{"id":4782,"date":"2007-06-01T07:05:38","date_gmt":"2007-06-01T07:05:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regnersmorningcoffee.com\/blogger\/?p=4782"},"modified":"2017-04-13T13:13:54","modified_gmt":"2017-04-13T13:13:54","slug":"another-coffee-break-15-steps-li","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regnersmorningcoffee.com\/blogger\/another-coffee-break-15-steps-li\/","title":{"rendered":"ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: 15 STEPS LI"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: 15 STEPS LI<\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Jun 1, '07 7:05 PM<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Hiya<\/span><\/b><\/span>, Folks!<\/span><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

I'm\nBAAAAAACCCCKKKK!  Miss me?<\/span><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

This\nwas supposed to post on Wednesday, but because of activities with our son,\nChris, and his search for a home here (he's preparing to move his family from\nAlaska to Sunnyside, Washington) there simply was no time to even be in my\noffice.  Things are getting back to some semblance of "normal"\ntoday.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Ever\nnotice how kids seem to copy their parents?  I remember as a child copying\nthings I saw my father do because I wanted to be just like him.  Over the\ncourse of the last 2 1\/2 years, I've shared with you many of my experiences,\nand most of you know that I have spent a lifetime in radio and television\nbroadcasting in one way or another -- both technically and in front of a\nmicrophone or camera.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

When\nour oldest son, Chris, was about two and a half, (he's been visiting us from\nAlaska for the past week, along with his 15-year-old son, Jake) I came home\nfrom work one day to find that he had pulled out the television set, removed\nthe locks that held the back on the TV, taken the back off, and started pulling\ntubes out of their sockets.  (That WAS a long time ago!  I don't even\nremember when manufacturers quit making TV's with tubes in them.)  Chris\nhad seen me repair or service many television sets and monitors, and at his\nyoung age didn't understand that there was specific purpose or objective in\nremoving or checking certain components.  But he'd seen me take tubes out\nof TV's and thought that was the thing to do.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

He came\nby his curiosity honestly.  I was perhaps 7 or 8 years old when I got my\nstart in radio broadcasting (singing duets with my brother and playing my\nmandolin -- he played the ukulele or the tipple [ten-stringed instrument] in\nthose days).  Being at the radio station every week, I saw technicians and\nengineers working on the broadcast equipment, and it fascinated me.  I'd\nalready started taking radios apart to see what made them work, and seeing all\nthat equipment in the radio station wired me to no end (pun intended).<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Seems\nlike it was 1953 or 1954 when we took a vacation trip back to Wisconsin to see\naunts, uncles and cousins, and my grandparents.  My grandfather owned a\nthree-storey house in Madison in those days.  He and Grandma lived on the\nmain floor, and Uncle Lincoln and Aunt Dorothy lived on the upper floor with\ntheir son and daughter (my cousins, Lowell and JoAnn<\/span>). \nUncle Lincoln had just bought a new Webcor<\/span>\nreel-to-reel tape recorder (they were the new technical -- and spendy<\/span> -- marvel in the 50's), and it was my first chance\nto actually put my hands on one of these new whiz-bang machines.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

One\nday when Uncle Lincoln was gone and Aunt Dorothy was at work, I decided to see\nwhat made this recorder work.  I took it off the buffet where it was set\nup and proceeded to dismantle the machine so I could look at its inner\nworkings.  Uncle Lincoln came home before I had reassembled the tape\nrecorder, and when he saw it in pieces on the dining room floor, he about had\nheart failure.  He stood over me while I put it back together, and then\nmade sure it still worked.  It did, by the way.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

See! \nChris -- never mind the fact that he wasn't even three years old at the time --\ncame by his curiosity honestly.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Yup. \nKids love to mimic their parents.  That's how I learned to be a carpenter,\ncabinet maker, plumber, electrician and interior decorator -- watching, and\nworking with my folks while they built churches throughout the arctic. \nGrandkids learn from watching their parents AND their grandparents. \nJessica -- our five-year-old granddaughter (who thinks she's supposed to live\nwith us) -- has decided that Grandma Della doesn't need to vacuum the floors\nany longer.  She just needs to let her do it instead.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Petey<\/span><\/span> (we\ncall him P.J.) likes to be a Papa's helper when I'm making Belgian waffles. \nHe gets the eggs out of the fridge, cracks them into a bowl and uses the\negg-beater to whip them and prepare them for me while I'm making the rest of\nthe mix.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

