lovingkindness

The Patience of God

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We don’t often discuss the patience of God, yet it is an essential part of His nature and the explanation for sinful mankind’s ongoing existence. As a just and righteous God, He is obligated to punish all those who rebel against Him and, according to the apostle Paul, every single human being who has ever lived falls into that category.

For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;
    no one understands;
    no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
    no one does good,
    not even one.” – Romans 3:9-12 ESV

There are no exceptions or outliers. Everyone has sinned and is deserving of God’s ultimate punishment for rebellion against Him: Death. Yet, Paul goes on to provide the good news that involves God’s enduring patience.

…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. – Romans 3:23-25 ESV

God had a plan for dealing with man’s sin problem and the accompanying death sentence that it incurs. For millennia, God put up with man’s ongoing disregard for His holiness and abject rejection of His sovereignty. He would have been justified in wiping out the entire human race but, instead, He patiently endured their unrighteousness and ingratitude, so that He could send His Son at just the right time.

This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. – Romans 3:25-26 ESV

God described Himself to Moses as “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy!” (Exodus 34:6 NLT). He went to proclaim His divine capacity to show patience even in the face of unrelenting disobedience to His will.

“I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.” – Exodus 34:6 NLT

David penned a psalm that declared this one-of-a-kind attribute of God.

The Lord is merciful and compassionate,
    slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
The Lord is good to everyone.
    He showers compassion on all his creation. – Psalm 145:8-9 ESV

Moses also declared the wonder of God’s persistent patience.

The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations. – Numbers 14:18 NLT

The patience of God. We all desperately depend upon it because, without it, we would be in trouble. Most of us understand the holiness of God and have no trouble recognizing that we are anything but holy. So, we count on God’s longsuffering nature to overlook our many shortcomings. We memorize verses that speak of God’s slowness to anger. We meditate on those passages that speak of His unfailing love. The older we get, the doctrines of His mercy and grace become near and dear to us.

As we saw earlier, David was particularly fond of God’s enduring patience because he had been its beneficiary on more than one occasion.

The Lord is merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide,
    nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities. – Psalm 103:8-10 ESV

The mercy, grace, and patience of God go hand in hand, but they remain separate and distinct qualities or attributes of God. Wayne Grudem provides us with succinct definitions for each of them.

“God’s mercy means God’s goodness toward those in misery and distress.

“God’s grace means God’s goodness toward those who deserve only punishment.

“God’s patience means God’s goodness in withholding of punishment toward those who sin over a period of time.” – Wayne Gruden, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine

All three are expressions of God’s inherent goodness. We know He is good because He is merciful, gracious, and patient, and we regularly find ourselves the undeserving recipients of His mercy, grace, and patience. Yet of these three, His patience is the one we most take for granted. Notice Gruden’s definition. He specifically states that God’s patience is His withholding of well-deserved punishment from those who have sinned repeatedly and regularly. Their activity warrants God’s judgment but, instead, He responds with patience.

The apostle Paul described this as God’s forbearance.

Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. – Romans 3:24-25 ESV

The Greek word Paul used for forbearance is anochē and it can also be translated as self-restraint or tolerance. It involves a willful action on God’s part to acknowledge the sins of men while choosing to postpone His divine judgment for a later date. It does not mean that God “overlooks” or “excuses” our sins. To do so would be out of character for God; it would go against His nature. But as Paul states, God was willing to put on hold His condemnation of humanity’s sin because He knew He was sending His Son as the propitiation or means of providing a satisfactory solution for the problem.

God could have punished all mankind and been totally just in doing so. As Paul states, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23 NLT), and God, as the righteous judge of the universe, would have been right and just in pronouncing and carrying out judgment upon all humanity. But He showed patience instead. He postponed the inevitable because He was about to do the unimaginable.

God was going to send His own Son as payment for mankind’s sin debt. And that debt was formidable and well-deserved. In his letter to the believers in Rome, Paul describes humanity in unflattering terms that magnify the incredible of God’s patience toward them.

Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. – Romans 1:29-32 NLT

Paul goes on to say that this sad description of mankind’s state was universal and all-inclusive.

…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. – Romans 3:23 NLT

All deserved to die, but God was willing to forego the inevitable until the time came when He could send His Son into the world. And God’s timing was perfect.

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. – Romans 5:66 NLT

Just one verse later, Paul adds, “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8 NLT). A lot of time had passed between the “birth” of Adam and Eve and the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The first two humans were made in God’s image but Jesus, the sinless Son of God took on human flesh so He could bear the exact image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). With each passing century, God displayed His divine patience, postponing His right to mete out His wrath upon sinful humanity so that He might one day display His love through the sacrifice of His own Son.

Paul reminds us that God “did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all” (Romans 8:32 NLT). God’s patience and love are inseparable. He was willing to wait because He wanted to shower His undeserved love on His creation.

