Tag Archives: King David

Chapter-a-Day

“Young and Old”

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"Young and Old" (CaD 1 Chr 25) – Wayfarer

Young and old alike, teacher as well as student, cast lots for their duties.
1 Chronicles 25:8 (NIV)

This past Sunday, I gave the message among our local gathering of Jesus’ followers. In the message, I shared briefly about my youth pastor, Andy, who was a real mentor to me when I was in high school.

One of the things that Andy impressed upon me and my fellow students in those days was the fact that there was no age minimum when it came to having spiritual gifts and using them for God’s Kingdom. When it came to a two-year discipleship program that Andy wanted to offer for our high school youth, he chose four students to be trained and to lead the class for both students and their parents. Encouraging us to embrace that we had spiritual gifts and that God wanted to use us even though everyone else saw us as “just kids” was transformational.

I continue to beat that same drum today. How many great things could happen if young people stopped zoning out in front of screens, chasing likes, and were given permission to embrace and unleash their spiritual gifts and passions in tangible ways?

I also mentioned in my message that spiritual gifts and using them for God’s Kingdom do not come with an expiration date, either. Just this last week I had a casual conversation with the former CEO of a global corporation who now tries to help individuals and organizations harness the opportunities represented in those who have “retired” from their careers but still have as many as 20 to 30 years of life ahead of them in their “third phase.” Our culture embraces “retirement” but nowhere in the Great Story have I ever found God telling anyone their services are no longer needed. God numbers our days for His purposes, not mine. If I wake up in the morning, there’s a purpose He has for me this day.

I thought about these things as I read another one of the admittedly boring chapters of lists. In today’s list, the Chronicler lists those members of the tribe of Levi who were musicians and assigned to play for worship in the temple. It was fascinating that the ancient Hebrews made a connection between music and spiritual sight. There was a connection between music and prophesy, synonymously referred to as “seer.” I confess that I’ve always envied gifted musicians and singers. Alas, my gifts lie elsewhere.

What struck me the most in today’s chapter was that when it came to assigning the musicians who would be responsible for playing music for worship in the Temple on a rotating basis, they cast lots. “Young and old alike, Teacher as well as student.” In other words, there was no age or educational restriction. God wanted young and old, experienced and inexperienced, both teacher and trainee to play before Him. Even a “joyful noise” is sweet music to God’s ears when it is played with a devoted and aspiring spirit.

In the quiet this morning, I find myself meditating on the difference Andy made to a generation of us back in the day. Andy believed and convinced us there was nothing we couldn’t accomplish for God if we had faith and shrugged off the restrictions society and culture placed on us, even in spiritual matters. You can still find so many of my peers from those years around the globe still focused on ushering God’s Kingdom through everything they do, no matter their vocation or calling.

I also find myself, once again, reflecting on the impending “third phase” of life that sits out there on the horizon. I have no idea exactly what that looks like. I do know, however, that my endeavor is to never retire from God’s callings and purposes for me as long as I have life and breath.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Inspired by the Past

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Inspired by the Past (1 Chr 22) – Wayfarer

“Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God. Begin to build the sanctuary of the Lord God…”
1 Chronicles 22:19a (NIV)

As a baseball fan, I have been enjoying the outpouring of honor for Willie Mays the past few days. Not only was Mays possibly the greatest all-around player ever, but he is among the last players who transitioned from the Negro Leagues to the Major Leagues after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. He is one of the greats.

“We were playing for generations of players who were held back. We had a lot to play for, not just [for] us,” Mays told John Shea, co-author of Mays’ memoir 24.

One of the things that I love about history is its power to inspire, and there is plenty of inspiration in a man like Mays who was not only a great ball player, but a stellar human being who helped move history forward out of the sickness of segregation.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post/podcast, we have entered a new phase of 1 Chronicles. Once again, I found it important this morning to place myself in the sandals of the Chronicler and the people to whom he is writing his history of King David and the Kingdom of Israel. His generation has returned to the rubble of Jerusalem left by the Babylonian army almost a century before. Their generation has been given the monumental task of turning the debris into a new Temple.

How does he inspire them? With the history of their larger-than-life hero King David. King David’s greatest desire was to build the temple, but God made it clear that it would be his son, Solomon, who would do the job. So, David made all of the preparations he could, and in today’s chapter, he passes the responsibility to his son with history’s version of an inspirational locker room speech.

