Wedged in between the 2 Samuel stories of wars is a story of “amazing grace.” It begins this way:

One day David asked, “Is there anyone left of Saul’s family? If so, I’d like to show him some kindness in honor of Jonathan.” It happened that a servant from Saul’s household named Ziba was there…The king asked, “Is there anyone left from the family of Saul to whom I can show some godly kindness?” Ziba told the king, “Yes, there is Jonathan’s son, lame in both feet.” 2 Samuel 9.1 – 3, MSG)

Lame in both feet. Here’s the backstory:

It so happened that Saul’s son, Jonathan, had a son who was maimed in both feet. When he was five years old, the report on Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and ran, but in her hurry to get away she fell, and the boy was maimed. His name was Mephibosheth. (2 Samuel 4.4, MSG)

David summons Mephibosheth who doesn’t have much of a self-image:

“Don’t be frightened,” said David. “I’d like to do something special for you in memory of your father Jonathan. To begin with, I’m returning to you all the properties of your grandfather Saul. Furthermore, from now on you’ll take all your meals at my table.” Shuffling and stammering, not looking him in the eye, Mephibosheth said, “Who am I that you pay attention to a stray dog like me?” (2 Samuel 9.7, 8, MSG)

“A stray dog” (the more literal translations say, “dead dog”) who can make no contribution to David, and the chapter ends affirming that fact:

Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, taking all his meals at the king’s table. He was lame in both feet. (2 Samuel 9.13, MSG)

“Lame in both feet” – 2 Samuel 9.3 and 13. God doesn’t want us to miss it. We, too, are invited to the King’s Table. Some call it the Lord’s Supper; others, the Eucharist. No matter what we call it, we get to participate not based on our merit because, like Mephibosheth, we’re all “lame in both feet.”

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins… (Ephesians 2.1, ESV)

Then he said to his servants, “The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.” So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. (Matthew 22.8 – 10, NIV)

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone… (Ephesians 2.19, 20, ESV)

Yesterday we highlighted King David’s successes on the battlefield from 2 Samuel chapters 8 and 10. It turns out my son David (no relation to King David that I know of!) is also reading 2 Samuel, and he passed on some excellent observations from chapter 10 that are too good not to share. Here’s part of what he wrote:

The Lord is always aware of our situations, our battles. Whether they are of our own making, battles he puts us in, or we are up against other sinful people. We may just be wrestling with a particular decision, one that is driven by choice. In other words, doing something or not doing something that is not inherently sinful or against Christian principles, but we still seek out God’s wisdom in what to do. When we find ourselves in these situations, God often wants us to keep “fighting,” understanding the outcome will ultimately be in his hands. Let me provide a great biblical example:

In 2 Samuel 10, there is a battle being waged. David sends his leader of the army, Joab, and his mighty men to fight. Joab realizes there are opposing forces in front and to the rear. It doesn’t take a military veteran like me to understand this is not a favorable situation. Joab sends some of his best men on one front, while the rest he sends with his brother Abishai to the other front. Joab tells Abishai:

If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him. (2 Samuel 10.11, 12, ESV, emphasis mine)

Let’s cut to the end. The Lord granted them victory. But I was struck by a couple of things. First, Joab engaged an intentional and intelligent battle strategy. Second, he motivated his army (“Be of good courage….”). Ultimately, he recognized that victory or defeat against a significant opposing army would rest with the Lord (“…may the Lord do what seems good to him.”).

Have you ever encountered someone whose life was frozen? It is often frozen by fear, worry, or anxiety (synonyms for the same issue). But they are believers. They know those things are not of the Lord. So, they’ll tell you, “I’m waiting on the Lord.” How are you going to argue that, right? They know that, too. Don’t get me wrong, if a spiritually mature person really has received communication or guidance from the Lord to wait, that can be very legitimate. However, there are times that God wants us to fight. To plan. To strategize. To keep moving forward. All the while, we bathe the process in prayer, reading of His Word, pursuing wisdom directly from the Lord, as well as good counsel from those we trust. In the end, we say with confidence, “May the Lord do what seems good to him.” – David Ewell, May 2, 2024

A good word, David. Thanks for sharing.

Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors…Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. GOD, your God, is with you every step you take.” (Joshua 1.6, 9, MSG)

Our Bible characters don’t always experience success: Joshua’s leading the people into the Promised Land and Nehemiah’s wall are notable exceptions. They succeeded, and so did David early in his reign. Here’s how 2 Samuel 8 starts:

In the days that followed, David struck hard at the Philistines—brought them to their knees and took control of the countryside. He also fought and defeated Moab. He chose two-thirds of them randomly and executed them. The other third he spared. So the Moabites fell under David’s rule and were forced to bring tribute. On his way to restore his sovereignty at the River Euphrates, David next defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob the king of Zobah. (2 Samuel 8.1 – 3, MSG)

He took out several other tribes because…

God gave victory to David wherever he marched. (2 Samuel 8.14, MSG)

Success continues into chapter 10, which opens with the Ammonites mistreating David’s emissaries and hiring the Arameans to help them. (2 Samuel 10.1 – 7) David’s general, Joab, goes out, divides the army between himself and his brother Abishai, and defeats both.

But when Joab and his soldiers moved in to fight the Arameans, they ran off in full retreat. Then the Ammonites, seeing the Arameans run for dear life, took to their heels from Abishai and went into the city. So Joab left off fighting the Ammonites and returned to Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 10.13, 14, MSG)

The Arameans regroup, and David takes them out:

David mustered Israel, crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. The Arameans went into battle formation, ready for David, and the fight was on. But the Arameans again scattered before Israel. David killed seven hundred chariot drivers and forty thousand cavalry. And he mortally wounded Shobach, the army commander, who died on the battlefield. When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been routed by Israel, they made peace and became Israel’s vassals. The Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites ever again. (2 Samuel 10.17 – 19, MSG)

Success! But the very next sentence is one of the saddest in the Bible, kicking off a series of catastrophes for David:

In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab…But David remained at Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 11.1, ESV)

As my friend and former Air Force Academy Football Coach Fisher DeBerry used to say:

You’re only as good as your last play.

Stay tuned. We’ll see that contrary to 2 Samuel 8.14, quoted above, God gave David victory “wherever he marched.” David does NOT get victory when he stays home instead of engaging the enemy in battle.

They ran the Kentucky Derby Saturday, and I missed it. Weird. I usually watch the Derby, but this year I never gave “first Saturday in May” a thought until I received a news update saying who won. As always, a sports event happens whether I’m aware of it or not!

I wished I had seen it live. It was the 150th running, the longest continuously running (no pun intended) sports event in the same venue – every year beginning in 1875, through two world wars and a depression. And it was a photo finish – there have been only 10 of those – and this one was 3-way:

Here’s the official photo: Mystik Dan wins by the proverbial nose (yellow arrows on his nose at the finish line and his jockey in the green hat). The #2 horse on the outside, Sierra Leone, is inches behind (blue arrow). And there’s a third horse in there! You can see part of his jockey in red (red arrow), a “head” behind #2. Mystik Dan had taken the lead on the final stretch, and the other two horses were trying to catch him. You can see the race here.

So many lessons:

• As always, a few horses start out fast and fail. The favored horse, Fierceness, got off to a good start and finished 15th out of 20 horses.
• Mystik Dan, the winner, was the 7th favored horse. Shows that perceptions don’t mean much.
• The horse that finished second, was also the second favorite horse, and the most expensive.
• The winning horse was bred in Arkansas. Arkansas? Can anything good come out of Arkansas?

The winning owners are cousins Lance and Brent Gasaway and Daniel Hamby III, all from Arkansas. They bred Mystik Dan. “We’ve done it with what I call a working-class horse,” McPeek said. “His mother is a filly who raced hard, but wasn’t well known. His father wasn’t a big name, either.” Sharilyn Gasaway, Brent’s wife, said, “It is surreal for sure. We feel like we’re just ordinary people and we’ve got an amazing horse. – From ESPN

And, of course, it’s a huge opportunity for gambling, and you don’t even have to be at the track. You can lose money from the comfort of your den. Lose? You bet (also, no pun intended!):

All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Derby race itself was a record of $210.7 million, beating the previous mark of $188.7 million set in 2023.

