Bible Men: King David: Why He was A Man after God’s Heart

But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart - 1Sa 13:14  

for the LORD seeth not as man seeth - 1Sa 16:7  

The Natural versus Spiritual: Why David was Different

In natural life we go by what we see with our own eyes. In the spiritual it is what the heart sees, much like intuition. So we see differently and hear differently because the heart and nature have a voice and speech.

It is why misunderstandings happen. For one will hear “Elias” while another will hear “Jeremiah.” One will hear “thunder” but another will hear “nothing.” But to David (and he was a born poet) not even the wind’s sound was vague, but it had a bearing to his God of the hills. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.  Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.  There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard” (Psa 19:1-3).  

The Natural Hates to Look Small

Eliab may have worried about how small his young brother David made him look (and that was natural because he was the first to be born).

But that’s also the curse of self-love. For no one likes to think of himself as being small (or playing second). It is why nations go to war. But all these are the ravages of sin. It is the offshoot of our fall. And Jesus said to his disciples: “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet” (Mat 24:6).  

God sets our eyes on the eternal. But a lot of time we are caught up over who is first. I think that’s why young David and his elder brother Eliab saw things differently. The one cared about the honour of God, the other worried about his own honour.

So at last there’s such a thing as being “born again”. There’s such a thing as dying first. Paul called it “a high calling” and this always has bearing to God of heaven, who is the beginning and end of all things.

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Joh 4:24  

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 1Co 2:10 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. Joh 1:1-5 

That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. Joh 1:9-10 

Faith is a Mystery

So King David could cry in trouble: “Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed” (Psa 6:2). David could cry like that because he knew his God “personally.” Have you known him like that? Can you cry to him like that? Or does the fear of losing yourself scare you?

And yet we can never quite be free in this life until we die. It is a paradox but true. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal” (Joh 12:24-25).  

So David was a man after God’s heart because he lived not for himself but for his God. His ideals were quite above this world. As Paul put it:

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory. 1Co 2:7 

Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints. Col 1:26

Faith Punches above the Weight: The Boy who Killed Goliath

For forty days Eliab and his army couldn’t see God. He wasn’t in their minds but only the terror of Goliath. But fear does that. Unbelief can fix one on one spot for “forty days.”

Young David came and saw what Eliab had seen. But David saw God in it and not Goliath. His faith reached to the clouds. “Art thou careful and troubled about many things? One thing is needful. This one thing I do. I fix my eyes on Christ.” David’s life was fixed on God.

What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. Psa 56:3 

From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Psa 61:2  

My times are in thy hand. Psa 31:15 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. Psa 23:6  

It is Possible to Know God in the Inward Parts

It is written: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa 55:8-9).  

But it is possible to know God and know him quite intimately. In David’s psalms we see that every day.

“Thou hast searched me, and known me” cried David in the opening of Psalm 139. May we now end this devotion with David’s closing words in that psalm: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” 

 

Bible Men: Eliab: The Tribulations of the Eldest Brother

And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. 1Sa 17:28  

The First Family: From Eden to Sibling Rivalry to Death

And so the Bible opens with the famous story of the first family in the world. Cain was the firstborn and Abel second. In Cain we have the picture of a fiercely ambitious man, who, when God rejected his offering Cain never forgave God. God tried to reason, but Cain never listened. He was a vengeful man. So he killed his younger brother Abel to teach God a lesson. Abel died without even uttering a single word. But Cain, like “a true man”, never repented.

And Cain’s rejection and vengeance has continued to shake the family foundation up to this day.

We are not told about Adam’s feelings over his wayward son. But we are told about Abraham’s. He wanted God to recognize Ishmael, but God rejected him and chose Isaac instead. And Ishmael became a hater of the Jews up to this day.

Jacob stole his elder brother Esau’s blessings. And for twenty years Jacob lived in hiding from his elder brother’s wrath. And the rivalry between Joseph and his brothers nearly turned fatal.

And now we read of Eliab, Jesse’s firstborn and the elder brother to David. And God rejected Eliab and chose the last born David to be king over Israel.

And perhaps there’s another reason for Eliab’s diatribe against his younger brother, apart from his rejection. For forty days the Philistine giant Goliath had breathed down fear upon the Israel men until (we perceive) they felt like grasshoppers. Eliab had sat in that army with his three young siblings. Probably they had looked to him for leadership but found none.

