Down an Unfamiliar Road

YOUR WORST CAN BE GOD’S WONDER –

We read very few stories about David’s life that caused him more joy and brought him more fulfillment than when God’s presence was returned among His people as the Ark of the Covenant was restored in a place of honor in the holy sanctuary built especially to cover and protect it. You can certainly feel the excitement surrounding a jubilant king dancing in the streets because God now sits in the midst of His people? Now they had a place to sing, a place to worship, a place to give thanks to their One True God for His forgiveness. No wonder David wrote this lyrical psalm to express his joy and exhilaration on this special occasion.

“O One True God, I quietly stand in awe of You, to honor You with holy reverence. All who pray to You, know You’ll listen. That’s why when I couldn’t bear my unforgiven sins anymore, You willingly pardoned my rebelliousness. Yes, every person should count their blessings when You invite them to come and sit down in Your presence; so You can fill them with spiritual goodness in Your house, yes, in Your holy sanctuary. It’s so awesome the way You offer Your grace, O One True God our Savior; yes, You are a beacon of hope to all mankind, from sea to shining sea. And it’s all because of who You are—the One with all the power needed to put the mountains where they sit; to calm the raging seas and roaring waves, bringing peace to those who were afraid. Even those who live in the most remote regions on earth marvel at how You perform such wonders; so there’s not a day that goes by that they don’t lift You up in praise. For they see how You treat the earth like a garden; tending and watering it, O One True God, to make it rich and fertile out of Your abundant resources. This, in turn, provides crops to harvest; all because of Your divine irrigation system that fills its furrows, thereby invigorating its growth. So when harvest time comes there is plenty of grain to reap since You walked through Your garden, watering it so that its growth spreads as it blooms and blossoms. Thereby the land comes alive as the meadows fill with flocks and the valleys are adorned with grain. No wonder everyone who sees it shouts for joy and breaks into song.” Psalm 65:1-13

Reflection: A little boy living on a small farm near a great forest loved to play among the trees. Every day after chores he would head for the woods; to stand and look up in awe and wonder at the great firs and pines growing tall near his house. One day he noticed a small sapling struggling to find light within the shadows of the giant trees. So he dug it up and transplanted it near the edge of the clearing for better access to the sunshine. Each day he’d water this little sprout, becoming much attached to it as it grew taller and taller. One day when he went out to water his growing tree, he found it broken and lying on the ground, snapped at its base with no lifeline to keep it alive. A large bear had rolled over it and knocked it down. His heart was broken, so he picked up his young tree; sobbingly he dragged it to his father to see if he could mend it. Tormented all the next day while in school, he came running home to see if his dad had saved his tree, only to hear his father say, “I couldn’t fix your tree, son.” The boy began to weep, but his father gently placed his big hand on his son’s little shoulder and continued, “But I didn’t throw it away either;” then leading his tearful child into his workshop, the father pointed toward the workbench and said, “There’s your tree now!” The boy looked in astonishment at a small wooden train his father had carved out of the small tree trunk. In so doing his dad had transformed tragedy into triumph by carefully shaping a locomotive, two boxcars, and a caboose. Perhaps David felt the same way about Israel, the vine God took out of the darkness in Egypt and planted it in the bright light of the Promised Land. After King Saul’s disastrous failure and defeat at the hands of the Philistines, David came sobbing to God because the beautiful Ark of the Covenant that God directed to be carved out of that vine was now missing. But God had already protected that Ark as a tribute for David and His people to remember Him by, all David had to do was go get it. So let this be a lesson for all of us. With God nothing is so broken and shattered that He can’t transform it into something beautiful for His glory. All we have to do is bring it to Him, and trust Him to make the best out of our worst. If you have trouble believing this, just look at what He was able to ­do with the cross!

