Unto you is born a savior in a manger

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. -  Luke 2:1‭-‬7 ESV

Rev. Charles Han

This historically of Christmas

This event is embedded in history. During Roman rule, a census is called. Most likely for the purpose of taxation. The story is written by the author of Luke with the decided aim of writing down all the details. It is anchored in history. Unlike other religions, it is not based upon ideas of men. The source is verifiable. Christianity is based upon the life and words of Jesus. Paul stated that if Christ was a fairy tale of myth, Christians are to be pitied. Our faith is meaningless.

The fulfillment of prophecy

Luke speaks of the lineage of Joseph. This is to prove that Jesus was the long awaited savior. He is the fulfillment of all the prophesies. Not just a couple, but dozens. The probability of this is incomprehensible. Joseph and Mary had to make a journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. There is no mention of a donkey. They most likely walked. What are they thinking or feeling about this? They are probably thinking of how this was such an arduous journey with a woman late in pregnancy.

God in a manger

This is no flowery or ornate language. Just a matter of fact. This is a culture that prized hospitality. There is a guest room but there is no mean innkeeper. It was likely a shared room. So why the manger? It was likely the only private quiet spot. This is how the most important person ever came into this world. More like a refugee than the son of God. He was born into humble poverty. His first throne would be a manger. He came to be God of the poor & the outcast. He did not come for the righteous. He was not born in a palace. He is approachable to the lowest of the lowly. He came in a dirty feeding trough. It is fitting, not for a king, but for a sacrificial lamb. He does not avoid messes. He enters into the mess of our unruly, unclean, disgusting lives. That is the son of God. He comes for those who are unfit to receive him. This is the one who came in a manger.

Paul: thoughts on marriage

Now concerning the betrothed, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. I think that in view of the present distress it is good for a person to remain as he is. Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that. This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away. I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife, and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. - 1CO 7:25‭-‬35 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

This world is passing away. The gospel should be above our marriage. It should shape and mold our perspective on married life.

Married men should live as if they have no wife.

This is not saying we ignore our wives. It is saying God's kingdom is ultimate, not our marriage. We should not expect perfection from our significant other.

Those who mourn and rejoice should do it as if they are not

When we mourn, it is not as if the world is ending. When we celebrate, it is knowing that this will also pass away. It is tempered by our knowledge of the kingdom of God.

Married have worldly trouble.

Married people have commitments. They took care of their immediate family and also their extended family. Single people could be devoted single mindedly to God.

Are you living your life in this world prioritizing the world to come?

The Gospel according to David: David's Repentance

And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, "There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him." Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity." Nathan said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the Lord , the God of Israel, 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the Lord , to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' Thus says the Lord , 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.'" David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord ." And Nathan said to David, "The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord , the child who is born to you shall die." Then Nathan went to his house. And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and he became sick. - 2 Samuel 12:1‭-‬15 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

The man after God's own heart fell into lust, adultery, and murder. This should give us pause. No one of us should say, I would never do that. Like we can do any better. This is the man after God's own heart.

But even so, God did not turn away. Through David, we have the lineage of Jesus. God continues his work. God's grace is greater than any of our sins.

In the last chapter, David was the active party. He sent for Bathsheba. He sent for Uriah. He sent Uriah to his death. This chapter sees God act. God sends Nathan, the prophet, to David. Sin is deceptive. It appears life-giving, but it is life-threatening. From giving into anger, unhealthy relationships, and disordered priorities for success, comfort, & things other than God... They all can feel so right, but are killing us.

The things that need to change are the things we see the least. The arrogant person does not think they are being prideful. They are just "being truthful." David was deceived. He thought he was okay, until Nathan came. God sent the prophet to wound, so that David could be healed.

True repentance

Worldly repentance has sorrow and shame, but never moves on from there. Self centered repentance only focuses on our image before others. We were caught.

True repentance is God centered. When we break the first commandment, we break the rest. Our relationship with God first breaks before the other commands. We fail to keep God first and everything breaks down from there. God's judgement is right and true.