And then David steps into that fray carrying nothing but his faith. The Israel army consisted of men of war. And then “this child” steps into that battle carrying nothing in his hands but his sling, a few stones, and his faith in the God of Israel! 

I think it was this sight of David which gave vent to Eliab’s nightmare. In his first encounter with the God of Israel Eliab had felt slighted. And here again in the face of his younger brother Eliab felt slighted a second time!

“And a little child shall lead them.”

The Genius of the Bible Writer

And herein is the genius of the Bible writer. He shines his brief light on Eliab giving us his single verse. And then he leaves matters in our hands. Eliab’s scream resounds deep into the recesses of the human heart, revealing the bone and marrow of his thoughts…

He meant to show us the heart of David (proud and naughty), but it is Eliab’s heart which is on display up to this day.

A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.  Mat 12:35-37  

He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls. Pro 25:28 

Sin as a Leprosy

Sin is a rampaging disease. It’s a leprosy. It catches everyone who comes into contact with it. And the family is the first contact. From there it spreads to the nation and to the world as a whole.

In the Parable of the Prodigal Son the younger brother returned home from his famine, but immediately his elder brother started on his own.

And how can the fatted calf and the dance be enjoyable while one of our own chooses to stay out? So the Father went out and reasoned with his son. And shouldn’t we copy our Master too in his undisguised compassion for all up to this day?

The saying is true and worthy of acceptation: “Love covers a multitude of sins.” If only Eliab had held his peace! If only the light inside him had not grown so dark!

Every saint has a past, invoked Wilde, and every sinner has a future. Be gentle on your wayward brother or sister today.  

“Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound!”

So God has always been faithful. No single family is entirely evil from the beginning to the end. God held up a beacon of hope for Adam’s family after all. Abel died. Cain became an outcast. But God gave Adam and Eve another son called Seth. It was from his son Enos that men began to call on the name of the LORD (Gen 4:25-26). And Jesus Christ is a descendant of Adam.

The first Adam died. The second Adam lives.

Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom 5:19-21  

From Death to Life

“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1). 

Our fall was not just a natural occurrence but a spiritual one. The great fall happened in the heart. We hope Eliab and his younger brother David made peace. We hope, even though love was shrouded in shadows then.

In his ode on love Paul waxes effusive when he surveys the plenitude of this mysterious act: “Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”

Can this really be possible? Yes. Because the mist of hate has dispersed and now love sits on the throne. The clear and blue sky dwells in the heart now. May the Lord God grant us mercy that we may behold this mystery every day.

Bible Men: Jonathan: His Love and Shame

My father hath troubled the land. 1 Sam 14:29

Fathers and Sons: The Vain Wars

We live in a patriarchal society. A father does not feel complete unless his son resembles him, not just physically, but also spiritually. And therein lies trouble. For though the father wants his son to resemble him, the son might never want to be like his father.

True, in early childhood every son wants to be like his father. The morning is still bright and the sun is not furious. But then time happens. The light dawns, and the darkness is swept away. A distant disdain sets in, and the earth starts to get scorched.

It is always a rude awakening, and a few sons (and daughters) ever come out of it “alive.” But then the mercy of God is great. It knows no bounds. There are no prison doors it cannot break. Do you believe that? “Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live” (Eze 37:5).  

Saul wanted to kill David for no cause. But his son Jonathan objected. Saul wanted to enjoin Jonathan in his hatred and murder of David. But Jonathan loved David like his own soul! The son knew right when it is right and wrong when it is wrong. And murdering an innocent man is never right, though one’s father (or mother) says so.

“My father hath troubled the land.” And we know Saul had shown himself ready to kill his own son twice.

There are things which are impossible to say to one’s parents. It was a nightmare for Kafka once and it was a nightmare for Beethoven. But nothing is impossible to say to God. Have you tried him? 

The Distance from Hate to Love

“Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?” (1Sa 20:30).     

The wording of this insult is telling. Jonathan, his son, was the intended object. The wording of the insult delineated his mother’s character instead.

But was this the deranged state of mind of Saul or was this the general trend of men everywhere? It is said of the Jewish man that he thanked his God every morning that he wasn’t born a woman. And our own fathers were enamoured of this epithet “Nyukwa!” (Your mother!) It was just one word, carefully spat out, but it left one’s head reeling.