GIVING UP MEANS GIVING IN –

While David sat in exile, he no doubt thought back on all of his earlier encounters with King Saul and his assassins. Perhaps in trying to see a parallel in the way God delivered him from Saul’s claws, he wondered how God would likewise spare him from Absalom’s clutches. But what irked him more than anything was the gall his traitors had in advising Absalom to revolt; how insensitive and calloused they acted, especially since all of them once swore their allegiance to him, and he considered them some of his closest friends and confidants. What were they thinking? Why were they so easily persuaded? But he was not about to let their defection from loyalty dash his hopes that his faithful God would deliver him.

“O One True God please listen, I need You; I’m depending on You to keep me safe from the evil intentions of these people who hate me. Please protect me from this gang of evil men; from this mob of evildoers who use their tongues like swords and their words like poison arrows to ambush innocent people, and couldn’t care less how much pain they cause. They even cheer each other on, and brazenly brag about what they are planning to do; thinking that no one will even notice or care. They’ll come up with any excuse they can, but never admit that what they are doing is wrong. However, my One True God has them in His sights; He knows how to stop them in their tracks. He will use their own words to bring them down, and everyone who sees it will just shake their heads in awe and amazement as they think it over and talk about how our One True God handled the situation. So let those who depend on the LORD Eternal cheer Him on; yes, let those who live according to His will join me in celebrating Him. Psalm 64:1-10

Reflection: According to a popular story, in 1922 organizers of a high-society extravaganza scheduled Ignace Jan Paderewski, the famous Polish composer-pianist, to perform at well-known Carnegie Hall. A young mother decided to bring her nine-year-old son to the concert with the intention of inspiring him to passionately embrace playing the piano and stop complaining about his piano lessons. They sat in a sea of tuxedos and fancy dresses under elegant chandeliers. However, the young boy’s only focus was on the beautiful ebony piano sitting on the platform. While his mother was distracted, he slipped up on stage, and in order to impress her began playing “Chopsticks” on the grand piano. The audience collectively turned their heads toward the stage at this unexpected fiasco and whispered, “What in the world is that boy doing up there?” “Where are his parents?” “Someone should get him offstage.” Backstage, Paderewski heard the music and was drawn to look through the curtains. He grabbed his coat and with no introduction walked over and knelt behind the boy. He then reached around both sides of the young lad and began improvising a counter-melody to enhance the boy’s playing of “Chopsticks”. As he played, Paderewski kept whispering in the boy’s ear: “Go ahead. You’re doing great. Keep it up! Don’t stop. You’re okay. Don’t listen to the audience. Keep going. Keep playing.”

Perhaps David felt like a little boy being booed because of the way he played his hand in response to Absalom’s rebellion. Critics and back-stabbers began to openly shout at him and call him names; until he had to run away and find a place to hide. But it’s as if the LORD put His arms around David and kept whispering, “Don’t quit, son, don’t stop, you’re doing fine.” That’s why David now encourages all believers to join him in magnifying his God who never quits, who never stops, who never gives up on those He loves.

INTEGRITY IS NOT CHEAP – 

One of the books I enjoyed reading for inspiration was “Up From Slavery” by Booker T. Washington, the founder of Tuskegee Institute in 1881. The circumstances in which this great man grew up in and all that he overcame to have an enormous impact on America, especially those who came out of slavery, is highly admirable to say the least. He tells a story of honesty and ethics that should motivate us all to be more vigilant when we make a promise. Here is that story in Dr. Washington’s own words:

“I have said that there are few instances of a member of my race betraying a specific trust. One of the best illustrations of this which I know of is in the case of an ex-slave from Virginia whom I met not long ago in a little town in the state of Ohio. I found that this man had made a contract with his master, two or three years previous to the Emancipation Proclamation, to the effect that the slave was to be permitted to buy himself, by paying so much per year for his body; and while he was paying for himself,he was to be permitted to labour where and for whom he pleased. Finding that he could secure better wages in Ohio, he went there. When freedom came, he was still in debt to his master some three hundred dollars. Not withstanding that the Emancipation Proclamation freed him from any obligation to his master, this black man walked the greater portion of the distance back to where his old master lived in Virginia,and placed the last dollar,with interest,in his hands. In talking to me about this, the man told me that he knew that he did not have to pay the debt, but that he had given his word to his master, and his word he had never broken. He felt that he could not enjoy his freedom till he had fulfilled his promise.” (The Country Life Press, Garden City, N.Y., 1900, 1901, Ch. 1, pp. 14-15).