We see not just that sin, but rather we grasp that we are sinners. Therefore we, Christians, must live our lives in perpetual repentance. How does this look? To turn and go back in God's direction. Some are like a pedestrian turning around, others are like bicyclists turning around, finally since sins are like oil tankers slowing to a stop and turning around... It can take forever.

Repentance comes to change our understanding and perception of sin, to change our understanding of ourselves, and to change our understanding of God. We will learn to recognize and stop sinning. We will know that we are sinners to be in perpetual repentance. We will know that God is gracious and just. How? Jesus is God incarnate. He was just, but He also hung out with the dregs of society, tax collectors & prostitutes. Radically holy and radically gracious.

David sinned, but his son died. The baby was innocent. But remember that God too lost a son. A son who was innocent.

Repentance comes from God's kindness. The grace of God seen in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. This is what drives us to change. The love of God seen in the one who sacrificed it all for us. That is what will drive us to change from our sin and filth.

The Gospel According to David: David's Fall

In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, "Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, "I am pregnant." So David sent word to Joab, "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going. Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." And Uriah went out of the king's house, and there followed him a present from the king. But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his Lord, and did not go down to his house. When they told David, "Uriah did not go down to his house," David said to Uriah, "Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?" Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my Lord Joab and the servants of my Lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing." Then David said to Uriah, "Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his Lord, but he did not go down to his house. In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. In the letter he wrote, "Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die." And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men. And the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite also died. Then Joab sent and told David all the news about the fighting. And he instructed the messenger, "When you have finished telling all the news about the fighting to the king, then, if the king's anger rises, and if he says to you, 'Why did you go so near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? Who killed Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?' then you shall say, 'Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'" So the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to tell. The messenger said to David, "The men gained an advantage over us and came out against us in the field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate. Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall. Some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also." David said to the messenger, "Thus shall you say to Joab, 'Do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours now one and now another. Strengthen your attack against the city and overthrow it.' And encourage him." When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband. And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord. - 2 Samuel 11:1‭-‬27 ESV

Rev. Dan Whang

We think that our politicians are bad. David is no better. He has a huge moral failure. There is no human hero worship.

David is not where he should be. It is the time of war. Kings customarily go out to war during this time. But David stayed at home. He sent Joab in his place.

  David is laying on his couch and decides to go for a walk. He goes out on his roof. He isn't looking for sin and temptation. But we need to remember, sin and temptation does not take a vacation. David does not remember his integrity and forgets God. When sin comes to tempt, Satan does not make God evil, he makes us forget God. He makes us feel that we are justified in sinning.

  David sees this beautiful woman. And he sends messengers. They tell him, this is the wife of one of his men. He sends his men to go get her. And he sleeps with her. He goes from lazing about to actively seeking out the desire of his flesh. He actively seeks it out.

  David has been in control this whole time. Not any more. Things are out of David's control. Bathsheba becomes pregnant. David sends for her husband. Uriah comes and the king talks nicely to him. David tries to send him home to sleep with his wife. But Uriah won't cooperate. So he gets him drunk. But Uriah has more integrity drunk than king David. David doesn't repent. He plots murder. David sends Uriah with a note to the commander that was his death warrant.

  Uriah was one of his mighty men. A close comrade who fought for the David.  The king who invited the descendent of Saul to his table also murdered and stole the wife of a close friend and brother in arms. David is a monster. The man after God's own heart has become a murdering adulterer.

Application

Close your eyes (to sin)

Sin attacks with a visual attack. Not the first look, but the lingering second look. The first is a temptation. What happens after is where we can fall to sin.

Divine silence

After all these things, we see no reference to God. Until the very end. Then we hear that God was displeased. Not that God rejected or withdrew from David, but that God saw David's sin. David did all these things out of fear of man. He wanted to hide and cover over his sin in the eyes of men, but God sees.

"Be killing sin or sin will be killing you."