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. – John 3:16-17 NLT

A. W. Tozer describes God’s patience in this way:

“The patience of God is that excellency which causes Him to sustain great injuries without immediately avenging Himself. He has a power of patience as well as a power of justice.” – A. W. Tozer, The Attributes of God

God has the power to judge. But He also possesses the power to forego judgment for a season. Because of our sin natures, we can end up using any power we possess as a weapon. The evil in our hearts causes power to go to our heads, resulting in injustice and inequity. We become the judge, jury, and executioner, meting out our brand of vigilante justice rather than choosing to show patience, mercy, and grace. Part of the problem is that we lack the strength to control our own power. Unlike God, we do not possess the self-control that would allow us to replace our need for justice with a desire to show loving patience.

In Matthew’s gospel, he records a parable by Jesus designed to illustrate the Kingdom of Heaven.

“Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.

“But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.” – Matthew 18:23-27 NLT

The servant owed more than he could ever pay, so he begged his master for patience. To his shock and surprise, he received the complete forgiveness of his debt. But the story goes on.

 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.

“His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.” – Matthew 18:28-30 NLT

The king, who possessed great power, showed remarkable patience. The servant, who had been the recipient of the king’s undeserved patience, showed his own sinful heart by having his fellow servant thrown into jail. This man had been more than willing to accept the gracious, merciful, and loving gift of the king’s patience and forgiveness. But he was unwilling to pass on the goodness of his master to his fellow servant.

We must never undervalue or overlook the patience of God. It is on display all around us. We are daily the recipients of it. A. W. Tozer reminds us to consider the wonderful reality of the patience of God.

“How wondrous is God’s patience with the world today. On every side people are sinning with a high hand. The divine law is trampled underfoot and God Himself openly despised. It is truly amazing that He does not instantly strike dead those who so brazenly defy Him. Why does He not suddenly cut off the haughty infidel and blatant blasphemer, as He did Ananias and Sapphira? Why does He not cause the earth to open its mouth and devour the persecutors of His people, so that, like Dathan and Abiram, they shall go down alive into the Pit? And what of apostate Christendom, where every possible form of sin is now tolerated and practiced under cover of the holy name of Christ? Why does not the righteous wrath of Heaven make an end of such abominations? Only one answer is possible: because God bears with ‘much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction.’” – A. W. Tozer, The Attributes of God

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Love of God

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God is love. Most of us are familiar with that phrase but may not know its source. In his first letter, the apostle John wrote of God’s symbiotic relationship between God and love.

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. – 1 John 4:7-8 NLT

According to John, God doesn’t just express love, He is the essence of love. Only His love is pure, undefiled, free from sin, and unsullied by selfish or self-serving motivations. In his first letter to the believers in Corinth, Paul provides a better understanding of the kind of love God displays.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. – 1 Corinthians 14:4-8 ESV

Humanly speaking, this kind of love is impossible to produce. We may be able to manufacture a love that somewhat mimics these qualities but only God can produce a love of this quality because it flows from His very nature. John went on to describe the greatest expression of God’s matchless love.

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. – 1 John 4:9-10 NLT

In his gospel account, John records the words of Jesus as He spoke of the unparalleled nature of God’s love

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 NLT

The apostle Paul echoed this sentiment in his letter to the believers in Rome.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. – Romans 5:8 NLT

To say that God is love is to express the idea that love is the core component of His character. Everything He does is loving and kind. There is never a point at which God is lacking in love or fails to display love. We may not always recognize God’s love or feel that the circumstances of our lives are an expression of His love, but at no point is God unloving. He never stops loving because it is the essence of who He is. When addressing the people of Israel, the nation He had chosen as His own, God declared His unfailing and unwavering love for them.

“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.
    With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.” – Jeremiah 31:3 NLT

His love for them never failed, despite their repeated rebellion and sinfulness. He punished them for their sins but He never stopped loving them because His love is everlasting. As human beings, we find it easy to fall in and out of love with people. But God does not suffer from that fickle kind of love. Frederich M. Lehman wrote about God’s unfailing love in his hymn, The Love of God.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song – Frederick M. Lehman, The Love of God, 1917

Love is not some feeling or outward expression that God conjures up in response to something or someone lovely or loveable. No, what sets God apart is His capacity to love at all times. His love never fails.

God is the very definition of love, and all His other attributes are infused and closely intertwined with His love. His power is always displayed in love. His love never lacks the strength or energy to express itself. God’s holiness is directly linked to His love. Without love, His holiness or set-apartness would make God unapproachable and unknowable. But because God is love, He has made Himself available and accessible to mankind.

