Peter Misselbrook's Blog
May 16 2019 - 1 Kings 2:1-12 – David's death

David is approaching death and his son Solomon will soon be king. David tells him, "Be strong, act like a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go and that the LORD may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel’" (1 Kings 2:2-4).

David tells Solomon that the prosperity of the whole nation depends upon his faithfulness to the Lord and the faithfulness of the kings who succeed him. We shall see how this works out in the unfolding history of the kings of Judah and of Israel.

It would have been good if David's advice had stopped there; that would have challenged Solomon to live a life pleasing to the Lord. But David has more to say. As he faces death he calls to mind some who have been a help and blessing to him in the difficulties he faced at various times in his life; he asks Solomon to "show kindness to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table" (v. 7). They are to be honoured as part of the king's family. But David spends rather more time telling Solomon to punish those who have harmed him or have brought his reign into disrepute; Solomon is to ensure that, unlike David, they do not go down to their graves in peace. David leaves a deadly legacy for Solomon to administer.

How different is the legacy of our Lord Jesus Christ, David's greater son. He is the one whose faithfulness to God has secured his kingdom for all eternity. But he is also the one who did not seek vengeance on those who tortured him to death but prayed that his Father would forgive them. It is because of him and his atoning work that we can rejoice that we are not treated as our sins deserve. Because of his love for us, when we were rebels and sinners, we can now face death without fear, knowing that he has conquered sin and death for us – our "grey head can go down to the grave in peace". We know that he was raised from the dead for us and that we too shall share in his resurrection life – we are embraced as members of his family and shall feast at his table. Jesus has left us, his enemies, a legacy of blessing and of glory.

And Jesus calls us not to be imitators of David but of himself. We also are to be those who forgive our enemies, who refuse to hit back against those who have hurt us. We are to be more concerned to show love and compassion to others than we are to safeguard our own reputation.

If you knew that you were approaching death and you were able to gather your family around you to talk with them, what would be your final words to them? What instructions might you have for them? What legacy will you leave behind for them? What will the executor of your wishes be required to do in your name? How will you be remembered?

Father, thank you for the matchless legacy of the Lord Jesus Christ. In him we have been made heirs to all the riches of his glorious kingdom. Help us by your Spirit to be more like our gracious Saviour: to forgive as we have been forgiven; to love as we have been loved. May our lives bring others to share in this inheritance. Help us to leave a legacy of blessing which will give life to others.

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May 16 2020 - 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:10 – Seeing the unseen

Paul has been speaking to the Corinthians of the costs of his ministry. As we saw yesterday, he has seen the glory of Christ and longs that others might come to see what he has seen and come to a knowledge of the living God. Paul has travelled the Mediterranean world, intent upon sharing this treasure. This has proved no easy task. This is how he describes it in 2 Corinthians 4:8-12: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.”

What keeps Paul going when he faces such trials and discouragements? “We fix our eyes”, he says, “not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (4:18). Paul’s life and conduct are shaped by unseen realities. He is not living for present comfort but for future glory. He has his eyes fixed upon Christ and the glory that will be his when Christ appears. So he lives by faith and not by sight (5:6). His goal is to please his Lord in everything he does, whether in life or in death. His decisions and actions are shaped by the knowledge that he will appear before the judgment seat of Christ to hear his Lord’s verdict on his life and receive the reward that flows from the use he has made of all that Christ has given him (5:10).

This is what keeps Paul going. He does not lose heart, even though he feels himself wasting away (4:16). He remains confident in his ministry and makes it his constant goal to please Christ (5:6,8). He considers the trials and persecution that he faces “light and momentary troubles” for they “are achieving … an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (5:17).

I find these words of the Apostle a tremendous challenge. To what extent does the unseen world to come shape my present life and conduct? Have I become too comfortable with this present age and detuned to eternal issues? I need to be reminded that this present age, with all its fashions and treasures, is passing away – like an old and broken clay jar. That does not mean that this present world is unimportant. On the contrary, through the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ God has affirmed his love and purpose for this present creation. His intention is not for its destruction but for its preservation, transformation and glorification – “that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life”. It means that I am to have the eye of my faith fixed upon that world to come and to be living for that world and not for present satisfaction. I am to invest in what will last.

We pray that God’s kingdom may come and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven. There are costs to the work of the kingdom. It cost Jesus his life. He calls us to follow him; to die with him so that his resurrection life may touch and transform the lives of others.

Lord, help me to live by faith and not by sight. Help me to have my eyes fixed on Jesus and, in all things, to live to please him who lived and died and lives forever for me. May eternity shape how I live now, even as how I now live shall shape eternity.

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Peter Misselbrook