Christ Church

The David Chronicles 49: A Toxic Civil War

Joe Harby on

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Introduction

We see here in this passage that God is always sovereign, and His Word always comes to pass—regardless of who seems to be in power, and who seems to be powerless. Shrewd counsel is disregarded, and bad counsel followed, and why? Because God determines the movements of men.

The Text

“Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night . . .” (2 Sam. 17:1-29).

Summary of the Text

Ahithophel advises immediate pursuit with 12,000 men, which would represent all of Israel (v. 1). They are vulnerable, they will all scatter, and David only will be struck (v. 2). The people will become Absalom’s and there will be peace (v. 3). Absalom and all the elders were pleased with this advice (v. 4). But Absalom wanted a second opinion and called for Hushai (v. 5). When Hushai arrived, Absalom summarized Ahithophel’s counsel, and asked Hushai what he thought (v. 6).

Hushai began diplomatically—Ahithophel’s counsel is not good this time (v. 7). Hushai then begins to undermine the revolt with bad counsel (v. 8). David’s men are chafed and David is shrewd (v. 9). He will be hidden, and so our first assault will not go well (v. 10). Rumor of disaster will spread and Absalom’s brave warriors will be rocked (v. 10). So Hushai advises him to take time to assemble a huge host, and to lead it himself (v. 11). We will come upon David in “some place” and fall on him like the dew (v. 12), killing everyone. If he retreats into “some city,” we will have enough troops to level that city (v. 13). And so Absalom and all the elders were persuaded by Hushai (v. 14)—because it was the Lord’s purpose to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel.

David had left Zadok and Abiathar the priests behind, and Hushai told them what Ahithophel’s counsel had been, and what he had said (v. 15). He told them to send word to David to get across the Jordan (v. 16). Now two priests had been stationed at En-rogel, and a maidservant carried the message to them (v. 17). They were spotted, but got away to Bahurim (Shimei’s hometown), and a man there had a well in his court which they hid in (v. 18). And the housewife there spread a covering over the well, and spread grain over it (v. 19). When Absalom’s servants came, they were searching for Ahimaaz and Jonathan by name, and the woman said, “Thataway” (v. 20). When it was clear, the two men came out of the well, and went and warned David (v. 21). David heeded the warning, and everyone got over the Jordan (v. 22).

When Ahithophel saw what had happened, he went to his hometown, put his affairs in order, and hanged himself (v. 23). This is probably due as much to his foresight as to the fact that he had lost face. One of the principles of war is pursuit, and he knew that neglect of that principle here meant that the revolt would fail, and that he would be punished for his treachery. David came to Mahanaim, a walled city across the Jordan, and Absalom followed (v. 24). Amasa was made commander—he, like Joab, was David’s nephew, making him Joab’s first cousin (v. 25). This was a toxic civil war. Ahithophel was David’s grandfather-in-law, Absalom was his son, and the rival commanders were first cousins, nephews of David.

Absalom’s army pitched their camp in Gilead (v. 26). When David was holed up in Mahanaim, provisions were brought to him by the Ammonites (v. 27), and by Machir and Barzillai. You should remember Machir as the kind-hearted man who had been taking care of Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth (2 Sam. 9:4-5). These men brought all kinds of provisions (vv. 28-29), for David’s men were hungry, thirsty, and weary (v. 29).

Cloak and Dagger

This section contains a great deal of high intrigue. Secret agents at court, high priests playing politics, a handmaiden carrying a message, priests on the run, and loyalists to the king hiding in a well.

All this serves to illustrate a point we have made before, but which needs to be made again with a passage like this one. Nothing is more obvious than that deception is a lawful weapon in time of war. As killing and murder are related, so also are deception and lying related. From Hushai’s valiant and courageous behavior in the court of the enemy to the behavior of the woman of Bahurim (let us call her Thataway Jane), we see that this is part of the arsenal of warfare. Contrary to the beliefs of some pietists, this is not simply “excused” behavior. Rahab was justified by her works when she sent out the spies another way than she said she did (Jas. 2:25).

