There are two scenarios in 1 Samuel 24 and 26 where it seems Saul has been given into David’s hands, yet David has chosen to spare Saul’s life.
We note particularly three groups of people; David, David’s men, and Saul.
> Saul is officially God’s anointed, and we see him verbally confess his sin and ‘repent’ at the close of both chapters, and yet we also see him continuing in his sin in trying to kill David. He is convicted, believes, confesses, and yet does not respond appropriately to the LORD.
>David’s men we see, take the LORD’s promise of delivering Saul into David’s hands and ‘run with it’ so to speak. They believe the message, respond to it by assisting David obediently, show trust in it by exclaiming the promise, ‘look this is the LORD fulfilling his promise to you!’ Yet there is something missing, they are not sensitive to how they should respond appropriately, they take the promise, the conclusion, and seek to fulfil it their own way.
> Finally David, he believes the promises given to him from the LORD, pursues the ends of these promises, and sensitively obeys the LORD’s instruction. He seeks the fulfilment of the LORD’s promise in step with the LORD’s character. Saul is the LORD’s anointed one, the one the LORD has chosen, and killing him is standing against the one the LORD has raised up, therefore standing against the LORD. David will not kill the LORD’s anointed.
Take an typological journey with me. Jesus is the fulfilment of David, he is the ‘new’ David in a sense. Jesus appropriately and sensitively responds to and obeys God’s word. Even if that involved Him walking to the cross, as it involved David’s persecution from Saul.
David’s followers may be linked to Jesus’ followers, particularly his close disciples; those who believed the message, yet often ran with it, not understanding the greater things of God.
Saul could be most obviously Judas, the one who hears and responds, yet betrays Jesus to His death, and inevitably his own death. Yet perhaps he could be linked to any who hear, believe, repent, and yet are easily choked by the thorns, those who do not respond by changing their lives.
Of course, Jesus can also be linked to Saul in a monarchical form, he is the King of the new Israel, the spiritual Israel. Jesus is God’s anointed one, the one on whom the spirit descends as a dove. The one when appropriately recognised, should not be killed. Do not kill the LORD’s anointed.
This is of course where those at the sentencing of Jesus went fatally wrong, they did not appropriately acknowledge who he was. They had heard who He claimed to be, they had seen the proof in His teaching and in His miracles, yet, they did not respond appropriately, they killed the Lord’s anointed. Whereas David, would not.
So how can we apply this, where can we place ourselves? We can, and often do, place ourselves with Saul, unwilling to act upon what we have seen, to truly live out our repentance, and inevitably in Saul’s role, this leads eventually to two things; first a desire to kill the Lord’s plan. Saul saw and acknowledged David’s fame and relationship with the LORD, he wanted to kill him. We, following Saul would want to foolishly kill the means of God’s plan being vindicated.
Second, an inevitable desire to be self-destructive. Sin is self-destructive, suicidal, not acting upon repentance and not responding appropriately to God’s revealed nature in grace has only one other possible option, walking blindly away from it and towards an Idol, which will destroy us. We see the fulfilment of this in 1 Chronicles 10-11.
Following Saul’s example therefore, will lead us eventually to a violent end. It gives only to killing, either a killing of God’s plan, which cannot be done, or a killing of oneself. Let’s not follow Saul in his killing. Note, this does not mean we are saved/sustained by works, but the effectual working of grace in our lives involves the relational dynamic of daily responding to the gospel.
We also can easily stand with David’s men, or the Disciples of Christ. So often we can take a promise, or piece of scripture and run with it, instead of contextually and sensitively applying it with humility and wisdom. This can lead to a trust in our own ability other than a humble dependence on the King. This leads to dishonouring our King; take the Disciples, one betrayed, one denied, ten deserted, yet eleven restored by God’s grace!
Let us humbly observe and digest the scriptures, considering ourselves more likely to misunderstand, and misapply, being wonderfully thankful to God’s grace when he gifts us with an understanding that changes our lives.
