Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Dancing with David: Life Goes On


August 16th, 2015       “Life Goes On”      Rev. Heather Jepsen
Summer Sermon Series: Dancing with David
1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12 and 3:1-15
          Today we finish our summer sermon series, “Dancing with David”.  For nearly three months we have charted the story of King David through the Old Testament books of 1st and 2nd Samuel.  We read about David’s anointing as a shepherd boy, his famous battle with Goliath, his joyous dance as he brings the ark to Jerusalem, and his desire to build the temple only to find out that God would build a dynasty in his name.  We also examined David’s darker hours; his sinful mistreatment of Uriah and Bathsheba, his judgement and the death of his young son, as well as the mess of arrogance and violence that seems to spin out of control in his household.  Today we will look at Scriptures in 1 Kings and finish our study of Israel’s greatest king.
          Prior to this morning’s reading there continues to be trouble in the kingdom, though not nearly as bad as things had been.  There are some uprisings with groups outside the kingdom as well as rebellions from inside, but mostly it is politics as usual.  As David nears old age and grows weak, his eldest living son, Adonijah makes a bid for the throne with the help of David’s military right hand man, Joab.  But, before things get too far along, the prophet Nathan and Bathsheba conspire to place Solomon on the throne instead.  Though there are 3 other brothers ahead of him in age, Nathan and Bathsheba are convinced that Solomon is the one that God has chosen as a successor since he was the one God blessed at birth.  David agrees, and Solomon receives his father’s blessing and is anointed as king of Israel. 
          Our reading begins with David offering some final words of wisdom to his son.  David reminds Solomon that the key to being a successful king of Israel is to follow the word of the Lord.  One is to keep the commandments, and to be strong and brave as they walk in the way of the Lord.  David has a stake in Solomon’s success as he continues to hold on to God’s promise that a successor from his line will always sit on the throne in Jerusalem.  The author then tells us that David died peaceably, having ruled in Israel for forty years.
          In the sections of chapter 2 that we skipped, Solomon is busy securing his place on the throne.  He orders his older brother Adonijah killed, so that he no longer poses a threat to his rule.  He also orders the death of Joab, David’s military commander who had supported Adonijah’s campaign to be king.  Solomon is careful to wipe the slate clean, so that he and he alone will have the power and claim to rule over Israel.
          When we begin chapter 3 we read of Solomon’s first acts as king of Israel.  As soon as he is in power, Solomon makes a marriage alliance with Pharaoh King of Egypt, taking Pharaoh’s daughter as his wife.  Solomon brings her to live in Jerusalem, even though he has yet to build his own palace or the temple.  It is a good move in world politics as it expands the reach of Israel into politics on a more global scale as they enter into trade relationship with Egypt and its allies.  It is a gamble though for the king of Israel, as the marrying of foreign wives is against the Mosaic Law.
          The writer of 1 Kings goes on to tell us that Solomon loved the lord and walked in the statues of his father David, even though he worshipped in the high places.  Again, like marrying outside the faith, worshipping with locals at community shrines is a really good political move.  It is also a risk for the king of Israel who is commanded by Mosaic Law to only worship at the holy tabernacle in Jerusalem.
          While sacrificing at a high place in Gibeon, Solomon has a vision of the Lord.  God asks what he can give Solomon, and Solomon replies that he and his family have already been richly blessed by the steadfast love of the Lord.  What Solomon asks for is not wealth or blessing, but wisdom.  “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?”
          God is pleased with this request and decides that this is the path to blessing.  Because Solomon has asked for wisdom, God will also give him riches, honor, and a long life on the throne.  One cannot help but think of the words of Jesus in the gospel of Matthew, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.”  The reading ends with the note that Solomon wakes to realize this has been a dream.  He returns to Jerusalem to worship at the tabernacle, and shares his joy at God’s blessing by providing a feast for all of his people there.
          As the story continues beyond this morning’s reading, Solomon’s wisdom will come into question.  While he appears to have a heart for the Lord, like his father he has a penitent for bending the rules.  He will be slow to build the temple and fortify the walls of Jerusalem.  He will be greedy in his political endeavors, eventually forcing the people of Israel into stiff taxation and slave labor conditions.  He will be greedy with women as well, marrying 700 princesses as well as 300 concubines.  His relationships with women of other cultures will eventually lead his heart astray, and upon his death the kingdom of Israel will once again be split into two separate kingdoms, the northern tribes and the southern ones. 
          So, this is where our story ends.  With a request for wisdom, a desire to serve the Lord, and yet the reality of the mistakes of a king that are also an important part of the story.  It seems to me that this is where we have been headed all along.  For what is wisdom but an amassing of life experience, a telling of a life story?  Life is something we learn how to live as we go along, and I think faith works like that as well. 
          On his death bed, the words of David were certainly wise.  After 40 years in the throne, he had gained a deep awareness of how to rule Israel.  He had a wealth of knowledge that he gained through making mistakes and suffering hardships.  David had a deep faith that had developed over time.  Though it was not a gift God could give in an instant, Solomon’s request for wisdom is certainly a gift he received.  Like his father though, he had to earn it through a lifetime of trial and error.
          Though the stories we tell ourselves about these kings may not be the whole picture, they certainly contain a kernel of truth.  David’s heart for the Lord is clear and can be seen as a thread woven throughout his story, even in his darkest hours.  Solomon is famous for his wisdom, for surely it was wise to have asked for wisdom in the first place.
          I think this morning that this is where we find ourselves in the story.  Though we are not kings of Israel, we all have power and control in our own lives.  We can choose to seek after wisdom, to walk in the ways of the Lord.  Or we can choose to go our own way.  Many of us will move back and forth between the two during our lifetimes, for like our kings we are human and we will make mistakes. 
          Hopefully, like our kings, the end results for all of us will be the same, wisdom.  For what else can we gain from a lifetime of living a roller coaster of ups and downs?  And like our kings, we will be richly blessed.  Not prosperity gospel blessing, where God gives you money, but the true blessings of wisdom and thankfulness.  For certainly if we are seeking the kingdom of God above all else, then we will be more aware of the blessings and riches around us from the kindness of a stranger to a bounty of fresh tomatoes.
          As we close our sermon series for this summer, and close the book on David for the time being, I want to bring us back around to our very first reading from early June.  I want to go back to the beginning of the story, 1 Samuel 16 where the prophet Samuel stands before the sons of Jesse, looking for the next king.  As he stands in front of the brave and handsome boys, the word of God whispers in his ear, “Do not look on his appearance . . . for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
          As we close our sermon series, let this be the message for us.  From the outside, from our point of view centuries after these texts were written, David doesn’t seem that faithful, and Solomon doesn’t seem that wise.  They certainly don’t look like the greatest kings to rule the land.  And yet, the Lord does not see as we see.  The Lord looks at the heart, and the Lord sees faithfulness and wisdom in these men.
          So too, God looks on our own hearts this morning.  As our lives move on, in and out of messes, through the hills and valleys of daily living, God is looking at our hearts.  God knows if we are faithful, God knows if we are seeking wisdom, God knows what kind of people we are, and perhaps more importantly what kind of people we are longing to be.
          As we end our dance with David and step off the dance floor for the summer, make we take kernels of wisdom with us.  Life is hard, we will make mistakes, and things will get messy.  But the steadfast love of God is always with us.  If we seek God’s wisdom, if we seek the kingdom of God before other things; then eventually we will be richly blessed.  May God look upon our hearts with favor this morning, and may God bless us as God blessed King David.  Amen. 

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