performed miracles (Matthew 8, 17; Mark 1-2; Luke 4, 7; John 4, 6).

Here lived Peter’s mother-in-law, whom Jesus healed. Archaeological evidence shows that one particular house became a gathering place: “Prior to the mid-C1 AD [mid-first century AD] the broken pottery found in the floor revealed normal family use; thereafter only storage jars and lamps were found. Despite our ignorance regarding the contents of the jars, the hint that the room was put to some type of public use is confirmed by the great number of graffiti scratched in the plaster walls. Some of them mention Jesus as Lord and Christ.”⁷ Tradition, reaching back to a pre-Constantinian period, identifies this house as Peter’s mother-in-law’s, where Jesus stayed (Matthew 8:14). Today, a church stands above it. Visitors can view the house through a glass floor.

Capernaum also houses the best preserved synagogue from the Byzantine period as well as homes from the first century that can give contemporary Bible readers an idea as to the design and layout of village homes. The floors were made of cobbles, and branches covered with straw and dirt made up the roofs (Mark 2).

Bethsaida, another town on the Sea of Galilee, had been a fortified city since 1000 BC. Most likely, Bethsaida was the capital of the Kingdom of Geshur. David married the daughter of the king of Geshur, and this marriage produced Absalom (2 Samuel 3:3). After Absalom killed Amnon, he fled to Bethsaida, where he spent three years (2 Samuel 13). After the Assyrians conquered it (2 Kings 15:29), it wasn’t resettled until the second century BC.

During Jesus’ day, it lay in Philip the tetrarch’s territory and had a Hellenistic character (which explains why Andrew and Philip had Greek names rather than Semitic). Philip the tetrarch rebuilt the city and made it his capital. It was a prosperous fishing city, but was conquered by the Romans during the wars of AD 66-70. An earthquake in AD 363 flooded the city, and part of the city sank into the Sea of Galilee.

Archaeological digs, which began in 1988, have discovered the house of a fisherman (the house had over 100 items connected with fishing, including nets, anchors and other fishing implements), a winemakers house (where 13 jars of wine were found in the cellar), and a city gate dating to the Iron Age (time of David). As the fisherman’s house is unique in Bethsaida, many believe this to be the home of Peter and Andrew. Archaeologists found wine jars imported from the island of Rhodes (where some of the finest wine of the times was made) in that house. Clearly, their fishing enterprise had been doing well.

The city gates give modern-day readers a good idea as to the typical layout of a city. Between the stone walls are four chambers (so that the gates had an E shape with two chambers on each side), where the city elders sat, meeting and talking with visitors and traders. This information gleaned from the comings and goings enabled the elders to make wise economic decisions for the city. Stone tablets leaning against the walls served as the city gods. Inhabitants and visitors placed sacrifices to these gods in a shallow stone basin at the entrance. The path leading up to the city makes a sharp right turn a few feet before the gate. This gave inhabitants of the city an advantage if the city were attacked. Soldiers marching up the pathway, with their shield in their left arm, would be momentarily vulnerable as they turned right to enter the city.

Jerusalem

No survey of Israel would be complete without a word about Jerusalem, the religious and political epicenter of ancient Israel and the setting of Christ’s Passion Week.

From the 10^th century BC, when David established Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, to the 16^th century AD, the boundaries of Jerusalem expanded and contracted numerous times. Present-day Jerusalem houses hundreds of churches, synagogues, and mosques (sometimes in the same building) and pilgrimage sites, such as the Garden of Gethsemane, the Dominus Flevit church (marking where Jesus wept over Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives), and the Via Dolorosa. Most of the sites are based on tradition.

Some sites, however, have archaeological and historical support. The Citadel is part of Herod the Great’s palace. When the Crusaders took over, they dug a moat around Herod’s palace, built below it, and made it into a citadel. Later, the Muslims built on top of the palace and used it as a prison. Currently, tourists can visit a museum inside the remains. This museum has models and exhibits that explain Jerusalem’s history.

During the time of Jesus, the Procurator (Pontius Pilate), who lived in Caesarea, stayed in this palace when he was in Jerusalem. Pilate was in Jerusalem at the time to ensure control during the Passover, when a large influx of Jews came to Jerusalem. Pontius Pilate sentenced Christ to death on a platform in the open at this palace (John 18-19).

From there, the Romans took Jesus outside the city gates to crucify him. According the Karl Walter (MA, archaeology and history, lecture October 2009), in order to guarantee their control during the Passover, when the population of the Jews multiplied in Jerusalem, the Romans emptied their prisons and lined the gates and pathways with crucifixions, reminding the Jews of the Roman authority. (This seems to be supported by Josephus’ description in Jewish Wars [book 5, chapter 11] of the mass crucifixions at the city walls to terrorize the Jews during the wars of AD 66-70.) As the Jews entered Jerusalem for the festivities, they encountered mass executions, places filled with mourning, pain, and putrid smells. To keep this from backfiring and inciting a rebellion, the Romans released one prisoner, allowing the Jews to choose who would be released. In this way, the largest and loudest group—those who out-shouted other kin-groups—was appeased. Pilate then washed his hands of the remaining executions. The blood of those executed was on the Jews’ head, for the Jews had not selected them for freedom.

The Holy Sepulchre (in the Christian Quarter of the Old City) now stands where Jesus most likely died and was buried. During the first century, this area, just outside the city gate, was a pockmarked quarry jutting out of the wall. Tombs from the first century BC and first century AD were found in the area (Jesus was buried near graves according to John 19), and the Jerusalem church held liturgical celebrations there until AD 66. Visitors can view tombs from early first century AD in the church.

To the south of the Temple Mount and the Old City is the City of David, the original Jerusalem. David’s Jerusalem was protected on the south, east, and west with small valleys (the Tyropoeon Valley and the Kidron Valley). The city is on a lower part of the mount in order to gain access to water, particularly from the Gihon Spring. This made the city vulnerable to the north, from where it was most likely to be attacked. Jerusalem had been a Jebusite city, populated by Amorites and Hittites (Ezekiel 16:3), before David captured it and made it the capital of Israel (2 Samuel 5; 1 Chronicles 11). He brought the Ark of the Covenant there, making it the religious seat of the nation. Later, Solomon built the temple on Mount Moriah, expanding the city to the north.

Recent excavations in the oldest part of Jerusalem—the City of David—have revealed King David’s Palace as well as the Pool of Siloam, the ritual bath where Jesus healed a blind man (John 9). These discoveries give added nuances to our understanding of Scripture.

For example, archaeologists discovered water tunnels going back to the time of Melchizedek. The tunnels lead to the Gihon Spring, the major water source for the city. The magnitude of the tunnel system indicates the size and significance of Jerusalem as far back as Melchizedek. Jerusalem, which became the religious and political center of Israel, had been an important religious and political center of Canaanites for centuries. When David conquered them, it was no minor feat. It proved God's sovereignty and his choice of Israel as his instrument to reign religiously and politically.

Also, at the Gihon Springs, archaeologists discovered a tower. This helps readers understand 1 Kings 1 when David tells Nathan the prophet to take Solomon to Gihon and crown him the king at a time of political upheaval. Why accomplish such a momentous event at a spring? Because that spring and that tower was a hub with political significance.

New archaeological digs, together with what scholars know of history, shed light onto the person of Uriah the Hittite. It appears that Uriah was a successor to Jebusite rulers. "The story of David's defeat of the destitute Uriah (2 Samuel 12) marks the very end of the Jebusite royal dynasty in the city.”⁸ This presents a nuance to the story about David, Bethsheba, and Uriah. More than a story of lust, it has political ramifications. When David killed Uriah and took his wife, it symbolized his ultimate defeat of the Canaanites of Jerusalem.

These are a few examples of how an understanding of the land of the Bible will add to a reader’s understanding. Archaeological discoveries give Christians a bigger and more detailed picture. Any reader will attest to his added enjoyment of and engagement in a book when he knows the setting. Walking the ground of the story helps readers see it from the perspective of the writer. Walking in Israel reminds Christians that God enters human history in specific and physical ways, accomplishing his will for his glory and the good of mankind.

¹ Janet Burroway, Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft, 5^th ed., (New York: Longman, 2000), 171.

² Richard L. Pratt, Jr., He Gave Us Stories: The Bible Student’s Guide to Interpreting Old Testament Narratives (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 1990), 170.

³ Jerome Murphy-O’Connor, The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide, 5^th ed., (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008), 240.

⁴ Ibid., 387.

⁵ W. Ewing, “Carmel” in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. 1, edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979), 618.

⁶ Jerome Murphy-O’Connor, The Holy Land, 423.

⁷ Ibid., 252.

⁸ Eilat Mazar, The Palace of King David: Excavations at the Summit of the City of David, Preliminary Report of Seasons 2005-2007 (Jerusalem: Shoham Academic Research and Publication, 2009), 43.

Related Topics: Archaeology, Women's Articles

Lesson 7: Worship— A Joyful Celebration (2 Samuel 6)

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That wise theologian, Erma Bombeck, reported an experience she had in church. A row or two in front of her sat a mother with a normal five-year-old boy, which means, he couldn’t sit still. As he squirmed and looked over the pew at those behind him, he was smiling. Then Erma heard the mother sternly whisper, “Stop smiling! Don’t you know that we’re in church?”

Is God pleased or saddened when His people are stern, stiff, and untouched in their emotions when they worship Him? Would anyone visiting our church be able to figure out by watching us that one of the fruits which our God produces in us is great joy?

As we saw last week in 2 Samuel 6, worship should be a reverent response to God’s holy presence. We dare not be flippant or treat God as commonplace. But we would err to conclude that reverence doesn’t mix with a joyful celebration. Granted, we don’t normally link celebration with reverence. A celebration evokes images of a wild, raucous, noisy event, whereas reverence brings to mind soberness and silence. While there is a place for silence and soberness in public worship, a second look at 2 Samuel 6 shows that true corporate worship can be both reverent and joyful:

Worship should be a joyful celebration before the Lord in accordance with His truth.

1. Worship should be a joyful celebration.

The Hebrew word for celebrate (6:5, 21) comes from a root word meaning to laugh. Our God wants His people to be filled with a holy joy in His presence. Note three things about this joyful celebration as David brought the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem:

A. The celebration of worship should be done with intensity.

Note 6:14, “dancing ... with all his might”; 6:15, “with shouting and the sound of trumpet.” David really got into worship! He wasn’t sitting there looking out the window or reading the bulletin. He wasn’t mumbling through some hymn while he thought about what he had to do that week. He was excited about God and he put all of his faculties--mental, emotional, and physical--into the act of worship. Corporate worship should be done with intensity. Apathy in worship is sin. We’re gathering in God’s holy presence. The risen Savior is here. That’s worth getting excited about!

I find that I’ve got to fight my sinful tendency toward apathy when I worship. It’s easy to slide into a routine, “ho hum” form of worship where I am not giving the Lord the full intensity of my being that He rightly deserves. Remember the Lord’s warning to the church in Laodicea: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth” (Rev. 3:15-16). I pray that God would not say such a thing of this church!

What was Laodicea’s problem? For one thing, they didn’t see themselves as God saw them. They thought they were doing fine. They didn’t see their great need for God. Their view was, “We’re rich, we’ve become wealthy, and we don’t need anything”; but God’s view was: “You’re wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17). One of the things that helps me be more intense in my worship is to see how much I need the Lord. With David (Ps. 63:1) I need to cry to God, “I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

Love, whether with the Lord or in marriage, is like a fire in your hearth--it needs to be tended or it will die out. As with the church in Ephesus, it’s easy to lose that first love for the Lord (Rev. 2:4). You don’t recover by trying to work up the feelings. Feelings must always be a response to God’s truth. So when my heart is cold and the feelings of love for God are not there, I need to remember what He has done for me in Christ, seek Him in His Word, and turn from any sin in my own life.

The Lord is pleased when we are intense in worship. Love needs to be expressed. I heard of a couple who went to a marriage counselor. The wife complained that her husband never told her that he loved her. He snarled, “I told you that 20 years ago and I haven’t taken it back.” That’s not good enough! Love has to be expressed often and with feeling.

