2 Samuel 9: Machir Who Showed Loving-kindness

[Jesus said] “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭40‬

This chapter shows a glimpse of how David ruled his people in Israel – by administering justice and righteousness (2 Samuel 8:15). How a society treats the least and weak is a good reflection of the degree of justice and righteousness of that society. In this chapter, David personally reached out to show kindness to Mephibosheth, a grandson of the fallen previous king, when he did not need to.

At the same time, I would like to highlight Machir, a relatively unknown person in the bible, who showed kindness to Mephibosheth before David searched for him. Let’s not overlook what Machir did.

Chapter Summary

David wanted to show kindness to anyone left of the Saul’s household for the sake of Jonathan. Ziba, a former servant of Saul, was summoned, and David found out that son of Jonathan, who was crippled in both feet, was in the household of Machir in Lo-debar, located in the southeast of the Sea of Galilee.

Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came and prostrated before David. David showed kindness to Mephibosheth and reassured that he would be given back the land that used to belong to Saul and be regularly eating at David’s table. David told Ziba to cultivate the land on behalf of Mephibosheth.

David’s Open Meekness

In the previous chapter, David, being empowered by God the LORD, flexed his muscle to defeat surrounding nations at all four fronts – south, east, west, and north – to make a name for himself and to receive tributes from them.

On the other hand, this chapter shows David’s kindness extended to one of the weakest and most vulnerable families and persons: a household of the grandson of a fallen king, who was crippled in both feet. Any descendants or relatives of a fallen king were natural targets for elimination from a new king. Plus, he was handicapped. Therefore, politically and physically, he was one of the most vulnerable person in the entire Israel. It is not strange to see that he lived in the very northern city in Israel, Lo-debar, far away from the land of Judah, where the new king David resided.

That person was Mephibosheth, the grandson of late king Saul. David reached out to Mephibosheth to show kindness to have him dine with David regularly and restore his grandfather’s land when he did not need to. God reached out to us to show grace when He did not need to. David kept his word when he made a covenant with Jonathan to treat his descendants with kindness (1 Samuel 20:14-15). God made a covenant with us unilaterally to demonstrate His grace. Here, we see David showing God’s loving-kindness to the most vulnerable person and family in Israel.

Jesus told His disciples that whatever they did for the least was equal to what they did to Him (Matthew 25:40). That was what David did. What David did must have been an example of how his governing officials should rule and take care of his people – by administering justice and righteousness.

David was not alone. We see another relatively unknown person who showed loving-kindness.

Machir’s Covert Kindness

Although his name was stated only once in this chapter and not much explanation is given other than he was the son of Ammiel, I want to focus on Machir and his character, especially in contrast to that of Ziba.

Although Ziba was the official servant of Saul, it was Machir who gave practical help to Mephibosheth by showing hospitality and providing shelter for him for many years. Was there a real need or obligation or any benefit associated with taking care of Mephibosheth for Machir’s perspective? Not much. Mephibosheth was a grandson of Saul, a fallen king, who could pose much more liability than benefit for Machir.

Taking care of Mephibosheth, a grandson of a fallen king, must have posed a great liability with little benefit for Machir, especially in the era of the new king. It was possible that Machir simply regarded Mephibosheth as a broken person in need. Mephibosheth lost both his father and grandfather at the battle of Gilboa (1 Samuel 31). With both of them dead, his royal status plummeted to the level lower than that of an ordinary citizen. Besides, he was crippled. Despite all these factors, Machir undertook a great risk to take Mephibosheth under his protection. Machir had nothing to gain from taking care of Mephibosheth, but he did it in accordance with God’s loving-kindness. In addition, when David and his men were feeling from Absalom with a weary state, Machir was also one of the people who brought food to them in Mahanaim (2 Samuel 17:27-29).

Ziba the Shrewd Wealth Builder

On the other hand, Ziba as a servant of Saul was supposed to be the official caregiver of Mephibosheth. Ziba was “helpful” by informing the location of Mephibosheth to David. However, instead of taking care of Mephibosheth, he seemed to have found a way to enrich himself by having multiple wives, along with many sons and servants (2 Samuel 9:10). It is not exactly possible to know how he enriched himself when the Saul kingdom fell, but we can make an educated guess that he was a shrewd man, who knew how to take advantage of changing political landscape to obtain additional wealth.

We see more evidence later of his shrewd nature in building his wealth. In 2 Samuel 16, when David was fleeing from his son Absalom, Ziba acted swiftly before Machir and others to aid David with food, but lied to David that Mephibosheth was delighted when David was running away from Absalom. When David heard this, he gave everything that belonged to Mephibosheth to Ziba. Then, Zina prostrated himself before David (2 Samuel 16:1-4) – note that Ziba did not prostrate before David in the first encounter, but only when he was promised for additional wealth. This episode showed that Ziba was a shrewd man, who knew how to grow his wealth by trickery in a turbulent political situation. It was possible that Ziba could have accumulated his wealth in a similar manner after the fall of King Saul.

Conclusion

David showed loving-kindness to one of the most vulnerable households in Israel openly: the grandson of Saul. By treating the weak with dignity, he showed a glimpse of what it meant by administering justice and righteousness to the people of Israel. Machir was a hidden hero – who showed compassion to take care of Mephibosheth, which carried a great risk. However, we have people like Ziba, who was a shrewd person in building his wealth by taking advantage of political turmoils. The chapter shows a microcosm of this world – we may have people with genuine hearts to help the weak, but people who are very shrewd in building their wealth.

Which one would you be?

2 Samuel 8: Overcoming Four-front War and Conquering Kingdoms by Faith

David overcame a four-front war by defeating the Philistines, the Moabites, Hadadezer king of Zoba, Arameans, and the Edomites. The author of Hebrews describes his conquest of these kingdoms as an act of faith.

Summary:

After God’s promise to build a house for David, David defeated and subdued many surrounding nations, including the Philistines, the Moabites, Hadadezer king of Zoba, Arameans, and the Edomites. Internationally, David defeated the nations on the west, east, north, and south because the Lord helped him to achieve victories wherever he went (2 Sam 8:6 and 14). Domestically, David reigned over all Israel by administering justice and righteousness.

Non-discriminatorily Defeating Enemies around the Border by Faith

The table below summarizes David’s exploits against his surrounding nations. To the west, he subdued the Philistines and took their major cities. To the east, David defeated the Moabites and they became David’s servant, bringing tributes. To the north, David attacked Hadadezer as well as Arameans, who came to help Hadadezer. David installed a military presence around Damascus. To the south, he defeated the Edomites and they brought tributes to David.