Any money that a bettor wins comes from multiple bettors who lost, minus the cut that the booking agent takes. Glamorous when it’s the Kentucky Derby, but still a lot of money lost. I’m thankful that I can find excitement in sporting events, even when watching the replay, without having any money at risk.

Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane? Do you make him leap like the locust? His majestic snorting is terrifying. He paws in the valley and exults in his strength; he goes out to meet the weapons. (Job 39.19 – 21, ESV)

The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD. (Proverbs 21.31, ESV)

His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. (Psalm 147.10, 11, ESV)

A missionary friend of mine told me about a humorous interaction he had with his organization’s IT department. It’s yet another another example of “telling is not teaching.” In this case, “sending is not receiving.”

My friend received a donation toward the end of March, say it was $1,000. Then in early April, for reasons unknown, the system withdrew that donation from his account and then put it right back in. So in the official report, April shows two extra entries: one for minus $1,000, when they took it out, and one for plus $1,000 when they put it back in. Net change, zero.

A few weeks later, when he was looking at the database, a separate program over which his organization has no control except to send it data, he noticed a reported extra $1,000 in his account. Why? The database software does not recognize negative donations.

When my friend put all that information into a message to his IT explaining the problem, he received a prompt response:

…our API that sends the data to [the database] does have a negative amount indicating the funds were reversed.

And they attached a screenshot to show that they sent both lines: the negative line and the positive line. In other words, “Things are fine. Leave us alone.”

He wrote back thanking them for their work but explained (again):

I get that you sent them the positive and negative adjustments. You sent the negative adjustment, but I’m saying that the database does not receive it.

That time he received a note from the supervisor of the person who wrote the first response:

You are absolutely correct about the balance being off in the database.  This has been a small problem for quite some time.

Telling is not teaching…listening is not learning…sending is not receiving. These are simple concepts that we ignore to our peril.

• In this case, “There’s not a problem here; we sent the correct data.”
• In the church, “I know most the folks in my congregation are having daily time with God; I preach it on it at least once a year.”
• In one of my seminars, “I know they understand relational disciple-making. I talked about it in depth.”

NO on all three counts. Communication requires work, and we can’t assume that just because we said it once, using only one approach, everyone got it.

He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. (Colossians 1.28, NIV)

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things. (2 Peter 1.12 – 15, NIV)

It’s Star Wars Day!

If you’re not a Star Wars fan, I’m sorry, but there’s a lesson in thinking about the power (the Force) that was an essential element in the Star Wars stories and the “blessing” they sent each other into battle with:

May the Force be with you.

Power should be an essential element of our stories too:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1.8, ESV)

And, believe it or not, I’m continuing yesterday’s meditation on God building King David’s “house” – a permanent kingship.

David’s first response to God’s promise of a permanent monarchy in his line was praise. His second response was to pray the promise. Just as the good guys in the Star Wars adventures couldn’t win without the “Force,” we’re not going to win without God’s power. And King David understood an important principle:

God’s power and promise are released through prayer.

So now, great GOD, this word that you have spoken to me and my family, guarantee it permanently! Do exactly what you’ve promised! …For you, GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God, told me plainly, “I will build you a house.” That’s how I was able to find the courage to pray this prayer to you…Please, just one more thing: Bless my family; keep your eye on them always. You’ve already as much as said that you would, Master GOD! Oh, may your blessing be on my family permanently! (2 Samuel 7.25 – 29, MSG)

Praying the promises is an integral part of the history and teaching of The Navigators, the organization with which I serve. Founder Dawson Trotman prayed Jeremiah 33.3 as reported in the first part of an article by my friend Dean Ridings and published by Focus on the Family. It starts:

Taking God at His word transformed the life and ministry of a young man named Dawson Trotman. Dawson was deep into Scripture memorization. One verse that captured his attention was Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” (KJV).

Again and again he reviewed and meditated upon this verse. Did God really mean it – call upon Me; I will answer you; I will show you great and mighty things? Pondering this led to a 42-day “prayer meeting,” in which Trotman and a few others with him got serious about praying for local youth and cities, and then expanded out to other cities in their state, other states in their nation, and finally the world…“We didn’t even know what we were praying,” Trotman said. “I didn’t realize that within four years, men from every state of the nation would walk into our front room and find the Savior. God answered our prayers abundantly, and there was the beginning of our work called today by the name, Navigators.”

