A Time to Love – Part 2

All quotations are taken from the New King James Bible

Hearts before God - a righteous heart/a heart that plans evil

Just as our physical health depends on food and drink, so our spiritual well-being is dependent on keeping close to the side of the Lord. As our Good Shepherd, He is able to meet the needs of all who are spiritually hungry and thirsty, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst’, John 6. 35. His righteousness is imparted to all who trust in Him, and by walking close beside Him we become more and more like Him. Without Him our sinful nature will seek every opportunity to take control of our lives and behaviour, to the point it will rule our every instinct. This is the contrary heart, which is not the least bit interested in making Christ’s righteousness its own.

• Personal righteousness was something that David strove for throughout his life. Like all of us, he was prone to sin and made mistakes, yet many of his psalms plainly show that walking close to God and pleasing Him was paramount. Twice he could have killed his tormentor, Saul, but refrained. In one instance, when he cut off the corner of Saul’s robe, he was even remorseful for causing embarrassment to the Lord’s anointed, 1 Sam. 24. 1-15.

In King Saul we see a heart busy devising one wicked plan after another. Even the prophet Samuel was afraid when God asked him to go and anoint David king. ‘How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me’, 16. 2. Samuel knew the heart of Saul and knew he would go to any lengths to protect his throne. Spurred by jealousy and insecurity, Saul went so far as to urge his servants and his son, Jonathan, to kill David, 19. 1.

The heart in action - the merciful heart/a heart that runs to evil

With all the pain and misery in the world, there can never be enough mercy to go around. The poet William Blake penned the words, ‘Where mercy, love and piety dwell, there God is dwelling too’. Indeed, when the God of heaven dwelt among us in human form, He spent much of His time healing the sick, raising the dead, and forgiving sinners.

The fifth beatitude is the first to display a specific overt action on the part of the one who is blessed - showing mercy to others. This gives us some idea of how important the quality of mercy is in God’s eyes.

As we look at the preceding four Beatitudes, we see a logical progression. One must first see that his spiritual need can only be met beyond himself. This is followed by an awareness of how his sinfulness has grieved God, which results in a desire to walk as closely as possible to the side of the Master so that he might be like Him and show mercy to others as He did.

What is the opposite of mercy in action? The items that make the news broadcasts each and every day!

• At first blush one might not think of David as a merciful man, yet his life bears several examples of this Christ-like characteristic. Twice he spared Saul when he could have killed him and taken his kingdom. He also spared Abigail’s husband; rewarded those who buried Saul; spared King Saul’s commander, Abner; and showed kindness to Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth. Even in the smaller things of life he was merciful, as when he insisted that the booty captured during the battle with the Amalekites be shared with the soldiers who were too exhausted to join in the fight, 1 Sam. 30. 26-31.

In stark contrast, Saul was a schemer who spent much of his life desperately trying to bring his wicked plans to fruition. For years, he pursued David with murder in his heart. He not only tried to pin David to the wall with his spear, but even attempted the same thing with his son Jonathan. Yet, despite all of Saul’s atrocities, David never sank to Saul’s level. He showed mercy to the one most lacking in this noble quality.

Testimony before the world - the pure in heart/the deceitful heart

We find a steady maturing of characteristics in the Beatitudes as we go from the first to the sixth - from the poor in spirit to the pure in spirit. As with gold when refined, the impurities are being removed. This should be the goal of every child of God, to rid himself of ‘evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness’, Mark 7. 21, 22. It is by our walking daily with Christ, and holding short accounts with Him, that He is able to work in our hearts, ridding us of the sinful impurities that keep us apart from Him.

The opposite to the pure in heart is he whose heart is so defiled that he is not even ashamed to make a public display of it as a false witness - denying the truth even before a multitude of onlookers.

• David‘s song honouring King Saul after his death is a remarkable testament to his purity of heart, 2 Sam. 1. It is an incredibly gracious gesture which reveals no bitterness toward his old enemy. Despite all of the wrongs which Saul had perpetrated toward him, he could still pen the following, ‘O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with luxury; who put ornaments of gold on your apparel’, v. 24. Through the long years of his tortured relationship with Saul, David’s heart remained pure.

In contrast to the pure in heart is the false witness; one who formalizes his lies before the authorities and reveals his corrupt heart for all to see. Saul‘s heart was marked by deception and disobedience, so much so that when he swore publicly to David, ‘I will harm you no more’, 1 Sam. 26. 21, David still fled to the land of the Philistines because he knew the king’s true heart. Even the witch of Endor was not safe from his deceptions, 28. 12. The contrast between the hearts of these two men becomes greater and greater as we ascend through the Beatitudes.

The legacy - peacemakers/ troublemakers

‘The work of righteousness will be peace’, Isa. 32. 17. The fact that the pure in heart will see God is remarkable. But even more wonderful is the knowledge that the peacemakers will not only see God but will be called His children. The supreme peacemaker, of course, was Jesus Christ, who is called, ‘Prince of Peace’, 9. 6, and it was only by His bearing our sins on Calvary that we can enjoy peace with God.

The role of peacemaker is the culmination of the first seven Beatitudes, beginning with being poor in spirit and eventually growing to one who is pure in heart and finally leaving behind the spiritual legacy of a peacemaker. In a practical sense, followers of Christ are peacemakers because they bring the gospel message to others, enabling all who come to the Saviour to have peace with God as well.

The legacy left by those that God hates are those who provoke conflict and heartache with almost everyone they encounter. Instead of leaving the legacy of peace, they are remembered by God as those who were a constant source of trouble.

• David was a man of war - a man whose hands were stained with blood. But in a larger sense he was also a peacemaker, for the ultimate result of the wars and battles he fought brought peace to the land of Israel and to his countrymen. The fruit of his efforts in this regard can be seen during the peaceful reign of his successor, Solomon.

Contrarily, Saul was neither a peacemaker nor one who waited upon the Lord. Indeed, he was the very opposite of a peacemaker. He was constantly sowing discord among his brethren, even alienating his son, Jonathan. He also divided the nation, clinging to his kingship despite the consequences of defying the will of God in this matter. This rebelliousness eventually cost him not only his own life but that of his sons as well. Indeed, even after his death, Saul’s sordid legacy lived on until finally coming to a close years later with the murder of his son, Ishbosheth.

Such were the ultimate legacies of these two kings. The one walked steadfastly in peace with his God whom he worshipped and adored. The other was in open rebellion to God throughout most of his adult life, and finally ended solidly in the camp of God’s first enemy - Satan.

Conclusion

Life has often been likened to a journey, and these two biblical passages mark a distinct road map for two disparate paths. Robert Frost’s famous poem, The Road Not Taken, speaks of a traveller coming to a fork in the road. Here he laments the choice that he must make, knowing that he cannot travel down both roads. He then makes the following decision:

‘I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference’.

So it is with life. Two divergent spiritual paths lie before the earthly traveller, and each one bears signposts along the way. ‘Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it’, Matt. 7. 14. Yet, even if the path of righteousness is taken, the traveller still has responsibilities along the way. The Lord has provided an abundance of resources for His children as they make this journey: His Holy Spirit; His word, spiritual gifts, and opportunities for service. Our responsibility is to take advantage of life and strive to mature spiritually.

It should be the goal of every Christian to leave behind the spiritual legacy of a peacemaker. However, this path of righteousness is less travelled, partly because it offers unique challenges that require discipline, determination, and sacrifice. It also asks that our face be turned to the One who is ever present and remains at our side to guide us most assuredly along the way.