But\nparents can learn from their kids, too.  After Dad saw the success of my\ncareer in broadcasting -- and particularly in radio -- he decided to learn ham\nradio, and got his general class license.  'S Funny how that works\nsometimes!  His ham radio turned out to be a lifeline for many people\nliving in native villages prior to the advent of regular telephone\ncommunications.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

OK. \nKind of got to reminiscing this morning.  Time to get on with the day. \nDella picked up some French Roast coffee beans with the San Francisco Bay\nlabel, and we've mixed them with the Double-Roasted French and what's left of\nthe Kona coffee Danielle sent us.  That's what's brewing in the French\nPress this morning.  Smells great!  Think I'll go pour my cup.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Let's\nsee if we can finish up this 14th of the 15 steps in the 23rd Psalm today:<\/span> <\/span><\/span>"Surely\ngoodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." <\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

We had\nto stop last week in the middle of our discussion from II Samuel 1 while we\nwere talking about David's just learning that Saul and Jonathan had been\nkilled.  As the event unfolds, a young Amalekite<\/span>\nsoldier happens upon Saul as he is trying to commit suicide after being\nmortally wounded.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

"And\nDavid said unto him, From whence comest<\/span> thou? And he\nsaid unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped.  And David said\nunto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the\npeople are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and\ndead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also. <\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

"And\nDavid said unto the young man that told him, How knowest<\/span>\nthou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead? \u00a0<\/span>And the young man that told him said, As I happened\nby chance upon mount Gilboa<\/span>, behold, Saul leaned upon\nhis spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. \nAnd when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered,\nHere am I.\u00c2  And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am\nan Amalekite<\/span>.<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

"He\nsaid unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is\ncome upon me, because my life is yet whole in me.  So I stood upon him,\nand slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was\nfallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was\non his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord."<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Now we\nsee the full impact of this event on David.  The Amalekite's<\/span>\nactions shook David to the core of his being.  That he would somehow think\nthat his taking of Saul's life would please David clearly illustrated just how\ndifferent David was from the society of the day.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

"Then\nDavid took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that\nwere with him: And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and\nfor Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of\nIsrael; because they were fallen by the sword.<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

"And\nDavid said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered,\nI am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite<\/span>.  And\nDavid said unto him, How wast<\/span> thou not afraid to\nstretch forth thine<\/span> hand to destroy the LORD'S\nanointed?  And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and\nfall upon him. And he smote him that he died.  And David said unto him,\nThy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying,\nI have slain the LORD'S anointed."<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

As I\nnoted last Wednesday, this thing about touching the Lord's anointed was enormous. \nDavid reverenced that anointing as He did the Lord Himself.  The\nsubsequent putting to death of the Amalekite<\/span>\nillustrated something that is true even today.  God does not look kindly\nupon those who touch His anointed.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

I\nwon't take the time to deal with the entire story today of Ananias and Sapphira<\/span> (Acts 5) other than to note that they disregarded\nthe anointing of the Holy Spirit, thinking they could get away with lying\nand\/or concealing the truth from Peter concerning the actual sale of their\n[possession] estate, and the amount of money they received (the Greek word in\nthis instance isktema<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span>: acquisition, estate<\/span>). \nThat disregard for the anointing cost them their lives.  They died on the\nspot, just as the Amalekite<\/span> soldier died on the spot\nfor his disregard.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

