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WORD TO MUSIC
SILENCE
All right, last week we left off with Peter standing before the devout men and telling them point blank that they they had not only delivered Him into evil hands to be put to death but that death could NOT hold Him.
Look out!
Thus far Peter has appealed to prophecy of the Old Testament to show who Jesus was and he has appealed to the facts of His miracles and death and resurrection.
And then after bringing up the fact that the grave itself could NOT hold Jesus Peter introduces another figure from the Old Testament that the Jews revered – David.
So last week we read and examined Acts 2:22-24 where Peter said:
22 “Men, Israelites, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by powerful works, and wonders and miracles, which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know,
23 this One given to you by the before-determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken and by lawless hands, crucifying Him, you put Him to death;
24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.
And he continues on saying:
Acts 2.25
September 27th 2015
Milk
Acts 2:25 For David speaketh concerning him (saying) . . .
Now before we read how Peter appeals to David’s words, let me speak a bit about David (Dah-veeed).
First of all the name DAVID is mentioned 969 times in the Bible. Jesus is mentioned 943 times. This, of course is kind of a cheesy comparison because Jesus would NOT be mentioned in the Old Testament at all while David would be referred to in the New based on need.
Additionally, Jesus is known by dozens of other names in scripture where David is pretty much known as David so its no wonder he is mentioned so much.
But I point out the numerous times David is mentioned to show the prominent role he played in the Nation of Israel and the bringing forth of the Gospel to Man.
Moses is mentioned a couple hundred times less than David in scripture and Abraham is mentioned some 500 times less – this again helps show how importantly the Jews viewed David in their religion and faith – and it’s one of the reason Peter quotes and appeals to David here at the day of Pentecost bfore this audience of devout Jews.
David (his name is pronounced in Hebrew as Daw-Veed) which means, “beloved,” was the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, who was a citizen of Bethlehem, the place where David was born. (TYPE)
His father seems to have been a humble man who lived a humble life. (TYPE) His mother’s name is not recorded but some scholars think she was the Nahash of 2nd Samuel 17:25.
Scripture tells us that David was red-haired, and according to 1st Samual 16:12 and `7:2, he had “beautiful eyes and a fair (or handsome) face.
His early occupation was that of tending his father’s sheep on the uplands of Judah. (TYPE) It appears that while out in the fields engaged in this occupation he also learned to play what is referred to as “the shepherds flute.”
Scripture reports that David first encountered wild beasts of the field as David himself says that “with his own unaided hand he slew a lion and also a bear when they came out against his flock, beating them to death with a club.
(TYPE)
While still a youth and caring for his flocks, Samuel paid an unexpected visit to Bethlehem, having been guided there by divine direction (according to 1st Samuel 16:1-13).
There Samuel offered up sacrifice, and called the elders of Israel and Jesse’s family to the sacrificial meal.
Among all who appeared before him he failed to discover the one he sought. David was sent for, and the prophet immediately recognized him as the chosen of God, chosen to succeed Saul, who was departing from the ways of God.
Samuel in anticipation of David taking the throne, poured anointing oil on his head and David went back again to his life as a shepherd but scripture says that “the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward,” and also that “the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul” (1st Samuel 16:13,14).
Not long after this David was sent to soothe Saul with music as Saul had what scripture calls, “a troubled spirit,” which appears to be depression.
David played before the king so skillfully that Saul was greatly encouraged and began to entertain great affection for the young shepherd boy.
But again, after this event David went back home to Bethlehem.
But God has anointed him and He would ensure that David, as the anointed King of Israel (TYPE) would come to prominence.
While David tended sheep the armies of the Philistines and of Israel were in battle in the valley of Elah some 16 miles south-west of Bethlehem.
David was sent by his father with provisions for his three brothers, who were then fighting on the side of king Saul.
When he arrived in the camp of Israel, David (it is thought he was now about twenty years of age) was told that a Philistine giant, Goliath of Gath, came forth to defy Israel.
You know the story – it is found in 1st Samuel 17 and is one of the most inspiring of all the Bible – David, unafraid, said he would fight the monster.