Rightly understood, this does not undermine sola fide—the only point I am concerned to make here is that Rahab’s deception was a good work that needs to rightly related to her faith, not a bad work that her faith brought about forgiveness for.

Our Sovereign God

The reason why Absalom and the elders believed Hushai can be answered on two different levels, and both of them are genuine. First, Hushai deceptively used both flattery and fear, and in addition he played to Absalom’s lust for blood. He flattered Ahithophel (“this time”) and Absalom (“you well know). He then played to Absalom’s fears, invoking David’s experience and military genius, the anger of his men, the way rumors fly through armies, and so on. And in contrast to Ahithophel, who counseled that they seek to take just David, Hushai’s strategy played up the potential for a bloodbath. So that was one reason he was believed. He knew his audience well, and played them that way.

The second reason he was believed is that the Lord had ordained or appointed evil for Absalom. Absalom would make all the decisions that would place his neck in the crook of that tree, and he would do so because God had willed it.

A New Rahab

God’s people are called to prevail by means of faith. This is what Rahab did. She acted, certainly, but her actions were resting on the foundation of faith (Jas. 2:25). The woman in this story is another Rahab, delivering two spies just as Rahab had done—hiding them, and sending them out by another way. She also was a woman of faith, and was used by God to deliver a king. Rahab did it by becoming that king’s great great-grandmother. This unnamed woman did it by delivering that king from the schemes of his own son.

Contrasted with this faith we see in this passage the impotence of worldly wisdom. Ahithophel sees the situation very clearly, but he can’t steer it contrary to what God has settled. “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever he will” (Prov. 21:1).

A member of Christ’s council chamber was also too clever by half, and Judas went and hanged himself. And if the rulers of this age had know what all their scheming was going to result in—your salvation—they wouldn’t have done it (1 Cor. 2:8).

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Working on a Building III

Joe Harby on

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Introduction

Water brings life, and living water more so. We have spoken before on the importance of “assuming the center,” and one of the central ways to do this is to create a place where living water can flow. Water is a gathering force.

The Text

“Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward . . . Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other . . . And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine” (Ezek. 47:1-12).

Summary of the Text

In Ezekiel’s vision, when the hand of the Lord was upon him (Ezek. 40:1-2), among other things, he saw this: Water flowed out of the house of God, over the threshold (Ezek. 47:1). Water ran out of the Temple on the right side also (v. 2). A man with Ezekiel was measuring, and thousand cubits out, the water was ankle deep (v. 3). Another thousand and it came to the knees (v. 4). Yet another thousand and the water was waist deep (v. 4). When he went another thousand, the water was too deep to pass over (v. 5). The man asked Ezekiel if he saw that, and then brought him back to the river bank (v. 6). When he got there, he saw that there were many trees, on both sides of the river (v. 7). The water will flow east, down to the sea, and heal the waters there (v. 8).

Everything will live, wherever that water flows (v. 9). There will be a multitude of fish, and the apostle Peter with the others will become fishers of men (v. 10; Mark 1:17). Even in that glorious day, there will remain some salt marshes (v. 11). Not everyone will be converted, though most will. The trees on both sides of the river will produce abundant fruit, according to month, and watered by the river from the sanctuary, the leaves will be for healing (v. 12).

Now remember from last week that the New Jerusalem is the Christian church. We can also see, by comparing text with text, that Ezekiel’s Temple is also the Christian church, out of which the living water flows. As we seek to understand this passage, we should begin with this as the key. The key for Christians is always to let the New Testament interpret Old Testament passages, particularly when they are difficult for us. In the book of Revelation, we are plainly told the meaning of this vision.

“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Rev. 22:1-2).

In both cases, we have living water, a flowing river, trees on both sides of the river, monthly fruit, and leaves for healing. So the New Jerusalem is the same thing as Ezekiel’s Temple, and both of them are the Christian church. We have a similar picture in microcosm when it comes to the righteous man (Ps. 1:3; Jer. 17:8).

