February 23, 2021 | Being
Though Israel already had the King of kings already in God Almighty, they yearned for an earthly king. Their neighbors all had kings, kings they could see, kings that they could revere, kings they could complain about. Israel wanted the same, so God gave them what they longed for. We will find out throughout history thereafter why earthly kings are never what you would hope they would be and why God Himself is the only one who could ever live up to the perfection we seek.
Saul became that first faulty king of Israel and, throughout his reign he proved to be unworthy of such an honor, so God told the prophet Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
After this, Saul would anoint David to be the next king, the second in a long line of faulty kings. Yet there was one thing that separated King Saul and King David, it was their very being. One ultimately found his being with the world, the other found his being with God. One sought personal glory, one gave all the glory to His Creator. One had a heart set on worldliness and one had His heart set on godliness.
Every life is lived in duplicity. We are both human beings and spiritual beings. At the same time, we live both a temporary life and an eternal one. Our earthly life is momentary, but our spiritual life lives on even after our mortal death.
The decision we have to make in life is what being will take precedence. Will we be more focused on being a human being or a spiritual being? What life of being will we live for? Will we bow to worldliness or godliness? Saul chose the former, David (eventually) chose the latter.
Both Saul and David had many faults, very grave ones to be sure. Yet, Saul became lost in his humanness. David, though making many human mistakes, would finally find his ultimate peace, not in his humanness but in his spiritual connection to God.
God urges us through His Word saying, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).
God wants us to find our being in Him, not because we walk blindly into faith, but because we have found within us the willingness to learn from Him and to live the life He wishes for us to live, one of a spiritual quality full of godly goodness and grace.
He asks us also to resist the urge of finding our being in our humanness. From 1 Peter 3:3-4, “Do not let your adorning be external – the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear – but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.”
He’s not saying we shouldn’t wear nice things, he is saying that we shouldn’t be defined by our worldliness. If you find your very being within the clothes you wear and the toys you own, you will be defined by things that will perish. God pleads with you to be more concerned with your inner being that is imperishable. Live for eternal things not for things that are here today but gone tomorrow.
Where do you find your being? Are you satisfied with what the world can give you or do you seek greater things, eternal things? God has given you His Son so that we might celebrate together where time is no longer a factor. Trust in Him by focusing more on your spiritual being then you do on your humanness. God has plans for you that extend beyond the everyday. Find your being with Him. Please pray with me:
Heavenly Father, thank you for creating us to be Your own and forgive us when we have gotten lost in our humanness. Give us the strength to find our very being with You and You alone. Teach us a better way to live. Amen.
