Author: Calleen Hough

The reason for Christmas

God is a spiritual being and therefore, in order to understand him, we must look at him through spiritual eyes. The problem with this is that the natural condition of humans is that we are blind spiritually. To us, the spiritual world is invisible. Some people may sense that the spiritual aspect of our world exists, but for the most part, we only pay attention to what we can see with our eyes.

The author of Psalm 67 understood that for us to really know God, he would have to become visible to humans. The Psalmist wrote, “God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us…That thy way may be known upon the earth, thy saving health among all nations” (Psalm 67:1-2).

The word translated bless, bârak in Hebrew means to kneel (1288) and the word translated merciful, chânan is properly translated as to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior (2603), so the basic meaning of the Psalmist’s statement is that of God coming down to our level in order for us to get a better look at him. That is what happened when Jesus was born.

He knows what he’s doing

“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the LORD will not hear me” (Psalm 66:18). The word translated iniquity ’âven (aw – ven´) is derived from a root word meaning ‘to be strong'” (205). The idea behind this word is exercise or to exert oneself. It could be that aven is describing self-sufficiency or action that is independent of God. Ultimately, the action leads to misfortune and is considered to be a wasted effort.

In order to keep them from iniquity or a reliance on themselves, God tries or tests his children. It says in Psalm 66, “For thou, O God, hast proved us: Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidest affliction upon our loins” (Psalm 66:10-11). The purpose of affliction or distress is to bring us to the point where we no longer rely on ourselves. God wants us to depend on him in times of trouble, so he lets the pressure build until we cry out to him for help.

To be tried as silver is tried means that you go through a process of refinement similar to what a gold smith uses to purify his metal. Those who have been purified “call on the name of the LORD” and are “qualified for battle” (6884). The testing God puts us through is intended to expose those that are lacking in faith or are self-reliant and therefore, destined for failure.

David said, “Blessed is the man whom thou choosest” (Psalm 65:4). The word translated choosest, bâchar (baw – khar´) is properly translated as to try (977). Therefore, it could be said, blessed is the man that God tries or the person that God puts through the purification process of affliction. In other words, we should be happy that God does not leave us to our own means and allow us to become so strong that we think we can handle things on our own.

The best position to be in is one of contentment. It says in Psalm 66:12, “We went through fire and through water: but thou brought us out into a wealthy place.” The result of purification is satisfaction. The wealthy place is the place where all of our needs are met, we are completely satisfied with our lives.

The goal of the silversmith is to transform his metal into a final product, usually one with a practical purpose. Before he begins work, the silversmith may investigate and test his metal to see what its capabilities are and determine its best use. It is within the silversmith’s power to make the metal into whatever he wants it to be, but his knowledge of and experience working with metal guide him in the decision making process. When God sets out to transform a life, he does so with a knowledge of the individual’s breaking point, how much pressure he or she can withstand, and the experience of listening to her cries since birth.

God’s recovery plan

Sometimes when it seems like God is against us, he actually is. It says in James 4:6, “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” The word translated resisteth, antitassomai (an – tee – tas´ – som – ahee) means to set one-self against or to oppose someone. When God’s children ask him for something that is unhealthy, he says no in order to protect them from harm.

David prayed, “Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel” (Psalm 20:4). What David was saying was that he wanted the LORD to give him what the LORD wanted him to have. David was acknowledging that the LORD knew what was best for him and David didn’t want to get into a position where the LORD stopped saying yes to him because his pride had become a problem.

God had a plan that he was working to accomplish in and through David’s life. If David wanted something that was not a part of God’s plan, God would not have allowed David to have it. David was the LORD’s anointed (Psalm 20:6), which meant  his life belonged to God. David was consecrated or set apart to accomplish God’s will (4899).

David said, “Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed” (Psalm 20:6). The word translated saveth yâsha (yaw – shah´) means to deliver or help and by implication to be safe or free from distress (3467). David was confident that he was in God’s will and whatever happened to him was a part of God’s plan for his life. The assurance David had was based on his awareness that God had made him king of Israel, just as he had planned when Samuel anointed  David.

In spite of everything Saul did to try to kill David and the many battles David fought in which he could have been killed, David became king over all Israel. All of David’s enemies were eliminated and David said, They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright” (Psalm 20:8).

The word translated risen, quwm (koom) is sometimes “used to denote the inevitable occurrence of something predicted or prearranged” (6965). It may be difficult to believe or understand, but God plans for us to make mistakes. He knows every move we are going to make before we make it and has a recovery plan in place before we even know we are going to need one. I thing the best way and maybe the only way to know for certain if someone is a child of God is if he recovers from his mistakes.