A lot of couples fall into a perfunctory relationship. They go through the motions of a good-bye kiss- each morning, but there’s no passion. I fear that there are too many Christians who are like that toward the Lord. They aren’t expressive with their love. They go to church and go through the motions, but there’s no passion. It’s like a peck on the cheek toward the Lord. Our worship needs passion!

I also find that the act of worship is a lot like studying: You need to work on concentration. You must mentally set your goal before you: “I am here to meet with God and to express my love to Him.” Then you focus your thoughts along those lines. When distractions interrupt, you deal with them and then return your thoughts to the Lord. May I encourage you, when you come to worship God, do it with intensity! Don’t mess around with worship. The Lord deserves your all.

B. The celebration of worship should be done with variety.

Look at the description of this worship service: There were all kinds of musical instruments (6:5; some churches think that the piano and organ are ordained of God!); offerings and sacrifices (6:13, 17); dancing (6:14, 16; of all things!); shouting and trumpets (6:15; this is getting out of hand!); and even eating (6:19)! There was something for everyone! It sounds more like a Disneyland Parade than like our staid idea of a worship service!

Before you panic, Relax! My point is not that we must include all of these elements in our worship. We won’t be offering any animal sacrifices here, although we should offer up sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving, of doing good and sharing (Heb. 13:15-16). And, while some churches have dancing in their worship, there is no New Testament example of this. In my opinion, it may be taking the Hebrew forms of worship a bit far to transport dancing into the church. But the point is that we should be open to some variety and new things in worship. Traditions have their place, but they can sometimes kill the spontaneity of celebration.

C. The celebration of worship should be done with gladness and joy.

Even if you couldn’t understand Hebrew, you could tell just by watching David and company bringing the ark into Jerusalem that they were happy about something. You can’t hide genuine joy--it’s got to be expressed. I agree with the late David Watson, an English Anglican pastor, who wrote,

What is clear from the Scriptures is that worship should be a delight, not a duty. The great Jewish feasts were times of exuberant joy and heartfelt celebration. Some of them contained an element of sorrow and repentance for sin; but this led to the joy of knowing God’s forgiveness and mercy. They were always intended to be great and glorious festivals....

Infectious joyful delight in God’s presence needs urgently to be recaptured by the church of today. If emerging from our inhibitions and stiff formality is not easy for some of us, we need to remember that true worship demands sacrifice (I Believe in the Church [Eerdmans], pp. 196, 197).

I know what some of you are thinking: “Steve, I’m just not an expressive person. I always stay calm and don’t show my emotions like you’re talking about.” Nonsense! Two Sundays ago some of you were literally jumping up and down and screaming at the top of your lungs, you were so excited about the Super Bowl. Or if you were to get an unexpected pay raise, you wouldn’t walk into the house and calmly say, “Honey, you’ll be pleased to hear that my pay has been substantially increased.” You’d burst into the house, grab your wife into your arms, and with a smile on your face you’d exclaim, “Guess what? I got a great pay raise!” And you’d dance with joy around the room.

Our problem is not that we’re not expressive people. Our problem is that we’re not excited enough about the Lord. If we’d focus on the greatness of our God and on the blessings He has graciously heaped on us in Christ, our worship would be a lot more joyous. As we saw last week, worship must be reverent; but also, it should be a joyous celebration.

2. Worship should be before the Lord.

The phrase, “before the Lord” occurs six times in this chapter: 6:5, 14, 16, 17, 21 (twice). The point is, we’re not to be caught up with the celebration, but with the Lord. We’re not to be worship-centered, but God-centered. We don’t want to go away just thinking, “That was great worship,” but rather, “We have a great God!” To be caught up with worship for worship’s sake would be like a young man who is in love with love. Any girl will do, so long as he feels love, because he is more interested in the feeling of love than in the one loved. We want to avoid that trap in worship. We worship before the Lord. It should be a celebration, but our focus is not on the celebration, but on the Lord. There are two implications of this truth:

A. Worship is not the same as entertainment.

Worship focuses the congregation on the Lord. Entertainment focuses people on the performance or on the entertainer. Worship leaders need great skill so that the people aren’t distracted by mistakes or other things that call attention away from the Lord. But the worship leader (as opposed to the entertainer) leads people into the Lord’s presence.

Robert Rayburn (O Come, Let Us Worship [Baker], pp. 40-41) tells of an experience he had in a church:

Not long ago in a morning service I listened to a group of attractive young singers whose voices blended admirably and who were undoubtedly splendid Christians. Their music, however, was presented in a very theatrical way. When the young men sang of their love for Jesus, each young woman turned to gaze with almost adoring eyes upon the young man nearest to her, as though he were singing a tender love song especially for her. It was impossible for me to watch this performance and offer worship to God while the music was being sung. The music was sentimental and entertaining, but it did nothing to stir the hearts of the listener beyond sheer pleasure in the appeal of the young singers. To have exclaimed to them following the service, “I really enjoyed your music,” would have been possible. To have said that they enabled me to worship God meaningfully as they sang would have been impossible.

I realize that sometimes it’s a fine line, and I don’t mean to press it too far. But what we want is not to be entertained, but to be led into the Lord’s presence. Worship must be done “before the Lord.”

B. Worshipers should be more concerned about what God thinks than about what people think.

How could a man who was king get so carried away that he lost his sense of propriety and danced in the streets wearing a linen ephod? We need not conclude that David was indecent, but his enthusiasm embarrassed his wife, Michal (6:20). She was concerned about what people would think. It didn’t fit the image of a warrior-king.

But David was concerned about what the Lord thought. He states it twice (6:21), so we don’t miss it: He was celebrating “before the Lord,” not before the people. That’s the key! We need to be concerned about what the Lord thinks, not what those around us think. We need to be considerate of others, so that we don’t cause distractions. It’s kind of like showing affection to your mate in public: You need to be appropriate, but you can still be expressive.

If you love the Lord, then you need to express it. Sing with all your might! Clap! Lift your hands! Stand to honor Him! Get on your knees before Him! Who cares what anyone else thinks? I used to be afraid to lift my hands in worship. I finally had to say, “I don’t care. I’m not doing it for people. I’m doing it for the Lord. I care what You think, Lord. I want to tell You that I love You.”

So worship should be a joyful celebration before the Lord. Finally,

3. Worship should be in accordance with God’s truth.

David got into trouble the first time because he tried to bring the ark to Jerusalem, but he didn’t follow the instructions in God’s Word. God specifically told Moses how the ark was to be carried: by the Levites with poles slipped through rings on the side. But they put it on a cart, and when the oxen nearly upset it and Uzzah touched it, God struck him dead. As I noted last week, they got the idea of putting the ark on a cart from the Philistines (1 Sam. 6:7 ff.)! From the world! After that didn’t work, David went home, read his “Bible” and discovered that the ark of God wasn’t supposed to be on a cart. So he changed his worship. Three implications:

A. Worshiping according to God’s truth means that we follow the Word, not the world.

Like David’s ark on an oxcart, all too often the church gets its ideas about worship from the world, not from God’s Word. We live in a day in which the church has become like the local shopping mall, trying to provide whatever the customers want. Chuck Colson, in his recent book, The Body (excerpted in Christianity Today [11/23/92]) attacks this cater-to-the-consumer mentality on the part of American churches and churchgoers. He points out how if the customer is king, then the church has to set aside truth and instead develop the right marketing strategy. You fall into the trap of trying to make people happy instead of what God has called us to, helping people become holy. But the preaching of God’s truth with a view to obedience must be central to our worship.

B. Worshiping according to God’s truth means that we repent and change when we’re wrong.

Think of how humiliating it was for David when Uzzah was struck dead and the first celebration came grinding to a halt. The ark went to Obed-edom’s house and 30,000 people went home under a cloud of gloom. Most of us would have stopped right there. We wouldn’t have dared to try something like that again. “Oh, no! I tried it once and it was an embarrassing failure!” But not David. He found out where he was wrong and he was willing to change.

That takes humility. Pride keeps us from admitting that we were wrong. We won’t change because we lose face. But like David, we need to be open to God’s correction and willing to change in obedience to Him when we’re wrong.

C. Worshiping according to God’s truth means that we come to Him by the way of His ordained sacrifice.

There is a difference between David’s unsuccessful attempt to bring up the ark and his successful attempt. The first time there was no mention of blood sacrifice; the second time, there was a sacrifice at the beginning (6:13) and at the end (6:17). On the first attempt with no sacrifice, a man died who dared to approach the ark of God’s presence. But on the second attempt the ark was brought to its resting place with sacrifice.

This illustrates what the rest of Scripture explicitly tells us, that the only way into the presence of God is through the acceptable blood sacrifice of a substitute. The only way that we who are sinners dare to draw near to the holy God in worship is through the sacrifice of His Son.

This means that Christ and His death on the cross must be central to our worship. That’s why the frequent observance of the Lord’s Supper is so important: It keeps us focused on the sacrifice which God provided so that we can draw near. It reminds us that our worship must be reverent, because it required the death of God’s Son. But it can also be a joyous celebration, because through Christ’s death we have access to God’s presence!

Conclusion

A little boy sitting in church saw a large flag bearing a number of gold stars. Turning to his father, he whispered, “Daddy, why does that flag have all those stars on it?” “To remind us of those who died in the service,” his dad replied. A puzzled look came over the boy’s face. After thinking for a few moments, he asked, “Daddy, did they die in the morning or evening service?”

I hope no one dies, either from boredom or from irreverence, in our worship services. Rather, I ask you to come to express your love to the Lord in a joyful celebration before Him in accordance with His truth. Join David in determining, “I will celebrate before the Lord!”

Discussion Questions

How do you recover the feelings of love for the Lord when the relationship has gone kind of flat?
Where does personality fit in with being expressive in worship? Is pride a big factor?
What factors tend to kill genuine worship? What factors enhance it? Describe the best corporate worship you’ve experienced.
What are some consequences when the church capitulates to consumerism?

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, © The Lockman Foundation

Related Topics: Character Study, Worship

Lesson 6: Worship— My Response To God’s Presence (2 Samuel 6)

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I read a story (Reader’s Digest [7-82]) about a church in which the choir loft sits below the eye level of the congregation. Running across the entire front of the church is a low, velvet-draped railing. Several of the more creative choir members discovered that after finishing the anthem they could crawl on hands and knees behind the railing and exit through a side door. They could then buy fresh donuts around the corner and return to the worship service undetected.

One Sunday, an elderly, distinguished-looking man made a successful exit. But on his return trip he realized that in order to reach his seat, he would have to crawl back carrying the bag of donuts between his teeth. It wasn’t until he was halfway across that he noticed the laughter spreading through the congregation. He was on the wrong side of the railing!

While that story is funny at first, the longer you think about it, the more tragic it becomes. It’s a sad commentary on the condition of worship to think that it is okay to sing an anthem to the Almighty God, who sits enthroned above the cherubim in unapproachable glory, and then to sneak out behind a railing for a bag of donuts to munch on during the remainder of the service. I remind you that the God we worship is able to see on both sides of the railing!

We need to recover today in our evangelical, Bible-believing churches the sense of reverence that ought to characterize those who gather in the holy presence of the living God. In many churches the fellowship is warm and the Bible teaching is faithful. But each week the people file in and out of what is labeled a “worship service” without ever coming close to sensing the holy presence of God. It’s easy to fall into the disease of “playing church,” of going through the motions of worship without encountering God. But,

Worship should be a reverent response to God’s holy presence.

This is a main lesson from David’s bringing the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6). David had been king now for over seven years. The kingdom, which at first was divided, was now consolidated under David’s rule. He desired to make the worship of God central in the national life. To do this, he proposed to bring the ark of the covenant, the central piece of the Mosaic Tabernacle, to Jerusalem. We learn from this story that ...

1. God’s holy presence should be the focus of true corporate worship.

God is omnipresent--present everywhere at the same time. But His presence is not realized everywhere. When I talk about the presence of God, I mean His realized presence. When God’s people come together for worship, they ought to focus on His holy presence among them.

A. God’s holy presence was symbolized in the ark.

The ark was a rectangular box about 3 3/4 feet long by 2 1/4 feet wide by 2 1/4 feet high. It contained the 10 Commandments and, in earlier days, at least, Aaron’s rod which budded and a pot of manna. It was made of wood overlaid with gold. On top of the ark was the mercy seat, a solid slab of gold on which the high priest sprinkled the blood of the sacrificial lamb once a year on the Day of Atonement. The ark was kept in the Holy of Holies and was always kept covered when being moved on a journey.

