The Cross Speaks for Itself - Audio

We know the trajectory and David’s actions here won't surprise us. He’s taken Abigail. He’s taken more concubines and wives. He’s taken Michal back when he already had all the other women - he shouldn’t surprise us but… “the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart,” (1 Sam. 16:7). And Samuel said to [Saul], “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you, (1 Sam. 15:28). A heart once right before God, a neighbor better than Saul. But before our time here is done. . .

Recorded at a mid-week evening service, missionaries Samson and Priscilla Retnaraj, Indian nationals serving in Nepal, share about their long, ongoing work in Nepal. Find out more about them at friendsmission.com!

David’s a king, reigning like Jesus in both justice and righteousness. And, like Jesus, he's bestowing grace and kindness - raising one from his status as a crippled descendant of David's enemy to the king's table, while trying to bless another who resists and rebels against him. Some things never change.

Sermon originally preached March 12, 2017. If you’re looking for black or white answer to politics here, I don’t think you will find it. If you’re looking for peace with politics, I think you WILL find it.

The Lord does receive our Thanksgiving. Was David at fault to want to build God a house? I wouldn’t say at fault. I would point out there were prescribed ways of thanking God through the fellowship offerings. For God, His heart towards David? “It’s not about what you do for Me. It’s about what I’m doing for you!”

I like when this Promise comes. It comes not in or after chapter 11, when David’s stealing a wife and murdering her husband. And God has not been consistently with David through battle, and toil, and delivering those enemies into his hands, and delivering David out of these enemies, and giving him Jerusalem wondering, thinking the whole time, “When is payday?!" That’s not God’s heart!

“When I’m stuck in sermon prep, have I asked the question?” The question being, “How does this remind me of Jesus?” I couldn’t get over the image of a procession into Jerusalem. Where have I seen that before? Jesus’ Triumphal Entry of course. The biggest difference about David’s Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and Jesus’ so many years later…? Is What David accomplishes when he comes to the tabernacle, reminds us of what Jesus does in His Temple. Although Jesus went to the Temple in Jerusalem and hung the proverbial out of order sign on the door, He still has a Temple, where like David, Jesus is giving bread for the masses.

We see over and over that "the LORD with with David!" And you say, “He’s David! King David! God had a plan for his life, he’s the king after God’s own heart, it was set in stone! It was meant to be! But not me. The Lord’s not with me.” And yes it’s God’s Word, it’s history, it’s come to pass, but the story was being written as David walked this earth. And the pages weren’t set in ink yet. And the reality is as Christians, we have the LORD with us as He did! Let it not be in vain!

This isn’t how David operates. Here’s why he doesn’t operate that way. I feel like some Christians want to distill our faith down to mere mysticism, and not reality. Some Christians want to stress human agency so much to the point of denying God any practical insertions into life. Don’t let God’s providence and omnipotence make you lazy, but don’t let man’s responsibility make you ignorant or begrudge God’s working. His providence and omnipotence.

Violence. Power. Force. “This is how I’m respected.” It makes no sense to some when David catches Saul in a cave relieving himself, and David has the ability right then and there to put an end to Saul. It makes no sense to Abishai when the entire army is sleeping, and Saul’s just lying there right next to his spear… and in both instances David does not fight the way Saul has fought. He chooses mercy. He chooses God’s Providence. But in that culture, and in ours sometimes, we say he’s choosing weakness. Powerlessness. Will David ever grow a backbone? Will he ever find that fierceness that led him to slay a giant? Or was it fierceness, power and strength then?