David and the kingdom of God
This week the sports news has begun to focus on the new football season. Who will move where ? And, at what price ? Its seems that a small number of clubs have no limit on the amount of money that they can spend and the owners are very happy to oblige.
Also this week one of my favourite television programmes, and this isn’t Neighbours, begins a summer break, and it’s a pretty good break as well, 13 weeks in fact. It is of course the weekly prime ministers question time. Week after week people stand to knock, question, appeal to, or in some cases even praise the Prime Minister.
It seems that there is a huge confusion in society if we look at things like the news over what really is important. In football terms individuals can be viewed almost as a much awaited Messiah. In the past we will know that many have disappointed.
In the political world we will find a number of people who seem to believe that they really are the Messiah, but again all too often we have witnessed evidence to the contrary.
In tonight’s reading from the Old Testament, from the second book of Samuel (7:18-end) we hear David praising God and being thankful for the many blessings that he had received. A couple of weeks ago we heard how David was chosen by God and its seems that God was delivering His promise. David did the right thing and recognised that his power, wealth and position were solely as a result of God’s gift.
And if he ended his conversations with God simply with praise that would be fine, but sadly David’s human frailties, which we also thought about a couple of weeks ago, get in the way of his praise. This time it is the desire to impose his own will and his own thoughts on God.
It is an easy mistake to make, and there seems little doubt that his praise was genuine. Some of the language he uses reveals a deep passion for God for what he believes are the favours that God has shown him, but these apparent favours lead David to believe that he is almost indestructible.
He begins to praise Israel. He becomes very proud, not of being chosen to receive God’s blessings, but of his power and his wealth and his good fortune. And he begins to talk about the people of Israel and the fact that his descendants will continue to rule as Kings over the nation for generations to come.
It is not a totally unreasonable sentiment God does indeed appear to have made these promises but David has misunderstood God’s intentions, and believed that the people of Israel, can look down on anyone else. This was surely not the intention of God who saw Israel and his people as a base for building the Kingdom of God which will stretch throughout the world.
This week as we have thought about the value of footballers, as we have listened to the political battle ground that is Prime Ministers question time. And then many other news stories that have made the headines we too can perhaps recognise how much we and others like to set the agenda for our lives.
In the Psalm (Psalm 73 vs. 21- end 31) a psalm quite unusually written by someone other than David (Asaph), we have perhaps a better example of how to praise recognising and giving thanks for God’s will alone. Towards the end of the song the writer includes the line, (and I am quoting from the Contemporary English Version) , “Powerful Lord God, all who stay far from you will be lost, and you will destroy those who are unfaithful. It is good for me to be near you. I choose you as my Protector, and I will tell about your wonderful deeds.
This song of praise seems to be written with no agenda, no conditions and no desire for any reward other than the promise of God’s continuing love and care.
The lesson we learn from David in the reading this evening, is that it is very easy to be caught in the middle of a success story we regard as dependant on ourselves. Whilst we may praise God we sometimes secretly like to show off a little what we can do,
It can lead to all kinds of recriminations. In worship, it can be a feeling that the way we do it is better than anyone else does it. In our prayer lives we can believe that we have the most local dialling code to God. And in our everyday lives these things can easily translate into convincing ourselves that we know exactly what God wants from us and incredibly this seems to coincide exactly with the things we want to do !
Like the nation of Israel we are to be a foundation stone to assist in building the Kingdom of God but we do that not by setting out our own agenda but by listening to God’s.
The misjudgement of David in regard to the nation of Israel as superior to others has had long term consequences within the Holy Land today. Many would still see themselves as being part of a nation set above others but God, the great reconciler, casts aside pride, envy and greed in order to build a Kingdom based on love and trust and wisdom so we can out our Praises, wherever we may be.