Table 1: Summary of David’s Exploits against Surrounding Nations

Defeating Enemies by Faith: Fulfilling Promise of 400 year-old

… David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises…put foreign armies to flight.

Hebrews 11:32-34

The author of Hebrew makes a statement that it was by faith that David “conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness,” and “put foreign armies to flight.” The statement by the author of Hebrew matches the details of 2 Samuel 8 very well. Then, what does it mean that David conquered kingdoms by faith? I believe David’s actions were considered faith because they were aligned with God’s promises, and David acted in full dependence and partnership with God.

More specifically, David’s conquest and subjugation of His enemies was in some way an extension of God’s promise and command that would go all the way back to Joshua. God said to Joshua that “Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates — all the Hittite country — to the Mediterranean Sea in the west (Joshua 1:4),” which was much more than the Isrealite territory and includes all the land that belonged to David’s enemies in 2 Samuel 8: Philistines, Moab, Edom, Hadadezer, Arameans, and Hammath. As David ousted the Jebusites to fully conquer Jerusalem to fully claim God’s inheritance, so did David defeated the external enemies around Israel.

Defeating Enemies by Faith: Overcoming Four-front war

Although we do not know the exact details and timing of these wars (against Philistine, Moab, Aram, Edom), that David was able to defeat his enemies in all four-fronts is noteworthy.

Let’s compare David’s exploits with what Germany tried to do during the first and second world wars. In the first world war, Germany developed a plan to overcome a two-front war risk posed by France to the west and Russia to the east. The Schlieffen plan was to make a swift campaign on the western front to defeat France, then to redirect the troops to the Eastern front to subsequently defeat Russia. The plan failed as the German offensive came to a standstill at the Marne (a river in France) and the Russians mobilized quicker than the Germans envisioned. At the start of the second world war, Germany used blitzkrieg (a term used to describe a method of offensive warfare designed to strike a swift, focused blow at an enemy using mobile, maneuverable forces, including armored tanks and air support) to swept through France, Poland, Norway, Belgium, and Holland and France with astonishing speed and force. However, German forces’ blitzkrieg proved less successful against Soviet defenses, and Germany eventually re-postured itself into a defense war.

Even formidable German forces in two world wars were not able to overcome the two-front war. However, David was able to do it – by the power of the LORD his God. Something for us to note in our mind.

God’s Faith in David: David’s Name to be Great

It is said David made a name for himself. Was this a statement that David was elevating himself?

No. Back in 2 Samuel 7, God promised that he would make David’s name great like a great man on the earth. This statement does not indicate that somehow David fell into arrogance, but instead shows a fulfillment of God’s promise to lift up the name of David.

Defeating Enemies by Faith: Following the LORD’s command wholeheartedly

Another sign of David’s faith in God was how he treated the horses when he captured 1,700 of them. A rational way is to have these stolen horses to be spared and used for future war against adversaries. However, David hamstrung most of the horses (1600 out of 1700) and left only 100 for chariots. When Joshua defeated the Northern coalition forces in Canaan, he also hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire (Joshua 11:9). Likewise, David followed the command of the LORD in Deuteronomy to not rely on chariots or horses (Deuteronomy 17:16), but only on the LORD God for the battle against adversaries.

Defeating Enemies by Faith: Through Mighty Warriors

The LORD helped David achieve great victories wherever he went (2 Samuel 8:14). This statement does not necessarily mean that the LORD God gave victories to David in a supernatural way all the time. God often works through people – this time, God provided David through many competent, loyal warriors.

One of the key reasons for David’s victory was his mighty, loyal warriors. Although 2 Samuel 8 does not describe David’s warriors in detail, 2 Samuel 23:8-36 lists and highlights all the mighty warriors, 37 in total and their exploits. We need to notice that it was not David alone who made these great exploits. These exploits were accomplished with his competent, mighty warriors who were loyal to David. The meaning of the LORD helping David includes the LORD’s empowerment of David through his mighty warriors. God often manifests His power via His people.

Nation that Administers Justice and Righteousness

While defeating external nations around Israel, David ruled Israel internally by administering justice and righteousness. What does it mean by ruling by administering justice and righteousness? It probably means that David governed the nation by the two major commandments stated in the Law of Moses: 1) loving God; and 2) loving neighbor as yourself. Loving God was reflected in the worship system that David established by organizing the Levites (2 Samuel 6 and 1 Chronicles 15-16). Loving neighbors can be practiced by implementing detailed rules and regulations laid out in the book of Moses (from Exodus to Deuteronomy), which comprises moral, social, and business ethics. One of the concrete commands that practice caring for neighbors is in Leviticus 19:9-10, which states not to gather all the gleaning and not to go over the vineyard a second time to pick up graves. These commands were given to share the wealth that God promises to bless the Israelites in a way to protect the dignity of the poor, widows and orphans. A nation that administers justice and righteousness provides a way for the poor to live while protecting their dignity.

Be Victorious Christian!

Externally, David defeated the enemies by conquering them. Internally, David administered justice and righteousness to his people. David used the power that the LORD God gave him appropriately. He used power to defeat the external threats and to defend his people. This kind of appropriate use of power is called “meekness.”

Jesus demonstrated the pinnacle of meekness. For us, He died on the cross to save us. To His enemy, Satan, He crushed its head. Likewise, for those of us, who have power, intellect, wealth, let us use them meekly, in the way in which Jesus and David used.

2 Samuel 6:1-19: Pause and Check Your Zeal for the LORD God

Zeal without knowledge can result in a devastating consequence. In his first attempt to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem, David was zealous but had little awareness of the prescribed word of the LORD God about how to properly transport the ark of God. As a result, Uzzah died, and the bringing of the ark of God had to be stopped. In a positive aspect, however, having learned from the first mistake, David made appropriate rectification, and eventually successfully brought the ark of God in his second attempt.

Content Summary

David gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand, to bring the ark of God from Baale-judah (a city located approximately 10 miles west of Jerusalem) to Jerusalem. They placed the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and David, and the house of Israel started to celebrate with all kinds of musical instruments.

On the way, near the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah, one of the escorters of the ark of God, was struck death by the LORD as he reached out and touched the ark of God because the oxen nearly upset it. Being puzzled, David became very afraid of the LORD that day, halted the march to Jerusalem and took the ark of God aside to the house of Obed-edom. The ark of God stayed there for three months.

