- araratchurch
- Jun 1, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 19, 2024
“In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem.”
2 Samuel 11:1 NLT
What does it mean to “back off’ of something? Well, when we back off something, it means that we are relaxing our efforts and losing intensity in the direction of that effort. Think of one car pursuing another. Backing off can mean just taking your foot off the gas, all the way up to slamming on the brakes.
Yesterday we talked about King David’s confrontation with the prophet Nathan. He had become blind to his own acts of injustice and could only see his sin through the lens of what “someone else” had done. As promised yesterday, we begin a little journey into how justice becomes perverted by a close examination of the story of King David and Bathsheba.
For many well-meaning people, the slide toward injustice begins with the first venturing out onto a “slippery slope” (a concept we have recently employed here). Often, that slippery slope comes masquerading as just “relaxing a bit,” “not being quite so intense about things.” “Chilling.”
Of course, we know that stress can damage us in many ways. However, what we are referencing here is not keeping a high stress level, rather, it’s about maintaining our steadfastness in righteousness.
Think about it, just a “slight” laxness in your thought life, can be the “crack in the door,” giving access to what will—at a later time—become full-blown disregard for what is right, disregard for what is just.
“A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.”
Proverbs 24:33-34 NLT
Just as laziness can lead to poverty, just so, spiritual laxness or laziness leads to poverty of spirit. And, poverty of spirit, can lead you to disregarding God’s ways. We do well to heed this warning:
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
1 Peter 5:8 NLT
Instead of King David going out to conquer the enemy, he stayed at home to “rest.” So, what was wrong with his resting? That the fact of his staying home, rather than going to war, is mentioned along with the remark, “In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war,” signals a cause-and-effect relationship between his staying home (when he should have been at war), and what would later occur.
Beware of slippery slopes in your life. You might think you have on the right “shoes” to handle it, but beware, there are many at the bottom of that slope who thought the same thing. Don’t join the stranded victims at the bottom of a slippery slope by backing off from your pursuit of what is righteous!
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- May 31, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 19, 2024
“So the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: “There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor. The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle. The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man’s own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest.” David was furious. “As surely as the Lord lives,” he vowed, “any man who would do such a thing deserves to die! He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity.” Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife.”
2 Samuel 12:1-9 NLT
As my sons were growing up, there would be times we would observe behaviors in others we found objectionable. Of course, these things would include blatantly sinful behavior. But within that context, it would also include behaviors we think of as being “common” behaviors: name-calling, gossiping, and so on.
Now, when my sons would feel the sting of others’ hurtful behavior, I would remind them that it would not look any different, it would not be any different, if they were to do such things.
So, why do we even have to be instructed that our own bad behavior is not somehow “different” than other people’s bad behavior?
The reason this truth is often lost on us, is because of the fact that when we do something we have deemed objectionable and/or sinful in others, we do so within a context of knowing “why” we have done such things. In other words, we rationalize what we’re doing. Yes, we allow our emotions, motives, personal agenda, etc., to pervert justice.
Additionally, there can be good old denial at work, denial that what we’re doing, is EXACTLY what we clearly saw as being wrong when committed by others.
Now, why are we talking about this phenomenon (to each his own “stench” is sweet) on only the second day of our consideration of justice?
You must understand, in order to be able to rightly stand before the Lord, asking for justice for yourself, you MUST be one who practices justice. Consider the following quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin:
“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.”
Ah, there it is, we cannot define justice/injustice only in terms of what does or doesn’t affect us personally. Righteous justice will NEVER flow to us, if it won’t flow through us.
“Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.”
Amos 5:23-24 NLT
Here, God was telling His people that He did not want to listen to their songs of praise or worship when they were basically living their lives with no concern as to whether they were being just.
In our opening scripture we see the prophet Nathan presenting King David with a story that spoke of injustice. King David could clearly see the injustice in the account. Yes, he could be objective, thinking the story did not concern him.
However, David had done a very terrible thing (a story we will examine over the next several days), yet he was not aware of the severity of the sin or the injustice he had exacted, until he thought someone else had done the deed. The awful and painful truth was that his deed, was much worse than the deed in the fictional account of the man who took someone else’s lamb!
