Kindness, Grace, and Generosity (Part 5)

Here is the whole story from 2nd Samuel 9 – Read it and take it in.

¹ Then David said, “Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” ² Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” ³The king said, “Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.” ⁴ So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.” ⁵ Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. ⁶ Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant!” ⁷ David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the and of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly.” ⁸ Again he prostrated himself and said, “What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?”

⁹ Then the king called Saul’s servant Ziba and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. ¹⁰ You and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce so that your master’s grandson may have food; nevertheless Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall eat at my table regularly.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. ¹¹ Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant so your servant will do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table as one of the king’s sons. ¹² Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth. ¹³ So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate at the king’s table regularly. Now he was lame in both feet.

Now that you read it – ponder on these thoughts (some are mine and some are from a variety of other sources).

David’s grace to Mephibosheth is a wonderful picture of God’s grace to us.

1. The name “Mephibosheth” means shameful and he live as a shameful man – we too before God’s grace comes upon us are shameful men and women.

2. Mephibosheth was considered the king’s enemy – we too are enemies of God before His grace comes upon us.

3. Mephibosheth became lame through a fall (v. 3) – we too are lame and crippled because of the fall of Man.

4. And Mephibosheth was in a far country (v. 4) – before God’s grace comes to us we are living far from God in a foreign land.

5. Mephibosheth was called by the king (vv. 4-5) – When God’s grace comes upon us we are called by the King of Kings who is God.

6. David sought Mephibosheth — Mephibosheth did not seek David. God seeks us and we do not seek Him.

7. Mephibosheth came before the king in reverent submission (v. 6) – this too is how we need to come before God when he offers us Grace.

8. Mephibosheth was received in all his deformity – God does the same for us, he receives us just as we are.

9. Mephibosheth was received for the sake of his father (v. 7) – we receive the grace of God because of our heavenly Father.

10. When Mephibosheth came to David, he learned to have a proper estimate of himself (v. 8) – when God’s grace comes upon us we see a proper picture of who we are.

11. Mephibosheth was reconciled to the king by an act of the king’s own mercy (vv. 9-10) – we are reconciled to God because of the mercy of God.

12. And under the king’s table Mephibosheth’s crippled feet were covered – we too become whole people because of the grace of God that covers us.

What we need to recognize is that David’s grace to Mephibosheth is also a pattern for us in serving and ministering to others. This example of David is how we need to live, serve, and minister.

1. We should seek out our enemies and seek to bless them and not harm or humiliate them.

2. We should look for the poor, weak, lame, and hidden to bless them and show them the love of God – even if we get nothing in return.

3. We should bless others when they don’t deserve it and bless them with much more than they could ever want or need.

4. We should bless others for the sake of someone else – honor other by honoring their family.

5. We must show the kindness, generosity, and grace of God to others if we wish to be significant and make a difference in the world in which we live.

What is your gut level reaction to this story and what stand out to you in all this?

Kindness, Grace, and Generosity (Part 3)

We are moving forward in 2nd Samuel 9 and looking at the kindness, grace, and generosity of David toward Mephibosheth.  We will look at verses 7 and 8 today but before we do, let us be reminded that yesterday we looked at how Mephibosheth was hiding out and would have been fearful that David would be wanting to kill when David called for him.  Let us see what happens when he comes before David.” ⁷ David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly.” ⁸ Again he prostrated himself and said, “What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?”

The first thing we read is that David did away with Mephibosheth’s fear. David gave him all that was his and more.  David gave him all the land that was his grandfather Saul’s. David also brings him to his table to eat. This one who is lame and worthless in society is now going to be eating at the King’s table and he now has land. David went against the custom that would have been to kill and blessed him instead. This one who society said should be his enemy David choose to bless. 

David did more than that by allowing him to eat at his table he gave him the privilege of being in his presence continually.  What that would mean would be that in essence he was added into the family. He was being treated like an adopted son which he actually calls him in verse 11.

So how does Mephibosheth react?  Mephibosheth reacts by telling David that he is not worthy of such an honor. He calls himself a dead dog which is a pretty bad thing at that time. In the Jewish culture dogs were repulsive, disgusting, something to be despised. Calling yourself a dead dog in those days would carry the connotation today of saying, “I’m just a road killed skunk – a smashed cockroach.” He sees himself as worthless when he was heir to the throne! What happened was because he was crippled, society at that time would have taught him that he was worthless and unfortunately he believed them. He was at one point in time the rightful heir to the throne but did not live like it until David brought him to that point.

