I sit here this morning to study and write in a strange place. Our home is now empty and ready to rent, as a result, I am in a new environment. Praise be to God, a generous individual has offered us a place in which to stay while we patiently wait for our now
postponed missions board training. As I settle in, I realize I had been studying and writing in the same identical environment for almost 3 years. Just today do I realize what a creature of habit I am. My Bible doesn’t sit in the same place, the lighting is different, my chair sits lower, the coffee even tastes a little different. But praise the Lord, one thing has not changed. The God of the universe still offers to meet with me and gently whisper His wisdom into my ear.
As we were getting our home “rent ready” we had to do a few small minor things. Add a smoke detector, modify a safety latch on the front door, and ensure that all exterior doors had a peep hole. Our front door already had one but the door to the garage being considered and exterior access door did not, so it’s going to get a brand new shiny one this week. You know what’s funny about peep holes? What’s on the other side. As your doorbell rings, you get up and you look through that peep hole and what your eyes see on the other side sends your brain an instant message. Am I excited about seeing this person or not? Come on, be honest, you’ve done this. (Don’t worry, I won’t judge you, Jesus tells me not to) You see a face through that peep hole at your front door and almost instantly your brain sends a message. Am I excited or not? If you’re honest, there’s been times you think, oh man, I really don’t want to do this right now. You’ve had a visit from an unwanted visitor.
Chapter 2 of 1 Kings is a big chapter with a lot going on. David dies, Solomon takes the throne and immediately Solomon has to deal with major kingly duties. You see, anytime a change in kings takes place, drama ensues. We saw that at least three men already made a major move for the throne while David was alive and it will only continue after he dies. Players will continue to test the waters of the new king. But David being the man he was, does not leave his son Solomon unprepared. In one of the most beautiful speeches recorded in scripture, David gives Solomon wise advice that will gift any heart the same benefit. If you haven’t read David’s blessing yet, do yourself a favor. (1 Kings 1-4) David tells his son, the new king, be strong, be a man, keep the laws of the Lord. Walk in His ways, keep His statutes, His commandments, His rules, and His testimonies as it is clearly given to you in His written Word. David promises Solomon that by doing these things God will honor the same promise that was given to Him so many years ago. The promise to the father will ring true to the son if the son looks to God in all He does. Did you know that this same promise extends to you today? Yep, God still promises us today that if we put Him first in all we do, He will do the rest.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33
But David also gives some other odd advice to Solomon, a warning. David had many enemies and through a show of great grace and mercy he had spared them from their betrayal. But friends, we’re told that a horse doesn’t change its color, and David carefully informs and warns Saul of these men. For you see, men with evil in their hearts rarely cease to show their true colors. David feels certain that after He is gone to Heaven, Solomon will have some unwanted visitors to make a claim on the throne.
Sure enough, the first to call is his older brother Adonijah. Recall that he has already tried to take the throne and David averted the coup through the warning of loyal friends. Adonijah asks for the hand of one of David’s concubines and he even asks Solomon’s mother Bathsheba, not being brave enough to ask Solomon directly. Solomon, knowing that a common tactic to undermine the throne is to take over the prior king’s harem, spotted the ploy immediately and His brother is the first of three unwanted visitors to perish in this chapter. Joab the loyal but disobedient general of David’s armies is next. As his sins come to visit him, Joab hides in the temple clinging to the horns of the altar, hoping the Holy Place alone will save Him from his debauchery. Not so. Shimei was still loyal to Saul and had given David much trouble. Solomon, showing the same mercy of his father put Shimei under house arrest in Jerusalem with orders not to leave. Only after he purposely left, was he put to death.
So just as David said, Solomon received some unwanted visitors. The evil men that tried the father also tried the son. Evil hearts continued to do what evil hearts do, sew evil. But what about the flip side of this coin. What about Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei? What do you think they were thinking as their sins continued to hound them and find them out, even from David’s son? You know, we have a nasty habit of thinking that time will somehow erase the severity of our sin. That somehow if we are careful enough, we can wait out and miss the full penalty of our wrongs against God and others. But just like looking through that peep hole, one day you will look out and see that age old sin standing at your front door, looking you in the eye.
We see two very different lives in our chapter. We see the life of David ending and we see nary a mention of his sins of adultery and murder. We then see the lives of three men that continue to pay the penalty for their sins until the very death those sins bring. What is the difference between David and Joab? What is the difference between David and Shimei? Or Adonijah? One word…
Repentance.
Folks, we all sin, that’s a fact of life. It’s what you do with that sin that makes the difference in a life. If you stole my car today (which would be hard because I don’t own a car right now) and wrecked it, I would expect a few things from you. I would first expect a very sincere, heartfelt apology. What you did was wrong, and I would hope that you could offer sincere regret for the wrong you had done. Next, I would expect repentance, that is, a promise that would never do it again. I mean, if you said you were sorry and then stole my car again on Tuesday, the apology was pointless. Folks, all sin is directly against God and it hurts Him greatly. He wants good for us and He knows the damaging effects that our sin has in our life. As any good father would, He want us to live a life as free from harm, danger and damage as possible. And we do that through avoidance of as much sin as we can. And when we do stumble into sin, we must admit it, ask forgiveness, and repent of that sin immediately. If not, that sin, until properly dealt with, will come visit at your front door until it is.
Today, clean up your visitor list. Get rid of all that old sin that has been hounding your life for untold years. There is no expiration date on God’s forgiveness, he can forgive all sin, anytime. Go to God today and confess all your sins, be honest, spill your guts. God is rich in mercy and so ready to forgive. And in doing so, you will ensure that the next time the doorbell of your heart rings, it will not be an unwanted visitor but one that you will revel in seeing.
If you are reading this, you are bring prayed for.
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