An old story example (part 2)

Sometimes, truth shows up in unexpected places.  We found this to be true in the last post, when we found that a part of Israel’s genealogy record contained an example for us to consider.  As a refresher, here is the passage:

1 Chronicles 5:18-20
The descendants of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh…waged war against the Hagrites…They received help against these enemies because they cried out to God in battle, and the Hagrites and all their allies were handed over to them.  He was receptive to their prayer because they trusted in Him. 

From this snippet of history, we found that God fulfills His promises.  He was willing to do so because these three tribes humbly cried out to God and trusted in Him for the result.  We then looked at a few of the promises God has made to us church-age believers and considered if we were approaching those promises the same way the Israelites did with what God promised to them.

However, that’s not where the story ends for these three tribes.  After settling in the land, they lived there for many generations…and the next part recorded by the Chronicler is also an example for us.  Unfortunately, though, it’s not a positive example:

1 Chronicles 5:23-26
The descendants of half the tribe of Manasseh settled in the land from Bashan to Ball-hermon (that is, Senir or Mount Hermon); they were numerous…They were valiant warriors, famous men, and heads of their ancestral houses.  But they were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors.  They prostituted themselves with the gods of the nations God had destroyed before them.  So the God of Israel roused the spirit of King Pul (that is, Tiglath-pileser) of Assyria, and he took the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh into exile.

They had skill, they had fame, and they had authority – everything the world says you need to have a life of enjoyment and significance.  But they forgot how they got those things.  They forgot Who gave them those things.

Instead of continuing to trust in the God of their ancestors, they were distracted and enticed by the same failed gods that had destroyed the nations before them.  It’s easy for us to sit back and wonder ‘How in the world could this happen?’, but any one of these could be a contributing cause:

·       Perhaps their ancestors didn’t teach their descendants as well as they should have.
·       Perhaps the descendants didn’t want to listen to “the old ways”.
·       Perhaps their skill, fame, and power felt more secure than trusting an invisible God.
·       Perhaps the cultural gods validated feelings and activities that were contrary to God’s teachings.

Whatever the reasoning that happened from generation to generation – whether it was a slow decline or a sharp turn off the path – the generations that came from the three tribes that defeated the Hagrites were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors.  Even though they took those steps, they still had their skill, fame, and authority…so maybe they took that as proof they could get away with abandoning God.

But God saw the state of their hearts as more important than the power they had – and He roused the spirit of King Pul to conquer the northern tribes, taking them into exile.  The exile occurred because Israel repeatedly violated God’s first commandment, to have no other gods before Him (Exodus 20:3).  It is interesting to note that after the exile was over and God returned the Jews back to the land He had promised them, they never again had an issue with following other gods. 

When life is going well…we, too, have a tendency to forget that God brought us to this place and time in our lives.  We get distracted and enticed by other cultural gods, mainly for the same bullet point reasons we considered above.  And God takes our relationship with Him just as serious as he did with the Israelites.  The author of Hebrews gave us this warning:

Hebrews 12:7, 10-11
Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons.  For what son is there that a father does not discipline?...He does it for our benefit, so that we can share His holiness.  No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

As a good father, God is willing to punish us when our priorities are out of line.  Just like He did with Israel, He is willing to let us suffer consequences so we can understand who He is and who we are in Him.  When we are disciplined, our best course of action is to learn from it and be trained by it.  Let’s be like Israel, who learned from their exile, and not repeat those same actions again.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

An old story example (part 1)

I don’t imagine that you’ve spent much time reading the Old Testament book 1 Chronicles.  Don’t worry, no judgment here…I’m not in it very often, either.  And if you’re like me, when you read through any Old Testament book, it’s very tempting to just skim past the genealogy sections, right?  So-and-so begat son-of-so-and-so, name-I-can’t-possibly-pronounce had a son with-another-name-I-can’t-pronounce.

However, genealogy sections were vitally important to the ancient Israelites.  Knowing where you came from had significant influence on your social standing.  Even though we can’t trace our own lineage back through those genealogies, that doesn’t necessarily mean those sections are empty of anything useful for us church-age believers.  While there are a lifetime of stories behind each name…oftentimes, there are interesting stories couched in between the lists of family lineage.  As the Apostle Paul said, the Old Testament is available to us for examples and insight into the God who loves us (1 Corinthians 10:11).