I think it’s important to note that all of these details are not found in the earlier historical account in Samuel. This is the Chronicler’s unique addition to the story. When he writes of David urging his son to succeed in completing his life’s greatest ambition he knows that he is writing to the “sons of David” who have the same task before them hundreds of years later. He is using history to inspire.

In the quiet this morning, I’m reminded that everyone has a natural bent with regard to time. My bent is to look to the past for its lessons and inspiration. Wendy’s bent, on the other hand, is to always be looking to the future so that she can plan and execute that plan well. Still, others have a bent to living in the moment and focus on the present realities. There is no right or wrong. It’s not an either-or, but a yes-and. I have learned along the journey that we all need to learn from and appreciate those who have a different bent. And from time to time everyone needs the pasto to inspire us. The Chronicler certainly understood this.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Empire & Security

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Empire and Security (CaD 1 Chr 19) – Wayfarer

So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.”
1 Chronicles 21:2 (NIV)

Earlier this month my older brothers celebrated that momentous birthday number 65. For a long time, the idea of retirement was out there somewhere. With my brothers turning 65, the reality of being retirement age is suddenly a fixed spot on the seven-year horizon.

Today’s chapter got me thinking about retirement planning. The chapter is fascinating for both its content and placement in the larger story. The Chronicler has painted an idyllic picture of King David through the first 20 chapters, both as priest-king and warrior-king. So it’s surprising for the author to present David making an actual mistake. It is, however, an important piece of the story the Chronicler wants to emphasize.

Having established David as a King who put God first, and a victorious warrior, the Chronicler is now going to go back in time. We are entering an entirely new section of the Chronicler’s account that is focused on the building of Solomon’s Temple. To understand how God established the place where the Temple would be built, the Chronicler must go back to the days before David had brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. The location where David pitched the temporary tent-temple and where the permanent Temple would someday be built was established by God as part of the consequences of David’s mistake. David demanded that a census be taken of all the fighting men in the Kingdom.

In a modern context, it seems silly to think that taking a census is a big deal. The national census is part of the flow of life here in the States every decade. For the ancient Hebrews, the reason for taking a census of fighting men was only necessary if and when there was an imminent military threat. There was no threat, so the only motivations David had for doing so was either insecurity (e.g. “I don’t trust God to provide what we need if we’re attacked, so I’m going to make sure.”) or simple hubris (e.g. “Look at the empire I’ve built and the size of the army I can muster!”). Either way, something was not right spiritually in the act.

The consequences of David’s mistake led to David meeting the Angel of the Lord on the threshing floor of a man named Araunah. God tells David to purchase the land, build an altar there, and offer sacrifices. When David did so, the sacrifices were accepted with heavenly fire, thus establishing that this is where the Temple would be built.

As I meditated on the chapter this morning, two prevailing thoughts rose up in my spirit.

First, I find that there is a difference between wisely managing my finances and possessions and building a personal empire. In many ways, the entire Great Story from Genesis to Revelation is about the conflict between human empire and God’s Kingdom. As I read about David taking stock of his empire this morning, I thought of Jesus’ parable of the rich man who built larger and more storage units for all of his wealth and possessions, “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’” (Luke 12:13-21)

Human empire exists at multiple levels in life from national, to corporate, to vocational, to familial, and even to personal. If my life is spent building an empire then something is spiritually askew.

The second thought is simply the question, “Where is my security?” Is it in my 401K? Again, it is a wise thing to plan and save for the third phase of life, but I never want to confuse that with my faith and trust in “my God who supplies all of my needs through the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Insult and Injury

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Insult and Injury (CaD 1 Chr 19) – Wayfarer

In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, Joab led out the armed forces. He laid waste the land of the Ammonites and went to Rabbah and besieged it, but David remained in Jerusalem. Joab attacked Rabbah and left it in ruins.
1 Chronicles 20:1 (NIV)

Today’s short chapter continues the Chronicler’s overview of King David’s military exploits, but it’s also a continuation of the story in yesterday’s chapter when the newly crowned Ammonite King humiliated King David’s entourage by shaving their beards off and cutting holes in the backsides so they returned with their butts exposed for all to see. David’s army attacked the Ammonites and their mercenary allies, the Arameans. While the attack was technically a win, most of the Ammonites fled into their walled city and escaped. But David considered the job undone.