The ark was the symbol of God’s meeting with His people on the basis of atonement. The Lord told Moses, “And there I will meet with you ...” (Exod. 25:22). It was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. The materials of the ark, gold and wood, typified the person of Christ as both God and man. The function of the ark as the mercy-seat typified the work of Christ as the sacrificial lamb of God.

When we gather as God’s people, we gather unto the Lord Jesus who is in our midst. It is because of His Person, God in human flesh, and His work as the satisfaction of the divine penalty for our sins, that we can draw near unto God.

B. God’s holy presence is an awesome thing.

The ark is described here (6:2) as “the ark of God which is called by the Name, the very name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned above the cherubim.” The cherubim are angels who dwell in the presence of God. They are awesome in their appearance, being associated with fire and lightning and the blinding brightness of the glory of the Lord (Ezek. 1:4-14; 10:3-22). Two golden cherubim with their wings touching overshadowed the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant. The only human eyes that could view that sight were those of the high priest, and that only once a year in strict accordance with the procedures God had ordained.

As David and the people worshiped before this ark, it’s clear that they were worshiping “before the Lord” (the phrase occurs six times in this chapter: verses 5, 14, 16, 17, 21 [twice]). As we’ll see, even though they had this sense of God’s presence, they were too careless about it at first, with tragic consequences. But God made it explicitly clear that to worship in His presence is an awesome thing, not to be taken lightly.

We live in a day of flippant Christianity that has brought God down to the “good buddy in the sky” level, where we’ve lost the proper sense of awe and fear in His holy presence. John MacArthur tells about a pastor friend of his who told John that Jesus often appears to him and talks with him in the mornings as he is shaving. John’s incredulous response was, “And you keep shaving?” In his excellent book, The Ultimate Priority ([Moody Press], pp. 79-80), he writes, “I am certain that if the people today who claim to have seen God really saw Him, they wouldn’t be lining up to get on the latest Christian talk show; they’d be lying prostrate on the ground, grieving over their sin.”

As we gather to worship, it would transform us and our worship if we would focus on the truth that we are gathering in God’s holy presence. We should not come primarily to meet with our friends, although fellowship is an important function of the church. We should come primarily to meet with God. True corporate worship involves focusing on the fact that the Holy God is here. That means that ...

2. Reverence in God’s presence should be our response in true corporate worship.

Since the ark was the visible symbol of the presence of God in the midst of His people, you would think that there would have been a uniform response of reverence on the part of all who were in the presence of the ark. But if you go back about 75 years and trace the history of the ark, you find quite different and instructive responses to its presence.

The Israelites: “A good luck charm” (1 Sam. 4): The worship of God was a dead ritual for most of Israel at this time. The two priestly sons of Eli were corrupt, committing immorality with women at the doorway of the Tabernacle (2:22). When they encountered difficulties with the Philistines, someone got the idea, “Let’s get the ark and carry it into battle” (4:3, 5-11). They were using it as a good luck charm. God allowed them to be defeated, and the ark was captured by the Philistines.

There are churchgoers in our day who attempt to use the church as a good luck charm. They’re having problems in their lives, so they think, “I’ll go to church and try to rub God the right way and maybe He will solve my problems.” But for them, worship is nothing more than a good luck charm to try to get God on their side. They know nothing of God’s holy presence.

The Philistines: “A plague” (1 Sam. 5): The Philistines set up the ark next to their god, Dagon, but the Lord caused their idol to fall down and break into pieces. Next, God struck them all with tumors of some sort (some scholars have suggested hemorrhoids) and with mice (5:6; 6:4-5). As you can imagine, the Philistines wanted to get rid of the ark as quickly as possible. They were quite uncomfortable (literally) with the presence of God.

Even so, there are some who feel a plague of guilt when they come near a church where God’s presence is known. They are uncomfortable around those who manifest the presence of the Lord.

Abinadab: “Ho hum!” (1 Sam. 7:1-2; 2 Sam. 6:3): The Philistines sent the ark back to Israel on a cart, and it wound up in the house of Abinadab. It had been there for almost 70 years by David’s time. It is significant that we do not read of any results in Abinadab’s household for having the ark there all those years. We’ll see in a moment that it was in Obed-edom’s house for just three months and resulted in great blessing. But it was 70 years in Abinadab’s house, and nothing happened.

Some churchgoers are like that. They can come for years into a church where God is present, but it has no appreciable effect on their lives. “Huh? What’s that gold box up there on the mantle? Oh, it’s the ark of the covenant. Interesting piece of furniture, isn’t it? Ho hum.” You can be in the very presence of God and have it glance right off, if your heart isn’t seeking after Him.

Uzzah: “Don’t have a cow, man!” (2 Sam. 6:6-7): That’s what Uzzah might have said if he had lived in our day and if he had lived to say anything! As David and company moved the ark toward Jerusalem on an oxcart, the oxen stumbled and the ark almost fell to the dirt. Uzzah reached out his hand to steady it and God struck him dead on the spot.

Some folks think that God was a bit touchy and harsh for doing this. Even David got angry at God, as we shall see. What was so bad about what Uzzah did? After all, he was just trying to help, wasn’t he? Any wagon driver would have done the same with any valuable piece of furniture under his care, wouldn’t he?

Yes, and that was precisely Uzzah’s problem. He saw no difference between the ark and any other valuable article. He was overly familiar with that which was utterly sacred. Uzzah was the son (or grandson) of Abinadab. He had grown up with the ark in his home. It was commonplace to him: “What’s the big deal?” But he should have known that even the Levitical priests who carried the ark were not permitted to touch it, but carried it on poles inserted through rings attached to it.

Some in our day--often they are people who have grown up in the church--trifle with the things of God. God is commonplace to them. I once worked with a young man who was studying for the ministry at a liberal seminary. At work one day he joked about how he had been drunk Saturday night and had spent the night in immorality with his girl friend, but had to get up and conduct a communion service for some young people the next day. I was horrified at his flippancy toward God! He wasn’t struck dead on the spot, but he was in grave danger spiritually.

Those who have a problem with what God did to Uzzah need to gain the Bible’s perspective on God’s absolute holiness and man’s utter sinfulness. As R. C. Sproul points out (The Holiness of God [Tyndale, p. 141), what Uzzah did was an act of arrogance. He “assumed that his hand was less polluted than the earth. But it wasn’t the ground or the mud that would desecrate the ark; it was the touch of man.” We need to take God seriously!

David: “Angry at God” (1 Sam. 6:8-10): David got angry at God and then he grew afraid--not a healthy fear of the Lord, but an unhealthy fear that caused him to draw back and ask, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” There was some pride behind David’s anger. He was embarrassed in front of the crowd. God had not done things David’s way. God had rained on David’s parade.

But the problem wasn’t that God hadn’t done things David’s way, but that David hadn’t done things God’s way. God’s Word is clear that the ark had to be carried by the Levites in a prescribed way, on their shoulders without touching it, not on an oxcart (Num. 4:15; 7:6-9). Where had they gotten the idea of an oxcart? From the Philistines (1 Sam. 6:7)! It worked in the world; why not bring it into the church?

Any time the church starts imitating the world in its worship, they can’t expect the Lord to give His blessing. And, they dare not get mad at God when He doesn’t! There are folks in the church who think that they want God’s presence, but they don’t understand God’s holiness. Or they play loose with God’s truth. When things don’t go the way they wanted, they get angry and blame God. What they ought to do is get on their faces and figure out why God’s blessing is not on their lives or on their church.

Michal: “Don’t get fanatical!” (6:16, 20). She was David’s wife, but here she is called the daughter of Saul to show where she’s coming from. Notice her relationship to the worship celebration: She was a spectator (6:16). Why wasn’t she a participant? She should have been down in the streets, rejoicing in the celebration. But instead she peeked out the window and got embarrassed by what she saw as David’s fanaticism. Michal loved David the warrior but she could not sympathize with David the worshiper. That embarrassed her. Her problem, like that of her father, was pride. David had dealt with his earlier pride and now he humbled himself to worship the Lord without caring what others thought (6:22). Michal was not willing to humble herself, and so the Lord humbled her with the ultimate disgrace in that society, barrenness (6:23).

The critics of true worshipers are always proud spectators, not humble participants. They’re concerned about what others may think. It doesn’t occur to them to be concerned about what God thinks.

Obed-edom: “Delighted in God” (6:10-11). We’re not sure who Obed-edom was. He was probably a Levite who lived nearby. But he had no problem bringing the ark to his house right after Uzzah was stuck dead for touching it! Isn’t that amazing! Can’t you hear him: “Hey, this is great! Put it over there on the coffee table, guys!” Here was a man whose heart was right before the Lord. The presence of God was not a threat to him. It was a delight! He was totally comfortable living with God in the midst of his home. So the Lord blessed the man and his household (6:11). David heard about it, got his heart right with the Lord and joined Obed-edom in desiring the presence of God again. But Obed-edom had something to teach David (and us) in that he wanted the ark of the holy presence of God with him immediately after Uzzah had been struck dead for touching it.

How would you feel if, as happened in the early church with Ananias and Sapphira, someone here was struck dead for trifling with God and then Jesus appeared bodily and said, “I’d like to come live in your home for three months”? Would you welcome Him or would you be a bit nervous? He is there, you know! If you revere God in your personal devotions and in your corporate worship, you’d be delighted at the prospect, as Obed-edom was.

Conclusion

How could it be that the same ark could be one man’s delight and another man’s death? How could the same ark be one man’s pleasure and another man’s plague? How could the same ark result in seven different responses?

The difference must not lie with the ark of God’s presence, but with the hearts of the people who were in contact with the ark. If that is so, where is your heart? Do you come on Sundays expecting to meet with God? One way to answer that question is to ask another question: How carefully do you prepare your heart for that meeting?

If you were granted an audience with the president, would you prepare yourself before you went, or would you just go into his office in your work clothes? If you’re going to meet with the holy God, should you not at least spend a few minutes beforehand preparing your heart? The Hebrews didn’t have a bad idea in beginning their Sabbath at sundown the night before. That way, they were ready for worship the following day. I find it helpful to spend a portion of Saturday night getting my heart ready for meeting with the Lord corporately on Sunday morning.

Another way to answer the question of whether or not you come expecting to meet with God on Sundays is to ask, “Would you worship any differently if Christ were watching you?” One night something happened to Pastor A. J. Gordon that transformed his ministry. He dreamed he was in his pulpit ready to deliver his Sunday morning message when a stranger with a regal yet loving look attracted his attention. As he preached, his eyes kept returning to that unique guest. While the closing hymn was being sung, he decided to speak with him. But before he could get to the back door, the unknown man was gone. As the dream continued, this same person came back again at the evening service. Once more he slipped out before the minister could shake his hand.

Turning to one of his deacons, the pastor inquired, “Who was that man?” “Oh, didn’t you recognize Him? That was Jesus of Nazareth!” “You mean Christ Himself was listening to me? What did He say?” exclaimed the preacher. Before the deacon could reply, Gordon awoke with a start. It had all been so real that he could hardly believe he had been dreaming. For the first time he fully appreciated the reality that the Lord Jesus is present in a special way when His people gather for worship. This thought changed his ministry. (From “Our Daily Bread” [6/77].)

What about it? Would you sing any differently if Christ were listening? Would you worship any differently if Christ were watching? Would you listen to His Word being preached more attentively if He were in the chair next to you? He is present, of course. The question is, Are you aware of His presence? Do you come expecting Him to be present, expecting to meet with Him as we gather in His name?

Go through the list of various responses to God’s presence in the ark again. Which one fits you the closest?

Could you, like the Israelites of old, be hoping that God’s presence will be a good luck charm, that if you’ll go to church, maybe God will bless your plans for your life?

Or, like the Philistines, could it be that God’s presence makes you uncomfortable? Could there be guilt in your life because you have never come to the cross of Christ for pardon and cleaning?

Or, like Abinadab, is God’s presence in the church something which doesn’t affect you in the least? Ho-hum! Another church service.

Or, like Uzzah, are you too familiar with God? Do you treat as commonplace that which is sacred? Have you, through over-familiarity, lost a sense of awe toward the things of God?