David made the second attempt to bring the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom by assigning the Levites to carry the ark of God. As the ark of God was being brought to Jerusalem, David was dancing and leaping with all his might. On the other hand, Michal despised David who was leaping and dancing, in her heart.

Previous Major Breakthroughs

David underwent God’s breakthroughs both internally and externally in 2 Samuel 5. Internally, David risked and showed his audacity to conquer Jerusalem, the formidable natural fortress occupied by the Jebusites, by launching a sneak attack from the water shaft. Externally, David followed the LORD’s guide to defeat the iron weapon-equipped Philistines – not just once, but twice – who came with a strong intention to shake the foundation of David’s throne over the entire Israel Kingdom.

Because David conquered Jerusalem, a suitable place to be the capital as it is located in the middle of Israel territory, and repelled external threats posed by the Philistines, he was ready to make his next major move – that is, to establish a worship system of God around the ark of God by bringing it to the capital.

Ignorance is not Bliss: First Attempt to Bring the Ark of God

The ark of God resided in the house of Abinadad in the city of Kiriath Jearim (same as Baale-judah) for 20 years since it was returned from the Philistines (1 Samuel 6:21-7:1). David was ready to bring the ark of God because it had not been sought after during the days of Saul.

Doing the right thing the right way does take patience and a correct understanding of the instruction given by the LORD God, especially related to the ark of God where the presence of God resided. Perhaps a pause to directly inquire of the LORD God was needed for this important task. David made two crucial mistakes, however.

The first mistake was that David did not inquire of the LORD directly about how to transport the ark. It was good that David consulted people regarding bringing the ark of the LORD. It was noble for him to seek the consensus of all Israel about this monumental task of bringing back the ark of the LORD (1 Chronicles 13). However, he failed to consult the most important person – God.

The second mistake was that David did not check the prescribed methods laid out in the book of Moses. The ark of the Lord was to be hand carried by the Levites, specifically the sons of Kohath, using the pole (Exodus 25:13-14). However, it was carried by non-Levites (Ahio and Uzzah are likely to be from the Judah tribe) by using a cart. The idea of a new cart may have been a sincere way to treat the ark of God with reverence, but this was how the Philistines returned the ark of God back to the Israelites when they could no longer endure the powerful judgment by the ark of God (1 Samuel 6:10-11). Only the Levites and the sons of Kohaths were to cover the ark of the LORD and carry – no one was supposed to even see the ark of God.

Overall, this was a manifestation of collective ignorance of 30,000 people, including David. Among the 30,000 people assembled, some of them were probably from the Levite tribe. However, none of them noticed the wrong way of carrying the ark of God. Indeed, although Israel had some great leaders like Samuel and David, the overall understanding of the law of the LORD (law of Moses) even among the Levite was unacceptably low, not much different from that in the days of the Judges.

Perhaps, David was too eager and impatient to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem. His desire and sincerity were notable, yet, without proper knowledge and awareness of the holiness of God, the breakout of a disaster appeared to be inevitable.

Mercy of God in Uzzah’s Death

Uzzah died as he reached out and touched the ark of God to stabilize it. His death may appear to be unfair. He was carrying the ark of God. Plus, his household provided a place for the ark of the LORD for 20 years. God’s treatment of Uzzah may have seemed too harsh. It is difficult to grasp the full understanding of God’s punishment.

At the same time, we see the mercy of God. David as the chief of this task could have been punished to death. All the 30,000 people who were nearby the ark could have been struck dead – as the ark of the LORD should not even be seen. The mercy of God curbed this holiness power to only affect Uzzah. Although Uzzah’s death was puzzling and sad, his death also demonstrates untouchable holiness of God and His mercy.

Preparation According to God’s Word: Second Attempt to Bring the Ark of God

David learned his lesson from the first failure and made a thorough preparation. In his first attempt, he had the zeal to bring the ark of God. He assembled 30,000 men, consisting of those captains of thousand, and hundreds, and people as far as from the Sihor of Egypt, to make this trans-national scale event (1 Chronicles 13:1-5). In the second attempt, David prepared a place for the ark of God in advance, by pitching a tent for it (1 Chronicles 15:1). David gathered the Levite priests, sons of Aaron, and organized the entire Levites and assigned them specific roles in the process of bringing the ark of God. He also gave them specific roles to minister before the ark of God after its arrival. His preparation this time was much more thorough.

David’s preparation to bring the ark of God was not just for one-time worship of God. Using this as an opportunity, he was establishing a national system of worshiping God around the ark of the LORD. Establishing the positions for each Levite group was likely to have encouraged the Levites to educate themselves in the Law of Moses to correctly worship the holy God. This national system of worshiping God would be a major distinguishable feature from other surrounding nations.

Learn from Your Mistake and Establish Your Worship System

Although David’s first attempt to bring the ark of God became a disaster, he was able to quickly rectify his first wrong and brought the ark of God successfully the second time. By bringing the ark of God, he began to establish a national worship system.

How would this apply to us? What is something that we need to rectify and establish our own worship system?

2 Samuel 5:1-13: David’s Breakthrough

David, even after becoming king over entire Israel, refused to be complacent. He decided to take on one of the most difficult missions – driving out the Jebusites from the stronghold of Jerusalem. Empowered by his audacity and faith in God, he succeeded. In response, a foreigner, Hiram King of Tyre, sent his skilled men to build a palace for David. Although he showed himself to be a great king and military leader, he may not have been a great husband or father in his household. David took many wives and concubines, going directly against the command of God given through Moses (Deuteronomy 17).

Summary

After the death of Ishbosheth, all the tribes of Israel and their elders came to anoint David as king over all Israel. David made a covenant with them before the LORD at Hebron.

In the first mission as king of Israel, David led his men to capture Jerusalem through the water channel by defeating the Jebusites, who were very confident that they could fend off David and his men. David lived in the stronghold and became greater and great because the Lord God was with him.

While he was becoming greater and greater, Hiram king of Tyre sent cedar trees and carpenters and stonemason to build a house for David. David realized that the Lord had established him as king over Israel. Meanwhile, David took many concubines and wives.

The Philistines mobilized to attack David when they heard the news that David had been anointed King over Israel. However, David defeated the Philistines twice by inquiring of the LORD and following His direction. In the first battle, David experienced the LORD breaking through the Philistines, and then he burned their abandoned idols. In the second battle, David circled around the Philistines to attack to repel them from Geba as far as Gezar.

Three Anointing Ceremonies – Steadfastness of God

David went through three anointing ceremonies before becoming king of the entire Israel. The first one was a private event by Samuel when David was just a teenaged, shepherd boy. The second one was a tribal-level ceremony by the people of Judah after the death of Saul. This was the third one by the elders from the entire Israel (2 Sam 5:3).

