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Help For Your Family: Direction

Published September 4, 2013 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: direction, God's will, Help For Your Family

Huh?

Christians think they know all about God’s will. We talk about it all the time. But we have a love/hate relationship with it. When times are good, we love God’s will. When we have a new car or a new child or a new job, we celebrate God’s will. Yet, when times get tough, all of a sudden God’s will isn’t nearly as understandable or attractive as it used to be. Yes, God’s will seems great when life is going our way. What about when life isn’t so good? How do we reconcile God’s will with sickness? Or poverty? Or war? How do we find out God’s will for our lives? Just how involved is God in our daily lives? Or is He that involved? Let’s find out together.

1. God has a plan. Whether you like it or not!

God’s knowledge, Psalm 139:15, 16

You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion! You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!

Psalm 139 is incomparable when it comes to Biblical teaching on God’s omnipresence and omniscience. God knows everything. He knows what we think. He knows what we say. It’s good to know that God knows when we are hurting or confused. It’s foolish to imagine that we can scheme to sin without God knowing. This is something about God that either comforts us or gives us reason for anxiety. At the same time, God knows not only our thoughts, but also our hearts and intentions. Nobody can claim to know what’s going on in another’s heart. But God can, and this psalm tells us why.

God’s knowledge of us is so complete because He knew us before we were even born! People who oppose unrestricted abortion quote verses like these, and rightfully so. God is intensely aware of us and working in us even while were in the womb. God saw the psalmist, as He sees us, while he was being formed. God recorded his development day by day. Thoughtful people have long believed this:

You have made me, and yet you destroy me. Oh, please remember that I’m made of dust—will you change me back again to dust so soon? You have already poured me from bottle to bottle like milk and curdled me like cheese. You gave me skin and flesh and knit together bones and sinews. You gave me life and were so kind and loving to me, and I was preserved by your care. (Job 10:8—11 TLB)

You may think it’s extreme to speak of God knowing an embryo so well. But the Bible speaks of it as fact. It’s not extreme. God’s knowledge of us is perfect. Given that truth, how can we fear that God is unaware of our circumstances?

Jeremiah’s calling, Jeremiah 1:1—5

The Lord said to me, “I knew you before you were formed within your mother’s womb; before you were born I sanctified you and appointed you as my spokesman to the world.” (Jeremiah 1:4, 5 TLB)

The prophet Jeremiah’s ministry spanned the tenure of no less than five kings. He had a long, distinguished, sometimes rocky career. But it was not a career of his choosing; God had specifically set Jeremiah apart to do the work of a prophet. Jeremiah was chosen, appointed, and sent to be a prophet to the nations. He was not his own person. The call of God is inescapable. Notice how these verses are written. God had ordained Jeremiah before Jeremiah had born.

The great apostle Paul had a similar experience to that of Jeremiah:

But the Lord said, “Go and do what I say. For Paul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the nations and before kings, as well as to the people of Israel. (Acts 9:15 TLB)

God indicated to both of these men that He had specifically chosen them to do certain things and go certain places beforehand. God had a plan for them, as He has a plan for you, too. The plan for you may not involve preaching or prophesying or mission work, but God has a plan nonetheless specifically for you.

Jeremiah’s response, Jeremiah 1:6—8

Jeremiah was young when God informed him of the call on his life. Being young, of course, Jeremiah felt unworthy and under prepared to do the work. God knew all about Jeremiah’s fears and calmed him down. He did the same for another young minister, Timothy:

Don’t let anyone think little of you because you are young. Be their ideal; let them follow the way you teach and live; be a pattern for them in your love, your faith, and your clean thoughts. (1 Timothy 4:12 TLB)

Interestingly, Timothy’s call was to be manifested by what his actions; in Jeremiah’s case God would give the prophet words to speak. In each case, as well as that of Moses, there was a co-operative effort in the working of God’s will. Timothy, Jeremiah, and Moses had a part to play—they had to do something, but not just anything—to fulfill God’s will. Yes, God gave them the words and direction, but the correct action(s) had to follow.