We most difficultly, yet inevitably must stand with David, with Christ. We are pursuing to be Christlike, to be like Him in all and everything we do, to mirror His glory and seek to be satisfied in Him alone. We must therefore in these two Chapters, seek to believe and respond like David, and how does David do that? He does that by not killing the LORD’s anointed. So we too must not, like the 1st Centaury Jews and Romans, kill the Lord’s anointed. We must not seek to kill Jesus. We must therefore flee idols (see Saul above), and flee anything that leads us away from a living repentance, and adversely seek and long to see Jesus living in our lives and the lives of others.
We must take delight in the Living Jesus, the Lord’s anointed, we must not foolishly seek to kill the Lord’s anointed, but seek to make much of His living. Wake up in the morning, longing to want the Living Jesus to be vindicated as alive to the world. We must want to be alive, in Him. We must want to be like Jesus, and seek Him in the scriptures daily, pouring through them to find His nail marks, breathing them in constantly to seek his thorny crown. We must pour out from them, responding, confessing, and obeying Him by seeking to mirror Him, to magnify Him, to glorify Him. We must foremost acknowledge our position daily to Him and ask for His grace to live totally to Him glory.
Let us not seek to kill the Lord’s anointed, but long for the Living Jesus to be magnified in our lives.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Book Recommendation - Sam Storms, Convergence
This is not a review so much as a recomendation. A personal conflict that has been within me for a while is how do I connect the larger pieces of my theology for consistant ministry, particulary my reformed doctrine and my charasmatic convictions. I.e. how does presestination based soteriology fit with practical exercise of the gifts of prophecy, healing, and tounges? Sam Storms has been there. Storms is an exceptionally gifted theologican, historian, and exegeite, and has a true practical and pastoral approach to word and spirit based ministry. After finishing his book, Convergence, I felt affirmed in my faith and my theology, as well as challenged to defend my calvanistic doctrine and practice more expectantly my charasmatic convictions. Thanx Sam Storms, for you warm, biblical, and practical addittion to the debates, visons of a unified way out, and biblical hopes to truly see a word-spirit convergence.
Buy the book here,
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0977173909/102-6534226-5316967?v=glance&n=283155
Read an interview with Dr. Sam Storms here,
http://www.adrian.warnock.info/2006/04/interview-with-dr-sam-storms.htm
Learn more about Enjoying God Ministries here,
http://www.samstorms.com
Buy the book here,
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0977173909/102-6534226-5316967?v=glance&n=283155
Read an interview with Dr. Sam Storms here,
http://www.adrian.warnock.info/2006/04/interview-with-dr-sam-storms.htm
Learn more about Enjoying God Ministries here,
http://www.samstorms.com
Green Tea
The Lord has given us so many natural beauties to settle us in peace, and rest us in tranquillity in godly and joyous ways. He gave us calm oceans, he gave us snow-topped Alps, he gave us the horizon, and he gave us green tea.
A friend introduced such a drink to me only two years ago. Unfortunately, it was not a product of a 1000 years Chinese crafted art, but instead a product of 39p ASDA smartprice. After a curious, nose curling whiff, I ventured further (bravely I thought) to take the tiniest of sips through my pursed lips. - I can honestly say that I do not believe I have tasted anything so unbelievably vile in my whole and entire life, and I as child I had a hobby of eating paper.
- This unfortunately put my off the drink completely ever since. -
However through the wise counsel of a very wonderful lady, I have decided to re-address, nay conquer the fear that has tried to take anchor within my tea-less soul. Her counsel was roughly along the lines of; 'hmmm, I’m not sure 39p ASDA smartprice attempt at the Chinese beverage is really a relative way forward. Perhaps you should try something a little more refined?' And so I did, I splashed nearly four times as much on a small box of organic authentic green tea-bags, filled the cup, and took the plunge, expecting death and disaster, however, being strangely rewarded. A curious sensation overcame me, this was...nice...I like this tea, yes...its good. Hmmm. And indeed I am now, Tim Gough, liker of green tea.