Although David was anointed to be king and that promise was made by the LORD God, who alone is sovereign, it still took many years. Why did it take so many years and three ceremonies? Many years might have been necessary in order to mold David into a person after God’s heart suitable to be king over God’s people. Although the fulfillment of God’s promise may look slow in our perception of time, the fulfillment of His promise is certain.

King like Shepherd under Covenant before the LORD God

Covenant is one of the crucial differences between the Israel kingdom and other kingdom – especially the covenant made between the king and the people, which was made before the LORD God. In other words, David was to know that he was the representative of the LORD (before the LORD) and to implement fair, righteous rules and laws for governing God’s people (establishment of covenant). In many other nations, the king considered himself/herself a deity to be above the rule of law. Partly as a result, pagan kings developed a governance in which a small minority tended to dominate and oppress the rest of the population. However, David subjected himself to the rule and desire of the LORD God by making a covenant before the LORD and with the Israel people.

Shepherding is a great example of how God’s king is to rule His people. A good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep, said Jesus (John 10:11). Likewise, David was to be a ruler like a good shepherd, willing to lay down his life for the sake of God’s people.

A Major Breakthrough based on Faithful Audacity and Intelligence: Jerusalem

After many years of running away and hiding from King Saul, becoming king over the entire Israel was a great feat for David. David could have taken some time to bask in and enjoy this glory given from the LORD God. Yet, he refused to be complacent with the status quo, especially regarding the inheritance that was given to the Judah tribe by God – all the way back to Joshua’s time. He was hungry – not for self-gain or self-elevation – to fulfill and walk out God’s promise given to Moses and Joshua that the LORD God would drive out seven nations, including the Jebusites (Deut 7:1-2).

There was a portion – a stronghold – of Jerusalem still occupied by the Jebusites. David identified this as his first mission as king. The stronghold portion of Jerusalem had been a perennially remaining major conquest task for the Israelites, especially the Judah tribe – for at least more than 500 years. Not even Caleb, a great past leader of the Judah tribe, and his men were able to drive the Jebusites out (Joshua 15:63). The sons of Benjamin failed to drive out the Jebusites (Jdg 1:21). God’s promise given to Moses and Joshua that He would give the entire land by driving out seven nations, including Jebusites, had not been fulfilled. This must have been a burden that bothered David, and David resolved to fulfill this task once and for all.

Jerusalem was a formidable fortress. The stronghold, surrounded by sturdy walls, was constructed on a steep hill. Therefore, the Jebusites were very confident that they could fend off any attack from David, mocking that even lame and blind would turn him away (2 Sam 5:6). The Jebusites were right – only until the day when David (with Joab) made a breakthrough by capturing this stronghold (2 Sam 5:7; 1 Chron 11:5-7).

The success was a combination of his audacity based on his faith in God and of, also, possibly all the intelligence gathered from his forefathers, including Caleb and various leaders of Judah and Benjamin after their numerous failed attempts. With his faith plus all the accumulated intelligence from his forefathers, he was able to locate the water shaft through which Joab was able to make a sneak attack.

Then, how did the Israelites actually defeat the Jebusites? Joab probably infiltrated into the stronghold of Jerusalem by climbing through the water shaft covertly (picture below). Once Joab was inside the stronghold, he opened the gate for David’s army to come within the stronghold and defeated the Jebusites. It was like a Trojan horse, which was brought into Troy after they thought the entire Greek army retreated. The hidden Greek within the Trojan horse opened the gates at night to let their comrades in, and together they destroyed Troy.

https://www.adefenceofthebible.com/2015/11/04/davids-capture-of-jerusalem/

David pulls out an incredible breakthrough with the help of his God, finally fulfilling the last remaining mission from the days of Joshua, at least regarding the inheritance given to the Judah tribe. This breakthrough was crucial. Not only did this allow David to establish the capital of Israel in the middle part of the country, but also a motivation and home to bring the ark of God (1 Samuel 6) to establish a national worship system around the ark of God

Acknowledged by a Foreign King

After defeating the Jebusites and capturing the stronghold of Jerusalem, we see a “strange” action by Hiram king of Tyre. He suddenly sent messengers to David with the best materials and expert labors to build a cedar house for David (2 Sam 6:11). Why did Hiram king of Tyre decide to build a house for David?

His decision might have been prompted by David’s defeat of the Jebusites and capturing their stronghold, which had been known as “the impregnable fortress” in that region. So shocking and so swift was the victory by David over Jerusalem, his fame seemed to have reverberated throughout the region, including Hiram. Being impressed, Hiram might have realized that a powerful deity must have been with David. As one of the responses, Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with materials and labor to build a house for David – voluntarily.

Then, it is said “David realized that the LORD had established him as king over Israel (2 Sam 6:12).” Interestingly, the text does not indicate that David realized that he was king when he was anointed by the Israel elders. It was when a foreigner, a king of a different nation, sent a messenger and other material to build a house for David, David realized that he was established as king over Israel and his kingdom had been exalted for the sake of God’s people.

We see a virtuous cycle. David became king of Israel. David, in his faith and action, captured the stronghold of Jerusalem. In response, Hiram King of Tyre sent a messenger to build a house (palace) for David. Then, David realized that he was established as king.

However… too Many Wives and Concubines

So far so good. David became king under the covenant relation before the LORD and His people. David defeated the Jebusites to establish Jerusalem as the new capital of Israel.

However, David “took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem (2 Sam 5:13).” Although this was a normal practice of the kings of other nations, this was not to be done by kings before the LORD God. God clearly said through Moses that the king “must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray (Deut 17:17).”

We see that David was an excellent king and military leader. However, he may not have been a great husband/father within his household, possibly due to taking many wives and concubines. David’s many wives and many sons eventually caused him a few major griefs in his later life – to be seen in later chapters of 2 Samuel.

1 Samuel 17:31-58: What Is Your Testimony?

Don’t be afraid.

If you are in fear, recount your past victories in the LORD God. If you cannot recall any past victories, then recount the victory of Christ in faith that will be manifested through you. David brought his victorious testimony against Goliath with confidence in the Lord His God.

David’s victory against Goliath is frequently considered a huge surprise, or upset, or stunning event. However, an objective assessment tells that David’s victory was not a surprise. David fought and killed stronger, nimbler enemies, such as lions and bears. David brought a projectile weapon that could travel faster than 34 meters per second, a force enough to crack the human skull. Plus, ultimately, David had the LORD God on his side. In contrast, Goliath expected a conventional one-on-one battle using sword or spear. Besides, he was “backed by” his false god, Dagon, which was no help at all. David’s win was not to be a surprise.