For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse… – Romans 1:20 NLT

Luke supports Paul’s conclusion, stating that God “did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:17 ESV). He goes on to describe how God, the all-powerful creator of the universe, has lovingly and graciously made Himself known to mankind.

From one man He made every nation of men, to inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.

God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. – Acts 17:26-27 BSB

God desires that men might know Him. Why? Because it is through a knowledge of God that men recognize His love for them. The love of this all-powerful, holy, and transcendent God caused Him to send His Son as payment for mankind’s sin.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 ESV

Jesus, the Son of God, was the greatest expression of God’s love, taking on human flesh and coming to earth so that He might be Immanuel – God with us.

No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. – John 1:18 NLT

Jesus even made the bold claim, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!” (John 14:9 NLT). God’s love was manifested or made visible through the birth, death, and resurrection of His Son.

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. – Ephesians 1:4 NLT

Love is invisible to the human eye, but that doesn’t mean it is unperceivable. And while God Himself cannot be seen, His love can be experienced and appreciated. It can be felt, enjoyed, relished, and returned. When we understand just how much God loves us, it creates in us a desire to love Him in return.

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. – 1 John 4:10 NLT

It is when we understand that the God of the universe loves us that we are able to express love to the rest of humanity, whom He has made.

We love each other because he loved us first. – 1 John 4:19 ESV

But our love will always pale in comparison to that of God. His love is infinite and holy, while ours is limited and marred by selfishness and self-centeredness. We tend to love, expecting love in return. Ours is a conditional kind of love, while His is unconditional, demanding nothing from us in return.

“No tongue can fully express the infinitude of God’s love, or any mind comprehend it: it “passeth knowledge” (Eph 3:19). The most extensive ideas that a finite mind can frame about divine love, are infinitely below its true nature. The heaven is not so far above the earth as the goodness of God is beyond the most raised conceptions which we are able to form of it. It is an ocean which swells higher than all the mountains of opposition in such as are the objects of it. It is a fountain from which flows all necessary good to all those who are interested in it.” – John Brine, 1743

What makes God’s love so remarkable is that He showered it on us despite us. He didn’t demand that we get our spiritual act together. He didn’t require that we stop sinning and start living righteous lives before He would love us. No, according to the apostle Paul, God loved us while we were mired in the midst of our sinfulness and rebellion against Him.

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. – Romans 5:6-8 NLT

We find it difficult to relate to that kind of love because we tend to love the lovely and loveable. We put conditions on our love. And we demand that those we love show us love in return. But, fortunately for mankind, that is not how God operates. God’s love is a purely holy love. “God’s love is not regulated by caprice, passion, or sentiment, but by principle. Just as His grace reigns not at the expense of it, but “through righteousness” (Rom 5:21), so His love never conflicts with His holiness” (A. W. Tozer, The Attributes of God).

God’s love is always sacrificial and constantly beneficial. And while it may sometimes take the form of tough love, it always results in our good. As the proverb states, “the LORD corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights” (Proverbs 3:12 NLT). His love is never smothering or manipulative. It is not a controlling kind of love. At no time does God preface His love with the thought, “What am I going to get out of this?”

The list of love’s qualities found in 1 Corinthians 13 spells out the nature of God’s love in terms we can understand and emulate. But unlike God, we are incapable of expressing this kind of love perfectly and selflessly this side of heaven.  Yet, as we grow to understand the incredible nature of His divine love for us, we can better appreciate how undeserving we are and turn that unmerited affection into tangible expressions of love for others.

God loves you. How much? He sent His Son to die for you. And there are not enough words in the human vocabulary or days on the calendar to fully describe just how great His love truly is. Frederick M. Lehman put it so eloquently in his great old hymn, The Love of God.

Could we with ink the ocean fill
And were the skies of parchment made
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky – Frederick M. Lehman, The Love of God, 1917

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A Man After God’s Own Heart

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15 So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people. 16 Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder, 17 and Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, and Seraiah was secretary, 18 and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and David’s sons were priests.

1 And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” 3 And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” 4 The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. 6 And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.” 7 And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.” 8 And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”

9 Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. 10 And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons. 12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s servants. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet. – 2 Samuel 8:15-9:13 ESV

I have chosen to link these two passages together because they provide a telling illustration of David’s approach to his power. At the close of chapter eight, we are told, “David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people” (2 Samuel 8:15 ESV). He was a good king and a fair one who took his job seriously and ruled responsibly. He surrounded himself with trustworthy men who would act as his official cabinet. Joab was his military commander and Jehoshaphat served as his chief of staff. Zadok and Ahimelech were his spiritual advisors, Seraiah performed the duties of royal secretary, and Benaiah was a representative. Each of these men was given a specific role in David’s administration and trusted with the responsibility of helping him lead the kingdom of Israel.