Or, perhaps like David on this occasion, you wanted God’s presence, but when you got a glimpse of His absolute holiness, you drew back and weren’t so sure you wanted to be that close to God.

Or, like Michal, could you be a spectator who doesn’t believe in getting too fanatical about worship?

Or, like Obed-edom, do you welcome the presence of the living God into your home and life, resulting in great blessing to you and to all your household? Do you come to the gatherings of the church expecting to meet with God and to experience His presence? True corporate worship should be a reverent response God’s presence.

Discussion Questions

What makes for vital, dynamic corporate worship?
Is it wrong to go to church to “get something out of it”? Should we go to minister to the Lord, to have the Lord minister to us, or both?
Where’s the balance between drawing near to God in love and standing apart in reverent fear? Was God overly harsh on Uzzah? Why/why not?
How can a person raised in the church guard against over-familiarity with spiritual truth?

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, © The Lockman Foundation

Related Topics: Character Study, Discipleship, Worship

Lesson 9: The Beauty Of God’s Grace (2 Samuel 9; 16:1-4; 19:24-30)

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I want to talk about the most important concept in the whole Bible. That’s quite a claim, isn’t it? But without grasping this concept, you cannot be right with God, because it is the basis of all God’s dealings with us. Without understanding this concept you can’t have consistent victory over sin. You will struggle with guilt, you will lack joy, you will lack motivation to serve God, if you do not understand and apply this concept to your walk with God. I am referring to the glorious truth of the grace of God.

God’s grace is not some stuffy theological doctrine to be filed away in your set of notes. It is the most practical, beautiful truth in all of God’s Word. It ought to be at the core of your daily experience with God. We cannot begin even to scratch the surface of the subject today, but I want to motivate you to begin a lifelong pursuit of understanding and applying God’s grace. You will be richly rewarded.

I need to warn you that Satan works overtime to confuse people on this essential truth. Some turn the grace of God into licentiousness (Jude 4). If you speak of the need for obedience, they cry, “Legalism!” But they don’t understand the true grace of God that instructs us “to deny ungodliness and worldly desires” (Titus 2:11-12). Others give lip service to grace but live under the strangle hold of legalism. Their lives deny the joy that comes from knowing God’s grace.

The doctrine of God’s grace is expounded at length in such New Testament epistles as Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians. But who would expect to find it shining forth from the pages of 2 Samuel 9? David, the man after God’s heart, knew and applied God’s grace in his life. Because David was a type of Christ, his showing God’s kindness (9:3) to the crippled Mephibosheth serves as an illustration of God’s grace to fallen sinners as spelled out clearly in the New Testament.

This incident occurs about half way through David’s reign. The story is tucked between two accounts of battles which David fought, and so it sparkles all the more by way of contrast. David was reflecting on his dear friend Jonathan, who had been killed in battle along with his father Saul about 20 years previously. “Then David said, ‘Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?’” (9:1).

The word “kindness” (9:1, 3, 7) is the key to this chapter. It is the Hebrew word chesed, often translated “lovingkindness.” It points to God’s loyal, unfailing love for His people. It’s related to chasidah, the Hebrew word for “stork.” Perhaps you’ve wondered why we associate storks and babies. It comes from the Hebrews, who observed the exceptional love and care which the stork demonstrated toward its young. It would make its nest in the tallest fir trees, safe from its enemies. It would nurture and care for those ugly, gawking baby storks with an unfailing, loyal love. The Hebrews said, “That’s how God loves us!” There is nothing in us to merit or deserve it. Grace stems from God’s nature.

You will notice that David said, “Is there not yet anyone?” Not, “anyone qualified”; not, “anyone worthy?”; just, “anyone?” When Ziba informed David, perhaps with a twinge of warning in his voice, “(he) is crippled in both feet,” David didn’t ask, “How badly is he crippled?” David didn’t think, “He would be useless to have around here.” Instead, he asked, “Where is he?” and he sent for him. Grace doesn’t depend on the recipient. Grace is God’s unmerited favor.

There are three things about God’s grace that are illustrated in the story of Mephibosheth:

Grace seeks us where we’re at, brings us to the King’s presence, and keeps us for the King’s return.

1. Grace seeks us where we’re at.

God’s grace initiates the relationship. He does not wait around for us to come to Him. In fact, we cannot and do not come to God in and of ourselves. God seeks us out and finds us where we’re at. As C. S. Lewis put it,

I never had the experience of looking for God. It was the other way round: He was the hunter (or so it seemed to me) and I was the deer. He stalked me ... took unerring aim, and fired. And I am very thankful that this is how the first (conscious) meeting occurred. It forearms one against subsequent fears that the whole thing was only wish fulfillment. Something one didn’t wish for can hardly be that. (Christian Reflections, p. 169.)

David sought out Mephibosheth. This cripple deserved nothing and was not seeking David’s favor. He hadn’t turned in an application to be considered for a position in the palace. In fact, he was in hiding when the king found him. Notice three things about where God found us, as illustrated in this story:

A. We were fallen in sin.

Twice we are told that Mephibosheth was lame in both feet (9:3, 13). When Mephibosheth’s father, Jonathan, and grandfather, Saul, were killed in battle, his nurse realized that five-year-old Mephibosheth was the heir to the throne and his life was in danger. The common custom of eastern monarchs in that day was to eliminate all rivals to the throne. So she grabbed the boy in her arms and ran in panic. He fell and, I would surmise, broke both of his ankles. Without modern medicine to set the bones properly, he was left a cripple for life.

The spiritual parallel is obvious. Just as Mephibosheth once walked with his father, so man originally walked with God. But sin came and man suffered a fall which left him as a permanent spiritual cripple, alienated from God. We are born with a nature that separates us from God and prevents us from coming to God (“dead in your trespasses and sins,” Eph. 2:1). That is the condition in which we were when God sought us out with His great love: fallen in sin, permanently damaged by that fall.

By the way, notice that Mephibosheth was not super-naturally healed of his lameness even though he lived in David’s presence in the palace. Every time he clonked along on his crutches in the splendor of the palace, Mephibosheth must have thought, “Grace, grace, grace!” Even though God has saved us and seated us in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, He has not eradicated our old sin nature. Every time we struggle against the lusts of the flesh, we ought to be reminded, “Grace, grace! It was God’s grace that sought me when I was fallen in sin. Right now I am just a spiritual cripple, but I’m living in the palace of the king, thanks to His grace.”

B. We were far from God.

David asks, “Where is he?” (9:4). Ziba says, “He is in Lo-debar.” We could paraphrase, “He is out in the tules.” Lo-debar was an obscure village quite a ways north of Jerusalem and on the other side of the Jordan River. Mephibosheth knew that by virtue of his lineage, he could be put to death by King David, and so he was living in quiet obscurity out in Lo-debar.

That’s where we were when God found us. Due to our lineage from our father, Adam, we were deserving of God’s condemnation and judgment. And so we just quietly blocked God out of our lives and moved as far away from His presence as we could get, hoping that He would not come looking. But He did!

And that leads to the third aspect of our condition when God sought us out: We were fallen in sin; we were far from God.

C. We were fearful of God.

Can you imagine what Mephibosheth must have thought when the king’s messengers knocked on his door and said, “Come with us. King David wants to see you at the palace!” Verses 6 & 7 show us what he thought: he was afraid! He thought he would be executed.

Fear is the response of any sinner who is aware of his sin and who knows anything of God’s holiness. In our day we are in danger of portraying God as so syrupy sweet that we remove all fear of judgment from the hearts of sinners. If you do not know Christ as Savior, you have much to fear in the presence of God. You should be afraid of death. I once heard Norman Vincent Peale tell his radio audience, “You do not need to fear death. Death is peaceful, like going to sleep.” That is a lie straight from hell! If you are outside of Christ, you face the “terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries” (Heb. 10:27)! You rightly ought to be afraid, until you understand what God’s grace is all about.

God’s grace seeks us where we’re at: Fallen in sin, far from God, and fearful of God. Then what does grace do? Does God seek us out to condemn us? No!

2. Grace bring us to the King’s presence.

Mephibosheth’s affliction was a blessing in disguise. If he had not been crippled, he might have tried to challenge David for the throne or to escape from the king’s messengers. But being crippled, there wasn’t much he could do except go along with them. It is those who recognize their needy spiritual condition who respond to God’s grace. Those who think that they are spiritually well often rebel or resist. But Mephibosheth came. And did he find judgment? No! He found the A, B, C’s of grace--Acceptance, Blessing, and Communion.

A. Grace brings acceptance in the Beloved.

Note 9:7: “Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, ...” David and Jonathan had made a covenant with one another (1 Sam. 20:13-17). Mephibosheth found that he was accepted by David because of David’s beloved friend, Jonathan.

Even so, God the Father made a covenant with His beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ. For His sake, He shows us kindness. Paul wrote that God “predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:5-6). God accepts us, crippled feet and all, because of His beloved Son.

Before I met Marla, I’m sure that if my parents had met her, they would have thought that she was a nice girl, but they wouldn’t have had any reason to accept her as a daughter. But when she became the bride of their son, they immediately accepted her as their own daughter. Even so, because of our relationship with His Son, God accepts us into His family. Someone has pointed out that when Mephibosheth sat at David’s table, the tablecloth covered his feet. That may be reading a 20th century western custom into Bible times. But it still makes the point, doesn’t it! As we sit at the Lord’s Table, the blood of Christ covers our crippled feet! That’s the “A” of grace: Acceptance in the Beloved. Now the “B”:

B. Grace brings blessings beyond all measure.

Note 9:7, “I ... will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul ...” (see also, 9:9-10). Why does it mention (9:10) how many sons and servants Ziba had? The answer is in 9:12: They all were servants to Mephibosheth! Grace upon grace, super-abundant and overflowing!

The English preacher Rowland Hill once received 100 pounds from a generous man to pass on to a poor minister. Thinking it might be too much to send all at once, Mr. Hill forwarded five pounds along with a note that said, “More to follow.” In a few days, he sent another five pounds with the same note, “More to follow.” Later a third, fourth, fifth, and more gifts were sent with the same message: “More to follow.” The overjoyed preacher soon became familiar with those encouraging words and his heart was filled with gratitude to God each time he read them.

God’s grace toward us is like that--more to follow:

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? (Rom. 8:32).

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 1:3).

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness ...” (2 Pet. 2, 3).

God’s grace does not withhold any blessing that would be for our benefit. “No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Ps. 84:11).

“A” = acceptance; “B” = blessing; “C”:

C. Grace brings communion with the King and His children.

Mephibosheth ate regularly at the king’s table. In case you missed it, it’s stated four times: 9:7, 10, 11, 13. Can you imagine what that must have been like for Mephibosheth? He was a cripple living in obscurity at Lo-debar, where the most exciting thing to do was to sit around watching tumbleweeds blow. He is brought to the capital city of Jerusalem where he ate all of his meals at the same table as the most powerful monarch in the world, sharing life with the royal family.

Even so, God has called us into fellowship with Himself and with His Son. He has made us members of His family where we share together the bounty of His table. His grace has brought us into sweet, daily communion with the King of Kings and His children.

Thus, Grace seeks us where we’re at; Grace brings us to the King’s presence.

3. Grace keeps us for the King’s return.

To see this point, we must turn to the sequel (19:24-30). At this point, David’s son Absalom has rebelled, and David was forced to flee Jerusalem. Mephibosheth had planned to go along, but Ziba deceived him and left without him. He then lied by telling David that Mephibosheth was hoping for the kingdom to be restored to him (16:1-4). David hastily gave Mephibosheth’s land to Ziba. Now David has returned and Mephibosheth goes to meet him (read 19:24-30).

This part of the story illustrates the believer, who has received God’s grace, waiting faithfully for the return of the King. Mephibosheth’s appearance and his words demonstrate his response to David’s kindness and reveal how God’s grace keeps us for the return of Christ.

A. Grace keeps us living loyally in His absence.

Mephibosheth adopted the appearance of a mourner. A usurper was on the throne, and Mephibosheth could not enter into the frivolity of Absalom’s court while David was in rejection. Mephibosheth’s heart was loyal to David, and his lifestyle reflected it.

