More than a business deal

Ruth 4:1-7

Now Gentiles and folks from the United States might have a harder time getting our arms around this chapter.  It has many terms that do not fit our social understanding, and especially our culture.  Removing a brother-in-law's sandal and spitting in his face, or taking your sandals off and giving them to the other man to seal a legal agreement, we do not understand these customs today.  What about getting the land and a younger wife in the deal but being required by Levitical Law to give the children born to her another man’s name and the title to his land that you received in the agreement?

We do understand that Boaz is a man of integrity and a kinsman of Naomi and her dead husband and sons.  We also know that Ruth the daughter-in-law has found favor with Boaz but he cannot redeem her for another man holds a closer relationship to Naomi.  Let’s continue the account in chapter 4 of the book of Ruth verses 1- 6, “Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. ² And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. ³ Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. ⁴ So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you ^[a] will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.” ⁵ Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth ^[b] the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” ⁶ Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

It sounds like at first it was just a business deal and yet as he got more information the social cost was too high and he backed out of the deal.  The sad news about  “Mr. So in so” is that we never hear of him again, yet Boaz and Ruth were in the lineage of both King David and Jesus.  If we go back to Deuteronomy 25:5-10 we grasp how serious it was to propagate your family members wife so that she has a future and her husband’s name is passed on.  This is not a requirement in the USA, in fact having two or more wives will get you in a lot of trouble.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Knowing a man's Character

Ruth 2:12-18

Yesterday we evesdropped on Ruth and her mother-in-law’s conversation an also listened to what Ruth and Boaz talked about around midnight, so shall we enjoy the remainder of their discussion.

The first speaker is Boaz, and then Naomi and Ruth have the least input in these conversations, enjoy.  “And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I.  Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.”  You have to like Boaz, a man who values Ruth’s love for her mother-in-law, who was willing to come to a foreign country, leave her friends and family and work in the fields gleaning grain, putting her safety aside to support her mother-in-law, who is not a fun person to live with.  She is also a risk taker in that much could have gone wrong in following Naomi’s advice.

So she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” And he said, “Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city. And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did you fare, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her, saying, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, ‘You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’” She replied, “Wait, my daughter until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.”

I do believe Naomi knew the character of her close relative Boaz, who first and foremost was a man of honor, and what he did in the darkness would hold up in the light.  Yes, he was a man of integrity and a man who valued his workers and was a take-charge businessman who made things happen.  Verse 18, makes this very clear; ” She replied, “Wait, my daughter until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Why Can Others and I Cannot?

March 27, 2018

Mark 8:22-26

Have you ever ask why can others and I cannot, did you get a good answer?  As a young child, I was often told you could not go there, or do that, and our come back was why, you know Gary’s mother, and dad let him do so?  If you had my mom or dad you knew what the reply was going to be; you do not have Gary’s mom or dad you’re not to do so.  Not the answer one is looking for, and I ‘ve found as an adult I often did the same thing with my daughter.

Today as we look at Luke’s account of Jesus healing a blind man in Bethsaida, now Bethsaida is the hometown of Philip, Andrew, and Peter.  Now Bethsaida is on the northeastern shore, or the Sea of Galilee and Jesus and the twelve disciples had just come on the beach when some friends brought a blind man to him and begged Him to touch him so he would be able to see.  Mark has spent eight chapters on many accounts, but this is the first blind person healed he has told us about. 

This is the account; ^“And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him.  And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?”  And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.  And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”

Jesus took him by the hand and led him out of the village, and one must wonder why?  Why not heal this man in front of the entire village why outside, why not allow his faithful friends to come along, I do not know, and the Scriptures are quiet on why.  Something else happens we are not told why that the first healing did not do the trick.  But this is my most significant why is when Jesus sent him to his home and commanded the man who had been blind and can now see clearly to go home but “Do not even enter the village.”

We are not told what the man did, but one must believe he did what Jesus told him to do, and that brings up my last why, then why do you and I not do the same?  From birth, we have been under the control of sin, but when Jesus reached out His hand and by faith, He gave us we entered into His saving grace and was set free from sin’s control.  Yes, we were blind to sins control, but now we see clearly, then why do we not do as Jesus commanded us to do?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A mother-in-laws counsel

Ruth 2:15-23

Have you ever worked for a person who made it very clear what they expected of your performance?  I have, and I’ve also worked for the one that gives no direction and little guidelines about what they expect, the latter of the two bosses never fail to tell you that you did not meet their expectations.  Boaz was the kind of boss I liked; he made it very clear what his expectations were.  Look with me at verses 15-16, “When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”

Ruth would not be called the woman of the year in 2018 and she would be looked down on by the liberal women’s movement as someone whose elevator does not go to the top floor.  She should be back home living off mom and dad, or even better have a string of kids outside of marriage and getting paid very well for doing so by the welfare system.  She would not be honored, nor thought of favorably as Ruth was by those who knew of her actions.  And we find nowhere that she was out telling any one of her acts of kindness toward her mother-in-law.