God says you’re an heir to the kingdom – do you live like it? You are an adopted son or daughter of God’s but do you live like it? Do not believe society when they tell you that you are worthless or do you keep in your mind that you are a priceless child of the king and an heir to the thrown of God?  These are questions that we need to wrestle with and find your answers in God and in His Word.

What does it mean to you that you are a son or daughter of God?

Kindness, Grace, and Generosity (Part 2)

We are continuing to look at 2nd Samuel 9 and at the idea of kindness, graciousness, and generosity.  Let us look at verses 4 – 6 4 So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar.

We see that Mephibosheth was living with another family in a different area and was most likely living in terrible poverty. Mephibosheth is hiding out in a place called “No Pasture” which is what Lo-debar means and it would have been desolate. He is gone off the grid like they say in spy movies – he is in deep cover and most likely struggling greatly in life.

I want you in your mind to imagine what it must have been like for Mephibosheth to get the knock on the door and realize that David the King is calling for him. He has most likely been hiding and not thinking that anyone knew about him and now the king is calling for him. He must have thought he was going to be killed because he was an heir to the throne of Israel. The rule of the day was that anyone who was an heir and could lead a rebellion against you should have them killed. So this knock on the door probably had fearing soaring through his body as he was thinking he was going to be dead very soon.

Look at what happens: ⁶ Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant!”

As I have said, he is most likely very afraid as he came before David. He has most likely kept himself hidden from David for fear this day would come where he would have to face him and in his mind face death. He fell on his face before David and David called him by name. This is an important thing being called by name. People love to hear their name called most of the time. People feel important when others know their name.

Here we read that David called him by name and that is just the same as us, when God calls you, he calls you by name. God knows your name because you are his son or daughter. Then we read the response to his name being called and that was Mephibosheth called himself David’s servant. That is the same response that we should have when God calls our name, here is your servant. Never forget that the most important things that in life is a son or a daughter of God and a servant to the Most High God.

Mephibosheth saw himself as lost, forgotten, obscure, and really unimportant person to David or anyone else for that matter but now with the call to see David things are changing because he is going to find that David is not going to kill him. For whatever reason, David now has him on his mind to help and he will no longer be lost, forgotten, obscure, or unimportant but we will look more at that tomorrow.

What was the scariest knock that you ever had on your door?

Kindness, Grace, and Generosity (Part 1)

What we need to understand is that acts of kindness, graciousness, and generosity to others need to be a priority for us and there is a beautiful picture of this in 2 Samuel 9. Here in this chapter we have another one of my favorite stories in the entire bible so let us take some time and look at David and an act of kindness, generosity, and graciousness that he performed.

2^nd Samuel 9:1 – Then David said, “Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

This goes back to a promise that was made between David and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 20:14,15 “ 14 And may you treat me with the faithful love of the LORD as long as I live. But if I die, 15 treat my family with this faithful love, even when the LORD destroys all your enemies. David is following through on this promise that he had made with that Jonathan and now is searching to find out if there is any family of Jonathan left. God has been kind to David over the years and now he wants to pass the kindness on. I want you to notice that David was proactive in his kindness. Too often we wait till someone is hurting to do something nice for them. David just did something kind for the sake of being kind. David makes the choice to be kind or better yet gracious. David is going to be showing a great amount of grace to Jonathan’s family.

The question to ask is this: What can I do for other people? David was intentional in his kindness here, are you intentional in yours? What acts of kindness can I do for others? This is a question that we should be asking. Too many times we ask what is in it for me. I am reminded of the scene in the movie Field of Dreams, when Terrance Mann is asked to go out into the corn field with the baseball players. Ray Kinsella who took his land to build the field gets frustrated about this because he wanted to go and see what was out there and he says: I did it all. I listened to the voices, I did what they told me, and not once did I ask what’s in it for me. Shoeless Joe Jackson the lead baseball player responds: What are you saying, Ray? Ray then stops then says: I’m saying? What’s in it for me? You see the heart of the matter was he was trying to get something out of it. How often is this us, we make things look so good and do work saying it is not about us but then we get caught saying the same thing as Ray – what is in it for me.

Instead of asking what can I get out of this we need to have David’s perspective attitude and ask what can I do for others. When was the last time you did something for someone else and did not expect something in return? When was the last time you did something for someone that they just did not expect? That is what we are seeing from David here and that is what we should be doing.

Let us move forward: ² Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” ³ The king said, “Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.”

David searched out and found one servant of Saul’s who remained. David called him to him and asked who remained from Saul’s family of whom he could show the kindness of God too. The answer David got from Ziba is there is one left and it is one of Jonathan’s sons, the one who was crippled. Let us look back to 2 Samuel 4:4 to read about how he became crippled. Now Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the report of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened that in her hurry to flee, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth. So we see that the nurse was in a hurry to get him out of the house. The reason was she heard that Saul and Jonathan were both dead and now they would want to kill all the descendants and Mephibosheth was one to be killed. In her hurry the boy fell and became lame. How he fell is unknown but he did and became crippled as a result.