2. Finding out God’s plan

Mercy and truth, then trusting Proverbs 3:3—5

Never tire of loyalty and kindness. Hold these virtues tightly. Write them deep within your heart. If you want favor with both God and man, and a reputation for good judgment and common sense, then trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself. (Proverbs 3:3—5 TLB)

This is the advice from one father to his son. It is also part of God’s inspired Word and is therefore also applicable to us. What we are reading here is not just good, common sense advice, it is how God wants us to live! It is therefore God’s will for us.

So, living right is what God wants Christians to do. Living right means living the way Scripture tells us to. It only follows, then, that a Christian needs to know what the Bible says. If the Word is in our minds and in our hearts, it’s truths will be manifested in our actions.

As we live like this, trust in God is essential. We cannot trust ourselves because we are not trustworthy. Even the saintliest among us is still a redeemed sinner, contending with his sinful nature. Sin is always looking for way to jump in and get his attention. This is why we cannot trust ourselves and why we must trust in the Lord. Sometimes His ways may not make sense to us. That’s why trusting the Lord is essential.

Healthy fear, Proverbs 3:7, 8

Don’t be conceited, sure of your own wisdom. Instead, trust and reverence the Lord, and turn your back on evil; when you do that, then you will be given renewed health and vitality.

Fearing, or revering the Lord, is healthy. A lot of people miss the point of these verses. If you are trusting the Lord you will do your best to avoid evil. The result of this—avoiding evil—will be good health. We can see how this is possible. And trusting in the Lord also brings about a certain healthy benefit. It’s wonderful to learn to trust Him rather than yourself.

Paul advised Timothy:

“A person who calls himself a Christian should not be doing things that are wrong.” (2 Timothy 2:19b TLB)

“Doing things that are wrong” is simply getting into sin. If you are a Christian, it is God’s will that you stop doing things that are wrong.

God’s will, Romans 12:1, 2

And so, dear brothers, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living sacrifice, holy—the kind he can accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you.

When Paul tells his Roman friends to “give their bodies to the God,” he is actually referring to the whole person (see Romans 6:11—13). Chrysostom’s thoughts are helpful here:

How can the body become a sacrifice? Let the eye look upon nothing evil, and it has become a sacrifice. Let the tongue speak nothing shameful, and it has become an offering. Let the hand do nothing unlawful, and it has become a burnt offering. Nay! This is not sufficient; we need the active practice of the good. The hand must do alms, the mouth must bless them that curse, the ear must give attention without ceasing to divine lessons. For a sacrifice has nothing impure, a sacrifice is the firstfruit of other things. And let us therefore with our hands, our feet, and our mouth, and all our other members, render firstfruits unto God.

Since our actions descend from our thoughts, Paul makes it clear that we must change our habitual ways of thinking. This is God’s will! When we love Jesus, our thought life must necessarily change and be brought into line with His. This is not an option, and it is something we ourselves must do. God won’t do it for us. It is our responsibility to make a conscious effort to change the way we think. If we want to please God, and if we want to walk in God’s will, then we have no choice. Of course, God will help us, but our part is to appropriate that help through prayer, Bible reading, and even things like wholesome fellowship with other believers.

3. Live according to God’s will

It’s one thing to know God’s will, but it’s another to actually live according to God’s will. Sometimes what He wants isn’t what we want.

Life in Christ, Philippians 1:20, 21

For I live in eager expectation and hope that I will never do anything that will cause me to be ashamed of myself but that I will always be ready to speak out boldly for Christ while I am going through all these trials here, just as I have in the past; and that I will always be an honor to Christ, whether I live or whether I must die. For to me, living means opportunities for Christ, and dying—well, that’s better yet!

Paul was keenly aware of his witness for Christ. He didn’t want to do anything in his life that made Christ look bad. Would that all believers had this attitude! John, in one of his letters, mentions that when Christ comes to take His church home, some believers may stand with Him in embarrassment.

And now, my little children, stay in happy fellowship with the Lord so that when he comes you will be sure that all is well and will not have to be ashamed and shrink back from meeting him. (1 John 2:28 TLB)

Verse 21 is really the philosophy of life all believers should adopt: to live Christ, do die gain. What does that mean? If to live is Christ, then to die would be more of Christ! The most important thing any believer has in his life is not his family or his career or his bank account; it’s Jesus Christ. The most important thing a person can do in his life is having fellowship with Him. That leads to a powerful and accurate witness, which is what Paul wanted more than anything.

