Deuteronomy

  • This is the end of the first five books often called the Pentateuch. In reality, this is one large work. The only reason it was split up because scrolls in ancient times could only be so long. So they split it into five sections, but it’s really one book.
  • This is called Deuteronomy because it was the second time the people of Israel received the Law. Deutero: Second. Nomos: Law.
  • So one generation of Israelites had died off in the wilderness, but the next generation, those younger than 20, when they entered, would enter into the promised land.
  • So they are on the cusp of the promised land, east of the river Jordan, and Moses gives them the Law again. This is why we have repeats of a lot of laws you see in Exodus through Numbers.
    • The ten commandments (Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5)
    • The blessings and the curses (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28)
    • Sundry laws
    • Feasts
  • Although there are a lot of repeated laws with some additions (i.e. Sabbath year 15), there is some new revelation as well. There is a lot of elaboration of why you should keep the law, not just that you should keep it. It should be kept out of love. Deuteronomy 6.
  • As Moses is gathered to His people, there is wondering about what would come next, as far as revelation from God. Deuteronomy 18:15-19. God will raise up prophets and ultimately THE Prophet.
  • Deuteronomy is another book that is chopped full of God’s sovereign care.
  • Today, I want to focus in on one text: Deuteronomy 8. In this passage, God gives us insight into why He made the people wander in the wilderness for 40 years. It wasn’t just for punishment. It was for discipline. God had a purpose for their wilderness wandering.
  • Read Deuteronomy 8.
  • Verse 2:
    • The Lord led them in the wilderness. They weren’t just wandering around. He was sovereign over this time. The trip from Egypt to Israel on foot was only a couple week journey. But God kept them in the wilderness. Why?!
    • To humble them: adversity breeds humility. It reminds us that we are weak and need to depend on Him. There’s some good application to be made there.
    • To test them: God tests the faith of those who are is. He did it to Abraham (Genesis 1:22) and He does it for us (Romans 5, James 1, I Peter 1:6-9).
    • To know our hearts: Of course He already knows our hearts, but He wants to show them to us. Adversity reveals what’s in our hearts and shows us what our faith is really made of. It burns up the false faith. And we can know if our faith is real by the answer to this question: does adversity drive us to God or away from Him. Adversity is like a wedge.
    • God is sovereign over affliction. But He also cares for us, and uses affliction to teach us, test us, and grow our faith.
  • Verse 3
    • He is sovereign. The hunger was from Him. The magical bread from heaven was from Him too. He is sovereign.
    • Why did He give and take away their sustenance as He saw fit? To remind them not to focus so much on earthly bread, but the heavenly bread, the Word of God. Sometimes it’s good to be without unlimited provision, so that we realize the Word of God is our true sustenance.
    • Example: I remember going through some lean times in Seminary. Surprisingly, the adversity drove me to the Word of God.
    • Yes, we need food. But even more than food, we need the word of God.
    • It’s no wonder that Jesus quotes this verse when He is in His Spirit-led wilderness wandering being tempted by Satan to turn stones into bread.
  • Verse 5
    • God is in control. And He disciplines His children. This wilderness wandering was for their discipline. And we can be assured that God is disciplining His children too. And that’s a good thing.
    • Discipline has negative connotation for a lot of people, but it has the word “disciple” in it. God brings adversity into our lives to disciple us.
  • Verse 10.
    • Adversity is from God, but so is prosperity. He is sovereign. Adversity comes with lessons and blessing, and prosperity comes with warnings.
    • Both adversity and prosperity are there to reveal what’s in our hearts.
  • Verses 11-20
    • Beware of forgetting God in prosperity.
    • There’s a big application for us in there somewhere.
    • We would do well to continue to remember verse 18 when this whole Pandemic is over: “It is He who is giving you power to make wealth.” That’s just as true of Israel, as it is for the whole world.
  • What is God doing through this pandemic? He’s testing us, humbling us, disciplining us, refining our faith, drawing people to Himself, reminding us He is in control and He cares for us, and driving us to His word so that we know that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from His mouth. I hope that our shelter-in-place is a time of deeper Bible Study and communion with our sovereign God who cares for us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joshua

  • Sovereign care: God is in control and He loves you. God is in control and He is good. Don’t let your view of the sovereignty of God lead you to think He is some sort of tyrannical despot.