But the closing line of chapter 8 contains a statement that should catch the reader’s attention. It states that David appointed his sons as priests. The number and the names of David’s sons are not provided but their assignment as priests would have been unexpected and in violation of God’s law. As members of the tribe of Benjamin, they would have been disqualified to serve as priests because that privilege was reserved solely for the tribe of Levi.

For the LORD your God chose the tribe of Levi out of all your tribes to minister in the LORD’s name forever. – Deuteronomy 18:5 NLT

In the closing verses of chapter 8, it states that David appointed Zadok and Ahimelech as priests, and the Hebrew word used for “priest” is kōhēn. This is the same word used to describe the role of David’s sons.

…and David’s sons were priests (kōhēn). – 2 Samuel 8:18 ESV

If David had really appointed his sons as priests, he would have been making a serious mistake; one which the Lord would have viewed as an egregious affront to His law. But since there is no indication elsewhere in Scripture that David’s sons ever functioned as priests, many believe that an alternative meaning of the Hebrew word kohen must apply. Two times in Scripture, that word is used to describe a chief ruler or prince. The New American Standard Bible translates verse 18 as “David’s sons were chief ministers.” It would seem that, as sons of the king, these young men were designated as princes of the realm, and it is likely that they had no official roles in David’s administration.

The New Living Translation refers to as “priestly leaders,” a designation that reflects an intermediary position. While not official priests. they served as intermediaries between the priesthood and David’s administration.

The main point of the closing paragraph of chapter 8 is that David did not try to rule alone. He surrounded himself with wise and gifted men who could assist him in administrating the nation of Israel. Most of these men had proven themselves loyal to David over the years, and he was willing to take their advice because he trusted their character. He knew them well.

But there was more to David than a strong organizational mind; he was also a loyal leader who did not abuse his power or allow the significance of his role to go to his head. In a sense, David was still a young shepherd boy at heart. He may have become the king of all Israel, but his character remained virtually unchanged, and chapter 9 provides insight into David’s heart.

After solidifying his rule over all of Israel, he remembered a covenant he had made with Jonathan, Saul’s and his best friend. When David decided it was time to leave Saul’s employment for good, he and Jonathan met for the last time to say their goodbyes. At that emotional farewell, the two men made a covenant with one another. Jonathan pledged to David, saying, “may the Lord be with you as He has been with my father. If I am still alive, will you not show me the lovingkindness of the Lord, that I may not die? You shall not cut off your lovingkindness from my house forever, not even when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” (1 Samuel 20:13-15 NLT).

As they parted ways, Jonathan said one last thing to David:

“Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” – 1 Samuel 20:42 ESV

Now, years later, Jonathan was dead and David was king, and he remembered his covenant with Jonathan. This led David to inquire about the status of Saul’s descendants. In a desire to keep his covenant commitment to Jonathan, David wanted to know if anyone remained alive in the house of Saul.

If David had been like any other king of that era, he would have been asking that question for an entirely different reason; so that he could eliminate any possible claimants to the throne. Killing any male heirs of the former king was a common practice that greatly diminished the possibility of a coup attempt. But David wasn’t seeking to murder any heirs with legitimate claims to Saul’s throne; he was attempting to keep his commitment to Jonathan.

To David’s apparent surprise, he was informed that Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth, who had been crippled in a household accident at the age of five, and by this time was probably a young man. Ever since Jonathan’s death, Mephibosheth had been under the care of a man named Ziba. Having been informed of Mephibosheth’s existence, David that he be brought to the palace. One can only imagine how this royal decree struck the young grandson of Saul? He was probably petrified. In fact, the text states that, upon entering the palace, he fell on his face before David. It is unlikely that Mephibosheth expected a warm reception from the king. From his perspective, he had been arrested and hauled before his grandfather’s sworn enemy. But sensing Mephibosheth’s fear, David attempted to calm him.

“Don’t be afraid!” David said. “I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king’s table!”  – 2 Samuel 9:7 NLT

These words must have come as a shock to Mephibosheth. He probably knew well the stories of his grandfather’s treatment of David, so he would not have been expecting a warm welcome. Yet, rather than heaping scorn and revenge on the helpless, disabled grandson of his former foe, David extended grace and mercy.  He welcomed him with open arms and invited him to live in his home and eat at his table. David took complete responsibility for Mephibosheth’s care – all out of respect and honor for his friend Jonathan. Mephibosheth was so taken aback by all of this, that all he could do was bow before David and exclaim, “Who is your servant, that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?” (2 Samuel 9:8 NLT).

