Among the many characters described in scripture that had passion for the Lord and close relationship with Him, I doubt there are many who despite their passion made as many simultaneous errors as David, the son of Jesse.
David the Psalmist, the writer of songs to the Lord, displayed his deep passion and reliance on the Lord in both music and word, often displaying his desire to honor and serve Him - but still struggled with the weakness of his humanity. His was a struggle that we all share in common at times, but there was a deep and honest love connection between the man David and his God that had the ability to eventually draw him back when he strayed with heart rending repentance and humility. David knew the source of his strength and all of the good that enveloped him in his life, but at times his weaknesses would betray him and the direct connection of his heart to the Lord's would be momentarily and carelessly set aside with sometimes tragic results - his focus would wander giving an opening to the temptation of his susceptible flesh.
There's an example and warning in the life of Israel's King David that no one should miss. I myself learned to understand the cause of the abasement of King David of Israel through my own study of him and in a much lessor and different way, have experienced it in my own life at times - for the same ultimate reason...
... An occasional and perhaps even just momentary lack of respect for, and devotion to, the God who loves us and yet also reigns supremely.
"Look now; I myself am he! There is no other god but me! I am the one who kills and gives life; I am the one who wounds and heals; no one can be rescued from my powerful hand!" Deuteronomy 32:39 (NLT)
It's a lesson and a warning about keeping our focus and attention where it constantly belongs and about deferring with continual reverence and devotion to the One who holds in His hand both blessing and curse. In David's case, the cause of his self affliction resulted in the great King David's pride and ego - his own personal measure of his weight in this life, becoming trampled over time as his focus drifted from the One Source that brought it all to him in the first place. Forgetting his place before God at times brought him low on occasion to visit a place of humiliation, despair and disgrace. Giving into his own lusts, making decisions without the divine guidance that brought him greatness, and succumbing to the lure of sinful opportunities brought about regretful and unnecessary shame - even to a powerful king.
"A messenger soon arrived in Jerusalem to tell David, “All Israel has joined Absalom in a conspiracy against you!”
“Then we must flee at once, or it will be too late!” David urged his men. “Hurry! If we get out of the city before Absalom arrives, both we and the city of Jerusalem will be spared from disaster.” " 2 Samuel 15:13-14 (NLT)
Absalom, David's own son, drove his father King David from the throne of Israel and for a time, quashed a source of pride that David had remaining to him.
David began as a simple young shepherd - one of the lower occupations to be held in the society of those days when the Lord seeing his heart, chose him to become the King of Israel. With the Lord's favor, David had eventually risen to incredible fame as a warrior and leader of his people, but over time, David had failed on so many levels by allowing his attention and focus drift away from the one who had lifted him up in the first place and placed him on Israel's throne. He'd allowed sin and his own poor judgment at times to create a distance between Himself and the God who had taken a lowly young shepherd boy and made the young boy into a great king. And now even his own son, eventually came to mock and disgrace him before all of Israel.
As David fled in fear of his own son and the people of Israel who had once regarded him as their great warrior and leader, there was no remaining air of arrogance, no pride and nothing left to be held up to save any remnant of his wounded ego. David was stripped down before the Lord - laid bare and humbled to a state much like that of the lowly shepherd boy that he once was. Those things that he once held up with pride as his measure as a man -when forgetting that he lived, breathed and reigned in the shadow of an all knowing and sovereign God, all that he had once accomplished was now forgotten and disregarded by many who once loved him. What happened?
"So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah." 1 Samuel 16:13 (NLT)
King David, the great warrior and mighty king had drifted from the all-holy and powerful source that had lifted him up in the first place and granted him favor with the people of Israel. It was never David on his own that had accomplished such outstanding victories or that had allowed him to gain such high status and favor. It was because of David's heart as God found him tending his father's sheep that David had found such favor with the Lord. But as David allowed his own desires and his pride to overshadow his reverence, obedience and gratitude toward the Lord, that his decisions and life in general suffered tragically.
