MERCIFUL GOD!

OUR GOD IS SLOW TO ANGER.

SLOW TO PUNISH.

SLOW TO LOSE HEART.


HE HAS ZEAL TOWARDS HIS RIGHTEOUS.

BE LIKE FATHER.



So yesterday the LORD drew me to look at David and Solomon after reading one of my morning devotions and He just had me to stay there because there is something that He's saying to me.



He's telling me to be the first to take my own advice.

Let's look and see if that lesson can be a help to any other believer's.

Amen.



Any who know the history of King David know the story of his transgression as he sat upon the roof peeping at Bathsheba, and all the turmoil that came to pass in his life as a consequence.

And some may be wondering with all that happened in His family how could Jesus come out of that line?
How could any good work come out of that ball of mess?

And you may think that you have messed up so bad that God can't do anything with you either.

Folks might even try and make you think that too.
Hold up, wait a minute, let us put some Word in it!


With David you had Bathsheba and that drama with the loss of one child, you got one son committing incest with his sister, then you have the other son kill him.
Then you have David having to kill the son who killed the other son.
LORD!


Then you even have Solomon who had been given the wisdom of God and in the end didn't take heed to it.

The Bible is so full of tragedies you if you aren't careful you will overlook the greatest triumph.
Jesus came through.

We want to learn that most tragedy begins when men step away from the counsel of God.
Any man.
The only tragedy that can't be triumphed is the one that we won't allow God to get us through with His instruction.
Because it is God who always causes us to triumph when we put our trust in Him and obey His Word.
Whenever ungodly counsel becomes what folks are following, tragedy won't be far behind.
Look at the Word and learn.


Solomon had been made king at 20 years old and he had been taught by David through example to go to God and he followed that example that his father set for him.
Most start out that way.

1Kings 3:7-9

7 And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.


(This boy already had a measure of wisdom because he first understood that it's God who puts a king in his place and that he had no experience and that he would need the whole counsel of God to do this job)
Solomon acknowledged God as being his help, like his father did and this wasn't something that he was doing in front of people to look humble, this was real.

Solomon took that measure of faith and wisdom that God gave and added to it.



8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.

(This is more than 200 folks)



9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

Nobody but God.
This preaches to people because we always believe that it's the folks who are our problem.
We have to take that wisdom and judge our selves.

Solomon wanted to be able to righteously listen to the heart of the people which is a noble thing, but first being able to search our own hearts will yield an even greater reward and peace besides.

It's so easy to see what other people are doing or where they are missing it and there is nothing wrong with that if our heart is to help them, but too often we refuse to see our selves in the process.
David did this and that's why God sent Samuel down to hold the mirror up.
Solomon did the same thing.


Here when you see the word (discern) this doesn't mean some raggedy gut feeling that we drum up or a conclusion to a story that we have, based on gossip or an outward appearance.
It's hard to be a help if we have already predetermined what the issue is or what the hold up is before the one having the issue or the trouble has shared it with us.
Amend


We have to watch our motive and our past experience.
Everybody doesn't want glamour.

Solomon didn't want glamour
Solomon asked God for a heart to hear.
A hearing heart, an impartial heart.


And the Father told Solomon:
Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for a long life for your self, you haven't asked to be blinged out more than everyone else which would draw all attention to you, and because you haven't asked that I grind your enemies into the dust; but you have asked for understanding and a heart of patience.


Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like you before now and there will be none like you after you go.
God broke the mold with what He gave Solomon.


And then The Father said, I'm gonna bless you both with riches and honor so that there shall be not any king like you in the days that live upon this earth.



Jesus always said, "Those who have ears to hear, let them hear.

He was talking to all of us from the least to the greatest.

The ability to listen with impartiality to all sides of an issue in order to come to a true and wise decision.

Oh Holy Ghost help us out today.
This is the heart that you want to pray that men have before they hear the gospel so that when the gospel is preached, they really hear it so that they make the most righteous decision that they will ever make.
This is a characteristic of a good king.
One who can listen without stomping all over what you have to say because they think that they have already heard everything, that's pride.

No king would like for you to sit in his assembly and act like what he has to say has already been heard before and it need not be heard again.

So when we look at what Solomon did as a young man his concern was not himself in the beginning.
He started out concerned about the people, it's how we finish that makes the difference.

When you first grab the reigns to the throne, you ain't concerned about you.
If we don't check our selves by this Word every day, as time goes by it just seems that it begins to be a little less about God and more about us saving face.

About what you want.
Okay, maybe it's just Lolita.
Solomon's problem began with what he ended up wanting apart from wisdom to rule the people.

Solomon didn't ask for wisdom to rule his own heart.
Help me run these folks.

His daddy cried out, Search my heart Lord!
With all the wisdom that came from his example and the blessing of God on his life, he died at an early age for that time and in distress.
Solomon stepped away from the covenant that he had with God and unlike his father he wasn't quick to repent of his part.

As long as a man remains obedient to the covenant that they have with the one who bestows the blessing, they stay blessed.
Even Solomon's son rejected godly counsel and rejected the counsel of the elders and answered the people harshly and Rehoboam ate the words of his lips. (1Kings chapters 11 and 12)

The people cried O David when his grandson had stepped even further away from the example.
They were wondering who is this boy that now he thinks that it is no longer necessary to heed the counsel of God?

Stay humble and keep a repentant heart.
Reconciliation and restoration of covenant fellowship are obtained this way.

When David did his thing and suffered the consequences of his actions you didn't find David somewhere up on some roof looking at any more women. He took his behind on down with his men even when he was up in age because that's where he was supposed to be.

David was there in battle almost slaughtered but he was where he was supposed to be. He was attacked yet one of his men came and killed the one who might have killed him.
David was protected because God knew his heart.
David had asked for God to search his heart and clean it. (Psalm 139:23,24)
His army told David you go and sit on the throne we got this from now on.

2Samuel 22:1-51 all David could do was praise God and acknowledge God as the one who protected him.
God is my rock cause Lord knows I done wrong!

David said:
When the waves of death surrounded me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
The sorrows of hell surrounded me.
David said he was walking through the valley of the shadow of death!
In his distress David said:
I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and He heard my voice.

This is what we say every day and we say it until we take our last breath.

God hears us because He is the righteous judge and He has the discerning heart.

Psalm 119 is the heart of David knowing who his strength and his tower was, this is why even when he suffered tragedy he gained triumph over it.

A listening heart is a good thing to have.

Have ears to hear what the Spirit of the LORD is saying to you today.

James 1:5; Mark 4:23; 2 Samuel 22:1 -59; Psalm 136:23-25; Psalm 139:23,24

LOVE Y'ALL
Be Blessed and don't let nothing turn you from God.