“A hero is someone who has given his or her life
to something bigger
than oneself.” Joseph
Campbell
Fame, power, and wealth can carry a steep price.
Celebrities place great value on how they look and what they wear and how much
they make. But they get bored with it all and forget about the important things
of life like health, marriage, family and doing things for others. Even Bible
characters, even those described as having a heart for God like David was (Acts
13:32), can easily forget God. That was King David. Even the greatest hero or
heroine has a sin nature and feet of clay.
Oliver
Cromwell was a political and military leader in 17th century England
who held the official title “Lord Protector of England.” He once commissioned
an artist to paint an official portrait that would enshrine his appearance so
that future generations would know what he looked like. It was typical in such
portraits for the artist to paint the person’s appearance in a way that made
the person more attractive. (It was an early version of photoshop.) According
to one famous anecdote, Cromwell told the artist who was painting him to paint
him “warts and all.” God’s Word certainly paints its characters warts
and all. That’s one way that we know that God is the author. Human authors would
have edited out those parts that reveal their evil, failures and foibles.
That’s certainly the case with David. 2 Samuel continues the account of David, one of the Bible’s greatest heroes – but paints him “warts and all.” While 1 Samuel shares the account of a godly David struggling and on the run for his life because of the sins of others yet still trusting God with a deep faith, 2 Samuel tells the story of that same faith but now it’s needed because David suffers from the consequences of his own sins. The responding mercy and grace of God for a faltering David amplifies the truth of Romans 5:20: “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” David desperately needed God’s grace and so do we.
We need to hear that message again. Ours is the day of Celebrity Christianity. The Church can’t seem to divorce herself from this People magazine approach to spiritual leaders of today or heroes in the biblical narrative. We hang our hopes on some seemingly great man or woman of God, perhaps a leader of a ministry or church. And when there is a surrender to the same sin nature that each of us has, other Christians are disillusioned and even abandon Christianity. They had their eyes on a man or woman of faith when Christianity is about Christ.
The message of 2 Samuel is about walking through with life as a fallen sinner. It means dealing with danger, enemies, jealous friends, marriage, broken relationships, bitter adult children, pride, politics, betrayal, humiliation, rejection, siblings, sickness, sexuality, justice, fear, peace and death. Yet always at the forefront and in the background of circumstances, events and people is God. It’s always God who is there and with whom we deal. God can never be dealt with in some antiseptic, sterile theological laboratory as a specialty of heaven, but in the muck and mud of this earth.
2 Samuel is simultaneously heavenly and earthly. David’s life doesn’t present us with some sanitized ideal but with a roughed up, scarred life in which we see humanity at its best and its worst. We see God’s hand in the mess of the human situation. Perhaps no other biblical account has the extreme ups and downs than the life of David. It’s a life that hides from God, yet turns to God, comes alive before God, more aware of God and continually responsive to God with a tender, trusting heart.
David never forgot who really placed him on the throne. Even after experiencing remarkable success in battle, David remained humble. Later in his life, in 2 Samuel, after David was crowned king and had conquered his enemies, the prophet Nathan told him of God’s promise to extend his dynasty forever. David responded in humble prayer: “Who am I, Lord God, and who are the members of my household, that You have brought me this far?” (2 Samuel 7:18). While David knew immense success at everything he went after, he never took the credit or considered himself worthy of greatness. He continually gave all the glory to God. He’s an example to us.
One of the greatest examples that David gives us is his integrity. He doesn’t blame Saul or that he was the youngest or was mistreated as a young man. Instead, he takes personal responsibility for his sin and failures. He openly admitted when he was wrong and took the blame for his choices. That’s a sign of deep integrity. Even in the church when we’ve been infected with the Adamic blame game, David models for us how to be cured and healed and freed.
We can never be fully human without God. Contemporary humanity has attempted to jettison God as our Designer and His manual, The Bible, of what it means to have a fulfilled humanity. The results are monstrous. Each human life is a great gift with every part designed by God. It means that every person, every part has a purpose and is blessed by God and life God’s way is meant to be enjoyed and fulfilling.
We can run from God, but we can’t hide, as David learned. We can’t ever escape God. He’s always there, whether we like it or not. We can act like He doesn’t exist just as one can say that the sun doesn’t exist, but the sun keeps on shining, and God is always there. But what we lose is our humanity and we suffer. Our lives are diminished and impoverished.