Right now, our King is absent from this earth. A usurper, the ruler of this world, is temporarily on the throne. But the day is coming when the usurper will be put down and Christ will return to rule. In His absence, the fact that we have received His grace should cause us to live apart from the things of this world. It must grieve our Lord when those upon whom He has poured out His grace live for worldly pleasures as if the King were not returning.

B. Grace keeps us living longingly for His presence.

When David realized his mistake in giving Ziba the land, he says, “You and Ziba shall divide the land” (19:29). Scholars are not sure whether this means that David restored the original agreement, with Mephibosheth owning and Ziba working the land; or, whether David wasn’t sure who was right and divided things evenly. Or, David may have been testing Mephibosheth, even as King Solomon later tested the two women claiming the same baby. The important thing is to note Mephibosheth’s response (19:30): He “said to the king, ‘Let him even take it all, since my lord the king has come safely to his own house.’” He didn’t want the land; he wanted the person of the one who had shown him such kindness.

Many years ago, Shah Abbis reigned in Persia. He deeply loved his people. To understand them and their needs, he would mingle with them in various disguises. One day he went as a poor man to the public baths where he sat with the common man who tended the furnace. He talked with him and shared his common food. In the weeks that followed he returned often, so that the man grew to love him as a dear friend.

Then one day the Shah revealed his true identity. The Shah waited, expecting the poor man to ask for some expensive gift. But the man just sat there, gazing in awe. Finally, he spoke: “You left your palace and your glory to sit with me in this humble place, to partake of my common food, to care about me. On others you may bestow great riches; but to me you have given a much greater gift--yourself. Please, your majesty, never withdraw the priceless gift of your friendship.”

Are you after God for His gifts or for the joy of knowing God Himself? God’s grace should make us long for Christ’s return, when we will see Him face to face. The King himself is our delight.

Conclusion

In 1981, California police staged an intensive search for a stolen car and its driver. They even placed announcements on radio stations in their attempt to contact the thief. On the front seat of the car sat a box of crackers that, unknown to the thief, were laced with poison. The car owner had intended to use them as rat killer. But now the police and car owner were more interested in apprehending the thief to save his life than to recover the car.

Like that thief, many people run from God, thinking that He is after them to punish them for the wrongs they’ve done. But God is after you so that He can show you His grace and kindness. His Son, Jesus Christ, bore the penalty for your sins. If you do not receive His grace now, you will face His judgment in the future. But today is the day of salvation.

Perhaps you have trusted Christ as Savior, but you have forgotten His grace. You have been trying to earn His favor instead of realizing that His grace has provided all. Perhaps you have forgotten His grace and have drifted into the world. His grace is seeking you, to bring you back to His presence and to keep you for His return.

Discussion Questions

Is God’s grace the most important concept in the Bible? Why/why not?
Agree/disagree: Emphasizing grace will lead to licentious living.
Discuss: American Christianity overemphasizes the love of God to the neglect of His judgment.
How can a Christian know which activities are “worldly” and which are okay for God’s people?

Lesson 10: Close Encounters Of The Wrong Kind (2 Samuel 11)

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No chapter in the Bible strikes more fear into my heart than 2 Samuel 11. When I read of how David, the man after God’s heart, the courageous man of faith, the sweet psalmist of Israel, fell into the sins of adultery, deception, murder, and hypocrisy, I am horrified. The scary thing is, this did not happen when David was in his teens or early twenties. He was about 50; he had walked with God for years.

I would like to think that walking with God builds up an immunity against sin, so that after 15 or 20 years, I would be almost invulnerable. Satan would want us to believe that lie, because if we aren’t painfully aware of our own propensity to sin, we won’t be on guard against it. Thinking that we’re beyond such temptation is the first step toward falling (1 Cor. 10:12). If it happened to David, it could happen to me or you. None of us--young believer or old, male or female--is exempt from the lessons of 2 Samuel 11.

Whenever somebody, especially a godly man like David, falls into gross sin, we tend to think that it happens suddenly, without warning. But it does not work that way. Nobody falls into serious moral failure in one sudden, impulsive outburst of passion. Evangelist Luis Palau is on target when he writes (Heart After God [Multnomah Press], p. 68):

... nobody gets fat overnight. It’s one pizza after another, one ice cream cone after another. And you hardly notice it until one of your children comes up, pokes you in the stomach and says, “Dad, you’ve got a big belly.”

Immorality begins with tiny things sown in your youth. Little things, little attitudes, little habits. Maybe some casual petting on a date, maybe some pornography that fell into your hands, maybe a fascination with sensual novels and stories. Little things. Yet if you don’t crucify them--if you don’t bring them to judgment--if you don’t face up to them for what they are--SIN--they can destroy you. They can blur your moral judgment at a critical, irreversible juncture in life.

He goes on to tell how, on June 5, 1976, the massive earthen Teton Dam in Idaho collapsed without warning, sending millions of gallons of water surging into the Snake River basin, causing much destruction. Everyone was shocked. How could it happen so quickly?

But did it happen suddenly? No, beneath the waterline, a hidden fault had been gradually weakening the entire dam. It started small enough--just a tiny bit of erosion. But by the time it was detected, it was too late. The workers on the dam barely had time to run for their lives to escape being swept away. No one saw the little flaw, and no one got hurt by it. But everyone saw the big collapse, and many were hurt. Moral failure is like that.

I want to examine the cracks below the surface in David’s life and then look at the actual break. I pray that each of us would deal with any moral erosion in our lives before it goes any further.

The cracks beneath the surface:

1. Sin not dealt with--

As we have seen, David was a man who trusted in, obeyed, and worshiped the Lord. He saw God accomplish great things through him. He expressed his love for God in beautiful songs of praise. We often find David seeking and submitting to God’s direction in his life.

But there was one area where David failed to confront his life with Scripture: his relationship with the opposite sex. David never dealt with his sexual lust. Satan found that crack in David’s life and moved in to widen it until David collapsed. Note 2 Samuel 3:2-5; 5:13; 15:16. David had at least eight wives and who knows how many concubines (at least 10, probably more)!

You may be thinking, “Well, after all, polygamy was the custom of the day. What’s the big problem?” But in Deuteronomy 17:17-20, God specifically prohibited the king from multiplying wives and told him to read these commands frequently. Polygamy was never God’s plan for marriage. In some cases, God tolerated it, but He never endorsed it. But with kings, God specifically forbade it. But David went along with the customs of his day instead of confronting himself with and obeying the Word of God. He never checked his lust; he just added the beautiful women he lusted after to his harem. God’s Word is the only moral standard. We must judge our lives by the Word, not by our cultural customs, not by what others claiming to be Christians are doing.

The solution when we are tempted to sin is never indulgence, but always self-control and obedience. You would think that David’s passion for women would have been reduced by the fact that he had many beautiful wives and concubines. Instead of calling Bathsheba, David could have called in any one of over a dozen gorgeous women from his harem to satisfy his lust. But feeding sexual passion does not cure the problem. Sexual passion is not like hunger, so that when you feed it, it goes away. It’s like a fire: the more you feed it, the more it rages. The solution, therefore, is not indulgence, but rather, learning to obey God.

Thus the first crack, and certainly the major one, beneath the surface in David’s life was sin which he never confronted and brought under control. Second:

2. Success--

David was at the zenith of his success. He had solidified the kingdom. He had won battle after battle. He was the most powerful monarch in the Near East. He was the greatest leader Israel had known since Joshua, 300 years earlier. Spiritually, the nation was in the best shape it had ever been in, thanks to David’s leadership.

But success makes you vulnerable. When you haven’t made it to the top, you’re struggling and you’re on guard. But when you’ve made it, you’re inclined to let your guard down. You start believing in yourself, rather than distrusting yourself and trusting in the Lord. Satan is waiting to hit you when you lower your guard. Success often carries with it another danger:

3. A lack of accountability--

David was a powerful man. As we read later on, even Bathsheba, after being his wife for almost 20 years, bowed down when she came into David’s presence (1 Kings 1:15-16)! Who was there to confront David? Joab, the commander of the army, stood up to him on occasion, but he wasn’t a godly man. Nathan the prophet later had the risky job of confronting David, but obviously it wasn’t an easy task. None of David’s servants dared to challenge his behavior when he sent for Bathsheba, although they knew what was happening.

But it was almost too late at that point. What David needed was somebody years before who could have spotted his disobedience and said, “David, I love you too much not to tell you that you are disobeying God’s Word. You need to deal with your lust.” But David didn’t have anyone on the same level as him to hold him accountable before God. The fourth crack is also related to success:

4. Self-indulgence--

Spring had arrived, and David should have gone out with his troops into battle. But he thought, “Joab can handle it, and besides, I deserve a rest. I’ll sit out this one” (2 Sam. 11:1). Successful people often rationalize that they have sacrificed and worked hard to get where they’re at, and so they have a right to enjoy themselves. They’re in the habit of getting what they want when they want it. It’s a crack in the dam.

Whenever you’ve got a lot of time on your hands, be careful, because you’re vulnerable. If you’re not in your regular routine it’s easy to get out of the discipline of Bible reading and prayer. You’re especially vulnerable if you are alone. We all need a certain amount of leisure and rest, but we must be on guard against self-indulgence.

Thus as we encounter David in 2 Samuel 11, he is a sitting duck for temptation. He has a long history of unchecked sexual lust. He is at the pinnacle of success and is not accountable to anyone. And he has decided to indulge himself by withdrawing from the place of duty. Those were the cracks below the surface.

The actual break in the dam:

James 1:14-15 states, “Each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” This is the exact progression of David’s fall into sin.

1. Enticed by his own lust--”He saw” (11:2).

Hebrew homes were commonly constructed with a flat roof that served as an upstairs patio where a person could sit and catch the cool breezes. David got up from his siesta and was strolling around on his patio roof. His eyes looked down at a nearby house where a woman was bathing herself. She was “very beautiful in appearance” (11:2). She was naked. David got aroused. Three observations:

A. There is a difference between temptation and sin.

It is normal for a man to see an attractive woman who is seductively dressed or naked and to be tempted to desire her sexually. Such desire stems from the fall, but it is not sin to recognize the temptation and turn from it. If David had immediately said, “Lord, my thoughts are not pleasing to You. I ask You to cleanse me,” he would not have sinned and the matter would have ended there.

But when the glance turns to a gaze and sexual fantasies begin, you’ve crossed the line into sin. You may not be able to avoid the temptation, but you can avoid the sin. You’ve got to deal with temptation before God on the thought level!

B. Men are aroused primarily by sight.

There are some fundamental differences physiologically between men and women when it comes to sexual arousal. Men are aroused primarily by sight and very rapidly. Women are aroused more by touch and feelings of emotional intimacy, and it takes longer than with men. There are two very practical ramifications of these facts:

First, sisters, you must be aware of this and dress modestly. If you wear seductive clothing, you are making it extremely difficult for your brothers in Christ to keep a pure thought life. You may think, “Well they shouldn’t have such dirty minds.” But if you say that, you are being naive to a basic fact of the way God has created the sexes. I don’t care how spiritual a man is, he’s got hormones. Bathsheba was partially at fault for bathing in a place where David could see her.

Second, brothers, you must guard what you look at. Job said, “I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin?” (31:1). If you want to obey God and win the war against lust, you must make a prior commitment to guard what you look at. That means that certain magazines, TV shows, and movies must be off limits. It means that when you come across seductive pictures of women, you must turn the page quickly without scrutinizing the details. It means that you must break the habit of checking out the nice looking women. I’m not saying you don’t notice them (that is impossible); I am saying you don’t gaze at their finer points.

Thus, there is a difference between temptation and lust. Men are aroused primarily by sight.

C. The solution to lust is not to fight but to flee.

If you do not flee, you will fall. If you linger, you will lust. The Bible never says that you should stand and fight sexual passion. It never says to stay and pray about it. David would not have fallen if he had turned away and not taken a second look. Neither will you. But you must commit yourself to obey God in advance, because once you are aroused, your reasoning powers are greatly reduced. “Flee immorality!” (1 Cor. 6:18). “Flee youthful lusts” (2 Tim. 2:22).

Thus David’s first step in moral failure was that he saw Bathsheba bathing, but he did not flee nor judge his lust. He was enticed by his own lust. Next,

2. Lust has conceived--”He sent and inquired” (11:3).

David is opening the crack a bit wider. He has not judged his mental lust. He is going for the bait: “I’m interested; tell me more.” And like a pesky salesman, Satan moves in a bit closer.

