What's your enemy doing for you?

There is a long story in the Bible about the plight of David, chosen by God to be the next king of Israel, being ruthlessly pursued by the King Israel had hand-selected for the job, Saul.  If you have ever read the accounts, you know the history reflects Israel seeing all the surrounding nations with kings ruling over their countries.  They want to have the same - so they insist to God his rule is not enough - they want a man to stand as king.  Although God discourages them from doing this, he allows it.  They appoint Saul - a good man at first, but he was out of his mind at times - a character trait no one wants in their king.  God works behind the scenes to raise up the one he will anoint to replace Saul - David.  Until such time as Saul is ready to step-down from his throne, David must serve Saul.  His service starts in the courts of his throne-room, playing his harp to soothe the king.  It is this very service which has him right in the place where some wonder if God knew what he was doing when he placed David there!  Saul had a problem with anger, jealousy, and was probably a little unbalanced in his mental health.  He has fits of rage, seeking to kill David, although David does nothing to deserve this treatment.  I wonder how we respond in similar situations?  When we don't deserve the treatment we are receiving, is our attitude one of continued service, or do we strike out in like manner as to what we have been receiving?

When David had finished saying all this, Saul said, “Can this be the voice of my son David?” and he wept in loud sobs. “You’re the one in the right, not me,” he continued. “You’ve heaped good on me; I’ve dumped evil on you. And now you’ve done it again—treated me generously. God put me in your hands and you didn’t kill me. Why? When a man meets his enemy, does he send him down the road with a blessing? (I Samuel 24:16-19 MSG)

Skipping ahead in our story, we find David has to eventually flee from the rage of Saul - amassing a small army of men as he does.  He hides out in the wilderness lands surrounding Israel, often in obscure places like mountain caves or hidden valleys.  Yet, Saul's determination to find David and see him "done in" never seems to wane.  He has many informants in the region - men set on telling the King where David's men have been spotted.  In the midst of what Saul saw as nothing more than David escaping his death, David is actually learning much about the enemies of Israel, often taking them on when they did such things as attacking the grain stores of Israel.  So, even in David's supposed "hiding out", he was still serving Israel - and the one who wanted him dead.

There comes a day when God appeared to have delivered Saul into David's hands.  Saul is alone, unguarded by his military men, needing a few moments of privacy to relieve himself in the shelter of one of the caves David and his men were secretly hidden away in.  Saul does not realize how close he comes to losing his life at the hand of one who we would probably think justified in taking this action since Saul had done everything he could to take David's life on countless occasions.  Yet, David merely cuts the hem of the King's robe.  Here we see something quite different between the two men - one is out for blood without a cause, the other is out to reveal the power of God to restrain the natural emotions of a man.

Our story continues with Saul beginning to go on his way, still unaware of just how close he was to his undoing.  As he is a short distance outside of the cave, David calls to him.  Here we find David, exposed to potential harm - for there was no other way out for him, but into the path of his pursuers.  He stands boldly, declaring to Saul how close Saul had been to his death...BUT he walks free because David chose to serve God's plan and not his own.  There is something quite profound in this revelation we should not miss.  When God has a plan, we may want to "work the plan" a little differently than he has planned it, but there is nothing good which will come from our "meddling" with God's plan.  

Does anyone see the irony in this story?  David is a mere teenager at the time, revealing much more maturity and common sense than his elder king, Saul.  He had more emotional balance, as well.  To me, this bespeaks the power of God in a life to "center" it and give it this balance.  Saul probably knew God, but David "lived" God.  He communed regularly with God, listened to God's teaching, took God's leading.  It is one thing to "know", quite another to "live".

The story takes a turn at this point, as Saul is caught off-guard by the maturity of David - his restraint, the level of submission he had for the one many would have labeled as his enemy.  Here is where we come to our passage today - Saul's confession of sorts.  The observations of Saul are priceless - "You have heaped blessings on me, treated me generously, good has come to me today".  David received nothing but evil at the hand of Saul - he returns nothing but goodness, generosity, and blessing.  Maybe he had already been taught the lesson Paul taught so many years later, "But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head." (Romans 12:20 AMP)

David recognized there was a timing and a purpose to all God allowed in his life.  We often don't appreciate these two aspects of events as well as we should, do we?  We question the timing and we balk at the purpose.  Look at what finally spoke to the heart of Saul - wasn't it David's submission to God's timing and his purpose in his life?  Saul saw the grace of God manifest in David's life - by his actions of constantly returning to play the soothing songs, and ultimately in sparing the King's life when it was clearly within his hands to have taken it.  He recognized something in David which bespeaks the grace of God - generosity, blessing, mercy.  

Don't ever be discouraged by the enemies you face - you may just be the instrument of God's grace who will speak into their lives!  Just sayin!

Bullies Beware!