Knowing Christ, Philippians 3:7, 8

But all these things that I once thought very worthwhile—now I’ve thrown them all away so that I can put my trust and hope in Christ alone. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have put aside all else, counting it worth less than nothing, in order that I can have Christ…

Paul lived a deliberate life. He was educated. He was dedicated. He was a hard worker, whether he was persecuting Christians or making them. He had an impressive resume. And yet Paul considered all of his achievements as less than nothing in comparison to knowing Christ better. In fact, he would dump all of his life before Christ because it amounted to nothing.

When Paul experienced the risen Lord on the Road to Damascus, that conversion was life changing! It literally changed everything about Paul. When a person has that level of devotion to Christ, living to please Christ is of primary importance. Living to please Christ is simply living according to His will. It has been said that 95% of God’s will is revealed in His Word; the rest of it He expects us to seek after and discern. It’s not always easy or popular living according to God’s will, but it is always smart. Paul had perfect perspective and that helped him to live right. David Brainerd wrote:

We should always look upon ourselves as God’s servants, placed in God’s world to do His work; and accordingly labor faithfully for Him.

On this, Paul would agree!

Direction in life; for the Christian it’s a whole lot easier to discern than some of the crazy signs out there. But knowing is not the same thing as doing.

Given the choice…I’ll take the fine.

MAKING DISAPPOINTMENTS GOD’S APPOINTMENTS

Published July 10, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: 2 Samuel, David, God's will

2 Samuel 7

In this, we learn something about King David’s amazing faith in God and something of how God works in the lives of people like David; people who have an earnest desire to do something to the glory God.

1. A heartfelt desire to glorify God, verses 1—3

After the king was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.” Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you.”

The chapter opens with King David settled into his royal palace. He has, with God’s help, triumphed over all his enemies, both domestic and abroad, and David’s status and king over the united kingdom of Israel is beyond dispute. As if to stress this fact, this one-time shepherd boy is referred to as “the king” three times in these opening verses in the original Hebrew.

We may well imagine this warrior king standing in the middle of his regal house, looking at what his years of fighting had achieved—a secure kingdom, peace and prosperity for all, and a palace beyond compare—and remembering that God had no proper home in which to dwell. More than anything else, David loved Yahweh and he ardently desired giving God a proper dwelling place. As far as David was concerned, respect for God meant building a temple for Him worthy of His majestic Presence.

The contrast between his own house and that of the Lord at this time was stark: the earthly king had settled into a sumptuous palace; the ark of God’s presence remained in a mere tent. While it is true that this “tent” was originally constructed of the best materials available and it’s workmanship superlative, the royal palace dwarfed, in size and splendor, the resting place of God. To the king, this situation was intolerable and greatly troubled him.

Being a godly man, David consulted another godly man, his prophet Nathan. Nathan and David went back a long way and had a sturdy relationship. Probably nobody on earth knew the heart of the king like Nathan did, and the prophet’s response to David’s ambition indicated that David’s heart was right; that his desire to build a temple for God was purely motivated. There was nothing in this project for David; he would do it all for the glory of God. In fact, we might go so far as to think that in this matter, King David had “the mind of Christ.” Would that believers today would be so motivated! Think about what great exploits could be achieved if only they were done for God’s sake and for His glory alone. Rarely are our motives that unadulterated.

2. God’s refusal, verses 4—11

When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. (verse 12)

David was a spiritually sensitive man. His spiritual instinct told him that it was wrong for God to dwell in a tent while he was living in luxurious splendor. There was an incongruity between the transitory and impermanent nature of a man living in a permanent house while the eternal and everlasting God was relegated to being “put up” in a temporary shelter. What could possibly be wrong David’s desire to build God a permanent home?

To the prophet’s Nathan’s understanding, his friend’s desire was a good and noble one; right and sound, motivated only by love and devotion to God. But something was wrong, and it took a visit from God to point it out.

The work of building God’s house belonged to another. It was not God’s will for David to undertake that task. Throughout Nathan’s message from God to David, the king is now referred to as “my servant David” as opposed to “the King.” While God made David king over the people of Israel, in relationship to God, David remained His servant, a description he humbly accepts.

