I was sent a copy of Day of War two weeks ago by the good people at Beloved Pictures. Prior to that I had not heard of either Cliff Graham or his Lion of War series, of which this book is the first to be published. I have to confess, I was a little skeptical at first. Christian fiction, like Christian movies, is often cringe-inducing. Happily my fears were unfounded. Day of War is a page-turner, a roller-coaster adventure from start to finish.

Day of War is the story of Benaiah the son of Jehoida, “the Three”, and others who featured in the life of David prior to his assumption of the throne. You’ve probably noticed how the Bible hardly gives any attention to these men who did amazing exploits. Benaiah, we’re told, went into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion (2 Sam 23:20). But that’s about all we’re told. Josheb, chief of the Three, “raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter” (2 Sam 23:8). And that’s we get – just one verse! For a male reader this is maddening. Tell us what happened? Did they all charge him at once? How did he do it? The Bible doesn’t say. It has too many good stories to tell and not enough space to tell them. Enter Cliff Graham.

Taking an author’s license Mr. Graham tells the story of Benaiah killing the lion in the pit. (It’s heart-stopping stuff!) He also tells us plenty about Josheb. We learn that he’s physically unimpressive, wears a black tunic that his wife made for him, and that he is the funniest man in David’s army. He is also extraordinarily dangerous. In a memorable scene near the end of the story, the Three are assigned to cut off the escape of fleeing Amalekites. Josheb et al. are out-numbered hundreds to three but of course they pull it off. Mr. Graham’s genius is not in getting us to believe that they did the impossible – we already know how it’s all going to turn out – but in describing how they did it. Mr. Graham, you see, is a soldier. He understands both the skills of combat and the dreadful effects that warfare can have on a man’s soul. And this is why Day of War is not a book to give to your 12 year old son. The violence is dished out in Biblical proportions in a way that faithfully portrays both the glory and the darkness of Israel’s wars. You have been warned.

But if the thought of Amalekites meeting gruesome ends does not trouble you, then you’re in for a treat for Day of War fills the gaps between the verses with historical and military credibility. Mr. Graham is a masterful story-teller who sits you down at the campfire while his characters joke and tell tales and do all the things that men do when they are away from home. He makes the Biblical past come to life in a way few authors can manage. For a first-time novelist, he has hit a home run!

I mentioned historical credibility. I should also add that there are also a few surprises in the book which add a layer of supernatural intrigue. I won’t go into details other than to hint at one gripping scene where David rebukes an enemy soldier of mysterious origin and another where a bleeding and broken Benaiah is fought over two larger-than-life warriors.

Since this is a new covenant blog I should also point out that Day of War is an old covenant story. It’s Urim and Thummin territory. Never sure whether God will be there to help him in the day of battle, David is prompted to examine his heart for hatred and vengeance. This sort of sin-hunting introspection is not how we live but it’s how David lived. And when God does show up in the form of a covering, it’s invariably exciting. Burning with irresistible power David slays giants and runs through troops.

Apparently Mr. Graham wanted to write a massive 1500 word book but the publishers asked for something smaller. Day of War, then, is the first of a five-part series. It’s the bit of the story that revolves around David and his men marching to war with the Philistines, returning home to Ziklag, and then hunting down the Amalekites who kidnapped their women and children. I imagine the remaining books in the series will see David taking the throne at Hebron before heading to Jerusalem, uniting the 12 tribes, and pacifying the enemies of Israel. Even though I already know what’s going to happen, I can’t wait to hear Mr. Graham tell the story.
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Related posts:
- Psalm 51: The badness of David vs the goodness of God
- God doesn’t change; we do
- see all E2R’s book reviews here

Rest assured that God never changes. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb 13:8). But judging from the feedback I’ve received, some of you are having trouble wrapping your heads around the idea that God can change the way He relates to us without changing His nature. Yet there are many examples in the Bible of God acting differently in different circumstances. Most notably, God changes the way He relates to us in covenant. If this puzzles you, look at the table below which compares God’s behavior before and after Mt Sinai (when the 10 commandments were given):

God’s Behavior Before and After Mt Sinai

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Doesn’t it strike you as odd that a loving God acts one way one time, but a completely different way another? If it does, then you’ve never raised children. Go find a loving parent and ask them, “Did you spank your kids when they were little? Do you still spank them now that they’re grown?” Do you see? The same loving parent relates to their children differently depending on how the children wish to relate to them. Under the old covenant, God chose to restrain His heart of love towards the Children of Israel in order that they might see the dangers of sin and recognize their need for a Savior.