Instead of being like King David or even Dawson Trotman, I’m afraid some of us are like the folks that James wrote to:

You have not because you ask not. (James 4.2)

Should we pray about the mission Jesus has called us to? Jesus was direct in what we should pray for about that:

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9.37, 38, ESV)

Dawson prayed for effectiveness in making disciples with verses like these:

Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, and I have loved you; therefore I will give men for you, and people for your life. (Isaiah 43.4, NKJV)

You shall raise up the foundations of many generations. (Isaiah 58.12, NKJV)

A little one shall become a thousand, And a small one a strong nation. I, the LORD, will hasten it in its time.” (Isaiah 60.22, NKJV)

Provision? I’ve prayed this for years and seen God work:

God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work…Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (2 Corinthians 9.8 – 11, NIV)

King David “went in and sat before the Lord” and prayed the promise. (2 Samuel 7.18 – 29) May we do the same, and…

May the (real) Force be with us!

I’ve already mentioned that David was not allowed to build a permanent temple because of all the blood he’d shed:

David said to Solomon, “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the LORD my God. But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth. (1 Chronicles 22.7, 8, ESV)

We have the backstory in 2 Samuel 7. David has been established in the kingship, he has built a palace and settled in, and he’s brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. Now he wants to build a permanent home for the Ark, not have it live in a tent (the Tabernacle), as God directed in Exodus.

Before long, the king made himself at home and GOD gave him peace from all his enemies. Then one day King David said to Nathan the prophet, “Look at this: Here I am, comfortable in a luxurious house of cedar, and the Ark of God sits in a plain tent.” (2 Samuel 7.1, 2, MSG)

Nathan initially approves of David’s plan (why not?), but God gives a different word. First, God is not interested in a permanent house:

But that night, the word of GOD came to Nathan saying, “Go and tell my servant David: This is GOD’s word on the matter: You’re going to build a ‘house’ for me to live in? Why, I haven’t lived in a ‘house’ from the time I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt till now. All that time I’ve moved about with nothing but a tent. And in all my travels with Israel, did I ever say to any of the leaders I commanded to shepherd Israel, ‘Why haven’t you built me a house of cedar?'” (2 Samuel 7.4 – 7, MSG)

The main message is that David will not build God’s house. God will build David’s “house” – his permanent monarchy:

So here is what you are to tell my servant David: The GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies has this word for you: I took you from the pasture, tagging along after sheep, and made you prince over my people Israel…Furthermore, GOD has this message for you: GOD himself will build you a house! When your life is complete and you’re buried with your ancestors, then I’ll raise up your child, your own flesh and blood, to succeed you, and I’ll firmly establish his rule…and I will guarantee his kingdom’s rule permanently…But I’ll never remove my gracious love from him, as I removed it from Saul…Your family and your kingdom are permanently secured…And your royal throne will always be there, rock solid. (2 Samuel 7.8 – 16, MSG)

And what is David’s response to God’s promise of a permanent monarchy in his line? First, praise:

King David went in, took his place before GOD, and prayed: “Who am I, my Master GOD, and what is my family, that you have brought me to this place in life?… [and] spoken of my family far into the future…What can I possibly say in the face of all this? You know me, Master GOD, just as I am. You’ve done all this not because of who I am but because of who you are—out of your very heart!—but you’ve let me in on it. This is what makes you so great, Master GOD! There is none like you, no God but you, nothing to compare with what we’ve heard with our own ears.” (2 Samuel 7.18 – 22, MSG)

There’s another lesson in this story, and it’s too important to crowd into this blog. Stay tuned…

In the meantime, David does have a permanent kingship:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. (Isaiah 9.6, 7, NIV, emphasis mine)

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1.30 – 33, ESV, emphasis mine)

And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21.9, ESV)

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star. (Revelation 22.16, ESV)

Yesterday we had a feel-good story story about a world-ranked high school high jumper from a no-name place in western Colorado. Today’s is a feel-bad story – a cautionary tale.

