Weekly message: Aging doesn’t guarantee immunity from sin or free from error
By
Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce
Date: 2/21/2024
Christian
Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music; Pastoral ministry &
Counseling
My friends, have you even
pondered about what words will be used in the eulogy to sum up your life? What
do you think those who survive you will write as your epitaph? What phrase or
form of words is written in memory of you as an inscription for a tombstone?
What legacy have you passed down to those who survive you? What final words
will you encourage them?
As I have grown in age
sixty, I often wonder if I can live longer to seventy or eighty years old to
serve the Lord. And constantly I ask the Lord, “Do not take away thy Holy
Spirit from me, until I proclaim your might to the young generations to come.
And pass down Messiah ministry and my Biblical precepts preaching and teaching,
Gospel music and worship albums that I composed and produced as legacy to the
young generations to come. And keep me humble before God, practice reverence
before God, fear God and shine evil.” For age alone is no guarantee of
maturity or freedom from error. As Elihu said to Job, “The experts have no
corner on wisdom; getting old doesn’t guarantee good sense.”(Job 32:9). NIV
translated, “It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who
understand what is right.” A spiritual leader must be careful of each step
and decision making. The longer we walk with the Lord, the more we are
guaranteed immunity from sin? No, this is not the case. Until we are with the
Lord, we will never be immune from sin’s appeal. Often those who fall the
hardest are those who have walked with God the longest.
We know that the real
battle for our lives occurs in the mind. When the apostle Paul wrote of Satan’s
work, he said, “We are not ignorant of his schemes.” (2 Cor.2:11) The Greek
term rendered “Schemes” has in its root the word “mind”. A paraphrase might
read, “We are not ignorant of his ability to get into our minds and direct our
thoughts.” This was exactly what happened to King David, when he grew older. In
2 Samuel 24 & 1 Chronicles 21 we are given a vivid account of a tragic
example of this when King David, in the latter years of his life, committed a
sin that affected thousands of lives. Sin pays a terrible wage and brings
sorrow and grief to others.
Ø Go, number Israel and Judah
King David’s last battle
and his first battle both were with Philistines and both involved giants. King
David killed Goliath in the first battle; in this last one, a brother of
Goliath was killed, as were several other who are called “descendants of the
giants in Gath.” After the battle and the victory, David was vulnerable. We are
most vulnerable immediately after victory. That’s when Satan sets his traps.
Satan pushed David in his private thoughts and said, “Why don’t you number
these people? Let’s see how big the kingdom is. Why not inventory how vast your
land has become?” King David said to Joab his commander of the army,
“Go, number
Israel and Judah”; “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report
back to me so that I may know how many there are.” (1
Chronicles21:2;2 Samuel 24;1).)
Although Joab wondered why
the King wanted to do that? And said,
“Now may the Lord
your God add to the people a hundred time as many as they are, while the eyes
of my lord the king still see; but why does my lord the king delight in this
thing ?” (1 Chronicles 21:2)
Joab as commander offered a
wise counsel, “O king, I hope that God multiplies the nation of Israel a
hundred times during your lifetime, but why do you want insist on doing
this?” but King David didn’t get it, nor listened to him, in 1
Chronicles 21, provided more insight into the decision. “Then Satan rose up against Israel and incited
David to take a census of Israel.” (1
Chronicles 21:1) . The final decision is the king prevails against the
general. Joab must do what King David’s order, unquestioned in his authority.
King David at this point, he didn’t seek God’s counsel, or search Scriptures
before he made this decision. He simply decided to do it. This was a dangerous
oversight and was unaccountable to anyone around him.
Ø God’s displeasure in what he had done King David
repented sin
After King David had numbered the people, his
heart troubled (2 Samuel 24:10) deep inside David’s inner man was a disturbing
reminder of God’s displeasure in what he had done. And God was displeased with this thing, so He struck Israel.”
(1 Chronicles 21:7) . King David was a sensitive man. Was conscience-stricken
after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, ““I have sinned greatly in what I have done, But now, O Lord,
please take away the quilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.” In
Chronicles 21:8 he stated, “I have sinned greatly,
in that I have done this thing. But now, please take away the iniquity of Thy
servant, for I have done very foolishly. (2 Samuel24:10; 1 Chronicles21:8)
When we have done wrong and we begin to see the
devastation that results from our sin, we cannot let it rest- at least not very
long if we are sensitive to God’s dealing with us. Many are the stubborn saints
who knowingly step out against God’s will only to run faster and faster,
refusing to listen to the troubles heart down inside. Regrettably, those in greatest
power are often those who listen the least to that inner, aching voice. Have
you ever been troubled by something in your spiritual walk? If so, what have
you done about it? Have you ignored it and just kept going in the same
direction? Or did you come to a dead stop and say, “I was wrong. God is dealing
with me about this, and I know what He wants me to do about it.”
Ø God gave him three choices
King David was in great distress, by the grace
and mercy of God, God gave him three choices, the opportunity to choose the
consequences of following wrong. “The Lord spoke to Gad, David’s seer, go and
speak to David, saying,
“I offer you three things;
choose for yourself one of them, that I may do it to you.” So Gad came to David
and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘take for yourself either three years of
famine, or three months to be swept away before your foes, while the sword of
your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the Lord, even
pestilence in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the
territory of Israel.’ Now therefore, consider what answer I shall return to Him
who sent me.” (1 Chronicles 21:9-12)
At this moment, King David must be
sorrowful and the tremendous guilt he felt down inside was almost more than he
could bear. He responded, “I am in great distress;
please let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are very great.