Summary

David expressed his desire to fight Goliath the Philistine and was brought before Saul. Saul worried that David was not adequate to fight the Philistine. However, David recounted his past victories against bears and lions and convinced Saul that the LORD who delivered him from the paw of the lion and bear would deliver him from the hand of this Philistine.

Instead of equipping himself with Saul’s armor, helmet and sword, David took five smooth stones, a sling, and a stick to face the Philistine and declared that he came in the name of the LORD God Almighty. David ran quickly toward the battle line and slung the stone to strike the Philistine on his forehead. The Philistine fell on his face to the ground. Thus, David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone. For the final blow, David drew out the sword of the Philistine to cut off his head.

With the death of their champion, the Philistine army fled, and the men of Israel and Judah pursued them as far as to the gates of Ekron, slaughtering them and plundering their camps.

Prudent in Speech: Encouragement to His Fellow Armies

Back in chapter 16 of 1 Samuel, David was reputed to “be prudent in speech (1 Samuel 16:18).” Being a prudent speaker does not necessarily mean eloquence in speaking. Being prudent in speech means speaking in apt time to give hope and encouragement to his people.

For 40 days, no warrior volunteered to fight Goliath to relieve Saul, who was overcome by fear. “Like a cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a distant land (Prov 25:25),” David presented himself before Saul. He must have been the first volunteer in 40 days, encouraging Saul by saying “Let no man’s heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine (1 Samuel 17:32).” David’s encouragement to Saul was not mere words. He knew that he could fight the Philistine and win.

Prudent in Speech: Testimony of Past Victories in the LORD God

When Saul expressed his doubt and worries when David voiced his intention to fight Goliath, David reassured Saul that he could win against the Philistine. He began the reassurance process by sharing his victorious testimony in the LORD God Almighty as a shepherd. David gave his testimony for two major purposes: 1) to dislodge the fear of Saul and Israel with God’s courage and perspective; and 2) to declare war against his external enemies, the Philistines.

First, David told Saul that fought against and killed both lions and bears, stronger and swifter enemies. Therefore, David logically concluded that he could kill the Philistine. David’s testimony to Saul highlighted his faithfulness as a shepherd, a responsibility given by the LORD God. To be a good shepherd, he needed to fend off predators, such as the lion and bear. He must have undergone numerous occasions of life-death situations while protecting his flock and sheep. He had to draw closer to the LORD as he faithfully shepherded his flock and sheep because his life was at stake at numerous times. Therefore, as a shepherd, he must have continued to hone his skills to the utmost of his ability to become one of the “best” in the nation – to the level of having a lethal slingshot to repel and even kill formidable predators. He could have decided to stay as a mediocre shepherd, letting go of his sheep when lions and bears attacked, rationalizing that his life was more valuable than a single sheep. However, through that faithful process of doing his best in his occupation as a shepherd, he became a veteran warrior at a very young age around 16. Above all, although he became a mighty warrior, he confessed that it was the LORD God delivered him from the paws of the lion and the bear. His faithfulness to the shepherd occupation must have been part of the heart of man that the LORD looks at (1 Samuel 16:7).

In addition, David may have learned how to play lyre in order to express his gratitude and praise to God because God saved him numerous times from pierce predator animals. David, in gratitude for being saved by God, used lyre to sing praises to the lord. Before God, he was a worship leader in lyre. To the flock of sheep, he was a gentle shepherd. Against the lions and other beasts, however, he was a fierce warrior.

This was his testimony before Saul. Either convinced by David’s testimony or giving up, Saul allowed David to go and fight the Philistine.

Prudent in Speech: Declaration of War against Enemies

“Every Battle Is Won Before It Is Ever Fought”

Sun Zu

Note that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine when the Philistine drew near to meet David. He showed no fear whatsoever to the Philistine, who was of enormous size. This proactive stance in the battle must have been a product of what David learned from his numerous fights against lions and bears. Having fought against these predators, he knew that he had to confront them head-on. Running away or showing his back to these predators would be equivalent to a death sentence.

David brought his testimony against the Philistine. This version of David’s testimony was different from that was given to Saul. A quick summary of the testimony to the Philistine is this: “I come to you in the name of the LORD Almighty, whom you taunted. I will kill you and remove your head. All the earth may know that there is God in Israel and the battle is the LORD’s.”

David’s testimony in the LORD God was incredibly “cruel” and offensive. Yet, his anger was probably justified because the Philistine taunted the name of the LORD God. He used his sling to strike the Philistine on his forehead. After the Philistine fell on his face to the ground, David used the sword of the Philistine to remove his head. David indeed delivered his testimony.

David’s victory against Goliath is frequently considered a huge surprise, or an upset, or a stunning event. However, objective assessment shows that David’s victory was not a surprise. David fought and killed stronger, nimbler enemies, such as lions and bears as his testimony to Saul indicated. David brought a projectile weapon that could travel faster than 34 meters per second (70+ mph), which has enough force to penetrate the human skull. On the other hand, Goliath relied on conventional one-on-one fighting using a sword or a spear. Plus, ultimately, David had the LORD God on his side. His win against the Philistine was not an upset. He knew he could win based on his past experience fighting against predators with the help of his God. God knew that David would win. The “only” surprised people were the Israel army and the Philistines.

Meaning of Humility Revisited

David’s stepping out to volunteer himself to fight the Philistine was an ultimate sign of humility. Humility is expressed when we make the most of our ability – given by God – to serve others. In this particular situation where Israel was facing the Philistines in the battlefield, David accurately assessed his winning odds against the Philistine and brought a morale-boosting victory to his fellow Israelites.

What if David stayed quiet, unwilling to manifest himself to fight the Philistine (which would have been a false humility)? Israel would have continued to fear and eventually lost this battle.

Israel Victorious, but…

David’s killing of the Philistine raised morale for Israel to give them a resounding victory. However, the army of Israel plundered the camp of the Philistine (1 Samuel 17:53). Plundering itself is a usual activity during the battles in the days of ancient Israel. However, the author used the word “Šāsas,” which has some negative connotation of the plundering activities. This plundering of the Philistine camp by the Israelites may not have been pleasing to the sight of the LORD – unlike the plundering (Nāṣal) of Egypt when the LORD brought the Israelites out of them (Exodus 12:6).