I wrote a few days ago about another victim of gambling, a young NBA player, banned for life, for violating “gaming rules.” (Can you say, “Bet on himself to underperform”? That’s gambling, not gaming.) It was Jontay Porter, brother of Michael Porter, Jr., who is a key part of the NBA Champion Denver Nuggets.

When it rains, it pours, Michael has another brother, Coban, who was just sentenced to six years in prison…

…for a drunken driving crash that killed a woman in Colorado last year.

The January 2023 crash in Denver killed Kathy Limon Rothman and seriously injured her passenger. Porter…caused the crash after he ran a red light and slammed into the other vehicle… According to The Denver Post, prosecutors on Friday said Porter was speeding and had a blood alcohol level of .19, more than twice the legal limit of .08. – ESPN, April 19, 2024

And it’s exactly as I told my Air Force students back in the day: “If you drink and drive, I’m not worried about how much you might be fined or that you might mess up your career. I’m worried that you might kill someone.” Coban Porter remorsefully grasped the gravity of what he had done:

All I can really say is that I’m sorry. I know that I’m never going to be able to right that wrong. … I never thought I’d be standing here. I thought I was invincible. It wasn’t the first time I chose to drink and drive. I’m so sorry.

And the problem is that it’s hard to watch any sporting event without being encouraged to drink beer and gamble. Alcohol consumption is also a conspicuous and expected part of most TV dramas, even for our favorite characters. These behaviors have egregious downsides, but they are encouraged and normalized at every turn. And young people, like Coban, are paying the price, along with his victims.

These vices aren’t new…

For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations and have divided up my land, and have cast lots for my people [gambling], and have traded a boy for a prostitute [sex], and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it [alcohol]. (Joel 3.1 – 3, ESV)

Speaking of gambling, sex, and alcohol, I found it interesting that a research study on church attendance reported the following:

The intensity of religious observance correlates with a host of other activities. For example, relative to non-attenders and infrequent attenders, frequent religious attenders are less likely to go to strip clubs, liquor stores, and casinos. – Religious Worship Attendance in America: Evidence from Cellphone Data

I’m glad for the result, and I’m intrigued that this research study identified the same “big three” vices: sex, alcohol, and gambling.

Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. (Proverbs 20.1, ESV)

Leaders can’t afford to make fools of themselves, gulping wine and swilling beer, lest, hung over, they don’t know right from wrong, and the people who depend on them are hurt. (Proverbs 31.4 – 5, MSG)

PS I’m well aware that it is possible to drink alcohol in moderation and not be a danger to others. However, this article from UC Health, a network of hospitals, should give one pause. The main idea?

The newest research shows alcohol use is not good for your health. Even red wine has lost its halo, and the toll of heavy alcohol use is on the rise.

PPS Yesterday, yet another brother of Michael Porter, Jr., the Porter brother and NBA star who is NOT in trouble, was arrested for DWI:

The younger brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. was arrested early Sunday morning in Missouri on investigation of driving while intoxicated. Jevon Porter, 20, was arrested at 1:31 a.m. in Boone County, Missouri. Porter, who was released, also was accused of speeding. – Denver Post, May 1, 2024

You would think that Jevon’s brother Cabon’s 6-year sentence for killing someone while he was DWI would give him pause. Apparently not.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction…They hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. (Proverbs 1.7…29 – 31, ESV)

Every now and then, there’s a feel-good news story that needs to be shared. The #1-ranked high jumper under the age of 20 in the WORLD, lives in De Beque, Colorado. I’ve never heard of it either, and I’ve driven by it several times:

A long article in the Denver Post, April 20, 2024, starts this way:

Motorists whizzing along Interstate 70 between Rifle and Grand Junction are unlikely to notice tiny De Beque, a tumbleweed town of fewer than 500 souls with only four students in the high school’s graduating class.

“If you blink, you’ll miss it,” says kindergarten teacher Leslie Weis, whose son, Scottie Vines, is bringing attention to the town with his exploits as a budding track and field sensation in the high jump.