Yet this is more than my public confession and allegiance to that wonderful drink, it is to share with you some of its benefits, in the hope that you too, may find green tea. Green tea has its foundations in China, and for thousands of years they have claimed its medical benefits. Recent studies are beginning to support these allegations. The 1994 Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of a study suggesting that drinking green tea reduced the risk of oesophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. Further, Purdue University researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. There is also apparently research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol. In fact, Green tea is now known to help prevent cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol levels, cardiovascular disease, infection, and impaired immune function.
This is partially due to the high amounts of catechin polyphenols anti-oxidants, which inhibits the growths of cancer cells, actively destroys cancer cells (without damaging healthy tissue) and strengthens your body’s immune system.
Further, the 1999 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition released research, which suggests green tea actually helps dieters to burn calories, and can act as a healthy addiction placebo against excess caffeine, alcohol and tobacco.
In fact, the only negative reports of drinking green tea at the moment is insomnia, and this is simply because green tea contains caffeine. However on average, a cup of green tea contains 30 times less caffeine than a cup of coffee.
Green tea is wonderful, it helps keep us healthy, it provides a wonderful warm drink substitute to heavy caffeine British tea or coffee, and it is a great addition to a bath or sit in the garden. Enjoy this wonderful sense of peace, and health, with a great taste. ...Enjoy green tea.
A friend introduced such a drink to me only two years ago. Unfortunately, it was not a product of a 1000 years Chinese crafted art, but instead a product of 39p ASDA smartprice. After a curious, nose curling whiff, I ventured further (bravely I thought) to take the tiniest of sips through my pursed lips. - I can honestly say that I do not believe I have tasted anything so unbelievably vile in my whole and entire life, and I as child I had a hobby of eating paper.
- This unfortunately put my off the drink completely ever since. -
However through the wise counsel of a very wonderful lady, I have decided to re-address, nay conquer the fear that has tried to take anchor within my tea-less soul. Her counsel was roughly along the lines of; 'hmmm, I’m not sure 39p ASDA smartprice attempt at the Chinese beverage is really a relative way forward. Perhaps you should try something a little more refined?' And so I did, I splashed nearly four times as much on a small box of organic authentic green tea-bags, filled the cup, and took the plunge, expecting death and disaster, however, being strangely rewarded. A curious sensation overcame me, this was...nice...I like this tea, yes...its good. Hmmm. And indeed I am now, Tim Gough, liker of green tea.
Yet this is more than my public confession and allegiance to that wonderful drink, it is to share with you some of its benefits, in the hope that you too, may find green tea. Green tea has its foundations in China, and for thousands of years they have claimed its medical benefits. Recent studies are beginning to support these allegations. The 1994 Journal of the National Cancer Institute published the results of a study suggesting that drinking green tea reduced the risk of oesophageal cancer in Chinese men and women by nearly sixty percent. Further, Purdue University researchers recently concluded that a compound in green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. There is also apparently research indicating that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol. In fact, Green tea is now known to help prevent cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, high cholesterol levels, cardiovascular disease, infection, and impaired immune function.
This is partially due to the high amounts of catechin polyphenols anti-oxidants, which inhibits the growths of cancer cells, actively destroys cancer cells (without damaging healthy tissue) and strengthens your body’s immune system.
Further, the 1999 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition released research, which suggests green tea actually helps dieters to burn calories, and can act as a healthy addiction placebo against excess caffeine, alcohol and tobacco.
In fact, the only negative reports of drinking green tea at the moment is insomnia, and this is simply because green tea contains caffeine. However on average, a cup of green tea contains 30 times less caffeine than a cup of coffee.
Green tea is wonderful, it helps keep us healthy, it provides a wonderful warm drink substitute to heavy caffeine British tea or coffee, and it is a great addition to a bath or sit in the garden. Enjoy this wonderful sense of peace, and health, with a great taste. ...Enjoy green tea.
Intresting Thoughts from D. Field on Global Warming
http://davidpfield.blogspot.com/2006/08/global-warming-scepticism.html
- thanx David, v-helpful food-for-thought .
- thanx David, v-helpful food-for-thought .
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Emotive Singing+Music in Worship
Is it not a beautiful thing when our emotions are stirred and affections awakened by the wonderful things in God's character, His divine plan, and His free and unconditional Gospel?
