Uriah the Hittite: Close Friend?

While reading this morning is 1st Chronicles 11, I was came across the list of “David’s Mighty Men”.  According verse 10 they were described as, “…heads of the mighty men whom David had, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel.”  Basically they were some of David’s biggest supports to help him take the throne of Israel.  Many of these men traveled with David, fought with David and even helped supply his basic needs (see 1st Chronicles 11:15-19).

The first 10 chapters of 1st Chronicles will pretty much put you to sleep with the massive lists of tribe, family trees, etc.  Every once and while reading a name will pop up of importance.  In the list of David’s mighty men, the name Uriah the Hittite appeared.  Does that name sound familiar?  Well it should, it is the same Uriah the Hittite the husband of Bathsheba.

One of David’s greatest faults was with women.  The story of Uriah and Bathsheba is no exception.  We all know the story as played out in 2nd Samuel 11.  But learning that Uriah was one of David’s close companions, his neighbor and possibly a good friend was a surprise for me.  It’s one thing to sleep with some chick you see bathing on the rooftop.  It’s another level of adultery when it’s your friend’s wife.  Please don’t read too much into this statement.  All forms of adultery are sin.  But to sleep with your friend’s wife, then murder him. That’s low!

I guess the point of this post it two-fold.  One is I learned something new and felt like sharing.  You may have already known the history of Uriah the Hittite.  Secondly is to point out that we always need to guard ourselves from the temptation of sin.  Most extramarital affairs that I’ve heard and know about happen between close friends.  Whether it’s co-workers, neighbors, church members, it all too often happens between people who already know each other well.  We need to do all that we can to protect ourselves from such attacks.   Our marriages, families and our reputations as followers of Christ is on the line.

So the question for today is this, what are some ways that we can protect our marriages?  Feel free to share your tips in the comments section.

 

 

Forgiveness

Recently there has been a song on Christian radio that I’ve heard before but didn’t pay attention to the lyrics until last night. The song is 7 x 70 by Chris August. The song started playing and the connection to me and my life hit me like a ton of bricks.

We’ve all been let down, disappointed, and maybe even abandoned by the ones we love.  God’s answer is not vengeance, revenge, or hatred.  God’s only solution to those situations is forgiveness.  Below is the music video that speaks to this idea of forgiveness.

The last set of lyrics really ring true for me:

I lost count of the ways you let me down
But no matter how many times you weren’t around
I’m alright now…cause
God picked up my heart and helped me through
And shined light on the one thing left to do
And that’s forgive you, I forgive you

The challenge for today is the challenge that Chris August gives us… will you say, “I’ll do what it takes to make it right”?  Who can you offer forgiveness to?

My Kids: Let Mercy Lead

There are some artists and some songs that are timeless.  Their message is pure and it’s central to the heart of God.  One song that I was listening to last night that fits into this category is a song by Rich Mullins called Let Mercy Lead. 

As a parent we want to teach, train and equip our children for life.  We want to give them every mean necessary for success.  We want to look back and know they we gave our children our all and we didnt’ hold back.  I realized something last night, no matter how much of myself I give my children, it will never be enough.  Why?  Because I’m flawed.  I have my own issues and my own problems and if I gave them 100% I would just be passing down the good and the bad, and I don’t want this for my children.  I want to give them more than that. 

And that’s where Rich Mullin”s song comes in. 

Me and your mom
And all the love we have
We can only take you so far
As far as we can
But you’ll need something more to guide your heart
As you grow into a man

My kids need more than my love to help them grow into the adults God wants them to be.  They need Mercy.  And Jesus Christ is Mercy.  And I need to give them the one thing that can fill all their needs, give them peace that surpasses all understanding, and allow my children to use their gifts to the fullest.  That one thing is Christ!

Let mercy lead
Let love be the strength in your legs
And in every footprint that you leave
There’ll be a drop of grace

I want Christ to be the strength in their legs, and grace to ooze out of every action, every thought, and every word.  I want to let Mercy lead in my life that it may be one thing I pass to my children.