 ³ Go ahead, examine me from inside out, surprise me in the middle of the night— You'll find I'm just what I say I am. My words don't run loose. ^4-5 I'm not trying to get my way in the world's way. I'm trying to get your way, your Word's way. I'm staying on your trail; I'm putting one foot in front of the other. I'm not giving up. 

(Psalm 17:3-5)

There is a national summit coming up about the effects of "bullying" in our schools today.  The issue has risen to the level that our government is actually stepping in to created "anti-bullying" laws and to present information that will help both parents and educators identify the "signs" that kids are being "bullied".  Isn't that a sad state of affairs for a nation to find itself in?  The need for a summit to address the effects of bullying!  David is facing some "bullies" in his life when he pens these words.  In fact, verse 7 says, "I am running from the neighborhood bullies right to you!"  

I guess I have faced my share of bullies in life (not to say I won't face more along the way).  These individuals are overbearing, unpleasant, and intimidating.  Their targets are the smaller and the weaker.  This was the exact situation that David found himself in as he flees from the armies of King Saul and even Saul himself.  Saul is King - who wants to reckon with a King and his armies?  Not me!  David wasn't a man of great stature - he was a man with a heart for God.  The world often looks upon that as a sign of weakness, not strength!

Yet, David wants us to know that it IS a place of strength!  David even feels so confident in his walk with God that he gives God permission to "surprise him" in the middle of the night and put him to the test.  In other words, he is saying to God that he is not afraid of examination because his words match his actions.  He is not a fair-weather Christian, saying one thing, but doing another.  He is the same in the dark as he is in the light of day.  That is a posture of strength!  

How did David get to this posture of strength?  Well, it seems that he lays that out for us in these verses.  He says that his words don't run loose - he is not frivolous in his speech.  He had learned to "think" before he spoke!  He chose his words well and kept those to himself that really did not need to be spoken.  Ummm....I could take some lessons here!  I am forever speaking - then regretting having spoken!  This is a tough lesson to learn, but if we are to be in a posture of strength, our words need to matter!

Next, he is quite plain about the fact that he is not trying to make a way for himself - he is asking God to make a way for him.  Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to make a name for ourselves that we forget that we bear the name of Christ already!  David had come to the place that he realized that following the world's example of success was not going to get him very far.  Look at Saul - he was a mess!  Out of his mind one day, peaceful the next.  He couldn't handle any form of "competition" without insane jealousy.  He lived in fear and used that fear as motivation to "bully" those that he feared.  

David had embraced God's instructions - his Word - as a way of sorting out what was his own way and what was God's best way.  That is a posture that we all need to assume.  When the Word of God becomes THE factor in our decisions, not just A factor in our decisions, we will be much better off.  We allow all kinds of things and voices to "sway" our decisions.  David had learned that only one voice was worth listening to - the voice of God.  He "found" that voice in the Word of God (the Bible).  It was through exposure to the Word that he knew how to face his enemies.

Last, but certainly not least, he learned that perseverance is not easy.  It was a continual process of putting one foot in front of the other - even when the way got rough.  David is being chased hither and yon, through deserts and into crags in the hills.  He is sought by armies, run after by mighty men of warfare, and attacked by the King himself.  He has not a whole lot of places to turn!  Yet, in that very situation, he assumes the posture of putting one foot in front of the other.  He is still making progress in his walk with God - despite the influences that would attempt to divert him from that exact thing!

I don't want to make light of bullying - it is a real thing that has risen to huge proportions in our society today.  It does not stop in our schools - it is also in our workplaces, neighborhoods, and just about everywhere we look.  There is a posture we can assume against the bullies in our life - whether they are physical people or all of Satan's hosts.  That is the posture David took - living a life that was consistent to the core.  As we do so, we will stand strong against all the bullies that life can throw our way!

Ears, Hands & Feet

Moses then presented the second ram, the ram for the Ordination-Offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the ram's head. Moses slaughtered it and smeared some of its blood on the lobe of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. Then Aaron's sons were brought forward and Moses smeared some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. 

(Leviticus 8:22-24)

This ordination-offering and the anointing of Aaron and his sons seems a little extreme in light of our present day worship experiences.  We don't bring live animals to church with us to present on the altar, nor do we anoint individuals called into service as ministers with blood from a slain animal.  So, what does this passage have to do with us today?  I think we can take a lesson from the anointing that might help us in our own undivided worship of the King of Kings - Jesus.

We don't speak much about "anointing" today - it kind of a lost concept in our present day worship.  Yet, the importance of the anointing of the Old Testament carries a lesson for us today - there was nothing more important than the anointing for evidence that a person was set apart for God's service.  The anointing ceremony was a time when the individual was acknowledging that they were not going to pursue life by their own efforts any longer, but were looking to God to use them - they were making themselves available.  

