David

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.

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.

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.