Warfare in ancient times was typically dependent on the weather and the seasons. The first attack on the Ammonites must have been late in the season because David’s army withdrew back to Jerusalem. When the following spring arrived, they returned to the land of the Ammonites and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. This time, they were successful in deposing the King who had humiliated David’s men.

In the quiet this morning, I thought about the King of the Ammonites’ foolish act on the advice of his commanders (be careful whose advice you heed). I thought about the anger he roused within David. David told his men to stay away until their beards grew back so they would not be humiliated in front of their family, friends, and community. That means during the season the army was on stand down and they were waiting for spring the absence of these men was a constant reminder of the insult. When their beards finally grew back and they returned, it was yet another reminder of the Ammonites’ offense. The King of the Ammonites had ensured that David’s anger would fester and the insult would be perpetually remembered.

As I meditated on these things, I was reminded of Jesus words:

“This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.

“Or say you’re out on the street and an old enemy accosts you. Don’t lose a minute. Make the first move; make things right with him. After all, if you leave the first move to him, knowing his track record, you’re likely to end up in court, maybe even jail. If that happens, you won’t get out without a stiff fine.”
Matthew 5:23-26 (MSG)

Of course, Jesus was talking about interpersonal relationships and not international diplomacy. Nevertheless, the King of the Ammonites is a great object lesson of the principle. When David’s army returned in the spring, the King did not send his army out to face them in the field. Perhaps the same commanders who advised the King to insult David now advised him to keep them and their army safely sequestered inside the walls of the city. In doing so, the Ammonite King abandoned his own people in the lands and villages around the city sacrificing his own people to David’s army who easily captured and plundered them. In the end, the King paid dearly for a proud and foolish insult.

I’m reminded this morning that following Jesus’ teaching means treating others, even enemies, with humility, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. Sometimes that’s hard, but I find that it avoids escalation of the conflict and the consequences that brings. I’m also reminded of the importance of initiating peacemaking when I’ve knowingly offended someone else. Ignoring it allows for anger and resentment to fester, and the consequences could very well be regrettable.

Just ask the King of the Ammonites.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Silos

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Silos (CaD 1 Chr 15) – Wayfarer

Now David was clothed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and as were the musicians, and Kenaniah, who was in charge of the singing of the choirs. David also wore a linen ephod.
1 Chronicles 15:27 (NIV)

I have a bit of a fascination with words and their origins. There is a weekly column in the Wall Street Journal in which the author, an etymologist, chooses one word that was used a lot in the news that week and explores its origins and uses. I know. It’s geeky, but it’s my kind of geeky.

When working in business, one hears a lot of references to silos, which I find fascinating living in Iowa. An agricultural staple used for storing grain on the farm became a universally used metaphor describing strict divisions within a business or corporation. In my career, I’ve had to struggle with our client’s silos regularly. The Sales and Marketing silo usually pays for customer research, but the results have all sorts of important data for the Customer Service team who is in the Operations silo. At best, they don’t communicate well. At worst, they consider each other internal rivals. Silos prevent the data from having a maximum impact on the client and their customers’ experiences.

In the ancient world of the Hebrews, there were also silos that God had established in the Laws of Moses. Only members of the tribe of Levi were priests and caretakers of God’s ark and the temple. Hundreds of years later, the Hebrews established a monarchy. But King David, despite being anointed by God and established as a man after God’s own heart, was from the tribe of Judah. That’s a different silo.

The Chronicler, unlike the earlier account of David’s reign in Samuel, is writing hundreds of years later and with knowledge of all that has happened since, including the writings of all the prophets. He knows from the prophets that the Messiah will come from David’s line and that the Messiah will be both King and High Priest.

In today’s chapter, I noted that the Chronicler was careful to explain that it was King David who ordered that no one but the Levites should carry the Ark of the Covenant and that they should all consecrate themselves before doing so as prescribed in the Law of Moses, a mistake they had made two chapters earlier. So it’s the King who is commanding the priestly tribe of Levi to do their job.

Later in the chapter, the Chronicler provides a little detail about the big event of the Ark of the Covenant’s big arrival celebration in Jerusalem. King David was wearing the same priestly garments as the Levites.

The Chronicler is establishing with David there was a tearing down of the silos between King and Priest. David had authority and told the Levites to do their job. David wore priestly garments as the Ark was brought into Jerusalem. The Chronicler sees David as the precursor of the King-Priest that will eventually be fully realized in the Messiah.

