To Encourage You

2 Samuel 1:13-16 “And David said to the young man who told him, ‘Where do you come from?’ And he answered, ‘I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.’ David said to him, ‘How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?’ Then David called one of the young men and said, ‘Go, execute him.’ And he struck him down so that he died. And David said to him, ’Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, “I have killed the Lord’s anointed.”’”

There are many people who are headed for the most horrifying shock of their lives.  They are people who think they have earned favor with God, but when they actually meet Him, they will hear the words: “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23).  Some of these people will be very religious. In fact, the ones about whom Jesus prophesies in Matthew 7 will come to Him at the final judgment with the words, “Lord, Lord.”  In the words of Scripture, the use of repetition in a personal address points to familiarity.  Then they will try to impress Him with their works.  Jesus puts it this way, “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’”  But then the shocking words will come, “I NEVER knew you; depart from me you workers of lawlessness.” 

You see, the fact that a person doesn’t really know God although they might think that they do will be revealed in how they see things in life. It will be reflected in their value system and their view of themselves.  It’s something that each person should take stock of right now while there’s still time. 

We see a shadow of this in the account above from 2 Samuel 1. It comes from the story of Saul’s death. At the very end of 1 Samuel, Saul tragically takes his own life.  It’s such an ignominious end for God’s first anointed king of Israel.  It occurred in the middle of a battle with the Philistines.  But then we have the account of a young Amalekite.  Like the Philistines, the Amalekites were enemies of Israel.  In fact, early in Saul’s reign God had commanded him to exact judgment on the Amalekites by totally destroying each and every one of them – something that Saul failed to do.  It was while the Philistines were attacking Israel that David was concurrently attacking the Amalekites who had destroyed the city David was living in and kidnapped the members of David’s family and the families of David’s men. It is during this time that the Amalekite in the story above from 2 Samuel 1 happens upon Saul, who was likely already dead. Nevertheless, apparently in an attempt to win favor with David, he came to David bearing Saul’s crown and armlet and claimed that he had killed Saul himself.  He would have never come to David in this way if he had not expected a grand reception. But what did he get? Nothing but David’s wrath. You see, the Amalekite didn’t really know David, and so he had no idea that the death of Saul would grieve him rather than bring him joy.  Although the Amalekite addresses David as “my lord” in verse 10, David was anything but his lord, for what he did was the very opposite of David’s desires. 

And so it will tragically be for many who face the Son of David in the end.  No one will earn the favor of this king by their works, although many think they can.  You see, the King of kings has made it clear to us that it is only by God’s grace that anyone will ever be saved. Salvation “is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Therefore, anyone who would approach God boasting about such works will be shocked to face His disapproval for their overweening pride. 

Then there are those who take pride in an identity that flies in the face of that which glorifies God. In so doing, they are taking pride in their disobedience. Thus, they call that which is evil “good” and that which is good “evil.” They miss the mark and spurn the love of God, for His love “does not rejoicing at wrongdoing.” Rather, it “rejoices with the truth” of God (1 Corinthians 13:6).  Those who take pride and rejoice in their own sin are one with the Amalekite, who by his very identity called himself one with a people who were the enemies of God.    

May God help us to truly come to the knowledge of the Son of David and truly enter the family of God. This will never happen by taking pride in or glorifying that which the Son of God hates. It will never come by boasting in the “good” things we have done. It will never happen unless we confess and forsake our sin and humbly and submissively receive by faith the forgiveness that only the Son of God could provide for us by His own death on a cross.  It is only then that one comes to truly submit to the true Lord, and it is only in that relationship that a person will ever be welcomed with love and forgiveness into the family of God. Any other way is a walk on the broad way that leads to destruction, for there is only one way, and it’s a narrow way that, in the end, will lead to life (Matthew 7:13-14).