There is no other word in the English language quite as harsh as the word no. It is short, blunt, and carries a message that is never popular. There are in depth studies that discuss how to properly introduce the word into the vocabulary of toddlers, realizing that the word can be improperly used to wield high levels of negativity and control. I’ve also heard that for every time you use the word no in a leadership and management setting that you should use a positive word or phrase multiple times to offset the psychological negativity it carries. So why all the fuss over two simple letters? Well, it’s the extremely unpopular message it carries.
No one likes to be told no. Growing up, you want something from your parents and when they tell you no, it stings deep inside. You want something from your spouse and a firm no can carry quite the harsh blow. You want a yes from your boss and instead you get a firm simple no, and it can hurt for weeks. The power of the word no holds the power of denial of the very things that we personally desire. And to be told we can’t have what we want, well come on, that’s just un-American. We live in a society, nay, a world, that says that we should all be allowed to have anything we want. And anyone telling us no, well that's asking for a fight.
But what about when the no comes from the big guy upstairs? What if the no comes from Almighty God? I have struggled with this greatly in my life, especially when I thought I was firmly on the path He had for me. Yet, there it was towering in front of me, the letters N and O, seemingly a hundred feet tall. And there seemed to be no way around them. I’ve talked to people that were so confident in their decision for God that when a no from God came across their telegraph, it greatly damaged their walk with Christ. God's yes was so certain in their mind that God’s no struck a blow that did massive damage to their understanding of how God operates. I mean, if it seems right and good to us, then why wouldn’t God emphatically give His yes?
1 Chronicles 17 carries just such a situation. David has brought the ark of God back into Jerusalem after a 60 year hiatus. David has been officially named the king of a newly united Israelite empire and as king he has been afforded a new house. Cedar was greatly prized and valued in this era and David had the best cedar brought in from neighboring Lebanon. David was living in God provided luxury as the Ark came strolling into town. And in a passage that touches my soul, we see why God tells us that David had a heart after His own.
“After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under a tent." 1 Chronicles 17:1
David is living in luxury; he is on easy street. God has brought him a long way from living in caves as he’s chased by Saul. But as the Ark of God is carried into town that day, it is not placed in a house, it is put in a tent. David is living in a house of fine hewn cedar while the Ark that holds the very presence of God is covered in thin wispy linen. This settles into David’s heart. It gives him great pause. He yearns to always do good for God. He sees a need of God and as a servant of the Lord, his goal is to fill those needs. David decides to build a house for the Ark of God.
Now up to this point, the story is amazing, it makes great sense, and it seems that it is going to greatly honor, worship and glorify God. But God says no. I can’t imagine David’s face as his gesture of worship and service towards God is greeted with those two letters, N – O.
“But that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying: “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build me a house to dwell in.” 1 Chronicles 17:3-4
You see, God had enabled David to be a man of war. A great warrior capable of doing what God had built him to do, conquer, and kill those that defiantly stood opposed to Almighty God and His people. And God planned to have a man of peace build his house, and that would be David’s son, Solomon. (1 Chronicles 22:8-10) But the greatest part of the story for me, involves David handling God’s no. He doesn’t sulk. He doesn’t get angry. He doesn’t backslide in his walk with God, somehow thinking that if he turns his back on God it will equalize things. No, David handles God’s no with such grace and humility that again, it’s clear to see how his heart beat along with God’s.
“So David commanded to gather the aliens who were in the land of Israel; and he appointed masons to cut hewn stones to build the house of God. And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails of the doors of the gates and for the joints, and bronze in abundance beyond measure, and cedar trees in abundance; for the Sidonians and those from Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.” 1 Chronicles 22:2-4
If God said no to David building his temple then he would do the next best thing, he would assemble every single bit of construction material and have it ready for his son Solomon. David took God’s no and in submission, grace and humility, saw it as nothing more than an opportunity to serve God in a new and unique way. In assembling this mass of materials, David greatly sped the temple building process along. God’s no was not a no to serving Him at all, just a yes to serving Him in a different way.
You will get a no from God at some point, how will you handle it? Will you accept it and let it gracefully meander your course around whatever obstacles God sees, or will you let that no cause you to become bitter and resentful of the course change? Take a page out of 1 Chronicles and the example of a man that had a heart after God. Look at God’s no not as a negative instance, but instead as an opportunity to hear from God and allow your life to be moved in a direction that He desires. For it is only in this way that you can walk in the very footsteps that He has created just for your feet to follow.
May God richly bless your walk with Him in the new year.
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