  • Like books before, you see God’s sovereign hand of care on the Israelite nation throughout the book. God has brought them to the promised land. And God will bring them into the promised land. Yes, people play a role. Joshua must lead them. The people must obey. The people must fight to dispel the inhabitants of the land, but behind it all is a sovereign God who is fighting their battles for them. And that is the point of Joshua 5.
  • Before we get into it, let’s look at the context.
    • Joshua 1 is the commissioning of Joshua and the people submitting to his leadership (1:16-18)
    • In Joshua 2, they spy out the land and Jericho. Didn’t they get trouble for this in Numbers 13? Well, this time it was out of faith not fear. (2:24) They were already assuming victory, unlike Numbers 13. We also meet Rahab and learn of her faith. Remember that she makes it into the Messianic line. (Matthew 1)
    • In Joshua 3 God miraculously holds back the river Jordan for the people to cross over.
    • In chapter 4, they set up memorial stones. Why? Because people forget. Remember how I talked about memorial stones last week?
  • Then in chapter 5, the people of Israel enter into covenant obedience (after disobedience in the wilderness), and then God reaffirms in a big way that He is in control and He is the one who will give them victory in the promised land.
  • A lot of the time people like to jump to Joshua 6 because that’s the battle of Jericho. But you can’t have the victory of Jericho without that which happens in Joshua 5.
  • Read Joshua 5:1-11
  • In verses 1-2 the inhabitants of the land are afraid. They see what the LORD has already done for Israel, and even they know that Yahweh is in control!
  • In verses 2-7, Joshua circumcises all the males. This must have been quite the project since there was about a million men. But this was important. Why? It was the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham. It was an act of obedience to and faith in that covenant, that they were God’s people.
  • They are no longer sojourners in someone else’s land. They finally are in the Promised Land! And that’s why God named the place they were at, just east of Jericho, Gilgal. Gilgal means “rolling” for God had rolled away the reproach, their identification, with Egypt.
  • In verses 10-12, the people of Israel express their obedience to another covenant. They celebrate the Passover in obedience to the covenant at Sinai. And this is critical, because according to this covenant, God would only give victory to them over their enemies if they were obedient.
  • So this whole chapter so far affirms an essential principle in discussions concerning the sovereignty of God. Yes, God is sovereign and He cares, but we still have to do our part. We are still responsible for our choices and actions. Yet, God is sovereign in that and over that.
  • I like the way Martin Luther puts it: “If God did not bless, not a solitary wisp of straw would grow; but there would be an end of everything. At the same time God wants me to take this stance: I would have nothing whatever if I did not plow and sow. God does not want to have success come without work, and yet I am not to achieve it by my work. He does not want me to sit at home, to loaf, to commit matters to God, and to wait till a fried chicken flies into my mouth. That would be testing God.”
  • Example: Looking for a job during Seminary and God providing.
  • We are under a different covenant, the New Covenant, but even in it we have responsibility. Some of the promises in the New Testament come with conditions. (Matthew 6:33; Philippians 4:6-7).
  • And yet while we work and strive, we recognize along with Paul: “Yet not I, but the grace of God within me.”
  • There is a big application of this we can make with what we’re going through right now. A wrong view of our situation would be: “Well, God’s in control. Whatever happens happens. So I don’t need to take precautions. I don’t need to listen to the government.” That’s a dangerous attitude to have. We trust that God is in control. We fear God and do not worry. But we also use everyday wisdom concerning our earthly circumstances, like sheltering in place. There’s a Proverb that puts these two elements together.
  • Proverbs 1:7: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.” We only need to fear God, but we need to show wisdom in our everyday living.
  • So the people of Israel do there part of covenant obedience. Joshua doesn’t walk I there all willy-nilly just saying: “God’s in control, I don’t need to do anything.” No, he shows wisdom, prudence, and makes sure they are in covenant obedience.
  • And through that, God shows His sovereign hand of care.
  • Read verses 11-12. That is a big deal. That is a big transition as well. God has provided miraculously for 40 years, and then He shifts to providing providentially from the land. And guess what, both are from Him.
  • Often times, people will cry to God for miraculous provision and lose sight of His providential provision every second of their lives They are both from Him. Give glory to Him for both.