Why then, as evangelicals do we often feel anxious when either these affections awaken them in us or show themselves in others during music in worship? Surely the act of telling God in such a creative way is primarily about stirring and warming our hearts in joy and love as appropriate responses to His character, plan, and Gospel? -Or at least Jonathan Edwards believed so when he said:
'And the duty of singing praises to God seems to be appointed wholly to excite and express religious affections. No other reason can be assigned why we should express ourselves to God in verse rather than in prose, and do it with music, but only that such is our nature and frame that these things have a tendency to move our affections.' [Religious Affections - emphasis mine.]
Note, as John Piper writes, 'it is the affections that make worship authentic.' When we place our boundaries in our times of music so tightly so that they engulth emotional reaction to the music, which stirs our hearts to be in a place where we can turn the truths of God we are singing about into praise - we are enguthing the authenticity of our worship to God. Of course we must be careful not to get over-emotional in ways which stir emotions as an end in themselves, this is dangerous and at worse idolatry. Yet we must allow our emotions to be stirred within music, and poetry, so that we can be in a better context emotionally to receive and respond to the beautiful truths in God's word. -The same principle was applied by the puritans in preaching, they would use the most emotive language and imagery to open or create a 'wound' if you will, then they would fill that wound with Biblical substance.
Lets not be a people that honours God with our lips but our hearts be far from Him (Mtt. 15:8), let us long after and desire to be 'true worshippers [who]...worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him' (Jn. 4:23).
Think and meditate upon those biblical giants and their hearts emotional response to their God. Think on David who comes to God with a 'broken and contrite spirit,' (Ps. 51), or Paul as he 'rejoices with great joy' (Phil. 4:10), or upon Christ himself as he is 'filled with anger and grief' (Mark 3:5) or His earnest desire to gather his people as a mother hen, her chicks (Lk. 13:34). - I'm sure you can think of many times throughout scripture the correct response to God is one that is immersed in and emerges from an emotional and affectionate stirring of ones heart. Perhaps you can recall in your own experience, the times where you have felt the greatest faith in God as the times where your emotions have been situationally stirred to call out to him in utter dependence, or great joy and thankfulness.
Lets allow our stony dispositions and occasional harness be rocked and melted by music and singing in worship, so we can appropriately respond to our Father in an affectionate, and praising way. To Him be all the glory! Amen
Why then, as evangelicals do we often feel anxious when either these affections awaken them in us or show themselves in others during music in worship? Surely the act of telling God in such a creative way is primarily about stirring and warming our hearts in joy and love as appropriate responses to His character, plan, and Gospel? -Or at least Jonathan Edwards believed so when he said:
'And the duty of singing praises to God seems to be appointed wholly to excite and express religious affections. No other reason can be assigned why we should express ourselves to God in verse rather than in prose, and do it with music, but only that such is our nature and frame that these things have a tendency to move our affections.' [Religious Affections - emphasis mine.]
Note, as John Piper writes, 'it is the affections that make worship authentic.' When we place our boundaries in our times of music so tightly so that they engulth emotional reaction to the music, which stirs our hearts to be in a place where we can turn the truths of God we are singing about into praise - we are enguthing the authenticity of our worship to God. Of course we must be careful not to get over-emotional in ways which stir emotions as an end in themselves, this is dangerous and at worse idolatry. Yet we must allow our emotions to be stirred within music, and poetry, so that we can be in a better context emotionally to receive and respond to the beautiful truths in God's word. -The same principle was applied by the puritans in preaching, they would use the most emotive language and imagery to open or create a 'wound' if you will, then they would fill that wound with Biblical substance.
Lets not be a people that honours God with our lips but our hearts be far from Him (Mtt. 15:8), let us long after and desire to be 'true worshippers [who]...worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him' (Jn. 4:23).
