“For I have kept the ways of Adonai,
I have not done evil by leaving my God;
for all his rulings were before me,
I did not depart from his regulations.
I was pure-hearted toward him
and kept myself from my sin.”
-2 Samuel 22:20-25
We’re in the midst of discussing the HUGE gap between what David says in this Psalm and the wicked sins he committed in his life.
So here’s something we’ve gotta remember.
David is king.
He is royalty.
He had already demonstrated many times how he felt special and assumed that what applied to the average citizen did NOT apply to him.
How he dealt with Uriah the Hittite (Bathsheba’s husband) was a perfect case in point.
To be fair, David’s behavior and attitude were the cultural norms and common thinking of that era.
He viewed himself as especially anointed by the Lord (which is true).
Yet he was still a flawed human being.
So no doubt, there is an element of boasting in what David is saying here.
What other way is there to interpret his claims to perfect purity and obedience to the Lord?
However, there is great truth expressed in the following verses that follow immediately afterward.
“With the merciful,
You are merciful;
With the champion of purity,
You are pure;
With the honest,
You are honest;
But with the crooked,
You are cunning.
People afflicted,
You save;
But when your eyes
are on the haughty,
You humble them.”
-2 Samuel 22:26-28
These verses express the Torah principle of “Eye for an Eye” and “Tooth for Tooth,” or LEX TALIONIS (in Latin) as scholars describe it.
David is basically saying you’ll reap what you sow.
If you’re merciful, you’ll be shown mercy.
If you seek to obey God’s commands, you’ll be rewarded.
Of course, the opposite also stands.
If you’re corrupt, you’ll bear the fruit of your crookedness.
If you’re arrogant, you’ll be humbled.
Yet…
And this is a really important point…
At the end of the day, God still saves those he judges…
Provided you are His, that is.
This is something clearly reflected in the Hebrew.
Those whom God targets for judgment are referred to as AM.
AM is a term that only refers to God’s chosen people.
Generally speaking, AM refers to Israel.
But in a broader sense, it can also stretch to include gentile believers who pledge allegiance to the God of Israel.
That’s why verse 28 is so profound.
The Lord will save those whom He afflicts.
Yet, for those worshippers who get too big for their britches…
And think they’re above other worshippers for whatever reason…
God will humble their rear ends.
Ya feel me?
And that’s also your takeaway for today.
The reason David suffered such severe judgment at God’s hands was that He was still the Lord’s.
In other words, He was being disciplined.
And the same applies to you.
If you get out of hand…
And find yourself being spiritually spanked by your Father in Heaven…
REJOICE!
You’re still considered one of God’s children…
And thus worthy of being disciplined.
Done.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“For the Lord disciplines
the one he loves,
and chastises every son
whom he receives.”
— Hebrews 12:6
“If you are left without discipline…
then you are illegitimate
children and not sons.”
— Hebrews 12:8
“As many as I love,
I rebuke and chasten.
Be zealous therefore,
and repent.”
— Revelation 3:19
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”
— James 4:6
“With the measure you use,
it will be measured to you.”
— Matthew 7:2
“Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.”
— Matthew 5:7
“Whatever one sows,
that will he also reap.”
— Galatians 6:7
“Humble yourselves
in the sight of the Lord,
and He shall lift you up.”
— James 4:10
“For whom the Lord
loves He disciplines.”
— Hebrews 12:6
“The Lord knows
those who are His.”
— 2 Timothy 2:19
God said he would bring “the worst of the heathen” to punish Israel for its disobedience. Would God also bring “the worst of the heathen” to spank an individual whom he loves? This raises questions about what is meant by “heathen” and “worst”, some of which could veer into politically incorrect territory. When God is using a “worst of the heathen” to punish you it’s tempting and only natural to want to strike back at the rod of God’s anger, but if you do that it can make matters worse. Being spanked by the rod of God’s anger is horrible. You have to stay very calm and realize you’ve brought it on yourself, but the punishment will always seem worse to you than your crime. We reap what we sow but it can seem we’re getting spanked harder than what we deserve. When Aaron’s two sons brought strange fire and were burned to death by God, Aaron “held his peace”. So simple isn’t it? Just hold your peace.
Point well taken.
It isn’t always easy to hold your peace when you’re being spanked.
Shalom
I agree God punishes those he loves, just as Proverbs tells us if you don’t punish your children you will condemn them to death (yes, to death- sparing the rod doesn’t spoil the child, it will kill him). We are also told that a father disciplines his sons because he loves them.
But… what about how God used his chosen people to punish those who were in the land and polluting it with their pagan practices?
Those people- the the Amorites, the Edomites, the Amalakites, all those other “-ites”, et.al. certainly weren’t worshipping God, and not God’s children as those who worship him, yet they were punished.
Your message states that God only punishes his own, but the Bible tells us he punished all those other people, so did I miss something in your message?
Hi Steven,
No, you didn’t miss anything.
Of course, what you said about God punishing others than His own is true.
It’s just in this post, I was focusing on the topic of how He punishes His own.
Shalom