What drove David to collect people?
His men loved him and gathered around to serve and fight with him. He had a group of special soldiers he called his mighty men. He had wives and children in abundance. The more his fame grew, the more he conquered the greater his possessions grew. He had people and land and animals, and wealth. David would say that they all belonged to God and yet, why accumulate so much? This desire was also evident in his son Solomon as referenced in 1 Kings 11:3-4 “He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. 4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.” Pastor Alex pointed us to the fact that all that stuff still did not satisfy Solomon or David. Solomon heart turned away from God and he sought meaning elsewhere. Solomon begins his book of Ecclesiastes 1:1-3 with these words: The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.”
3 What do people gain from all their labors
at which they toil under the sun? All the wives, children, fighting men, chariots, land, beautiful homes, etc. are all meaningless in a life without God at the center. We can take a lesson from Revelation 17:7 “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”
2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.”
3 What do people gain from all their labors
at which they toil under the sun? All the wives, children, fighting men, chariots, land, beautiful homes, etc. are all meaningless in a life without God at the center. We can take a lesson from Revelation 17:7 “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”
For things to be ‘right’ Jesus must be at the center of our lives. If we try to fill the God void in our lives with anything else it will not satisfy our souls!
David had problems in his household that needed correction, sons that needed discipline, daughters that needed justice and yet, David remained silent about these problems. This is particularly difficult for me to write about as I experienced this in my own home. I was dealing with a rebellious son before and after my husband left me. I did not know how to handle things, so I sought the wise counsel of a godly friend. She brought up the stories of the turmoil in David’s house and the grief that was brought on by David’s silence and non-discipline of the behaviors. She advised me to not stay silent and confront what I could and take a stand for right behavior. It was one of the most difficult times in my life. I can’t’ say that I got it all right, but I tried. I feel God honored my efforts and helped me stand in the face of real evil and rebellion. Alex’s sermon brought up my lingering feelings of failure but thankfully, God is gracious and merciful and has treated me kindly.
So what happens when you treat people like possessions and not as individuals with worth and purpose of their own? In my opinion, they seem to become something to be traded or bought and sold. Parents that treat their children as something to be purchased with toys, cars, trips, electronics, etc. They trade goods for their time. Wouldn’t most children just love to spend time with their parents, receive a kind or encouraging word or a hug? However, if they grow accustomed to the ‘things’ provided to them instead of time, love and hugs, then they will grow to covet them and their greed will be increased. What about people who make ‘friends’ or acquaintances just so they can illicit favors from them? The favors given and sought make the friendship into a transaction not an equal give and take.
When you are in doubt about how to treat others, think about Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:11-12 “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
David had problems in his household that needed correction, sons that needed discipline, daughters that needed justice and yet, David remained silent about these problems. This is particularly difficult for me to write about as I experienced this in my own home. I was dealing with a rebellious son before and after my husband left me. I did not know how to handle things, so I sought the wise counsel of a godly friend. She brought up the stories of the turmoil in David’s house and the grief that was brought on by David’s silence and non-discipline of the behaviors. She advised me to not stay silent and confront what I could and take a stand for right behavior. It was one of the most difficult times in my life. I can’t’ say that I got it all right, but I tried. I feel God honored my efforts and helped me stand in the face of real evil and rebellion. Alex’s sermon brought up my lingering feelings of failure but thankfully, God is gracious and merciful and has treated me kindly.
So what happens when you treat people like possessions and not as individuals with worth and purpose of their own? In my opinion, they seem to become something to be traded or bought and sold. Parents that treat their children as something to be purchased with toys, cars, trips, electronics, etc. They trade goods for their time. Wouldn’t most children just love to spend time with their parents, receive a kind or encouraging word or a hug? However, if they grow accustomed to the ‘things’ provided to them instead of time, love and hugs, then they will grow to covet them and their greed will be increased. What about people who make ‘friends’ or acquaintances just so they can illicit favors from them? The favors given and sought make the friendship into a transaction not an equal give and take.
When you are in doubt about how to treat others, think about Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:11-12 “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
Ask God for guidance in family matters and treat other with respect. Seek to love those around you and keep Jesus close! Lean into Jesus for the right responses.
Linda
Linda
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Linda is a member of Crossroads church and regularly blogs about her faith.
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