Opus 2026-181: The Man, the King

Recently I heard a Bible lesson in which the speaker related how Saul was a bad king and David was a good king.  Relatively speaking that is true but he added that David was the best of the kings of Isreal.  You may have heard that other places.  It is a common teaching but I am not sure it is accurate.

Consider this statement about Josiah,

2 Kings 23:25 (KJV) And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.

It seems to me that this is praise for Josiah as king that places him above David if you were making a ratings list.  Notice it speaks of him as king.

We often hear this quote about David,

Acts 13:22 (KJV) And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

Here Paul is quoting Samuel,

1 Samuel 13:14 (KJV) But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him [to be] captain over his people, because thou hast not kept [that] which the LORD commanded thee.

The point I would make from this is that God is speaking of David the young man.  This is the David of Goliath fame.  This is the David that refused to kill Saul in the cave.  This is the young, idealistic man before Bathsheba and Uriah, before Tamar, before Absolom.  It is not praise for him as king but for his heart as a man.

David was a man after God’s own heart.  That does not mean he was a king after God’s own heart.  This may not be a great theological point but it is a point.  I might point out that Josiah’s sons did not turn out any better than David’s, and don’t get me started on Solomon.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-151: The Hard Step

When Paul arrived in town and went to the Jews in the synagogues he found a group labeled by various translations with titles like “God-fearing” (4576) who were attracted to the moral teaching of God and to the person of God Himself yet they were not willing to pay the price involved in the law and circumcision.

(Act 13:43 NAS77) Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God.

Paul brought the message of Jesus that allowed them into the kingdom without observing the Law.

Today we have a similar group of people.  Some entire churches are made up of people who are attracted toward “something” in the gospel and yet are not willing to embrace the Jesus who is at the center.

There will be no apostle Paul coming to lower the bar for them.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-229: Will the Real Trump Please Stand Up

Is President Trump our David, Ahab or Tiglath Pileser?

I come to this question because I am currently reading through the life of the Biblical David in First and Second Samuel.  I read this with another phrase in mind that comes from the New Testament.

(Act 13:22 KJV) And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

David is called a man after God’s own heart.  As I read his life I find that a genuine mystery. 

David does not stand out as a paragon of virtue.  One of his early acts as king involved adultery with Bathsheba and the following murder of her husband.  He had people killed in what we would consider murder.  He looked the other way when a son raped a daughter by a different wife.  He was a miserable example of a father. 

And yet God thought he was special.  God used him as the leader of Israel. 

Ahab is best known as the husband of Jezebel.  She was a notorious piece of work.  Literate people today still know that being called a Jezebel is an insult.  Tiglath Pileser was instrumental in bringing down the Kingdom of Israel.  They don’t get much good press but David is lifted up as a great man of God.

I see possible parallels with President Trump.  He has a lot of sin in his life.  So did David.  He rubs a lot of people the wrong way.  So did David.  Yet I think in his heart of hearts he is a man who loves America and is committed to doing his best for her.  I believe that it is possible that he recognizes his flaws and is working on them.  That is between him and God.  I obviously am not a part of the conversation.

Yet it is that heart that might match up with David.  Both are a long way from perfect and yet each has a heart that is committed to what is right.

Possible? 

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-092: Donald and David

Sometimes I ask myself how I can approve of Donald Trump.  As a serious Christian I have certain standards that I think people should live up to.  If I look back over his life I cannot ignore the many times he has showed his flawed side.  I think of multiple marriages.  I think of locker room talk and crude statements.  He definitely has a flawed side and I see it.  Yet I still think of him as the man God has for this hour.

How can this be? 

I think of others who are in the same boat.  I could start with Bible characters.  I could look at how Abraham hid behind his wife because he was afraid.  I could look at how Moses tried to weasel out of God’s call.  For the life of me I cannot see why Sampson is lifted up as a judge of Israel. 

Then you have David.  Name a sin or crime he was not guilty of.  In addition to murder and adultery we have the example he set as a lousy father and a spineless parent.  How is it that he is considered a man after God’s own heart.

(Act 13:22 KJV) And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

I could go on.  I could draw examples from modern times.  It won’t clear things up. 

It is not always clear how to judge people.  Maybe that is why we are cautioned about judging.  Yet we must make judgements.  We live in a republic not a monarchy.  I guess we need to go back to David and try to understand why he stands out.  Let me give a verse that points to a solution to the puzzle,

(1Ch 17:2 KJV) Then Nathan said unto David, Do all that is in thine heart; for God is with thee.

The Bible is not shy about pointing out the many times that David failed as a man and as a servant of God.  The point it makes though is that those failures were points of weakness, not the desire of his heart.  His inner man wanted to please and honor God.  As a flawed human being, he failed often and spectacularly.  I can relate to that in my own life.

Back to President Trump.  I don’t pretend to know how things are between him and God.  I do know that as I look back in his life I see a pattern of loving America and doing countless quiet things to help people, things that the media does not tell us about.  I see a man who has raised children who honor him and are productive achievers.  Even his divorced wife seems to get along with him.  As I look past the failures I see a man who has a heart I can endorse that, if you will excuse the expression, trumps the obvious sins. 

Is he a “man of God”?  It doesn’t matter as much as “Is he a man God is using?”  Keep in mind that God used such figures as Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar and Paul of Tarsus just to name Biblical figures.  He can use Donald Trump.  He can use you.  He can use me.

Good news indeed.

homo unius libri