The name Mephibosheth means, “shame”. He is a young man whose father and grandfather were killed when he was 5 which means he would be about 25 at this point when David is looking for him. As we have just seen he is crippled. He is in the economy of that time absolutely worthless because of his being crippled. He was an heir to the throne but it is not possible that he could never lead troops into battle. He could not even be a servant of anyone because of his disability. He later himself says he is worthless. He had such a promising future as a child but now he is just considered a worthless human being because of being crippled.

Do you ever feel spiritually crippled? Do you struggle with feeling worthless? Know and remind yourself of this fact next time you struggle with such feelings:  if you have place your faith and trust in Christ then you are a child of the King.  You are a son or a daughter of God and that is where your worth comes from.  Never think of yourself as worthless because you are God’s child. You are a worthwhile child of the King.

What is the coolest thing you ever surprised somebody with who just did not expect it?

Vision and Crying Out to God

Continuing on with looking at 2nd Samuel 8 today -  let us start with verses 9-12. 9 Now when Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer, 10 Toi sent Joram his son to King David to greet him and bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him; for Hadadezer had been at war with Toi. And Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold and of bronze. 11 King David also dedicated these to the LORD, with the silver and gold that he had dedicated from all the nations which he had subdued: 12 from Aram and Moab and the sons of Ammon and the Philistines and Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

What we see here is that David has won over those who were the enemies of the Arameans. The King of Hamath sent his son to bring King David and Israel a whole bunch of gold, silver, and bronze because he defeated their enemy. God was providing and blessing here in a very special way.

Now I want you to begin to think about David and his dream that died that we looked at the last couple of weeks. We learned that David was not to build the temple but his son Solomon was the one to do it. We learned that David was the one who gathered all the materials needed so that Solomon could build the temple. Solomon is going to need plenty of gold, silver, and bronze to build the temple and so think about what is happening here – can you see God working through all this – David is now getting quite the stockpile of things so that Solomon will have everything he needs to build the temple. We also understand that David is dedicating them to God. God continues to bless, David blesses God, and God is make him successful.

Think about it, He dedicated all to the Lord. What is it that we have we that we have not received from the Lord? It is all His. What David has here and what God is helping him with is vision for the future. You see the temple was not built in David’s lifetime but he had a long term perspective on it and was not shortsighted at all. In our lives we might not see the fruit for what we suffer or work for because it could be years down the road but what we should never be is shortsighted. Life is not just about the past or today, but it is really about the future. Give us men and women who understand that it is about building today and for the future.

Look at what happens: 13 So David made a name for himself when he returned from killing 18,000 Arameans in the Valley of Salt. 14 He put garrisons in Edom. In all Edom he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became servants to David. And the LORD helped David wherever he went.

David has beaten the Philistines to the west, the Moabites to the east, and the Arameans to the north and now he has defeated the Edomites to the south. Now this victory sounds like it came easy but it did not come easy at all. As I mentioned earlier David wrote psalm 60 about this experience that he had here and when reading this psalm you do not get the picture that this was some cake walk of a battle. It would seem that things weren’t just “hunky-dory” for David. It seems that the nation was under attack. David cried out to God for help, and God gave them victory over their enemies.

Sometimes we can look at others and see the victory they’ve had in the Lord and think it must have been easy for them. The truth is most of the time it really was not because in reality sometimes victories that come, they come through much tears and crying out to God and many times no one else sees it. Give us men and women who understand that the victories do not come easy but continue to fight with God’s help. .

What is interesting in these two verses is that the writer could have focused on the struggle in this battle but does not do that. Instead the writer focused the attention of the reader on the fact that David has a growing reputation as a result of his leading and doing things God’s way. The focus is back on it being God who is bringing about the victories for David.   In life, it will always come back to God if we are honest in our evaluation – let us make sure we are honest in looking at life knowing that the Father is the one who is our everything.

What is a situation that you thought it must of come easy for someone else but later learned about how much they cried and sought God before they got the victory or  a situation in your life where others would have thought how easy it came to you but they had no idea the amount of crying out to God you made before the victory?

God Coming Through

We are going to continue on  looking at the victories of David from 2nd Samuel 8:3-8: 3 Then David defeated Hadadezer, the son of Rehob king of Zobah, as he went to restore his rule at the River. 4 David captured from him 1,700 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers; and David hamstrung the chariot horses, but reserved enough of them for 100 chariots. 5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, king of Zobah, David killed 22,000 Arameans. 6 Then David put garrisons among the Arameans of Damascus, and the Arameans became servants to David, bringing tribute. And the LORD helped David wherever he went. 7 David took the shields of gold which were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 From Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took a very large amount of bronze.