Mephibosheth became like a son to David, living in the king’s palace and sharing meals at the family table. He was treated with dignity, honor, and respect. David even returned to Mephibosheth all the land and property that had belonged to his grandfather Saul. The incredible kindness shown by David was not something he was required to do; he did it out of love for Jonathan. He had made a covenant and he was going to keep it. He refused to let his newfound power and fame go to his head. David could have easily justified or rationalized away the keeping of his covenant to Jonathan but he was a man of his word – even if it cost him. Some of David’s recently appointed cabinet members likely viewed his treatment of Mephibosheth with disdain and voiced their concerns. But David was determined to do the right thing, even if others might have viewed it as illogical and unnecessary. As a result, Mephibosheth became the undeserving beneficiary of David’s mercy, grace, and kindness.

Those of us who have placed our faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ have also been shown mercy and grace – from the King of kings and Lord of lords. In our weak and undeserving state, crippled by sin and condemned to death, we were invited to feast at the King’s table and made His sons and daughters. Paul tells us in Romans that we are God’s children and heirs (Romans 8:15-17). In his letter to Titus, Paul gives us a reminder of just how much like Mephibosheth we really are.

When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life. – Titus 3:4-5 NLT

David was a man of his word and a man after God’s own heart. That is why he was willing to keep his covenant commitment to Jonathan and showed mercy to Mephibosheth. And God is faithful to keep His promises to us. We are His sons and daughters and one day we will inherit His kingdom. We will feast at His table and live in His presence; not because we deserve it, but because of His grace, mercy, and love.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Lost Hope ≠ Lost Cause.

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Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.” Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more. – Ruth 1:6-18 ESV

For Naomi, the wife of Elimelech, life had not been easy. She had followed her husband to Moab in order to escape a famine in the land of Judah. But then she was forced to stand back and watch as her husband and two sons died suddenly and prematurely. She was left alone with the two widowed wives of her sons. So it is not surprising to read the words she said to her daughrers-in-law: “No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me” (Ruth 1:13b ESV). Naomi’s conclusion, based on all that had happened to her, was that God was afflicting her. This reflects her strong belief in the sovereignty and providence of God, but also reveals a poor understanding of the character of God. She could only see her suffering as a byproduct of God’s displeasure with her of His punishment of her for something she had done. In her current circumstance, she found it difficult to find any good coming out of what had happened. The only silver lining she could see was the fact that the famine had finally ended in Judah and she would be able to return home. But she would do so with little to no hope. She even begged her daughters-in-law to remain in Moab, remarry and start their lives over. She considered herself too old to remarry and had resigned herself to the fact that she would remain a widow for the rest of her life.

Naomi’s bitter and overly pessimistic outlook provides a striking illustration of how easy and quickly God-followers can find themselves living as practical atheists. Naomi obviously believed in God. She believed He was afflicting her, but she did not believe He was powerful enough to deliver her. In her mind, she was too old to get remarried and have more sons. Her child-bearing days were over. Had she forgotten the stories of Sarah and her barrenness? Was her God too powerless to find her a husband and provide for her more sons? Could her God not find husbands for Orpah and Ruth from among the men of Judah? Naomi was experiencing a crises of faith. She was having a hard time finding any good in her circumstances or placing any hope in her God. Every word she said to Orpah and Ruth reeked of resignation and resentment.

But Ruth, a Moabite and a pagan, provides us with a powerful testimony of faithfulness in the face of hopelessness. Ruth was not a God-follower, yet she exhibits godly characteristics that put Naomi to shame. Like Orpah, Ruth was young and had a long life ahead of her. It would have been relatively easy for her to find another husband and begin her life over. But unlike Orpah, Ruth refused to leave her mother-in-law alone. She begged Ruth, saying:

Stop urging me to abandon you! For wherever you go, I will go. Wherever you live, I will live. Your people will become my people, and your God will become my God. Wherever you die, I will die—and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I do not keep my promise! Only death will be able to separate me from you! – Ruth 1:16-17 NLT

Here was a non-believer in God, expressing more faith in Him than Naomi, one of His chosen people. Ruth was willing to become a God-follower and to place herself at the mercy of God, willingly accepting His judgment, if she failed to keep her promise to Naomi. Ruth, a descendant of Lot, was going to return to the land of promise. Generations earlier, Lot had chosen the “cities of the valley” and settled outside the land of Canaan. He had pitched his tent toward Sodom (Genesis 13:12). Living by sight, he had chosen what appeared to be the best land. But Lot would go from living near Sodom to living in Sodom. And he would find himself running from Sodom, when God determined to destroy it for all the wickedness that took place within its walls. And it was not long after that event, that one of Lot’s daughters chose to have sex with him while he was drunk. And it was from that incestuous union that the Moabites were born. And yet, generations later, here was Ruth, a Moabite, pledging her allegiance to a daughter of Abraham and offering to leave her land and her people behind.