And\nDavid mourned for Saul as though he were mourning over the loss of his best\nfriend.  His sorrow over the loss of Jonathan was almost without measure,\nand he determined to see that his covenant with Jonathan was kept to the nth\ndegree -- and then some!<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Saul's\ndeath meant that Israel was without a king.  Because David's reputation,\nhis skills, AND his anointing had long since preceded him (and because he was\nof the house of Judah), the leaders and princes in Judah came to David; and he\nwas crowned King of Judah.  Abner<\/span>, Saul's former\ncaptain and principal aide, however, was playing a political game; and he\nfeared for the loss of his position and the esteem of the people that went with\nit.  He therefore went to Jonathan's younger brother, Ishbosheth<\/span>,\nhad him crowned King of Israel in his father's place and, of course, kept his\nplace as the power behind the throne.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Bear\nwith me while I lay some historical foundations to help you understand the\nsignificance of David's fulfillment of his covenant with Jonathan; and so you\nwill clearly see the living demonstration of "goodness and mercy"\nfollowing David all the days of his life. <\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Just\nbecause folks want to play politics and decide their decisions have supremacy\nover God's choices doesn't make it so.  Ishbosheth<\/span>\nhad never been anointed to become King of Israel, and he didn't last on the\nthrone with any recognized authority for more than two years.  He actually\nsat on the throne for the seven years that David ruled in Hebron, but was more\na figurehead than a true king.  Abner<\/span> had\nsuccessfully parlayed his position as the power behind the throne so that he\nbecame the functioning leader in Israel for the last five years of Ishbosheth's<\/span> titled reign.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

It's a\nfunny thing (not really so funny!), but even anointed leaders find themselves\nsurrounded by folks who want to get in on the benefits of being around the\nanointing.  More than that, they want the recognition that goes with it\nand frequently have nothing but self-serving political motives.  David\ncertainly had men around him whose motives were self-serving.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Saul\nhad Abner<\/span>.  David had Joab<\/span>. \nAnd, Brother, those two were a pair!  They were political competitors who\neasily traded alliances, depending on the circumstances.  Joab<\/span> had served Saul, but under Abner<\/span>. \nWhen it served his purposes, Joab<\/span> switched sides and\nbegan to serve David.  I'm not suggesting that all of his motives for\ndoing so were completely self-serving -- and he DID effectively serve David --\nbut there's no doubt about it: Joab<\/span> was a politician\nwho continually watched for opportune moments to make gains for his master, and\nof course for himself.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

I\nwon't take the time today to quote the whole episode from II Samuel 2 (and you\ncan read it for yourself), but Abner<\/span> takes a group of\nhis soldiers to the pool of Gibeon to meet up against Joab<\/span>,\nwho also has a group of soldiers with him.\u00c2<\/span> \nThis is one of those moments where they expect to resolve the conflict of who\nis going to lead all Israel.  Joab<\/span> is there\nrepresenting David, and Abner<\/span> is there representing Ishbosheth<\/span> (and the House of Saul).<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Abner<\/span><\/span>\nsuggests to Joab<\/span> that they allow twelve of their\nsoldiers (from each side) to "have at it" so to speak.  Twelve\nof Joab's<\/span> finest take on twelve of Abner's<\/span> finest in what was expected to be a sporting\ncontest and kill them.  Abner<\/span> obviously was\nunprepared for the event, and he fled the scene with his soldiers in order to\nassemble the armies of the tribe of Benjamin and take on Joab's<\/span>\nsoldiers.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Joab's<\/span><\/span>\nbrother, Asahel<\/span>, made the foolish mistake of chasing\nafter Abner<\/span>.  Abner<\/span>\nstopped and confronted Asahel<\/span>, and warned him not to\ncontinue the chase.  Asahel<\/span> was determined to\ntake out Abner<\/span>, obviously unprepared to do so, so Abner<\/span> simply hurled his spear and pinned Asahel<\/span> to the ground where he died.  When Joab<\/span> learned of his brother's death, he mounted a full-scale\nattack against Abner<\/span> and the armies of Benjamin,\nkilling some 360 soldiers without any casualties to his men.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

I know\nyou're wondering what this has to do with anything, but bear with me.  I\nmay seem to be going around a forty-acre field, but I'm drawing a picture for\nyou.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Abner<\/span><\/span>\nrealizes that things had better come to a quick halt or he's going to suffer\nthe kind of military defeat that will end his career, his position in the royal\ncourt and his standing with his puppet king, Ishbosheth<\/span>. \nHe sent a message to Joab<\/span> calling for a halt to\nthings on the basis that "innocent lives" were being shed over their\npersonal feud.  Joab<\/span> agreed and blew a trumpet,\neffectively ceasing all military action.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

