____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ August 26, 2001 ____________________________________________________ Saul and David by Robert F. Turner When the Israelites desired a king the prophet Samuel was told to anoint Saul, a Benjaminite. This "goodly young man" stood head and shoulders above the people (I Sam. 9:2) and was at that time a very humble man (v. 21). But soon after he began to reign God indicated displeasure with Saul and directed Samuel to say, "Thy kingdom shall not continue: Jehovah hath sought him a man after his own heart" (1 Sam. 13:14). David, of the house of Judah, was to be the new king. These two men give us opportunity to examine, from a negative as well as a positive viewpoint, the type of person who is "after God's own heart." Saul's reign began with an up-beat of courage and success in battle. But he was told to tarry seven days at Gilgal, and Samuel would come there to offer sacrifice unto Jehovah. The prophet was late, and Saul decided to make the offering himself -- although he had no authority to function in this capacity. When Samuel arrived and questioned his activities, Saul excused himself with situation ethics and a passing of the buck. "The people were scattering," he said. "Thou camest not," "the enemy was close, and I had not entreated the favor of Jehovah," and so "I forced myself" to make offering. Note particularly, he did not hesitate to presume a holy office; and seemed more concerned for the rite than for strict obedience to Jehovah. He excused his flagrant violation of God's laws with protestations concerning his pious desires to serve God. A bit later (1 Sam. 14) Saul built an altar unto Jehovah, but Jehovah would not counsel him. He would have killed Jonathan, his son, to enforce his own curse, had not the people rescued him. Yet, when God placed a curse upon a people, he changed the penalty to suit his taste. God sent him to "utterly destroy" the Amalekites (1 Sam. 15). "But Saul and the people spared Agag the king... and the best of the sheep...," etc. He blamed this upon the people and said he had saved the flocks "to sacrifice unto Jehovah." And Samuel said, "Hath Jehovah as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Jehovah?" This man who was strong on ritual and outward service, but who changed the rules to suit his own ideas of "good works," was rejected from the kingship. ----------------------- When God sent Samuel to anoint a successor, He said, "Jehovah seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looketh on the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7). The trust of that heart was shown when David went forth to meet Goliath, armed only with a sling, but saying, "Jehovah saveth not with sword and spear; for the battle is Jehovah's" (1 Sam. 17:47). In contrast to Saul's priestly presumptions, David showed great respect for God's anointed -- even though they were enemies at war (1 Sam. 24:3-7). Unlike Saul, who excused his rebellious heart that he might have flocks to sacrifice; David refused a gift of a place to build an altar, saying, "Nay; but I will buy it of thee at a price; neither will I offer burnt-offerings unto Jehovah my God which cost me nothing" (2 Sam. 24:18-25). We are reading David's heart. And even in the sins of David -- in times when he seemed to forget God -- the divine presence seems not too deeply buried. He ordered the numbering of the people, against the advice of Joab who felt this was evidence of a lack of trust in God. "And DAVID'S HEART SMOTE HIM (emph. mine) after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto Jehovah, I have sinned greatly in that which I have done: but now, O Jehovah, put away, I beseech thee, the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly" (2 Sam. 24:10). When he was given his choice of punishments -- two from men and one from God -- he chose God, saying, "for his mercies are great; and let me not fall into the hand of man" (v. 14). We are reading David's heart. His sin against Uriah, and the taking of Bath-Sheba was grievous and inexcusable. Bible records do not spare David in this (2 Sam. 11); but when Nathan made David see "Thou art the man!," David's heart again smote him. "I have sinned against Jehovah" (12:13). The 51st Psalm is his cry for mercy and forgiveness. "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned and done that which is evil in thy sight." He knew that all sin is, in the final analysis, against God. He also knew that, in the final analysis, man has only one thing to give to God -- and that is himself. In Psm. 51:17 he said: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." How different from Saul, who seemed to think the rite of sacrifice would do. Solomon's foreign wives "turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with Jehovah as was the heart of David his father" (1 Kng. 11:4). He "went not fully after Jehovah, as did David his father" (v. 6). It would be a mistake to say that there was no sin in the life of David. He freely confessed his need for forgiveness -- repeatedly. But the sacred records recognize something in his character that all of us need to learn. Even sinful man can so love the Lord, and devote himself, that God will take notice of that inner longing to be acceptable in God's sight. This in no wise lessens our need to live faithfully, nor our need for forgiveness. On the contrary, it puts upon man the responsibility to do the one thing he can do "perfectly," i.e., will to do right, "delight in the law of God after the inward man" (Rom. 7:22), serve the law of God with the mind (7:25), be "spiritually minded" (8:6). Please note -- while Paul did this, he knew his condition was hopeless without the forgiveness that was in Christ Jesus. But without this inner resolve, this giving of the spirit or heart, we cannot have the blessings that are in Christ Jesus. Paul said, "I serve (God) with my spirit" (Rom. 1:9). Again, "He is a Jew which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God" (Rom. 2:29). Are you a Saul -- or a David?? Well know this, God reads your heart; and even the world sees the fruit of your inner character. -- Via Plain Talk, April 1977 ___________________________________________ Articles From the Days Gone By Signs of Progress by Leslie Diestelkamp We are led to believe there is real progress in a church when: There is Real Unity of Action This is not just a passive unity wherein there is no strife, but it is the unity that prompts Christians to really work together. This spirit is manifest when each one is doing his or her part with regard to: - Giving -- 2 Cor. 9:6-14. - Studying -- 2 Tim. 2:15. - Praying -- 1 Thess. 