Human Complexity, Divine Simplicity

Ann Ratcliff

Midland Seventh day Adventist Church

May 29, 2010

As always when I stand up here as the one with the message for the morning, I feel so privileged and humbled to speak with you. I also feel the burden of responsibility to you all. So will you pray with me? Heavenly Father, thank you so much for the lives of the people of the Bible who have gone before us, of the people who have stood tall in answer to your message in spite of sin and darkness in their lives. We draw upon those people to help show us the way you have prepared for us. May we leave here with a better understanding of your love. Amen.

I have just been to a conference about teaching and learning and how best to educate the current generation of college students. We learned that they are very tech savvy, having been brought up with computer technology, video games, and cell phones. They want immediate access to all things; they communicate with friends and relatives constantly—they are the texting generation. They have not been raised with a lot of competition because building self esteem was import in their early curriculum. So in their little league games or their soccer games it is not uncommon for no one to keep score; thus there would be no winners or losers; everyone got ‘participation’ ribbons for the science fair project or the essay project so no one would feel badly if they didn’t win first prize. Everybody is a winner in their world! And because of this, they are fairly self assured and often come across to some of us older folks as ‘entitled’ to things, particularly the good grades they need. Perhaps some you parents can resonate with this. Perhaps some of you have someone like this living in your house or in the dorms you send them to. 

I have been teaching for around 25 years and have seen a fair amount of students come through my classes. I have been an adult living in the world for around 45 some odd years and I know one thing for sure: most folks of any generation I come in contact with have a bit of trouble accepting that part of the Gospel message that says God loves you unconditionally and accepts you now, today, just as you are.

Yes, we say to ourselves that God is a loving Heavenly Father; He knows every hair on our heads. We grew up singing Jesus Loves Me and today we sang Love Divine. But living in this world with all its distractions, don’t we just feel a bit inadequate, a bit unworthy, a bit imperfect, a bit, well, sinful? Don’t we feel, maybe other people might know this truth in their lives but I’m just not there; I need to get it together, clean up my act. I need to sit down and really think this idea out and understand it better. We feel that this love of God for us, for us individually, for us today, right now is really not quite true yet after the deeds we’ve done, the deeds we’ve left undone, the thoughts we’ve had, the thoughtlessness we’ve manifested. It is a wonderful idea, this concept that God loves us unconditionally and we do not deserve it, all we need to do is accept it wholeheartedly right now, today even if we left the dirty dishes in the sink or didn’t make our bed or didn’t yet thank God for this Sabbath day. This wonderful idea, as much as we want to believe it and embrace it is much more difficult than it seems isn’t it? Why, if you pay attention to the closing hymn we are still asking the question: ‘Amazing love, how can it be that thou my Lord should die for me? Who can explore his strange design?’

        So… I have posed a problem for us haven’t I? And I know what you would tell me if I spoke to you individually about this. You would say, ‘Ann, you need to pray about this. Take this to God in prayer. You need to seek counsel in the Word of God; go to the Bible. See what it says.’ Good advice. And I have done both of those things so let me tell you what I have discovered.

It is really helpful to me to look for Biblical characters that help to illustrate the complexities of human nature. To look for people that despite all their proclivities were in fact chosen by God to be a model for us for good and grand things but also to be a model of us —to manifest some of the characteristics that we can relate to as humans—like jealously, lust, anger, remorse etc. Those are the Biblical characters that inspire me.

        It was pointed out to me that David would be a good example to illustrate my point today. My point is that God loves us individually; He really does. He accepts us unconditionally in spite of our sinful nature. You see when David was good, he was very good; he wrote beautiful poetry, he was a musician, he was a courageous soldier who led many a victory, he was a King, a great leader. When David was bad, he was very bad; he was a murderer, he was a liar, he was fickle, he neglected his family, he committed adultery. But even so, according to Samuel, David was said to have been a man after God’s own heart.

The story of David and Mephibosheth is one story where we can hold David up as an example of a wonderful model of God’s love for us. Clyde read this story to us in Second Samuel verse 9.

So in this story, David is now king of Israel. At this point he is fairly secure on the throne which wasn’t always the case. As you recall, David and his predecessor Saul had no love lost for one another. Saul was a jealous man and spent lots of time and energy trying to kill David. But there’s a wrinkle. You see, David was really tight with Saul’s son Jonathan. They just clicked. He and Jonathon pledged their loyalty to one another—Read in First Samuel chapter 18 verse three, ‘Then Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul.’ And there were times that Jonathan literally saved David’s life.