Living Water

The church is the place from which this living water flows. Recalling what we established last week, this living water flows out of people. Jesus promises living water to the Samaritan woman at the well, and He was talking about Himself (John 4:11). Whoever drinks of the water that Jesus gives will find that he has become a well of that living water (John 4:14). He drinks and then God makes him a source of living water for others, which is what happens in this instance (John 4:29-30). A few chapters later, Jesus shows how all His people become this source of living water. We come to Him and drink because of our thirst (John 7:37), and then living water flows out of us for others (John 7:38). John also tells us in this place what the water is exactly. The water of life is the Holy Spirit (John 7:39).

Jesus said this on the last day of the Feast of Booths, when the Jews had a ceremony of pouring water out at the altar.

“For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Rev. 7:17).

While Remembering the Point

Now all this is glorious, but what does it have to do with our pump hou . . . our new church building? The church is not supposed to function as a rain barrel, or a collection tank. The church is a place from which the water is supposed to flow everywhere else. The way that the earth will come to be as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea is because it will flow out of the church (Is. 11:9; Hab. 2:14). Do this, and people will gather to water.

Having said that, we do not reject intelligent craftsmanship that comes with building particular institutions. So long as we remember the central point, there is no problem with building irrigation ditches, or pumps, hoses, water trucks, channels, canals, or helicopters with buckets below them. Indeed, whenever there are large amounts of water (which we pray for), such things become an absolute necessity. The danger, of course, is to forget what these projects are all for, and then you start to complain about the water—it keeps getting your precious equipment all wet.

Another danger, a great one, is expecting any one building to accomplish what we need to accomplish in our community. But that is like building a rain barrel, and then you are done. No, think of it more like tide pools filling up—first here, then here, then over there.

Assuming the Center

But when the people of God remember who they are, this mistake is not made. The water flows out of human hearts. The Spirit comes from people, and not from this wooden pulpit, or from that table, or from the bread and wine, or from the baptismal font . . . or from the building which contains all these God-given activities.
We assume the center when we are filled with the Spirit, and when He flows out of us. The Spirit is the center. This happens using physical things. Spiritual does not just mean like a spirit. Spiritual also means obedient. When we offer our bodies rightly, it is our spiritual worship (Rom. 12:1-2). The devil is a spirit who is unspiritual in this sense, and you have ten toes, which can be spiritual—if they are shod with the gospel of peace.

This is because the living church is always waterfront property. Many trees grow there, and their leaves have healing properties. The trees grow on both sides of the river, and the river is full of life and brings life. All it has to do is be what it is, and flow. Each one of you is a spigot—and what I want to press upon you is this. Each one of you should walk away from here knowing that you have a critical role in how God is going to cause this water to flow.

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Working on a Building II

Joe Harby on

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Introduction

A basic truism of modern design is that form follows function. This is self-evidently true, but the reason modern men have found themselves living, working, and worshiping in overgrown shoeboxes is that we have allowed ourselves to drift into a truncated and reductionist view of what our actual function as human beings truly is. Our central purpose, our central task in life, is to worship God in accordance with His Word. The form of a church building must therefore follow this function.

The Text

“Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:1-5).

Summary of the Text

So, because we are being built up into the new man, growing up into the image of Jesus Christ, certain things must be set aside. If we are put on the white robe called Jesus, there are certain foul rags that we have to take off in order to do so. We must remove malice (v. 1), deceit (v. 1), and every false front (v. 1). We must take away every form of envy (v. 1), which we addressed last week. And if you have a tongue filled with venom, then put that away as well (v. 1). But getting rid of sin, though it is a precondition for growth, is not the same thing as growth. Holiness is not the absence of sin, but rather the presence of something else. We are to be like little babies, who desire the sincere milk of the Word, so that we might grow by it (v. 2). Hunger drives us there in the first place (and this hunger is a sign of life), but then we come back for more because we have tasted it and found that the Lord is experienced as gracious (v. 3). We come to the Lord as to a cornerstone that is alive (v. 4). Men rejected Him, but God did not. He is alive, and if we are being built upon that foundation, so are we alive in the same way. We are living stones (v. 5), being built up into a spiritual house and a holy priesthood. We are called to this so that we might offer up spiritual sacrifices, sacrifices that are acceptable to God because of Jesus Christ (v. 5).