5:17; 1 Tim. 2:8. - Attending -- Heb. 10:25. There are Capable Leaders When elders, with the help of deacons, teachers and other devoted followers of the Lord, sustain the work with diligence and devotion. There is Evidence of Spiritual Development This includes growth in knowledge (and in the application of that knowledge) among Christians. This is not only evident when there is a fervent desire on the part of members to study God's word, but also when moral standards are higher and concentration in service is more complete. Truth is Preached More Often That is, when more and more opportunities are afforded to teach the truth, and when unadulterated gospel truth is appreciated and supported by more and more Christians. Compromise in the pulpit, classroom or the pew is a sure sign of deterioration. There is Real Love for the Lord Of course, this includes love for His word, the brethren and the lost. When this kind of love is made known by decisive, scriptural action, then that church is definitely making real progress! (This article first appeared in the BERWYN BULLETIN, September 7, 1957) -- Think on These Things, April-May-June, 2001 ___________________________________________ Did God Really Harden Pharaoh's Heart? by Tom Edwards Recently, I was asked by a person on the Internet to explain the phrase "God hardened Pharaoh's heart." The person mentioned, "In my recent searches, I find that there are no definitions for the word hardened other than a suggestion that it means `strengthened.' I have a problem with the thought that God took away Pharaoh's free will/choice." My reply was as follows: It is true that the word "harden" in the OT sometimes comes from the Hebrew word "chazaq," which means, as you also point out, "to be or grow firm or strong, strengthen" (Strong's definition). And sometimes it is translated from the Hebrew word "quashah," which means "to be hard, severe, or fierce" (ibid.). e.g., Exodus 7:3, "But I will harden Pharaoh's heart...." Another Hebrew word translated as "hardened" is "kabad," which means to "be heavy, weighty, or burdensome" (ibid.). e.g, Exodus 10:1 -- God "hardened" Pharaoh's heart, and the heart of his servants. I've heard it said that there are about 10 verses in the OT that speak of God hardening Pharaoh's heart -- and another 10 that tell us that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. I believe that the only way these two seemingly conflicting ideas can be reconciled is to realize that the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart INDIRECTLY -- by giving him a command that he was unwilling to carry out. This is similar to the young child who would say that his mother makes him angry. How? By her telling him that he must do his chores before he can go out to play. It certainly wasn't the mother, however, who directly made her child angry; but, rather, he became that way by his own unwillingness to obey her request. So the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, but not directly. God simply gave Pharaoh the command, which he was unwilling to consent to and, thus, hardened his own heart over it. Getting back to the idea of "hardening" meaning to "strengthen," we need to realize that that doesn't necessarily mean strengthening in a good way. The more one hardens his heart to God, the more that person is becoming "strengthened" in his own stubborn and callous ways -- and by his own hardening has made himself like unmalleable clay, which is of no use to the potter. Stephen boldly told many of the Jews of his day, in Acts 7:51, that they were "stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears." They were "always resisting the Holy Spirit" because of their hardened heart toward the things of God (Acts 7:51). So the blame fell on them, not on the Lord. As the Bible shows, it's not God's desire to see any lost, but all to come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9); so He certainly wouldn't be the one making men's hearts callous. Christ wept over Jerusalem, said He wanted to gather them together the way a hen does its brood -- but THEY WERE UNWILLING to come to Him (Luke 13:34). Again, it wasn't the Lord's fault -- but the people's in their own refusal. How could anyone even begin to imagine that God, who loves the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, would, at the same time, harden people's hearts so it would be impossible for them to come to Him and benefit from Christ's death at Calvary? It wouldn't make sense. So God did not take away Pharaoh's free will/choice; rather, He gave him the opportunity to exercise it -- but Pharaoh did so the wrong way. ___________________________________________ News & Notes Recently, a few people that I know have lost loved ones: Joe Fix's mother (Catherine) passed away July 30 in Greenville, Mississippi. (The Tri-state church of Christ that was in Ashland, Kentucky, from 1982 to 2000, began in Joe's home with 6 people, before moving to other nearby locations.) We always enjoyed having Joe's mother visiting with us. Barbara Withrow, another former member in Ashland, lost her mother (Christine Stambaugh of Sitka, Kentucky) August 8th. She was buried on the 10th, behind her home, in a small family cemetery. She, too, was a good-hearted soul. Also, I found out a few days ago that an old friend of mine from back in the 60's to early 70's, Dennis Tinsley, lost his wife (of 5 years) just a few months ago. It had been a first marriage for both of them, and they had a daughter who is now 4-years old. What makes it even more tragic is that one of Dennis' parents had passed away about 2 years ago; and the other, about a year after that -- so there has been much heartache that he has had to face in the last couple years. Let us be praying for all the family and friends of these loved ones who have passed away. ________________________________________ Avondale CHURCH OF CHRIST 1606 Glen Willow Rd., Avondale, PA 19311 (For postal service: P.O. Box 421) (610) 268-2088 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 11:00 A.M. Worship 6:00 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:00 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (610) 925-3567 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://www.mypage.onemain.com/tedwards/avondale ________________________________________