When she came home that day with the grain she had gathered, she had about 26 quarts of barley.  I read this was enough grain to feed a workingman for several weeks, and Naomi knew picking up the grain that was left after the harvesters would never allow for this much grain.  But Ruth was not through with the surprises, she also pulled out what she had left over from the meal and gave it to Naomi.

So Naomi, who understood much better than did Ruth the customs of the Jewish people, asked the following question.  We find her question in verse 19a, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.”  And Ruth replies in 19b, “So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” 

We are told all through Scripture to seek counsel, and Naomi is going to give Ruth some excellent counsel and insight into the man Boaz in verses 20-23. “And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the Lord, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.” And Ruth the Moabite said, “Besides, he said to me, ‘You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’” And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted.” So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Diligent, hard work impressed the Manager

Ruth 2:8-15

Ruth’s first encounter with Boaz is of interest, because he asked his manager over his harvest, “Whose young woman is this?”  And the manager replied; “she is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab.”   Now that answered the question but the manager was very impressed with her diligent, hard work in the hot sun, and he shared that with Boaz.

God allows us to overhear the conversation between Boaz and Ruth in verses 8-14.  “Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.” Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!” Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”

And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over.”

The Scripture does not imply this, but it seems to me the older man is a little smitten by this young Moabite woman, but maybe he was just moved by what was reported to him about what she had done for Naomi.  These are some points I would have missed; she no longer had to take time from work to make the long trip to the well because Boaz allowed her to drink from jars the young men had filled.  We also see Ruth’s response by prostrating herself as a show of respect to someone who is a social superior.  Naomi’s testimony that she left Bethlehem with a husband and sons and was full, and she came back empty, and Ruth went to the harvest empty and went home not just full, but with much to share.  You and I will always experience troubles in this life, and we have a choice to be like Naomi or Ruth, I choose to be a Ruth.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Use of Words

Ruth 2:1-7

I have often been wrong about many things, and the use of words is one of them, such words as “Luck or Lucky.”   One dictionary defines “Luck” in this way: “success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one's actions: it was just luck that the first kick went in | this charm was supposed to bring good luck.”  That is not valid for your life not based on a chance for there are no coincidences in God’s plan for your life. 

Now I’m not saying that you have not heard how Ruth lucked out being in Boaz’s field in that he was a man of integrity, but I say it had not one thing to do with luck, but it was God arranged.  It also looks like she was open season for the younger men because Boaz instructed them not to harm her or treat her harsh.

The Holman Christian Study Bible, on page 434 in notes, does an excellent job of defining gleaning, let me quote from them.  “The practice of gleaning allowed the poor to go through the fields after the harvesters, picking up the grain that was left behind, along with the grain that landowners were required to leave at the edges of their fields.”

Shall we continue the story of Ruth in verses 3-7, “So Ruth left and entered the field to gather grain behind the harvesters? She happened to be in the portion of land belonging to Boaz, who was from Elimelech’s family.  Later, when Boaz arrived from Bethlehem, he said to the harvesters, “The Lord be with you.” “The Lord bless you,” they replied.  Boaz asked his servant who was in charge of the harvesters, “Whose young woman is this?”  The servant answered, “She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab. She asked, ‘Will you let me gather fallen grain among the bundles behind the harvesters?’ She came and has remained from early morning until now, except that she rested a little in the shelter.”

The longer I live, the more I understand that relationships and character are the heart of God.  Now a woman and especially a foreign woman have no way of talking to a Jewish man, “but God,” I enjoy that expression so much.  So shall we look into her character?  Did you notice she ask for permission to glean in the field, that’s a good start, and she must have known it would be dangerous for her, a foreign young woman to do so?  Often we see the quality of character that is displayed coming out of great need, and I’m sure Ruth working all day in the hot sun was driven by her desire to be Naomi’s provider and protector.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice 

Call me Mara

Ruth 1:17-22

Yesterday, Ruth replied to Naomi about not leaving her, and I said something like she was all in and yet I left out verse 17, “Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried.  May Yahweh punish me, and do so severely if anything but death separates you and me.”  Yes, she was all in and more, she asked the LORD to hold her to this commitment in a way most of us would never choose.