He was at first mocked, then they tried to put their armaments upon him – but David refused them and armed only with his sling and some rock, he – with a well-trained, struck the giant’s forehead. When he fell senseless to the ground, David then ran and cut off his head with his own sword.
And Israel had the victory. Standing there on the Day of Pentecost every single one of those devout Jews knew this story and revered David from a child.
Well of course David’s popularity blew up and it also blew up King Saul’s jealousy of him (TYPE) which he exhibited in a number of ways – most of which included trying to kill David. (TYPE)
All of Saul’s plans failed and only served to make David greater in the eyes of the people – including in the eyes of Saul’s son Jonathan who had a great relationship with David.
Because of Saul’s hatred David became a fugatice and fled to Ramah to the prophet Samuel, who received him, and he dwelt among the sons of the prophets where David was trained under Samuel.
David was a writer and it is believed by some that the sixth, seventh, and eleventh Psalms were composed by him at this time of his life.
When we say that David was a fugitive he was only about three miles from the residence of Saul, who soon discovered whither the fugitive had gone, and tried ineffectually to bring him back.
When it became apparent that Saul wanted him dead David fled and wound up in the stronghold of Adullam near Nob.
In short order David had 400 men gathered around him who acknowledged him as their leader.
In his rage at the failure of all his efforts to seize David, Saul gave orders for the massacre of the entire 85 members of the priestly family at Nob. One person, Abithar escaped and told David what occurred.
Saul continued his pursuit of David and in a couple of instances David actually had Saul at his feet but refused to kill him out of respect for the fact that Saul was still King.
These types of acts reveal the remarkable character of David. Each time David showed Saul mercy it broke Saul – one temporarily another time for good and Saul admitted that David would ascend to the throne. (TYPE)
After a war series news reached David of Saul’s death. An Amalekite brought Saul’s crown and bracelet and laid them at his feet. David and his men rent their clothes and mourned for Saul and his son Jonathan and wrote a beautiful lamentation over their deaths known as “The Bow.”
This was taught to children as a means to keep the memory of Saul and Jonathan alive. Scripture says, “”Behold, it is written in the book of Jasher,” showing that not all of David’s writings made it into the Old Testament.
Under divine direction David and his men now set out for Hebron. There he was immediately “anointed as king.” He was now about thirty years of age. (TYPE)
I want to point something out here that may or may not have merit. There are a lot of parallels between David and Jesus, with David’s life picturing Jesus.
David was anointed three times in his life.
First as a youth (before ever becoming king) then secondly as king over Judah (which we just covered) and then finally as king over all Israel. We have just reviewed the first two annointings.
Jesus too was anointed three times in my estimation. First, when He was born and came into this world. He was not a king yet, but was only recognized by the wise men and others in the temple to become one.
Then when He was baptized the Holy Spirit descended like a dove anointing Him again. Finally, it seems that His ascendency to the throne of God and return with judgement were His final annointings as King and Priest.
Now, what did David experience between his first anointing as a youth and this second anointing over Judah?
Trials, suffering, preparation, rejection, warfare, wandering and yet true.
Could these things David experienced provide us with insights into Jesus life between being born and his second anointing of the Holy Spirit at His baptism?
From the life of David could we gain insight into what Jesus experienced during the years where the New Testament is silent?
Describing the Lord we know from Hebrews that “He learned obedience by the things He suffered.”
This is heavy but 1st Peter 4:1 says something profound regarding this:
“Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin.”
In other words, I believe that the life David lived were pictures of the life Jesus lived between His birth and His baptism; that it was a time where Jesus suffered in the flesh therefore never sinning.” I think there could be something to it.
Anyway . . . back to David.
He has been anointed King over Judah but that was only over the southern Kingdom of Israel.
Nevertheless his title to the throne was not undisputed and there were plenty of wars but they always ended favoring David.
When all the rivals were dead, David, who was reigning over Judah from Hebron was finally anointed King of all of Israel.
At this point King David sought out a new seat of government to be the capital of his empire. At this time there was a Jebusite fortress on the hill of Zion known as Jebus. David took this from the Jebusites, made it both Israel’s capital and his residence where he built a palace.
