Eccl. 2 - The Man in Black

I love Johnny Cash. From the time I first heard “A Boy Named Sue” when I was in fourth grade I was hooked. Although I’ve had seasons following other artists, bands, and genres, there’s always been a place for Johnny Cash.

My favorite album was his final album: “American IV: The Man Comes Around”. It has a simple black cover with a silhouette of Johnny on it and “CASH” in big white letters at the top. It was released less than a year prior to his passing in September of 2003.

The song list is an obvious reflection on life and a pondering of eternity. From the title track “The Man Comes Around” to the final song “We’ll Meet Again”, the CD is packed with a journey of reflection on faith, family, and friendship. The things that when it’s all said and done, he has found to be the most meaningful.

Solomon has found this eternal perspective (in an obviously much deeper, direct, and God inspired way). He lived life to the “full”. He literally dipped his toe into everything that might bring pleasure. He found delight in his work. And yet when comparing the temporal to the eternal, there’s no comparison:

“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” – Ecclesiastes 2:10-11

Solomon went on to reveal that no matter what we believe about these things… it doesn’t change what is true… in the end

“The wise man has eyes in his head, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.” – Ecclesiastes 2:14

I can’t help but think about the revelation that in due time “every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord”. This is a reality. As Johnny said, “when the man comes around”… no matter what we believe about this truth… we’ll not only see it, but we’ll understand it, and we’ll all agree on it.

This brings me both peace and a sense of urgency. It’s an urgency to not only share the Good News of Christ, but also to enjoy the life God has offered. In a world full of legalism and pain, somehow, I think the two work wonderfully together.

“A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” – Ecclesiastes 2:24-26

2 Sam 21 - Lesson Learned

"During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the LORD. The LORD said, "It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death." - 2 Samuel 21:1

What do you do with the Gibeonites? They seemed like a fairly insignificant people, but also seemed to be in the middle of everything, for Joshua, for Saul, and now for David. Because of their location… Israel could not avoid them. There are many lessons that we can learn from Israel’s interaction with the Gibeonites:


(1) Negligence is no better than abuse: David made the connection between Saul’s abuse and his own neglect to do anything about it, and the removal of God’s hand of favor.

"The whole people suffered for Saul's sin; either because they approved it, or at least bewailed it not; neither did what they could to hinder it; whereby they became accessory." – Author Unknown

(2) Inquiring of God is not an option: Joshua’s men did not inquire of God in deciding what to do with the Gideonites, neither did Saul (as evidenced by his attempt to annihilate them) but David did. It made all the difference in the world.

“The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them... – Joshua 9:14-15

“… so David sought the face of the LORD. The LORD said, "It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house..." – 2 Samuel 21:1

(3) An oath before God is an oath before God.

(4) Misguided zeal (Such as Saul’s) can quickly become sin and bring much calamity.

(5) The wages of sin is truly death (Rom. 6:23).

(6) God is just: The “injustice” that we may feel for the men who were given over can give us much perspective on how immensely Graceful the cross was. God cannot turn his back on the penalty of sin. While many are hard to understand under the New Covenant, the Old Covenant stories shed immense light on the necessity of the cross in respect to justice.

a. The method of death was important because it fulfilled the promise of Deuteronomy 21:23: “He who is hanged is accursed of God”. These descendants of Saul bore the curse Saul deserved and so delivered Israel from the guilt of their sin against the Gibeonites.

b. This promise from Deuteronomy explains why Jesus died the way He did. Galatians 3: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us: for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree".

There are many leadership principles that can be learned from this chapter. Most of them come with the hope (and probably agenda) of maintaining God’s hand on our life and our journey. They are very practical and true. But there is more to this story than a list on how to keep God’s favor.

Let’s make it a bit more personal: What do WE do with the Gideonites? From the moment they approached Joshua, to the time they were abused by Saul, to the season they were neglected by David… they were neighbors to the Israelites. Good or bad, and often overlooked, they were there.

And what Joshua, Saul, and David did with or to them mattered to God.

Just like the Gibeonites, there are many people, types of people, and groups of people that are in our “personal space”. Many that, if we’re not careful, can be easily overlooked and considered insignificant to our key pursuits in life. Maybe they are the homeless on the corner, the single mom down the street, the abused wife or neglected kid at the shelter, or the widow next door. Maybe they are our employer or employees. Maybe they are that girl we see every day that hands us a coffee at Starbucks. Maybe the cop who just wrote us a ticket. Maybe they are the “trainee” at HEB, who somehow got stuck working the express lane (while we were running late). Whoever they are, they are all around us.

And they are real people with emotions, struggles, fears, hopes, dreams, and needs.

Today I was thinking about Joshua’s original oath to the Gibeonites in Joshua 9 (Which Saul broke, and now David is reconciling for). While most of us have not made an oath directly with such people groups as was done in biblical times, we certainly have done the same when we step into a covenant with Christ to live as His disciples. By receiving His Grace, we are agreeing to His ways. This includes loving others… no matter the cost. It includes taking the focus off our selves. It includes fighting against injustice and fighting for the oppressed. Paul urged the Church at Ephesus, “to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Or as Jesus put it, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

Or as my wife puts it, “Be nice.”

When we wonder where the famine came from, whether it be emotional, spiritual, or physical, maybe we should inquire of God like David did, and see what oath we have broken.

2 Sam 14 - Wise Communication

Gary Chapman has made a killing with his book, “The Five Love Languages”. Not just because it comes with an inherent marketing genius, but also because it’s claims are true. Speaking how you want to speak does not ensure clear communication, identifying and speaking the way others need to be spoken too does. We must learn to speak the language of our hearers.

This is exactly what Joab did in finding a mediator for Absalom. He found a woman of wisdom, and she spoke the language of David.

“So Joab sent someone to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought from there. He said to her, "Pretend you are in mourning. Dress in mourning clothes, and don't use any cosmetic lotions. Act like a woman who has spent many days grieving for the dead. Then go to the king and speak these words to him." And Joab put the words in her mouth.” 2 Samuel 14:2-3

At first it seems manipulative… and there was much risk… but the heart and intention was so pure, it ruled out. Ultimately, it was the right thing to do.

I can’t help but think about the church today. For years we have spoken our own language and expected outsiders to just “get it”, or else. Act a certain way, dress a certain way, even talk a certain way, “oh, brother, great to see you… oh yes, amen brother… doth things goeth well with you?”

Isn’t it funny how we are tempted to instantly pretend we're someone else the moment we hit the doors of a church building or get in the presence of someone who we know is more “Spiritual” than us? The R.E.M. song "Shiny Happy People" always comes to mind. We feel the pressure to act like we've got it all together, no problems or concerns. If it impacts and changes how we act, just imagine how odd and uncomfortable that feels to a non-believer seeking truth. No wonder the greatest accusation of a skeptic of faith is hypocrisy and/or a lack of authenticity.

We have to learn to speak the language of our hearers. And be brave enough to be ourselves. Jesus did that intuitively. It’s not a language of compromise. Therefore we have to discern the line of compromise. It’s not a language of law and behaving, it’s a language of love and belonging. It’s the heart of contextualizing the Gospel. Missionaries have been doing it overseas for years. It’s biblical and effective. We should do it here too.