Rest in the Perfect King

Hey, good morning, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions.

This morning we are at 1 Chronicles chapter 14.

Just a couple verses this morning about King David and kind of his family life in Jerusalem.

So, let's have some coffee, we'll pray, and we'll find out how do things go for David and kind of the mixed bag he is.

Let's pray. Coffee first, and then we'll pray.

Lord, we thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to read your word.

And Father, we pray that as we read it, your Holy Spirit would please teach us.

Help us, Lord, to understand it. Help us to live it. Help us to walk in your ways.

Lord, you are such a wonderful God.

And we thank you for your kindness towards us every day, every morning as new.

Help us, Lord, to comprehend and to live. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Here we go. We are at 1 Chronicles chapter 14.

Just the first couple verses this morning.

Now, Hiram, king of Tyre, sent messengers to David and cedar trees with masons and carpenters

to build him a house.

So David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel.

For his kingdom was highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.

Then David took more wives in Jerusalem.

And David begot more sons and daughters.

And these are the names of his children whom he had in Jerusalem.

In the reading there.

So let's go ahead and ask ourselves our ABCs.

A, what is this about?

B, what's the best verse to summarize this in?

See, what are we called to do in response to these words?

So A, what is this about?

Well, you have two sections here, right?

Verses 1 and 2 is talking about the Lord establishing David in Jerusalem.

The Lord is inclining Hiram, king of Tyre, right?

That's just to the north.

He's going to send down all sorts of cedar logs and masons.

And he's essentially paying for David's palace in Jerusalem.

And so here, that's what we find.

And David knew, right?

When this happens, he knows that the Lord is establishing his throne.

For the Lord had established him as king over Israel.

For his kingdom was highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.

Why was the Lord doing this?

It wasn't doing it for David per se, but it was for the good of his people.

But then we find in verses 3 through 7, something that goes directly against God's law.

We find in David not a perfect man, but we find a real person.

We find David taking more wives.

This is directly against Deuteronomy chapter 17, verse 17.

God had specifically said they weren't to number horses or chariots or multiply their wealth

or multiply wives.

And yet, this is exactly what David is doing here.

It's setting up this precedence.

This thinking that somehow you're going to establish your own throne

and you're going to have your own prestige.

You're going to have your own harem.

You're going to do all these things.

And that's how you're going to become great.

And the Lord just says it, right?

This is one of the things we have to wrestle with with the Bible.

It's just real history.

It just says what it is.

We don't need to whitewash it.

This was wrong of David.

David is a man after God's own heart, and yet he's not perfect.

God is establishing the good for his people, and yet David is messing up.

So, that's what's going on here, right?

David's throne is established.

Hiram is sending the workers to build his palace.

David is increasing in his prestige by gaining wives and children.

So, what's the best verse to underline?

Well, in my Bible, I have verse 2, right?

So, David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel,

for his kingdom was highly exalted for the sake of his people, Israel.

So, now we have to ask ourselves, see, calling, what are we called to do, right?

Well, I think we could take this in moral ways and say, right, well, we shouldn't be multiplying wives.

We should also be careful about the ways in which the world wants to see prestige and pride and establishing of roles.

Hold on.

How does the Lord want us to operate?

Humility?

Love?

According to righteousness?

But I think there's something I want to encourage you with here as well.

And that David is a type of Christ, but he's not Christ.

David shows us imperfect types and shadows of somebody better to come.

Thank God he didn't wait for a perfect king to try to care for and establish his people,

but he gave David.

He also gave us all sorts of fallible father figures, fallible rulers, fallible leaders,

because none of us are perfect.

And yet, and yet, God did send his perfect one, Jesus Christ, his own son.

The one who would come from the line of David and would be king, king of righteousness.

Adonai Tzaddik.

He himself would be the Lord of righteousness.

He is the Lord of righteousness.

And so, we follow him.

And so, maybe even this past week, people wanted to talk to me about this at church.

All sorts of people worried about different things on the political spectrum.

Praise God.

We're citizens of this kingdom.

God works through even people in this life.

And yet, we know that our king reigns.

And so, we don't put our trust in earthly princes who will disappoint us and fail us

and often go on their own power plays.

But we rest in Jesus Christ and his perfect righteousness.

Let's pray.

Father, we thank you so much for giving us Jesus Christ, our king, our head,

the one who is above all rulers and principalities, every president and prime minister.

We thank you for giving us our king.

Father, we thank you that he is perfect, that he is just, that he is righteous.

And thank you that he is our Lord and our Savior.

God, you are so good to us.

Thank you.

In Jesus' name, amen.

May God bless you as you trust in Jesus Christ and as you follow after him.

I'll see you next time.

Bye.