David’s transgression

After the Syrians and the children of Ammon fled from Joab and Abishai his brother, the Syrians sent for “the Syrians that were beyond the river; and Shophach the captain of the host of Hadarezer” (1 Chronicles 19:16). At this point, there was a shift in the conflict and it became personal for David. He may have felt threatened or insecure in his new position as king of Israel, but instead of asking God for counsel, David took matters into his own hands.

It says in 1 Chronicles 19:17, “And it was told David; and he gathered all Israel, and passed over the Jordan, and came upon them, and set the battle in array against them. So when David had put the battle in array against the Syrians, they fought with him.” The original conflict was between David and Hanun the son of Nahash, the Ammonite that had been defeated by Saul. David’s decision to cross over the Jordan with all his army opened the door to a war between Israel and Syria.

Crossing over the Jordan may not seem like a big deal, but it was symbolic of returning to a point in time before the Israelites entered the Promised Land. In a sense, it was like opening an old wound or taking a trip down memory lane in order to rewrite history. The word translated passed in the phrase, passed over Jordan, is the Hebrew word ‘âbar (aw – bar´). “This word communicates the idea of transgression, or crossing over the boundary of right and entering the forbidden land of wrong” (5674).

The word ‘abar literally means to cross over, but its used very widely of any transition (5674). The significance of David’s decision probably lies in its outcome. David did not eliminate the Syrians or defeat them to the point where they were no longer a threat. He merely established a peace treaty with them that enabled him to dominate them temporarily.

David’s pursuit of external peace was a problem because he took matters into his own hands. David was not relying on the LORD for his victory. He was using a show of strength, he may have had as many as a half a million soldiers with him when he passed over the Jordan, in order to intimidate Shophach the captain of the Syrian army.

The transition that occurred at the point when David passed over the Jordan with his army was probably a transition in David’s attitude. Whether it was pride or a lack of humility, David’s dependence on the LORD was no longer evident. Perhaps David thought he was in control of the situation. The victory he achieved was his last before his internal peace began to diminish.

You don’t have to be afraid

When Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him before and behind, he chose all of the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians: and the rest of the people he delivered into the hand of Abishai his brother, that he might put them in array against the children of Ammon. And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help us: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will come and help thee. Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the LORD do that which seemeth good. (2 Samuel 10:9-12)

Joab’s comment, Let us play the men for our people, seems to indicate he and his brother Abishai were afraid of the Syrians and children of Ammon. To play the man means to act like a man or to make yourself act brave (407). If you are courageous, it doesn’t mean you have no fear, it means you do not let the fear stop you from doing what you know you have to do.

The Syrians and children of Ammon were bullies. They had a reputation for being brutal and cruel to their enemies, but they were not courageous. When Joab and the people that were with him got near enough to the Syrians that they could see the Israelites were not going to back down, “They fled before him. And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, then they fled also before Abishai” (2 Samuel 10:13-14).

The key to being courageous, or acting like a man if necessary, is to be present in the situation, to not let your emotions control your behavior. Emotions come and go depending on our circumstances. When we do that which requires courage, fear begins to dissipate and we gain confidence as we move forward. From a spiritual perspective, we gain power, God’s power, when we act according to his will, therefore, accomplishment is assured (1961).

Acting with courage in situations that cause fear is a declaration of divine control of all things. Joab concluded his statement to his brother Abishai by saying, “And the LORD do that which seemeth him good” (2 Samuel 10:12). Joab was leaving the outcome to God. More than just putting his trust in God for safety, Joab was accepting that the length of his life was determined by God and if it was his time to go, then he wanted to go out fighting for what he believed, that the Promised Land belonged to the Israelites.

I think when the Syrians saw Joab, they could see the determination in his face. He was not going to give up; he would fight to the end. At the conclusion of 2 Samuel chapter 10, it says, “And when all the kings that were servants to Hadarezer saw that they were smitten before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and served them. So the Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon any more” (2 Samuel 10:19).

Living in reality

Sometimes it seems as if the world is upside down. In reality, if we are on top of the world, then half of the world is upside down. Because we live on a globe that is constantly spinning, half of the world is up and half of the world is down, half is in light, while the other half is in darkness, alternating every 12 hours.