The Gospel According to David: You Won't Build Me a House, I Will Build You a House

Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent." And Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you." But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, "Go and tell my servant David, 'Thus says the Lord : Would you build me a house to dwell in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"' Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.'" In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David. Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, "Who am I, O Lord God , and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God . You have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God ! And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God ! Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O Lord , became their God. And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken. And your name will be magnified forever, saying, 'The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,' and the house of your servant David will be established before you. For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, 'I will build you a house.' Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. And now, O Lord God , you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God , have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever." - 2 Samuel 7:1‭-‬29 ESV

Rev. Charles Han

David has come a long way from a shepherd boy. He was a warrior, musician, fugitive, rival for the throne, to finally ruler over all of Israel. And finally, David comes upon a period of peace.

The God of all grace

David is in a house of cedar. He is in a peaceful and good place. But David is discontent, the ark and tabernacle sits in a tent. He goes to the prophet, Nathan, and proposes that a temple be built for God. Nathan says yes, absolutely. But God says no. God says David will not build him a house. God chose the tent over the temple. This is to show that God stoops to serve us. He is among us and with us.

God serves us. We are commanded to serve Him. But God doesn't need our service. Pagan gods of that day needed a temple. Building a house for one of these gods will allow is to curry their favor. God is not like one of these. He is not like the other gods. He operates on grace, not karma.

The God of covenant promise

God makes a promise to David. Most covenants if this time are mutually agreed. But God does not, he does it unconditionally, no matter what.

What kind of promise is being made here? God will raise up David's lineage as kings. He will deal with his progeny as sons. His kingdom will last forever. Not hyperbole, but literally forever. It is like hitting the jackpot. Out of nowhere, God promises such great things. But what is this to us? This promise refers to Jesus. Those who have faith in Jesus as saviour and Lord, have claim to this promise.

As followers of Christ, we are treated as sons and daughters of God. Death will not keep us down. We will be a part of this kingdom that will last into eternity.

God lives in a tent, sure. But how sure can we be of God as Emmanuel, God with us? Jesus came and became one of us. He was homeless and experienced all the suffering that we encounter in this life. This should bring us peace and contentment.

"Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. - Luke 12:32‭-‬33 ESV

We can rest knowing that God is giving us the kingdom. He is giving us an ultimate home. A place that absolutely fits and suits us. This does not exist on this side of eternity. We can find inns and hotels that give some measure of this feeling, but with no permanence. We will stay unsatisfied until heaven comes. A kingdom and home is what God is making for us... in heaven. That is our inheritance.

Our response

David reacts to God's response with a long prayer. He is marveled by the grace of God. He is without words. This king is the one who wrote so many songs of praise in Psalms. This is the heart of gratitude for a debt that cannot be repaid. We should be gripped by a gratefulness that we cannot even put into words. The proper response is repentance and worship.

The Gospel According to David: David Dances

David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark. And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord , with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, "How can the ark of the Lord come to me?" So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household. And it was told King David, "The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God." So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing. And when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn. As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord , and she despised him in her heart. And they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord . And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed, each to his house. And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, "How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants' female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!" And David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord , who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord —and I will celebrate before the Lord . I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor." And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death. - 2 Samuel 6:1‭-‬23 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

The ark of the covenant is a sacramental object for the nation of Israel. It is the physical representation of God's presence.

David has become king. The opponents of David have all died. The first priority for David is bringing the ark back.

The terror of God's presence

David was bringing the ark back. One of his men touched the ark to keep it from falling when the oxen had stumbled. And the man died. Immediately. Uzzah was of the tribe of the Levite's. He should have known how the ark was to be treated, right down to how it was to be transported. It was not to be moved by a cart and oxen. It was to be carried by a group of Levites on poles. God is holy. He cannot stand impurity.

When people meet God, they are terrified. Abraham wanted to see God, God allowed him to see his backside. When Abraham came back down from the mountain, his glowing face terrified the people. Isaiah saw God and cried out that he was unclean, undone. Angels cover their faces around God.

It was grace that God only struck down one man. David and the rest of his men lived. They had treated the ark without due respect and reverence.

The tension of God's presence

So king David brought it to the house of Obed-edom. David was afraid to bring the ark near. But
Obed-edom and his household are blessed. God is holy, but we are impure. We would be undone if God brought his entire presence near.