  • Now, we get to the crescendo of this great text. God shows up to show Joshua who is truly behind their victory. Yes, Joshua and Israel must fight. But there is one behind it all giving them the victory. They are responsible to do what God calls them to do, but God is behind it all.
  • Read verses 13-15. So many wonderful things here.
  • Who is this Captain of the Lord’s hosts? The text says it’s a man. Is it an angel? This is God. This is the Son of God. This is the heavenly Yeshua coming to earthly Yeshua to show Him who is the true Savior. How do we know?
    • Anytime there is an appearance of God like a man in Old Testament, it’s Jesus in a pre-incarnate form. Even in the Old Testament, He is the visible representation of God (John 1). He also comes in the form of “the angel of Yahweh.”
    • He receives worship from Joshua and does not reject it.
    • Verse 15: This is the same thing God says to Moses when he sees the burning bush.
  • This is an appearance of the Son of God as the leader of the angelic armies who will be the ones giving the victory to the people of Israel as they conquer the land. Yes, the people must fight, the people must obey, but the LORD is the one who fights for them and gives the victory.
  • I love the interaction here. Notice that the Captain doesn’t say: “Yes, we’re on your side.” He’s on His own side. The important thing is not for us to be on God’s side, but that we’re on His.
  • So Joshua, the leader of the armies of Israel submits in humility to the leader of the armies of heaven. Joshua must fight, but He must submit to the Lord, and He gives the victory.
  • And since He is in control, He can affirm victory even before it happens (6:2)
  • Psalm 34:17: The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and rescues them.
  • We know this so much more on our side of redemption history. The Lord gives us commands to make disciples. But He wraps that command up with promises: “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me… Lo, I am with You even to the end of the age.”
  • Joshua had something amazing, but we have so much more. The Holy Spirit in us. Christ in and with us. The Father above us with direct access to Him through the Son. We are wrapped up in the Trinity. We are partakers of the divine nature. We are in Christ. We are sealed with the Spirit. In Christ, all the promises of God are “Yes” and “Amen.” God is in control and He loves us far beyond what we could ever imagine. So let’s respond with faith and obedience. Let’s do our part, yet knowing: “Not I, but the grace of God within me.”
  • Let’s daily walk. Let’s do our part to get through this pandemic, all the while knowing that He has the whole world in His hands, and each of us, and each hair of our heads in His hands as well.
  • So wash your hands, maintain six feet distance, and any other precautions that are suggested to us, but also go to sleep at night at rest and at peace with the peace that passes understanding, knowing that our good sovereign Lord is in control and will take care of us.

 

 

 

Judges:

  • God sovereignly cares for His people through fallen men (and one woman).
  • This is another theme that you can see throughout the Old Testament, but this is especially clear in the book of Judges.
  • If you have even cursory knowledge of Judges, you know that it can be a little bit depressing. It’s one of the darkest times in Israel’s history. The end of Judges describes the state of Israel as being worse than Sodom and Gomorrah, morally speaking. God even gives them that nickname at one point in their history since on multiple occasions they got pretty bad (Isaiah 1:10).
  • Example: I heard of a Pastor once who did a Sunday night preaching series in Judges. By the end, the attendance of the meeting shrunk from 400 to 80. It’s not for the faint of heart. But if you go into it understanding that this is God’s precious word written for our instruction, you understand there is gold here.
  • If you look at it in light of the people, yes it could be depressing. But if you read it through the lens of God’s faithfulness to His people, His sovereign care, and His longsuffering, it is fully of testimonies of the depth of His grace and mercy to fallen people.
  • It reminds me of what God said about the nation of Israel earlier on in Deuteronomy 7:7-8: “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers.”
  • When you think of Judges, think of a downward spiral. The people sin, God sends enemies to punish the people, the people cry out, God sends a judge to deliver the people. Wash, rinse and repeat. And as this happens the people slowly go down the tubes, morally and spiritually speaking.
  • This is also seems to be true of the judges themselves. They seem to get worse and worse, until Samson at the end. But there is revival with the very last judge: Samuel.
  • I want to highlight a few of these judges, and one who aided the judges.