Note: The Priest-King issue as it relates to Jesus was eventually explained by the author of Hebrews, and it’s pretty cool. The answer lies in a mysterious figure who appears briefly in Genesis. I introduce him briefly in this post.

So what does this have to do with my life today? As a disciple of Jesus, I find that He’s all about tearing down the silos. He tore down cultural silos and religious silos. He burned the silo of a priestly class system to the ground and made every follower a member of the royal priesthood. I just talked about that in a message I gave to our local gathering of Jesus’ followers a few weeks ago.

So in the quiet this morning, I find myself asking “Where have I built silos in life that need to be torn down?” Where do I see distinctions between me and others that Jesus would say don’t exist? If I’m a member of the royal priesthood as God tells me I am, then how am I supposed to live that out in my life, my words, and my actions today? Or, have I built a silo around my heart and mind so that I can ignore this spiritual truth and tell myself “It’s not my job!”?

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

The Warriors

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The Warriors (CaD 1 Chr 12) – Wayfarer

Day after day men came to help David, until he had a great army, like the army of God.
1 Chronicles 12:22 (NIV)

Today is June 6, 2024. Eighty years ago today the Allied nations launched the greatest military assault in human history. Crossing the English Channel and landing on the beaches of Normandy, the tide of World War II had shifted. Hitler’s days of conquest to rule the rule the world and create “the master race” were effectively over. It was the Allies who now pursued conquest in order to eliminate the threat of Nazi tyranny.

Generally speaking, human history is a never-ending series of conquests. Whoever had the bigger, better, and more equipped army conquered greater territories and prevailed until a bigger, better, and more equipped army came along. And, history proves that, at some point, one always seems to eventually come along.

One of the reasons that David was viewed as the greatest king of Israel was because he was a successful warrior and a successful leader of warriors. For over a decade, David lived as a young fugitive in the desert, hiding from Mad King Saul. During that period of time, he became a legend in an almost Robin Hood-like fashion. It started as a rag-tag group of mercenaries, outcasts, and misfits who hailed from a wide variety of backgrounds. As tales of the desert warrior spread along with word of his exploits, more and more men sought David out and joined his burgeoning personal army.

By the time David becomes king, he already has a large, well-trained and experienced army who were personally loyal to him. His army were men from every tribe and virtually every local nation. David succeeded in earning their loyalty. As king, David and his personal army were uniquely prepared to conquer neighboring nations and expand his nation’s power and wealth. Bolstered by the addition of the national army that had been previously loyal to Saul, David was geared to rise to prominence.

In today’s chapter, the Chronicler continues to wax eloquent on the greatness of David’s army and his military leadership. History goes to the conquerors. One again, for the Chronicler and the conquered and defeated people returning from exile, the memory of a once great warrior-king who conquered the region and led an army “like the army of God” would have been inspiring to a people trying to reclaim their identity within the larger Persian Empire.

In the quiet this morning, I find myself thinking of the men that I knew who participated in battles to liberate Europe. One was a high school teacher, bound to a wheelchair, who one day reluctantly shared his experiences of storming the beach at Normandy and taking out a German pill-box on D-Day. Another was a retired postman who always had a smiling and pleasant disposition and rarely said a single word. He was among the few pilots to survive 25 bombing missions over Germany and earn a ticket home. A third was a Tuskegee Airman who survived the battle of racial prejudice as well as the war over Europe. He returned to become an educator in Iowa and was kind enough to share with me his story over pints at the Pensacola Naval Air Station.

How different life would be had these men not made the sacrifice to serve along with the thousands who didn’t live to tell their tales. I found it interesting how the Chronicler mythologized David’s warriors. As I noted yesterday, we like to glorify our past and make heroes of our warriors. I consider them heroes. But I have found, however, that these warriors I described were each reluctant to share their stories. The “glorification” was something they eschewed. I could feel the unspoken pain of the horrors they’d witnessed. I sensed the survivor’s guilt that comes with the memory of all the faces and names of friends who died fighting next to them. There was a common humility these men had in trying to diminish the glorification and honor the terror of being one lucky S.O.B who made it when so many laid down their lives.