The scripture attached to David's life reveal a wavering focus on his ultimate source of provision and guidance at times - and also David's miseries and repentance caused by his wavering. It was always David's brokenness and humility in those times of repentance and grief afterward - when David's heart found it's proper place again before the Lord that he was able to reconnect with the source of his strength and go on.Those were moments when the humble, obedient and honest heart of a shepherd boy reconnected with the God who had lifted him up and he once again walked as a humble and honest child before the Lord.
"But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, 'I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do'." Acts 13:22 (NLT)
How much better would it have been for David if he'd never have allowed his focus to drift? And how much better for any of us to walk in continual obedience and reverence as the children of the Living God? As the world drifts closer to the end if its waning days, our attention and devotion are, and will continue to become even more challenged. Our momentary lack of focus on our source of strength and the favor that we need to walk through this life, could spell trouble for us - trouble with the power to bring us to our own moments of distress and despair. How much better it would be for us to stay constantly in the protection of the impenetrable refuge and joyful companionship of the God who reigns with complete authority, respecting Him always. It's far better to walk in the fulfilling contentment of His company every moment than to ever lose connection to the favor of His close presence for even one second. If you've tasted, then you know.
Of everything that troubled David's heart, it came clear to me that the one thing that he feared damaging or losing the most was something that he himself violated in his own human weakness. Because he'd tasted the sweetness of true close relationship with the Lord and the Lord's generous and graceful favor on his life, he knew that there was nothing better to be found anywhere. So in those moments when he failed, he knew with desperation in his heart that he had to get back to where he once started in his heart - he had to reconnect in simple honest humility with the heart that was after The Father's own... Sometimes I think we do too.
Nothing is left to chance, but governed ultimately and divinely by the God who gracefully suffered to give us a choice. Once tasting the divine sweetness of true relationship and courtship of the God who created us though, leaves no doubt as to the path that our hearts would yearn to choose if they were consciously aware. So we actively choose now to pursue Christ Jesus continually, respecting the God who desires to make royalty of us all out of His great love for us,... or we live to suffer the dread of our own careless choices. Respecting unwaveringly the Holiness of the God who governs over all that concerns us can only leave us blessed and profited eternally. Walk in peace.
"No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 (NLT)
David the Psalmist, the writer of songs to the Lord, displayed his deep passion and reliance on the Lord in both music and word, often displaying his desire to honor and serve Him - but still struggled with the weakness of his humanity. His was a struggle that we all share in common at times, but there was a deep and honest love connection between the man David and his God that had the ability to eventually draw him back when he strayed with heart rending repentance and humility. David knew the source of his strength and all of the good that enveloped him in his life, but at times his weaknesses would betray him and the direct connection of his heart to the Lord's would be momentarily and carelessly set aside with sometimes tragic results - his focus would wander giving an opening to the temptation of his susceptible flesh.
There's an example and warning in the life of Israel's King David that no one should miss. I myself learned to understand the cause of the abasement of King David of Israel through my own study of him and in a much lessor and different way, have experienced it in my own life at times - for the same ultimate reason...
... An occasional and perhaps even just momentary lack of respect for, and devotion to, the God who loves us and yet also reigns supremely.
"Look now; I myself am he! There is no other god but me! I am the one who kills and gives life; I am the one who wounds and heals; no one can be rescued from my powerful hand!" Deuteronomy 32:39 (NLT)
It's a lesson and a warning about keeping our focus and attention where it constantly belongs and about deferring with continual reverence and devotion to the One who holds in His hand both blessing and curse. In David's case, the cause of his self affliction resulted in the great King David's pride and ego - his own personal measure of his weight in this life, becoming trampled over time as his focus drifted from the One Source that brought it all to him in the first place. Forgetting his place before God at times brought him low on occasion to visit a place of humiliation, despair and disgrace. Giving into his own lusts, making decisions without the divine guidance that brought him greatness, and succumbing to the lure of sinful opportunities brought about regretful and unnecessary shame - even to a powerful king.
"A messenger soon arrived in Jerusalem to tell David, “All Israel has joined Absalom in a conspiracy against you!”