  • Barak: Barak was not a judge, but God used him to help Deborah the judge. Deborah had delegated Barak to help deliver the people from the Canaanites, but Barak insisted that she go. Read Judges 4:8-10. In that same chapter we also read of another woman who aids in the deliverance: Jael. He is not the hero of that story: Deborah and Jael are, but ultimately it’s God.
  • Gideon: He’s a judge that many are familiar with. He helped deliver Israel from the Midianites. He’s the one who cast out the fleece to test God’s word. The fleece was not faith, it actually showed the smallness of his faith. And he continued to show his small faith as he repeatedly questioned God’s actions as God whittled down his army of 20,000 to 300. And how could we forget that when God called him he was hiding in a winepress. Read 6:11-18. (By the way, the angel of the Lord appears often in Judges: a reminder of who is in control. The angel of Yahweh is God!)
  • Jephthah: He was a judge for only six years, and he helped deliver Israel from the Ammonites. But Jephthah is infamous for something else. Do you remember his foolish vow? Read Judges 11:29-40.
  • Samson: He’s probably the most infamous of them all and maybe the most familiar. And he is given the most chapters. His story also includes the angel of the LORD visiting his parents, affirming his special calling. Read Judges 13:1-7. Samson did deliver the people from the Philistines with some very awesome acts, but saying he was arrogant is an understatement. He was brash, presumptuous and careless. Yet, God used him. He also had a tragic end. He ended up losing his great strength and being captured by the Philistines. Read 16:23-31. And even though he was able to take out some Philistines, his concern is not for God’s honor, but what they did to his eyes. He’s still thinking about himself, mostly. He called out to God for what they did to his eyes, but he did still call out to God.
  • These men seem like failures, but God used them. And not only that, God saved them. Often times we look at the Old Testament with a little arrogance and say: “Was that guy even saved?” But with these four we know for sure.
  • Hebrews 11 is often called the hall of faith, referring to the reality that everyone listed exercised faith in God, and are a cloud of witnesses attesting to the reality of faith and what saving faith looks like. Look who’s included
  • Hebrews 11:32-33: “And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions.”
  • They are even listed along with “heroes” of the faith like David and Samuel?
  • Samson, Jephthah, Gideon and Barak all make it in the hall of faith, but they don’t seem like they have faith. Faith isn’t about the goodness of the one having faith, that’s why we need faith. Faith is the empty hand that receives God’s salvation. And sometimes people only have a mustard seed amount, but that is enough. It’s a reminder that salvation cannot be earned. It is a gift. It is grace.
  • And on this side of redemption history, we know it was earned and purchased by Jesus Christ and His perfect life and sacrifice.
  • God is caring for us through fallen men, just as He took care of Israel through fallen judges.
  • This thought occurred to me when I heard about Governor Newsom lauding President Trump for his coronavirus response. I never thought I’d see the day that something like that happened. We often complain about this, that, and the other thing when it comes to politics and politicians, but we can trust that they are in God’s sovereign hand of care for our good, more than we care to recognize. Romans 13:1-7.
  • Proverbs 21:1: “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes.”
  • God is so sovereign and so good, that He knows how to work in, on, and through fallen people to take care of us and the world.

Ruth:

  • Ruth: God weaves the most unlikely people (in our eyes) into His grand story of redemption (sovereignty) and draws them graciously to Himself (care). The whole story of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz highlights God’s sovereign care.
  • The book of Ruth takes place during the Judges, probably in the time of Gideon. It is a breath of fresh air at the end of reading the book of Judges. It’s a reminder that God was preserving a faithful remnant even in the time of Judges. God was still working. God was still redeeming.
  • We may look at our place in history and say they are turbulent times, but God is still working. I find great joy in the reality that millions of people are being drawn to the Lord in this time. I don’t care how bad it gets, God will always be doing this until Christ returns and even at His return! Even in the Tribulation which is a time designated by God to pour out His wrath will be a time of revival: Two witnesses, 144,000, and angel from heaven proclaiming the gospel!
  • God is in the business of drawing people to Himself in turbulent dark times! Even for believers, this is true. I feel like through this time and my extra study in the Word, the Lord has stretched me and grown me and helped me grow closer to Him. As someone once said, don’t waste you’re suffering. Let it drive you further into the Lord’s arms.
  • Today, let’s do an overview of Ruth and see God’s sovereign care woven throughout the whole thing.