What God may have wanted Saul and the Israel army to do was to chase the Philistines to defeat them more thoroughly as this was the original mission given to Saul by God (1 Samuel 9:6). It was possible that the Israel army was distracted and placed more of their effort plundering the Philistines’ material than the Philistines themselves. Later, Saul and sons of Saul were killed by the Philistines (1 Samuel 31).

Victory that should point to the LORD God

Young David was incredible in his victory. He was a faithful shepherd, and as a shepherd he honed his projectile weapon skill to the pinnacle level to be a mighty warrior. However, let’s not forget that this victory should point to God.

Before the actual fight, David and the Philistine exchange a clash of worldview. The Philistine came with sword, spear, and javelin whereas David declared that he came in the name of the LORD and all the earth would know that God resided in Israel.

David acknowledged that it was God who delivered him numerous times, not the skill of his slingshot, in his shepherding job. It was God who gave courage to David. It was God who gave David a victory. David had to use just a single slingshot to kill the Philistine. Although David achieved this great victory, we have to remember that this was God.

Application

David’s faithfulness to God through his occupation as a shepherd is noteworthy. David met the LORD his God as he was faithfully doing his job as a shepherd. This is something that we, especially as laymen, could learn. Have we encountered God through our profession and in our daily tasks?

What is your testimony? Let’s recount our victories in the LORD and let those be our testimony.

1 Samuel 17:1-30: Fear and Eighty “Psalms” of Goliath

Fear is contagious and can be powerful. It can be amplified to petrify the entire national army for 40 days. However, those who are rooted in the covenant of the LORD can reject that kind of fear.

Summary

The camp of Israel and Philistines gathered at the opposite side of the Valley. Goliath, a heavily-armored Philistine of more than 9 feet tall, provoked the army of Israel and instilled fear into the heart of Saul and the entire Israelites. The entire Israelite army continued to be petrified for 40 days as the taunt of the Philistine continued.

David came to the camp to provide supplies to his brothers, who were among the armies. He heard the taunting of the Philistine and became indignant.

Contagious Fear

Who was the natural person to lead the Israel army when Goliath, the Philistine, taunted and defied them? That would be Saul himself. Not only was he the king, but he was also a very tall person as well. King Saul may not have been as tall as Goliath, but he was described as a head taller than the rest of the Israelites (1 Sam 10:23).

His leadership greatly mattered. Yet, he fell into fear (17:11), and that was not good. When a leader fell into fear, the effect of fear would amplify to his/her followers. Therefore, the entire Israel greatly feared and was dismayed.

Source of Fear

Although Saul was the legitimate, appropriate choice to fight Goliath one-on-one, he did not have to fight Goliath himself. It would not be rational to send a king to fight one-on-one battle. However, King Saul had no reason to fear Goliath, either.

Then, what was the source of the fear? The primary source of fear was the absence of the Lord God in the heart and mind of Saul and the entire nation of Israel.

As Saul disobeyed the word of the Lord, Saul was rejected being king (15:23). The Spirit of the LORD was no longer with Saul. Without the protection of the LORD God, Saul was vulnerable to succumbing under fear. Also, this was the time of Judges (1 Samuel 1:3) during which people did whatever they saw fit and they showed no honor to God. The Spirit of the LORD was absent in the top national leader, Saul, and in Israel as a nation had little fear of God. In the absence of the fear of the LORD God, something would fill that void. That would be the fear of men. Saul and the Israel army allowed the fear of men, in this case, Goliath, to fill the void created by the absence of the fear of God.

The secondary reason for fear was the wrong focus. Note that the author intentionally described the details of Goliath’s armor, helmet, shield, and spear to highlight the splendor of them (17:4-7). Their combined weight was estimated to be more than 60lb. Saul and the Israel army allowed their vision to be captivated by the splendid armor and weapons and their ears to be captured by the taunts of Goliath. The fear that started with Saul spread to the rest of the Israel army.

Solidification of Fear: Goliath’s Eighty “Psalms”

Although the fear was contagious, it could have been contained early. However, Saul and Israel allowed the fear to solidify.

The Israel army allowed and yielded an open forum, the valley of Elah, to Goliath for the opening of his insults and mockery of the LORD God and the Israelites army freely. For the next forty days, in the morning and evening, the Philistine would come out to taunt the living God and defy the Israelites. Given that he did this twice a day, his taunt went on for eighty times, which continued to assault the mentality and spirits of the Israel army. As sound travels upward, his morning and evening taunt traveled upward and transmitted to both the Philistines and the Israelites: a booster effect on the Philistines and debilitating effect on the Israelites.

By listening to the eighty “psalms” of Goliath, the fear of Saul and the Israel army was cemented day by day, to a point of no recovery: they fled from Goliath and were greatly afraid (17:24). Because they allowed the message of the Philistine to form and cement their fear, Israel had no chance.

Fear Repelled: Identity in the Covenant of the Lord God

While Saul and the entire Israel were under fear, David came to the battlefield unaffected by their fear. When he heard the 81st “psalm “of Goliath, he responded very differently from Saul and all Israel.

Unlike Saul, David showed himself to have a firm identity in the LORD and under His covenant. He dismissed Goliath as merely someone who was uncircumcised (17:26). To David, the enormous and splendid armor and weapons were invisible, and instead he focused this battle from the perspective of God’s covenant. Then, David possibly spotted the major weaknesses of Goliath, his mobility and his large surface area. Given that he was a very tall man, his shield bearer was not able to cover his face, which David might have seen as an opening for his slingshot. With this focus, instead of allowing external visual and hearing inputs to dictate his perspective, David stayed firm within God’s truth to set his thought and perspective straight against Goliath.

What to do with fear?

Fear is powerful. However, God is far more powerful. Almost all Israel succumbed to fear when Goliath taunted and defied them. However, David had his identity firmly rooted in the LORD God to assess the overall situation from God’s perspective. He simply rejected it.

Do not let fear dictate your thoughts. Do not let fear take the open forum. Instead, squash it with your identity in the LORD God as David did.

1 Samuel 16 Part 2 (16:14-23): David the Polymath, a Man After God’s Heart

Summary

Meanwhile, the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and he was being terrorized by an evil spirit. Saul’s servants recommended that he brought David, a skillful musician, a mighty warrior, and a man of God to sooth his terror from an evil spirit. David was brought before Saul, and whenever the evil spirit tormented Saul, David would play the harp to refresh and soothe Saul. Saul loved David greatly.

Identity in the Spirit of the LORD

The name David means “beloved.” Indeed, he was the beloved man of God.