So David comes back, and this time it is done reverently. It is held by Levites. And every six steps, they sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. They walked ten miles. It would have been a trail of dead animals and blood. This is the holiness of God displayed for all to see.

The telltale signs of being in God's presence

We cannot fully grasp the gospel unless we understand the character of God.  Unless we have an idea of who God is, we cannot take the gospel properly. If we sing and dance for other things, but God and the gospel does not make you dance, something is wrong. We should have greater enthusiasm for God and His salvation. Not to day that we should fake it. We should meditate on God and His grace towards us.

Firstly, we will care first and foremost for God's opinion. We care less for what people think of us. Rather we seek out the pleasure of God rather than the pleasure of other people.

Secondly, we will have joy. We are content and gracious towards others. It is not self righteousness that drives us, but rather gratitude and humility.

We will dance with all our might, like David.

The Gospel According to David: David stays his hand

When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, "Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi." Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats' Rocks. And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. And the men of David said to him, "Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, 'Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.'" Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe. And afterward David's heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe. He said to his men, "The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my Lord, the Lord 's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord 's anointed." So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way. Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, "My Lord the king!" And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage. And David said to Saul, "Why do you listen to the words of men who say, 'Behold, David seeks your harm'? Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave. And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, 'I will not put out my hand against my Lord, for he is the Lord 's anointed.' See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take it. May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you. As the proverb of the ancients says, 'Out of the wicked comes wickedness.' But my hand shall not be against you. After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! After a flea! May the Lord therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand." As soon as David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. He said to David, "You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil. And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the Lord put me into your hands. For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe? So may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. And now, behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. Swear to me therefore by the Lord that you will not cut off my offspring after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father's house." And David swore this to Saul. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold. - 1SA 24:1‭-‬22 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Decision making

Just because a door is open, does not mean God desires it. We need to be careful of interpreting opportunities or circumstances as God's will for us. We can easily go down the wrong path.

Guidelines

1) If you have a choice and there is a biblical injunction in your path, don't do it.

For instance, dating non-Christians. We are not to marry non-Christians. Do not be unequally yoked. Don't do it.

2) God's ways are not always the most practical or convenient.

David could have killed Saul. Killing Saul would have been the easiest way out. By not killing Saul, David was ensuring a longer wait for kingship... And a continued life as a fugitive. Impractical and inefficient... But God can call us to these things. He can and does call us to tough places.

3) Can you walk away from this and still be content?

If not, then you need to walk away. If you can't walk away, then this is a temptation and likely an idol for you. We are led down a path of impatience and discontent by whatever this is. We must walk away. It is not for the glory of God, but selfish ambition and desire.

4) Does this maximize my time & talent?

Dealing with difficult people

David was on the run for years. He could have killed Saul as payback for all these things. But David does not kill Saul. He shows restraint. Even when he addresses Saul, it was full of respect and reverence. He calls him Lord, father... Not only that, but Saul goes on the hunt for David again later.

David treated Saul this way not because of God. Not because Saul treated David well, but because Saul was God's anointed. We are all image bearers of God. So they are should be treated with respect.

David trusted God will deliver justice. For those who trust in God, God will not allow anyone to get away with it. It will be accounted for either in hell or at the cross. We aren't to add to God's justice. This is not to say not to defend yourself. We are not to just take abuse, but protect ourselves. David stayed far away from Saul. However, we are to avoid revenge and vengeance.

Application

Commit your heart fully to God

How? Look at Jesus. He could have taken the easy way. Instead he chose God's will in God's way. Jesus took the path of suffering and a crown of thorns for us. That will make us bend our knees to Him. Not only that, but God is for us. He is more for us than we are for ourselves.

Keep your eyes on God

When God could have struck you down, He stayed his hand. Jesus is the greater David because Jesus took our punishment in our stead. He took the penalty of our sin to save us.

Not only are we to not avenge, but we are to do good to our enemies. Love them, because God loved us while we were still His enemies. This is neither practical nor convenient. But that is how God works.

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. - ROM 12:17‭-‬21 ESV