  • Read Ruth 1:1-5.
  • This is how we meet Ruth. Elimelech (unwisely?) leaves Israel because of famine. But he and his sons end up dying anyway. But while they went to Moab, his sons found Moabite women to marry which they were not supposed to do. The Israelites were not to intermarry with other people. And yet God wanted Ruth for His redemption story.
  • Part of God’s sovereign care: working through peoples’ foolishness and disobedience (and through tragedy). All we see is the ugly threading, but God sees the tapestry of His sovereign plans.
  • Who knows who He is weaving into His story through our circumstances?
  • In our eyes, it’s always the least likely people. God often goes to the bottom of the barrel to draw people to Himself (I Corinthians 1:18-31).
  • And this is the case with Ruth (again, from our perspective). She is a Moabitess. The Moabites are the incestual spawn of Lot and one of his daughters. AND they were constantly giving grief to the Israelites throughout their history, but God showed mercy to this Gentile woman, one of Israel’s enemies. Ruth is a story of God’s grace.
  • So Elimelech and his sons are dead. Naomi hears that the Lord “has visited His people in giving them food.” (I1:6) (Sovereign care right there.)
  • So she seeks to return to Israel and tells Ruth and Orpah to go home. Orpah says “ok.” But Ruth says she wants to stay with Naomi.
  • Read Ruth 1:16-17.
  • In so many conversations in the book of Ruth the LORD (Yahweh) is constantly in view. If God is sovereign, we should always look at our circumstances in light of Him. Again, He is always working. God is always doing a hundred things in your life, and you might be aware of three of them.
  • Naomi and Ruth had no idea into the grand story they were being woven into.
  • Naomi had a level of understanding of the sovereignty of God. She saw her affliction in light of the LORD, but she had no idea what was in store for her.
  • Read 1:19-21. Little did she know that her sorrow would soon be turned to joy. Such is the reality for all believers.
  • I’m going to gloss over the rest of the story, but I just want you see how everyone involved recognizes God’s sovereign care here.
  • Ruth comes to glean in the field of Boaz, a relative of her late-husband. (Gleaning for the poor: another provision from our sovereign God). Boaz notices her and encourages her to continue gleaning there. Why did he do this?
  • Read Ruth 2:11-12. Notice how he highlights her faith and the Lord’s work in her life.
  • Read Ruth 2:20. Naomi’s theocentric response to the circumstances.
  • Sidenote: Ruth 2:22. A reminder of the dark time in Israel’s history they are in.
  • In Ruth 3, Ruth makes her romantic interest in Boaz known and the feelings are mutual. Regardless of what some people say, everything in chapter 3 is appropriate.
  • Ruth and Boaz take the necessary steps for her to be redeemed by him in chapter 4.
  • The law of the kinsman-redeemer comes into play from Deuteronomy 25. If a man dies without children and leaves a wife widowed, the brother/kinsman/relative must marry her so that the family name can live on.
  • Essentially this is what happens with Ruth. Boaz is a relative of her late husband, but not the nearest, so Boaz makes the offer to the closer relative to buy the late-husbands land along with Ruth instead of him.
  • It’s really interesting all the details we are given. But the whole notion of a kinsman-redeemer points forward to our redeemer who bought us back when we were poor and destitute in our sin. Even the book of Ruth points to Christ, and that’s just one way. 20 times some form of the word “redeem” is used in Ruth.
  • At the end of Ruth we find that she is David’s Great Grandmother and in Matthew 1 she is inn to the lineage of Christ, along with other Gentile women.
  • God’s sovereign care to the least likely people (in our eyes).
  • He is a personal God, who draws people to Himself for personal relationship. But believers are also part of a grand story. God cares about both.
  • If you’re a follower of Christ, God is writing you into His story. He loves you personally and He also has a grand plan.
  • The Coronavirus is part of God’s story, and He is weaving millions of people into His redemption plans through this thing. It’s the transcendence and imminence of God!