If a man who had no reason other than personal integrity could fulfill a promise he made to another man, how much more should we be determined to fulfill our promises to God and each other. My hat goes off to Dr. Washington, and I salute this unnamed brother for his faithfulness and honesty. They both should become paragons for us to emulate.

GO AHEAD AND SAY IT –

As king David sat in a crude camp in the wilderness far from his palace in Jerusalem, he couldn’t help but feel despondent. During those days Jesse’s son often thought of what might be taking place back on Mt. Zion as Absalom and his cohorts took over the throne. But he never gave up hope that God might intervene and Absalom would be convicted of his treachery and turn to his father for forgiveness. So he wrote this psalm to share many of the emotions he felt during this low point in his life. In his spirit David knew that God was taking care of him in a very special way. But he also knew that if he kept this all sealed in his heart that it could ferment into uncontrollable anger and hatred. So he trusted the Lord to understand what he was feeling, and help him cope with it.

“O One True God, my Sovereign God, I need You and want to be near You. My heart aches for You; I’m like a parched field, all dried up inside and in dire need of spiritual refreshing. My soul longs to be in Your presence; I want to witness Your power and glory once again. Without Your steadfast love there’s no reason to go on living; that’s why I continue to praise Your Name. That’s why I will keep on praising You as long as I have breath, while I lift up my hands to You in appreciation for who You are. So as You fill my soul with Your sweet Spirit, my mouth will celebrate You with joyful lips. And as I meditate on Your goodness, after I’ve laid my head on my pillow, I will think of You late into the night. For You give me assurance. And as I feel Your presence all around me, my mouth fills with joyful utterances. That’s why I can’t let You go; because You’re the One that keeps me going. As for those out to ruin my life, let them disappear from the scene. As a matter of fact, let them all be brought to ruin and their estates become plunder to scroungers. But as for me, I will rejoice in my One True God; and all who have stood by me will celebrate when they see these lying scoundrels silenced.” Psalm 63:1-11

Reflection: On Wednesday, November 10, 1982, Vice President George H. W. Bush attended the funeral of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, as a representative of the United States. Vice President Bush later told how he saw Brezhnev’s widow, Victoria Petrovna, standing motionless by the coffin. She did not move until seconds before the guards came to close the casket, and just as they reached up to take hold of the lid, Mrs. Brezhnev performed the most unprecedented act of courage and hope he’d ever seen; her gesture deeply moved Vice President Bush who called it one of the most profound acts of civil disobedience ever committed in a communist state. Before the lid could be closed she reached down and made the “sign of the cross” over her husband’s chest. There in the bastion of godlessness, the widow of the man who ran it for eighteen years showed that she never lost hope. Little did she know that in less than a decade communism would fall and allow Russia to return as a believing nation.

No doubt as Absalom gained power, and more and more traitors joined him, David held out hope that God would one day bring Israel out of this mess and restore, law, order, and worship. Perhaps there in the city of refuge, David knelt facing Jerusalem with closed eyes and envisioned the cherubs looking down on the Mercy Seat ready to accept the blood of the sacrifice that would bring forgiveness to his nation. Like Mrs. Brezhnev, David never lost hope in God’s ability to turn things around in even the most trying of circumstances. Each of us should ask ourselves the question, “Do we possess enough hope and courage to show our God that we are loyal, and He can count on us no matter how bad things may get? For His sake, let’s hope so.

DOES IT MATTER WHO CARES –

There were occasions when David could afford to wait for God to rescue him, but there were other times when he felt extremely pressed and needed an answer right away. Those were the incidents when people he thought were loyal to him, betrayed him; it was then that his patience and resolve were tested most severely. Nothing tried David more than Absalom’s rebellion, aided by some of David’s closest advisers, in a bitter subversiveness of their loyalty to him. It may have been prevented if David had initially taken a harder stand in dealing with Absalom’s foolish murder of Amnon. But now his lack of action was coming back to haunt him.