“Then we must flee at once, or it will be too late!” David urged his men. “Hurry! If we get out of the city before Absalom arrives, both we and the city of Jerusalem will be spared from disaster.” " 2 Samuel 15:13-14 (NLT)
Absalom, David's own son, drove his father King David from the throne of Israel and for a time, quashed a source of pride that David had remaining to him.
David began as a simple young shepherd - one of the lower occupations to be held in the society of those days when the Lord seeing his heart, chose him to become the King of Israel. With the Lord's favor, David had eventually risen to incredible fame as a warrior and leader of his people, but over time, David had failed on so many levels by allowing his attention and focus drift away from the one who had lifted him up in the first place and placed him on Israel's throne. He'd allowed sin and his own poor judgment at times to create a distance between Himself and the God who had taken a lowly young shepherd boy and made the young boy into a great king. And now even his own son, eventually came to mock and disgrace him before all of Israel.
As David fled in fear of his own son and the people of Israel who had once regarded him as their great warrior and leader, there was no remaining air of arrogance, no pride and nothing left to be held up to save any remnant of his wounded ego. David was stripped down before the Lord - laid bare and humbled to a state much like that of the lowly shepherd boy that he once was. Those things that he once held up with pride as his measure as a man -when forgetting that he lived, breathed and reigned in the shadow of an all knowing and sovereign God, all that he had once accomplished was now forgotten and disregarded by many who once loved him. What happened?
"So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah." 1 Samuel 16:13 (NLT)
King David, the great warrior and mighty king had drifted from the all-holy and powerful source that had lifted him up in the first place and granted him favor with the people of Israel. It was never David on his own that had accomplished such outstanding victories or that had allowed him to gain such high status and favor. It was because of David's heart as God found him tending his father's sheep that David had found such favor with the Lord. But as David allowed his own desires and his pride to overshadow his reverence, obedience and gratitude toward the Lord, that his decisions and life in general suffered tragically.
The scripture attached to David's life reveal a wavering focus on his ultimate source of provision and guidance at times - and also David's miseries and repentance caused by his wavering. It was always David's brokenness and humility in those times of repentance and grief afterward - when David's heart found it's proper place again before the Lord that he was able to reconnect with the source of his strength and go on.Those were moments when the humble, obedient and honest heart of a shepherd boy reconnected with the God who had lifted him up and he once again walked as a humble and honest child before the Lord.
"But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, 'I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do'." Acts 13:22 (NLT)
How much better would it have been for David if he'd never have allowed his focus to drift? And how much better for any of us to walk in continual obedience and reverence as the children of the Living God? As the world drifts closer to the end if its waning days, our attention and devotion are, and will continue to become even more challenged. Our momentary lack of focus on our source of strength and the favor that we need to walk through this life, could spell trouble for us - trouble with the power to bring us to our own moments of distress and despair. How much better it would be for us to stay constantly in the protection of the impenetrable refuge and joyful companionship of the God who reigns with complete authority, respecting Him always. It's far better to walk in the fulfilling contentment of His company every moment than to ever lose connection to the favor of His close presence for even one second. If you've tasted, then you know.
Of everything that troubled David's heart, it came clear to me that the one thing that he feared damaging or losing the most was something that he himself violated in his own human weakness. Because he'd tasted the sweetness of true close relationship with the Lord and the Lord's generous and graceful favor on his life, he knew that there was nothing better to be found anywhere. So in those moments when he failed, he knew with desperation in his heart that he had to get back to where he once started in his heart - he had to reconnect in simple honest humility with the heart that was after The Father's own... Sometimes I think we do too.
Nothing is left to chance, but governed ultimately and divinely by the God who gracefully suffered to give us a choice. Once tasting the divine sweetness of true relationship and courtship of the God who created us though, leaves no doubt as to the path that our hearts would yearn to choose if they were consciously aware. So we actively choose now to pursue Christ Jesus continually, respecting the God who desires to make royalty of us all out of His great love for us,... or we live to suffer the dread of our own careless choices. Respecting unwaveringly the Holiness of the God who governs over all that concerns us can only leave us blessed and profited eternally. Walk in peace.
"No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 (NLT)
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