The\nbattle may have stopped for that day, but it began a series of protracted wars\nand battles between Joab<\/span> and the armies of Judah and\nDavid, and Abner<\/span> and the armies of Israel that lasted\nover a period of nearly five years.  During that period the armies of\nIsrael under Abner's<\/span> leadership suffered one defeat\nafter another while David's armies grew stronger under Joab's<\/span>\nleadership.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Prior\nto Saul's death, he had taken a young concubine by the name of Rizpah<\/span> for himself.  Though Saul was dead, she\nremained in the royal court to be cared for.  Abner<\/span>\ndecided that since he was the real ruler of Israel, she was his for the taking. \nIshbosheth<\/span> took offense and rebuked Abner<\/span> for his unethical (and certainly impolitic act).<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Abner<\/span><\/span> now\ndecides he's had enough of this game-play with Ishbosheth<\/span>;\nand -- knowing that time is short anyway for Israel's governance under the\nHouse of Saul -- elects to take this moment to meet with David.  He first\nmeets with the elders of the tribes of Israel.  (See II Samuel 3:17-20)<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

"Ye\nsought for David in times past to be king over you: Now then do it: for the\nLORD hath spoken of David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save\nmy people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all\ntheir enemies.<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

"And\nAbner<\/span> also spake<\/span> in the\nears of Benjamin: and Abner<\/span> went also to speak in the\nears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel, and that seemed good to\nthe whole house of Benjamin.  So Abner<\/span> came to\nDavid to Hebron, and twenty men with him. And David made Abner<\/span>\nand the men that were with him a feast.  And Abner<\/span>\nsaid unto David, I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel unto my lord\nthe king, that they may make a league with thee, and that thou mayest<\/span> reign over all that thine<\/span>\nheart desireth<\/span>. And David sent Abner<\/span>\naway; and he went in peace."<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Joab<\/span><\/span> happens\nto be out engaged in a battle when this truce is reached, and Israel hands\nitself to David under Abner's<\/span> supervision.  When\nhe learns that Abner<\/span> has departed from David under a\npeace treaty, he fears Abner's<\/span> possible future\nconspiracy against David and personally sets up a meeting with Abner<\/span> in which he assassinates him.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

So\nDavid finally takes the throne over all Israel.  But the intrigue within\nthe royal court of Israel hasn't ended.  Ishbosheth<\/span>\nhas had two captains serving under Abner<\/span> by the names\nof Baanah<\/span> and Rechab<\/span>. \nDespite what happened to the Amalekite<\/span> who thought to\ndo David service when he killed Saul, these two captains have somehow gotten\nthe idea that it's OK to do the same thing to Saul's son -- in service to\nDavid, of course.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

"And\nthe sons of Rimmon<\/span> the Beerothite<\/span>,\nRechab<\/span> and Baanah<\/span>, went,\nand came about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth<\/span>,\nwho lay on a bed at noon.  And they came thither into the midst of the\nhouse, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him under the\nfifth rib: and Rechab<\/span> and Baanah<\/span>\nhis brother escaped.  For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed\nin his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took\nhis head, and gat them away through the plain all night."<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Think\nmaybe this idea of beheading one's enemies has been around for awhile?<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

"And\nthey brought the head of Ishbosheth<\/span> unto David to\nHebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ishbosheth<\/span>\nthe son of Saul thine<\/span> enemy, which sought thy life;\nand the LORD hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed. \nAnd David answered Rechab<\/span> and Baanah<\/span>\nhis brother, the sons of Rimmon<\/span> the Beerothite<\/span>, and said unto them, As the LORD liveth<\/span>, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity,\nWhen one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good\ntidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag<\/span>,\nwho thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings: How much\nmore, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his\nbed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you\naway from the earth?  And David commanded his young men, and they slew\nthem, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool\nin Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth<\/span>, and\nburied it in the sepulchre<\/span> of Abner<\/span>\nin Hebron."<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Whewww<\/span><\/span>!!! \nDavid sure wasn't messing around with folks like this!  Fact is, however,\nthere was much more to this than meets the eye.  David was keeping his end\nof the covenant he'd made with Jonathan -- and he was going all out to keep his\nend of the covenant.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Watch. \nTake a look at II Samuel 9.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