But do not let me fall into the hand of man.” (1 Chronicles 21:13). King David’s choice resulted in those who were under his
leadership had to pay the price. How miserable David must have felt, his
failure caused those who followed him, trust in him pain and loss and brought
the devastation of his own act of foolishness.
“So the Lord sent a
pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time; and seventy
thousand men of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. (2 Samuel24:15).
Then God sends an angel to
destroy Jerusalem. King David saw the death angel sweep across the land,
“He… lifted up his eyes and
saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, with his
sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders,
covered with sackcloth, fell on their faces.”
And David said to God,
“Is it not I who commanded
to count the people? Indeed, I am the one who has sinned and done very
wickedly, but these sheep, what have they done? O Lord, my God, please let Thy
hand be against me and my father’s household, but not against Thy people that
they should be plagued.” (1 Chronicles 21:16-17).
Ø Sin pays a terrible wage
King David saw the horror,
devastation and the payment he had to pay of his own iniquity. There were
70,000 grieving families whose lives were marked by King David’s compromise
with pride. He is a broken man facing the responsibility of his own iniquity,
and he throws himself upon the mercy of God. The Lord saw and was sorry over
the calamity, and said to the destroying angel “It is enough…” (1 Chronicles
21:15). Then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David, that David
should go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the
Jebusite.( 1 Chronicles 21:18). And David went up according to the word of Gad,
just as the Lord commanded. King David bought threshing flooring from Ornan the
Jebusite for a price, and built an altar to the Lord. “The Lord commanded
the angel, and he put his sword back in its sheath.” (1 Chronicles
21:27). So the plague was held back from the people.
Ø King David’s final words to his son Solomon
King David served the
Lord forty years as Israel’s leader, the significant commands and final words
he said to his son Solomon was,
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King David wants his son to
know God above all else, get to know Him deeply. And serve the God of your
father; serve Him with whole heart devotion and a willing mind. Don’t make God
force you to worship Him, do it wholeheartedly and willingly, hold nothing
back. Seek God, do not forsake God. King David passed down an unforgettable
legacy in Solomon’s mind. And Solomon must have witnessed in his father an
intense passion for God. The Lord searches every heart and understands every
motive behind the thoughts. If you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.
Finally, King David assured and encouraged Solomon to rule the people, be
strong and courageous, do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God, my God,
is with you.
Theological principle and Application
1)
Aging doesn’t guarantee immunity from sin or free from
error
For age alone is no
guarantee of maturity or freedom from error. As Elihu said to Job, “The
experts have no corner on wisdom; getting old doesn’t guarantee good sense.”(Job
32:9). “It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who
understand what is right.” A spiritual leader must be careful of each step
and decision making. The longer we walk with the Lord, the more we are
guaranteed immunity from sin. No, until we are with the Lord, we will never be
immune from sin’s appeal. Often those who fall the hardest are those who have
walked with God the longest.
2) Be aware of Satan’s schemes, keep humble before God, for God
rejects pride, but gives grace to the meekness. “For the accusers of our brothers, who accuse them
before our God day and night, have been hurled down. They overcame him by
the blood of Lamb and by the word of their testament.” (Revelations 12:10-1) if My people…will humble
themselves…then will I …heal their land (2Chro.7:14) as a traditional hymn “If
my people’s hearts are humbled” says, “if my people’s hearts are humbled, if
they pray and seek my face if they turn away from evil, I will not withhold my
grace. I will hear their prayers from heaven; I will pardon every sin. If my
people’s hearts are humbled, I will surely heal their land. Then my eyes will
see their sorrow, then, my ears will hear their plea. If my people’s hearts are
humble I will set their nation free. If they turn away from evil, I will not
withhold my grace.
3) Always put the Lord God first and seek His face,
strength and help by prayer and petition. When you are in the high authority position, don’t make any
decision by your own canal mind, daily seek God’s face, and His strength, and
select a godly counsel group, and listen to the wise counsel for each important
decision making.
4) Make sure that God is with us. The Lord is with King David. God let him saw
the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven with his drawn sword in
his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. God opened Kind David’s eyes and saw the
destroying angel. King David, was a man heart of God’s own heart, the Lord is
with him and instructed him by sending him Samuel, Nathan, and Gad, the
prophets and the seers.
5) Make our hearts home for Christ; serve Him with
wholehearted devotion.
In this era, not many
people can see the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven. But we,
born again Christians, will be led by the Holy Spirit, and make hearts home for
Christ, let the Spirit of Christ dwells in us, speaks to our inner being when
we meditate upon His Word, read the Bible (Old Testament & New Testament)
and keep praising and worshipping the Lord. Our inner being will know and
affirm that God is with us. As King David’s final words to his son
Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and act; do not fear nor be dismayed,
for the Lord God, my God is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you
until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.”;
“Know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing
mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the
thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He
will reject you forever.” (1 Chronicles28: 20,9).
Bibliography,
Dyer, Wayne, Your ErroneousZones New
York: Avon Books, 1976.
King James, The Holy Bible, Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company
Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie Study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The
Moody Bible Institute, 1986.
Swindoll, Charles R. David. Dallas, TX: Word Publishing, Inc,
1997.
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