The essence of God’s response to David’s desire is three-fold:

God has never commanded any leader in Israel’s past to build Him a temple, nor has He commanded David to do this, verses 6, 7.
The choice of the person to head up such a project would be God’s, verse 5.
The denial of David results in something very positive: David’s son would be given the honor to build God’s house.

But God’s refusal to allow David to fulfill his righteous ambition is not without grounds. There are two main reasons why God refused David:

The king is far too busy waging war with his enemies: You know that because of the wars waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build a temple for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD put his enemies under his feet. (1 Kings 5:3)
David was a warrior; he had shed much blood: But this word of the LORD came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. (1 Chronicles 22:8; see also 28:3).

It should be noted, however, that these reasons are not in any way given to denigrate King David. David fought his enemies at God’s behest; he could never be punished by God for caring out God’s wishes! In fact, far from being punished, God’s message to David contained a magnificent covenant for both king and kingdom:

Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. (verses 9b—11)

This “divine grant” was divided into two parts: promises that would be realized during David’s lifetime (verses 8—11a) and promises to be fulfilled after his death (verses 11b—16).

But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.

Who could ask for than that? No, David would not be allowed to build God’s house, but God’s blessings upon David, his family, and his kingdom were incomparable.

Yet, there is another reason why David was not allowed to build God’s house. David represents Christ as suffering and conquering, but not being able to establish an earthly kingdom to its fullest extent. This would be done by Solomon, an earthly “prince of peace.” Only he could be allowed to build God’s house. When Christ returns, He will be our heavenly Prince of Peace, and He will at last establish an earthly kingdom and temple; He will accomplish upon His return what He could not accomplish at His first advent.

3. God’s plan, verses 12—17

He is the one who will build a house for my Name… (verse 13a)

David’s dynasty would continue through his sons and grandsons, and would never be set aside as was the case with the house of Saul. What a superlative plan it was! Any disappointments David may have had at being refused the singular honor of building God’s temple must have been mitigated. This is always the way it is with God’s will; we always fare better when we obey it rather than follow our own, not matter how glorious our own appears to be.

A lot of people misinterpret verses 14 and 15 and cite them as proof that a child of God can never be lost and that those who wander from God will only be disciplined and not condemned. However, what hangs in the balance here is not Solomon’s personal salvation, but the status of David’s dynasty.

Also, a careful and right-minded reading of God’s promises to David reveals that these “kingdom promises” are fulfilled, not entirely in Solomon, but in David’s “greater son,” the Lord Jesus Christ. No mere man’s earthly kingdom could last “forever!”

There is a statement in the parallel passage (1 Chronicles 17:17) in which David’s heart is laid bare and we see why God loved this man so much—

And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You, LORD God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men.

David knew he was not, yet God treated him as though he were.

4. David accepts God’s plan, verses 18—29

“What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign LORD. ²¹ For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.” (verses 20, 21)

This heartfelt prayer of David to God is surely one of the most moving prayers in all of Scripture. Throughout this prayer, the king humbly expresses his gratitude to God for graciously revealing His will to him through his friend Nathan and, significantly, declares his own desire that God keep all His promises to the greater glory of God.

The prayer can be divided into three parts:

Gratitude for God’s blessings in the present, verses 18—21;
Praise for what God has done in the past, verses 22—24;
Prayer that God will fulfill His promises in the future, verses 25—29.

David was at a loss for words as he expressed himself to God and acknowledged God’s sovereignty and purposes. Would that we could do the same! Too often we pray with chagrin when God’s will is at odds with ours; we expect the Almighty to bend to our wishes instead of it being the other way around! Not so with David, who found joy God’s will even though it was not what he had wanted.

The king never forgot the past; he never failed to praise God for personal and national blessings that fell long ago. But most of all, David wanted God to fulfill His revealed will so that God Himself may be glorified. David’s prayer stands alone as a shining example of humility and honesty before God. We are reminded of what John the Baptist said when Jesus appeared on the scene—

He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:30, KJV)

Despite the surpassing blessings David had experienced and would continue to experience, his concern was that God get all the glory, not him or his house. Any good that may befall the house of David or the kingdom of Israel must be seen as coming from God; that was David’s paramount concern.

David ended his marvelous prayer in great confidence that God’s Word was absolutely dependable and he ended with the petition—

“Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.” (verses 28, 29)