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*Inscription: Writing God’s Words on Our Hearts & Minds*
*/Part 28: King David on Finishing Well/*
*2 Samuel 11-12*
*/August 15, 2010/*
* *
*Prep: *
· Read key David stories (esp.
Goliath and Bathsheba)
· 062, skim leftovers (esp.
p. 1)
*Scripture reading: 1 Samuel 16:1, 6-13 (Sarah Dunn)*
Intro: Great vacation, missed all of you.
Prayer
George washington
Q Little bit of trivia: Who was our *first* *president*?
It wasn’t George Washington, it was John Hanson, and there were six more that you have never heard of after him.
George Washington was the first president under the Constitution.
· Similarly, David was not *Israel’s* first king, but they tried to forget about the first one, Saul.
He was their *greatest* king; he was the one who conquered *Jerusalem* and made it their capitol, he brought greater *unity* to the nation, defeated their *enemies* and gave them security, and *expanded* their *borders*.
But if you know his story at all, you know he has *skeletons* in his closet.
Had he tried to get *elected* in modern *America*, he would be torn apart.
· Even if Bush stole the election and Obama not born here*, *what’s that compared to a murder to cover up an affair?
Finish well
There is so much to say and learn from David’s life.
Entire *books* have been written and long sermon series.
I have *one* week, so I have to pick one theme to try to *encapsulate* it well:
· David’s life is a lesson that it is easier to *start* *well* than finish well.
David starts off *great*, has a huge *moral* *failure*, and never *recovers*.
After his affair with Bathsheba, he is never the same, and his *family* is left in *shambles*.
· A great start is *no* *guarantee* of finishing well.
The message is especially *poignant* for *me* – here I am in my mid-30’s and life is going pretty well.
My *marriage* is doing well, I love my *job*, I am closer to *God* than I have ever been.
I feel like I am really getting a *grip* on *things*.
· I have to acknowledge the *technical* *possibility* of ending up like David, but it seems so *unlikely*.
Maybe you feel the same – you’ve weathered *storms*, *struggled*, *stumbled*, and by God’s grace come out *on* *top*.
This feeling can come creeping in that *we’re* *set* – it can’t happen to you.
Here is something I want you to *think* *about*:
David became king at *30*, and was at his *peak* *spiritually* and *personally* in his 30’s and 40’s.
He was in probably around *50* when he had his *affair*.
Q Does that *surprise* you?
Why?
At what age are we *home* *free*?
When can we stop watching out for sin, especially in the *post*-*Viagra* age?
The sad thing about David is that his life burned *brightly* for the *first* *50* years, but *smoldered* for the *last* *twenty*.
I don’t want that for me, and I don’t want that for you.
· I want us to finish like *Billy* *Graham*, 91 and serving Jesus.
So let’s look at David’s life, and see if we can *build* on his *successes*, and *avoid* his *failures*.
Speaking very broadly, I think we can divide his life into *four* *stages*:
*1.
**Faithfulness: A man after God’s own heart*
From the very *beginning*, David is a man of faithfulness.
David was known as a man *after* *God’s* own *heart*.
This *phrase* is used once, to *contrast* him to *Saul*, who looked good on the outside but wasn’t devoted to God inside.
David was a man who *wholeheartedly* *sought* and *followed* God.
It’s *significant* that it occurs *before* he has done any of his impressive feats, before he fights Goliath, before he refuse to kill Saul.
The *only* *thing* he’s done is *write* *music* – the *Psalms*.
· Psalms give us a unique *look* into *David’s* *soul*, what made him a man after God’ heart.
If the Psalms are any indicator (and they are), David was a man *deeply* in *love* with God.
He firmly believed that God is *good* (Hebrew class: */key/*/ /*/tov/*):
*Psalm 34:8* Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
I love that *wording* – it’s like biting into a firm, ripe, juicy *peach*, and having the juice run down your face.
*Psalm 16:2* I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."
He knows that *everything* he *wanted* flowed from God.
NIV *Psalm 63:1-3* O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
David didn’t just believe that God *existed*, he didn’t consider him an important “*part*” of his life – God was his *everything*, God was his *highest* *joy* and his *deepest* *meaning*.
· I read these things and think, “I *wish* I felt that way – I know I should, and I want to, but I am *not* quite *there*.”
Like *desiring* your *spouse*, you can’t make *will* *yourself* desire God.
As someone who’s trying, here’s how we cultivate a desire for God as our *highest* *joy*, to be a person *after* *God’s* *heart*:
1.
*Daily* *pray* that God become your highest joy – don’t be surprised when find your *priorities* *changing*.
2.
*Immerse* yourself in *Psalms* – most of the Bible tells you who God is and what to do, Psalms help you *experience* *God*.
*2.
**Fearlessness: A man of courage and faith*
From the time God *calls* *David* a man after his own heart and he is *anointed* *king* until he becomes king is *many* *years* (c.
15).
In the meantime he gains quite a *reputation* for his fearlessness.
Story after story displays David’s *courage* – *sneaking* into *Saul’s* *camp*, fighting *lions* and *bears*, military *victories*.
But the best known story of David’s life is when he fought *Goliath*.
The Philistines are *attacking* and *oppressing* the Israelites (BTW: they were Greeks).
They were set against each other across a valley.
At that time it was common for armies of *appoint* *champions* who would fight on behalf of the entire nation.
The idea was the battle was really between the *nations’* *gods*, so the gods would fight *through* the *champions*.
Of course it is *easier* to *believe* that if your champion is 9 feet tall.
David hears Goliath taunting Israel, and he is *offended* for *God’s* *sake*.
He can’t believe the other Israelites are letting him defy his God, the *God* that he *loves* more than anything.
So David, a mere *teenager*, goes up against a *giant*, who is armed to the teeth.
He refuse Saul’s armor and goes out with nothing but a *staff* and *slingshot*.
That takes *guts*.
· After exchanging *pleasantries*, David *kills* him with one shot, cuts off his head with his own sword, and the good guys win.
Virtue tested
That’s a great story, (perhaps we could have played “David and Goliath” at the *camping* *trip*).
But how does it *relate* to our lives in *21st* *century* *America*?
A lot more that you *realize*.
Q Are you a *courageous* person?
Have you asked yourself that?
Stop thinking about *fighting* *bad* *guys* or running into *burning* *buildings*.
Those are displays of courage, but not ones that we need in our *everyday* *life*.
Here’s a *different* *way* to look at courage: It isn’t simply one of the virtues – it’s the point where all *virtues* are *tested*.
· Is love still *love* if you don’t *stand* *by* your friend that everyone else is tearing down?
· Is honesty still *honesty* if gives in when your *boss* want you to *cheat* the system?
· Is *loyalty* to God still loyalty when coworkers are *misrepresenting* *God* and you say nothing?
In everyday life, our *godliness* is *tested* time and time again when it becomes *risky* to do what’s *right*, when we risk *humiliation*, loss of *friends*, loss of a *job*.
· *Courage* is the *strength* to do what is *right* when the cost is *highest* and it matters the *most*.
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