  • Example: It’s hard to remember this while watching the news. We often get the bleakest perspective. Alysha and I have been watching this thing called: “Some Good News.” By John Krasinski. He posts episodes of all the good things coming out of this and then ends up fulfilling some peoples’ dreams even while sheltering in place. We have to remember that acts of service, grace, and goodness are happening all over the world right now through believer and unbeliever alike. The Word of God is also going forth and changing people all over the world through technology. We have to believe that. We have to hold onto that. Christ is building His church even though churches aren’t gathering in person. What a miracle! He is always working.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Samuel

  • I Samuel: The transition of God’s sovereign care for His people from judges to mediation through kings.
  • How did this come about? The people demanded that there would be a king. In the period of the judges it was understood that God was their king. Israel was a theocracy. But they complained and wanted a king just like the surrounding nations. (I Samuel 8:4-5). And God allowed it, but still God is sovereign and He knew that this would be the case. That’s why even in the law of Moses he made provision for it because he knew it would happen (Deuteronomy 17). And He is sovereign. It was His plan all along, because one day He will send His Son to be King over Israel and the world.
  • But just like other books we have looked at, we get lots of stories and accounts of individuals. God is sovereign over the big picture, but He also cares about each individual.
  • In 1 Samuel we read of Hannah and her faith and God’s grace to grant her a son, Samuel. But we also learn of the corruption in Israel. Remember, this is still the time of the judges. And we learn of Eli who is not a great judge and lets his sons wreak havoc in Israel. We get to meet Samuel, a pillar of faith, but he’s not perfect either. He follows in Eli’s footsteps and his sons become corrupt as well. That’s why the people ask for a king. The rest of I Samuel largely follows the escapades of Saul and David. Saul’s story is a tragedy, while David’s is very hopeful. David becomes for us a type of Christ. His actions and heart point forward to Christ. Remember, he is the man after God’s own heart. He’s a picture of the Messiah who is to come, but he would still fall short.
  • But today, I want to look at an often-overlooked account in I Samuel. I Samuel 4-6. This the account of the Ark of the Covenant.
  • If you remember, the ark of the covenant was constructed in Exodus. It was place where the glory of God rested in the wilderness wanderings. It was in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle. The special glorious shekinah presence of God dwelt there. You can read this at the end of Exodus after it’s all constructed: “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.” (Exodus 40:34-35).
  • In the Old Testament, this is where the glory of God resided to dwell with people. This is a special thing. We have so much more in the New Testament. Where does the glory reside now? In us, through the Holy Spirit.
  • So the Ark of the Covenant was an amazing thing, because it’s where God chose to stoop down low and dwell with His people. (Sovereign care)
  • In the book of Joshua, they took it into their first battle in Jericho as they marched around the city. It became a symbol of power.
  • Well, in I Samuel 4, the people of Israel misused it. It kind of became a lucky charm for them. Rather than trusting in the God of the Ark, they trusted in the Ark itself to give them victory against the Philistines.
  • Read 4:1-4.
  • So what happens? The Ark gets taken. What? What would God let that happen? Why would He let His special presence be moved away from Israel? We’ll see in a little bit.
  • But it gets taken, and Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli die. When Eli hears it he falls off his seat and dies. Then Phinehas’ wife who was pregnant goes into labor and names the kid Ichabod, which means “No glory.”
  • Read I Samuel 4:18-22
  • Then I like to call chapter 5, the adventures of the Ark of the Lord is Philistia. They take the ark and put it in Dagon’s temple, their false god. They wake up in the morning and Dagon is on his face. They set Dagon up again and they come in and Dagon’s head, arms and legs are gone. You can’t make this stuff up. So they send the ark to another Philistine city and God strikes that city with tumors. So they send it to another city and God strikes it with confusion. So they finally get fed up with it and send it back to Israel on a cart pulled by cows.
  • The Ark eventually makes it back to Israel to dwell in Kiriath-jearim. 7:1-2. But before that some people try to peak into the ark and God kills 50,000 people. He is a holy God and must be treated as holy. Did you ever see the ending of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. It’s kind of biblical (6:19)
  • Why in the world did God let His ark be taken to go on this little adventure. Well, you actually need to look outside of I Samuel to find out.
  • Psalm 78 gives a brief rundown of Israel’s history, and when it gets to this part in the psalm, this is what it says: “For they provoked Him with their high places and aroused His jealousy with their graven images. When God heard, He was filled with wrath and greatly abhorred Israel; So that He abandoned the dwelling place at Shiloh, the tent which He had pitched among men, and gave up His strength to captivity and His glory into the hand of the adversary.”