Ruth had no idea what the future held for her. She only knew that she felt a strong obligation to her mother-in-law and was not willing to let her return to Judah alone. Her faithful love for Naomi provides us with a vivid image of the lovingkindness of God. Earlier, Naomi had said, “May the Lord deal kindly with you…” (Ruth 1:8 ESV). The Hebrew word she used was checed and it refers to goodness, kindness, mercy and faithfulness. She was hoping that God would show mercy and kindness to her daughters-in-law, but she did not believe He would do so for herself. And yet, Ruth, a pagan, would show checed to Naomi by remaining with her, even to the point of death. Little did Naomi understand that this checed, shown to her by Ruth, was actually the checed of God. God was blessing Naomi through her unbelieving, Moabite daughter-in-law. And that blessing would have far-reaching implications that would last longer after Naomi disappeared from the scene.

Psalm 145 – Day 1

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Sharing What We Know About God.

“Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power.” – Psalm 145:4 NLT

Six months ago, we started this journey through the Psalms of David. Our goal was to discover the character of God through the pen of David. We wanted to see what David understood about his God and how it impacted the way he lived his life. And Psalm 145 seems like a perfect way to wrap up this series. In it, David praises the greatness of God. He says, “I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness” (Psalm 145:2-3 NLT). David is blown away by the greatness of God and wants everyone to know. He is not content to internalize his thoughts about God and he expects everyone to “share the story of your wonderful goodness” (Psalms 145:7 NLT). David’s praise of God was not merely academic or rote. What he knew about God, he knew from experience. He had seen these attributes or characteristics of God lived out in his own life, day after day. He had seen God’s power, experienced His mercy and grace, felt His compassion, witnesses His mighty acts with his own eyes, and learned that God is always right in everything he does. David knew what the Scriptures had to say about God, but his awareness of God’s unfailing love, truthfulness, faithfulness, righteousness, compassion, mercy and grace came from his own personal interactions with God in daily life.

When David wrote, “Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your power” (Psalm 145:4 NLT), he wasn’t suggesting that they simply recount and retell the stories they had heard from their parent’s experiences in the wilderness. Many of us can tell stories from the Bible that illustrate God’s greatness, but how many of us can share personal encounters with God that speak of His goodness, greatness, love, and power? There is a huge difference between knowing about someone and getting to really know someone. I may know a lot about Abraham Lincoln, but it all comes from books and from the perspective of others. But I know my wife. I know here because I spend time with her and our lives are deeply interactive and entwined. We spend time together talking, sharing, interfacing, and impacting the lives of one another. The same should be true of my relationship with God. Praise for God should be personal and intimate. It should come from experience. David had come to know God because he had spent time with God. He had watched God work in and around his life, caring for him, providing for him, protecting him, correcting him, and revealing Himself to him. David had a lot to praise God for. When he spoke of God’s wonderful goodness, mighty acts, awe-inspiring deeds, unfailing love, and greatness, he was speaking from experience. He knew what he was talking about. And nobody could argue with him. So what will we have to tell the next generation concerning the mighty acts and power of God? What stories will we tell to illustrate our understanding of His greatness and goodness? Our lack of stories are not a reflection on God or an indication of His absence in our lives, but are simply an indication of our lack of dependence on Him. We have little to praise Him for because we have given Him few opportunities to work in our lives. We have become self-sufficient and have attempted to run our own lives according to our own plans. But David reminds us, “The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.He grants the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them. The Lord protects all those who love him” (Psalm 145:18-20 NLT).

Father, may we truly have something great to share with the next generation. May we have stories to tell of your greatness and goodness because we have learned to wait on and rely on You. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Psalm 144 – Day 2

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It’s Good To Know God.
(Based on Psalm 144)

I get down on my knees in celebration of the Lord, my rock,
He personally trains me for battle, equipping me to do battle.
He is who I turn to for mercy, protection, refuge, deliverance from trouble,
He is my shield in battle, and I confidently trust Him to subdue my enemies in battle.
Lord, what is man, that You bother to even acknowledge his existence?
Or the nations, that You give them any consideration?
Man is like a wisp of wind to You, his days are like a shadow that vanishes before Your eyes.
Lower heaven and come down, touch the mountains and make them erupt!
Send lightning, scattering the bolts around like arrows of destruction.
Reach down from on high, deliver me from the deep water, from the hands of pagan nations.
Whose words are full of lies and whose actions are always deceitful.
I will make up a brand new song celebrating You, O God!
I will sing praises to You using my favorite instrument.
I will sing of the salvation You bring to kings,
How You delivered me, David, Your servant, from the sword.
Separate me and deliver me from these foreign nations,
From all their lies and deception.
That our sons may grow to full height, like a plant,
That our daughters may be like corner stones in a beautiful palace.
That our storehouses may be full, that our sheep may multiply, filling our pastures.
That our oxen will be strong to do labor, our walls will keep us safe, and our people will stay content.
People who find themselves in those circumstances will be happy,
But their happiness will be because God is their Lord!