The anointing involved touching the ear.  The ear is the instrument of hearing. The anointing of the ear was intended to mark the ear as an instrument that was yielded to listening to the voice of God.  Hearing is often the beginning of action because what we hear is passed onto the mind (we think about it) and then it begins to affect our heart (we formulate actions).  So, having an anointed ear helps us "filter" what comes in.  Some of what we "hear" paralyzes us - keeping us from action.  Either because of fear, unbelief, or mistrust.  Sometimes, we just don't listen!

The anointing involved the hand.  The hand is the instrument by which we touch the lives of others.  No other touch may be as significant as that which carries the healing of Christ's love.  We are called upon to reach out to our world - we want to be doing that with the anointing!

The anointing involved the feet.  The feet are instruments of movement - they take us places, or keep us firmly planted where we stand.  Leaders must know when to move, and when to remain firmly fixed in place.  The anointing of the feet is a symbol of obedience.  The child of God will do well to learn to combine the anointing of the ear (the beginning of obedience) with the anointing of the hands and feet (the instruments that carry us into obedient actions).

So, although we don't use blood for anointing today, it is legitimate that we can ask the Holy Spirit to anoint our ears (that we might hear), our hands (that we might learn to touch the world), and our feet (that we might learn complete obedience in our actions).  Anointing of this nature will take us a long way in our walk with Christ.

Agents of change

Before you know it, the Spirit of God will come on you and you'll be prophesying right along with them. And you'll be transformed. You'll be a new person!  "When these confirming signs are accomplished, you'll know that you're ready: Whatever job you're given to do, do it. God is with you!"
(I Samuel 10:6-7)

This passage is taken from the story of the anointing of Saul, the first King of Israel.  Samuel is the prophet in the land at the time.  He had been sent by God to anoint Saul.  In turn, Samuel is telling Saul that he will receive some "confirmation" that God has anointed him.  Those "signs" will be: 1) He will encounter two men at the tomb of Rachel who will share news that his father is worried about his whereabouts and he should return to home; 2) He will come across three men on their way to worship - each carrying a different thing (goats, bread and wine); and 3) He will meet a group of prophets coming out of Gibeah (a Philistine town) - when he does, the Spirit of God will come upon him and he will be transformed!

God's anointing is always followed with an evidence of that anointing.  In Old Testament times, the signs that followed being anointed by God for his service were similar to what is described above.  The Spirit of God came to "rest upon" a man or woman of God in those days - not fully indwelling them.  Why was that?  Simply because the Spirit resident within us was not accomplished until Jesus's sacrifice for the atonement of our sins was accomplished.  The Holy Spirit then became resident within the believer - permanently residing within, not upon.

One thing is quite evident - where the Spirit of God is, there is evidence of his action.  There is a "transformational" process.  The work of the Holy Spirit is to bring us to a place where we have evidence that we have an exchange or change of character.  We transition from being self-directed, self-centered sinners to being Spirit-led, Christ-centered saints.  The "nature" of who we are is transformed.  As the passage implies, "You will be a new person."  That is as true today as it was when Samuel conversed with Saul those many years ago.

The result of the Holy Spirit's work in our lives is to conform us to the image of Christ - to help us walk according to the plans and purposes of our heavenly Father.  In turn, we are to be active in the mission for which we are prepared.  Most of us get hung up right there - we don't "feel" called to service (like full-time ministry of pastor, teacher, etc.), so we don't "feel" we have a mission to fulfill.  In actuality, scripture reminds us that we are each called to be "ambassadors of reconciliation".  (See 2 Corinthians 5:20)

An ambassador is one that represents another - acting as the authorized agent or representative of another.  In our case, we represent Christ to a lost and dying world.  We are the agents of reconciliation.  Big mission, huh?  Reconciliation is a process of bringing back into harmony what has been affected by something that results in chaos.  In our case, it is the process of bringing Christ into a world affected by sin - sin being the agent of chaos, Christ being the process and person of peace.

Paul tells us in the book of Corinthians that we are ambassadors - as though God were making his direct appeal to mankind through us.  He is using us as agents to spread his message of hope.  We each have a mission - an assignment, a commission, an objective to which we are called.  We cannot escape that fact.  We may not feel "enabled", but that is usually because we are relying on our own strength to fulfill that mission.  When we begin to rely on the strength of God's Spirit within us, there is an enabling that will take us beyond our "feelings".

Just as Samuel tells Saul to be engaged in whatever work God gives him to do, we are being called to that same call - do whatever work God gives you to do - for God is with you!  There is no reason for delay - God is with us.  We have an objective - not to attain something in our own power, but to represent the power of God to a world that desperately needs that revelation of supernatural power.  In ourselves, we are powerless - in Christ, we are power-full!  Isn't it time we step up to the purpose for which we are all called?  It is time to be on "mission with Christ" as his ambassadors to a hurting world!