A Church Building

The function of a church building is therefore not to be the church, but rather to house the church. The sign out front should not say Christ Church, as though that were the name of the building. Rather, to speak precisely, we should say that Christ Church meets here. The function of the house is to contain the spiritual house. The function of the church is to provide the church a warm and dry place to compose our worship.

Now the point here is not to be superstitious about word usage, and if someone offers to meet you “at the church,” your response ought not to be to rebuke them as a vile transgressor. But we do have to remember that the altar sanctifies the gold and not the other way around. When the saints start to come in for the service, the building should say, “Shhh . . . the church is here now.” The saints should not say, “Shhh . . . you’re in church now.” The building is not God’s mausoleum.

A Perfect Cube

The New Jerusalem that descends down from Heaven is a perfect cube (Rev. 21:10, 16). This is the same shape as the Holy of Holies in the old covenant. The word Paul uses when telling the Corinthians that they are the Temple of the Holy Spirit (naos) is a word that would be used of that inner shrine (1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19).

So this sanctuary is made up of the people of God. The angel says that he will show John the bride, the wife of the Lamb (Rev. 21:9), and then he shows Him the New Jerusalem. The heavenly Jerusalem is the mother of us all (Gal. 4:26). The New Jerusalem is the place we come to worship every week (Heb. 12:18, 22). You are the sanctuary, and you will sanctify the building—not the other way around.

An Architectural Servant

Now of course we want a church building to do what all buildings do—keep the rain off, and the wind out. But once we have gotten past that basic consideration, what should it do because a church meets there?
Peter says that we are to offer spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God. What are those? What should we offer wherever we might meet, and what could a well-designed building help us do—as distinct from distracting us from doing?

We should therefore consider the elements of a worship service which a building—well-designed and well-used —would help us do. This building is called to be a servant, a tool, an instrument

What We Do

When we worship God, here are some of the basic components that a building could help us do. These are distinct elements of our worship that a poorly designed building would get in the way of, and which a well- designed building would help us with.

First, we gather. The word church is the rendering of ecclesia, which means “called out.” The building should be open and easy to enter. Second, we gather to listen to the Word, and to partake of the sacraments. This means we gather in a landscape setting, and not with a long, narrow nave. Third, we gather in order to offer our musical praise to God. The building should sing with us, and not fight us as we try to sing. Fourth, we gather in order to love one another. The place where we worship should be conducive to koinonia fellowship. And fifth, our mission in this community is to declare the crown right of the Lord Jesus to an unbelieving world. The building from the outside should make that statement in a winsome but authoritative manner.

Keeping It About Jesus

The building is not ever to become a Jesus substitute. Jesus is our substitute, and so we want to live in such a way as that when we finally have our building, we do not find ourselves inundated with those who would attach themselves to a respectable church for all the wrong reasons. But it is not possible to come to a church made of dead stones, but filled with living stones, and not encounter the true and ultimate living stone.

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State of the Church 2014

Christ Church on

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Introduction

It is our custom to have a “state of the church” message every year around this time. Sometimes the message has to do with the church nationally, and other times the point is more local, pertaining to our own congregation. This year I want to focus on this congregation, and the point of this message is to reiterate some of our basic distinctives. What are we about? What are we trying to emphasize?

The Text

“Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe” (Phil. 3:1).

Summary of the Text

The church at Philippi had particular challenges, and Paul addressed them all by urging them to rejoice. This is a response that is always appropriate because God is always sovereign and God is always good. Not only is it appropriate for Christians to rejoice all the time, it is appropriate to bring repeated reminders to them to do so. To repeat the same exhortations should not be a grief to ministers, and it should be received as a means of keeping us all safe.