And so in King Saul and his son Jonathan we have a glimpse into the workings of a relationship between a father and a son, between the heart of darkness and the heart of light. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph 6:12).  

Jesus Came to Open Prison Doors

That war is still in progression. And the bone of contention up to this day is not whether a child looks like his parents, but about what moral bent one should take – is it a man’s own way or God’s?

Granted, our fathers were ignorant. They had no God or hope in this world. They did their best though they did it most savagely. Fear meant love, so today we have a glut of love instead. We know better. But neither have we fared better. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom 3:10).  

So it’s not what your parent did with your life, but what God can do with it if you let him. Holding onto grudges is wrong. It’s fighting the will of God, which is what Saul did, and in the end it is vain, though Satan would never allow one to “see” that.

In contrast his son Jonathan accepted it. He removed is robe and gave it to David. Jonathan knew God had chosen David. He sought reconciliation, his dad chose to fight. Jonathan chose the way of friendship and not war. Therefore Jonathan died in peace. But not so his dad. The fruits of Jonathan’s obedience were enjoyed by his son, Mephibosheth, who lived with David in his palace at Jerusalem.

Parents, your children will never be like yourself. That’s always a losing battle. Rather strive to make them resemble God, because that’s always the winning way.

So which way will you choose? Is it reconciliation or war, obedience or disobedience, light or darkness? “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up” (Mat 4:16).  

What fruits are you storing up for your children? Is it hate or love? Is it war or peace? Give them God for their inheritance and the rest will come naturally. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Mat 6:33). 

Finally choose the way of love. It never fails. Never! “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing” (1Co 13:2).  

Moving From the Tent into the City of God

There are things which will never change - truth and beauty. Traditions will be swept away but the word of God will remain forever.

Sin is painful. It will continue so until we are clothed in new bodies. (2Co 5). While we are in this tent we shall continue to groan. We shall continue to moan. But a new earth and heaven is coming (Rev 21).

In the city of God there will be no pain or tears or death. It’s God who has promised that. Do you believe him? Please do!

To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. Isa 42:7  

Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it. Eze 36:36  

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. Joh 8:36  

 

  

Bible Men: King Saul: His Rise and Fall

But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. 1Sa 16:14  

Reason, Faith and the God of Election

Madness is not an easy subject to write about. Yet on the other hand it is not very hard. “Are you mad?” is a question one meets with almost daily.

And we talk of anger as madness. So we say of the man who’s never exasperated, “He doesn’t get mad!” And that is always a revelation. 

For some people shouting flows in the blood. It is not madness. To speak in low tones is often a sign of trouble. And many times it invites the slap, “Speak like a man!”

We have all said or done terrible things in anger (haven’t we?). And later we intoned “I was mad!”

But King Saul’s madness is complicated. A good Spirit from God left him and “an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.”

The implication is terrible but true. The good and bad are all allowed by God but at the same time God is not evil. It is a paradox but true. God made Satan.

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. Isa 45:7 

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world…according to the good pleasure of his will. Eph 1:4-5 

God chose Israel over other nations, he chose Abraham over his siblings, he chose Isaac over Ishmael, and he chose Jacob over Esau. God is a God of election and no one can say to him, “What doeth thou?”

So it is not reason but faith which makes us believe.

Change of Guard and Change of Trouble

The people of Israel had been ruled by God. He had been their leader since the days of Moses. But suddenly they wanted to be ruled like “other nations.” They wanted a human king. 

It vexed God just as it would vex any parent to be rejected of his own children. But God in his mercy forgave them. He gave them Saul instead.

Saul started off shyly. He had a physique which was higher than that of any other man. Probably he grew up being self-conscious about it. It is not easy standing out in the world. God means it for his glory but many times it defeats us and becomes a source of trouble.

Saul was restless. His was a small tribe. But now the whole Israel nation was under him. Probably the enormity of that task ate into his nerves like malignity. 

In the end he cuts a tragic figure. As an army general he’s worse for a foul temper and hasty decisions. Twice he came close to killing his own son. He headed a disgruntled army and a dejected citizenry. They interceded “God save the king” but in the end even breathing out his name became a burden. It is true that people get what they pray for. We have elections coming. Shall we elect a Saul or a David?

