SERMON OF THE WEEK First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu

Transcription

1 SERMON OF THE WEEK First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu February 5, Chr. 21:1 Satan stood up against Israel, and incited David to count the people of Israel. 1Chr. 21:2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, Go, number Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, and bring me a report, so that I may know their number. 1Chr. 21:3 But Joab said, May the LORD increase the number of his people a hundredfold! Are they not, my lord the king, all of them my lord's servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel? 1Chr. 21:4 But the king's word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel, and came back to Jerusalem. 1Chr. 21:5 Joab gave the total count of the people to David. In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and in Judah four hundred seventy thousand who drew the sword. 1Chr. 21:6 But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, for the king's command was abhorrent to Joab. 1Chr. 21:7 But God was displeased with this thing, and he struck Israel. 1Chr. 21:8 David said to God, I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. But now, I pray you, take away the guilt of your servant; for I have done very foolishly. W The Census Sermon (King David Series #17) Rev. Dr. Dan Chun 1Chr. 21:9 The LORD spoke to Gad, David's seer, saying, 1Chr. 21:10 Go and say to David, 'Thus says the LORD: Three things I offer you; choose one of them, so that I may do it to you.' 1Chr. 21:11 So Gad came to David and said to him, Thus says the LORD, 'Take your choice: 1Chr. 21:12 either three years of famine; or three months of devastation by your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you; or three days of the sword of the LORD, pestilence on the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.' Now decide what answer I shall return to the one who sent me. 1Chr. 21:13 Then David said to Gad, I am in great distress; let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is very great; but let me not fall into human hands. 1Chr. 21:14 So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel; and seventy thousand persons fell in Israel. 1Chr. 21:15 And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but when he was about to destroy it, the LORD took note and relented concerning the calamity; he said to the destroying angel, Enough! Stay your hand. The angel of the LORD was then standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 1Chr. 21:16 David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven, and in 1 his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces. 1Chr. 21:17 And David said to God, Was it not I who gave the command to count the people? It is I who have sinned and done very wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand, I pray, O LORD my God, be against me and against my father's house; but do not let your people be plagued! This is a peculiar passage of Scripture. David takes a census. He counts each soldier of his army and each of his people. The passage says that Satan asked David to do it. But in 2 Samuel 24, where this event is also recorded, it says God told David to do it, which probably means that the Hebrews understood that God was so much in control that even if we fall to sin God allows it. So David takes a census and God gets ticked off. Why? Before I answer that let me put this in context. There is nothing wrong with counting things. But why do we count things? We count things because they are important to us. We have a check register. Why? So we can keep track of our money. It is important to us how we trade, buy and save. We need an accounting of money.

2 W hen Jesus talked of a shepherd who left the 99 sheep to find the lost one, the shepherd knew he had lost one because he was always counting what he had. The sheep were important to him. In the Book of Acts in the Bible, the writer Luke wrote down that 3,000 people became Christians in one day. It is important that we count how many people find Christ. For logistics sake, it is good to know how many people need to be nurtured and discipled immediately! Again, the people were counted because they are important. Last week, I was with a group of parents guiding my son's fifth grade class on a tour of Chinatown. The kids darted through the countless stores, restaurants and shops. They saw dim sum being made, noodles being created, pigs' heads and raw fish on display and toy stands spilling out into the sidewalks. It was a challenge watching the kids. We were always counting heads because our children are important, and it was critical to us that we didn't lose anyone. Jesus talked of how wise it is of a king to always count the cost before he goes into war. One has to prepare for war and figure out the possible collateral damage. So there is nothing wrong with counting if it has to do with practical matters of preparation and responsibility. And we do indeed count what is important to us. Pop quiz! What do you count? And after you count it, does it make you feel secure and strong in the things you were counting? Do we find ourselves putting our faith in the things we count? This was David's dilemma with his census. In fact, the Bible talks about two other census. One of them was a good count, but the other was not. Moses did a census or two. Moses' first census was for the I What do you count? Do we find ourselves putting our faith in the things we count (instead of God)? purpose of organizing the