Here we see that David is now going to the North and getting his next victory over the King Hadadazer and the Arameans. You have these two groups trying to make a military maneuver here but David saw it coming and now David and Israel are so powerful and that the Arameans cannot stop them.

David then goes in and hamstrung the horses which according to most would make them able to be on a farm but unable to pull a chariot. He keeps some for chariots for his own army. He could not leave them for the enemy so he had to hamstring the rest. Some might think doing this might not seem to be very smart. They might ask why not just keep all the horses for yourself? Well we do not know but maybe David had Psalms 20:7 in mind, Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

This area that David wins here gives him control over the trade routes which will be great source of income as they tax those who bring goods through. So now to the north, Israel and David control the trade routes and have military installations put into place. David is taking over all the land that is promised to Israel by God.

David then has all of gold and bronze shields that were captured carried back to Jerusalem and we will see why this is important tomorrow. David is reclaiming land, taking new land, expanding the boarders to where they are supposed to be according the promises of God, as well as taking all kinds of spoils for Israel. David is completely successful following through with what God has called him to.

Why is this? The end of verse 6 says this: And the LORD helped David wherever he went – here is a case where I like what the New International Version says better which is And the Lord gave David victory where he went. God was with David and David was with God and that is the reason for the success. God is blessing David.

David wrote Psalm 60 during this time. The first 10 verses describe the people in 2 Samuel 8 that David has conquered, but let me share with you David’s conclusion in Ps.60:11, 12, Give us help from trouble, For the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies. David understood that is God who he was to trust and who would come through for him. Give us men and women that trust God truly like this.

What one way that God has come through for you in your life?

Doing the Hard Thing

2nd Samuel 8:2 – He defeated Moab, and measured them with the line, making them lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death and one full line to keep alive. And the Moabites became servants to David, bringing tribute.

In the second victory that we see here (the first in Chapter 8 we looked at yesterday), David goes to the east and defeats the Moabites. This is surprising because David is related to the Moabites through his great-grandmother Ruth. If you remember, even when David lived in exile, he had his parents taken care of by the Moabites. With the connections that David has with the Moabites there is real question as to what has happened to bring about such harsh treatment. Jewish tradition speaks to the point that David’s mother and father were mistreated by the Moabites and that is why this happened.

Now the truth is we do not know why this happened but David did go in and kill but did not utterly destroy the Moabites.  He instead of killing all them he killed two thirds and left the other third as servants and required them to pay a tax. Again we do not know why this happened this way but what we do know is that this could not have been an easy thing for David to do seeing as the Moabites were friend in the recent past and that there was a family connection.

What we see here is that David had to the do the hard thing with a people who were friends and who were related to him. The truth is though, David was willing to do the hard thing for God. Here what I say, give us men and women who are willing to do what is hard for God. If you were to look deep into your life, would you say that you are willing to do the hard thing for God?

What is the hardest thing God has ever asked you to do?

Faith and Battles

2nd Samuel 8:1 Now after this it came about that David defeated the Philistines and subdued them; and David took control of the chief city from the hand of the Philistines.

This chapter is all about the victories that David had in taking over what God had promised. What we see is that David basically will go around to each direction – North, South, East, and West and will defeat the enemies on each side. What we see in this that David was a true warrior for God, hunter of God’s ways, and lead people to God.

The first victory was over the Philistines who were to the west. David takes down the biggest bully first. He defeats the Philistines and takes over their capitol city which is Gath. The Philistines had troubled Israel for centuries, and often dominated Israel. Under the reign of David, he both attacked and subdued these troublesome enemies. David didn’t avoid fighting the Philistines because Israel had lost to them so many times before. David seems to have a new sense of purpose since he learned about the covenant that God has made with him and he has been refreshed on the covenants that were made with Moses and Abraham. He is a man who knows the promises that God has made and he is going to take God at this word.

The Lord had promised in Genesis 15:17-21 that Israel would have the land from the River of Egypt to the Euphrates River. David is helping to fulfill this promise. Israel had lost this land under King Saul and David is now recapturing the land and expanding the boarders. David was a man of faith believed God for His Promises and acted upon them. Give us men who are of faith, believing God. Give us men like this today.

When we read that David took control of the chief city from the hand of the Philistines what we are seeing is that David and his troops went in gained control and forced submission upon them. David went in and just took over this perennial enemy of Israel. He now is in control of this whole area. God said that the Philistines would be driven out of the land and they have been.