Two Kinds of Distinctives

One kind of distinctive arises from what we believe the Scripture teaches and requires of all believers. We focus on it because we believe that all believers should focus on it. This would be a principled distinctive, coupled with an ecumenical invitation.

A second kind of distinctive would arise from our particular circumstances. These are tactical circumstances, tailored to the life and situation of each congregation. Are we in an urban setting or in a small town? Should we build this kind of building or that kind? Should we build a Christian school or is there already a good Christian school? These are tactical questions.

A third kind of distinctive is sinful. This is what happens when a group tries to separate itself from other Christians through various kinds of doctrinal vainglory or ministry showboating. This is what the disciples were arguing about on the road (Mk. 9:34). We are not immune to this temptation (why would we be?), and so we want to resist it everywhere we find it. The place to look is under your breastbone.

That said, what are our principled distinctives?

Corporate Worship

We worship God because He is worthy. We do not do it for any of the results that might come about from it. Rather, we do everything else for the results it might have in helping us to glorify God. “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” (Rev. 5:12).

Worshiping God is not a means to another end. Worshiping God is the highest calling that a human being has, or that the entire human race has. It requires no other justification. Whatever you do, it should drive you to this great end. Whatever you do, it should culminate here, in the glorification of God. There is great wisdom in the first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism here. This is our chief end.

Dangers: one danger is that you make something you call worship into a great big deal, but it is not spiritual worship at all. Another danger is that of trying to get worship to “do” other things, like evangelism. But this is backwards.

Components: Learning the structure of covenant renewal worship, growing in our musical wisdom and literacy, teaching your families the importance of worship, weekly communion, and practical Bible teaching.

Basic Discipleship in Community

We want to emphasize basic and foundational issues in our teaching—personal piety as measured by relational piety (1 John 4:20). We want our doctrine to revolve around practical Christianity, Christian living that is meant to be lived. This is why there are recurring themes in the teachings, conferences, books published, and so on. We emphasize things like confession of sin, dealing with bitterness, maintaining relationships, how to read your Bible, the importance of Christian education, and so on.

Dangers: the danger here is that of reducing everything to a moralistic or legalistic approach. But the biblical approach is always credenda before agenda.

Components: Understanding the Apostles Creed, true Christian education for Christian kids, parish studies, having our lives intertwined in koinonia fellowship, and being driven by an eschatological optimism.

Worldview Evangelism, Outreach, Cultural Engagement

Jesus is Lord, and this means that He is relevant to all things. No area of human endeavor lies outside His authority. Our evangelism is not an attempt to helicopter victims out of a disaster area, but rather is the work of rebuilding a disaster area. Everything is relevant, and everything is related to Jesus.

The Christian faith has cultural ramifications. The Christian faith is political. The Christian faith is public. We have no business taking this light of His and putting it under our own bushel.

Dangers: one danger is the obvious one of calling it cultural engagement when we just drift along with whatever it is the world is dishing up. Another is the cowardice of shutting up because of the pc police. Or that of using a Jesus stamp on all of your personal prejudices.

Components: real Christian education (again), and a willingness to get out of our comfy little ghetto. In order to learn cultural engagement, we have to engage. We must not capitulate, and we must not run away. We must engage. This means knowing, loving, and praying for non-believers—without trying to become like them.

Conclusion

In the coming year, and in the time after that, there will no doubt be a number of times when we have practical and tactical decisions to make. A good example would be the issues surrounding the building of our new sanctuary. We have been without one since this congregation was established in 1975. We have a church that we planted just ten years ago that has its own building now, and we still don’t, which is the coolest thing in the world.

But when we come to build our own building (or if we do anything else), make sure that everything is brought back to these three areas. How will this help us do that? Unless we make a point of doing it this way, we will be like a crotchety bachelor deciding to get married in his late forties. What could go wrong?

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