Notice that the name David does not appear until the arrival of the Spirit of the LORD mightily upon him. Before that, he was referred to as the youngest who was tending the sheep (16:11). Even after he was brought in, only the descriptions of him were given – ruddy with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance (16:12). The Lord confirmed that he was the anointed one. Only after the mighty coming of the Spirit of the LORD, his full identity – David – was revealed to the readers (16:13).

David’s Reputation

Although only a young shepherd, David already earned a reputation as a man of God. One of Saul’s servants described David as “a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, warrior, one prducent in speech, and a handsome man; and the Lord is with him (16:18).”

Where did this reputation come from? We can trace his reputation back to that of Ruth, his great-grandmother. In the book of Ruth, Boaz was already aware of Ruth’s reputation: the kindness that Ruth demonstrated for her mother-in-law after the death of her husband and the courage to leave her people, the Moabites, to come to join the people of God (Ruth 2:11). Boaz stated that “all my people in the city know that you are a woman of excellence (Ruth 3:11).” Ruth was recognized as a woman of excellence by her godly respect of her mother in law, late husband, the LORD’s people, and her diligent work ethic.

From a godly great-grandmother Ruth came David. He demonstrated a similar set of godly attributes, and he became well-known, even to a young servant of Saul. Although a widow and a shepherd, they let their light shine before people as Jesus said of his followers: “You are the light of the world… let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16)”

David the Meek Polymath

Some of the well-known descriptors of David include the following: David the shepherd, David the man after God’s own heart, David the slingshotter, David the sinner, etc. However, I would like to give him a new descriptor from a new perspective: David the Polymath

Polymath: An individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems (wikipedia)

The importance of polymath is not necessarily the variety of expertises, but the ability to maintain a humble posture to be teachable and learn new things in order to connect a variety of subjects that are seemingly unconnectable. David was a polymath – skillful in multi-disciplines. Being a polymath probably allowed David to experience God from a variety of angles.

David was described as “a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, warrior, one prducent in speech, and a handsome man; and the Lord is with him (16:18).” He was a skillful musician – his softside to sooth other people from anxiety and his main tool to worship the LORD God. On the other hand, he was a fierce, mighty warrior. When the time required him to protect his flock and sheep from predators like lions and bears, he was fierce, putting his life to protect them. Finally, he was prudent in speech. What does it mean by being prudent in speech? Not the eloquence, but the use of speech in Psalms and hymns to encourage and give life to people around him and vertically honor and worship the LORD God. In other words, being prudent in speech is equivalent to loving God and loving your neighbor.

These attributes demonstrate that David was meek: power under control. David used his power, slingshot, to protect the weak, his flock and sheep, from the fierce enemies, lions and bears. Jesus was the most meek person. Jesus, the most powerful “person,” used His power to protect and save the weak, us, from the ultimate power of the enemy, the eternal death.

David served Saul

Multi-talented David served Saul. Whenever Saul was under torment, David would play the harp to help Saul overcome the evil spirit (1 Samuel 16). David, who was full of the Spirit of God, could have looked down on King Saul, who was under torment from the evil spirit. In addition, David knew that he was anointed by Sameul, a more reason not to serve King Saul with all of his heart. David could have fallen to a trap of self-righteousness over King Saul. However, David faithfully used his musical talent to sooth King Saul’s pain. David probably used his musical talent and harp to praise God, and the invitation of presence of God allowed King Saul to withstand the torment from the evil spirit.

Conclusion

David found his identity in the Spirit of the LORD. David’s multiple talents allowed him to experience God from a variety of ways. David used his talents to serve those who were in need.

1 Samuel 16 Part I (16:1-13): Covert Operation by the LORD God and Samuel

King Saul was rejected. Prophet Samuel was dejected. But, the LORD God selected. Despite Saul’s failure as king of Israel, the LORD continued to work out His redemptive plan – with Samuel through David, and eventually to Christ.

Recap of 1 Samuel 16:1-13

The Lord told Samuel to overcome his grief over Saul and go down to Bethlehem to anoint a king that the LORD Himself had selected, one among the sons of Jesse. Samuel obeyed promptly and went down from Ramah to Bethlehem to anoint the one that the LORD had selected. Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but none of them were selected. Finally, the youngest son was brought in, and the LORD indicated that he was the selected person. Samuel anointed him, and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David.

The LORD God is active

One of the key words in the first half of the chapter is “for Myself.” God chose a king for Himself. Previously, the LORD allowed the people of Israel to choose their king. In accordance with their desire, value, and criteria, Saul was chosen as king (1 Samuel 8-10). Saul was the king that reflected the desire of the people of Israel to become like other nations. Because Saul’s heart was not completely devoted to the LORD God, he failed and God subsequently rejected him.

However, the LORD continues to work out His plan even when man fails. He rose up and by working with an individual who feared Him, such as Samuel, the LORD chose the king to continue to further His redemptive plan.

Macro Perspective: Book of Judges vs. Book of Ruth

1 Samuel 16 depicts a major turning point for the nation of Israel and more broadly, a redemptive plan of God for man. In some way, 1 Samuel 16 directly follows the book of Ruth with two main connections: Bethlehem and David. In the book of Ruth, the redemption took place in Bethlehem and ended with the introduction of David in the genealogy that includes Boaz and Ruth. 1 Samuel 16 brings back both Bethlehem and David to be connected to the book of Ruth. In contrast, previous chapters in 1 Samuel (from 1 to 15) are continuation of the book of Judges

The book of Judges vividly depicts how far the people of God can fall away: everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25). The book describes national-scale massacre and oppression of the weak (Judges 21), corrupt worship system (Judges 17), fallen priests (Judges 19), and powerless people of God against adversaries. Despite their calling to be the people of God to be the light and hope for other nations, they failed to heed the LORD’s words and commandments. They followed the way of other nations by worshiping false gods and oppressing their fellow brothers and sisters.

Likewise, 1 Samuel starts with little changes from the periods of Judges – the word from the LORD was rare and visions were infrequent (1 Samuel 3:1). Why? Because the Israelites deliberately ignored the word of God, the LORD God stopped speaking to them – conversation is a two-way communication. Even the high priest at that time, Eli, failed to heed and listen to the LORD God. Eli was the high priest that was the byproduct from the anemic spiritual conditions during the period of Judges.

Yet, in contrast with the book of Judges, the book of Ruth was where the promise of God and His redemptive plan reignited – from a relatively invisible city of Bethlehem. The event started with two widows, Naomi and Ruth: the people in the lowest economic ladder. However, Ruth demonstrated loving-kindness (hesed) to Naomi, her mother-in-law, and to the dead husband, and came to join the people of God in Bethlehem for love of the LORD God. Ruth proved herself to be a woman of God, and Boaz, a man of God, redeemed the family of Naomi by marrying Ruth. After a few generations, David was born from this genealogy.

Micro Perspective: Intimate, Covert Operation

The whole content of the text, 1 Samuel 16:1-13, signifies the intimate, close relation between the LORD God and Samuel. Both were on a secret, stealth mission to anoint a new, future king for Israel, who would eventually be a physical ancestor of Christ. Given that this was an incredibly important mission, we can see that the LORD God trusted Samuel and the LORD God loves to work with His people.

By the way, why did this mission have to be stealthy, secretive?

First, there was a practical reason: to protect Samuel from Saul. See how Samuel responded to the LORD’s command in honesty and in worries that Saul might kill him if Saul found out that Samuel went down to Bethlehem to anoint a new king (16:2). The LORD provided a solution to disguise this trip to Bethlehem as a peace offering event. The LORD God heard and empathized with Samuel’s concern to provide him with a wise tactic. Just as the LORD did with Samuel, God does hear our concerns to give us a wise solution.

Second, the stealthy nature of this anointing mission aligned well with the character of God, especially associated with the way He works out His plan. Let’s go back to the book of Ruth and the book of Judges. The book of Judges was filled with visible, national headline events: national wars, civil wars, gruesome death of a concubine and her chopped body, etc. Notwithstanding these national-scale events and battles, God’s verdict on the people of Israel was that everyone did as they saw fit with little reverence to God and His work. In contrast, the book of Ruth depicts the work of the LORD God that started in a small town of Bethlehem with two helpless widows. His firm, redemptive plan was stealth and invisible, but firm and unstoppable in the book of Ruth. Likewise, the work of the Lord for selecting the next king, whose heart was aligned with Him, was stealth as it was conducted primarily by the man of God and the LORD on one-on-one basis.

Imagine how cool it would be to have this secret mission with the LORD God based on an intimate personal relation. Contrast this with Eli, the previous high priest who preceded Samuel. There was rarely any vision from the lord to the Israelites (1 Samuel 3:1). Eli refused to listen to God and honored his sons more than he honored God (1 Samuel 2:29). The only significant message from the LORD God on Eli was a severe judgment (1 Samuel 2:32-36)). On the other hand, the LORD partnered with Samuel to complete this secret, stealthy mission of finding and anointing David. Samuel took the risk and quickly obeyed.

Lesson for Samuel, a Man of God

The LORD God did not reveal everything about anointing the next king to Samuel. He led Samuel little by little. First, the LORD revealed that it would be among the sons of Jesse. Even after going through seven sons of Jesse, the LORD told Samuel that none of them were selected. Even Samuel had to go through this process. What was the lesson that the LORD wanted Samuel to learn?

“…for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”

1 Samuel 16:7 NASB

Let’s note that this was spoken to Samuel by the LORD God. Samuel was already a man of God, and he walked with God for many years since he was a child (1 Samuel 3). Yet, even Samuel was prone to be impressed by the appearance and the stature of a man. Even Samuel needed God’s direct message to stay alert to perceive the inner heart of man instead of being impressed by the appearance of man.

Conclusion

This passage can be looked at from a macro and micro perspective. From a macro perspective, we see God continues to work out His plan, which may be stealthy and covert, but would not stop. From a micro perspective, we see that God works with His person (or people) intimately and through this process, He wants His people to learn a valuable lesson.

I pray that every follower of Christ will have this kind of amazing opportunity to work with God that becomes an integral part of His macro work of redemptive plan.

Use of Noun-led and Verb-led Sentences to Give Life

Please read the two sentences, which share identical meaning, in the two bullets below. For lack of terminology, let’s say that Sentence A is a noun-led statement. Sentence B is a verb-led statement.

Sentence A (noun-led): Mr. Smith is a murderer.
Sentence B (verb-led): Mr. Smith killed someone.

How did you react/response to these two sentences? What were your initial thoughts on Mr. Smith based on Sentence A and Sentence B? Are they similar, or different? If they are different, why do you think they are different?

To Sentence A, people tend to react with judgement. People tend to judge early and decisively that Mr. Smith was a bad person, a person to be deservedly sentenced to many years in prison. To Sentence B, however, people’s reaction was different. People were more curious than judging. They wondered why Mr. Smith killed someone. Although identical in meaning, the verb-led statement seems to evoke different reactions from the noun-led sentence. This is one of the insights shared by Professor Kim, a psychology professor in Ajou University in South Korea.

How God uses noun-led and verb-led statements

His short lecture gave me an “aha!” moment and a new insight on how God perceives and evaluates His people despite their flaws and failures.

Here are a few examples of how the Bible uses the noun-led statements.

Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth (Numbers 12:3).
God labeled David, a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22).
Gideon was a valiant warrior (Judges 6:12).
Jephthah was a valiant warrior (Judges 11:1)
Jesus designated Peter as the rock upon which He will build His church (Matt 16:18)

Notice that these are noun-led statements and all highlight good positive aspects of that person. For positive qualities, God uses the noun-led statements for people to make a quick, decisive judgement on their goodness.

In contrast, we have never seen these statements in the Bible, although they are true.

Moses was a murderer (Exodus 2:12).
David was an adulterer and murderer (2 Samuel 11).
Gideon was a corrupt king (Judges 8).
Peter was a betrayer of Jesus (Luke 22:54-62).

Instead, the Bible uses verb-led sentences to describe the flaws and failures of these men of God, but never makes a decisive noun-led claim on their negative aspects. For Moses, the Bible describes why Moses killed the person (not to justify). For David, the Bible narrates David’s act of committing adultery with Bathsheba and of craftily killing Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, in the battle field – this allows the readers to wonder, question, and learn, instead of making a premature condemnation. The Bible also depicts the situation in which Peter denied Jesus three times, but never labeled Peter as a betrayer – so that we can read and meditate on the shortcomings of Peter, and reflect our limitations and flaws to focus more on the grace of Jesus Christ.

In summary, God labels great quality of His people by noun-led statements. For flaws and failures of His people, God narrates those events in verb-led statements for the readers to meditate, ponder and learn both the depravity of people and loving-kindness of God.

How do you use noun-led and verb-led statements?

I pray that you will use them in an apt manner as God did to His people. You will shine like stars in the sky in this crooked generation (Phil 2:15).