The height of King Saul’s madness occurred when he ordered the death of eighty five priests of God including the high priest of Nob Ahimelech. From that point king Saul could only go down.

Now his desire to kill David became his all-consuming obsession, and "Mine enemies would daily swallow me up" became David’s incessant cry.

It is said of Prometheus that “Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.” That is true of small gods, but it is not true of the God of all the earth. He is not vindictive. “For the Lord will not cast off for ever: But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men” (Lam 3:31-33).  

We cry for Saul. We feel for Saul. His pathos inflames. But God’s patience had run out.

“Madness” and Music: Growing Life Through Contradictions

But God did not leave Saul’s “evil spirit” to trouble him without respite. In his mercy he sent him a comforter. David played his harp and that music calmed Saul. But in chasing David from his palace Saul forfeited that mercy.

Yet David is still playing his harp today and comforting thousands in his psalms. Are you one of them?

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. Psa 42:5 

Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. Psa 139:7-8   

And yet David was only the precursor to the eternal comforter which is Christ Jesus. “Who comforteth us in all our tribulation.”

 The Wounds Which Heal

And so we are as sorrowful, writes Paul, yet always rejoicing; as poor yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

By honour and dishonuor, by evil report and good report: as deceivers and yet true. As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed (2Co 6:8-10).

“By his stripes we are healed.” We look at the cross and our wounds seem like a dot in the sand. There’s no pain which we face but which didn’t strike him first. “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (1Pe 4:12-13).

Saul ignited his own flame of destruction. He became intoxicated with death as he roamed the plains of Palestine hunting for David. He didn't know the bells were tolling for him.

Christ died, and Christ rose again. All our pains are subsumed in his victory now. The sting is lost in joy. We look to the past for affirmation. But even more we look to the future for sure certainty. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” Nothing!

How sweet rest can get! How addictive! But how soon it also gets irksome! I’m well and refreshed. I thank my God upon you all. I felt your love. Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

Bible Men: Caleb: A Giant of Faith

Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said. Jos 14:12  

Mountains and Hills

Imagine a mediaeval knight wearing an iron armour and hurtling forward with his sword drawn, ready to draw blood, and you have an inkling of what sort of man Caleb was. He was a born soldier. And he wore no iron armour.

You can also have a picture of those poor ten spies who gave an evil report which sent shivers down the spines of the whole Israel congregation in the wilderness. Their words melted the hearts of the people. Their tenor is full of defeat.

The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature… the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. Numbers 13:32-33

They are not words a father can repeat in front of his children. They are traumatizing.

So we have a grudging admiration for men of great courage. But they also fill us with rage. They make us feel like grasshoppers.

It is nearly impossible to praise (or love) our equals, wrote the preacher Morrison. We hate them. So a beautiful woman cannot stand a fellow beautiful woman in the same room, a doctor a fellow doctor, and a preacher’s greatest critics are his fellow preachers.

So Caleb with all his bravery (together with Joshua) come in, and yet all that the people want to do with them (in gratitude!) is to stone them! (Nu 14:10).

And apostle Paul, that other giant of faith, elicited much love and much scorn at the same time, but chiefly from his fellow apostles. “At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me,” he cries to Timothy.

Men can only praise their fellows for a time. After a while that admiration wears off. But it is not so with God.

Greatness comes at a high price, chiefly loneliness. So Jesus too died alone:  “Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.” His most avowed loyalist denied him in the most disparaging fashion to save his own life.

Preacher, do you feel like you are alone in the whole congregation? Please don’t lose heart! Hasn’t Christ promised to be with you until the end?

The Word “Mountain” in the Bible

Now I’m a student of the Bible. I’m also a lover of the language and everything that is beautiful. A study of the word “mountain” in the Bible unearths an interesting detail.

We associate a mountain with the place where God dwells (even in our traditional beliefs). So the psalmist sings, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.” A mountain is where we go for a transfiguration.

A poet will see gorges, ravines and the smoking peaks in a mountain, and in a sense, he will know he has seen God. “The world is charged with the grandeur of God.”

But a mountain can also be an obstacle: “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain” (Isa 40:4). Pride and fear may be counted as examples of mountains we pray to God to remove.

