David gave orders...'Canvass all the tribes of Israel...and get a count of the population. I want to know the number.' 2 Samuel 24:2 (Msg)
But when it was all done, David was overwhelmed with guilt because he had counted the people, replacing trust with statistics. And David prayed to God, 'I have sinned badly in what I have just done. But now God forgive my guilt - I've been really stupid.' 2 Samuel 24:10 (Msg)For those of us who are "number people", this scene is difficult to understand. Good statistics and accurate counts are usually highly valued in business, in accounting, in academics, in scientific research, in our monthly budgets. Why does God send an epidemic for counting noses? Crabb's words shed some light,
"And then, like a rich man committed to his ongoing comfort who checks his stock holdings every day, David numbered his army to reassure himself that he could remain in power. For a short season (and more than once), David valued a comfortable life above a holy life and built his house on sand." 66LLOh. I relate to that much more. During my brief career, I would check my company stock value daily. These days, I like a daily status of bank accounts and children's grades to see "where I am". Yes, through the power of the internet, I can easily check if my husband's business got paid by anyone. And I can also see what grades have been entered for my kids. Sadly, knowing these numbers can give me a little emotional boost or cause a slight panic. So, why do I even go to these sites? Because, like David, I replace trusting my God with trusting in numbers. Like David, I must say, "I have sinned badly."
Who is this God that we can trust more than we can trust the numbers in our lives and the supposed comfort they represent?
God is bedrock under my feet, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight.
My God - the high crag where I run for dear life, hiding behind the boulders, safe in the granite hideout;
My mountaintop refuge, he saves me from ruthless men.
I sing to God the Praise-Lofty, and find myself safe and saved. 2 Samuel 22:2-4 (Msg)As we finish 2 Samuel,
- How is God's love surprising you? (22:20)
- How is God rewriting the text of your life? (22:25)
- Are you opening the book of your heart to His eyes? (22:25)
5 comments:
101: Number of days we've been on our Bible-reading adventure.
27.1: The % that we've completed of the Bible.
I am so thankful today for chapter 22. I love me some statistics. And i do put a lot of trust in them. Stupid.
My big takeaway: God doesn't need me to fight His battles. Which also means I don't need to even *worry* about His battles. He is the ultimate warrior and victor!
Just found out that my friend is not going to do the awful thing she was planning on. Happy tears. Our God is mighty to save!!! Believe it, friends. It is so true! :)))
Yay Della! :) Our God IS mighty to save! He's a mighty God! Praise the Lord, our sovereign good Lord!
We're done 2 Samuel! Honestly, it didn't feel like a love letter to me at all. I just see deaths, deaths, deaths everywhere and still lots of mess. This world is so messy. God's love is surprising me by really being so great and as vast as the heavens are from the earth...last night I was praying that if His love was so great, how come I can't just be in it all the time? Why can't I just feel it all the time? I think He was showing me that I don't live in a perfect world yet. It's still fallen and that's why I need to keep my gaze on Him- and even that He'll help me with. He'll catch my gaze once I look at Him.
I'm learning that God is giving me a bleeding heart in this world- I get really sad and broken for lots of things around me. And I'm just feeling so restless to be with our God in Heaven. It's strange but in the midst of this yearning for Him- I pray that it would just draw me closer to His love and His presence right now- that He would help me to be in His story now and be my Rock, my Redeemer, my Strength when I am feeling so tired and energyless. I yearn to move my life from its sandy foundation to His firm foundation and keep it there. I yearn to find my confidence and joy and life from Him everyday. Listening to: Yearn by Shane&Shane. love it.
Love the focus on numbers, Staci. Total conviction! I too am guilty of depending on the "facts" at the expense of trust in my God.
I have a few takeaways from 2 Samuel:
1) Discipline my children well and leave a legacy of faith. Seriously. I'm surprised at how many glimpses we've had that part of the problem was because David didn't discipline his kids well. It doesn't seem that a healthy fear of God was present in a few of them - at least Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah.
2) Remember to give to others what God has given to me. Take to heart the command to love others well, despite their behavior. The beautiful story of David's kindness to Mephibosheth because of Jonathan is inspiring. It was fascinating to contrast that with how David treated his son Absalom, shunning him. The price David paid for that sin was extremely high. God's ways are better!
3) David's prayer: "Who am I, my Master God, and what is my family, that you have brought me to this place in life?..."You've done all this not because of who I am but because of who you are - out of your very heart! - but you've let me in on it. That's what makes you so great, Master God! There is none like you, no God but you" 2 Samuel 7:18-22
And to answer your question, Staci, I feel like I am opening the book of my heart to His eyes, and He is showing me so much about myself - my sin, my self-righteousness, my unholiness. Yet at the same time, I am more aware of His great love for me and His incredible mercy and grace in my life.
This certainly feels like one of the lowest spots in my life. And it all started with losing both of the church jobs representing 29 years of our lives due to lack of #'s in church growth. Yet, what my Beautiful God did was 2 Sam 22:20. He brought us out into a spacious place. Our #'s don't look good tonight but my heart spills over with the Light of the World Who rescued me. He reached down, imagine that! Took hold of even me and keeps on drawing me out of these deep waters. 2 Sam. 22:17 ~ I trust Him here in this deep mess.
In light of seeds of sin I see in my own heart that need some serious attention, I was struck by this line in David's praise song:
"I stood there saved - surprised to be loved!" (2 Sam 22:20)
Awesome. A simple, yet heart-piercing truth for me when I want to be down over my re-visiting sin. Thanks be to God!
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