What area of your life do you need to gain control of and force submission upon? Do you have problems with you thought life or lust? How about what you look at on TV or internet? What about what you talk about? What area do you need to gain control over and force into submission? Give us men who are willing to face the battle in their lives and not back down. Give us men like that today.

What is the biggest battle you have had to face in your life?

Special Days and People!

The next several days hold a lot of special meaning for me. 

Let me share with you why.

First, my son who turned 9 just a week ago will be playing in his first All-star tournament in baseball.  He is a great kids that makes me laugh and brings much joy to my life.  He is a good athlete and does well with any sport that he plays and right now he is excelling in baseball.  To go with that he is also a good student who was on the honor roll for the entire year.  He asks many great spiritual questions. He is a little me in many ways which is scary and fun all at the same time.   He is a great kid and I am proud to be his dad.

Second, my daughter turns 16 on Sunday and his having a sweet sixteen blowout party on Saturday night.  She is an awesome young lady!  She is beautiful, fun, and funny.  She has many of the same passions in life such as music, movies, and inspirational quotes.  She too has gained some of my bad qualities such as my sarcastic wit that get us both in trouble.  She is a gifted photographer and loves to take pictures edit them and add in some great quotes – like I said – she is gifted in this.   She is also gifted in cosmetology and fashion.  She is a wonderful young lady who has a passion for life and loves and lives life to its fullest.  I am proud to be the father of such a wonderful young lady.

Third, Sunday is Father’s day and I have been blessed with a wonderful father.  My dad was the dad who was at almost every practice I ever had and I never remember him missing a game.  He has a passion for hunting and fishing which I certainly have.  He also has a passion for sports in general and that too is me.  I am a lot like my dad and that is a good thing.  I was blessed to grow up with the dad I did.

Fourth, Monday marks my wife and my nineteenth wedding anniversary.  I could not have married a better woman and she for sure makes me a better man.  Wendy is a godly woman and I have seen her grow so much in Christ in the last couple of years especially.  .  She is so much fun to be around.  We love to laugh and joke around together.  Oh and did I mention that she is godly, fun, funny, and beautiful”?  She is definitely gorgeous!  Thing have not been easy for us but we have stuck together as a team and God has blessed us beyond anything we could imagine. I am a blessed man to have such a smart, beautiful, and wonderful woman be my best friend and the one who I get to share life with everyday.

Fifth, Tuesday is my moms birthday.  Again I am blessed to have a godly woman as my mother.  She has always been there supporting me.  She has always been there praying for me.  She is a woman who loves her family and is passionate about them and passionate about God. The passion for God that I have is a direct result of the passion that my mom has had lived out in front of me.   I was blessed to grow up with the mom that I did.

As you can read – this is going to be a busy few days – baseball tournament games, a blow out sixteenth birthday party, father’s day celebrations, an anniversary to celebrate, and mom’s birthday (although she will not be here till near the 4th of July).  I am blessed by God to have such a wonderful family and we are going to have a great weekend! 

June is a busy month for us as a family – what is your busy month and what does your weekend hold?

Servants and Dreams that Come Through

We have looked at the verses of the prayer of David in 2nd Samuel 7:18 –28 and today we are going to look at the last verse of this chapter and of this prayer.  2nd Samuel 7:29 “Now therefore, may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O Lord GOD, have spoken; and with Your blessing may the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”

 

Did you notice a word that is repeated over and over and over in David’s response to God?  I mentioned this earlier this week; ten times David refers to himself as a “servant”.  He doesn’t call himself “THE KING”, but he calls himself a “servant”.  A servant could also be translated one who is a slave.  David who is the King of Israel understands that he is a servant or slave to the real King who is God.  Do you understand it and not only understand it but live like a servant of God?

 

Do you understand that the very best thing as a believer in Christ is being a servant of God? We read here that David understood this idea.  Imagine God is promising to make David’s lineage the lineage of the Kings of Israel.  God is promising an everlasting kingdom to the Son of David.  God is promising to David that he would be the ancestor to the Messiah.  Jesus would have David’s genes in Him.  In thinking about this I would think that David should be referring to himself as “God’s King”, or “God’s Man of the Hour” when he realizes these  truths, but instead of calling himself one of those things, he calls himself a servant. 

 

We need to understand that servant is our calling and that is truly what we need to be whether God grants us our dreams or not.  We are all His servants and so let us not just say it but let us live it out.  We need to serve God, each other, and the community in which we live and work and when we do – we will see our dreams come true and we will see His better plan. 

 

What is the most fun you ever had serving Christ?