A mountain can also be a challenge in life to be reckoned with. I think the latter interpretation is the one holding sway in Caleb’s “Give me this mountain” prayer. It is both a poetic and hyperbolic expression. And that is the nature of faith. It can only go up towards the clouds but never below!

Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Mat 21:21-22  

It Pays to be Specific in Prayer

A prayer like “Give me this mountain” isn’t quite enough. It wants a qualifier: A mountain of what? Is it faith? Is it God’s presence? Or is it health or peace?

I remember the prayer of Jabez. It is noted for its specificity. Nothing is left hanging. He goes directly for what he wants. “And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested” (1Ch 4:10).  

Caleb prayed for Hebron, that hilly and rich (in both history and fertility) country, so he called it a mountain (for a hill and a mountain are the same thing to a Jew). And Joshua gave it to him.

And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. Jos 14:10  

As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. Jos 14:11  

Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day… Jos 14:12 

And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance. Jos 14:13

So there goes Caleb, a man of endearing courage, and a man of daring faith. May he be an example to us all. Let us work too until we drop dead, if God so grant us the strength. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2022 everybody! God loves you and so do I! God willing let us meet here next year.  

Bible Men: Joshua: War and Peace

For the LORD hath driven out from before you great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day. Jos 23:9 

Sin Brought War and Hatred for Peace

Generally there are two wars which plague mankind. The temporal war which everyone can see. And the war of the mind and heart which is invisible. Someone has called it the universe within. Anyone can glean the light outside. It’s the light inside which astonishes.

Men are drawn to a fight like a moth to light.

A brawl will break out in the street, and suddenly men will gather. The combatants will breath fire. Men will cheer and anyone who tries to break it will be the new enemy. Why should he spoil other people’s fun?

I watched a thief being beaten to death and I’ve never forgotten it. First the thief was cornered. He was caught in the act having broken into someone’s house. He was a young man. I saw the terror on his face. Then the blows followed. Blood spurted out. For about half an hour that young man bore it all. Stones crashed on his head. But still he didn’t die. And still people didn’t stop. He died after about one hour. And like Saul at the death of Stephen I stood quietly nearby consenting to his death.

My girlfriend was livid that I felt mercy for such a man. She had been in the middle of the fight hurling stones. Just before the young man died, she confided to me in horror, his manliness passed out. As a writer I thought that was very interesting. That there’s a point in pain where it ceases being pain anymore but glory. And that is a terrifying thought for a man to dwell on. It is strange after the young man died everybody walked away in haste.

So we lost much more in Eden than we shall ever perceive. Sin brought war. And in our hatred and rejection of God, we threw out the baby with the birth water. We hated peace. In fact we scorned it and everything which reminded us of God. He became our chief enemy. His glory became a burning a fire. Our glory became a dark spot in the sky of the mind. War became a sport. People wrestled and killed for spoils and wives. Today war is much more subtle than that, but we still fight.

The Light in the Shadows

Of course light has shone. Men cannot deny that. It’s what keeps hope burning. It’s what keeps faith going. We believe God even though we don’t know him.

We watch the happenings outside in horror. But it’s the horror within our own hearts which keeps us awake. It’s that which drives us to our knees at midnight. Now a man can rise to his feet, go to his bed and sleep soundly until morning. He does that because he has a God who is larger than his horror.

Have you known such a God? Have you tasted his peace which passes understanding? Imagine he’s there. He’s not a dream. He’s real!

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. Psa 91:1-6  

The Evasions and Nuances

In a way life is about evasion. And it is good because it enables people to avoid the unpleasant and to dwell on the bright. We evade war to stay alive.

That’s why books and movies are an antidote to the malaise of lethargy. Christians fly to fellowships and prayers and singing of psalms. We know what things to dwell on and what things not to (Phi 4:8).

Now the peculiar thing about war and peace is not that the Bible denies they are there. The peculiar thing is that it admits they are there.

When we talk of salvation people imagine it is a permanent escape from such wars, but that’s not true. Life may become harder just because the light has come.

What makes the difference is that the yoke of Christ (the Prince of Peace) is easier, just because the fight is no longer ours but God’s. It’s easier because of his promises.

The victory is not in winning the war. The chief war is always in keeping the victory which has been won. “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Mat 24:13). 

