Jump Start # 3703

2 Samuel 24:16 “When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, ‘It is enough! Now relax your hand.’”

Our passage today brings an interesting story and a fascinating expression to us. I like the words, “relax your hand.” I’ve had lab techs and nurses tell me to relax my arm before they put a needle in me. Here, the words are directed to an angel.

King David decided that he wanted to take a census of the people. We are not told why. Pride? Future plans? His own commander tried to talk him out of it, but David wouldn’t listen. And, God wasn’t happy. God gave David a choice: War, famine, or disease. Seven years…three months…three days. Which will it be. David, couldn’t or wouldn’t decide. It was his sin, but now others were going to suffer because of him. Some would die because of his foolish decision to number the  people. Since he wouldn’t decide, God made the decision for him. An angel bringing pestilence inflicted the nation. Seventy thousand died—does that number register with you? The angel wasn’t done. He turned his attention to Jerusalem. The capital, the city of David, was going to be destroyed. It is here that our verse is found. God said, enough. Relax your hand. The angel obeyed and the city was spared.

What great lessons are found here for us:

First, there is a time to relax our hand when it comes to punishment. Parents need to understand this. Shepherds in the kingdom need to understand this.  Biblical punishment is intended to turn our feet and hearts back to God. It is not intended to destroy, crush and ruin someone forever. Relax your hand and show compassion. Relax your hand and extend grace. Relax your hand and come running with open arms as the prodigal’s father did.

Our anger can cause us to cross the line. For some, punishment quickly becomes abuse. For others, punishment becomes estrangement and alienation. For some, punishment falls from a bitter and revengeful heart. And, out of that, more harm and damage is created.

There are times to relax the hand.

Second, there is a time to relax the hand and open your ears. Listen. Understand. Allow a person to explain. Some will lie. Some will hide behind excuses. Some will be humble, honest and sorrowful. Each has to be dealt with in what you know. Getting caught up in emotion can allow a person to only hear one side of the story. Off we go, ready to battle, when we need to sit down and first have a conversation.

Third, there is a lesson of relaxing our hand and resting. The weary worker becomes tired. This is especially true of us preachers. Sunday ends, and immediately there begins the thought, “What will I preach on next Sunday.” Another article to write. Another blog. Another podcast. Another class. Ideas. Ideas. Ideas. Sometimes the well runs dry. Leaders who are on the ball recognize this. They realize letting the preacher have some breaks only helps the church. A tired, worn out preacher is just a block away from becoming a burned out preacher. So many of us when we leave our jobs on Friday, we don’t pick it up again until Monday. Doesn’t work that way for the preacher. More than just a vacation now and then, give your preacher a rest from teaching all the time. Allow others to fill in, even when he is there. And, send him away with a few books to read. He’ll come back relaxed, sharp, and ready to hop on the horse and ride it.

Relax your hand. Holding something tight for a long time, can hurt the hand. The same is true of our hearts. The same is true of our work ethics.

We also see in this that God is a just God. Don’t play with breaking God’s commands. Don’t be so shallow to think that because God loves you, He’ll never get upset with you. That may work with your grandma, but grandma isn’t the Lord. David found out.

I wonder, late in David’s life, if he had more tears than joy. It was because of his sin that Bathsheba’s baby died. It was because of his lack of involvement that his son killed another son. It was because of his sin that 70,000 in Israel died. These things  happened because of him. Our choices, our attitudes, our pride may leave a trail of destruction, like a tornado path. While we continue on, there are those around us who have been hurt because of us. It was too late for David to undo what he had done. It’s not too late for you.

Do you need to apologize? Relax your hand and do it.  Do you need to forgive someone? Relax your hand and extend grace. Do you need to have a deep conversation with someone? Relax your hand and make it happen.

It is enough, God said. Relax your  hand. Great lessons for us.

Roger

Jump Start # 1949

2 Samuel 24:16 “When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, ‘It is enough! Now relax your hand!” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”

Our verse today comes from an interesting story in the life of David, the king of Israel. He wanted to know how many people he had in the nation, specifically, soldiers. He sent Joab on a nine month journey through the nation registering the people. The tally revealed more than 800,000 warriors in Israel and 500,000 in Judah. David confessed that he should not have ordered that done. He acknowledged that it was sinful.