The word comes back, “Is this not Bathsheba the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” Perhaps the servant who reported back was offering a subtle warning: “David, she is married, and not just to anybody, but to Uriah.” Uriah was one of David’s mighty men (2 Sam. 23:39), one of his most loyal, dedicated, soldiers.

That should have settled the matter. But it didn’t. Please observe that Satan did not hit David with the temptation of another man’s wife until this point. He bided his time for 20 years and watched David take into his harem one beautiful wife and concubine after another. Only then did he dangle a married woman in front of him. David fell.

3. Lust gives birth to sin--”He sent, he took, he lay” (11:4).

David had already sinned in his heart. But now, two are involved. Bathsheba sinned too--she should have resisted or screamed. And because the sin moved from thought to deed, David is in deeper. I have heard licentious guys say, “Well, I’ve already committed adultery in my heart, so I might as well carry it out.” Not so! While it is sin to lust in your heart, at least only you are involved, and you have not yet involved your body. To get involved physically with the other person multiplies the sin and digs you in deeper. There are degrees of sin!

We need to understand that up to this point, this felt great for David and for Bathsheba. It was all so new and fascinating. It was like being in love all over again. Satan is like a salesman trying to sell you something on credit without telling you the cost. He’s there up front telling you how wonderful the product is. But he never seems to be around when the bills come due.

Even the secular world recognizes this about adultery. A Reader’s Digest article (10/82), “Six Myths About Extramarital Affairs” listed Myth #4 as, “Affairs are fun.” It pointed out that at first it’s very exciting and pleasurable. But it quickly fades. In about three to six months the glow wears off and the real world starts to intrude. For David, the real world intruded about a month later when a messenger handed him a sealed note. He opened it and read, “I am pregnant. Yours truly, Bathsheba.”

4. Sin brings forth death—“Operation cover-up” (11:6-25).

At first David had no intention of murdering Uriah. He would just call him home for a little rest and recreation, and the baby would appear to be his. But it didn’t work. Uriah the Hittite was too upright (11:11). So David feels his only option was to get rid of Uriah. Joab complied; Uriah was killed in battle; Bathsheba mourns, then marries David; cover-up successful...

Well, not quite! Three factors make every attempt to cover-up sin ultimately fail:

First, Sexual sin always drags you into other sins that you hadn’t planned on doing. David was a man of integrity. But here he is trying to deceive, being a hypocrite. And when his initial attempt to deceive Uriah fails, he goes further and murders him. Sexual sin always drags you in deeper than you intended to go!

Second, Sexual sin always hurts others. Uriah was not the only one killed (11:17). Many families in Israel grieved the loss of their husbands and fathers because David did not control his lust. Sexual sin is never a private matter between two consenting adults. Innocent people get hurt. As we will see, David’s family suffered terrible consequences because of his night of passion with Bathsheba. You never sin without hurting others.

Third, Sexual sin is evil in the sight of God who sees all (11:27b). Cover-up attempts never succeed, because God’s vision extends into every bedroom. And God is the one we must ultimately face. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7). You may cover your tracks in the sight of men; but you still must contend with the sight of the Lord. You may salve your guilty conscience by saying, “Don’t let this be evil to you” (literal rendering of 11:25); but the fact is, It is evil to the Lord (11:27)! Isn’t it ironic that David tried to hide his sin, but it’s become one of the most well-known incidents in the Bible! Be sure your sin will find you out (Num. 32:23)!

Conclusion

If you don’t get anything else out of this message, please hear this:

Deal with sin in your life!

If you are aware of moral cracks beneath the surface, repair them! If you are playing games with God by indulging in secret lust, judge it as sin and turn from it. If the Holy Spirit has put His finger on something in your life through this message, don’t brush Him aside. Face it now! In the context of speaking about mental lust, Jesus said,

And if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go into hell (Matt. 5:29-30).

He meant that we need to get radical with sin! If we tolerate it, like gangrene it will spread and destroy us. Like the cracks in the dam, it will lead to total ruin. God gives us the opportunity to judge sin in ourselves so that He doesn’t have to discipline us. We are to do this at the Lord’s Table (1 Cor. 11:31-32).

There was once a man who was seeking an opportunity to assassinate Martin Luther. But Luther got a portrait of the would-be murderer, so that, wherever he went, he was on his guard. Using this incident as an illustration, Luther said, “God knows that there are sins that would destroy us, and He has therefore given us portraits of them in His Word, so that, wherever we see them, we may say, ‘That is a sin that would stab me; I must beware of that evil thing, and keep out of its way.’” Our text paints a portrait of a close encounter of the wrong kind. Hang it in a prominent place in your mind and be on guard. It is out to destroy you!

Discussion Questions

We are hearing a lot about “sexual addiction.” Why is this a misleading term? How should Christians view it?
Discuss: Is it legalistic to say that women should dress modestly and that men should guard what they look at?
Discuss: Christians do not fall into moral sin suddenly.
What would you say to a person who said, “I’m just not able to resist sexual temptation”?

Lesson 11: Getting Right When You’ve Done Wrong (2 Samuel 12:1-23)

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After a tough exam, two college roommates headed to the campus tavern to have a few beers and relax. When they parked the car, the rider pointed out a sign that prohibited parking in that area. Since he usually lent the money to pay off his roommate’s large collection of parking fines, he was annoyed. “Don’t worry,” the driver assured him. “I won’t be getting any more tickets ever again.”

“How do you figure that?” the other retorted sarcastically.

“Well, I looked at the problem scientifically, collected the variables, studied the data and came up with the solution that will eliminate any further encounters with the law.” As he walked away, he added, “I took the windshield wipers off the car.” (Reader’s Digest, “Campus Comedy,” 1982.)

That’s a classic example of how we wrongly attempt to deal with our sin! Quite often we go right on sinning, but we try to skirt around the consequences of the sin. Instead of dealing with the real problem, we work overtime at inventing ways to get away with it.

While that may work in some cases with the law of our land, it never works when we violate the law of God. As we saw in our last study, David tried to cover up his sin with Bathsheba. But he encountered one inescapable flaw: “... the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord” (2 Sam. 11:27). David had not reckoned on the fact that “all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:13).

God let David go for about nine months to a year. The child conceived by David and Bathsheba’s illicit union had been born (11:27). Then, when God, who knows the hearts, knew that David was miserable in his guilt and ready to repent He sent Nathan the prophet (12:1). Nathan wisely told David a story about a rich man with many sheep who mercilessly took the only pet lamb of a poor man and slaughtered it for his dinner guests. When David’s anger flared at the rich man in the story, Nathan sprung the trap by pointing his finger in David’s face and saying boldly, “You are the man!” David had condemned himself.

While we could study this episode as a classic example of how to confront someone who has fallen into sin, I am not going to approach it that way. Instead, I want to look at how we can get right with God when we’ve done wrong. God has made provision for us to experience consistent victory over sin. But in spite of this, we all do sin. It is therefore important that we learn how to deal with our sin God’s way so that we can be restored in our relationship with Him and go on growing in His grace. David’s response to Nathan’s rebuke shows us that

We get right with God when we’ve sinned by confession and by submission to God’s dealings with us.

David confessed his sin openly (12:13; Psalms 32, 51) and he submitted to God’s discipline (the death of the child and the ongoing painful consequences in David’s family [12:10-23]).

I realize that the ideas of confession and submission probably strike some of you as basic, perhaps even as boring. But before you tune out, I would point out that most spiritual failure involves a violation of some basic spiritual principle. In my years of pastoral experience, I have often mistakenly assumed that a person was applying the basics of Christian living. But quite often that is not the case, even with people who have been Christians for years. Thus we all can profit by studying this portion of God’s Word which shows how David got right with God after he had done wrong.

1. We get right with God when we’ve sinned by confession.

To understand confession, we must first look at ...

A. What confession is not: Covering our sin.

Since Adam and Eve fell into sin, there has been the innate tendency in the human heart to attempt to cover our sin. Sin results in guilt and estrangement from God and from our fellow man. Our sin embarrasses us and so we try, as Adam and Eve did, to put our fig leaves in place to cover our sin. There are various types of “fig leaves” that we use in our attempts to hide our sin from God and from one another:

(1) Deception and lying. David tried this first. He brought Bathsheba’s husband Uriah home from the battle and tried to get him to have relations with his wife so that the child would appear to be his. The human heart “is more deceitful than all else” (Jer. 17:9). So almost invariably when there is major sin, there is also deceit and lying.

(2) Being judgmental of others. The person who covers instead of confesses his sin is often judgmental of the same or even lesser sins in others. Note David’s harsh reaction to the rich man in Nathan’s parable (12:5-6). The law of Moses did prescribe four-fold restitution for the sheep (Exod. 22:1), but not the death of the one who took it. Certainly taking the man’s pet lamb was a crime, but it was nothing compared to David’s crime of taking a man’s wife. David’s harsh condemnation was a fig leaf to cover up his own wrong. If Nathan had not known better, he would have thought, “My, how zealous David is against evil!”

Some guys put limburger cheese very gently on a fraternity brother’s moustache while he slept. He woke about an hour later and said, “This room stinks!” He walked into the hall and said, “This hall stinks!” He walked into the living room and said, “This living room stinks!” Then, still perplexed as to where the smell was coming from, he walked outside and exclaimed, “This whole world stinks!” The real problem wasn’t the house or the world; the real problem was right under his own nose--just like sin in our lives! When you excuse sin in your own life, you often become very critical and judgmental of others. A third “fig leaf”:

(3) Attacking the one who confronts us. David did not do this with Nathan, probably because Nathan was so shrewd in the way he got David to condemn himself. But if Nathan had been more direct, who knows but what David would have said, “Who are you to condemn me? You’re just a legalist, Nathan!”

Even though David didn’t yet realize it, the rich man in Nathan’s parable confronted David. David’s angry response was to attack the man: “He deserves to die.” We sometimes attack our confronter by applying the law to him but not to ourselves. If a man who stole a lamb deserves to die, what about an adulterer and murderer? “First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye (Matt. 7:5).

We’re often like the college student who was filling out a questionnaire to help determine roommate compatibility. By the questions, “Do you make your bed regularly?” and “Do you consider yourself a neat person?” he checked the box marked “Yes.”

His mother read his answers and, knowing they were far from the truth, asked why he had lied. “What?” he replied. “And have them stick me with some slob!” (Reader’s Digest, [12/85], p. 109.)

As someone put it, “Most of us are umpires at heart; we like to call balls and strikes on somebody else.” We’re all adept at applying God’s standard to others, but dodging its application for us.

So, the one being confronted often attacks the confronter, rather than facing his own sin. Two brief applications:

(a) If you find yourself getting angry and attacking the person who confronts you with your sin, it should serve as a warning that there may be some truth to the charges.

(b) If you go to confront someone in their sin, be prepared to bear the brunt of their anger. Recognize it for what it is--a fig leaf--and don’t take it personally. A fourth fig leaf:

(4) Rationalizing our sin. David did this when he sent word to Joab, “... the sword devours one as well as another” (11:25). In other words, “That’s the way it goes! We’re not responsible for such mishaps.” We rationalize when we make up excuses to absolve us of responsibility for our sin. Our whole criminal justice system has bought heavily into this mentality. Everyone is a victim, but no one seems to be responsible for his actions: “It’s just the way I am!” “I had a tough childhood!” “If you had been through what I’ve been through, you’d understand why I behave like I do!” A fifth fig leaf:

(5) Blaming others or God. David did not use this one, as far as the text reveals, but I include it because it’s so common. Adam blamed Eve and the Lord who gave Eve to him; Eve blamed the serpent. And we’ve all been in the blame game ever since. David could have blamed Bathsheba for bathing in a visible location. He could have blamed God for giving him such a strong sex drive. But if you’re blaming, you’re not confessing. Whatever fig leaf we use, covering our sin is not confessing it.

B. What confession is: Admitting and exposing our sin.

David confesses his sin in 12:13: “I have sinned against the Lord.” In Psalm 32:5 (written after David’s confession, to extol the blessings of God’s forgiveness), David wrote, “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’” The word “confess” used in that verse means to make known or declare. God’s method is not to hide sin, but to expose it. Thus to confess our sin means to admit and expose it openly before God and usually to those we have wronged.