This City known as Jebus became Jerusalem, City of David and then City of Peace.
Twice the Philistines came to invade Israel – twice David delivered them.
Then David brought the Ark of the Covenant, after a bunch of delays, to Jerusalem and placed it in a tent that he purposely had made to hold it.
David then carefully set in order all the ritual of divine worship at Jerusalem, along with Abiathar the high priest. This began era of new religious observation for the Nation of Israel with Mount Zion becoming “God’s holy hill.”
In its attempt to surreptitiously assume itself as the New People of God the LDS, while still recognizing Israel as elect, have taken all of these features in ancient Israel, revamped them, and assigned them to themselves – which is why there are places and references here in Utah called Zion, and temples, and priesthoods, etc.
At this point, according to 2md Samuel 8, David entered into a series of conquests which extended and strengthened his kingdom. Within a few years an enormous territory was under his sway.
(TYPE)
At this height of glory, ruling over an enormous empire and very wealthy and powerful, David did what men often do when they reach the heights that men can reach – he fell.
The fall began with adultery, taking a woman named Bathsheba and getting her pregnant.
The interesting thing about David’s adultery is God had given Him, as King, all the wives and concubines he wanted.
I realize this is an affront to our gender sensitivities today but let me tell you, better to be one of the many wives of a King than an unmarried woman who got all of her identity through her husband.
And it wasn’t like God approved of polygamous relationship and concubinage – in His permissive will He allowed it – and it never did anyone any good in the long run – except maybe those women who needed rights and those men who liked a variety of women in their lives.
In any case, this was not enough for David. Like two were not enough for Joseph Smith or Brigham Young. The practice is one of ego-centrism and displays of power and control.
David’s son Solomon, who would follow in after him and built the first temple, a man who was blessed by God with the greatest wisdom and wealth’s downfall was due to his fleshly love for exotic women – who ultimately led him away from the true and living God and into paganism.
So, never having enough, David took another man’s wife.
AS the Bible tends to do, we can’t help but note that when we read accounts of David’s grand military career they are covered in a few verses.
But the account of his fall (and all the stories and addendums related to it) are covered in detail serving as a warning for the defeats we all experience in the flesh.
David’s first crime, as sin almost always will, lead to another more egregious – murder.
As a living expert in the ways of sin, I tend to explain it this way:
First, a hair around a finger.
Then a thread around the wrist.
Soon a rope around the neck,
Then deep inside deaths rotting fist.
It’s the reason we warn young people about establishing sinful habits early – there’s nowhere to go but down if left unchecked.
The progressive nature of sin – something the Greeks termed the paradox of pleasure which is defined as:
Pleasures once tasted often need to grow in frequency and intensity because they loose their effect.
I’m not saying this was what happened to David – his second sin was a matter of trying to conceal the first – which is often the case.
But I think we can say if David had not been called out on his murderous action and affair he could have continued down that road in a spiraling descent.
Thank God for the Spirit of God which is constantly calling us to the things of the Spirit and not the flesh, giving us constant reminders that if we keep living life in the fast lane we may go right over the edge.
Sometimes we get the notion that within us is enough good that we can, without God, create of build a world where love and peace and reason would reign.
I would suggest two things to this thought. First, if God was to pull back His influence over the world not to mention believers, we would not survive but would spiral down until the whole of humanity would be left feeding off the limbs of the rest.
The second thought I have toward this is that while I am convinced that Jesus has come and taken His church (not His body of believers but His apostolic church) in 70 AD I do believe that the world of human beings could at some point destroy itself if all of humankind turns from God.
Anyway, as I think I mentioned last week Bathsheba conceived while her husband was absent and so David had to do something with him or his crime as King would be discovered.
According to 2nd Samuel 23 David had him “set in the front of the hottest battle” at the siege of Rabbah and then has his fellow soldiers pull back leaving him alone to die – which he did.
It was here that Nathan the prophet was sent by God to bring David’s crimes home.
When he did David became truly penitent, bitterly wailing for his sins before God. The thirty-second and fifty-first Psalms are David’s writings on how deeply he struggled in His soul (but listen) they also record his spiritual recovery.
