Born to Win Podcast - with Ronald L. Dart

Verse one of the Gospel of John is one of the most loaded sentences in the entire Bible. There aren’t many places in the Bible where the various translators agree, but this is one of them. Word for word, from the King James Version through the most popular modern translations, they present this formulation of the Word. At first blush, it is an enigma. The Word was with God and was God. It is like being beside himself.Without this opening statement, though, we might easily go astray. John could just as easily have stopped with, The Word was with God, and we might have seen the Word in one way. Or he could have simply said, The Word was God, and we would come away thinking that The Word was just another of the many names of God.But in saying the Word was with God and was God, John forces us to consider how that can be. The simplest explanation is usually the best, and leads naturally to the conclusion that God is a kind of being of which there are at least two. But that, for a Jew of that time, was an utter impossibility. For them, the oneness of God was a primary article of faith. How this conundrum is resolved, and where it leads, is one of the great stories of the New Testament.The story is familiar from endless repetition. An angel of God appeared to a woman named Mary with an announcement so strange that Mary at first couldn’t even imagine it…

The third psalm has a striking subheading: A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. No one is certain as to when the subheadings found in the Psalms were created or whether they are authentic or not. But sometimes, if you know some of the history of the time, you can get very strong clues as to whether they fit or not. The incident in question dates from when David had quite a few wives, and no shortage of sons. They are outlined in 2 Samuel. While he was in Hebron, he had six sons of six different women. One of these sons was Absalom, his mother a princess, daughter of a king of a neighboring city. And being the son of a king and a princess may have contributed to the final outcome of this tragic man's life.Navigation<< Thinking About the Psalms #1

I've been doing some writing recently on the Psalms, and there are some profound lessons that just keep growing on me. I can't help thinking that there's something quite special about this book of the Bible, but it's hard to put my finger on it. It may be the musical style of the psalms; but it's hard to figure how that would quite come through, because they had a different musical scale, their style of poetry was different from ours. The poetry does survive, though, because Hebrew poetry is a poetry of ideas, of thoughts; not so much words and rhymes. Nevertheless, the power of music still hovers over this book.I know years ago, when I was having some hard times, I took the Bible with me to my place of prayer one day, I opened it up to the first psalm, I laid it out there in front of me, and I began to talk to God about the psalm. It was a change in my approach to prayer. I'm no longer asking God, Give me this, or Give me that, or Heal that person's sickness, and all that type of thing. It's just a talk, a conversation with him. What does this psalm mean and what should it to me? When I finished it, I made a mark there at the end of psalm number one, and the next time I prayed I started where I had left off. I was surprised sometime back, when I was looking at that old Bible, and I saw how many times I had gone through the entire book that way. So it was really a very constant study of mine—part of my daily devotionals—throughout that period of my life.But that's still not as surprising as the way the Psalms unfold over time. I think the reason for that is that you and I change with the years of our lives. We face different challenges, we learn many lessons, and then we return back to this marvelous work—the Psalms—and find something entirely new. It isn't that we didn't see it before. It's not that, if we read it aloud, we wouldn't have read it before. It's just that now it says something to us that it didn't say before. Take the first Psalm as a case in point...NavigationThinking About the Psalms #2 >>

What kind of people are we coming to be? And What kind of Christians might we be when we no longer govern our lives by the words of Jesus? The road ahead is long and dangerous. And our educational system has given us a generation who are governed by what?What informs us about right and wrong? Experience? It is a hard teacher, but effective. Philosophy? It is too often wrong, by its own admission. In a way, when we read the Bible, we are learning from the experiences of generations past, so we don’t have to repeat their mistakes.My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.Hosea 4:6 KJV

Science has very little to say about origins. We can theorize about the origins of life, but no one has been able to demonstrate that it’s possible to create life—either purposely or on accident. I don’t mind scientists concluding that God’s existence (or non-existence) is outside their purview. The problem arises when we are told with certainty that nature is all there is, was, and ever shall be. Do they tell us that? Oh, yeah; they tell our children that. That sentence comes straight from a children’s book about nature. American scientist Will Provine said this:Modern science directly implies that the world is organized strictly in accordance with deterministic principles or chance. There are no purposive principles whatsoever in nature. There are no gods and no designing forces rationally detectable.Will Provine - Evolutionary ProgressCardinal Christoph Schönborn, writing in First Things, made an important point on this issue—more than one point, actually, but one that made me lay down the journal and stare into space for a few minutes. Get a grip, because this may seem counter-intuitive at first. Here’s what he said:Prior to both science and theology is philosophy, the science of common experience. Its role in these crucial matters is indispensable.The Designs of Science - Christoph Cardinal SchönbornNow, let me see if I can explain this science of common experience in terms of theology.

