Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Looking into the Word
Feb 28th, 2011
CommentaryArt Sadlier
Categories: Exhortation;Warning

God’s Blessing is not Always His Approval on all we are Doing

In 1 Chronicles 14:3 we read, “And David took more wives at Jerusalem: and David begat more sons and daughters.” David was violating God’s will and intention for marriage. In Matthew 19 Jesus refers back to God’s original intention for marriage. In verse 5 we read, “And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?” He did not say you three or five or ten, He said two shall be one flesh. That was God’s intention for marriage and that intention has never changed.

In Matthew 19:8 we see God’s temporary tolerance of sin, “He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.”

We see in scripture two great principles concerning God’s judgment on sin in the lives of believers. Sometimes the judgment of God on the sin in a believer’s life is immediate. Sometimes the judgment of God on sin in a believer’s life is delayed and often the blessing of God continues in the life of the disobedient believer during that delay.

This is a very important lesson we need to learn, I cannot overstate this truth. It is a tragic mistake for a believer to go on in disobedience to God thinking the blessing of God on his life is God’s approval on all that he or she is doing. Eventually the chastening of God will fall, often with very painful consequences, as we shall see in the life of David.

In 1 Chronicles 13:9-10 we see the judgment of God fall on David and Uzza as David fails to handle according to God’s clear instruction. “And when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God.” In this case the judgment was immediate.

In chapter 14 we have a situation in which the judgment on David for wrong doing was delayed for some time. In verse 3 we read about David’s disobedience to the will of God, “And David took more wives at Jerusalem: and David begat more sons and daughters.” This was a violation of God’s purpose for marriage. Understand that God did not immediately judge or chasten David for this violation. In fact the blessing of God continued upon David.

 We see this in verse 9-10, “And the Philistines came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. And David inquired of God, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? And wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto him, Go up; for I will deliver them into thine hand.” God was not winking at David’s sin. He would deal with David about this disobedience in His own time and in His own way, and that chastening would be severe. Yet in the meanwhile He would continue to bless David.

There is a very great lesson to be learned here. God blesses His children. It is a part of the very nature of God to bless the ones he loves so deeply. The same God who loves his own will chasten them because of the very love He has for them.

How often we stumble over this way in which God deals with His own children. We see God’s blessing on one of His servants and at the same time we can see glaring inconsistencies in the life or ministry of that one. We are prone to think that maybe what that brother is doing is permissible for me also. We not only stumble ourselves but we lead others, sometimes even our own families, to stumble also.  We see those who are truly saved individuals involved in New Evangelicalism and we tend to think that legitimizes New Evangelicalism because we see some the blessing of God upon them.  In failing to rebuke New Evangelicalism we become a party its' to be perpetuation as it goes on to destroy the body of Christ.

The chastening judgment eventually fell on the life of David. David`s sins concerning marriage caused tremendous destruction in David`s family. One of David`s sons raped his sister. Another of David`s sons killed his brother. Both of these sins were observed in the life of David in the matter of Uriah and Bathsheba. One of David`s sons usurped the throne and David was driven out of the country as his son sought to kill his father. David`s son Solomon followed in his father`s footsteps in having multiple wives and those wives drew his heart away from God. Solomon`s sin brought about the division of Israel.  God's blessings on Solomon's life was not His approval on all that Solomon was doing.

God`s blessings on our lives is not His approval on all that we are doing. The more God blesses us the more we should fear to presume on God. The more God blesses us the more we should search our hearts and lives for any disobedience or sin that may be lurking in the shadows. Sin that will bring the chastening of God upon us, and sin that will cause others to stumble and fall. Remember our children and our friends are watching our lives and will see any inconsistencies. Our lives ought to be an example of what God`s Word demands and teaches so that others will be able to rightly discern the will of God for their lives.

God`s blessing on our lives and our ministries is not a confirmation of all that we are doing.