Psalm 143 – Day 2

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A Prayer For Direction, Not Just Deliverance.
(Based on Psalm 143)

Hear my prayer, O Lord,
Listen attentively to my cries for help!
Answer because of Your faithfulness and righteousness.
Whatever You do, don’t pass judgment on me,
Because there’s not a man alive who could pass that test.
I am calling to You because my enemies constantly pursue me,
The grind my life into the ground, forcing me to live in the dark like a dead man.
As a result, my spirit is weak within me, my heart is barren and lonely.
But I can recall the past, and I think about all those things You have done;
I reflect on all the things You have done with Your hands.
So I reach out to You, my soul thirsts for You, like dry land longs for rain.
Please answer me quickly, O Lord, because my spirit is fading fast,
Don’t turn Your back on me or I am as good as dead.
Let me tell others about Your unfailing love when I wake up in the morning,
Because I trust in You.
Show me the way in which You want me to live my life,
Because I am bearing my soul to You.
Rescue me from my enemies O Lord,
I run to You for protection.
Teach me to do what pleases You, because You are my God;
By Your good Spirit, lead me to a place marked by righteousness.
For the sake of Your reputation, revive me!
For the sake of Your righteousness, deliver my soul out of trouble.
And for the sake of Your unfailing love, destroy my enemies,
Put an end to all those who harass my soul,
Because I am Your servant.

Psalm 143 – Day 1

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Show Me Where To Walk.

“Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.” – Psalm 143:8 NLT

Prayer is an interesting activity. When we pray, we are oftentimes expressing to God what we want done. We are sharing our solutions to our own problems. In many cases, we treat God as some kind of cosmic Genie in the sky, except this Genie doesn’t limit our wishes to just three. We can go to Him on a constant basis with requests of all kinds. Or so it would seem. But the reality is that prayer requires an understanding of who God is and what His character is like. To ask God to do something that is not in His nature or that goes against His will would be ridiculous. But we do it all the same. God wants us to express our needs to Him, but I am not so sure that God needs help with the solution. Our prayers should be an expression of our trust and dependence on God. We got to Him because we know that He is the only one who can help. And He will help, but on His own terms and according to His own timing.

I find it interesting that David prayed quite openly and honestly with God in this Psalm. He shared that he was surrounded by enemies. He told God about his struggle with depression and his being paralyzed by fear. He asks God for rescue. He asks Him to preserve his life and bring him out of his distress. He even asked God to silence his enemies and to destroy all his foes. But the more enlightening thing was that David seemed to keep His requests consistent with what he knew about God. He appealed to God’s mercy. He asked God to answer because he knew God to be faithful and righteous. He knew that nothing he was asking of God was too great for Him, because he had heard about all the great things God had done in the past. He knew that his God was loving and would listen to him when he called to Him. Along with prayer for his problems, David asks God to “let me hear of your unfailing love each morning for I am trusting in you” (Psalm 143:8 NLT). What an interesting choice of words. He seems to be asking God to preserve him through the night and cause him to wake up to a renewed recognition of God’s unfailing love and mercy. He will “hear” of God’s love each morning. Others will be talking about it because God’s intervention in David’s life will be visible for all to see. It will be clear to all that this was a “God-thing.” Because David is trusting in God. Then David asks God to show him where to walk. He isn’t asking for literal directions, but is asking God to show him the manner in which he should live his daily life. He wants to know how to be a good king, a righteous father, a godly husband. He goes on to ask God to “teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing” (Psalm 143:10 NLT). He is asking God to train him to obey. David wasn’t just asking God to do thing for him, but he was passionate about learning to do what pleases God. He wanted to live a life in obedience to and dependence on God. Is that what we want? Is that what we pray and long for. David wanted rescue so that he could serve God. He wanted relief from trials and troubles, so he could spend more time worshiping and less time worrying. But he also knew that God would use those very same trials and troubles to reveal Himself to David through the display of His power, presence, love, mercy, and faithfulness. David trusted God. Do we?

Father, it is so easy for me to just come to You with my requests, but fail to want to get to know You. I want to hear of your unfailing love every morning. I want to wake up to a renewed realization of Your mercy and grace each day. I want You to teach me to do Your will, not mine. I want You to show me how to live my life in increasing obedience and dependence on You. You could give me all I ask for, but if I miss out on knowing You, I lose. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Psalms 140-142 – Day 2

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You Are My God!
(Based On Psalm 140)