So we read about the murder of Abel and the birth of Seth, about Abraham’s waiting, about Israel and slavery in Egypt, about Israel’s redemption and exodus, about Israel’s exile and Israel’s return – and suddenly we know God is true because Israel is still standing today, being so small, and yet invincible in world history.

And in that note we understand why Joshua believed God, why he fought and why he won.

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Jos 1:9  

There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass. Jos 21:45  

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. Psa 23:6  

What comfort! What peace! What joy! So Joshua ends with this testimony (for Israel and for us) - that God is indeed faithful! He promised. He delivered. He still does. I pray you will believe that too!

Bible Men: Joshua: Whose Land?

So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war. Jos 11:23 

Crime and Punishment

Adam had no parents. He had no land and he had no home of his. Everything Adam had was given him by God including his wife. God gave him Eden and God took away Eden.

What do you or I have which we didn’t receive?

“Dust to dust and ashes to ashes.” It is a chime we hear every day when “man goeth to his long home”. So Adam came into this world with nothing and he left with nothing.

The story of our beginning is humbling. But our fall sometimes blurs that. Sometimes we imagine we own the world.

It is true no one can diminish the achievements man has made by God’s grace. “Go forth and multiply…and have dominion over everything on earth” said God, and it is a call humanity has excelled in.   

Today the world is a village. And we can hardly keep up with the new inventions appearing on the scene almost daily. We have conquered ignorance, disease and poverty. Everywhere you look you find the imprint of man. We have kept the faith. We have multiplied. And we have dominion over everything. Glory be to God!

The Holy Land as Center of World History

But we are still human, and dark passions sometimes run roughshod over us. We love, but we also kill for love… The Cain heart is still beating in our chests. Abel dies. And he dies because of land.

It is worse in Holy land. The Jews claim it is theirs from God, as the Arabs also do, since they are all descendants of Abraham. But who are the original owners of the land? The Bible calls them Amorites, or the Canaanites tribes. Why did God take their land away from them and give it to others?

The Bible is plain. It’s because of their sins. God gave them time (four hundred years to change) but they didn’t. So God punished them for their crime. He took the land from them and gave it to Abraham’s descendants, according to scripture. God did with them as he did with Adam.

The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Psa 24:1  

But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. Gen 15:16  

Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:  And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.  Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you. Lev 18:24-26 

For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. Deu 7:6  

Of course later God also got angry with Israel for their idolatry and he exiled them to Babylon. But after seventy years of tears Israel returned to her land. She came back to find a mixed lot though. The Assyrians had intermarried with the Jews (who remained) to give birth to Samaritans. The Arabs too were in Jerusalem.

So the story of Middle East is long and bloody. But it had been prophesied. All that history (through Adam) and how after Noah’s flood humankind spread throughout the world to become the tribes that we are today is all in the Bible.

Of course evolutionists too have their say. But it is not a dignified beginning. Moreover their history is forever being revised up to this day.

But it is not so with the history of the God of the Bible. His truths are eternal. He never changes. That’s why we believe him. His testimony is there for all to see. Whom do you believe and why? “And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” (Dan 4:35).  

Children of Faith

But we are here not to understand God to perfection but to believe! That’s why we are children of faith.

We started by listening to our parents and obeying them. Next we moved to school and college and universities. We were obedient and patient so eventually we understood. So is it with the knowledge of God. He wants to reason with you. Will you take up the challenge?  

World History is Shaky and Uncertain

Let us for a moment agree with our ancestors’ logic. Kenya is our land. But history also says that some came from Congo and others up the Nile! So who are the original owners of Kenya? Whose land is the Americas? Or Europe? Or Asia? Or USSR? Where are the great world empires of yester years and their cities? Looks also like God took away from some and gave it to others!

That’s why a man can buy land anywhere in the world today and call it his home from the Lord. “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses” (Jos 1:3). But we are still in the world with its glamour and hostility! So we shall not put down our cross, rather we shall carry it until the end, until Jesus comes back and receives us in his rest.

Land is a blessing, but it’s also a curse. To the extent one increases in possessions in this world to that extent he will never know peace, like Solomon boldly intimated. So don’t let covetousness kill you! Have you a very big land? Be content. Have you a very small land? Be content. Have you no land at all? Be content. Remember your treasure is where your heart is, so Jesus taught. Invest in the “lands” in heaven, he said, “where moth and rust doth not corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.”