Bathsheba became his wife after Uriah’s death and their first-born son died, as Nathan said he would. To show that God had forgiven David and Bathsheba she then gave birth to a second son, whom David called Solomon, and who ultimately succeeded him on the throne and would be through whom the Messiah would be born.
After the national and private wars David thought of building a temple for the ark of God. God told David that this could not be because David had been a man of war. We note that God did NOT tell David it was because his crimes with Bathsheba and Uriah had not been forgiven but because he had spilled so much blood.
God did however, send Nathan to David with another message – a gracious one this time.
2nd Samuel 7:18-29 records the words of David who went to the sanctuary-tent where the ark was and sitting before the Lord, poured out his heart in words of devout thanksgiving.
The message that Nathan gave David from God was that the building of the temple was reserved for his son Solomon, who would be a man of peace.
At this point David entered into so difficult times in his life. Prior he had been blessed with prosperity and success. Now things were going to change.
I began with a crime of his eldest son, Amnon, who raped his half sister Tamar.
In this we begin to see some of the fallout from the many wives of David as this served as the beginning of the disasters of his later years.
Two years after the rape Absalom, a son from David’s wife Maacha, had Amnon killed which crushed David’s heart.
Then there fell upon the land a three year famine, followed by pestilence where 70,000 perished in the space of three days.
The reasons for this punishment upon the Nation of Israel? David counted the armies. Sound strange?
There’s a lesson in it – an important one that carries out to out Christian walk here and now.
So important that I am going to wrap out time up together to explain it.
In the interactions between the true and living God, (who created all things, governs all things, and is holy) and Man, (who is a created out of the dust but in God’s image yet subject to sin) God wants several things to exist.
David the Psalmist sums it up when he wrote in Psam 34:18:
“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”
Psalm 51:17 says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”
Isaiah 57:15 says “For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
From these passages and many more we know that God loves those who are of humble hearts before Him.
On the wall to my left is a series of passages from Jeremiah 9:23-24 that summarize the whole matter well:
“Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.”
Behind me we have another set of passages chosen to highlight this principle – you know them, we sing them – they say:
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
If there was EVER a constant biblical message it is this – God wants those who are His to place their full trust and faith in Him and NOT in anything else to see us through, whether it be other men, riches, armies, our own strength, our talents, our friends – NOTHING – but Him.
Throughout scripture we have amazing pictures of this don’t we. Why? Because the concept is so bloody hard for most of us to live.
And so we read of types and pictures of this in the Old Testament.
Of Jacob (a man of faith) and Esau (a man who trusted in himself).
We read of David taking on Goliath without any armor but only His faith in the true and living God, a sling and a rock.
We read of God taking Gideon’s armies down from 10,000 men to 300 to show His power and might not mans.
We have Psalms 20:7 say:
“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”
There are passages and stories and pictures throughout scripture that repeat this central theme:
We have Jeremiah 17:5 say:
“Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.”
And we have Paul clearly state in 1st Corinthians 1st 27-29
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence.”
And yet still, we, like David, are prone to count our armies rather than look to Him in all things unfailingly.
Since I stepped out and have spoken freely about things in the faith the ministry has taken a serious hit financially from where we were when I had the applause of men for my rancor toward Mormonism.
God has always kept me deliberately in a place where I have to constantly rely on Him – these past few months are no exception.
Things got so bad that we tried to squeeze any remaining equity from a house Mary owns with her siblings but that fell through.
Our income fell to a third of what used to be and there was not enough to pay bills. We were sitting with absolutely no options left other than bank robbery.
Mary and our daughters obtained jobs but those checks were not coming in for a few weeks and the wolf was at the door on innumerable fronts.
Those of you who have been in a position to give have done so – so this is not an appeal to you. It’s to illustrate how God actually works in the lives of those He loves.
Bottom-line – we were at ground zero financially with nowhere to go. Derrick and Denita can attest to the fact that in spite of all of your support there was nothing in the coffers ministry wise.
We had invited Don Preston in and I had no idea how we could cover his costs let alone others costs of the ministry and my need for income.