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I bought a CD course on the Old Testament once, because I was considering teaching an online course myself. I hadn’t got very deep into the first disc before the teacher said flatly that King David did not actually exist. She was assuming that the stories about David were a Hebrew myth. I went no further. The teacher was revealing a radical position on the Old Testament that was of no value to me.Even from a non-believer’s point of view, David is one of most real characters in the Bible. He is larger than life, but that makes him no less real. He is a flawed human being, but that makes him still more real. He doted on a useless son, but that made him a real parent. Now, if you read through the books of Samuel, you encounter real people. They are just living in a different culture and speaking a different language, but they are just as real as you are.The Books of Samuel, though, are not in strict chronological order, which tends to confuse some readers. The Ryrie Study Bible suggests that the section beginning with 2 Samuel 21 is something of a non-chronological appendix to David’s reign, recounting events that occurred earlier. We are used to having our history served up in a familiar order, but the ancients worked differently. They would sometimes relate events in an order that appealed to them, perhaps because it helped make sense of what happened. Maybe because that is the order they came to mind. This in no way undermines the historicity of the documents, but it does give seminarians something to write theses about.So we don’t know exactly when in David’s reign these events occurred…but they were serious. Let’s begin in chapter 21, as we conclude our look at the Second Book of Samuel.

Even victory can be bitter. How can there ever be a clear victory when there is war between a father and a son? To be sure, it was a short war—only one battle—and David’s son…well, no one can know for sure, but a suspicion lingers that David may have been willing to give up the kingdom rather than see his son Absalom killed. When he told the men going out to battle to preserve Absalom, I can’t imagine what he thought he might do with the treacherous young man.Absalom and his army were put to flight. And as Absalom rode through a wooded area, his hair got caught in the branches (he had a very full head of hair) and he hung there, alive, between the tree and the ground. No one else would do it, so Joab, David’s general, drove three lances through Absalom, cut him down, and his guard finished the job. Word of the battle came to David. And while he was grateful for the victory, his was stricken in his soul for the loss of his son.33 And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for you, O Absalom, my son, my son!1 And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weeps and mourns for Absalom.2 And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all the people: for the people heard say that day how the king was grieved for his son.3 And the people stole back that day into the city, as people being ashamed steal away when they flee in battle.4 But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!5 And Joab came into the house to the king, and said, You have shamed this day the faces of all your servants, who this day have saved your life, and the lives of your sons and of your daughters, and the lives of your wives, and the lives of your concubines;6 In that you love your enemies, and hate your friends. For you have declared this day, that you regard neither princes nor servants: for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it would have pleased you well.2 Samuel 18:33–19:6 KJ2000Joab spoke the truth, every word—and David could not deny it.

When a palace coup takes place, any influential person is going to have walk very carefully. It may, in fact, be impossible to sit this one out. You may wish you could retreat into the wilderness and come back when the battle is over, but everyone knows who you are and what your loyalties have been. You are forced to choose sides no matter how much you would rather not. Sometimes the side is chosen for you in spite of all your protestations to the contrary. This can happen even in a large church organization, but they usually don’t kill you over it.When Absalom engineered a palace coup and ousted his father David, It threw all kinds of people into crisis. Some went with David, some with Absalom, some ended up being spies in the enemy camp, and nearly everyone had their lives on the line. Such a man was Hushai the Archite, a man whose name is likely not familiar even to a lot of Bible readers. He started to go with David into the desert, but David sent him back with a view of defeating the counsel of another important player who had stayed with Absalom, figuring he was backing a winner. His name was Ahithophel, and you probably have not heard of him either. But he had been a key advisor to David and was now to Absalom; a man of singular wisdom and insight. And when David heard he was with Absalom, it was worrisome.And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counseled in those days, was as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.2 Samuel 16:23 KJ2000So when the coup had apparently succeeded, and everyone was standing there wondering what to do next, Ahithophel realized there was a very important piece of unfinished business. He said to Absalom:[…] Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night: And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will strike the king only: And I will bring back all the people unto you: only the man whom you seek will be struck: so all the people shall be in peace.2 Samuel 17:1–3 KJ2000The objective of Ahithophel was to remove David from the picture without a lot of bloodshed and reunite the kingdom under Absalom. It might well have worked, and history written differently, if the plan had been followed. But David had prayed that God would defeat the counsel of Ahithophel. He feared the wisdom of that man in the wrong place. We’ll find out how that prayer was answered, and what that would mean for both Absalom and David, as we continue in the Second Book of Samuel.

