When Kings Go Out To War

David was a great king and continues through Scripture to teach us much about leadership. But this is the first time, in all my readings through the Bible, I saw that it was in his greatest failing that these truths come to light. For many years, I have assured people that God can redeem any of our past brokenness and use it for His glory. Well here is an example of this because there are profound truths that come to light if we are tuned in.

As I was reading in I Chronicles 20 this morning, it started with, “In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war…” And it hit me that II Samuel 11 begins the same way. But in the case of Samuel, it goes on to tell about David’s greatest moral failure when he committed adultery and murder for his own lust. In Chronicles, it talks about the winning of the war and David’s break from being a man after God’s own heart as he does his own thing and takes a census. 

As I look through the Scripture there, I see the “slippery slope” developing. First, David did not go to war with his army. He stayed back. It is the first clue that David may be getting a little full of himself. He is exempting himself from the front lines. Now we know from II Samuel what David was doing during that time. He was taking advantage of Bathsheba and sinning against one of his top military men by committing adultery with his wife. David was seeing himself as powerful and entitled in that situation. 

When Joab and his army finished the battle and won the war, David went and collected the 75-pound crown from the Ammonite king’s head and placed it on his own head. He cleaned up the spoils and returned with the army to Jerusalem, acting as though it was his great leadership that won the war. By putting that crown on his own head, David was beginning to believe in his own strength and leadership rather than that of the Lord, a big slide down the slippery slope.

Now David is quite full of himself and believing in his own leadership rather than that of the Lord which allows Satan a foothold and he incited David against God. David calls for a census. Until that point, he was content to go with whatever he had. If the Lord said go, he went. If the Lord said stay, he stayed. He knew that the battle belonged to the Lord and he gave the glory to the Lord. But here, he failed to listen to the Lord and did his own thing. He wanted to know how much military strength he had.

Two things changed here. In II Samuel, we find that the baby born out of the adultery died. But more than that, In Chronicles we find that because of the census, God spoke through the prophet Gad and gave David 3 choices: 3 years of famine, three months of destruction by the sword, or 3 days of severe plague. The famine would affect everyone and was a longer period of time. The destruction by the sword would be humiliating for him as king and he would be at the mercy of others. So David chose the 3 days of severe plague saying he would rather fall into the hands of a merciful God. At the end of those 3 days, David and the leaders of Israel put on burlap and fell face down. They humbled themselves before the Lord. David confessed his own wrongdoing and plead for the people who were “innocent as sheep” and had not done anything to deserve what was happening to them. He finally took responsibility for what he had done and for taking care of the people the Lord had given him to lead. 

So what did David teach us about leadership? Leadership is not about power and entitlement. Leadership is a responsibility to take care of others. When leaders taste power and authority over others, the human tendency is to feel like they are more special than others and entitled to privileges and even more power. But God puts leaders in place to take care of others. When leaders lose that perspective, they quit serving God’s purposes and begin serving their own purposes. Leaders don’t get consumed with themselves over night. Rather, it is a slippery slope. One decision at a time. It is a gradual mental change from serving others to receiving honor and having power over others. It is a change in focus from “God is leading the way and put me here to serve” to “I’m pretty smart and look what I have accomplished!”

“God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that He should make Jesus, through His suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.” Hebrews 2:10 NLT Like Jesus, if we are called to lead, we need to put away our own desires and agenda and keep the Lord and His agenda foremost in our hearts and minds. A leader is a servant, not a god! 

Lord, help me to keep my eyes fixed on You! When I am tempted to serve and honor myself, remind me who I have been asked to care for. Thank You for Your mercy that is new every morning and for Your presence that I so desperately need every day. I praise Your name and give You all the honor and glory. Amen.

When God Comes to Visit

In the Old Testament, there are several times when the Lord came to visit. He met with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He spoke to Noah about building the ark because a flood was coming, He met with Abram and renamed him Abraham and told him he would have a son in his old age, He wrestled with Jacob, He met with Moses on the mountain and in the tent of meeting, and spoke with and through the prophets. God has always sought relationship with His people whom He created. Some are open to Him and are aware of His presence. Others are not. 

The New Testament records the birth of Jesus and the history of His time walking on earth. During that time, there were some who were aware of His presence and recognized Him as ‘God with us’ and others who denied He was anyone special. Shortly before His journey to the cross, He was walking toward Jerusalem. “But as He came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, He began to weep. ‘How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. Before long, your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you.’” Luke 19:41-44 NLT

Jesus wept deeply for all the people who would be crushed and hurt because they did not recognize Him as their Messiah. He came and walked among them, but it was mostly the lowly people of humble means, the wounded, the lame, the blind, the deaf, and those with incurable disease who recognized Him. Those higher in society, the educated, the wealthy, the religious leaders – all who should have known all the signs and the times – could not see Jesus as their Messiah. Jesus said that we need to become like children to enter the Kingdom of God (Luke 18:16-17). Children are open to learning, curious, and looking for someone to look up to. 

There are still people looking for God to show up in big, unmistakable ways, and they are going to miss Him just like the people in Jerusalem did. When He heals, they give the credit to science or good luck or karma. When He blesses them with plenty, they want more and hoard resources leaving others without basic needs being met. When He speaks to them, they blame it on lack of sleep or eating the wrong thing before going to bed, and ignore it.

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” Matthew 25:37-40 NLT

Oh Lord, please open my eyes to see and my ears to hear and my mind to receive Your words spoken to me. Soften my heart so I can see You when You show up. I don’t want to miss You when You come to visit me in specific encounters. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit that guides me daily. Thank You for continuing to visit and invite me to follow You. You are an awesome God and I praise You and give You all the honor and glory, now and forevermore. Amen.

You Are Invited!

“I’m so busy.” “I have too much on my plate right now.” “My family needs me.” “My church needs me.” “My neighbor needs me.” “My job is really demanding of me and I am so exhausted when I come home, I just want to veg.” We’ve all heard these comments over and over. Most of us have said them at one time or another or even frequently. It has become a badge of honor for us to be in high demand and have much to do. Cell phones have put the accent mark on our importance to the world around us. If a call or text comes in, we stop mid-sentence to see who it is and often interrupt the conversation we are in with someone to answer the incoming call or message.

“When the banquet was ready, he sent out his servants to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ But they all started making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’” Luke 14:15-21 NLT

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” Psalm 23:5 NLT

As I ponder these tables, I wonder what it looks like in today’s language. I wonder if it is the Lord providing daily spiritual sustenance through reading His Word, taking time for conversations with Him in prayer, fellowship with other believers, worship music, etc. And we say, “Not today. I’m too busy with other things.” Though we know He always has good things to teach us, encouragement, wisdom, forgiveness, grace, etc., we still say, “I’m too busy. My list is long today and I don’t have time to come to the table He has prepared for me.”

In the parable, the one who prepared the banquet said, “Go quickly to the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame… Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so the house will be full. For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.” Luke 14:21b and 23-24 NLT

When we are not hungry, we don’t come to the table. When we are too full of ourselves and our accomplishments, we don’t have time for the feast the Lord has prepared for us. Those who are hungry come and are fed.

Lord, open my eyes to see the feast you have prepared for me. Create a hunger in me for what you have prepared. Slow my racing mind and help me to linger at the table with You and allow my soul to be fed. Thank you. In Jesus precious and holy name, Amen.