While in college, I was asked to give a speech at a Veteran’s Day parade. As I rode to the parade grounds with a bus full of mostly World War II veterans, I noticed that the Veteran sitting across from me was staring out the window, a glazed expression on his face as was lost what I can only guess was a bitter memory. As I watched, tears began streaming out of his eyes and down his ruddy, wrinkled face. I almost felt ashamed to be there watching. It was a holy moment. It was qadosh.

He caught me looking at him.

Tears still streaming down his face, he said, “Never get in another war. Never.”

If only history in the fallen world east of Eden was as simple as willing it to be the way we’d like it to be.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Glory Days

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Glory Days (CaD 1 Chr 11) – Wayfarer

When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, he made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel, as the Lord had promised through Samuel.
1 Chronicles 11:3 (NIV)

In a few weeks, I will attend my 40th high school class reunion. I graduated in 1984. I came of age in the Reagan years. I entered high school the year Reagan took office and finished college the same year Reagan completed his second term.

It’s common for people to look back at their high school and college years as the “Glory Days” of life. Bruce Springsteen even wrote a song about it. I do find it humorous to think back about what life was like in those days. I get a lot of memes in my social media feed about growing up in the 1970s and 1980s and they always make me laugh. Life has certainly changed a lot in 40 years.

In today’s chapter, the Chronicler begins his description of the reign of King David. With both his words and his choice of details, he paints a “Glory Days” picture of Israel’s great King.

Twice in the first three verses of the chapter, the Chronicler chooses to say that “all” of the people and elders asked David to be their king. He then chronicles the capture of Jerusalem and David making it his capital city. The Chronicler then highlights David’s “mighty warriors” including the trio of nearly comic book-worthy heroes known as “The Three.”

Unity, power, and strength are the themes the Chronicler establishes immediately in his Cliff Notes condensed version of events. While it is true that his contemporary readers knew the more detailed accounts of Samuel version of history it is worth noting that the Chronicler chooses not to deal with the fact that David was named King of Judah years before the rest of the tribes asked him to be king over them. David united the tribes into one Kingdom, but history has taught me that no leader has 100 percent support. Even Walter Mondale took two states in 1984.

It’s also fascinating that the Chronicler puts David’s “Mighty Men” right up front in the narrative, while the author of Samuel placed it near the end almost as an appendix to David’s story. Again, there is a bit of glorification being presented in the Chronicler’s retelling.

Yet in the quiet this morning I can’t help but once again think about the Chronicler’s place in history. His generation was born and raised in exile. He’s known nothing but subservience to foreign empires. Now, he’s returned to Jerusalem which lay in rubble to rebuild a Temple that was also burned and turned into rubble. Our of the realities of defeat, destruction, exile, and subservience he is trying to find a way to rally his people to put their faith in God and have some pride in their national identity. So, he’s focusing on the unity, power, and strength that their great King David had back in the glory days.

And, I get it. It’s human nature to glorify our past. I certainly wouldn’t mind if Ronald Reagan was on the ballot this November.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

“Everyone Has Their Shit”

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"Everyone Has Their Shit" (CaD 1 Chr 3) – Wayfarer

All these were the sons of David, besides his sons by his concubines. And Tamar was their sister.
1 Chronicles 3:9 (NIV)

Wendy and I created the lower level of our home with a British theme including a small bar that’s our homage to a British Pub. Add in all of the memorabilia from our years in theatre, and I’d like to imagine it would be at home in London’s West End. Next to the bar is a portrait of Scotland’s Robert the Bruce. In the adjoining guest room, you’ll find portraits of some of the more famous kings and queens of Britain. It’s something we’ve had a lot of fun with.

Royalty is a funny thing. Most of the European nations still acknowledge their royal families and lines of succession though they have no real political power. It’s amazing how the Royal family of Great Britain continues to attract such worldwide fascination. The travails of Harry and Megan over the past few years are a glaring case in point.

For our ancient Chronicler and all of the Hebrew people who returned from exile, it is no different. For over half a millennium their history and heritage were intertwined with the royal family and line of succession, the line of King David.

We’re in our third chapter of the Chronicler’s laying out of the historical genealogies of the Hebrew people. Get ready. There are six more chapters of it coming before we switch to the narrative. In today’s chapter, the focus is on the ever-important line of David. David was God’s appointed King and it was through David’s line that the prophets proclaimed a Messiah would be born. For the Chronicler and his people, the lineage of David was at the core of their history and identity.