God has always loved us with an everlasting, and therefore, unconditional love. He blessed Abraham and told him, “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendents” (Gen 17:7). Even while the Israelites were under the temporary law-keeping covenant, God’s true and unchanging nature would occasionally be detected by prophets like Jeremiah (31:3) and Isaiah (54:10) – not to mention David who lived as if the old covenant wasn’t as real to Him as God’s loving-kindness (Ps 51:1, 63:3,KJV). This is why God said of David, “Now there’s a man who knows my heart.”

That old covenant – the one where God chose to make His love conditional on the Israelites’ performance – is long gone. We live under a new and better covenant where the heart of God is clearly seen in the way He relates to us. And how does He relate? Through the pure and unqualified grace that comes to us through Jesus Christ. If you want to know how much your heavenly Father loves you, look to Jesus who died for you and now lives for you.
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Related posts:
- Does God kill babies?
- Is God’s love unconditional?
- The badness of David vs the goodness of God

Now there’s a troubling verse! Does God really kill babies? My first response is yes, no, and I don’t know. Yes, because God is on the throne and nothing happens unless He allows it. No, because He is a good God, everything He does is perfect, and He has no dark side (Deut 32:4, Jas 1:17). I don’t know, because God could stop bad things from happening yet He often doesn’t and only He knows why.

You might say to me, Paul, how can there be any debate? It’s right there in black and white – “the Lord struck the child.” God clearly kills babies because He killed David’s baby. Well if we are to take that verse at face value, how are we to account for this verse:

“For the LORD is good and His love endures forever…” (Ps 100:5)

Either the Lord is good or He kills babies. I’m going to go with the Lord is good. The Bible exhorts us to rejoice in His goodness (2 Chr 4:41). How are we to do that if we’re not certain that He is good? But the good news is that God is good and He never changes. God is not good on Sunday and then bad on Monday. He is 100% good 100% of the time. Neither is He willing that any should perish (2 Pet 3:9). So if God were killing people He would be acting contrary to His own desires. He gives life, not death.

Sin kills babies

God told Adam and Eve that death would be sin’s wage. People die because Adam sinned. We think it’s a tragedy when a baby dies, but it’s a tragedy when anyone dies. Death is the most unnatural thing in the world for people created in the likeness of immortal God. And if you think David’s baby had to die because he was living under law, then read Deuteronomy 24:16. Under the Law of Moses, children weren’t punished for the sins of their fathers. So if God killed the baby because of David’s sin, as Nathan implied, then He was acting out of character and violating His covenant to Israel.

I believe the whole Bible to be infallible and inspired, but I won’t build a theology on the basis of a single sentence written by someone who probably never knew Jesus. When I wrote in another post that God doesn’t give us bad gifts like death, a few readers wrote in to complain. Then when I wrote that God doesn’t give and take away, there was more murmuring. Apparently, I don’t know the Bible very well. But here’s the thing; do you try to interpret God based on what you see in scripture, or scripture based on what you see in God? The Author is greater than His book! Unless the Holy Spirit gives you revelation, the Bible is just words. There’s only One person in the Bible who gives us a clear and undistorted view of God’s character, and He never killed or robbed anyone.

Who killed David’s baby? I don’t know. Perhaps it was Nathan. There’s life and death in the power of the tongue and he was the one who pronounced the sentence of death (see 2 Sam 14). There’s no doubt that David’s sin had tragic consequences, but I didn’t write this post to talk about David’s baby. I want to talk about yours.

What do you do when your baby or loved one is dying? Do you blame God? Some of you reading this are going through trials right now. What do you do when you are walking through the valley of shadow of death? You’ve got two choices:

1.    you can lie down passively under the bulldozer of your circumstances, or
2.    you can interpret your circumstances through God’s good character.