So, I want to share with you two little stories I found amongst the genealogies.  I think you’ll find them as interesting and as informative as I did.  We’ll look at the first one in this post and the second one in the next post.  The first story shows three of the twelve tribes establishing themselves in the Promised Land, but the local inhabitants weren’t willing to just hand it over.  As you read the following five verses, look for the reason why the three tribes were successful:

1 Chronicles 5:18-22
The descendants of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 warriors who could serve in the army – men who carried shield and sword, drew the bow, and were trained for war.  They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab.  They received help against these enemies because they cried out to God in battle, and the Hagrites and all their allies were handed over to them.  He was receptive to their prayer because they trusted in Him.  They captured the Hagrites livestock – fifty thousand of their camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep, and two thousand donkeys – as well as one hundred thousand people.  Many of the Hagrites were killed because it was God’s battle.  And they lived there in the Hagrites place until the exile.

Over 44,000 warriors…that’s a lot of skilled fighters; however, that wasn’t the primary reason they won the battle.  The three Israelite tribes were victorious because they cried out to God in battle…He was receptive to their prayer because they trusted in Him.  Despite their numbers and strength, their winning strategy contained two humility-filled steps: crying out to God and trusting in Him.  Not only did they seek God’s favor and assistance, they were counting on Him to fulfill the promises He had made to all the Israelite tribes (see Genesis 12, Genesis 26:3, Genesis 28:13, Numbers 34:1-12 for a few examples).

Since God had promised the land, the three tribes knew they couldn’t obtain the promise fulfillment without God’s involvement.  After the battle was over and the three Israelite tribes had won and taken control of the land, they recognized that it had been God’s battle all along.

Now, of course, us modern-day believers cannot claim this promise from God.  We’re not Israel, and God isn’t going to move us all to Palestine.  That said…what a great example this is for us…we can take this little snippet of history and be reminded that God fulfills His promises.  God keeps His word.  People may have lied to us.  Others may have let us down.  Our God isn’t like that.  He doesn’t leave us in the lurch.  He won’t forget.  God is good for His word, every time.

So, what promises are you crying out to God about?  What promises are you trusting in Him to fulfill?  We can’t do it on our own, no matter how skilled we are.  If you need a reminder, here are a few to consider:

Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take up my yoke and learn from Me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

John 5:24
Truly I tell you, anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.

Hebrews 13:5-6
Keep your life free from the love of money.  Be satisfied with what you have for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.  Therefore, we may boldly say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.  What can man do to me?”

There are many more promises available to us, and I encourage you to look for them as you read through the New Testament.  But let’s take the Old Testament story as our example, alright?  Cry out to God and trust in Him to fulfill the promises He’s made.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

An unexpected introduction

We’ve all had the experience where we’re just minding our own business, going about our day, when all of a sudden…we’re introduced to someone new.  A friend, co-worker, or family member brings this new-to-you person into your life saying, Hey, I’d like you to meet so-and-so.

Sometimes, reading through Scripture can be like that.  Sure, we’ve met all the big names – Jesus, Paul, Abraham, David – but there are scores of “minor” characters in the Bible worth meeting.   

Psalm 62
For the choir director: according to Jeduthun.  A psalm of David

Did you know that the directions at the top of a psalm are part of the scripture record?  Although usually skipped over, they can contain vital clues as to what the author’s intent was for the song.  Looking here, we see that David is the author.  In fact, he wrote the majority of the 150 psalms recorded in the Bible.

While many psalms have for the choir director in their header, this particular one has a certain person named as well.  From this we see that David is not going to do this psalm, this song to God, all on his own.  Even though David is fully capable of writing/performing by himself…this time, he wants to partner with someone, and he wants to do so with a specific person.

I think that’s a lesson we can all use…even if I am fully capable of using my talents to worship God and do it well (in anything – my time, my career, my talents, etc.), there is something special when we work with others toward the same goal of pursuing God.

So, who was Jeduthun?  Who was it that David wanted to partner with in this psalm? 

Here’s what Scripture records of him:

When David set up the tent to house the ark of God, he identified Jeduthun as one of two men to lead worship and lead their family members in other worship-focused duties:

1 Chronicles 16:42
Heman and Jeduthun had with them trumpets and cymbals to play, and musical instruments of God.  Jeduthun’s sons were at the city gate.

Later on we see Jeduthun again, while David was transferring his throne and kingdom to Solomon, and in preparation for the construction of the LORD’s temple in Jerusalem:

1 Chronicles 25:1,3,6-7
David and the officers of the army also set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, who were to prophesy accompanied by Lyres, harps, and cymbals…Jeduthun’s sons: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah – six – under the authority of their father Jeduthun, prophesying to the accompaniment of lyres, giving thanks and praise to the Lord…all these men were under their own fathers’ authority for the music in the Lord’s temple, with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of God’s temple.  Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the king’s authority.

During the dedication of the temple, we find this:

2 Chronicles 5:12-14
The Levitical singers dressed in fine linen and carrying cymbals, harps, and lyres were standing east of the altar; and with them were 120 priests blowing trumpets.  The Levitical singers were descendants of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun and their sons and relatives.  The trumpeters and singers joined together to praise and thank the Lord with one voice.  They raised their voices, accompanied by trumpets, in praise to the Lord:

“For He is good: His faithful love endures forever.”

