Right Hearts and Good Intentions as the Standard

Rob has dragged some meat across the path, so putting on socks and shoes we give chase. Woof.

Rob asked: My question would be: Does the text of 2 Samuel 6 indicate (giving David the benefit of doubt) that David intended to do the right thing? His intentions did not excuse the fact that God had told them not to put the arc on a cart...

First thoughts after a quick look back at exodus and 2nd Samuel. I see I lead my brother astray by spelling it as arc instead of ark. In Exodus God tells them to use poles to carry it. I don’t know if he ever said “don’t use a cart”, but this leads us to the modern default position for most evangelicals. IE “if God never said we couldn’t do… (you name it)…. it must be okay. Anyone who says otherwise is adding to the word. Legalist!”

We don't carefully (fearfully?) double check to see if we can get every detail from the word. Which would bring us closer to the Christ centric model of " I don't say anything unless the Father says it, and I don't do anything unless I see the Father do it." Another legalist. (1) see foot note.

I don’t see anything to suggest that Davids intentions were less than good. Another coin of the Christian evangelical realm is “if we believe our hearts are right, and intentions good…” what else is there? Who can be against us? Like the doctrine of personal choice. This way of thinking seems to trump everything in most evangelical minds. But where did this way of thinking come from?

Doug Phillips is so right to keep pounding on the phrase “what sayeth the scriptures?” We can know scripture, but if that knowledge is in terms of our society, if that understanding is controlled by the culture rather than Gods word, than the determining factor is no longer Gods word, but rather we have found something higher than Gods word. Which cannot be.

If we are not careful Our hearts and our intentions become the standard, when it must be his word. It reveals our loose, lax(? ) Maybe a too familiar attitude towards….everything in general. Careless seems too harsh. It is probably just more of our Americana skirt showing , you know, its cool, its ok. Were almost buddys with the most high.

With God the method ( how) is as important as the “what” you do.

What did God say to do?

Did God say When to do it?

Did God say Where to do it?

The Why is a tricky one. But think about carrying the Ark the way God said to do it. Nobody died putting it on the cart. But if it had been carried by multiple men and someone slipped the rest of the men would have kept it up and hence no temptation for anyone to reach out to “ save the ark”. This makes Gods directions seem as a safeguard for human life. Life was lost because a method was chosen, that was not condemned, but was also not Gods directed method. This will cut against the Americana grain of being original and creative but it would provide protection from becoming synchrotized into your culture. In them, but not of them.

And the Who? Has God said should do this. ( Govt, Church, Family, Fathers, wives, men or women, individuals?) This one is a church splitter here. This is a buzz saw to egalitarian viewpoints, feminism and Americana.

Robs second question is rhetorical: How many “arcs” have we put on carts? David should have known better. We must pray, fast, study and ask God how many carts we have constructed to carry His concepts (marriage; parenting; church; politics, etc.). Obviously there is only one arc… it is an analogy. How many concepts do we embrace and carry, yet carry them the wrong way?

This is so hard to answer ,even just to myself. The first impulse is to get the shoes and socks back off quick because you feel that for sure there’s just oodles of stuff that hasn’t been thought through and you will need extra digits for counting. But its like confessing to dissing God, in multiple areas of life, so you want to on impulse say, “maybe only, one or two”. :) I fear if I really could see what God see’s that I would be past toes and onto using chest hairs to keep count. :(

Yes! Friday night at the fights. Men's meeting. You just know were gonna get the biblical nunchucks out. Its great fun till someone hits themselves in the head with them.

(1) How? did we get to the place where if you try to carefully do what Gods says he wants you to do. You will be called a legalist by other believers! When did this start… If Christ himself said “if you love me, keep my commandments.” This speaks loudly that our thinking is messed up. We have been taken captive.