  • God let His glory go into the hands of the Philistines to teach His people a lesson, to show them that He would even remove Himself from His people to teach them to believe in Him, and not just His blessings.
  • He had to remind Israel of this again in Jeremiah. The people were committing idolatry again, so God sent Babylon against them, and they thought to themselves: “God won’t let them conquer us, we’ve got the temple of the Lord.” Again, they trusted in the temple of the Lord rather than the Lord of the temple.
  • In Jeremiah 7:12, God warns: “But go now to My place which was in Shiloh, where I made My name to dwell at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel.”
  • Sometimes God’s sovereign care means discipline of His people to get their attention.
  • Thankfully, the Old Covenant is a lot different than the new covenant. In the Old Covenant there was no guarantee that God wouldn’t remove Himself temporarily. This is one of the reasons David pleaded that God would not take His Spirit from him.
  • Under the New Covenant, God will never leave us or forsake us. Though we grieve or quench His Spirit He will never leave. But He can still remove blessing if He so chooses. He gives and takes away just like He did with Job.
  • So God removed Himself from Israel temporarily to get their attention, to sober them up, to not take Yahweh for granted, to shake them a little, so they might appreciate Him a little more. And that’s what happens.
  • In II Samuel 6, David brings the Ark to Jerusalem for the first time. Do you remember David’s response? He danced and worshiped with all his might because ark and glory were back with his people.
  • Example: Through our current circumstances, in His infinite wisdom and sovereign care, God has gently removed something very near and dear to many of us: the ability to gather. Maybe He removed something we’ve taken for granted so that maybe we will appreciate it and each other more than we have. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to come back together. It’s part of who we are as the body of Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

II Samuel

  • II Samuel 7: A reminder of the sovereign care of God through His precious covenants and promises.
  • Context: I Samuel was largely about Saul’s decline and David’s rise. There is a lot of conflict between them. David had been anointed king in I Samuel 16, but he would not see that brought to fruition until 2 Samuel. So 2 Samuel is all about David’s reign.
    • There are a few hiccups at the beginning as some people try to make Saul’s son, Ish-bosheth, king, and there’s a civil war that lasted a few years.
    • II Samuel 5: David is reigning
    • II Samuel 6: He brings the ark of the covenant is brought to Jerusalem for the first time.
    • II Samuel 7: God makes a covenant with David.
  • It’s really important to understand the significance of covenants in the Bible because it is the means by which our sovereign holy God has chosen to bind Himself to sinful men. That thought alone should give us pause.
  • His covenants are a testimony to His faithful character and loyalty to keep His promises. The covenants remind us of how serious God is about keeping His word.
  • You’ll often see a word in your Bible: “faithful love” or “lovingkindness.” This word is associated with His covenants. It is His “hesed”, His covenant-keeping loyalty. He will not go back on His word.
  • Covenants in ancient times were serious business. This isn’t just like signing a contract. For instance: God’s covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15. God had Abraham cut the animals then God passed through the pieces. In this “contract” you were saying, it I go back on my word, let me be cut in half like these animals.
  • This is why anytime you see the phrase “to make a covenant” in Scripture, it’s literally “cut a covenant.”
  • So in God’s covenant with Abraham, God was saying: “If I go back on my Word, may what happened to these animals happen to me.” God is serious about keeping His promises.
  • The word covenant is not used in I Samuel 7, but it is used elsewhere to describe what took place here. God reminds Solomon of this covenant in II Chronicles 7:18. Abijah the king of Judah reminds Jeraboam the king of Israel that God made a “covenant of salt” with David.
  • A covenant of salt ceremony was less bloody, but still just as serious. Each person had a bag of salt. I put some of my salt in your bag, you put some in mine. You were essentially saying: “The only way to back out of the stipulations of this covenant is if I can get my salt back and you get yours back.” (Which is impossible)
  • Covenants are serious business and in most of the covenants that God makes (besides the Mosaic covenant) only God has stipulations. These are unilateral covenants where God says He will do something regardless of what the other person does. That is called: grace! Such as this one right here.
  • Read 2 Samuel 7:1-17.
    • First we see that this all comes about through David’s desire to give God a house that not made of fabric. God says: “I don’t need one. But David, I’ll give you a ‘house’ instead.” (v. 11) Meaning, a dynasty of kings culminating in an everlasting kingdom.