For confession of sin to be genuine, three elements must be present:

(1) Accepting full responsibility for my sin. “I have sinned.” David didn’t say, “We all mess up once in a while,” or “What do you expect when a red-blooded man sees a gorgeous, willing woman?” David admitted his own responsibility for it and he called it what it was--sin. As long as we shrug off sin or see ourselves as a victim of circumstances, we are not accepting responsibility for our sin.

(2) Agreeing with God concerning my sin. This means that I see my sin as God sees it. It is primarily “against the Lord.” Sin is despising God and His Word (12:9, 10). God sees sin as serious enough to separate us from His holy presence. That’s why He took the drastic solution of sending His Son to die for our sin. I need to see how my sin has wronged the holy God above all others. Just as God sees it as evil (11:27), so must I. Agreeing with God means that I must turn from it.

But if we stopped there, we would all be afraid to confess our sins. We would want to run from God rather than run to Him.

(3) Applying the blood to my sin. “The Lord also has taken away your sin” (12:13). Only God can forgive our sin, and that only on the basis of the shed blood of Christ: “Without shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Heb. 9:22). Living under the Old Covenant, David’s forgiveness was based on what the sacrificial system pointed forward to. Living under the New Covenant, our forgiveness is based on the finished work of Christ on the cross, where He paid the penalty for all our sins.

All of your sin is forgiven at the moment you put your trust in Christ as Savior. God has once and for all reconciled you to Himself through the cross. But when you sin subsequent to salvation, in order to experience God’s forgiveness and to enjoy fellowship with Him, you must apply the blood of Christ by confessing your sin. It’s best to keep short accounts with God. The instant you’re aware of sin, whether in thought, word, or deed, turn from it and confess it to Him and you will enjoy renewed cleansing and communion with our holy and gracious Father.

But confession is only part of the matter. Many people don’t understand God’s holy opposition to all sin. So they expect there to be no consequences once they’ve confessed their sin. But if our confession is genuine, we will submit to God and His dealings with us:

2. We get right with God when we’ve sinned by submission to God’s dealings with us.

The fact is, even though God forgives our sin, He does not erase all the consequences. He often deals severely with us after we’ve sinned in order to vindicate His own righteousness and to impress upon us the seriousness of what we did. God dealt very severely with David in the immediate death of his newborn son and long-range through multiple family problems. The genuineness of David’s confession is seen in the fact that he submitted to God’s dealings with him and never shook his fist in God’s face. If we’re defiant, thinking that God has no right to treat us so severely, we haven’t truly confessed. There were two broad areas in which David submitted and where we must submit in the aftermath of our sin:

A. We must submit to the righteousness of God.

From our human perspective, we would think that God would have tried to cover David’s sin from public view. After all, this was the man after God’s own heart. This was God’s anointed king over His chosen people. It makes God look bad if the word leaks out that God’s man had done such a thing.

But God’s way is not to cover sin, but to expose it. C. H. Mackintosh writes, “He will prove to every spectator that He has no fellowship with evil, by the judgment which He executes in the midst of His people” (Miscellaneous Writings [Loizeaux Brothers], VI, 169). God must vindicate His holiness. That means that when we sin, God will make it clear to the angels and principalities, to the world and the church, that He has no part in our sin and that He is not involved in our iniquity.

It would be erroneous to conclude that all affliction is the immediate result of our sin; but it would be equally erroneous to assume that none of it is. God uses affliction to vindicate His righteousness, and we must submit to Him in the matter. In Psalm 51:4 David writes, “Against You, You only, I have sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge.” David wasn’t angry with God for His righteous dealings with him after his sin.

B. We must submit to the law of sowing and reaping.

Just as God must vindicate His righteousness, so He must impress upon us and upon the world the gravity of sin. He does this through the law of sowing and reaping, stated in Galatians 6:7-8: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

I remind you that the law of sowing and reaping occurs in Galatians, the epistle written to defend God’s grace, and thus it is consistent with God’s grace and applies to those under grace. It is God’s gracious, although sometimes severe, means of impressing upon us and others the serious nature of our sin. It is seen when a loving parent, whose teenager irresponsibly crashes the family car, forgives the boy and fellowship is restored. But to teach him the serious responsibility of driving a car, the parent restricts the boy’s driving privilege and requires him to work off the repair bill. There is forgiveness and fellowship, but there are consequences to teach an important lesson.

The crucial question is: How do you respond when God deals with you in the aftermath of your sin? Do you shake your fist in God’s face and exclaim, “It’s not fair!”? Do you pout and say, “See if I ever serve God again”? Note David’s response (12:19-23). His infant son had died. But instead of maligning God, David worshiped Him! He submitted to God’s dealings with him. He said in effect, “You are God; Your ways are right. If my affliction can vindicate Your holiness and can be used to impress upon others the serious nature of sin, so be it! I submit to Your dealings with me.”

Conclusion

A little boy visiting his grandparents was given his first slingshot. He had great fun playing with it in the woods. He would take aim and let the stone fly, but he never hit a thing. Then, on his way home for lunch, he cut through the backyard and saw Grandmother’s pet duck. He took aim and let the stone fly. It went straight to the mark and, to his horror, the duck fell dead. The boy panicked. In desperation, he took the dead duck and hid it in the woodpile.

Then he saw his sister Sally standing by the corner of the house. She had seen the whole thing. They went into lunch. Sally said nothing. After lunch Grandmother said, “Okay Sally, let’s clear the table and wash the dishes.” Sally said, “Oh, Grandmother, Johnny said he wanted to help you in the kitchen today. Didn’t you, Johnny!” And then she whispered to him, “Remember the duck.” So Johnny did the dishes. Later in the day Grandfather called the children to go fishing. Grandmother said, “I’m sorry, but Sally can’t go. She has to stay here and help me clean the house and get supper.” Sally smiled and said, “That’s all been taken care of. Johnny said he wanted to help today, didn’t you, Johnny?” And then she whispered, “Remember the duck.”

This went on for several days. Johnny did all the chores, his and those assigned to Sally. Finally, he could stand it no longer, so he went to his grandmother and confessed all. She took him in her arms and said, “I know, Johnny. I was standing at the kitchen window and I saw the whole thing. And because I love you, I forgave you. And knowing that I loved you and would always forgive you, I wondered just how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.”

If we don’t confess our sin, we become slaves to our guilt. But there’s no need to do that. The Lord is gracious and compassionate, ready to forgive our sin. In His righteousness, He may deal with us severely even after He has forgiven us. But we can trust that He always has our ultimate good in mind (Rom. 8:28). So we can submit to Him and worship Him, even when He sends affliction into our lives.

Don’t deal with your sin by removing the windshield wipers, by continuing in sin and trying to dodge the consequences! Don’t try to cover it, because you will be miserably enslaved to guilt! Deal with it by confessing it to the Lord and to those you’ve wronged; and by submitting to God’s dealings with you.

Discussion Questions

To what extent should we confess our faults to one another (James 5:16)? Should we expose all of our sins to the whole church? If not, which ones and to whom?
Does genuine confession require feeling sorry for your sins? Use Scripture to defend your answer.
Is it possible to be overly sensitive to our own sin? Can we be too introspective?
How can God be both kind and severe? As a parent, when should you allow your child to reap the consequences of his sin, and when should you bail him out?

Related Topics: Character Study, Confession, Hamartiology (Sin)

Lesson 12: The Truth About Consequences (2 Samuel 12:10-14, and chs. 13-19)

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Robert Louis Stevenson wrote, “Everybody, soon or late, sits down to a banquet of consequences.” He was right, but we tend to disbelieve him. We live in a day when many Christians, even Christian leaders, shrug off serious sin by saying, “We’re under grace.” If you preach against sin and for holiness, you’re labeled as an unloving, judgmental legalist. Concepts such as God being angry with sin or sinners and inflicting consequences for sin are viewed as outmoded. “It won’t reach the baby boomers,” we’re told. But R. W. Dale was on target when he said, “It is partly because sin does not provoke our own wrath, that we do not believe that sin provokes the wrath of God.”

Scripture is clear: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Gal. 6:7-8). The principle applies to those under God’s grace.

In our study of David’s life, we saw this principle last week as David’s infant son, conceived through David and Bathsheba’s adultery, died. I would rather not deal with this topic any further because it seems negative and unpleasant. But the Bible does not drop the subject so quickly. Second Samuel 13-19 is an account of David’s reaping what he had sown. This sad picture of David’s grief and misery is a “severe mercy” from the Lord (to use C. S. Lewis’ term), intended to impress on us the principle of sowing and reaping, so that we will fear the Lord and hate and avoid the sin which would destroy us. The principle taught here is that

In grace, God forgives all our sin, but He does not remove all the consequences of it.

It’s crucial to understand this because it affects both our relationship with God and with one another. If we don’t understand how God deals with us, we will grow angry and withdraw from Him when He disciplines us. And if we don’t understand how God deals with us, we can’t relate properly to one another, since God’s forgiveness and love are the models for us in our relationships (Eph. 4:32-5:2).

1. In grace, God forgives all our sins.

Note 2 Sam. 12:13. In His grace, God completely forgives all the sin of those who repent and put their trust in Jesus Christ. The wages of sin is death--not just physical death, but spiritual death, which means eternal separation from God. If there is even the slightest sin which remains unforgiven, then we cannot be assured of eternal life. We would still be under the just condemnation of a holy God. But God does not forgive partially; He forgives completely. All sin, for the believer, is under the blood of Christ (Rom. 8:1). Forgiveness means (at least) 2 things:

A. Forgiveness means judicial pardon.

Forgiveness is an instantaneous judicial action on the part of God. God knows that we are guilty and condemned, sitting on death row. But He signs His name on the pardon and we are freed from condemnation and guilt. But there are two crucial differences between God’s pardon of our sins and what often happens in a governor’s pardon of a guilty criminal on death row:

(1) God’s pardon is based upon the satisfaction of His justice. God never compromises His justice in showing mercy. He never sacrifices His righteousness on the altar of His love. The two exist together in harmony. This is often not the case in our civil government.

The way God maintains both His love for us as guilty sinners and His righteous condemnation of sin is through the cross. On the cross, the Lord Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sin--not just physical death, but also spiritual death--as he bore our sins and experienced God’s wrath: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Christ fulfilled God’s righteous demand against our transgressions so that God can maintain His holiness and yet pardon sinners (Rom. 3:26). How does He do it?

(2) God’s pardon is conditioned on our repentance and faith. This, too, is contrary to many pardons granted in our civil government, in which the criminal claims innocence or extenuating circumstances as the basis for pardon. In the world, pardons are granted to those who deserve them; with God, pardons are granted only to those who know that they do not deserve them. God does not extend His pardon to those who minimize or excuse their sin, but only to those who confess their sin and put their trust in God’s provision for that sin (1 John 1:9). Forgiveness means God’s judicial pardon. Because the guilt is removed, forgiveness also means

B. Forgiveness means restoration of fellowship.

Guilt results in estrangement. We know this from our relationships with one another. You can’t enjoy close fellowship with a person if you have wronged him or he has wronged you unless the matter is cleared up. Since God’s forgiveness removes the guilt, it removes the source of estrangement, and fellowship is restored. Psalms 32 and 51, which David wrote in the aftermath of his confession, show the restoration of fellowship in David’s relationship with God. So God’s forgiveness which He extends to a repentant sinner means a complete judicial pardon and a restoration of fellowship between God and the pardoned sinner.

God’s forgiveness is the model and basis for our relationships with one another (Eph. 4:32-5:2). David understood God’s forgiveness toward him, but he didn’t seem to make the connection when it came to dealing with his wayward son, Absalom (2 Sam. 13 & 14). The results were tragic.

In chapter 13 we are given the sordid account of how David’s oldest son, Amnon, lusted after and forcibly raped his beautiful half-sister, Tamar (Absalom’s full sister). David’s response was to get angry (13:21), but he didn’t do anything about it! How could he? He was guilty of lust and adultery himself, so he couldn’t confront his son for his sexual sin. Absalom’s response was bitterness (13:22) and revenge. He let things simmer for two years, and then murdered Amnon (13:28). How could David confront his son for murder, when he had committed the same crime? But Absalom fled to live with his maternal grandfather (13:37-38). And David grieved over the loss of two sons, one to death and the other to exile.