Of course, anyone who’s watched Netflix’s wonderful series The Crown (which I highly recommend), knows that the story of Queen Elizabeth isn’t complete without the story of her wild sister, Margaret. Then there’s the tragedy of Diana, the whispers-turned-marriage to Camilla, and the bratty “spare” Prince Harry.

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that one of the things I look for when reading through genealogies in the Great Story is something that is out of place. One of the things I mentioned is the mention of a woman amid all of the men. We find that in today’s chapter. The Chronicler lists all of the sons of David from his various wives and concubines. At the very end of the list, he adds “And Tamar was their sister.”

David certainly had plenty of daughters to go with the sons, but only one is mentioned. Without saying another word, the Chronicler has acknowledged to all of his contemporary readers what he knows they all talk about. He’s telling us “There is a story here.” Tamar was that daughter.

For those who may not know, or may have forgotten, Tamar fell in love with her half-brother Amnon who was also the first-born and heir to David’s throne. The heir to the throne ends up raping his younger half-sister and then completely shuns her and tosses her aside. David shoves the entire event under the proverbial rug, which only serves to plant a seed of rage within the heart of Absalom, his third-born son, and Tamar’s full-blood older brother. Absalom would eventually take out his other brothers like Michael Corleone taking out the heads of the five families at the end of The Godfather, and launch a coup to steal the throne from his father. All of this gets reduced to:

“And Tamar was their sister.”

In the quiet this morning, my mind wandered to a couple of conversations I’ve had in the past few weeks. In each case, I was speaking with individuals I have known for over 30 years. I first met each of these people when they were in high school, though there’s no relationship between the two. They are of different ages and from completely different places in life. The connection is that each of them is in the midst of unbelievably difficult circumstances concerning one of their children. The circumstances are completely different but each case is beyond anything I have personally encountered. I can hardly even imagine what these people are going through.

But you’d never know.

In one of these conversations, as I dug into the difficulties they were living with daily, my friend said, “You know, everyone has their shit. It just looks different. Yet, with each person, it’s their shit in their life and they are having to work through it and deal with it and learn from it.” And, this observation stuck with me. I’ve been chewing on it and meditating on the truth of it.

What my friend was getting at is that each person has their own messy, struggling, difficult, tragic, and even shameful story. We are fallen people living in a fallen world. Yet we project to strangers, acquaintances, friends, and even family that things are “normal” and “good.” Nothing to see here. “And Tamar was their sister.”

Over the past few weeks, I’ve found myself considering those with whom I interact. What is this person’s story? What are they dealing with in life about which I have no clue? The lady behind the counter has a company name tag that says, “Karen. I’m here to help.” It could just as easily say, “Tamar. I’m just the sister.”

I’m reminded of Jesus’ scandalous conversation with the Samaritan woman, a stranger who happened to come to draw water while He was sitting there. He ends up telling the woman, “You’ve been married five times, and you’ve not bothered to get married to the man you’re living with.” It’s easy to read that as subtle condemnation, but there’s no hint or evidence of Jesus condemning her in any way. I think it was really about Jesus saying “I see you. I see the story behind the ‘Hello, my name is Mara’ way in which you’re going about the daily chore of drawing water for you and your husband.”

I confess to you that God’s Spirit has long been working on me to be more considerate. Today’s chapter compels me to consider that every individual I interact with has more going on in life than I can possibly know, and respond accordingly.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Settling the Family’s Accounts

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Settling the Family Accounts (1 Ki 2) – Wayfarer

When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son.
1 Kings 2:1 (NIV)

There was a time many years ago that I was asked to serve on a team, and agreed to do so. After my first meeting, the team leader called me aside and called me out for some of the opinions I’d expressed in the meeting. It was one of the more surreal experiences I’ve had along my life journey. I was quickly informed that my services on the team were no longer required, and the whole experience made me grateful to walk away.

I thought about that experience as I pondered today’s chapter. It’s actually a very interesting conversation that begins with David on his deathbed, telling his successor, Solomon, to be obedient to God and keep the Law of Moses. David then immediately tells Solomon to “settle a few of the family accounts” Godfather style.

David tells Solomon to have two men killed:

Joab, David’s powerful military general, had committed a number of disloyal acts including killing Absalom without David’s consent and participating in Adonijah’s rebellion.