people into marching units for defense. Israel had lived in slavery in Egypt for more than 400 years. They had been dependent on the Egyptian pharaoh for everything. Now they were to become an independent nation and they needed soldiers. So Moses took a census to determine the military strength of his ragtag mass of more than a million people as they would certainly meet hostile tribes along the route to Canaan. Moses' second census took place at the River Jordan. By this time, an entire generation of Israelite men (except the families of Moses, Joshua, Caleb and the Levites) had died in the desert for their lack of faith. So a new group of fighting men needed to be counted and trained. Moses did the census to determine land allotment for each tribe depending on their numbers, and he needed to establish genealogical records, which were of great importance to Israel. All of these reasons for counting were for preparation and security. These are good reasons to count. So what are bad reasons for counting? More importantly, why was God so angry that David took a census of his soldiers? Two reasons: pride and a false sense of security. It had been about 500 years since the last census was taken by Moses at the River Jordan. David was at the top of his game, experiencing a time of relative peace, prosperity and success after his long career as Israel's warriorking. There appeared to be no apparent reason for taking a census. It was not an annual inventory. It was unnecessary. I suspect that David wanted a census to show himself how powerful and strong he was and how good of a 2 leader he had become. But the problem was he was no longer attributing his strength to God. He was no longer counting his blessings and thanking God for making him strong. No, he was taking credit for his own success. Pride is one of the great dangers of success. When times are hard we get on our knees to ask for God's help. We remember to thank Him for the help He gives us. But when we get successful, we tend to forget that it was God who gave us our blessings, our strength, our position and our title. The late Dallas Cowboy football coach, Tom Landry, once told me in an interview that the greatest threat to his Christian walk was not defeat but, surprisingly, success. He said it was winning the Superbowl that most threatened his walk with God. Why? Because the temptation to forget God was so strong. It was easy to think he was great without God. It is when we are successful that we are at our greatest danger spiritually. Hence, we need to pray for the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, Mike Holmgren, who is a brother in Christ. Let's pray that the success of getting to the Superbowl or winning the Superbowl doesn't go to his head. So maybe that is a crazy reason to cheer for the Pittsburgh Steelers today. On the other hand, maybe we should cheer for the Seattle Seahawks, because I love it when athletes win championships and they yell into the TV camera, Thank you, Jesus! As awkward or fundamentalist as it may seem I love it that instead of talking about how tough they are, they give credit to where it is due. They thank God. I like it when a football player like Shaun Alexander of the Seattle Seahawks kneels in the end zone to thank God on national television when he scores a touchdown. So maybe we should cheer for the Seahawks. How's is that for being a politician?

3 I f a TV camera was on David right then in his life, he would not have thanked God. At that point he was busy looking at his wealth, his military might and saying, What a great king I am! David was forgetting where his true security came from. It was not from his military strength but from the hand of the Almighty God. I love the Bible verse Zech. 4:6: Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD of hosts. It is God's Spirit that gives us success or fruitfulness in our lives; not our human power. As hard as we work for our successes, we must never ever forget God who, by His grace, even gave us the possibility and the options to succeed. May we never forget the undeserved grace in our life. If you think about it, Tiger Woods should always thank God for his success. Yes, Tiger has worked hard. He got skills. He has honed his skills. But Tiger's fame and fortune also has a lot to do with things that really had nothing to do with him. There is a lot of grace in his life. For example, he is lucky that he was born in a country where he is rewarded not for helping the poor, not for giving people jobs, but for putting a little white ball into a small hole. And because he knows how to put a little white ball into a small hole and lives in a culture where that is valued, he becomes famous and rich. If he was born in a different setting, like in Bangladesh, Tiger would not be where he is today. Another thing in his favor, which is not his own doing, is the fact that Tiger is part Asian. No wonder he is brilliant! What an unfair advantage he has had. People say he is a great athlete because he is part African- American. No way! He is part Asian! His mother is Thai. The champions of today should never be overly proud. They always live in a pool of grace. B Imagine the athletes who win Olympic gold medals. They are lucky we value as important those who slide down mountains on two pieces of wood or fiberglass. Or what about the sport of curling, which is basically the sport of swishing a broom on ice in front of what looks like a sliding vacuum cleaner? And for being born in a culture where that is important, the athletes get fame and fortune. The