Eventually David resolved his grief over Amnon, but he still grieved for Absalom (13:39). It’s often easier to get over grief from the death of a child than it is to get over grief from a wayward child. You realize that a dead child is not coming back, so you can finally come to terms with the loss. But with a wayward child, there’s always the hope that things will be restored.

Joab, who always was looking out for number one, sensed that David wanted to bring Absalom back (14:1). He also probably thought that Absalom would be the next king. If Joab could pull off a reconciliation between David and Absalom, he would be in good standing for years to come. So he enlisted a woman to come and tell David a sad story. She was a widow with two sons. One had killed the other and now the rest of the family was demanding the death of the surviving son. She asked for a merciful intervention. Setting aside justice in favor of love, David said, “As the Lord lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground” (14:11).

Then the woman sprung the trap and applied her story to David and Absalom. David reluctantly agreed to let Absalom come back. But for over two full years after he returned Absalom was not allowed to see David face to face (14:24, 28). David was lenient in letting Absalom return without any confession of wrongdoing. But he tried to make Absalom pay for his crime by withholding love and fellowship. So, unlike God’s forgiveness in which there is confession on the sinner’s part; and pardon, restoration of fellowship, and some sort of consequences from God, you have a kind of undefined, halfway “forgiveness” that only deepened Absalom’s rebellion and alienation from his father.

I want to apply this lesson to our relationships with one another, especially in the family. Many parents make the mistake David made. Instead of dealing with their children’s disobedience through confession on the part of the child; and pardon, restoration of fellowship, and some sort of consequences from the parents (as God deals with us), parents will extend a partial “forgiveness” without any repentance on the part of the child. They bail the kid out of the consequences of his wrongdoing. But then they angrily withhold love as the way of making the child pay for the wrong. But it doesn’t clear up the relationship. It only breeds further alienation and rebellion. We must forgive as God in Christ has forgiven us (Eph. 4:32): judicial pardon and restoration of fellowship in response to confession. But forgiveness does not mean removal of all the consequences of sin.

2. In grace, God does not remove all the consequences of sin.

We need to understand that this is just as much a part of God’s grace as His forgiveness is. If God forgave and also wiped out all the consequences of our sin, we would never learn the seriousness of sin and we would go right out and sin all the more. We would not learn to fear God. We would not apprehend His righteousness nor see any need to do so. Like Absalom, we would plot rebellion and know nothing of submission. So God, even though He pardons all our sin and restores fellowship, graciously imposes ongoing consequences.

I want to trace briefly the consequences which David reaped as a result of his sin. Nathan the prophet predicted them in 12:10-11, 14. I want us to feel something of the grief and anguish which came upon David as a father and as a ruler as a result of his sin, so that we will be fearful of sinning.

A. David had sown death; he reaped death.

David had murdered Uriah. As the rich man in Nathan’s parable needed to restore four-fold the lamb which he had killed, so David would give up four sons in death, although he did not live to witness the death of the fourth. First, the baby conceived in adultery died (12:15-19). Second, Absalom murdered Amnon (13:28-29). Third, Absalom was slain in the rebellion against David (18:14-15). Finally, after David’s death, his son Adonijah was killed by Solomon for trying to usurp the throne (1 Kings 2:24-25). David barely had a rest from one period of grieving to the next.

There is hardly a more piteous scene in the Bible than David’s lament over Absalom’s death (2 Sam. 18:33): “And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And thus he said as he walked, ‘O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you. O Absalom, my son, my son!’” Remember that scene when sin entices you!

B. David had sown sexual sin; he reaped sexual sin.

David had never curbed his lust for women, and he finally crossed the line from polygamy to adultery. Nathan prophesied the consequences (12:11-12). The first crop to spring up was Amnon and Tamar (chap. 13). The second, which literally fulfilled Nathan’s prophecy, was Absalom (2 Sam. 16:20-22). To take over a king’s harem was to usurp his throne. Ahithophel knew that Absalom’s action would cut off the possibility of reconciliation between David and Absalom. But put yourself in David’s place--feel the humiliation of knowing that your son did such a shameful thing in full public view!

C. David had sown deceit and betrayal; he reaped deceit and betrayal.

David had tried to deceive Uriah into thinking that the child conceived by Bathsheba was his own instead of David’s. When that didn’t work, he betrayed Uriah by sending his own death warrant back to the battlefield in Uriah’s own hand.

David reaped deception and betrayal in the person of Ahithophel. He was David’s trusted counselor (15:12; 16:23). It is most likely that it is Ahithophel David refers to in Psalm 41:9: “Even my close friend, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” He was David’s “Judas,” and if his counsel to Absalom had been followed (concerning pursuing David), David probably would have been killed (2 Sam. 17:14).

Why would Ahithophel defect from David to Absalom? We have a clue if we piece together two Scriptures (2 Sam. 11:3 & 23:34): Ahithophel was Bathsheba’s grandfather! After what David had done to his granddaughter and her husband, he was ready to join Absalom in rebellion against David.

Do you get the picture of how the consequences of David’s sin played out in the years afterward? David’s family was in a shambles with murder, sexual sin, alienation, and bitterness. David’s kingdom was in a shambles as Absalom forced him out of the palace and usurped the throne. A man’s family and his life’s work are probably the two most important things in his life. David saw both of these crumble in direct response to his sin. He paid on awful price for a night of pleasure!

A Jewish father took his little boy to the ritual bath for the first time. When they jumped into the cold pool, the little boy shivered and cried, “Oy, papa, oy!” His father led him out of the pool, rubbed him down with a towel, and dressed him. “Ahh, papa, ahh!” purred the little fellow, tingling with pleasant warmth. “Isaac,” said the father thoughtfully, “do you want to know the difference between a cold bath and sin? When you jump into a cold pool you first yell ‘oy!’ and then you say ‘ahh!’ But when you commit a sin you first say ‘ahh!’ and then you yell ‘oy!”

Conclusion

You may be thinking, “Okay, that happened to David. But God doesn’t deal so severely with everybody. He doesn’t make everyone bear the consequences of their sin. David was under law; we’re under grace!”

But what does Paul say? “Be not deceived!” He wouldn’t say that if there wasn’t the distinct possibility that we could be tricked on this matter. Deception looks one way to the eye, but in reality it is another way. On the surface, it looks as if you can get away with sin and that many righteous deeds go unrewarded. But it is not so! God is not mocked! There are three things you must understand if you would not be deceived by sin:

1. Grace is free, but not cheap. You cannot earn or merit God’s grace. It is not dispensed to those who work hard to clean up their lives. It is not given to those who promise to try harder. It is completely free to us!

But it is not cheap. It cost God the very life of His only Son to be able to provide complete pardon for us as a free gift. God cannot wink at or paper over sin. Grace is free to us, but the price to God was the cross.

The world would deceive you into thinking that you have to earn grace and that it’s cheap. Don’t be deceived! When you see that grace is free to you, but very costly to God, it will make you love Him more and hate sin more.

2. Sin is cheap, but not free. You can buy into the sin market very inexpensively. It didn’t cost David a thing to lie with Bathsheba--not that night, anyway. Young person, it won’t cost you any loneliness or hardship at first to compromise your purity before marriage. Sex is easy, readily available, and inexpensive in terms of personal sacrifice and discipline--at first! But when you buy into so-called “free sex,” you find that it turns out to be costly in the long run (especially in this day of epidemic sexually transmitted diseases!), and you end up being enslaved, not free.

Little Bobby went to visit his Aunt Mary. When he arrived, Aunt Mary asked him what he would like to eat. He said, “Well, I love your pancakes and whenever we have pancakes at home I’m allowed to eat only three. So I’d like to have as many as I can eat.”

The next morning, Aunt Mary kept piling the pancakes on little Bobby’s plate. Bobby kept on eating and eating as fast as he could. When he had polished off a dozen or so, he began to slow down. Then, with a very unhappy look on his face, he stopped completely. Aunt Mary asked, “What’s wrong, Bobby, don’t you want any more pancakes?” Bobby said, “No, I don’t want any more. I don’t even want the ones I’ve already had.”

Sin is like that: At first, it seems great. But after you gorge yourself on it for a while, you grow sick of it and begin to say, “I don’t even want the ones I’ve already had.” Sin is cheap, but it’s not free--you pay a terrible price in the long run.

There’s a third principle you must understand if you do not want to be deceived by sin:

3. Freedom is always in sowing, never in reaping. Comedian Fred Allen saw things clearly when he said, “Most of us spend six days each week sowing wild oats, then we go to church on Sunday and pray for a crop failure.” We like to think that we are totally free creatures. We are not. The only freedom we experience is in the realm of sowing. You are free to sow ragweed seeds in your garden this spring; but once you sow them, you are not free to pick roses in the summer. You are free to sow, but not to reap.

Some of you may be thinking over your past and thinking, “Oh no! I’m in for a rough road ahead! I’ve sown some bad seeds in my past.” That may be true. But if you will submit to God’s discipline, as David did, God will bring beauty even out of your ashes. Many of David’s psalms were written out of the crucible of his later troublesome years, and they show us a man who drew close to the Lord and trusted Him even as he experienced His discipline in reaping what he had sown. God eventually gave David and Bathsheba another son named Solomon. By God’s grace, Jesus Christ is descended from him!

You cannot undo your past. But you can do something about your present and future. You can sow to the Spirit today and tomorrow and the next day. “Walk by means of the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). If you sow to the Spirit by walking in the Spirit, you will eventually harvest a crop of the fruit of the Spirit. The truth about consequences is that, sooner or later, everybody sits down to a banquet of them. Make sure your banquet is the fruit of the Spirit, not the lusts of the flesh!

Discussion Questions

Does God ever “cause a crop failure” when we’ve sown to the flesh? Support your answer biblically.
Should a fallen spiritual leader be restored to leadership if he repents? Why/why not?
How would you answer the critic who said, “God isn’t fair to afflict the children because of the parents’ sin”?
How does a parent know when to be gracious in bailing out a child who has sinned and when to impose consequences?
Should we forgive those who are not repentant? Does God? What about Jesus’ words from the cross?

Related Topics: Character Study, Forgiveness, Grace, Hamartiology (Sin)

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Basics of Christian Faith

Deborah: The Woman God Uses

Proverbs of Solomon Family Discussion Guide

Introduction

Purpose

Introduction

Purpose

How to Use This Book

Chapter 1

About the Proverbs of Solomon

About King Solomon

About Proverbs

About the “Proverbs of Solomon”

Chapter 2

Fear the Lord

Read with Me

Talk with Me

Chapter 3

Guard Your Heart

Read with Me

Talk with Me

Chapter 4

Gain Wisdom

Read with Me

Talk with Me

Chapter 5

Build Your Home

Read with Me

Talk with Me

Chapter 6

Work Diligently

Read with Me

Talk with Me

Chapter 7

Show Mercy

Read with Me

Talk with Me

Chapter 8

Possess the Right Riches

Read with Me

Talk with Me

Chapter 9

Deal Honestly

Read with Me

Talk with Me

Chapter 10

Watch Your Words

Read with Me

Talk with Me

Chapter 11

Form Faithful Friendships

Read with Me

Talk with Me

Chapter 12

Explore Some More

Bibliography

Israel: Understanding the Setting of the Story of the Bible

Jaffa (Joppa)

Caesarea

Valley of Jezreel and Surrounding Mounts

Sea of Galilee

Jerusalem

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Lesson 7: Worship— A Joyful Celebration (2 Samuel 6)

1. Worship should be a joyful celebration.

A. The celebration of worship should be done with intensity.

B. The celebration of worship should be done with variety.

C. The celebration of worship should be done with gladness and joy.

2. Worship should be before the Lord.

A. Worship is not the same as entertainment.

B. Worshipers should be more concerned about what God thinks than about what people think.

3. Worship should be in accordance with God’s truth.

A. Worshiping according to God’s truth means that we follow the Word, not the world.

B. Worshiping according to God’s truth means that we repent and change when we’re wrong.

C. Worshiping according to God’s truth means that we come to Him by the way of His ordained sacrifice.

Conclusion

Discussion Questions

From the series: David PREVIOUS PAGE | NEXT PAGE

From the series: David PREVIOUS PAGE | NEXT PAGE