It says in Psalm 75:

 Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is judge: He pulleth down one, and setteth up another. (Psalm 75:5-7)

The words promotion and setteth up are both translated from the same Hebrew word, rûwm (room). “Basically, ruwm represents either the ‘state of being on a higher plane’ or ‘movement in an upward direction'” (7311). In essence, what Asaph was saying in Psalm 75:5-7 was that, as the world rotates and moves us into different positions, God also moves people into higher or lower positions. Whether we happen to be on top or on the bottom of the food chain is under God’s control.

Of course, everyone prefers to be in a place of honor or position of influence and power, but even David experienced rejection from God. He said in Psalm 60, “O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again” (Psalm 60:1). And from the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).

David provided an explanation for God’s rejection in Psalm 60. He said:

Thou hast shewed thy people hard things; thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment. Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth…That thy beloved may be delivered. (Psalm 60:3-5)

The word translated truth, qôsht (kosht) means “to balance; equity…, i.e. reality” (7189). If the world did not rotate, half of the world would live in constant light and half of the world would live in continual darkness. Even though darkness would exist, half of the world would never experience it. Because the world does rotate, everyone gets to experience both, which equates to, living in reality.

Only God is good

“And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). One of the things that God made that was very good was man. It says in Genesis 1:26 that God made man in his own image, after his likeness. The word translated likeness, demuwth “means ‘pattern’ in the sense of the specifications from which an actual item is made” (1823). According to this definition, the first man, Adam looked like God. He was the same height, had the same build, and color of hair.

The word translated image, tselem “means image in the sense of essential nature: human nature in its internal and external characteristics rather than an exact duplicate…God made man in his own image, reflecting some of his own perfection: perfect in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness” (6754).

In Psalm 53, David said, “God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Everyone of them is gone back, they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no not one” (Psalm 53:2-3). David’s harsh assessment of the condition of man indicates that even though we were made in God’s image, humans in their natural state are incapable of doing anything good.

Jesus, who was God and a man, went so far as to say, “I can of mine own self do nothing” (John 5:30). To do or make something implies that an effort is put forth to produce a product or outcome. Jesus explained that he could do nothing “because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me” (John 5:30). From this it can be assumed that Jesus’ own will and the will of his Father were not the same. Even though he was God, as a man, Jesus could not do good. Therefore, he had to depend on God, the Father, to tell him what to do.

The way that humans become capable of doing good is to have a relationship with God. What it means to have a relationship with God is that you listen to him. He tells you what to do and you do it. Some people do what God tells them to without knowing it. Because they don’t have a relationship with God, they can’t hear his voice, at least not consciously.

David said, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God” (Psalm 53:1). Anyone that does something good, does it because God tells him to. Whether he is aware of it or not, he is doing the will of God when he makes something good or he produces a good outcome. In one sense, salvation is nothing more than taking the blinders off and unstopping our ears. We suddenly become aware that God has been with us all along, we just didn’t know it.

Thanksgiving

“Offer unto God thanksgiving…whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright, will I shew the salvation of God” (Psalm 50:14,23). In these verses, the same word is translated as thanksgiving and praise. The Hebrew word tôwdâh (to – daw´) is properly translated as “an extension of the hand” and is usually associated with adoration (8462). When a person is offering praise to God, he is lifting his hands toward heaven in an expression of adoration.

The Israelite thanksgiving offering was a type of peace offering that was made when a person was delivered from trouble or distress. A situation that causes us distress is one that involves psychological or spiritual pain. In a sense, it can be like torture because it is outside our control and affects us deeply within our soul.

The nightmares I experienced after I was raped are an example of distress that God has delivered me from. Sometimes I didn’t want to fall asleep because of the terror I experienced in my dreams. I would wake up afterwards in a state of panic and sometimes feel the presence of demonic beings.

I think the reason the thanksgiving offering was linked with peace was because being delivered from distress results in peace and it produces a great deal of appreciation, and likewise adoration of God. I believe the key to understanding thanksgiving is first hand experience with the feelings associated with distress and knowing what trouble is really about.

The word translated trouble, tsârâh (tsar – raw´) means tight (6869) and is derived from the word tsar (tsawr) which means a tight place (6862). The idea behind both of these words is that of being stuck or unable to escape. “Tsar is a general designation for ‘enemy'” (6862), so the word implies being trapped by an enemy and unable to escape. Although there is clearly an enemy involved in the act of rape, the feeling of being trapped usually occurs afterward when the memory of what happened gets stuck in your brain and causes you psychological pain many years later.

Deliverance is typically something that only God can do. In essence, an act of deliverance is a miracle because it is an impossible situation that is turned around or made right. In order to truly deliver someone from distress, you have to eliminate the psychological and spiritual pain she is experiencing, which usually involves the elimination of memory.

