Yesterday, we talked about how God disciplines His own when they sin.
He doesn’t overlook bad behavior.
If you belong to Him, you can expect serious consequences when you go hog wild, breaking God’s commandments left and right.
Tragically, this is a principle the modern church has mostly abandoned.
Many today teach the dangerous idea that God won’t punish His own.
Well, just take a look at King David’s life, and you’ll see how ridiculous that idea is.
This does bring to mind an interesting question, however.
When we examine both the lives of King David and his predecessor, King Saul, we notice something interesting.
Both Saul and David committed the most horrible of sins.
And both men did so consistently over an extended period of time in a number of different situations.
Yet, while David was severely punished for his behavior, he was never permanently expelled from the Lord’s presence.
However, Saul was.
What’s the difference?
Why was Saul vomited out of the Lord’s mouth for his sins, while David, though harshly disciplined, remained in God’s good graces?
It comes down to two things.
Allegiance and passion.
Saul was distinctly lacking in those two areas.
The bottom line was that he quit identifying with the Lord and lost all zeal for the things of God.
Things got so bad that Saul eventually started viewing the Lord as his enemy.
He eventually rebelled against God after Samuel let him know that David had been chosen to be the next king of Israel.
Now, David, on the other hand, was a completely different story.
If there was ever a man on fire for the Lord, it was David!
When David burned with passion for God, he was like a blazing sword in His hands.
He became unstoppable, purposeful, and full of power.
David was so determined to do what was right that he even refused to kill Saul, even though he could have.
However, when David ran cold, the sins he committed were grievous indeed.
Yet he never renounced God’s laws, and always expected Torah obedience from others.
So today’s takeaway is the question…
Which category do you place yourself in?
Are you like the disinterested masses who attend church more out of obligation than passion?
Or are you on fire for the Lord?
Do you possess a deep desire to study and live out His Torah in your life, even if you may fail sometimes?
Are you like Saul or David?
That’s a question only you can answer…
And it’s only between you and the Lord.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“So, because you are lukewarm
—neither hot nor cold—
I am about to spit you
out of my mouth.”
-Revelation 3:16
“Therefore, my dear friends,
as you have always obeyed
—not only in my presence,
but now much more in my absence
—continue to work out your
salvation with fear and trembling…”
-Phillipians 2:12
I think part of Saul’s problem was he was really tall and handsome, and once he became king he let his stature and looks go to his head. The narrative makes the point that he was head and shoulders above everyone else, so that must be something we were intended to take notice of. Before he became king he was hiding behind barrels but that changed real fast.
Yup. It’s funny how our positive assets (height, looks, money, etc.) can get in the way of serving God.