“I sit here quietly waiting only for my One True God to give me an answer; there’s no one else who can solve this dilemma but Him. It’s His blessed assurance that keeps my faith strong and secure; as a matter of fact He’s the only one I know I can trust completely. I keep wondering how long I’ll suffer undue criticism by people who think I’m a push-over; I wish they had to go through what I’m going through. They have one goal in mind: that is to destroy my reputation. They seem to enjoy being hypocritical by saying good things to my face, but behind my back they are vicious. But I’m not going to complain while I wait for my One True God to act; just knowing that He cares, keeps my hopes alive. It’s His blessed assurance that keeps my faith strong and secure; as I said, He’s the only one I know I can trust completely. So I say to all my fellow believers; don’t hesitate to pour out your hearts to Him; our One True God will not let you down. Remember, people with little to offer appear and then vanish like one’s breath in cold air, while highly successful people are like a mirage. And when put together they offer less than a breath of hot air. So don’t put your trust in uncertain investments, nor put your hopes in dishonest deals; even when offered a chance to strike it rich, pay no attention to it. For our One True God made one important statement from which I have gotten two nuggets of wisdom: that all authority belongs to our One True God, and, that the ability to see us through also belongs to Him. So it is our One True God who will reward every person according to their faithfulness in serving Him.” Psalm 62:1-12

Reflection: Civilla Durfee Martin, a school teacher born in Nova Scotia, Canada, lay on her sick bed in a Bible School in Lestershire, New York. As she laid there one Sunday afternoon, while her husband was out on a preaching assignment, she began to think about her miserable condition. She and her husband had dedicated their whole lives to ministry, sacrificing whatever it took to get the job done. Yet, here she lay stricken and unable to serve alongside her mate any longer. But instead of complaining she decided to express her feelings in poetry, saying how she really felt about her situation. Here are some of the words she wrote: “Be not dismayed whate’er betide, God will take care of you; beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care of you. God will take care of you, through every day, over all the way; He will take care of you, God will take care of you.” That poem was put to music and became one of the favorite hymns of the church. And just to show she was not finished, she later wrote another poem put to music entitled, “His Eye is on the Sparrow,” that goes: “Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heav’n and home, When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He: His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” David no doubt saw his situation in a similar light. Here was a young lad called of God to slay a giant; then after being anointed as king, had to run for his life just to fulfill God’s plan. He finally made it to the throne as a renowned warrior and champion. But now, here he sat in a lonely wilderness refuge because one of his sons, and several of his trusted aides, plotted against him. Yet, like Civilla he was sure that his God would take care of him. If your problems have been similar to theirs, then be glad you can trust the LORD the same way they did?

HAPLESS BUT NOT HOPELESS –

As David slowly ambled on the road over the Mount of Olives, while leaving Jerusalem during Absalom’s rebellion, his heart was already aching with misery and discouragement. He left the city reluctantly, but knew he had to get out before Absalom got there with his band of rebels. After Absalom arrived in Jerusalem and discovered his father was gone, he took off after him, chasing him to the banks of the Jordan River. On the other side David found a city of refuge about 10 miles further east along the Jabbok River in Gilead named Mahanaim. This is where Jacob has his vision of angels going up and down the ladder to heaven, and where he wrestled with an angel. Here David would also wrestle with disappointment and shame, proving to be one of the most humiliating times in David’s life, but he wasn’t about to let it become a hopeless situation.