Think and meditate upon those biblical giants and their hearts emotional response to their God. Think on David who comes to God with a 'broken and contrite spirit,' (Ps. 51), or Paul as he 'rejoices with great joy' (Phil. 4:10), or upon Christ himself as he is 'filled with anger and grief' (Mark 3:5) or His earnest desire to gather his people as a mother hen, her chicks (Lk. 13:34). - I'm sure you can think of many times throughout scripture the correct response to God is one that is immersed in and emerges from an emotional and affectionate stirring of ones heart. Perhaps you can recall in your own experience, the times where you have felt the greatest faith in God as the times where your emotions have been situationally stirred to call out to him in utter dependence, or great joy and thankfulness.
Lets allow our stony dispositions and occasional harness be rocked and melted by music and singing in worship, so we can appropriately respond to our Father in an affectionate, and praising way. To Him be all the glory! Amen
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Untitled3
Life, truth, meaning, feeling
I’m not sure the way, but I know all truth is God’s truth
The constructions in my heart seem made from so many fragile pieces
Thesis
Ideas not fully realized, truths not completely idealized
I know there’s a way, a time a place
But my bridge won’t take my own weight
It strains and creaksGasps for the very air that I need to breathe
It’s mine to breathe; yet I can’t seem to breathe, and walk
And hold my weight and finish my constructions.
Collapse, taint, scared, associated
But I need, I need to hold another in this weight
Surely, timely, I must carry us both,
But I can’t, I can’t even hold my own.
Frailty, normatively, existentially
Paradoxically only yours.
Frail -only- is this idolatry
Miss-constructed only is a gravity-less bridge, heart, start
Oh God your big enough for the both of us,
I need not even breathe in my own framework
I need not support, one or two, or even support itself for that matter
I only need to trust, to wait, to live, to love
All in your strength, Oh Lord, all in your ways, your truth,
For all truth is your truth, all goodness is your goodness.
Father help me see my own frailty, in light of seeing you
In light of needing you, In light of knowing you, in light of loving another,
In you.
Life, truth, meaning, feeling,
All truth is God’s truth, your truth.
Let me be unfinished, in your truth.
Amen.
tg. 23.06.06 Based in part on Calvin’s Institutes, Bk 1, chapters 1 and 2.
I’m not sure the way, but I know all truth is God’s truth
The constructions in my heart seem made from so many fragile pieces
Thesis
Ideas not fully realized, truths not completely idealized
I know there’s a way, a time a place
But my bridge won’t take my own weight
It strains and creaksGasps for the very air that I need to breathe
It’s mine to breathe; yet I can’t seem to breathe, and walk
And hold my weight and finish my constructions.
Collapse, taint, scared, associated
But I need, I need to hold another in this weight
Surely, timely, I must carry us both,
But I can’t, I can’t even hold my own.
Frailty, normatively, existentially
Paradoxically only yours.
Frail -only- is this idolatry
Miss-constructed only is a gravity-less bridge, heart, start
Oh God your big enough for the both of us,
I need not even breathe in my own framework
I need not support, one or two, or even support itself for that matter
I only need to trust, to wait, to live, to love
All in your strength, Oh Lord, all in your ways, your truth,
For all truth is your truth, all goodness is your goodness.
Father help me see my own frailty, in light of seeing you
In light of needing you, In light of knowing you, in light of loving another,
In you.
Life, truth, meaning, feeling,
All truth is God’s truth, your truth.
Let me be unfinished, in your truth.
Amen.
tg. 23.06.06 Based in part on Calvin’s Institutes, Bk 1, chapters 1 and 2.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Extract from Thomas A' Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Chapter 3, XXVIII
'True peace and true glory can only be found in me, and the secret of great peace is to have no desire to please men, and no fear of displeasing them either. It is your undisciplined affections and your foolish fears that make your senses restless and destroy the peace of your heart.'
This Time
Lost within a time warp,
Going south, yet looking northward,
You've given me directions
Yet I’ve kept myself at the front of my mind
Where it rains all the time,
It's cold, and I cannot see the distance
Where you told me there’s hope.
Lost in metafusion, where the now meets the then,
Where I judge myself from experience,
Where the papers, met the pen,
’I couldn't do it then, so I can't do it now’
Commonsense blinding me, throwing me to doubt.