If we are to seek justice for ourselves, for our families, for our country, we must seek justice for all! Remember: one cannot stand asking for justice, unless their first statement is, “Let it begin with me.”
Like I said, it doesn’t look any different when it’s you.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- May 30, 2024
- 4 min read
“Therefore thus says the Lord, “Behold, I will plead your case And take full vengeance for you; I will dry up her sea and great reservoir And make her fountain dry.”
Jeremiah 51:36 AMP
On 11/21/21 I was seeking the Lord as to the next adventure we would be pursuing in the “Word of the Day.”
At that point in time, the Lord gave me several series consisting of any number of “Days”on a topic. The Lord chose the topic and the number of days, and I started in on each one, knowing He would be in charge of the direction of the adventure. Having just finished one of those series, I was asking the Lord where we would go next. He spoke to me in very clear terms that we were to have “47 Days of Justice.” The answer was so clear and so immediate that I had no doubt that the Lord had spoken. So, we embarked on our next journey: “47 Days of Justice.”
Now I’m very much a “round number” person, so I wondered why the 47 days. Naturally, I counted where that would take us. So, counting the first day, 47 days, made the 47th day, fall on January 6, 2022.
Now, few people in America—for that matter, in the civilized world—are unaware of what happened on January 6, 2021.
However, the 47 day series on justice was not meant to give commentary on that event. But, as I have said before, what we saw on that day, was undeniably the result of people feeling as though there had been a great injustice.
So, why am I speaking of this today? Well, as I was seeking the Lord over where He wanted me to go with the word, He supernaturally directed me back to that series on justice.
Again, I don’t have to tell you what happened yesterday. In an unprecedented move, a former president and current presidential candidate was found guilty of misdemeanor charges elevated to felony status. Indeed, many experts across the spectrum of political identifications have said that this whole process (including other charges being made elsewhere), go against a mountain of jurisprudence in the United States of America.
But, make no mistake, as we revisit this series, I will not be looking for an opportunity to pontificate on that or any other particular event. And, that event was nowhere in my mind when the Lord showed me what to pursue. The Lord has directed me back to this and I unapologetically press toward His mark.
So, we begin today with our “47 Days of Justice.” I will be presenting that same instruction with whatever the Lord wants to add to it, or take from it. We will go one day at a time seeing what He would have us to know and understand about justice from His perspective.
You see, God’s perspective is that of Truth, a Truth we can only see through His eyes (by way of the Holy Spirit). Indeed, His sight is unlimited. The Lord doesn’t observe through a frame of reference limiting His ability to rightly perceive and judge.
A frame of reference—by definition—is a boundary on one’s considerations. More simply put: your experience, your desires, your agenda, etc., will definitely skew and limit your judgment in terms of the nature of any situation, with justice being no exception.
God has no such difficulty. As such, many of the things we see the Lord do, or allow, seem to be an enigma to us. But remember, we have His Spirit in us so that we can—to some extent—see as He does.
Also remember, even though there will be things we can’t understand as they are occurring, we can rest in the Lord’s peace, and are undisturbed, even then.
It is also good to know that whatever ultimately happens to us is in the hand of the Lord. And, as we have recently discussed, He is the One to Whom all will give an account.
Consider this scripture:
“For the Lord is our Judge, The Lord is our Ruler, The Lord is our King; He will save us.”
Isaiah 33:22 AMP
When you belong to the Lord, you can be assured that even the most egregious injustices you do not now understand, will ultimately be answered by the Lord.
The Lord meant it when He said this concerning those who were oppressing His people:
“Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.' For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone and there is none remaining, bond or free.”
Deuteronomy 32:35-36 ESV
Vengeance belongs to the Lord. He alone is worthy to judge because His judgment is pure. Therefore, His justice is holy.
If you have been feeling frustrated, and it seems that “bad guys” are winning, please know that God is watching. He is waiting. And when the time is right, justice will be served!
“The Lord helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads. The eyes of all look to you in hope; you give them their food as they need it. When you open your hand, you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness. The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth. He grants the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them. The Lord protects all those who love him, but he destroys the wicked.”
Psalms 145:14-20 NLT
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!