“O One True God, if You are listening please respond to my plea. I’m calling out to you far from home, and I admit I’m getting scared. You’ve got to find me a hideaway higher up than where I am so I can’t be captured. You’ve always helped me cope before, and given me the assurance I need to stand firm. Oh, if only I could find a place of worship and run to the altar; to be surrounded by Your presence. You know the vows I’ve made to You, and You are known for granting the requests of those who worship You for who You are. Don’t let this be the end for me; let me carry on serving You for years to come. I always want to be under the anointing of my One True God; I can make it if I know You love me and will give me victory. So when I get my life back in order, I will never stop praising You for who You are, as I continue serving You day after day.” Psalm 61:1-8

Reflection: William Cowper was a great English poet, but was known for being physically and emotionally unfit to pursue any profession. Although he won admission to the bar, he never practiced law. After a severe battle with depression he retired to the British countryside in a village named Olney. It was there he met John Newton, the writer of “Amazing Grace.” Life did not get any easier for Cowper as he battled periods of deep depression and more than once considered suicide. Yet his faith in God brought him through time and time again. This inspired him to write a poem titled, “Light Shining out of Darkness,” which contains these inspiration words often quoted today as scripture: “God moves in a mysterious way; His wonders to perform.” There’s little doubt that David experienced God moving in a mysterious way to accomplish His will for David’s life. But David refused to let that discourage him to the point that he gave up and surrendered. While he fervently dealt with his immediate problems with one hand, he held tightly onto God with the other. Like Cowper, David was inspired to write a poem in order to give comfort to others. So let every believer be reminded that what they say during times of trial and tribulation may become the words that inspire those who follow them to remain steadfast and firm in their faith. This is possible when you remember that the God you serve is also steadfast, firm and committed to carrying out His will and purpose for your life. So no matter how frail we are as humans, it never diminishes the greatness of our God.

LEARNING THINGS THE HARD WAY –

Sometimes David allowed his emotions get ahead of his thinking. When Nahash, king of Ammon, died David wanted to pay his respects to the man who once gave him refuge from King Saul. But David apparently ignored the fact that year’s earlier Nahash threatened to gouge out one eye of every Israeli man in Jabesh Gilead unless they willingly served him as slaves. So David’s sympathy for this tyrant offended the people of Jabesh and caused a rift throughout Israel. It also caused him great humiliation, when the son of Nahash took the envoys he sent to convey his condolences, shaved off halve their beards, cut off half their clothes and sent them back in disgrace.

“O One True God, You have rebuked us as a nation; it’s like we are being torn apart. We realize now You didn’t like the way things were done; so please let us be friends again. Our society has suffered a moral earthquake; ripping us to pieces. Please do something to bring us back together again before everything caves in on us. You permitted things to fall apart so You could teach us a lesson; and what You allowed to happen plunged our country into confusion. Still, those who love and respect You have a banner to rally around in the name of truth. So for those You love, use Your power and Your influence to bring them back their freedom; let that be Your answer to my prayer.” Psalm 60:1-5

Reflection: Aesop, the great Greek story teller, once told about a mule being led by his master down a mountain trail to the village below. From the road high above the town the mule spotted his stall at the foot of the mountain, and figured the quickest way to get there was by going over the side of the cliff. When he started to leap over, his master caught him by the tail and tried to pull him back to safety. But the stubborn mule was determined to get there his way and kept straining hard against his master’s efforts. Finally in desperation the master said, “Okay, you wild beast, do it your way” as he let go of the tail. The mule jumped and tumbled head over heels down the mountain side. It doesn’t take a genius to see the moral of this story, and it may be the source for our famous English saying: “Stubborn as a mule.” But believe it or not, this incident is repeated day after day by those who will not listen to reason or friendly advice because they’ve made up their minds to do things out of emotion rather than wisdom, and ignore the common sense of those who’ve been through the same circumstances. That’s what happened to David in his case with Nahash king of Ammon. But God chose to let him learn a lesson the hard way without abandoning him. God knows how we acquire knowledge that we respect and follow, and in spite of the bumps and bruise we get, He also knows it will make us wiser and more open to advice the next time. So the next time your stubbornness causes you to fall flat on your face, get up, thank the Lord for the lesson, and continue on your way determined to listen the next time.