Save me, O Lord, from the evil person.
Faithfully keep me from the man who does wrong,
Whose heart is constantly plotting to do evil,
And lives to stir up trouble.
Their tongue pierces like the fangs of a snake,
Their smooth talk conceals poison.
Watch over me and protect me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked,
Acts as a watchman, guarding me from the violent man,
Who is out to knock me down every step I take.
These arrogant individuals secretly lay traps for me,
They lay a net along the path, using bait to lure me in.
I said to the Lord, “You are my God!”
Listen to my pleas for help!
You are Jehovah Adonai, the one whose strength provides my salvation.
You watched over me in battle, covering me with Your hand.
Don’t let the wicked have their way, O Lord,
Don’t let their wicked plans succeed, because they are proud.
As for the ringleader of the group who surrounds me,
Let the plans they have to harm me come back on them.
Let them get burned by their own wicked schemes,
Burn them with fire and let them fall into a deep pit from which they can’t escape.
Don’t let these men who slander others survive on this earth,
Let evil pursue them and overthrow them.
I know from experience that You will protect those whom they persecute,
You will show justice to those who deserve it.
Surely the righteous will have plenty of reason to praise Your name,
Those who live to please You will enjoy being in Your presence.

I Look To You For Help!
(Based on Psalm 141)

Lord, I call out to You, respond to me quickly!
Listen to the sound of my voice as I call out to You!
Let my prayer to You be a sweet fragrance to You, like incense,
And my uplifted hands like an acceptable sacrifice.
Guard my speech, O Lord, watch over what I say,
Don’t allow my heart to pursue evil,
Don’t let me follow the example of those who do wrong,
Or consume the “tasty treats” they offer.
Let the godly beat me into shape like a blacksmith does metal, out of love for me.
Let me find their correction soothing and healing,
But I will continue to pray against the wicked and all that they do.
Even their judges will be judged and thrown off the cliff to their deaths,
Then they will listen to all I have said and know I was right.
Our bones got scattered before we had a chance for burial,
We lie out in the open like rocks stirred up by the plow.
So I look to You, O Lord, it is in You I place my trust.
Don’t disappoint me!
Guard me from falling into the trap they have set for me,
And don’t let me take the bait they offer.
Instead, let them fall into their own traps and let me escape.

You Know What I Should Do.
(Based on Psalm 142)

I cry out to You, O Lord, I call out to You for mercy.
I spill my guts to You, I let You know all of my troubles.
But right when I felt like all was lost, You knew exactly where I was,
You were completely aware of all the traps they had set for me,
From my perspective, I looked around and their was no one to help me,
No one understand what I was going through, and nobody offered to help.
There was no one who even really cared.
So I cried out to You, O Lord,
I said, “You are my refuge, the only thing I really need in this life!”
Hear my cry, because I am at a really low point,
Deliver me from those who persecute me, because they are stronger than I am.
Release me from this prison, so that I can have reason to praise Your name,
Bring me into the company of other godly people, so they can support me.

Psalms 140-142 – Day 1

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Seeing God As God.

“I said to the Lord, ‘You are my God!'” – Psalm 140:6 NLT

What an interesting statement. “I said to the Lord, ‘You are my God!'” Did God need to be told this? Was this some kind of revelation to Him from the lips of David? I don’t think so. But it was David’s way of saying that Jehovah (Lord), was the one he turned to, relied on, and believed in. David proved it by the content of the three prayers reflected by these three Psalms. David turns to God for rescue, protection, mercy, vengeance, justice, motivation for righteousness, help in times of trouble, refuge, compassion, empathy, understanding, encouragement, and strength. In fact, David knew he could turn to God when everyone else had proven themselves unreliable, unresponsive and uncaring. “I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me. Then, I pray to you, O Lord” (Psalm 142:4-5 NLT).

To say that the Lord is my God is to say that He is my sole source of hope and the only object of my faith. I don’t have any other gods before me. I don’t worship anything or anyone else. I don’t turn to anything else for comfort or security, including fame, fortune, or friendships. To say that God is my God is to claim exclusive worship. It is to promise God that He alone is my Savior. He alone can rescue me. Only He can do something about my problems, which usually have far more to do with my own heart than my circumstances. To tell God that He is my God is a form of confession, but also a statement of commitment. Like David, I am saying that my allegiance belongs to Him, my prayers are directed to Him, my hope is placed in Him, and my worship is reserved for Him – and Him alone.

These three Psalms are expressions of need. They clearly indicate David’s hurt and heartache. David is opening up his soul to His God. He is telling Him exactly how he feels, because he knows that God cares and that God can do something about it. Every time we pray to God, we prove to Him that He is our God. We acknowledge our dependence on Him. Our prayers become “as incense offered” and our “upraised hands as an evening offering.”  God truly becomes our God when we rest in Him, rely on Him, turn to Him, and trust in Him.

Father, You are my God. You alone hear my prayers and have the capacity to answer them. You can do something about my needs and love me enough to do so. But I confess there are plenty of times I turn to other things for comfort, help, hope, security, and salvation. Thank You for Your patience with me. Continue to help me discover the truth of the statement, “You are my God!” Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org