Curt, rude, or abrupt, it matters not the word we use but my New English version states Naomi quit talking to her once she saw it was not going to do any good.  What about a name? That is a great question, I’ve always believed words have meaning and yet we see culture trying and sometimes changing the definition of a word, let me share two examples; first the word “lie” to deliberately say something untrue or to be deceptive.  But the media prefers to call it spin to shape public opinion, but a lie is still a lie.  A few, calling it fake news are using a new title, but it’s still a lie.  The other one is the word “love” have you noticed how often we use that word, and we love everything, cars, dresses, food, cats, people and God, that leaves the word without much value.  What is love, it’s action and the Bible states God is love?  And Love took action in that HE sent His only Son to die for you and me.  And yet many a Christian will say I love an object, and in the next breath say I love you, or I love God.

Now I ask what is in a name, Naomi’s name meant pleasant, and when she and Ruth entered Bethlehem, remember she had been gone for ten years, the women of the town exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”  In verse 20 we have Naomi’s reply to them, “Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara,” she answered, “for the Almighty has made me very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has pronounced judgment on me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?”

If you have experienced someone that is bitter, that is the meaning of the word Mara, it’s not fun to hang out with a person like that and yet Ruth knew this and signed up.  She lived with a pleasant lady and went through the heartache of her loss of a husband, and sons, and saw the transformation from pleasant to bitter, and yet Ruth did not get bitter and her love for Naomi seemed to be centered on an action, to provide and protect, and to honor Naomi’s God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A great example of Character

Ruth 1:6-16

I’ve read that character is the person you are when no one is around to see, but what if you are a Moabite woman, many would have referred to her in Judah as a pagan or dog.  If you are a woman or a man looking for an example of character, this Moabite woman called Ruth is a great life to examine.

Let’s look at the story in verses 6-10, “Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food. So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother's house. May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. The Lord grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. And they said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.”

Now when we read these verses, it is imperative that we understand the history of the time and the customs of the people of that day.  It should not come as a surprise, Naomi did not have a 401K or a pension plan, no government to step in and help her plan for retirement.  She has heard God is blessing her people again in the land of promise.  So Naomi and the two daughters-in-law are on the road leading back to the land of Judah when Naomi comes to a place of reality and tells them to return home.  That was a very unselfish act on Naomi’s part, and she asked the Lord’s blessing on them for His faithful love.

I believe while the sons were alive Naomi was a mother-in-law that expressed love and friendship to these two ladies, and they would have lived together or very close to each other.  They also may have been looked down on for not marrying a local boy but marrying these Jewish boys who by Jewish law were forbidden to marry outside their race. 

As we explore verses 11-16, we see a unique lady step out of the pages of this book; we see character, love, mercy, and faithfulness come from a Moabite woman named Ruth.  What was in it for her, uncertainty and a significant change of being rejected by people who looked down on women and especially foreign women? 

Verses 11-16, “But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you, therefore, wait till they were grown? Would you, therefore, refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me.” Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.  And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”

It does not say this, but I came away with this from that final sentence, I saw my people’s god, and I saw how you worship your God, and I have made a choice to follow you and your God.  My brothers and sisters in Christ, your families and friends, are also looking at the God you serve and asking, is it worth them leaving home, and mother and father to follow Him?  And the answer is, it depends on whether your gods are seeking power and stuff, or the Living Christ.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Ruth's Troubles

Ruth 1:1-5

The story begins in the time of the judges; there was a famine in the land.  In the United States we have a hard time comprehending hunger, but if we looked back at our history, especially in the South, we could get a good picture of what a famine is.  In the 1930’s the South experienced what is referred to as a dust bowl, locus ate the crops and yet it was not a famine of Biblical proportion.  But it relocated people to all parts of the nation in search of food and work.

But sin, the sins of God’s people have brought about this famine and even though Elimelech took his family out of the promised land into a land of foreigners, that seemed right in his eyes.  Please recall this was a time like today when people did as they wished with no regard for God.

Elimelech and his family moved to a pagan land where economics seemed bright, and the temporary move turned into a permanent stay.  They came from the area of Bethlehem, and it is referred to as the “house of bread.” 

The name Elimelech in Hebrew meaning is “My God is king,” and yet that is not what his life expressed, that was not his action, not before God or man.  Many call themselves Christian but live like Elimelech, doing as they please, and in their own eyes believing they are followers of Christ.  As one of those people who have the title of Christian I often find I miss the mark, but when I do I know the Holy Spirit will bring conviction, and usually discipline.

Now let us not leave out the two sons; Mahlon and Chilion, shall we continue the account in verses 3-5, “But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.”  