DON’T BE A CRY BABY –

David was on the mountain top of popularity. This young lad from Bethlehem had just brought down a menacing Philistine giant named Goliath, causing all Israel to rejoice. King Saul invited him to come live in the royal confines at Gibeah. He became best friends with Saul’s son Jonathan. He was adored by all as a hero. But when Saul heard the crowds singing and cheering David as a champion, he became jealous and began plotting David’s demise. The sudden change was a shock to David, so he went to God for an answer and guidance on how to cope with this unexpected change in his life.

“O my One True God, I can’t survive without You; You’ve got to protect me from those attacking me. These evil people are out for blood and I need You to defend me. I didn’t offend or harm these people, so I can’t see why they attack me without warning, and for no reason in order to ruin my life. They came up with this idea on their own; I didn’t do anything to provoke it. You’ve got to do something quick; I need for You to get involved. That’s why O LORD Eternal, O One True God of Heaven’s Armies, yes, the One True God of true believers, I’m leaving it up to You to hold them accountable; don’t let them get by with this when they pretend to be innocent. They remind me of stray dogs who roam around the city at night snarling and foaming at the mouth as cutting words drip from their lips because they don’t think anyone is paying attention to them. As for You, O LORD Eternal, their actions make You shake Your head because You have no time for such nonsense. And because You are my Champion I’ll just wait for You to intervene; yes, my One True God is my only need for protection. For as my faithful One True God, You won’t let me down; in fact, You will make it possible for me to have the last laugh at my opponents. As for me, I will begin each day singing about Your power and love; how You came to my aid in times of trouble. And because You are my Champion I will sing about You; I will sing about my One True God who was there when I needed Him; yes, my One True God who never fails.” Psalm 59:1-10, 16-17

Reflection: A young pastor was chatting before service with one of the members in his new church in an effort to get better acquainted. Suddenly the man lowered his voice and in a let-me-tell-you-something-you-really-ought-to-know tone, and trying not to be too obvious he whispered discreetly into the pastor’s ear, “You see that member over there? He had too much to drink one day, drove his tractor through my fence, into my garden, and destroyed all my vegetables that were almost ready for harvesting! You need to watch out for him.” Later that week the pastor paid a visit to that “terrible farmer,” to find out what really happened. It turns out that the event mentioned took place over twelve years ago! But to hear the other man tell it you would think it took place just last week. The farmer who drove the tractor explained how he admitted his fault and apologized over and over to his neighbor, but to no avail. His neighbor didn’t want to give up the grudge he used over and over. Finally he just quit trying to reconcile with him. How many of us have had a similar experience. Perhaps we too have taken someone aside and told them to be careful with that man; or don’t trust that woman. Whatever the reason, our selfish intent is to point that other person out so they can be somehow kept in check and not attain too high a standing. Unfortunately, when people do this sort of thing they are saying more about themselves than the other person? In his prayer David was not trying to make King Saul look bad, just to get back at him. He was simply being open and honest with God about his feelings for being picked on for no reason. But in the end, he trusted His God to deal with King Saul; all David wanted was for God to give him the strength and grace he needed to put it all aside so he could get on with the mission the LORD had given to him. He knew if he didn’t get this out of the way, it would become a stumbling block. This can serve as an example for all of us in similar situations.

Proverbs 12:25-26 “The desire of the lazy man is what kills him, for his hands will not work. He is filled with desire all day long.” The venerable Jewish rabbi Moses Maimonides commented on this by saying, “It is because he neglects to seek the thing which might satisfy his desire, he does nothing but desire, and hopes to obtain a thing without using the means to reach it.” How many people have you met who want so much, but show no interest in obtaining any of it through hard work, commitment or patience? How many students want straight A’s, but cannot bring themselves to study? How many preachers want to be the very best expositors of the Word, but take no time to search the Scriptures? How many believers want to be used more by God, but find little time to train and prepare? The list goes on and on. So the next time you see something you want or need, or hear something you’d like to know more about just remember, chances are you’ll never get it or learn it unless you are willing to seek it with all your heart and energy. The rest of Solomon’s proverb ends like this, but the man who is right with God gives all he can.” – Dr. Robert R Seyda