Option 1 is the faithless response. It’s what you do when you’re unsure about God’s goodness or when you think you’re being punished for your sins. This is not the option that David took.

In the Bible there are several stories of children being raised from the dead. Sadly, this is not one of them. After seven days, David’s baby died. But for as long as the baby lived, David contended in prayer. This is very significant!

To put this in context, remember that David has just been exposed as an adulterer and murderer. He has been told by the prophet that because of his sin, the baby will die. In short, “God’s will is for your son is to die.” Surely the right thing to do here is meekly accept God’s will. But David doesn’t. By his actions he shows that he does not believe God is a killer. Indeed, David believes that “the Lord is good.” So he falls on his face, searches out and pleads with God for his son. Later he explains his actions:

“While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’” (2 Sam 12:22)

David did not know whether God would be gracious and save His son, so he went looking for grace. If this is the behavior of a sinful man who lived under a condemning covenant, how much more should we, who live under a superior covenant of grace, stand on the goodness of a good God who longs to be gracious to us (Is 30:18)? There were two men in the story of 2 Samuel 12. One was a faultless prophet whose ministry brought death to babies; the other was a sinner who threw himself at God’s mercy, sought grace and prayed for life. Guess which one was known as a man after God’s own heart.

God longs to be gracious

If you think God is behind your suffering, or if you think you’re getting what you deserve, you won’t fight back when the enemy attacks you. You won’t resist when life dishes out its worst. But Jesus came to show us that our heavenly Father is not a baby-killer. He loves you with an everlasting love and He loves your kids (Jer 31:3, Is 49:25).

Jesus took our sins and our infirmities to the cross. He didn’t do this just so you could get a ticket to heaven. He did it so you could bring heaven to earth. This means when we see a sick kid, we don’t say, “it’s God’s will.” No! We heal them! If some someone speaks death over the child, we rise up with faith and proclaim life and health in Jesus’ Name. Ephesians 4:29 says that our words impart grace to the hearers. Let life come from your tongue.

Perhaps this suffering is the result of someone’s sin. Doesn’t matter. God’s grace is greater than man’s sin. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances say. It only matters that we interpret our circumstances through our Father’s unchanging character. He longs to be gracious to us. Have faith in His goodness and provision.

God gives life to dead babies

A few days ago an infant drowned in Christchurch, here in New Zealand. As the father was handed the blue and lifeless body of his son, the Holy Spirit spoke clearly to him saying: “Be at peace. Do not be anxious.” The Holy Spirit then told the father to command life over his son. Within minutes, the son started breathing again. And because God’s ways are always perfect, the resurrected son is in better shape than he was before he drowned. He’s now mentally sharper, faster and more alert. That’s a great testimony, but what might’ve happened if the father was not convinced that God is good? God longs to show grace to you but you have to believe it. Do you? (The father in this story was Jason Westerfield and you can watch him tell the story of how his baby Justice was resurrected from the dead here.)

God is not a baby-killer. He is our perfect and eternally good Father. Speak boldly to your circumstances. Tell them about this great and mighty Father of yours who loves you and who sent His Son to die so that you and your kids could live!

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Related posts:
- Exodus 4:11
- God is good, but how good is He?
- Jesus’ Medicine – tastes like Ribena

In the first part of this study on God’s gifts, we looked at a sincere lady in the Bible who mistakenly believed that God gives us bad gifts like death and poverty. Today I want to look at a man who had a slightly different problem. He believed that God gives us good gifts only to take them away again. You can probably guess that I’m talking about Job. Job had this one really bad week when his livestock were stolen, his servants were slain, and his kids were killed when a house fell on them. For some reason, Job thought God was behind his loss for he said:

“The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” (Job 1:21)

If there was ever a scripture that has led to some screwy notions about God’s character, it’s this one. Anyone who has suffered loss has probably heard this verse. It’s often quoted at funerals. We even sing songs about it. For some strange reason people seem to find comfort in believing that God is responsible for their loss.

Now don’t get me wrong – I love Job’s attitude. He’s saying that whatever happens in life, he’s going to praise the name of the Lord. He’s no fair-weather believer. But Job still said some dumb things about God. Later on in the story Job would come to regret his choice of words saying “I spoke of things I did not understand” (Job 42:3).

But the question stands: Does God really give and then take away?

Any picture we have of God needs to be informed by Jesus Christ. Jesus is the “radiance of God’s glory, the exact representation of his being” (Heb 1:3). To get a good understanding of God’s character, we need to look to Jesus, not Job. Can you imagine Jesus stealing or killing? Of course not. So how is it that some people think that God was responsible for Job’s loss?

Now you might say to me, “but Paul, it’s in the Bible, it’s right there in black and white – ‘the LORD gave and the LORD has taken away’.” Let me put it to you like this. If you want the very best insight into God’s character, are you better off looking at:

(a)    Jesus, who said “anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9), or
(b)    Job, who had only heard of God but did not actually know him  (see Job 42:5)?

It seems obvious to me that Jesus is the better choice. Form your views of God by looking at the things Jesus said and did.

As we saw in Part 1, Jesus came to reveal God the Great Giver. Have you been given something good? Then see God as your source. He gave it to you:

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (Jas 1:17)

Who’s robbing you?

But what if you have suffered loss, like Job? He lost his health, his wealth, and his family. The temptation may be to blame God for your loss, as if God had a change of heart. But God is not fickle. He does not change like shifting shadows. He is an extraordinary giver who never takes back his gifts.

“God’s gifts and God’s call are under full warranty – never canceled, never rescinded.” (Rms 11:29, MSG)

So if God is doing the giving, who is doing the taking? Again, Jesus provides the answer:

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (Joh 10:10)

We ought not to be confused about these two different roles. One is a giver, the other is a taker. If you have been given something good, then give thanks to God. But if you’ve been robbed, don’t blame God. He’s not behind your loss.

Humans are spectacularly slow learners. From the beginning of human history the devil has been trying to steal or ruin everything God gave us and yet there are still some who think that God is the thief! God gave us authority over a planet and the devil took it. God gave us freedom and the devil somehow got us to choose the way of slavery. God gave us eternal life, health and glory, and we lost it all. But thank God for Jesus who took back what the devil stole!

Karma versus grace

If you think that God gives and takes away, then you’ve missed the point of Jesus. Jesus came to reveal a generous Father and to destroy the work of the Thief (1 Jn 3:8). Jesus came that we might have life to the full, not to the half.

If you think that God gives and takes away, then you have more faith in karma than grace. Karma says what goes around comes around. If you’re healthy now, you’ll likely be sick tomorrow. If you’re prospering now, poverty’s waiting just around the next corner. When disappointments and hardships come, you won’t be surprised. You’ll just throw in the towel and say, “I knew it was too good to last.”

The world works according to the principle of give and take, but God just gives. The only thing he’ll take off you – if you let him – is your sin, your shame, your sickness, your worries and your fears. He takes away those things that harm us and only gives us good things that bless us.

Are you a Job or a David?

Both Job and David were robbed. Both were greatly distressed and surrounded by foolish men who gave bad advice. But unlike Job, David did a very Jesusy-thing and took back what was stolen. Why did David fight back when Job quit? We are told that David “encouraged himself in the LORD his God” (1 Sam 30:6). In his pain David considered God’s goodness and realized that God was not behind his loss. He understood that it was not God’s will for him to suffer and, so strengthened, he fought back and prevailed.

I wish I could go back in time and get to Job before his friends did. I would say, “Job, God didn’t kill your kids! He didn’t steal your livelihood and make you sick. You’ve been robbed! The devil is having a go at you. Don’t sit there in the ashes and cry about it, get up and fight! Are you a warrior or a weakling? Are you a victor or a victim?”

The church will never see victory if we think God is behind our suffering. If we think God is robbing us we won’t even resist. We’ll let the devil waltz in and plunder our families all the while singing “He gives and takes away.” Funny, but I can’t imagine Jesus or David doing that.

For too long we have been incapacitated by uncertainty which is really just another name for unbelief. Don’t look to Job, look to Jesus! Jesus was never confused about who was giving and who was taking.
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Related posts:

Implicit in this logic are two ideas which are opposed to Christ and the finished work of cross. The first idea says, “I can atone for my sin ” and the second says “my secure position in Christ is dependent on what I do rather than what He has done.”