The temple, the Lord’s temple, was filled with a cloud.  And because of the cloud, the priests were not able to continue ministering, for the glory of the Lord filled God’s temple.

Jeduthun was an eye-witness to the Shekinah-glory of God filling the temple.  In a later reference, Jeduthun is identified as the king’s seer (2 Chronicles 35:15), which means that he was one who was given special revelations by God and had access to share those revelations with the king.

These are some of the highlights for the man David wanted to partner with for Psalm 62.  From what we can see, Jeduthun was clearly accomplished and capable.  Jeduthun was gifted by God in music, prophesy, and leadership.  His use of these abilities gave him the opportunity to participate in and witness some of the most exciting moments in Israel’s history.  In addition to Psalm 62, he is specifically named in the header of two other Psalms (Psalm 39 and 77).

Even if we are not talented in the same manner as Jeduthun or have the same level of public ministry, we do need to make sure that we are using our specific gifts and talents for the LORD.  For certain, Jeduthun did not start out witnessing the glory of the LORD or serving as the king’s seer – those came later, after years of service to God. 

Likewise, we will never know what we will be able to participate in with God later unless we are faithful with our current opportunities.  So let’s use our talents and partner together now, and then see where God takes us.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Does God ever say no?

Within the last 10 years, I’ve heard a strange argument about the responses God gives when we pray.  The pastor/teacher/author makes the claim that – whatever we ask in prayer – God gives us 1 of 3 responses…and none of them are the word “No”.

The first time I heard this, it caused me to turn my head at an angle, raise an eyebrow, and immediately think, “What?”  The pastor went on to explain the three responses God gives to prayer are “Yes”, “Wait”, and “I have something better”.  Explaining the last answer, the pastor argued that instead of flat-out rejecting our prayer request, God’s Will/God’s Best for our lives means that He knows the request we have isn’t in our best interests – even if we, in this prayerful moment, think it is.

Overall, it seems to makes sense.  I may tell my child “no” when he asks for a piece of candy in the afternoon…not because I’m against him ever having candy, but it’s because I know (and he doesn’t) that we’re going for ice cream after dinner.  If my son asks for a tiger cub, it’s not going to happen – because his safety is more important than looking cool when he tells his friends about the new family pet.

So does God really never tell us “No” because He always has something better for us?  Like I said, it seems to make sense…until I read this story from David’s life:

1 Chronicles 17:1
When David had settled into his palace, he said to the prophet Nathan, “Look!  I am living in a cedar house while the ark of the Lord’s covenant is under tent curtains.”

David’s concern was that while he was living lavishly through God’s blessings, protection, and battlefield victories, by comparison, the official meeting place for Israel with God was still in a portable tent from the ancient times.  David recognized the inequity and wanted to build a temple that sufficiently proclaimed God’s greatness to His people.  David desired a good thing; however, God told the prophet Nathan to give David a very specific message about his desire to build a house for God:

1 Chronicles 17:4, 11-12
“Go to David my servant and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build Me a house to dwell in…when your time comes to be with your fathers, I will raise up after you your descendant, who is one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom.  He is the one who will build a house for Me, and I will establish his throne forever.”

That sounds a lot like a “No” to me.  God did not want David to build the temple; instead, his son Solomon (who was not yet born) would have that honor.  In addition to one of David’s sons building the temple, God did promise to establish David’s kingdom lineage, which is a HUGE promise (and you can read the details of God’s promise and David’s full response in 1 Chronicles 17)…however…David was still not permitted to build a house for God.

That seems kinda strange to me.  Why wouldn’t He let David, the one described as “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14), build God a temple suitable to proclaim God’s greatness and serve as God’s meeting place with the nation that David helped form? 

We find the answer a number of years later, when David is explaining his temple dreams to Solomon:

1 Chronicles 22:6-10
Then [David] summoned his son Solomon and charged him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel.  “My son,” David said to Solomon, “It was in my heart to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, but the word of the Lord came to me:

‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars.  You are not to build a house for My name because you have shed so much blood on the ground before Me.  But a son will be born to you; he will be a man of rest.  I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies, for his name will be Solomon (the name “Solomon” sounds like the Hebrew word for “peace”), and I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign.  He is the one who will build a house for My name.  He will be My son, and I will be his father.  I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’

David was very much the “warrior king” who shed a lot of blood on the battlefield as he fought for Israel’s territory.  As such, God saw David’s history as incompatible with building a place of worship.  Instead, if a temple was to be built, God wanted His temple to be constructed during peaceful times rather than built on the immediate spoils of war. 

