David
had experienced a series of unprecedented successes since ascending to the
throne. His was a charmed or should we
say a blessed life. Faced with the
double threat of the Arameans and Ammon, Israel fends off Ammon and then
soundly defeats the Arameans. In the
battle, the Arameans lost their command general, 700 charioteers and 40,000
horsemen. Remember this, it is important for later. They were so defeated that the Aramean
confederation of kings asked for terms of peace with David. It was too late in the year to continue the
campaign, but David still faced a serious threat. As long as Ammon was a power in the region,
Israel’s security was insecure.
No
doubt during that winter David and his war council planned the spring campaign
against Ammon. But David would not begin
the campaign without seeking God. Some
scholars believe that Psalm 20 was composed for this occasion. Having won against superior numbers in the
prior year’s campaign David and Israel were not going to presume God’s blessing
this year. Instead, they would begin by
worship. There is a pause at the end of
verse 3. Scholars believe that during
the liturgy at the end of public recitation of verse three that the sacrifice
was performed. After the sacrifice the
Psalm resumes. Confidence born of faith
in God undergirds David and Israel as the campaign is set to begin. Verse 7 says, “Some boast in chariots and some in horses…” and is seen as an
illusion to the crushing defeat of the Arameans in the last campaign. The Psalm concludes with the stirring verse, “Save, O Lord; May the King (the God of
Israel) answer us in the day we call.” We can almost imagine the deployment of
the troops confident of the Almighty’s protection and victory.
In
this emotional high of international conflict, great worship, and stirring
liturgy we may find the seeds of David’s greatest failure. If we have correctly placed this exultant
moment of worship with the offensive against Ammon it is also the context of
David’s affair with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of Uriah. While David was appropriately attending to the
public, pressing and important issues of state and worship he may have
forgotten the personal, subtle and critical issues of his own heart. So aware of the big thing he failed to notice
the quiet thing. Why he stayed in
Jerusalem is not important. The
inadvertent sight of the beautiful Bathsheba was not the problem. It was the
condition of his heart in that moment.
Maybe he was suffering from the fatigue of a long winter of planning and
worry. Maybe he was having an adrenaline
crash after the big moment. But after the great moment he was ambushed; he
didn’t see it coming.
We
face the same challenges in our lives.
We deal with great, big, hugely important issues. We make decisions that will impact years and
many people. We have to deal with the
spot light and the scrutiny. Often we do
it well. But in doing the big, public,
and huge issues we fail to take care of the most personal side of life. It is often after the greatest public
success that we have out most secret, private failures. We may not sire a bastard child or murder a
good friend, but we know and feel that failure.
So,
what do we do as we enjoy the greatest Easter in our church’s history? What is our safe guard after we host the
dedication of the new building? As the
long season of struggle, conflict and slow progress closes how do we
respond? Once back home after the
terrific mission trip what are some steps of protection? Here are three things
that we need never forget.
First,
rest in NOT optional. Rest is in fact
holy. One day in seven that is not about
the work of life but the joy of relationship.
Focused rest is not a luxury in the life of a disciple it is mandatory
wisdom. This is not just one day
occasionally, but one day every week and every night. Stuff your excuses and procrastinations about
rest in a box and ship them to Hell.
Second,
study the Word for yourself. We tend to
read Scripture out of obligation or more likely for a sermon or a lesson from
someone we know. Return to Scripture for
yourself. If we ask, “What is the Lord
saying to me?”, we will never teach or share this; it will be too personal.
Third,
remember God can turn a rock into someone better qualified than you for any and
every occasion. What we call humility is
often nothing more than passive aggressive pride. Pride is often at the root of every one of
our sins. But without the time to
reflect on ourselves and without Scripture to guide our reflection we will
never be able to have the appropriate view of ourselves.
Great
and grand worship is wonderful, but let’s make sure it is linked to the
personal walk with God.
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