Put No Confidence in Princes
In Psalm 146:3, the Psalmist reminds the worshippers to "Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation." The exhortation of the Psalm is to trust in the Lord who is the only true help of mankind. While we are not sure who wrote Psalm 146, it is not a jump to imagine that the insight to put no confidence in princes came, at least in part, from watching the life of David.
2 Samuel 9 was a high point for David in terms of his character and reflecting the heart of YHWH. Unfortunately, from this point on the stories are less glamorous, many even downright difficult to read. Over the rest of his life David will struggle with pride that will lead to power plays, sexual sin, an unwise census, etc... He will struggle with denial, depression, a weakening of his effectiveness as a ruler and a father. The consequences of his sin, though forgiven, will continue both throughout his lifetime and throughout his dynasty. And truthfully, these stories will most likely strike close to home. In some cases surgically opening up our own hearts to expose the rot that has set in. In other cases, poking at a wound that others have inflicted, perhaps causing pain or a resurfacing of anger.
So "why go there", you ask? Well, we go there because that is where the scripture takes us. As a church we are committed to the "whole counsel of God". We believe that every bit of the Bible is given for our building up and training in Godliness, even the difficult parts. We go there because it is against that backdrop of human failings that we discover, rediscover, that God is our refuge and our strength. He is the only one who is worthy of our trust. Furthermore, we are reminded that though our sins are many, His mercy is more. David and the rest of the cast of characters find themselves in a morass of brokenness brought about by their own sin as well as the sins of those around them, but God is still at work. Sometimes he works from the shadows to be sure. Sometimes his brush portrays only a small dash of color in an otherwise bleak landscape. But He is there. Every story whispers His name.
Photo by T. Selin Erkan on Unsplash