This says a lot about the character of God and how He wants to be represented to the world.  The legacy of the temple’s builder would influence the perception of the temple and the reputation of God among the people.  If the building was known as “David’s temple”, then memories of war and bloodshed would be associated with the building where the Israelites encountered God.  Instead, the building is referred to as “Solomon’s temple”, underscoring the time of peace when it was constructed and the vast wisdom associated with Solomon.  Looking at the Bible as a whole, we find significantly more instances of God engaging humanity through peace and wisdom than we encounter Him via war and bloodshed.

In the end, God telling David “No” wasn’t about God having “something better” for David.  Instead, God chose the builder that was better to represent Him and His reputation.  God’s choosing of us for a task or service or not choosing us for a task or service is something we have to wrestle with.  Even if we really want to do a particular action for God, He may choose someone else.  So, how do we deal with that?

David is a good example of how we can handle God telling us “No”.  Instead of pouting, withdrawing, or getting angry with God for not letting him do the good thing he wanted to do…David did everything he could to support Solomon’s temple building activity.  It would be a massive project that would ultimately take seven years to complete.  Here’s what David told Solomon:

1 Chronicles 22:14-16
Notice I have taken great pains to provide for the house of the Lord – 3,775 tons of gold, 37,750 tons of silver, and bronze and iron that can’t be weighed because there is so much of it.  I have also provided timber and stone, but you will need to add more to them.  You also have many workers: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and people skilled in every kind of work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron – beyond number.  Now begin the work, and may the Lord be with you.

Maybe there’s work you’ve always wanted to do for God, but through your own life choices or by God’s timing, you have not been able to do it.  However, there are lots of ministries doing really good work that could use your help.  We would be wise to consider the possibility that instead of us personally leading the charge, we can better serve God by taking great pains to support those whom He has chosen to handle these projects.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Passing the torch

We won’t get to accomplish everything we want to do in this life.  There will be activities and achievements which will escape our grasp.  Sometimes we will be held back by our own decisions, for better or worse.  And yet other times, it will be God’s choice that the task should be handed off to someone else.

As David was nearing the end of his life, he looked at his beautiful palace and lavish amenities.  David compared his living situation to the tabernacle of the Lord, which was still in the same tent-configuration that Moses had commissioned during Israel’s travels through the desert before entering the Promised Land.  David wanted to rectify this gross discrepancy.  He desired to honor the Lord with a proper place of worship, with a design that expressed the greatness of the Lord.

Although David desired to do a good thing, God didn’t want him to do it.  Instead, that project would be given to his successor.

1 Chronicles 22:6-10
Then he summoned his son Solomon and instructed him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel.  “My son,” David said to Solomon, “It was in my heart to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, but the word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars.  You are not to build a house for My name because you have shed so much blood on the ground before Me. 

But a son will be born to you; he will be a man of rest.  I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies, for his name will be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign.  He is the one who will build a house for My name.  He will be My son, and I will be his father.  I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’ ”

David desired to do a good thing for God and he was called “A man after God’s own heart”…but he was still told “No.”  That had to have stung.  David could have stopped his desire right there, thrown up his hands, and basically told his young protégé “Good luck with that.  Apparently God says that it’s your job, not mine.” 

Instead, he takes the time to encourage Solomon:

1 Chronicles 22:11-13
“Now, my son, may the Lord be with you, and may you succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, as He said about you.  Above all, may the Lord give you insight and understanding when He puts you in charge of Israel so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God.  Then you will succeed if you carefully follow the statutes and ordinances the Lord commanded Moses for Israel.  Be strong and courageous.  Don’t be afraid or discouraged.”

But David didn’t give Solomon only instruction and well wishes.  He also gave Solomon a massive head start in gathering materials and resources for this significant task:

1 Chronicles 22:14-16
“Notice I have taken great pains to provide for the house of the Lord – 3,775 tons of gold, 37,750 tons of silver, and bronze and iron that can’t be weighed because there is so much of it.  I have also provided timber and stone, but you will need to add more to them.  You also have many workers: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and people skilled in every kind of work in gold, silver, bronze, and iron – beyond number.  Now begin the work, and may the Lord be with you.”

David couldn’t do what he wanted to do for God, because God had designated that accomplishment for someone else.  Instead of sulking or giving up on his desire, David trusted God’s plan and wisely rerouted his energies into mentoring and assisting his protégé.

One of the ways God keeps a mentor’s ego in check is to tell him or her “No.”  We need to exercise trust and humility when those moments come.  If we desire to do a good thing, but God prevents us from doing so, then we can trust that God has something greater in mind.

When our mentor hands us a significant task or ministry, we also need to exercise trust and humility.  We may even believe that our mentor is better suited for the work than we are.  However, when God signals that it’s time to pass the torch, we must trust His timing and go for it.

Keep Pressing,
Ken