Lost in the physical, stuck in the real,
I thought it was yesterday, I've forgotten how to feel,
This isn't life, its a fake reality
I'm tired of feeling this way,
I need stability.
Why do I do this to myself,
Theologise my breath,
I need only to trust to wait
Why am I so deaf?
God you know, I'm a human, I'm blind,
Open my eyes again, I'll really try,
This time.
Going south, yet looking northward,
You've given me directions
Yet I’ve kept myself at the front of my mind
Where it rains all the time,
It's cold, and I cannot see the distance
Where you told me there’s hope.
Lost in metafusion, where the now meets the then,
Where I judge myself from experience,
Where the papers, met the pen,
’I couldn't do it then, so I can't do it now’
Commonsense blinding me, throwing me to doubt.
Lost in the physical, stuck in the real,
I thought it was yesterday, I've forgotten how to feel,
This isn't life, its a fake reality
I'm tired of feeling this way,
I need stability.
Why do I do this to myself,
Theologise my breath,
I need only to trust to wait
Why am I so deaf?
God you know, I'm a human, I'm blind,
Open my eyes again, I'll really try,
This time.
Coffee
My coffee tastes so good right now
It feels like the world is smiling for me
Through me.
My heart is brimming within my throat
Pounding, urging against my very soul.
Music sounds so true today
Every word rings a new theme
A genre designed just for me in this moment
God has touched my very being with his eternal breathing hand
He has smiled an inconceivable smile
He has locked me inside his goodness
I’m lost in his praise, and his delights, and his desires.
Oh change my heart oh God
Make me in your image
Confirm me to your will
It is done, it is done.
Make me yours every moment
Let the very chromatic vibrations of my being
Follow you’re every step.
Help me not love myself, or anything in my possession
Help me long for nothing but you
Help me seek for, and long for, and breathe for your kingdom.
For only then will all this be added.
Only then
Thank you Father, for you are always the giver, and I, and we, are always the receiver.
Amen.
It feels like the world is smiling for me
Through me.
My heart is brimming within my throat
Pounding, urging against my very soul.
Music sounds so true today
Every word rings a new theme
A genre designed just for me in this moment
God has touched my very being with his eternal breathing hand
He has smiled an inconceivable smile
He has locked me inside his goodness
I’m lost in his praise, and his delights, and his desires.
Oh change my heart oh God
Make me in your image
Confirm me to your will
It is done, it is done.
Make me yours every moment
Let the very chromatic vibrations of my being
Follow you’re every step.
Help me not love myself, or anything in my possession
Help me long for nothing but you
Help me seek for, and long for, and breathe for your kingdom.
For only then will all this be added.
Only then
Thank you Father, for you are always the giver, and I, and we, are always the receiver.
Amen.
Timeless breathing (n.b. needs editing)
Timeless Breathing, the return of the lamb.
Timeless breathing, all I’m seeing
Longing for that moment believing,
Grace appealing, pleading, bleeding
Knowing that I’m needing, feeling.
Today, tomorrow, the mercy seen
Is but a depth, in a breadth, a length,
Time is falling, days are dawning
Knowing that I’m needing, calling.
The lamb returning, and I am longing
To see the eyes of fire freeing,
The throne is moving, creatures fleeing
Knowing that he’s pleading, needing.
Saving, sustaining, knowing, growing,
I’m living, being, knowing, seeing,
Grace appealing, pleading, bleeding
Knowing that I’m needing, feeling.
Timeless breathing, all I’m seeing
Longing for that moment believing,
Grace appealing, pleading, bleeding
Knowing that I’m needing, feeling.
Today, tomorrow, the mercy seen
Is but a depth, in a breadth, a length,
Time is falling, days are dawning
Knowing that I’m needing, calling.
The lamb returning, and I am longing
To see the eyes of fire freeing,
The throne is moving, creatures fleeing
Knowing that he’s pleading, needing.
Saving, sustaining, knowing, growing,
I’m living, being, knowing, seeing,
Grace appealing, pleading, bleeding
Knowing that I’m needing, feeling.
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