Putting the Beauty Back in the Commandments (eBook)

Jessie Partington (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2018
132 Seiten
Finck, Inc. Publishing (Verlag)
661000008492-0 (EAN)

Infos

The purpose of this little book is to put the beauty of God back into His Ten Commandments by weaving the loveliness of God's character as described in Christ's Sermon on the Mount (Matt 3: 5- 11), with His Law given on Mt Sinai (Exodus 20:3- 17).

Textauszug

When it’s too dark to see

Pausing momentarily, the aging monarch reached down to free a small lamb caught in a thicket. Instinctively he pressed the little fellow to his bosom as he had done so many times in the past, so many years ago. It was comforting to both the lamb and the king. This was not a pleasant time for either of them. Neither lamb nor sovereign ruler had the strength demanded for this heart-wrenching trek.

The sun was slowly sinking behind the rolling hills casting long welcoming shadows across the valley floor. There would be no more steps taken this night as the king, still with lamb in arms, settled back against the trunk of an old tree, sighed heavily, and closed his eyes. Never had he known such torment of heart, though affliction of soul was no stranger. Many were the times he felt he could not take another breath as heart-rending pain removed all light from his very being. But this time he felt the heaviness of his burden as no other moment in his life.

Like a mirage on a hot shimmering desert, scenes of his life drifted in and out of his mind. He had been the youngest of many sons and knew to jump when spoken to. But he had also been the highest in the land: when he spoke, others must jump. He had been the bravest of the brave. He had been the mightiest of the mighty, the one all little boys wanted to be like. Yet he had hidden in caves and begged for food. He had tracked down enemies—and enemies had tracked him down. He had been both loved and hated. His countrymen praised his name far and wide; they bowed in humble adoration at his feet. And his countrymen hated him, cursed his name, and spit at his feet. He had been the wealthiest of the wealthy, but at this moment—all he had was this little lamb. Burying his face against the soft curly wool, tears erupted from the pit of his soul as he remembered the many times when darkness engulfed his world. His name was David. And he was a shepherd at heart, and a king anointed by God.

For David, there was just something about the unveiling of nightfall as evening colors glide across a darkening sky. Perhaps it was the softness of dusk, the scent of goodwill, or the gentleness of heaven reaching earthward. Silently, as if carried on the wings of angels, twilight would descend embracing his soul with a peace from above. No matter the insurmountable conflicts of the day, evenings would find King David, Son of Jesse, robed in the stillness of tranquility drifting across hills and into valleys of very tired souls.

David dwelt often on God’s Laws. However, for him it was the serenity of evening that provided precious moments of stillness for those gifts of Golden Daffodils to be discovered. This would be one of those moments as the king is startled by the rustling of leaves overhead. Peering into the branches, David’s Heavenly Father once again lovingly reveals His constant care to His forlorn and hurting king. For there, nestled amongst the shifting foliage, the beauty of God’s guardianship is heard in a mother’s sweet song of assurance as she protectively spreads her fragile little wings tenderly over a nest of tiny dependent babes. In the gentle lullaby of dusk, sleepy little ones are carefully tucked beneath her sheltering warmth and care. David realized she would give her life to shield them through torrential rains, frenzied winds, or cruel hunters. He had seen God do the same for him. God was reminding him of the many times David had felt the defending hand of God spread about him signifying to any invading evil, “Thus far and no farther.” And now, when indeed invading evil had entered his own home and harmed his own nest of vulnerable little ones, now, when a cruel, ruthless undertaking was being maliciously thrust against the door of his heart, God’s voice would be a comforting reassurance of his care, and His Laws a protective shield against the onslaught of evil.

The glaring brightness of the day the king has just endured, a day filled with too many angry encounters, too many hurtful words and too little love, slowly begins to fade from his weary soul as shadows consume the countryside. The harsh struggles of the day gently relinquish their hold as nature whispers softly to man and beast. Fragrant with night-songs of stillness and peace reflecting the character of God, evening’s tranquility is carried upon caressing breezes as tired villages are tucked in for the night. And in every chorus of nature’s song the king of Israel beholds the King of Creation. It is now that God’s anointed servant best understands the Words written upon stone and the beauty of peace described in God’s Holy gift. Bathed in God’s starlight and immersed in the serenity of nature’s world of caroling brooks, communing crickets and calling frogs, David would find strength renewed, love re-born. Holding his little lamb safely, as God had done for him, David does his best to find comfort upon a very hard earth and drift off to sleep having beheld the God of his life in the restful sounds of benediction.