point is, when we are successful we need to thank God for putting us in the right culture, the right family, the right country, and being given the right opportunities. And if anyone says, I am a selfmade man. I needed no help from God or anyone to get where I am, then that is an unwise person. The last two times I preached here I spoke about worry. We worry if we will be liked, wealthy or successful. But the catch is, when we do get some success under our belt, are we taking stock of our blessings and pointing it all, not some or most, but ALL to God and saying thanks? And that includes having great grades in school, sports achievements, the raising of children, business success or any other accomplishments. I remember a friend of mine who raised two great kids who were so easy to parent. She said to me, You know, I always felt parenting was so easy because I was such a great parent and I couldn't understand why other parents had so much trouble with theirs, until.. I had my third kid. Then it was different, difficult and hard. Then I realized that the easy parenting of the first two was not because I was good but because God was good. It wasn't because I was full of skills but rather because God had shown His grace to me by giving me two compliant children. 3 Let's talk about business accomplishments. There are people who love to look at their stock portfolio daily and to see all of their wealth. That is and of itself not wrong. After all, it is tax return time and we need to refer at our assets and achievements. But perish the thought if we should look at our portfolio and think for a second, Look what I have done! Look how smart I have been to predict the stock market. And look at how secure I am. I am powerful. I am great. I got skills. That kind of thinking is perilous because it does not underline the reality that only God is our security.... when we are successful we need to thank God for putting us in the right culture, the right family, the right country, and being given the right opportunities. Is there something in our lives that we count and in an honest moment we would say, Yes, I base a lot of my security and self-esteem on this? The ongoing Enron trial is trying to determine if the leaders of Enron illegally pocketed money and cheated the stockholders. If the leaders are found guilty it might mean that they saw how having a lot of money would make them powerful and secure. They kept counting the hundreds of millions they could make at the expense of others. They wanted power and wealth even at the expense of the little people, the employees who DEPENDED on their honesty and good management to protect their pensions and future. As you can imagine, my family, having lost all of our Global Crossing stock due to dishonest executives, I empathize with the employees of Enron and the stockholders who have had their future damaged due to possible greedy and dishonest company executives who counted their stock worth and wanted more at all cost.

4 B ut get this. Often times, when we are tempted, there are close friends or colleagues who warn us that we are getting awfully close to not only doing illegal things but unethical things. But we often nevah like listen to their advice. Jack Abramhoff, the infamous lobbyist who has been in the national news for charges of tax evasion, mail fraud and conspiracy, was quoted in Time Magazine this week as saying, God sent me 1,000 hints that He didn't want me to keep doing what I was doing. But I didn't listen, so He set off a nuclear bomb. ( Verbatim, Time Magazine, February 6, 2006, p. 15). He told that to a Jewish publication regarding his crimes and the scandal that has hit Capital Hill. He wished he listened to others who warned him. In our Bible passage this morning, Joab, the general of David's army, warned David not to take the census. Joab was never known to be a spiritual giant in the Bible. But even he sensed it was wrong to count the people and that it would tick off the all-powerful, allgiving, all-knowing God. David ignored Joab and decided to take the census anyway to prove to himself how secure and powerful he was in his soldiers and wealth in the kingdom. How could he do that after God saved him from Goliath, his predecessor Saul and a kingdom revolt by his son, Absalom? If we ever base the security of our lives on our portfolios, if we ever think our self-esteem can be based on our looks, our houses, our cars, or checking accounts, then know this one word: counterfeit. Wealth, good looks or any accomplishment is counterfeit selfesteem. Fake selfesteem. The Lord giveth and the Lord can take away showed us that. In one quick swoop wealth can go, businesses can go and buildings can S... people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. It s the ones who care. go, even the World Trade Center. Better with the Lord than with wealth. Better with the Lord than with health. Better with the Lord than with anything else. Better to base our self-esteem on God and nothing else. This is a God who loves us, and only He has the power to ultimately strengthen us and protect us. What really counts and what should we count? Peter Starn recently sent me an asking these questions, which you may we have heard before but it I think it's good to hear them again. 1) Name the five wealthiest people in the world. 2) Name the last five MVPs of the Superbowl. 3) Name the last five winners of the Miss America. 4) Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. 5) Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress. Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one: 1) List a few teachers who aided your journey through school. 2) Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time 3) Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile. 4) Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special. 5) Think of five people you enjoy spending time with. 6) Think of the people who led you to Christ. The lesson is the people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. It s the ones who care. But hear this. After David's spell of pride, he did come to his senses and repented, which is a possibility for us in case 4 we have put our faith in anything else than God. You have to hand it to David. The most impressive aspect of David's character is not that he is perfect but rather his readiness to repent. He is truly a role model for us in his willingness to come to terms with his deficiencies and moral failures. Adam, on the other hand, reacted differently. When he blew it in the Garden of Eden, he did everything possible to avoid blame and tried to pass the buck. As David studied his census reports Joab's statement and questions must have haunted him. Joab said, May the LORD increase the number of his people a hundredfold! Are they not, my lord the king, all of them my lord's servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel? (1 Chronicles 21:3) But then in verse 2 Sam. 24:10, which also gives the same account of this story, it says that David's heart was stricken or, as some translations say, his heart troubled him. The Hebrew word for troubled also means attacked, assaulted. In other words, David's heart was deeply pained and wounded. For all his faults David had a sensitive heart. He realized it was his pride that had led him to do this. In 2 Sam 24:14, it said that David was in great distress. Looking at the original Hebrew for this, it is also a phrase for cramped or tied up in knots, perhaps like stomach cramps that are so bad that you can't stand up. (Swindoll.p.278) Now here comes an even more interesting part. God gave David three choices for his punishment of pride, all of which would bring sorrow and grief upon the entire nation. This shows that our sin or lack of self-esteem based on the right things essentially affect more than just ourselves. What we do affects everyone we know and are close to.

5 S in touches our families, our church and our country. Thus David, as Israel's king, brings punishment upon his countrymen by his sinful decision. God sent a prophet named Gad to talk to David and deliver God's judgment. Interestingly, God gave David three options. Do you want what is behind door number one, door number two or door number three? And now that David didn't listen to Joab or other people in his community, he was now on his own. He had no lifeline to throw out to poll the community on the best answer. 2Sam. 24:13 So Gad came to David and told him; he asked him, Shall three years of famine come to you on your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to the One who sent me. God is saying to him, So David, pick one. Ouch, ouchier or ouchest. Interestingly, all three punishment options from God will result in the decimation of David's manpower. God will take away his land in a famine, or his army in war, or his crops in pestilence. It's like God telling him, David, tell me how powerful you, as if you ultimately can control your land, war or your crops and take full credit. God is, in essence, saying to David that any of these punishments, whether it's 3 years of famine, 3 months of war, or 3 days of plague, will reduce his defenses so that he will now be forced to depend on God. And may I say, my friends, that sometimes God allows us to hit rock bottom so that we can get to a level that sees that without God we are nothing. There is not a thimble full of success or achievement we should be taking credit for and forgetting God's hand in it. The smart ones figure it out before hitting bottom. The prideful ones don't get it for a long time. The wise ones remember God after the healings and blessings in their families. The prideful ones forget and doubt God. David picked pestilence, the punishment that is the most severe but also briefest in time span. He was also very smart. He chose his fate to be in the hands of God than in men. He knows that it's better to have God punish them than humankind because David did know in his heart that God ultimately would be fair. David says, Let me fall into the hands of God for he is merciful. Don't let me fall into the hand of man. (1Chr.21:13) Wise choice. God is full of grace but humans are sinful and full of judgment. David remembered that ultimately if we turn towards God, God is a God of grace. Friends, today is communion. It's a time for us to remember what Christ has done for us. He did the ultimate for us. He gave his life for our sake that all of our sins would be forgiven. What it means is that if we have realized today that we have been counting the wrong things in life on which to base our self-esteem, that maybe we have been prideful about our accomplishments, then we have a way through this sacrament to say, God, I am sorry. How could I forget that it is You who has been the source of all of my blessings and accomplishments? And so during this communion service we will have the chance to pray, meditate or ask God for forgiveness and be reassured of his grace. Let us pray. * * * * * Sunday worship sermons can also be heard on Strength for Journey, First Prez s weekly radio show. Sunday mornings at 10 on KGU 760 AM. 5