The De Beque High School senior jumped 7 feet, 4.25 inches three weeks ago in the prestigious Texas Relays at the University of Texas, which automatically qualified him for this year’s U.S. Olympic Trials and surpassed the Colorado high school record of 7-4 set in 1991 by Matt Hemingway of Buena Vista High School. Thirteen years later, Hemingway won an Olympic silver medal.

Vines’ jump in Texas was ineligible to be recognized as a state high school record because it happened out of state, but he went to a meet two weeks later in Grand Junction and leaped 7-4.25 again to claim the record.

I didn’t know that high school kids are jumping over 7 feet these days. I remember when the world record for the high jump was under 7 feet (now it’s just over 8 feet). Here’s Scotty breaking the Colorado high school record:

Goes to show that greatness can be found anywhere.

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” (John 1.43 – 46, ESV)

And speaking of greatness, not all that far from De Beque, south of Grand Junction, is Delta, Colorado, population 9,000. James Conley, one of the godliest pastors I know, ministers there, and he won’t be ranked (until the next life). Can anything good come out of Delta? Come and see.

David now has an important item of business. Remember the Ark? We left it with the folks in Beth Shemesh, where the Philistines sent it. It was subsequently moved:

God struck some of the men of Beth Shemesh who, out of curiosity, irreverently peeked into the Ark of GOD. Seventy died. The whole town was in mourning, reeling under the hard blow from GOD, and questioning, “Who can stand before GOD, this holy God? And who can we get to take this Ark off our hands?” They sent emissaries to Kiriath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the Ark of GOD. Come down and get it.” (1 Samuel 6.19 – 21, MSG)

Now David wants it back, all the way back to Jerusalem, the new capital.

David mustered the pick of the troops of Israel—thirty divisions of them. Together with his soldiers, David headed for Baalah to recover the Ark of God…. (2 Samuel 6.1, 2, MSG)

They’re all pretty excited, but there’s an oops:

They placed the Ark of God on a brand-new oxcart and removed it from Abinadab’s house on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were driving the new cart loaded with the Ark of God, Ahio in the lead and Uzzah alongside the Ark. David and the whole company of Israel were in the parade, singing at the top of their lungs and playing mandolins, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals. When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, so Uzzah reached out and grabbed the Ark of God. GOD blazed in anger against Uzzah and struck him hard because he had profaned the Ark. Uzzah died on the spot, right alongside the Ark. 2 Samuel 6.3 – 7, MSG)

What’s the problem? Uzzah was just trying to help. The problem was, they weren’t supposed to touch the Ark. And they weren’t supposed to carry it in an oxcart, not even a brand-new, most likely “consecrated,” oxcart. The Ark’s very design dictated how it was to be moved. Bob, what do you mean?

The Design of Everyday Things is a fascinating book whose main idea is that you don’t need complicated written instructions if the product’s design communicates how to use it. Here’s a classic error shared by nearly all kitchen stoves. The burners are arranged in a rectangle, but the controls are in a straight line! You need labels to know which knob controls which burner (except for the one in the middle).

The Ark did not have that problem. It was to be carried by Levites using the poles which stayed with it:

First let them make an Ark using acacia wood…Cover it with a veneer of pure gold inside and out and make a molding of gold all around it. Cast four gold rings and attach them to its four feet, two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Make poles from acacia wood and cover them with a veneer of gold and insert them into the rings on the sides of the Ark for carrying the Ark. The poles are to stay in the rings; they must not be removed. (Exodus 25.10 – 15, MSG, emphasis mine)

David was angry, fearful, and puzzled:

And David was angry because the LORD had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and he said, “How can the Ark of the LORD come to me?” (2 Samuel 6.8, 9, ESV)

But after three months, he figured it out:

David went and brought up the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing. And when those who bore the Ark of the LORD had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. And David danced before the LORD with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the Ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn. (2 Samuel 6.12 – 15, ESV, emphasis mine)

“When those who bore the Ark…” No new oxcart, just four Levites with poles on their shoulders. When all else fails, follow the directions!

God made us and gave us a maintenance manual. When you run the creature according to the manual, you get a minimum of friction and a maximum of joy and peace. – Skip Gray

But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. (Deuteronomy 30.14 – 16, ESV)

Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” (Deuteronomy 32.46, 47, ESV)