But the night was long—the ground was hard. Merciless, unforgiving images plague his rest. Worse: sorrow’s icy grip was demanding the surrender of hope to a darkness of his own creation. It was a heartbreaking, horrifying event for which he must carry the blame alone. How could he expect to be any place but where he was at this very moment in his life. No outside enemies involved. Just family member against family member, son against son, and finally, son against father. It is one thing to be pursued and preyed upon by century old enemies, but a beloved son! The thought only tightened evil’s pitiless hold around David’s already fragile heart.

David finally sat up leaning back against the sturdy trunk of the old tree once more. Rest was out of reach anyway. Setting his little companion down to stretch his legs, a crisp night breeze stirs in the darkness overhead sending an uneasy eerie-chill down the king’s back. He sits in silence, he listens in fear! Suddenly, it is all too much for the monarch. In agony of spirit his soul shatters the black stillness around him. For there was one undisputable fact from which he could not escape: Absalom, his beloved Absalom, was choosing self over entitlement; he was choosing desire over faithfulness; he was choosing self-exaltation over the humility of Heaven—as he had seen his father do. He was following in the footsteps of his father.

Absalom, his beloved son for whom David would give his own life, had turned, sword in hand, against his father. His beautiful gifted son, the son he so cherished, had hardened his heart. He was now determined to seize his father’s kingdom. No matter the costs! The evil-pleasing intent of Absalom’s heart was so strong that nothing, or no one, would be spared. After all, his father David had shown him how!

In the blackness of the night a father’s lamenting, mournful soul echoes across the land. The import of heavenly values torn asunder. David understands the far reaching consequences of his actions. A father’s love has been rejected. At this moment, somewhere in the darkness, a favored son chooses to make himself king—by the taking of the life of his own father. And now, when it was too dark to see, David shivers in the black depths of hopelessness.

Darkness was no stranger to King David, Son of Jesse. Sadly there had been times greedy desires and hidden deceit would block the view of God. Trust would slip from God’s hands and into his own. It is then David looked to self for answers. Misfortune and distress would often lead to self-reliance. Tragically the costs of leaning unto his own understanding would not only prove him harm, it would also harm the innocent, those under his guidance, even unto death. The consequences of these moments, these disastrous, inexcusable moments of selfish-willfulness, were a heavy burden for the king, the guardian of the people, to bear. As the King of Israel, above all men, he was to demonstrate the nature of God. In every kingly act, in every decision of court, and in every social activity, God’s leading was to be seen, upheld and the principles of Heaven revealed. Being an anointed of God, the Son of Jesse was to reveal the integrity of God’s Law by which all men were to live. David was to reflect God’s love for man. He was to reflect the beauty in a gift of Golden Daffodils handed to him by his Creator.

David understood that peace reigns in homes where the atmosphere of respect and faithfulness is lived, God’s Commandments lovingly expressed. A father’s deeds are to be pure and honest displaying the sacredness of heaven purifying the hearts of both parents and children. Sympathy and compassion discourage coveting hearts. Mercy and forgiveness build characters that bar hostility and jealousy from within the walls of these protected abodes. Attributes of kindness and goodwill enrich the lives of those around them. Children thus taught find a closer walk with God and a deeper appreciation for others.

However, on those occasions when David let go of the hand of his Lord, choosing a path other than walking in obedience to God’s Commandments, heartless acts had at times stained the very image of God. Daffodils left neglected in polluted water tainted this father’s soul . . . and at times contaminated those he loved.

And now, once again, David needs a new life. How many times has this king felt his world crumble about him with no chance of escape. And how often was this need to be re-born brought about from wallowing in selfish desires, selfish pleasures. ...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 6.7.2018
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Religion / Theologie ► Christentum