    • In this covenant, God reaffirms one of the promises of the Abrahamic covenant: land for His people (v. 10).
    • This is an extension of the Abrahamic covenant that said the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) would be fathers of kings. It was promised that rulership would come through the house of Judah. That’s David’s tribe.
    • 12-16.
      • A descendant who will continue to rule on his throne.
      • A house built for God’s name
      • God will treat this descendant as a son.
      • When he sins, God will chastise him.
      • God’s lovingkindness will not depart from him.
      • David’s house and kingdom will endure forever
    • Kings after David would fulfill many of these things, but what about the last one. Didn’t David’s kingdom end with Zedekiah?
    • Well, just because it’s on hiatus right now, does not mean it won’t endure forever in the future.
    • Even David came to understand that this would be fulfilled in the Messiah coming through his ancestry. Psalm 2.
    • He even had a level of understanding of the divine nature of his future progeny (Psalm 110).
    • What a promise to David, and David’s response is one of awe and humility (vv. 18-29)
  • Is God faithful to this covenant?
  • You’ll often see God preserving a Davidic king “for the sake of my servant David.” 2 Chronicles 21:7. God was unwilling to destroy wicked King Jehoram “because of the covenant which He had made with David, and since He had promised to give a lamp to him and his sons forever.”
  • But what about when the nation collapsed and the dynasty collapsed? God would still resurrect it in the future.
  • When there was no king on the throne, the Israelites still sang: “I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, I will establish your seed forever and build up your throne to all generations.” (Psalm 89:3-4)
  • God will stick to His promises to David. Check out: Amos 9:11, Isaiah 9:6-7, Jeremiah 33:14-22, Ezekiel 37:24-28, Luke 1:31-33
  • And this is why it’s so critical that Jesus is in the line of David. He will be the ultimate fulfillment of each of the promises. He will even be struck with the rods of men, but for our sins, not His own. Matthew 1:1.
  • Jesus’ connection to David will be remembered forever into eternity as a testimony of God’s faithfulness to keep His promises. Revelation 22:16
  • God made this covenant in spite of knowing David’s sin.
  • God has bound Himself to us through the New Covenant. Check it out in Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Ezekiel 36:26.
    • He will give us His Spirit
    • The Law of God will be written on our heart.
    • Our sin will be forgiven
    • And He will give us new hearts
  • God sovereignly cares for us ultimately through this covenant that was ratified by Jesus Christ and His precious blood, and through that all the promises of God, all the spiritual blessings, will never ever leave us. He will never leave us or forsake us. No matter what happens to us, nothing will separate us from the covenant-keeping love which is in Christ Jesus.
  • The covenants are a reminder that God is sovereign and He uses His sovereign power to bind Himself to us so that He can care for us and so that we can know He will be faithful to His promises.
  • All the promises and truths related to our salvation are sure because of God’s covenant keeping loyalty and faithfulness to His word.
  • 2 Peter 1:4: “For by these things (grace, peace, and true knowledge of Christ) He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”
  • Application: I’ve said it multiple times, the best thing you can do in these uncertain times is anchor yourself to the Word of God and all the promises of God to you. The world system will fail. The economy is fragile. Days seem uncertain, but the hope in here is what anchors our soul. It gives us the stability we long for, that we need to make it through. God will faithfully and sovereignly care for you. He will always remember you, just like He remembered His promises to David forever and ever.
  • There’s a song that comes to mind whenever I think of the greatness of God’s promises: Promises by Sanctus Real
  • “Sometimes it’s hard to keep believing, In what you can’t see, That everything happens for a reason, Even the worst life brings. If you’re reaching for an answer And you don’t know what to pray, Just open up the pages, Let His word be your strength. And hold on to the promises, Hold on to the promises. Jesus is alive so hold tight. Hold on to the promises. All things work for the good, Of those who love God, He holds back nothing that will heal you, Not even His own Son, His love is everlasting, His faithfulness unending, Oh, if God is for us who can be against us, So if you feel weak, And hold on to the promises, Hold on to the promises. Jesus is alive so hold tight. Hold on to the promises. Neither life, nor death, Could separate us, From the eternal love, Of our God who saves us