I considered passing a plate at the Preston events.
I considered appealing to everyone for a love offering but knew I would rather die in the street.
In all the years we have been in ministry I have never doubted that God would care for us in our efforts – except this time. This time He let us fall to the point where failure was inevitable and for the first times since 2006 I lost hope in Him . . . and then I got angry.
I was actually ticked off at God for allowing us to trust in Him knowing all along that He was going to let us fail – that is how I saw it – He chose to fail us.
I got angry for sticking to what I KNOW is right relative to scripture and said to myself I should have taught tithes since the beginning like all the rest of them.
I literally got to the point where I had no clean clothes, and had to search everywhere for enough change to do a load of laundry.
But instead of trusting in Him, I lost hope.
Late one afternoon I was in a Subway eating dinner (off a points-card Derrick had given me) and I got a phone call.
It was from a brother in the faith who was overwrought with depression.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
Because I was once a stock broker he had confided in my over the years as to his financial portfolio and he was calling – FROM BED – to say how worried he was over his continued financial viability.
“What’s the concern,” I repeated.
He was depressed because he and especially his wife was spending more money than he wanted and if something didn’t change he knew he was going to end up homeless.
I asked,
“How much you got left in your savings account now?
He replied, “I’m down to about $200,000.”
“Your 401k?”
“$250,000.00,” he replied then added, “but that’s not available.”
“What about all the equity in your properties – how much there,” I asked?
“Probably $750,000.00.”
I reassured him that everything was fine, that he was both solvent and equity rich and that he was “not going to end up on the street.”
For some reason, after knowing this man for more than ten years he asked me a question that he had asked before but this time I decided to lay things on the line. He said:
“Do you ever struggle with money or worry about making ends meet?”
I said, in a rare moment of transparency, “Let me put it to you this way. I’m living out of my car, I just did my laundry with change I had to scower around to obtain, there is nothing in checking or savings and I’m eating dinner at Subway using the points that Derrick gave me.
(beat)
“What about savings?” he asked.
I’ve got no retirement plan, have not had health insurance for 15 years, and the house Mary lives in is owned by her siblings and leveraged to the max. “So yes,” I replied, instead of saying I knew God would provide, I said “I am presently worrying about making ends meet.”
Do you know what this brother said to me in reponse?
“I feel so much better about myself now.” And then he added, “And hey, I can lend you twenty bucks for dinner.”
I hung up the phone and now I was not only angry at God I was angry and those who claimed His name.
I have never been more angry and faithless in all my Christian walk, and I went to bed on my blow-up mattress despondent, bitter and fully convinced that all the stuff about God providing was just rhetoric.
(Long beat)
I had decided in my heart that God was done with me.
I had concluded in my heart that He did not care.
And I had believed that in the morning I was going to start relying on myself . . . instead of Him.
(Long beat)
At 7:35 AM the next day my phone rang. It was Derrick. His voice was shaky and emotional. He said:
“Just when everything looks at its worst God came through again.”
He continued, “Someone whose name I don’t recognize from Seattle Washington – just donated $5,000.00 to the ministry.”
The room started to spin and I swallowed hard, and after thanking Derrick I hung up and fell to my knees.
I have committed a lot of sin in my day and have done innumerable acts of evil toward God and Man but I have never been more broken, and ashamed, and repentant than for the attitude I allowed myself to have toward God.
I wept for what must have been a half an hour before Him – something I have never ever done with such remorse. I wept for my faithlessness, for failing the test, for the shame of my hard heart, for forgetting all the years He had blessed our family with health (in the face of no insurance,) for forgetting how that when our youngest daughter was accepted to college we had absolutely no means to pay for it and how she had just graduated, and how He had always, always, always taken care of us and I not only neglected to remember this, I thought I had the right to get angry.
(beat)
David, who had taken down lions and bears and giants, who was protected and blessed all of his days by God, instead of looking to Him as the source of all things decided to number the armies . . . of Israel.
An act of faithlessness.
An act counter to all God wants from those who are His.
We will pick the story of David here next week as his name has been presented by Peter to these devout me who looked upon him with esteem.
Q and A