Sometimes, there is no explaining love. It just is. The love of God for King David of Israel knew no bounds, and that love persisted through some terrible times and some terrible acts on David’s part. Maybe, in a vague sort of way, it can be explained by the fact that David himself was a man of great emotion; he was himself a man of love. I think that may explain his bonding with Jonathan, son of Saul. It may explain David’s love for King Saul that transcended every evil thing Saul tried to do to him. And it may explain, in some small way, his love for his son Absalom. Oh yes, I know that Fathers love their sons, but the love of David for Absalom is a little harder to explain. And it is a good example of what I said: Sometimes there is no explaining love. It just is.Absalom was an altogether beautiful man. To call him handsome wouldn’t quite reach it. He was a determined man as well. When his step-brother raped his sister, it took two years, but finally Absalom took his revenge by killing Amnon. It was some three years after that he had to live in exile because of it. And even when Joab convinced David to bring him home, he was not allowed to come into David’s presence. After all, he had killed another of David’s sons. But finally, Absalom had enough and demanded reconciliation. So Joab, the king’s chief of staff, came to Absalom’s house and said to him:[…] Why have your servants set my field on fire? [Absalom had ordered a field of Joab’s set on fire to encourage Joab’s coming.] And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto you, saying, Come here, that I may send you to the king, to say, Why am I come from Geshur? it had been good for me to have been there still: now therefore let me see the king’s face; and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me. So Joab came to the king, and told him: and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed Absalom.2 Samuel 14:31–33 KJ2000Reconciliation is a good thing, and it warms the heart. At least, it would if I didn’t know the rest of the story. Absalom is now free to act like the prince he is…and he plots revolution against David. I can only think that the years of exile had taken a toll on Absalom. He had killed his brother. Now he was prepared to dispose of his father as well. We’ll continue this sad story in 2 Samuel, chapter 15.

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It is hard to think of a family situation worse than one created by a man named Amnon, the son of David. It was event of sexual violence, ultimately leading to bloodshed. But considering what David had done with Bathsheba, and the wretched example it set, it is just as hard to think this event was not connected, somehow. But there is a lesson or two to be learned here.The first is that the biblical account says that Amnon loved Tamar—his half-sister. I’m afraid the Bible here uses the word love in broadest possible sense. Because his behavior in this case was nothing at all like true love. He was a completely self-centered, self-indulgent, weak young man—spoiled rotten, no doubt, as is too often the case with royalty—and he had the presumption of royalty, perverted by his father’s own example. I can’t help pondering what young people can learn from this incident.Under a pretext, Amnon managed to get the girl alone. The ensuing dialogue showed that she did not consider him repulsive. She was willing to be his wife. But he didn’t want her as a wife. He just wanted her.However he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her. Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone.2 Samuel 13:14–15 KJ2000Is there a lesson here for young men and women? It’s important to understand that there is a yawning chasm between the sexual desire and true love. A lot of young men think they are in love when they are only in heat. That, in itself, is nothing special. What makes it dangerous is that young women can’t tell the difference at that early stage. So how does one tell the difference? I’m no expert, but is seems plain enough: with time and distance.Love is open and honest. Love perseveres. Love does not harm or hurt. Love is patient, kind, considerate. Love is well-behaved. Love is not self-indulgent. Love is not hot-tempered. Love is optimistic. Love does not go away. Now, how on earth can a young woman know these things about a man who claims to love her? Well, you can’t learn it in a week, or a month—not even a year. It takes time and distance. (By distance, I mean a space between you that is not violated while you get to know one another.) There is a line which must not be crossed.So, when all was said and done, how did this encounter turn out? Well, when he had simply used her, he simply told her to get out. The purpose of Amnon’s plan had been accomplished. What he did not plan on, however, was how his actions would affect another one of Tamar’s brothers—Absalom. We’ll find the story in 2 Samuel, chapter 13.