There are many ways that God’s salvation can be manifested. In the same way that he is able to remove our sin and make it as if it never happened, God can remove memories and make it as if certain events or experiences have never happened. If you have received his salvation, then thank God, and praise him with your hands lifted high this Thanksgiving.

Heaven on earth

David’s conquests became known throughout the world and he was admired by other leaders for the peace he brought to the area surrounding the Promised Land. It says in 1 Chronicles 18, “Now when Tou king of Hamath heard how David had smitten all the host of Hadarezer king of Zobah; he sent Hadoram his son to king David to inquire of his welfare; and to congratulate him, because he fought against Hadarezer and smitten him; (for Hadarezer had war with Tou;)” (1 Chronicles 18:9-10).

Tou was grateful to David because he had taken care of Hadarezer for him. Tou’s first hand experience fighting against Hadarezer made him realize that David was superior on the battlefield and no doubt Tou wanted to align himself with David to ensure his own people’s safety. When it says that Tou sent his son to inquire of David’s welfare, it could be that Tou wanted to know how David was able to accomplish such a great feat.

One the meanings of the word inquire or shâ’êl (shaw – ale´) in Hebrew is to consult or ask for advice (7592). It is usually associated with prayer and seeking God’s counsel, but it can also refer to obtaining counsel from men. The word translated welfare is shalom (shaw – lome´) which “signifies a state in which one can feel at ease, comfortable with someone. The relationship is one of harmony and wholeness, which is the opposite of the state of strife and war” (7965).

David’s kingdom was not like those around him. He was able to establish peace in a place where none had previously existed. The Promised Land was extremely fruitful and those who lived there were very prosperous. Therefore, it was desirable real estate that many wanted to possess. The occupants that David was driving out were skilled warriors that were used to defending their territory. David’s ability to defeat their armies was probably viewed as miraculous.

David dedicated all the gifts he received from Tou, “vessels of gold and silver and brass” (1 Chronicles 18:10) to the LORD. It was his way of giving credit to the LORD for his victories. Even though David was a skilled warrior with many successes on the battlefield, he did not boast about his accomplishments. It says that “David reigned over all Israel, and executed judgment and justice among all his people” (1 Chronicles 18:14).

David made it possible for the LORD to bless his people. David’s military victories were not about  gaining power, but about giving power to his people. The word translated justice, ts’dâqâh (tsed – aw – kaw´) means rightness (6666) and is derived from the word tsâdaq (tsaw -dak´) which means to be right or to be justified (6663). Justification is a key aspect of salvation, something that every Christian needs in order to have a relationship with God. When we are justified, it is as if we have never committed a sin. David’s kingdom was probably as close to heaven on earth as any could ever be.

2 + 2 = Saul of Tarsus

One of the things that makes it difficult to make sense of the Bible from a big picture perspective is that sometimes you have to fill in the blanks. By filling in the blanks, I don’t mean that you have to make stuff up, I mean that you have to connect the dots and let the story itself tell you what makes sense and what doesn’t.

“And David said, Is that yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathon’s sake?” (2 Samuel 9:1). David and Jonathon made a covenant to protect each others blood lines so that both of their descendants would see the Messiah and enter into his eternal kingdom (1 Samuel 20:15). When David discovered that one of Jonathon’s sons, Mephibosheth was still alive, “David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew you kindness for Jonathon thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually” (2 Samuel 9:7).

I believe what David meant by eating bread at his table was the celebration of Passover. I think David was trying to convey the message that he would keep the relationship between their households going until the arrival of the Messiah. When you look ahead to the arrival of the Messiah, there appears to be a blank regarding David’s promise to preserve Jonathon’s blood line unless you make a connection with Saul of Tarsus.

I don’t think it is coincidence that Saul of Tarsus shared his name with the first king of Israel. Saul of Tarsus was a member of the tribe of Benjamin, as was king Saul, and he had an impressive reputation with the religious leaders of his day. Paul, as he later became known, was a humble man that avoided boasting about his past, but he once admitted he was “circumcised the eight day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee (Philippians 3:5).

Paul’s reference to being of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, and a Hebrew of Hebrews could have been an attempt to link himself to the covenant between David and Jonathon. Paul was a very religious man prior to becoming a follower of Christ. Although it is not known why he was so passionate about persecuting the church (Philippians 3:6), Paul was the primary reason the gospel spread so quickly in the first century. His testimony was a integral part of the establishment of the church after his conversion, so there seems to be a key role that Paul will fulfill in the Messiah’s kingdom even if he wasn’t Jonathon’s ancestor.