Shimei, a member of Saul’s family who had cursed David publicly during Absalom’s rebellion. David had let him live, but now wants Solomon to exact revenge.

Solomon also goes on to kill Adonijah his brother, who attempts to conspire with Bathsheba to make Abishag his wife. Abishag was the virgin who had been made part of the king’s harem so as to sleep with David and keep him warm. Adonijah’s request to marry a member of his father’s harem, was a disrespectful insult of Solomon’s authority and would have subtly established Adonijah’s right to the throne. Sleeping with one of your father’s harem in that culture established the son was his father’s successor. The request told Solomon that his older brother will not give up his desire to be king.

Solomon also removes Abiathar the priest, who had sided with Adonijah, and sends him back to his home, stripping him of his priestly power.

From a historical perspective, what Solomon did was not unusual. In the game of thrones for ancient kingdoms, being the king or queen was a precarious position and there were always rivals, even among one’s own family, who would be happy to assassinate the one on the throne in order to seize power. The elimination of known rivals was one of the ways that ancient monarchs secured their position. I mentioned earlier that what Solomon did was Godfatheresque because it’s a very apt parallel. It’s exactly what Michael Corleone does when he takes out all his rivals.

From a leadership perspective, this is also not unusual. When politicians are elected, it’s customary for people in certain key positions to tender their resignation so that the incoming elected official can appoint his or her own people. It’s sometimes the same way in churches when a new pastor is hired or appointed and the staff is expected to offer their resignations. As I look back on the experience of getting fired from the team after my first meeting, it’s clear that the team leader did not trust that I would be a loyal and supportive member. Even if I could have been, their distrust of me would likely have eventually created problems. While I still scratch my head at the way it was done, I’ve always been grateful to have walked away.

In the quiet this morning, I find myself reminded that I can scarce imagine what life and culture were like back in David and Solomon’s day. It was a violent period of history. At the same time, there are lessons that I can glean about leadership and human systems in which I interact. As I ponder it, I realize that have a great deal of autonomy to choose in to our out of most of the systems and circles of influence with which I regularly interact. Some of the wisest choices I believe I’ve made along my life journey have been choices to choose out of dysfunctional systems or systems filled with crazymakers.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

#3: Blind Spots

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Note: I’m on a holiday hiatus through January 9, 2022. While I’m away, I thought it would be fun to reblog the top 15 chapter-a-day posts (according to number of views) from the past 15 years. Cheers!

Originally published May 15, 2014

When King David heard of all these things, he became very angry, but he would not punish his son Amnon, because he loved him, for he was his firstborn.
2 Samuel 13:21 (NSRV)

David was a great warrior, a great general, and a great leader of men. Evidence leads me to believe that he was not, however, a great husband or father. As we’ve read David’s story he has slowly been amassing wives like the spoils of war and the result was many children. But, an army of children do not an army make. A family system and the complex relationships between birth order and gender can be difficult enough for a monogamous, nuclear family. I can’t imagine the exponential complexities that emerge when you have eight wives, ten concubines and children with most all of them.

As I read through these chapters I’ve noticed that we never see David telling his children “no” nor do we see him discipline them for their behavior. David appears to have even had a reputation among his offspring of not refusing their requests. David’s daughter, Tamar, tells her half brother Amnon that if he simply asks Dad she’s sure he’ll let them get married. When Amnon rapes Tamar instead and then turns her away we hear of David’s anger, but he doesn’t do anything about disciplining his beloved first born son. When Tamar’s full brother Absalom plots to kill their half brother Amnon in revenge, Absalom goes to David and presses good ol’ dad until David relents and sends all the brothers on Absalom’s little fratricidal sheep-shearing retreat.

David has a blind spot. He can lead an army to endless victories but his record as leader of a family is a tragic string of failures and defeats.

I cannot point at David without three fingers pointing back at me. We all have our blind spots. Our greatest strengths have their corollary weaknesses. We cannot escape this reality, but we can escape being enslaved to it. What we can do is be honest about our blind spots. We can choose to shine a light of our time and attention to addressing them. We can surround ourselves with others who will graciously help us see them, work through them, and who will patiently love us as we do.

Today’s chapter seems perfectly timed as I’ve been made painfully aware of a blind spot in my life. If you’re reading this, and are a person who prays, please say a prayer for me as I address it.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.