Our Heritage

Written on Nov 3, 2008

I've been reading through the bible chronologically lately and right now i'm reading through 2 samuel, 1 chronicles and the psalms...basically through the life of David.  Right now I'm at the part of David's life when his son Absalom has risen against him and David was basically forced to leave Jersualem or be killed when Absalom arrived to take the throne.  David and his household travelled a ways away and have been hiding out, and i've discovered that this is when some of David's most heartfelt psalms seem to have been written. 

 I've known before that he wrote some pretty powerful stuff while he was being chased by Saul, but i've never gone through a reading before that has shown me what psalms were written at what stages of his life.  I don't know why i'm surprised by this though.  It makes sense that if your own son was trying to kill you and take over your kingdom that that would be a pretty dark place for you...but also an incredible place to hear and learn from God..to call out to him and to rely on his strength.  It's not often a place that many of us yearn to be or rejoice when we are there..but sometimes i think that though God does not desire us to be in pain, he does love the places that our pain bring us..and that's to complete surrender and abandonment to the God of the universe.  A place that we should be dwelling in daily, but a lot of times lose sight of when living in blessing.  I think that's also the power that is held in fasting.  When we not only purposefully deny ourselves our comfort for our Lord, but intentionally make ourselves weak so he can make himself strong.  Maybe that is why there is so many good things that come from fasting...we are intentionally bringing ourselves to that dependance on God instead of Him having to bring us there.   

But i digress...

Today i was reading palm 61, and there is a verse there that says "you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name".  I thought about what that meant for a minute in David's life.  I thought about his life before becoming a king...as a shepard who tended flocks in the middle of nowhere for his family.  His immediate family who wasn't necessarily well known, or a considered spiritual giants of his time in any way...but David still talks about his heritage of people who fear God's name.

 I think so often we can only see the immediate around us.  When i think of my heritage I often only think of my parents...maybe my grandmother too, but that's about it.  But when i sat back and think about what David meant by his heritage it occurred to me that what he was probably talking about was the heritage of Israel...of Abraham Isaac and Jacob who feared God's name and paved the way for the Israelites to be God's chosen people.  Of Moses who went against the ordinary and led these Israelites to their God appointed destiny.  Of the thousands of Israelites that wondered through the deserts for so many years being forced to rely on God's providence.  

That is David's heritage. 

Not his immediate family, but everything that had transpired through his nation from Abraham up until his current time.  From wondering through deserts, being in captivity and turning from God, to seeing him part the red sea, demonstrate unimaginable miracles and curses and  using the unlikeliest of people. 

It made me think...what is my heritage.  Certainly my family...but also so much more than that.  Where we are today, especially in America, it's hard for us to think about how God has worked through one people group like he did the Israelites.  But if you think, just from the time Jesus was on earth about the heritage you have been given by the people that have known and loved God and worshipped him spirit and in truth...it can be pretty staggering.  Sure we've had people distort the truth of the Father and not understand who he is...but so did the Israelites.  We've also seen miraculous wonderful things  happen from people calling on His name.  We've had nations built on his name.  So many people groups who have no way of surviving outside of the help of others have been benefited by Christians demonstrating the love of Christ to others.   People have homes and families and safety and food and love because of our heritage.  

THAT IS A BIG HERITAGE PEOPLE!!!   

 

We have been given the heritage of those who fear God's name.  That is a big deal.  And as we go into these elections tomorrow...so many unsure of what the future of our country holds for us, we can take comfort in knowing that we have been given the heritage of those who fear His name.  And we have a seriously big God.  Even if the world seems to fall down around us...we still have an enormous God.  And if he brought the Israelites out of Egypt, he can help the state of our country...He can rescue us from the possibility of a corrupt leader.  He can give us protection from the evils of the world.  We just have to remember those who have feared his name...and do it ourselves.  

We have a big God.