Deuteronomy 6:18 “And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may go well with you, and that you may go in and take possession of the good land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers”
In a world that is ever changing, there remains a constant. The Lord does not change. He does not shift like the shadows. His mercy endures forever. His lovingkindness is revealed to all who call upon Him.
The character of God is an expression of His heart. We can read of His mighty works, and observe how He has interacted with mankind and gain insight into who He is. Whether a people have been blessed or incurred wrath, the outcome can be expected because God does not change. He makes it clear to those who listen, blessings or cursing, He has given us an opportunity to decide how the line may fall.
I was reading recently in 2 Samuel of all the trouble that was coming upon David during his reign as king over Israel. David’s son Absalom had rebelled against David and tried to usurp the throne and subsequently died in battle. The kingdom was splintering and David seemed to almost expect it after his sin against Uriah and his wife Bathsheba. The news of David’s treachery against Uriah had undoubtedly spread among the people and the punishment God inflicted was coming to pass.
2 Samuel 12:10-12 “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.’”
Doing what is good and right is to live according to the commandments of the Lord in all we do. When we forsake God’s commandments, we forsake God Himself. We abandon the way of peace and choose the path of destruction.
God’s people are not condemned by the commandments, the law of sin and death no longer holds judgment over them. Since Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law, those who are called by His name have been set free from judgement. But the path of peace is still the path of righteousness for all who follow. By choosing to forsake righteousness, even God’s people suffer the penalty of rebellion.
Many will question God’s goodness when trouble comes their way, thinking that somehow they are immune to trouble. When we blame God for difficulty in life, we in a way deny His goodness. We act like God is no longer good if He doesn’t go along with our sin. It is a foolish proposition but one that many have accused God of doing. Even if it isn’t sin that dominates our life but rather a failure to follow, we act like God should support our every whim, even if it isn’t His will.
After David regained his foothold and reestablished his throne after Absalom’s death, there remained division among the nation of Israel. A worthless man named Sheba wasn’t about to recognize David as king. He blew a trumpet and made an announcement…
“We have no portion in David,
and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse;
every man to his tents, O Israel!”
Trouble, trouble, trouble…..Absalom had taken some of David’s concubines and defiled his house. The fact that he had been able to sway so many in Israel showed that devotion to David had waned, and many of the people were looking for a different ruler. Sheba eventually lost his head for his rebellion, turning his back on God’s anointed was a fatal mistake. Even though David had committed an egregious sin, the Lord had not forsaken David nor withdrew from His promises.
God remained good. David was suffering the consequences of sin but it had not affected the glory of God even one iota. The Lord was pressing forward with His purposes, and was faithful in His response. Shortly after that period of chaos, Israel found itself enduring a famine in the land, and we witness something that set David apart.
2 Samuel 21:1a “Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the face of the LORD……
Many kings before and after David forgot to seek God in the midst of calamity. David remembered the Lord and that God did not change, regardless of his circumstances. David honored the Lord and sought His face in the midst of trouble…and the Lord responded.
2 Samuel 21:1b and the LORD said, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.”
When I read this I thought, what? All the craziness of rebellion, murder, infidelity, treachery, treason…pretty much all the real horrible things that people bring before God every day, and the Lord was acting upon something that happened before David had ever taken the throne. The judgement of God wasn’t upon David but rather upon Israel as a nation. Many years earlier Joshua had sworn an oath to the Gibeonites that Israel would not slaughter them but spare them (Joshua 9:15), so when Saul decided to attack and kill them, it was a breaking of an oath that the Lord was upholding.
Saul had proven himself unfaithful, David had done the same, but the Lord remembered and chose to incur wrath at that particular time. The Gibeonites were a Canaanite group of people who had used trickery to gain a peace treaty with Israel. Joshua had believed their lie and instead of seeking the Lord, rashly made a peace treaty with his enemies. Now we flash forward nearly 350 years after the making of a peace treaty with an idolatrous people, those who were not God’s people, and the Lord was punishing Israel for breaking their oath.
Mmmmm….what does that tell us about the Lord?
He maintains justice. It is the Lord who brings forth both wrath and blessings, and He holds us to our word. It doesn’t matter who we are dealing with, it is important for us to remember that it is the Lord who is sovereign over the world, He is the ultimate judge of man and He remains good. We may repent of sin and the Lord forgives, but consequences still may follow. Will we forsake the Lord even if we feel like He is unjustified in how He is treating us?
It took David three years of famine before he sought the Lord and asked Him why the famine. If I was David, I would have assumed the Lord was still making me pay for my failures against Uriah. But three years in and David must have thought…O.K., I’ve paid my dues and this seems overly vengeful. What’s going on Lord…why are you doing this? The Lord didn’t hold back, but rather told David why the famine was happening and so David went to the remnant of Gibeonites and asked them how to make restitution.
2 Samuel 21:5-6 “They said to the king, “The man who consumed us and planned to destroy us, so that we should have no place in all the territory of Israel, let seven of his sons be given to us, so that we may hang them before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD.” And the king said, “I will give them.”
Saul’s rebellion against God continued to bring trouble upon his children and grandchildren. The Gibeonites could have accused God of being an oath breaker, and more than likely they did as we see how they responded to David’s request. God’s people reflect the Lord in their actions and others will either accuse God of unfaithfulness or bless His name, all because of how God’s people act.
God’s goodness is often revealed through His people. If you are a believer, you represent His name before the world. The Lord relented of the famine on Israel after David made restitution, and it was a reminder that God’s goodness is not a respecter of persons. Whether it is a pagan nation or God’s chosen people, the Lord upholds His name.
The Lord loves His people and that love was demonstrated through Christ on the cross. There is no question of His love, but we often think we are immune to bad decisions. We must remember, we are following the Lord, He isn’t following us. He is leading the way, we must walk in righteousness. Whether in blessings or cursing, the Lord is above us and His ways are right and good, we must align our ways with His because He won’t change His ways for us.
We will find that no matter what we do, the Lord is faithful and He is exalted on high. When trouble comes, seek His face and ask Him why it is occurring. He will let you know and allow you to make restitution, then your relationship will be restored and you will know His goodness once more.
The Lord is good, His love endures forever, but He will not acquit the wicked. Justice is a bulwark of God’s throne and His goodness is revealed by it. The more we know the Lord, the more we understand how to walk in His ways. Learn them, and it will go well for you.
U.T. 