So many years later when David was king, recalling this loyalty pledge, David decided to pay tribute of the house of Saul and Jonathan, and so he asks “Is there still any anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” Well, yes there was, by the way—there was a son left of Jonathan. His name was Mephibosheth, BUT, we gotta tell you David about this guy –something you need to know up front about Mephibosheth. He’s not uh, well, he can’t get around so well; Frankly he is lame in his feet. David apparently didn’t bat an eye saying “Where is he?...Send him to me.” So Mephibosheth came to the court. He was a bit taken aback; a bit nervous. After all Mephibosheth was in the direct line to the throne form Saul and here was David sitting on the throne. Of course it was the custom for Kings to get rid of anyone that also had a legitimate claim on the throne. So Mephibosheth arrived with not a little bit of fear and trepidation. But David says to him, ”Do not fear for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”  What David essentially did with this one sentence was to provide for Mephibosheth, this crippled fugitive, for rest of his life. What a kind thing that was, wasn’t it? And Mephibosheth was really grateful.

        There is a backstory that makes this more than just about David being Mr. Nice Guy. First of all, back to Saul, David’s predecessor, and his son Jonathan, David’s friend. Saul and David had a ‘checkered’ relationship. At first Saul was solicitous of David; he had David as a boy stay at court and play music to sooth him. Soon Saul hears of David’s exploits on the battlefield. The cheers of the people in praise of David fan the flames of jealousy and anger in Saul. Over the following years, Saul tried to kill David at least 6 times.     

        Finally David realized he could never again trust Saul, so the left the service of King Saul and became essentially a fugitive and marauder.

In time Saul was killed along with his sons including Jonathan, and when David heard the news, he mourned for his dear friend Jonathan. But Saul’s sympathizers put one of his sons, Ishbosheth, on the throne of Israel and Ishbosheth competed with David for the throne of Judah for about 7 and a half years. Finally, when David was about 37 years old, and had several wives and sons himself, he assumed kingship over the whole nation. Whew!

So now David is King. David had great plans for Israel. He captured Jerusalem from the Jebusites and resettled the capitol there. He made plans to bring the Ark of the Covenant back to the tent sanctuary. He laid plans for a permanent temple for the Ark. He expanded his territories into surrounding lands. His stature and prosperity increased as did the nation as a whole.

So in the midst of these plans and accomplishments and his own expanding family, why would David remember this boyhood promise to Jonathon? For one thing, David and Jonathon were young and idealistic—who really keeps the promises you make when you were young? For another thing, Jonathon’s father was a real nemesis to David so why be kind to his successors? For another thing years had passed—Mephibosheth was only five with his father Jonathon was killed and now we know he had at least one child of his own in his exile. Plus, we know that David had a country to govern, an army to lead; how could he be involved in such small matters as a boyhood promise? Furthermore, Mephibosheth was hard to find. After all, he was a legitimate heir to the throne and so he and the rest of his family had headed for the hills to lay low. It seems counter intuitive that David would call a potential contender for his throne to come up for a friendly visit.

 But despite all this, David remembered Jonathan saying to him in first Samuel 20: 14-15, “and you shall not only show me the kindness of the Lord, while I still live, that I may not die; but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no not when the Lord has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”  Well, Jonathon had died and years later as King, David remembered that promise.

So now David is King. And Mephibosheth has arrived at this court. Mephibosheth, the lame son of Jonathon came when David called. Mephibosheth, the fugitive, hiding out in fear of first, the Philistines, then in fear of David. Perhaps, what he feared most was coming to pass—David’s people found him and brought him to court. His life was at the mercy of David the King. But David says to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathon your father’s sake; and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather, and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”

Mephibosheth knew little kindness. He was a cripple and a fugitive living always in danger of being found and killed primarily because of his family connections and physical disability. But now, now in this one sentence his life was changed. David had essentially granted Mephibosheth a life long pension; made him a land holder and person of wealth. It was a magnificent gift and totally unexpected. David had not only provided for Mephibosheth but honored him by putting him on par with his own sons ‘at my table’ so to speak. Mephibosheth was truly humbled and grateful. He did nothing to deserve this generous gift. This gift was beyond his imagination; more than he ever needed. He really had no way to thank David properly.

So David is King, and in this story, he is a model of God’s love and loyalty to us. In the midst of God’s greatness, his glory, his omnipotence etc. etc. he remembers his covenant with his people. With us humans who think we don’t deserve anything so great, who are unsightly sinful —rather lame if you will. Plus we have no way to adequately thank God for such a life changing gift as his love and acceptance.  

Yet, David’s story is not the only one where we can be sure of God’s love and loyalty to us. Think about Abraham and Sarah. Think about Noah and the rainbow. Think about Hosea and Gomer. Think about Elizabeth.  Think about Lot.

It is simple; divine simplicity. Know that God will always do what he says even though it seems too good to be true for us. He is not ashamed of us;   He does love us and bids us to come to his table just as we are—now, today. Moses tells us in Deuteronomy 7:9 “Therefore know that the Lord your God He is God the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep his commandments.”

Pray with me—“Oh God, thank you for the good news of your Gospel truth. Help us to take hold of it with both hands and live it as you would have us do. Amen”

Benediction: Our heavenly Father,

Thank you for providing the Way for us. Grant us the knowhow, the courage, and stamina to walk in it during all the days of our lives. Amen