Insightful Musings on theScriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Greetings, dear ones.

No walk/jog this morning again. Too many other things going on—like Becki’s need to deliver little Kaden to his school bus stop this morning. She picked him up yesterday afternoon at that same point so he could spend the night.

I just returned from the bee keeper’s farm where I bought 4 gallons of honey. The owner and I had a rather lengthy visit. It’s baffling for me to comprehend how someone so close to that incredible demonstration of God’s creative designwork can choose to reject that there is even such a thing as a Creator/Designer.

I need to generate more sawdust with the mill…among a lot of other things.

Have a great day. Love, Dad/Ray.

This thought grabs my attention—that Sovereign Creator God is capable of shame when certain of His human creatures claim Him as their God—when those subjects misrepresent the God they claim to represent. It’s easy to understand how this thought can generate some personal introspection that would soul-searchingly ask, “To what degree is my Maker ashamed of me?” I think it’s a lot safer to raise that question and face it than to ignore it.

Within this famous reading we are given the names of several famous Biblical characters who won ratings opposite to shame—of whom God was actually pleased. The fundamental essential key to that rating is defined as FAITH—which I like to describe in simple terms as BELIEVING GOD ENOUGH TO OBEY HIM. Verse 6 puts the matter in perspective—“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” The meaning and its implications are clear: If I fail to earnestly seek God and configure my life around this quality of faith, I can’t make it to square one insofar as pleasing Him and fulfilling His purposes for my existence. But living to please Him is guaranteed to win rewards beyond anything I can imagine—described in the FOCUS VERSE as a special CITY—a naturally-known metaphor to illustrate a supernatural place of residence—like HEAVEN—“the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (v. 10).

The name of David is later mentioned in this chapter (v. 32). We already know that he was regarded by God as representing a HEART AFTER GOD (1 Samuel 13:14). However, we should find encouragement in the fact that David was not entirely squeaky clean and flawless—that for reasons described in that familiar account, he gave “great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme” (2 Samuel 12:14, KJV). In other words, David actually gave cause to his Maker in that instance to be “ashamed to be called” his God. While we should not be comfortable and excusing of our flaws and failures, David’s example is encouraging in the sense that it offers hope for me and you. We must be eternally thankful that it is God’s grace and forgiveness that now defines us, not the stupid sins of our past.