Guard Your Heart

The sixth chapter of 2 Samuel tells of the triumphant story of the return of the ark of God to Jerusalem by King David. This historic event comes itself on the heels of several successful military campaigns by the nascent leader. He had captured the stronghold of Zion, despite its seemingly impregnable defenses, and he had executed the ground breaking defeat of the Philistines at Baal-Perazim. It was against this backdrop – of the house of David steadily strengthening – that David went to the house of Obed-edom to retrieve the ark of God “with gladness.”

Things were looking up for David, and he knew it. But he recognized that his success was a result of divine favor. He realized that God had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom would be exalted for the sake of the nation. Moreover, his breakthrough of the Philistine armies came about after receiving strategic counsel directly from the Most High. So when he realized that God was going to favor his efforts to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem, he had every reason to be jubilant.

As is often the case with expressive people, David knew how to be jubilant. After the first six steps of the ark-bearers, he offered a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God. As the procession entered the city, he leapt and danced before God with all his might. Indeed, the whole house of Israel was with him, shouting and playing trumpets. When the ark of God arrived at the tent that had been pitched for it, David offered further sacrifices of thanksgiving, and even gave gifts to all the multitude that were there, celebrating with him. Needless to say, I think it is safe to conclude that this was widely viewed as a joyful occasion.

But not by everyone, unfortunately. David’s wife Michal – who was also the daughter of King Saul – had taken in the parade from her window and was apparently embarrassed by her husband’s behavior. In his celebratory actions, David had put on the priestly garment and, presumably, shed his royal vestments. This bothered Michal, but the Scriptures don’t tell us clearly why she was upset.

Perhaps her personality was more reserved, and she felt disconcerted by David’s unmitigated expressions of joy. Perhaps other activities had kept her busy, keeping her from fully engaging with the celebration and therefore understanding its significance. Perhaps she was feeling the effects of pride in her heart: “My father was never that undignified when he was king…”. We don’t really know. But we do know that she allowed, tragically, this difference to transact something far more serious than a mere personality difference might otherwise suggest: she despised him in her heart. This, as we know, went on to have severely debilitating effects on their marriage.

Undoubtedly, none of us are stranger to the periodic encounters that highlight differences of personality or expectations. These occurrences are not, in and of themselves, wrong or necessarily indicative of a problem. But we should do everything we can to avoid the fate of Michal, who allowed them to develop into something which eroded the effectiveness of one of her most important relationships. A key antidote to this fate is given for us in I Peter 4: “Keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins,” and, I would add, a sea of idiosyncrasies and a mountain of quirks. As we navigate those seas and mountains especially, may we each be diligent in expressing the love of Christ to those around us.

In Your Debt

One of the hottest political potatoes presently before the United States Congress is the debate over the so-called debt ceiling. The Constitution places within the Congress the sole authority to authorize spending of the federal government and, in cases when there is insufficient income with which to finance that spending, the Congress must also authorize the U.S. Treasury to borrow funds and how much. The current statutory limit, or, maximum amount the Treasury is allowed to borrow, is an unimaginable $14.294 trillion. This limit was reached on May 16, so the Congress must now decide whether to increase the limit and if so, by how much. Opponents of an increase argue that the deficit spending of the past decade has placed the nation on an unsustainable course and only drastic measures will preserve its viability. The Secretary of the Treasury, Timothy Geithner, however, is warning of unpredictable and potentially catastrophic consequences if the federal government is not authorized to borrow additional funds within the next couple of months. In my humble opinion, I think they’re both right.

Without delving into the pros and cons of the political considerations, though, perhaps it would be helpful to evaluate this issue in the light of Scripture. The Bible clearly speaks to the issue of national and personal debt, and the wise observer of current events does well to put the loquacious arguments of his fellow man in the context of God’s Word. Against this true plumb line, it is often easy to see what is out of balance or erroneous.

Consider the promises of Deuteronomy 28 – that familiar passage where God outlines the blessings of obedience and the consequences of disobedience. If the country is aligned with Godly principles, than the nation will be in a position to lend to many other nations, and not have to borrow. But if the nation is disobedient, the alien will lend to instead of borrow from the nation. Today, the United States is currently borrowing at least $10 billion from each of 53 foreign nations and many smaller amounts from dozens of others countries, plus nearly $2.5 trillion from various individuals and investors. Furthermore, although the U.S. gives billions of dollars of aid every year, it does not lend to anyone. Clearly, having to borrow money is not an indication of God’s blessing and, clearly, the United States is coming down on the wrong side of that equation.

But why is debt a bad thing? As Solomon pointed out in Proverbs 22, it introduces an unhealthy dynamic into the relationship between the borrower and lender, and as Jesus further clarified in Matthew 6, it handicaps the relationship between the borrower and God. One who borrows money is subject to the demands of his creditor; he “becomes the lender’s slave.” God did not design money to be a tool for gaining social leverage in this way, and we do well to recognize – and avoid – its impacts. Furthermore, when the borrower is servant to the lender, he is unable to fully devote himself to being God’s servant. He is then forced to navigate the impossible task of serving two masters. Again, we do well to recognize – and avoid – this handicap to our relationship with our Savior.

So what ought we – and the United States – to do? We need look no further than Romans 8:13: “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another.” Interestingly here, the original Greek includes an emphatic double negative (In Greek, unlike English, multiple negatives are used to increase emphasis.). One should not allow indebtedness to develop with anyone, for any reason. It is also worth nothing that no economic exceptions are given; not for governmental or commercial enterprises, neither for large expenditures or those outside of one’s price range. The only exception is the debt of love we owe each other in fulfillment of the requirements of God’s law.

The solutions to our national fiscal problems are complex, but the problem is clear: we should not be in debt. Let us pray for our country to be realigned with Godly principles and thereby warrant the kinds of fiscal prosperity promised in Deuteronomy 28. And let us make sure our own fiscal houses are in order, owing nothing to anyone except the unconditional love of Christ.