Ultimately, 2 Samuel points us to the future coming “Son of David,” the one true King. Jesus is the pivotal point in all of God’s revelation. He gathers 2 Samuel and all of Scripture into His orbit. He’s the center and provides coherence. Between the lines of 2 Samuel and David is the coming King, King Jesus. 2 Samuel is just another page in His great story!
As we work through 2 Samuel, we’ll see David with his successes and failures. We’ll see hope and grace. Yet, best of all, we’ll see King Jesus Who is our one true King! Is He your King?
That’s certainly the case with David. 2 Samuel continues the account of David, one of the Bible’s greatest heroes – but paints him “warts and all.” While 1 Samuel shares the account of a godly David struggling and on the run for his life because of the sins of others yet still trusting God with a deep faith, 2 Samuel tells the story of that same faith but now it’s needed because David suffers from the consequences of his own sins. The responding mercy and grace of God for a faltering David amplifies the truth of Romans 5:20: “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” David desperately needed God’s grace and so do we.
We need to hear that message again. Ours is the day of Celebrity Christianity. The Church can’t seem to divorce herself from this People magazine approach to spiritual leaders of today or heroes in the biblical narrative. We hang our hopes on some seemingly great man or woman of God, perhaps a leader of a ministry or church. And when there is a surrender to the same sin nature that each of us has, other Christians are disillusioned and even abandon Christianity. They had their eyes on a man or woman of faith when Christianity is about Christ.
The message of 2 Samuel is about walking through with life as a fallen sinner. It means dealing with danger, enemies, jealous friends, marriage, broken relationships, bitter adult children, pride, politics, betrayal, humiliation, rejection, siblings, sickness, sexuality, justice, fear, peace and death. Yet always at the forefront and in the background of circumstances, events and people is God. It’s always God who is there and with whom we deal. God can never be dealt with in some antiseptic, sterile theological laboratory as a specialty of heaven, but in the muck and mud of this earth.
2 Samuel is simultaneously heavenly and earthly. David’s life doesn’t present us with some sanitized ideal but with a roughed up, scarred life in which we see humanity at its best and its worst. We see God’s hand in the mess of the human situation. Perhaps no other biblical account has the extreme ups and downs than the life of David. It’s a life that hides from God, yet turns to God, comes alive before God, more aware of God and continually responsive to God with a tender, trusting heart.
David never forgot who really placed him on the throne. Even after experiencing remarkable success in battle, David remained humble. Later in his life, in 2 Samuel, after David was crowned king and had conquered his enemies, the prophet Nathan told him of God’s promise to extend his dynasty forever. David responded in humble prayer: “Who am I, Lord God, and who are the members of my household, that You have brought me this far?” (2 Samuel 7:18). While David knew immense success at everything he went after, he never took the credit or considered himself worthy of greatness. He continually gave all the glory to God. He’s an example to us.
One of the greatest examples that David gives us is his integrity. He doesn’t blame Saul or that he was the youngest or was mistreated as a young man. Instead, he takes personal responsibility for his sin and failures. He openly admitted when he was wrong and took the blame for his choices. That’s a sign of deep integrity. Even in the church when we’ve been infected with the Adamic blame game, David models for us how to be cured and healed and freed.
We can never be fully human without God. Contemporary humanity has attempted to jettison God as our Designer and His manual, The Bible, of what it means to have a fulfilled humanity. The results are monstrous. Each human life is a great gift with every part designed by God. It means that every person, every part has a purpose and is blessed by God and life God’s way is meant to be enjoyed and fulfilling.
We can run from God, but we can’t hide, as David learned. We can’t ever escape God. He’s always there, whether we like it or not. We can act like He doesn’t exist just as one can say that the sun doesn’t exist, but the sun keeps on shining, and God is always there. But what we lose is our humanity and we suffer. Our lives are diminished and impoverished.
Ultimately, 2 Samuel points us to the future coming “Son of David,” the one true King. Jesus is the pivotal point in all of God’s revelation. He gathers 2 Samuel and all of Scripture into His orbit. He’s the center and provides coherence. Between the lines of 2 Samuel and David is the coming King, King Jesus. 2 Samuel is just another page in His great story!
As we work through 2 Samuel, we’ll see David with his successes and failures. We’ll see hope and grace. Yet, best of all, we’ll see King Jesus Who is our one true King! Is He your King?
Can
we help you spiritually? Please check out more resources on our church's web
page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more
about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus
changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org
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