And so we have the appeal to turn away from our own will, and to seek God’s perfect will. “I choose you as my Protector” said the Psalmist . And so we are called to put aside any differences, pride, inferiority complexes and anything else which divides us and build together a Kingdom of praise and love. AMEN
Also this week one of my favourite television programmes, and this isn’t Neighbours, begins a summer break, and it’s a pretty good break as well, 13 weeks in fact. It is of course the weekly prime ministers question time. Week after week people stand to knock, question, appeal to, or in some cases even praise the Prime Minister.
It seems that there is a huge confusion in society if we look at things like the news over what really is important. In football terms individuals can be viewed almost as a much awaited Messiah. In the past we will know that many have disappointed.
In the political world we will find a number of people who seem to believe that they really are the Messiah, but again all too often we have witnessed evidence to the contrary.
In tonight’s reading from the Old Testament, from the second book of Samuel (7:18-end) we hear David praising God and being thankful for the many blessings that he had received. A couple of weeks ago we heard how David was chosen by God and its seems that God was delivering His promise. David did the right thing and recognised that his power, wealth and position were solely as a result of God’s gift.
And if he ended his conversations with God simply with praise that would be fine, but sadly David’s human frailties, which we also thought about a couple of weeks ago, get in the way of his praise. This time it is the desire to impose his own will and his own thoughts on God.
It is an easy mistake to make, and there seems little doubt that his praise was genuine. Some of the language he uses reveals a deep passion for God for what he believes are the favours that God has shown him, but these apparent favours lead David to believe that he is almost indestructible.
He begins to praise Israel. He becomes very proud, not of being chosen to receive God’s blessings, but of his power and his wealth and his good fortune. And he begins to talk about the people of Israel and the fact that his descendants will continue to rule as Kings over the nation for generations to come.
It is not a totally unreasonable sentiment God does indeed appear to have made these promises but David has misunderstood God’s intentions, and believed that the people of Israel, can look down on anyone else. This was surely not the intention of God who saw Israel and his people as a base for building the Kingdom of God which will stretch throughout the world.
This week as we have thought about the value of footballers, as we have listened to the political battle ground that is Prime Ministers question time. And then many other news stories that have made the headines we too can perhaps recognise how much we and others like to set the agenda for our lives.
In the Psalm (Psalm 73 vs. 21- end 31) a psalm quite unusually written by someone other than David (Asaph), we have perhaps a better example of how to praise recognising and giving thanks for God’s will alone. Towards the end of the song the writer includes the line, (and I am quoting from the Contemporary English Version) , “Powerful Lord God, all who stay far from you will be lost, and you will destroy those who are unfaithful. It is good for me to be near you. I choose you as my Protector, and I will tell about your wonderful deeds.
This song of praise seems to be written with no agenda, no conditions and no desire for any reward other than the promise of God’s continuing love and care.
The lesson we learn from David in the reading this evening, is that it is very easy to be caught in the middle of a success story we regard as dependant on ourselves. Whilst we may praise God we sometimes secretly like to show off a little what we can do,
It can lead to all kinds of recriminations. In worship, it can be a feeling that the way we do it is better than anyone else does it. In our prayer lives we can believe that we have the most local dialling code to God. And in our everyday lives these things can easily translate into convincing ourselves that we know exactly what God wants from us and incredibly this seems to coincide exactly with the things we want to do !
Like the nation of Israel we are to be a foundation stone to assist in building the Kingdom of God but we do that not by setting out our own agenda but by listening to God’s.
The misjudgement of David in regard to the nation of Israel as superior to others has had long term consequences within the Holy Land today. Many would still see themselves as being part of a nation set above others but God, the great reconciler, casts aside pride, envy and greed in order to build a Kingdom based on love and trust and wisdom so we can out our Praises, wherever we may be.
And so we have the appeal to turn away from our own will, and to seek God’s perfect will. “I choose you as my Protector” said the Psalmist . And so we are called to put aside any differences, pride, inferiority complexes and anything else which divides us and build together a Kingdom of praise and love. AMEN
Comments