King David has been the epitome of Beloved Identity, and his life has shown us what Beloved Identity means in ours. David’s best friend was Jonathan, Saul’s son who was to be the next king in the line of succession; however, the LORD had a different king in mind after Saul, and it was David. Today’s sermon is entitled “Beloved-Broken and Rebuilt.”
Jonathan’s surviving son was named Mephibosheth, which means “exterminating the idol.”
David and Jonathan had taken an oath on the day that Jonathan discovered that Saul was
hunting for and wanting to kill David. In 1 Samuel 20:42,
“Then Jonathan said to David,’Go in peace. We have taken
an oath in the LORD’s name to be friends forever. We have
asked the LORD to be a witness between us and our
descendants forever.’” (NIV)
In other words, Jonathan’s offspring would be protected; Mepibosheth was
“Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson. When he came to
David, he bowed low to the ground in deep respect.
David said,’Greetings, Mephibosheth.’
Mephibosheth replied,’I am your servant.’” 2 Samuel 9:6b (NIV)
Mephibosheth came in humility, and David honored that and his friendship with Jonathan. David invited Mephibosheth to eat at his table daily. What a way to treat the grandson of the man who hunted him for years.
“Knowing what He thinks about you today helps with the wounds from yesterday.”
Because David knew God loved him and Jonathan was his best friend, he could securely
embrace Mephibosheth and welcome him into his home. Mephibosheth reaped the benefits of his father’s love for Beloved Identity, David. Their friendship’s legacy had a ripple effect, and it changed the direction of Mephibosheth’s life. Pastor said,”How I understand Beloved Identity” will affect Emma and Judah. How important is it to understand His unfathomable love for each one of us? Incredibly important.
Another significant point is “It’s easy to teach others to replicate what you do; it’s another
level to replicate who you are.” The LORD could tell the disciples to heal the sick and give
sight to the blind, but they had to be near Him to really see who He was. In turn with the
disciples’ closeness to the LORD, they learned who they were, and it turned the world upside down. Doing is one level; being is a different one.
We have to know who we are in order to teach others who they are. It will change how they see the world; just like it changed the disciples’ lives and the world. When “we crack open the Bible,” we learn that we are grafted into His family; we are daughters and sons of the King; He calls us His own; and we become rulers along side Christ. What a legacy to share with our unsaved loved ones and our prodigals. May it help them demolish their idols like the Holy Spirit has helped us recognize our own idols.
A practical example in my life was in 2010. I was listening to the last words of a sermon when
the pastor recommended us to “Identify your idols.” I had been a believer since I was twelve
when I walked down the aisle of Lemon Grove Southern Baptist Church. I did not have any
silver or gold idols, but the Holy Spirit touched me, and I asked myself,”Is my job my idol?”
Immediately my response was,”Yes.” And that June I retired from teaching after forty years. I
wanted no idols in my life. I only want the Savior as my LORD and the epicenter of my life. May we seniors model Beloved Identity for the younger people in our lives.
When we make the LORD the center of our lives, we walk, talk, and live differently. We desire
and make more time with the LORD.
“When we begin to believe that our living rooms
are as holy as the sanctuaries of our churches,
we will meet with God more than once or twice
a week.” Jake Hamilton
Isn’t that what we want? Don’t we desire an authentic relationship with the LORD not a Sunday only connection but an everyday relationship. That means time. My love language is time, and a friend told me time is spelled, “L-O-V-E.” If you love the LORD, you can hear from Him daily as you sit at His feet and learn that
“You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
His own special people, that you may proclaim the praise of Him
who called you out of the darkness into His marvelous light.”
1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV)
That verse describes Beloved Identity.
Another situation that showed how the LORD redeemed was with the Ark of the Covenant in
2 Samuel 6. The ark of God had been in Abinadab’s house which had been blessed. His two
sons were part of the transportation team who put the ark on a new cart. When the oxen tripped, Uzzah, Abinadab’s son, reached up to stop the ark from falling. The Lord’s anger blazed against Uzzah who died. David was angry and afraid of the LORD. He had not researched how to move the ark and his neglect led to a death. “Never treat casually what God has called sacred.”
David left the ark at Obed-Edom’s house. Later David learned that “because the ark of God”
was at Obed-Edom’s, he was blessed. He discovered that the priests needed to carry the ark on poles. David arranged to transport the ark according to the LORD’s guidelines, and as they brought the ark to the City of David, David wore a linen ephod like the priests wore, “danced before the LORD with all his might” and sacrificed bulls and fatted calves. 4400 sacrifices were made in that ten mile journey. Worship and sacrifice are connected “The posture of the heart beating in the chest of His Beloved truly matters.” David was broken and rebuilt as he learned how to properly treat what was sacred.
The contrast between Saul and David are clear in these comparison statements.
“Saul was man’s kind of king.
David was God’s king of king.
Saul needed people’s praise.
David lived to praise God.
Saul’s kingdom was rejected.
David’s kingship is eternal through Jesus.
Saul was self absorbed.
David was kind and benevolent.
When confronted, Saul lied.
When confronted, David humbled himself and repented.
Saul was full of fear.
David was full of courage.
Saul was separated from God.
David was at peace with God.
Saul was paranoid and insecure in his own skin.
David was confident in Beloved Identity.”
Who are you? Where do you stand?
As David entered the city, “Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King
David leaping and whirling before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.” 2 Samuel 6:16 (NKJV) “Be careful not to be offended by the shameless adoration of those madly in love with God.” David’s worship of the LORD disgusted Michal. May we create a culture that
honors God and appreciates others’ worship. Let us choose not to be offended by another
person’s worship.
Finally, the David and Bathsheba story is very familiar. Briefly, instead of David going to war with his men, he lounged on his roof and saw Bathsheba. He summoned her and impregnated her. After he discovered she was pregnant, he devised several schemes to get her husband Uzziah to sleep with Bathsheba. Uzziah was honorable and would not because his fellow soldiers were fighting. Finally David had him put in the most dangerous place, and Uzziah was killed. The prophet Nathan bravely confronted David about his adultery and selfishness, and David confessed and repented. “Just because we walk in Beloved Identity, it doesn’t mean we’re invincible to disobedience.” People with Beloved Identity are not perfect, but Jesus is the perfect standard. He has wide, open arms for the repented. David was broken and rebuilt and carried the lineage of the Messiah.
Paramount Point -“Our identity as Beloved is not fickle.” Though we will sin; though we are
broken; though we are selfish, we are free to repent. As Christ followers, we are daughters and sons of the King. He is crazy about us. May we reflect His light in this darkened world.
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