Psalm 40 – Mud and Mire

Just a quick and encouraging word from Matthew Henry on Psalm 40:

“Doubts and fears about the eternal state, are a horrible pit and miry clay, and have been so too many a dear child of God. There is power enough in God to help the weakest, and grace enough to help the un-worthiest of all that trust in him. The psalmist waited patiently; he continued believing, hoping, and praying. This is applicable to Christ. His agony, in the garden and on the cross, was a horrible pit and miry clay. But those that wait patiently for God do not wait in vain. Those that have been under religious melancholy, and by the grace of God have been relieved, may apply verse 2 very feelingly to themselves; they are brought up out of a horrible pit.”

“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” – Psalm 40:1-2

“Christ is the Rock on which a poor soul can alone stand fast. Where God has given steadfast hope, he expects there should be a steady, regular walk and conduct. God filled the psalmist with joy, as well as peace in believing. Multitudes, by faith beholding the sufferings and glory of Christ, have learned to fear the justice and trust in the mercy of God through Him. Many are the benefits with which we are daily loaded, both by the providence and by the grace of God.”

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 19 - Sin Matrix

You’d almost have to have a degree in psychology to fully understand what’s going on in chapter 19. You’d certainly have to know the story well as to how David and his men found themselves in this situation. Needless to say, Absalom was now dead, and while David knew it had to happen it was completely wrecking him emotionally. And it was killing him as a leader.

“Joab was told, "The king is weeping and mourning for Absalom." And for the whole army the victory that day was turned into mourning, because on that day the troops heard it said, "The king is grieving for his son." The men stole into the city that day as men steal in who are ashamed when they flee from battle. The king covered his face and cried aloud, "O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!"” – 2 Samuel 19:1-3

These men cared so deeply for their King that although they were simply obeying orders in going to war, they could not consider it victory. Scripture says that they were like those who were ashamed.

I’m trying to understand David’s grief. The guilt must have been immense. What an awfully tangled mess he created in his sin. David and all those close to him were suffering the consequences. Because of his personal sin he had to flee and drag all his men and their families with him out of Israel. Because of his personal sin his very own son was pursuing him and wanted to kill him. Because of his personal sin thousands died at war including his son. And because of his personal sin he could not publicly grieve for his dead son or he would lose the only things he had left.

David was grieving much more than just the death of a loved one. He knew this whole journey was his fault, and he was frozen as a leader. Good thing Joab stepped in.

“Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, "Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines. You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead. Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the LORD that if you don't go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come upon you from your youth till now." 2 Samuel 19:5-7

Most of us have something that consumes and ultimately distracts us. We should take a moment to consider what it is personally or emotionally that is keeping us from what we need to be doing (and HOW we should be doing it). What sin or shortfall, what inadequacy or insecurity, what concern or fear, what wound or tragedy do we have that impacts how we are living, how we are leading, and how we love God and others. I think that is a good question to ask.

Most of us don’t have the ability to just decide not to care about something, especially something big. We can’t undo our reality. But what we can do is pray and move forward. And there is a big difference between moving forward and moving on (the what v.s. how). We can choose to do what we know we should do. Do what is right even before we want to. Do what is noble even when we don’t feel we have the strength. Do what is needed even if we still wonder if the sacrifice is worth it. If we wait until conditions are perfect, we may never move. If we wait until we want to, we may never want to. All we really need to know is what we should do. Action in doing what is right is a great healer. It’s when we stay frozen in our emotion that we continue to spiral downward. And bring others with us.

Action in itself can be a form of worship. When we step out of neutral, for the sake of the King, we are laying ourselves at the feet of the King. We are giving a tangible offering of our selves, and our emotions, and replacing them with trust in doing what is right in His eyes.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into PRACTICE. And the God of PEACE will be with you.” – Philippians 4:8-9

Ruth 1 “It Still Hurts”

Ruth 1 – Brandon Hatmaker “It Still Hurts”
Austin New Church – South Austin Cares
Friday, September 26th, 2008

"Don't call me Naomi," she told them. "Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me." – Ruth 1:20

It’s so easy to skip over Naomi's pain in chapter one and go on to the story of Ruth and Boaz. Naomi had lost her husband and both of her sons. No one should have to outlive a child, needless to say both of them. I cannot imagine the grief that would cause. But don’t forget her husband had died as well… Naomi had no person to heal with but her daughters-in-law. This was real pain.

But we know how the story goes, right? We know how God literally redeems the situation and a son was born whose lineage just two generations later would birth King David, and eventually Jesus. Although those victories were born out of extreme pain, Ruth would have never married Boaz with out the death of a son and husband.

It’s so easy to look at someone else’s pain and say, “Just trust God, He is faithful”. It’s easy because it’s true, and especially when it’s someone else’s pain. But although we know God will be proven faithful… it still hurts and we should never forget that.

So Today I'm thinking of all those I know who are in pain. I think of all of those who are suffering in this moment who have lost a loved one, are from broken homes, have broken relationships, are jobless, maybe homeless, are living under circumstances that are from things that are out of their control or even those that are from personal mistakes, for those experiencing consequences of others actions, the list goes on…

May God comfort you in your season of need. Forgive me if and when I have ever neglected your feelings. Forgive us as the church when we are not understanding or worse for not responding to your pain. May God teach each of us how to humble ourselves and care for one another. May God give us compassionate and empathetic hearts as we wait for His rescue and healing.