While it is important that we clean up our messes and take responsibility for our actions, there is nothing we can do to earn God’s forgiveness. There is a time and place for the confession, but the Christian never has to confess their sins to stay forgiven. Jesus forgave all our sins at the cross (Col 2:13). Contrary to what many believe, the Holy Spirit never convicts the Christian of their sin. He convicts sinners of their unbelief and He convicts the righteous of their righteousness (Jn 16:9-10).

So what are we supposed to do when we sin?

Repent! To repent means to change your mind, to agree with God, and to see things from His point of view. Repentance is not feeling sorry for yourself. Judas was so sorry for his sin he killed himself, but he never repented. Repentance is not a feeling of remorse; it’s a change of mind. The fruit of repentance will be seen in what you do after you change your mind.

But isn’t confession a part of repentance?

If it is, it’s only a small part. The problem with confession is that it can be introspective and sin-oriented. But we are called to be Christ-conscious, not sin-conscious. Confession of sin makes us aware of our badness but true repentance comes from a revelation of God’s goodness (Rms 2:4, KJV).

Those who insist we need to confess our sins sometimes point to Psalm 51 as a model prayer. This psalm was written after David committed adultery. You could say it’s a psalm of repentance but it bears little resemblance to what some people call repentance. For instance, in this psalm David makes 24 statements either appealing to, or describing, the goodness of God. Here they are:

1. Have mercy on me, O God,
2. according to your unfailing love,
3. according to your great compassion,
4. blot out my transgressions.
5. Wash away all my iniquity,
6. cleanse me from my sin.
7. Surely you desire truth in the inner parts,
8. you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
9. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean,
10. wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
11. Hide your face from my sins,
12. blot out all my iniquity.
13. Create in me a pure heart, O God
14. renew a steadfast spirit within me.
15. Do not cast me from your presence,
16. or take your Holy Spirit from me
17. Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
18. and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
19. Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
20. the God who saves me…
21. O Lord, open my lips…
22. A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
23. In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
24. build up the walls of Jerusalem.

David also makes 4 statements that refer to his sin:

1. For I know my transgressions,
2. and my sin is always before me.
3. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,
4. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

What do we learn about the character of God from this psalm?

We learn that He is merciful, His love never fails, and He has great compassion; He washes away and blots out our sin; He cleanses us and makes us whiter than snow; He hides His face from our sins; He desires truth and teaches us wisdom; He creates a pure heart within us and He renews our spirits; He doesn’t cast us from His presence but He restores, sustains and saves us; He desires to show us His good pleasure and favor.

And what do we learn about David’s sin of adultery?

Very little. David doesn’t even identify it (although it comes up in the title). David refers to his sin generally, but more than four-fifths of the character statements in the psalm pertain to the goodness of God. This is not introspection; this is active, living faith in a good God who forgives and makes things new.

And the amazing thing is that David lived under the inferior law covenant which condemns. Jesus had not died for his sins, yet David still had confidence that God’s loving-kindness is greater than the sin which stands against us. This is an amazing revelation! In spite of the law which prescribed death as a just punishment for sin, somehow David was aware of God’s grace that was given “in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time” (2 Tim 1:9).

David should have died for his sin. Instead, God forgave him (2 Sam 12:13). Even before the cross, God’s heart was inclined towards those who trusted in His goodness and mercy and who repented.

How much more then, should we, who live under a better covenant of no condemnation, trust in God’s grace when we sin? David lived under a covenant of death (2 Cor 3:7), but we relate to God through an everlasting covenant of peace (Is 54:10). Not only has God forgiven all our sins but He chooses to remember them no more (Heb 8:12). Why would we want to remind Him of our sins by confessing them?

To confess sins in the hope of getting forgiveness or getting free from condemnation is to act like a sinner. But God says we’re not sinners. He says we’re righteous. Once we were darkness but now we are light in the Lord (Eph 5:8). Once we were not a people but now we are the people of God (1 Pet 2:9).

God has justified us and God is for us. Nothing – not even our mistakes – can separate us from His love. So stop condemning yourself and start thanking Him. Stop dwelling on your badness and start trusting in His goodness.