God allowed David to pick one of three punishments.

• Famine for seven years
• Flee for three months from your enemy
• Pestilence for three days

What a choice! Seven years…three months…three days. Wars…famine…disease. David couldn’t choose. So, God did. Pestilence for three days. It was so severe that 70,000 died. Then comes our verse. God tells the angel to stop. Relax your hand. It is enough.

I like that expression, “Relax your hand!” There are lessons for us.

First, the consequences of our sin often touches other people. It was David who ordered the numbering. Those 70,000 who died were not responsible for David’s sin. They were innocent people that were caught up in the punishment. The sins of a parent can impact the children in the home. This rather kills the idea, ‘It’s my life, I can do what I want.” It’s your life, but what you do may impact many others. Just look at the Vegas shooting. One man’s sins have turned the lives of 600 people upside down.

Second, God is serious about sin. David wasn’t supposed to number the people. It would lead to pride and putting more trust in the size of the troops than in the Lord. He led the Lord’s army. It didn’t matter how many, the battle belonged to the Lord. You and I might look at this and think, ‘well, he probably shouldn’t have done it, but it’s really no big deal.’ It is to God. Seven years…three months…three days—the punishment was serious because the sin was serious. Putting these wrongs on a scale, most would believe that David’s adultery was far worse than counting the people. That’s how we see things. How we see things is not how God sees them.

Third, there is a limit to punishment. “Relax your hand,” meant stop. David would not do this again. This is a hard lesson for parents and for churches. There is a time for correction. The goal is to change hearts that will change behavior. Crossing the line, not relaxing your hand, can destroy the spirit and the hope in a person. Getting even is never the goal in discipline. A person can never get exactly even. It never works out that way. Eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, leaves both parties blind and toothless. There is an expression from Nigeria that says, “When two elephants fight, the grass suffers.” Lessons learned, it was time for the angel to relax his hand.

Fourth, over and over in the Bible we see the power of God. Here an angel waving his hand was able to kill 70,000 people. One angel. All the first born in Egypt were killed by the Lord. In one night, the angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Syrians. Those numbers are staggering to us. Each person was a soul. Each person had a story. Each person likely had a family and was loved by someone. This is a side of God that our happy society doesn’t understand nor believe in. To a world that is drunk on happiness, God is always smiling. Raise a beer to God in tribute, is the thinking of moderns. God doesn’t care what we do, as long as we occasionally tip our hat His way, is the way most live. God is on call if you need Him, but He won’t interfere with your life, just go and have a good time. The God of the Old Testament, some believe changed. The New Testament God is kinder, nicer and more mellow. How shallow, dumb and wrong this thinking is. God has not changed. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever. He’s not looking the other way when we do wrong. He’s not patting us on the head and saying, “Aren’t the cute.” Where does that thinking come from? Certainly, not the Bible. God expects righteousness and holiness. He expects us to obey Him. He wants us to walk with Him, not just when we feel like it, nor when it’s easy for us.

Daniel in a foreign land continued to pray to God. Peter, when told not to preach Jesus any more, continued to preach Jesus. Following God isn’t always easy nor convenient. Holiness is much more important than our happiness. Much of what folks say makes them happy, is wrong stuff anyway.

Fifth, often what seems good to us is not right with the Lord. Numbering the nation seemed good to David. It took nearly a year to do it. But it was not what the Lord wanted. This is why Isaiah’s words ring so true, “My ways are not your ways…” How you and I would do things may not be what the Lord authorizes. This is why we must stay close to the book, know His will and do things as He says.

Relax your hand. I wonder if the Lord would say that to us.

• Relax your heart, and allow Me to take over your burdens
• Relax your fears and enjoy the creation I made for you
• Relax your pushing others and let My word do what it can. It is powerful.
• Relax from beating yourself up with guilt and allow Me to forgive you

Relax your hand! Once again, we see that God is in charge. He always is.

Roger