Scripture does not tell us what happened, what they died from, or how soon they died, but this we do know Naomi is in a predicament with no sons to care for her!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The heart of King David

2 Samuel 24:18-25

This account of David’s obedience and repentance shows his heart, when told by the prophet God has said; David went into action.  That is obedience, and anything short of that is not an act of obeying God.  I’m sure many of us fall short when it comes to both repentance and obedience, could it be our faith is often anemic, I know that to be true in my life?  Not praying beforehand and waiting for God’s direction, not sharing Christ with others: yes, I often have displayed anemic faith.

So David does as directed by the prophet Gad, and sets out for the threshing floor of Araunah.  Going back to verse 16, “And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”  Araunah’s threshing floor sat above Jerusalem to the north and probably was in the high part of the city.

This is where God told David to build the altar, so before getting there Araunah the Jebusite looks down and sees David and his servants coming toward him, so he bows with his face to the ground.  Picking up the account in verse 21,  ^“And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be averted from the people.”  Now that may be the first time Araunah has ever seen the king that close, and more than likely they had never exchanged words.  I’m sure he was like I am when the policeman pulls me over when I’m not sure what I have done.

Listen to his reply to King David; “Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. ²³ All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.”  Now that was very nice and wise of him, but in the time of David, Kings took what they wanted and needed, but not David, listen to his reply.

“But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels^[a of silver. ⁵ And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.” 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Our Sins cause Pain for Others

2 Samuel 24:10-17

I believe the American Christian has many wrong concepts of our heavenly Father, and one is; God loves me too much to pass judgment on my sins.  We do not arrive at that conclusion by being a student of Scripture but as a student of wrong teaching.  Sin, our sin, causes pain and suffering when our loving Father disciplines us, and so as we look at David a man after God’s own heart, we grasp how God’s judgment brings pain to us and others.

Shall we begin with David’s adultery with another man’s wife?  Uriah was out fighting for Israel and David takes his wife and has sex with her, and she becomes pregnant with his child.  David orders the death of Uriah to cover his sin and takes Bathsheba for his wife.  What a great example of sin taking us deeper into darkness than we would have ever imagined.  What did it cost, the death of the child and great pain and sorrow to David and Bathsheba?

How do our sins bring pain to others, even a nation?  Today we shall let Second Samuel 24:10-17 answer that question.  First, we see somewhat of a pattern God sends Nathan the prophet to rebuke David over his action of adultery and murder, and this time God sends the prophet Gad with three choices.  But we need to go back and look at David’s confession; “But David's heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” 

Now that brings us to a question only the person reading this can answer, when you sin does your heart condemn you?  If you answer no, 2 Corinthians 13:5 is an essential step, no, it is more than that it is the answer to where you will spend eternity.

So our loving Father who is always faithful to His character sent the prophet Gad with these options: “So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' pestilence in your land?”  Let us pretend you are David, and you have the history of famine, you also have the lessons of being hunted by both King Saul and your son Absalom.  Three years of anything terrible does not sound right, and three months of being chased by men who want to kill you and your people do not seem all that great, but three days of pestilence has to be the best option. 

Now both you and this writer fully understand that the choice of David did not come as a surprise to our all-knowing Father, but often we let our flesh direct our decisions, and that is what David did.

Shall we continue the account in 2 Samuel 24:15-17, “So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men died.  And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father's house.”

Yes, our sins often cause pain to others who were not involved, 70,000 men died and you do not have to ponder on that very long to understand how that brought sorrow to a nation. 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Putting faith in anything but God

2 Samuel 24:1-10

“Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”  You do understand God did not make David do anything, David, like you and I chose to do this act.  But God who is in total control used Satan as his tool to place fear of his enemy and place his trust in numbers and not in God.  Not a new thing if you read how God allowed Satan to work on Job in chapters 1:12- 2-6. 

Now the motive for taking a census was typically military, and God made it clear to Moses in Exodus to have each of the men pay a ransom of half a shekel each to avert a plague.  The shekel was a reminder to all of the people that they belonged to the LORD, and so did Israel, nowhere do we see David asking for the reminder.

“But Joab said to the king, “May the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see it, but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” But the king's word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to number the people of Israel.”  Now, remember Joab has a lot of history with David and more than once David has not taken his counsel and got himself or the people in trouble.  But this time Joab had the backing of all his commanders and still, David was set on getting a census.  So they did as the King commanded, from Dan to Beer-Sheba and Israel had 800,000 fighting men and Judah had 500,000.

It took nine months and twenty days to do the census and then Joab gave the sum of the number to King David.  Now conviction comes from the Holy Spirit and look at how David reacts. “But David's heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”   What is the sin, one that each of us has often committed, putting our faith in anything but God?  We do it with people, family, money, and stuff, and if we are God’s kid He is going to remind us, or as I call it another bought lesson, those are never fun!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice