David

Today on Renewing Your Mind. Here is a man of authentic human greatness, and in addition to the multifaceted gifts and talents that he had humanly speaking, he was also anointed by God the Holy Spirit was this week and today on Renewing Your Mind doctors explore Texas to the Old Testament to tell us about a central figure in Israel's history had moments of incredible success, but also moments of crippling defeat. We have a lot to learn. As we continue, doctors, groceries, great men and women of the Bible as we continue our study of great men and women to live by the person that I'd like to look at today is a very unusual figure in the Old Testament. I was thinking about the title of Herbert Mark who uses philosophical work that had such an impact on the revolutionary spirit of the 60s and early 70s in this country a book entitled one dimensional man, and out of that work and others like it, there has been this awareness in our culture that we become so highly specialized that it seems like from a career development perspective and a personal development perspective that we tend to be molded into such specialization that we become one-dimensional personalities and is is always a breath of fresh air when we find someone who was multi talented or multifaceted. The reveals and manifests the riches of personality that's really present in every human being. I believe and we call the ideal of a person who is multi gifted or multi-talent.

What when we use return. We used to describe such person we call them a Renaissance man right and so we have this idea of a Renaissance man. Well, there's a Renaissance man who lived 2500 years before the Renaissance, so we'll talk today is about a man who was a pre-Renaissance Renaissance man. The quintessential Renaissance man who lived roughly 1000 BC and began his career basically is what we would call a bandit chief was an outlaw renegade warrior who got a a bunch of warriors behind him and he would more or less hire himself out in his band of men like like Robin Hood because he was in disfavor to the ruler of the land and so as a bandit and as a fugitive and got about 400 guys behind him and was involved in almost like Quantrill's Raiders and Jesse James marauders fighting lining up with whatever cause that would accept him now this same man who was a successful band the chief almost like a Fidel Castro hit-and-run tactics of of the gorilla from the mountains. He was also noted in Israel's history for being considered basically the most important, perhaps the most gifted musician in Israel's history and not only was he noted for being a musician, but later on in his career he was known for being a lawyer outstanding expert in ancient jurisprudence.

Not only that, he distinguished himself as a lawyer, but he also became the poet laureate of Israel and clearly known for being the best poet in the history of the Jewish people. Not only that, but he had a public reputation for being a national champion because he defeated in one to one combat the heavyweight champion of the world and so he became a champion in 1 to 1.

Personal combat in his land. He also games some fame for being a murderer and for being an adulterer. In addition to this, he is celebrated in Jewish history as the greatest statesmen in the history of Israel and he became a king and as we know in the history of kingship in Israel that the reading the history of Israelite kings is like reading a rogues gallery reports but there were so many kings and later in the northern kingdom in the southern kingdom that is hard to keep track of their names, but sometimes an Old Testament among Old Testament Jewish people. They would refer simply to the King long after this man was dead they would just say the King and everybody knew who was being mentioned. It was this particular King because what this man did was that he brought into being what was called the Golden age of Israel that we need any more hints as to who this rate I'll give you one more I give you two more. He was also a shepherd.

Okay why did I say that in the first place because I wanted to make it a little bit obscure the beginning I did want to give away right now and probably the greatest epitaph that can go next to this man's name is the accolade given to him by sacred Scripture, that he was a man after God's own heart. I said I was give us a couple more.

The essay one more.

He was the Martin Luther rest of the Old Testament. I just read from historian this morning brushing up in this particular historian says that David King David is regarded as the greatest political and military genius in the history of Judaism that we gave great words of praise to the military exploits of Joshua when we looked at him, but I mentioned that Joshua was the Stonewall Jackson of the Old Testament if I would take somebody from American history.

I would say that David was the Douglas MacArthur of the Old Testament, but that is a poor comparison because in virtually everything, in which MacArthur excelled. David's exploits were greater Israel, that tiny little nation became a major world power. David extended the boundaries of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and build an empire that was the largest empire that the Jews ever possessed up until that point, and since here is a man of authentic human greatness, and in addition to the multifaceted gifts and talents that he had humanly speaking, he was also anointed by God the Holy Spirit. But at this time you have a serious schism in terms of loyalties in the land between the tribes of the north and the tribes of the south and David finally becomes anointed king over everybody. Now he's got some decisions to make. Where my going to establish my headquarters and he still had two problems politically.

He had the disunity and the tension between the North and the South among the Jewish people, and in addition to that, he still has the insecurity of his own kingdom because of the constant threat of what group of people, particularly who killed Saul the fullest things so you have the constant threat of the fullest things from the seacoast. Plus the hostilities of the Moabites and the ammonites and the stalactites right always, always, that are endangering this nascent monarchy while first David comes in and annihilates the fullest things conquers the Moabites and the ammonites, and all these people and he wins great military victories. So now he introduces the pox Israeli if you look at the history of Israel. You know, we've heard of the pox Romana to look at the history of Israel as a nation that the Jewish nation existed for hundreds of years in the Old Testament. No and then up to 70 A.D. and now it's back in existence. I forget the exact number but it's like the pox Israeli a total has been like about 330, he persecuted all that time that the nation has been at war, David brought a stable piece, at least for a while.

Many course he had to go through the ignominy of a civil war led by his own son, but in any case, the political genius that I'm thinking of here has to do with how to unify all these tribes that have their own heritage and their own loyalties and there was not only an intertribal loyalty and identity, but there was also this geographical distinction between North and South.

Those of you who live in the north. I don't think are at all acutely aware of how strong that sensation still exists in the sops but any case you had this this tremendous regional sense of identity going on among the Jewish people. So David becomes king over both the North and the South Davi established his headquarters in the North. What happens Stalinism that if he establishes his headquarters in the South than what the Northerners and alienated.

So what he does is in the meantime, he also has an area that's unconquered still Canaanite and what he does is he goes in here and claims a city that was called the city of bread that was held by the Jebusites and David conquers it and declares that the new political central headquarters of the nation and it's called Monell the city of peace. J Rue shalom Jerusalem and so it is David who establishes Jerusalem as the political center of the nation. What what would be the crucial centers for Israelite loyalty before Jerusalem. Does anybody know Shechem was one Bethel was another. Why were Shechem and Bethel so vitally important to the people. The center of worship because they would have central sanctuaries where the people would come for their face and for the offering or sacrifice, and so they had religious centers that became the rallying point to the people. So the first thing David does after establishes headquarters in Jerusalem. What does he do the brings the ark of the covenant into the city and makes Jerusalem the new central sanctuary, as well as the political capital of the nation. It was a stroke of genius. If one were to expect to bring about any kind of unity and it's really even though we say that when we talk about the monarchy beginning we say the first king of Israel was Saul and David was the second king of Israel, but in fact the first one to achieve a real United monarchy was David, but we see a shadow over the career of David David who I said was a lawyer, a man who meditated in the law day and night, and he understood that as King he did not rule autonomously that he did not rule independently, but he was a visceral drink that is he was a vice king. He was simply the earthly representative of the theocracy of the reign of God over the nation. But the story of David with all this greatness and with all the exploits takes a turn. As you know the sort of resembles a Shakespearean tragedy when he became obsessed with this woman who was so beautiful and so attractive that he and a sense I don't want to say that he went nuts because I don't excuse his behavior by insanity, and he wasn't insane. He was perfectly sane annuity was doing but he got so preoccupied he had to have that woman and so he commits adultery with Bathsheba, which is a serious enough offense, but he complicates his crime by using the authority that is invested in him as an minister of justice. He abuses the power that God is given to him by strategically having Uriah the Hittite member Dave is a king. He's also the commander in chief of the armies he assigns he gets involved with the transfer of troop movements and make sure that Bathsheba's husband gets strategically situated in the front lines were his life expectancies about seven minutes so David doesn't directly murder Uriah but David enters into a conspiracy to expose Uriah to a high degree of probability of being killed.

And that's exactly what happens is kill and now David can come and take Bathsheba for his and then there is that poignant story of God sending the prophet Nathan to David and Nathan tells a parable about this huge sheep rancher that has all the sheet and there's this one little guy next door has one tiny little sheet and that's all he has been loves that she could die for that chic he takes care that sheet and in the big rich powerful Shepherd comes over in the middle night and steals that chic was David's response. Not in my king. I'm uncomfortable that the boy does not know off with her head there to get the wrath of the K that's radical just as you know, David's rant and rave and it was so scarlet kingdom. To find out where this corrupt oppressive tyrannical rich shepherdess and Nathan says David thou art the me and now we find David becoming the Martin Luther of the Old Testament. David now who's not a theologian simply in his head, but now the theology that he sings and writes poetically becomes a matter of his personal passion as he sees instantly the overwhelming reality of his guilt and I think that one of the richest contributions that David has ever given to the church is the song that he penned when he came to himself and understood who he was and who God is the course.

I'm thinking of Psalm 51 listen to some parts of it briefly.

It says for the choir director, a Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after he had gone into Bathsheba being gracious to me.

Oh God, according to thy lovingkindness. According to the greatness of thy compassion blot out my transgressions, wash me thoroughly for my iniquity, cleanse me from my sin, for I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. Do you hear the moral anguish of the man please don't deal with me according to your justice, but deal with me according to your grace and please block out my transgressions. I can't stand the look Adam, I can't stand to be reminded of them are driving me crazy. Here's a man whose guilt is consuming him and all of his power.

All of his talent. All of his wealth cannot silence the accusation of his conscience upon the remakes. An extraordinary statement in this he says against the and the only have I sent and done what is evil in thy sight. Now that's just not true. From one perspective, David sinned against Bathsheba.

He sinned against Uriah David sinned against his own generals by ordering their complicity. David send against his own family and as the supreme public a process owner. The representative of God to the people of the soil. He sinned against every person in that nation by violating the holy law of God as their king, but they what I think under the spirit here is speaking in sanctified hyperbole.

He is saying yes, I recognize all that I've done. But ultimately the sin, the real transgression. The weight of this all God is against you because I am your anointed king David is the Christos of the Old Testament is not by accident that Jesus comes from the line of David out of the root of Jesse, the new lien of Judah. The reconstruction of the messianic kingdom that was personified in the Old Testament in David.

He is representing God.

Libby was his God, what have I done against you and you only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight. Now, here are the words were.

I say he's like Luther, here is the man who understands justification by faith alone and I think the clearest statement of it for the human soul. Anybody that wants her to be redeemed in the sight of God has to master this statement probably the most important thing that David ever wrote in his life. Is this next verse, so that thou art justified when thou dost speak and blameless when thou dost judge that's a man who understands his sin and he does not in any way minimize it rationalize it. Try to transfer it to somebody else and he doesn't sort of slip in the eye and negotiation agreement with God saying look got. I know I sinned wasn't all that bad. It's God you were justified when you speak your clear when you judge if you deal with me according to justice. I'm finished elsewhere the same king said, oh Lord, if thou dost mark iniquities who will stand if you look at me on the basis of my track record God, and I present to your throne, the head of Goliath. The borders from Dan to Beersheba, the magnificence of the central sanctuary.

All of my poet noble laureates the great compositions of my music. I know that justice demands that you rejected all and I perish. He understood that the only way he could stand before God was by grace and by grace alone is Martin Luther discovered that in the tower at Wittenberg and said when I understood the concept of my justification is by faith alone. The doors of paradise swung open and I walked through so the doors of paradise were open for David and God forgave and God cleansed and God befriended him because the great God of the universe looked down at his son.

The king when he was on his face in godly remorse and contrition for and God said, is a man after my David's life is an example of the incredible highs and lows we experience in this life. Periods of success and joy but also failure and disappointment. Many times that's brought about by your own sin. What's the solution there's only one and were thankful to Dr. RC Sproul pointed us to it today justification through Jesus Christ were glad you joined us today for Renewing Your Mind. Each Saturday we are making our way through doctors ProSeries great men and women of the Bible, as we heard today.

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