"And\nDavid said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show\nhim kindness<\/span><\/i><\/b> <\/span><\/span>(<\/span><\/i>k<\/span><\/i>heseed<\/span><\/i><\/span>)<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/i><\/span>for\nJonathan's sake?  And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name\nwas Ziba<\/span>. And when they had called him unto David,\nthe king said unto him, Art thou Ziba<\/span>? And he said,\nThy servant is he.  And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house\nof Saul, that I may show the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba<\/span>\nsaid unto the king, Jonathan hath<\/span> yet a son, which is\nlame on his feet.<\/span><\/i><\/b> <\/span><\/i><\/span>(See II Samuel 4:4 for the reason.)<\/span><\/i><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

"And\nthe king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba<\/span> said\nunto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir<\/span>,\nthe son of Ammiel<\/span>, in Lodebar<\/span>. \nThen king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir<\/span>,\nthe son of Ammiel<\/span>, from Lodebar<\/span>. \nNow when Mephibosheth<\/span>, the son of Jonathan, the son\nof Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David\nsaid, Mephibosheth<\/span>.<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

"And\nhe answered, Behold thy servant!  And David said unto him, Fear not: for I\nwill surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore\nthee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt<\/span>\neat bread at my table continually.  And he bowed himself, and said, What\nis thy servant, that thou shouldest<\/span> look upon such a\ndead dog as I am?<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

"Then\nthe king called to Ziba<\/span>, Saul's servant, and said\nunto him, I have given unto thy master's son all that pertained to Saul and to\nall his house.  Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till\nthe land for him, and thou shalt<\/span> bring in the fruits,\nthat thy master's son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth<\/span>\nthy master's son shall eat bread alway<\/span> at my table. \nNow Ziba<\/span> had fifteen sons and twenty servants.<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

"Then\nsaid Ziba<\/span> unto the king, According to all that my\nlord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do.  As for\nMephibosheth<\/span>, said the king, he shall eat at my\ntable, as one of the king's sons.  And Mephibosheth<\/span>\nhad a young son, whose name was Micha<\/span>.  And all\nthat dwelt in the house of Ziba<\/span> were servants unto Mephibosheth<\/span>.  So Mephibosheth<\/span>\ndwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king's table; and was\nlame on both his feet."<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

What a\npicture!  How's that for keeping his end of the covenant?  This is a\npicture of both<\/span> <\/span><\/span>agape<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/span>and<\/span> <\/span><\/span>k<\/span><\/i>heseed<\/span><\/i><\/span> <\/span><\/span>all rolled into one.  You'll recall thatk<\/span><\/i>heseed<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span>conveys a picture\nof "chasing after" (the phrase in Psalm 23 is translated "shall\nfollow") in an active sense.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

David\ndidn't do this for Mephibosheth<\/span> out of\n"duty" to his covenant with Jonathan.  He did this because they\nhad a bond of love between them that knew no bounds.  It was his great\npleasure and desire to take care of Mephibosheth<\/span> as\nthough he were David's own son.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Mephibosheth<\/span><\/span> had\nbeen taken to a place called Lodebar<\/span> when Saul's\nservants had fled the palace following his death.  Lodebar<\/span>\ntraditionally translates to "pastureless<\/span>,\nwithout pasture," but it draws an even greater picture in the Hebrew text. \nThe word, Lodebar<\/span>, is based in the Hebrew<\/span> \u00b8<\/span> <\/span><\/span>-- <\/span>dabar<\/i><\/span>,<\/span> <\/span><\/span>which is\ntranslated both "word" and "thing" or "matter." \nThus, Mephibosheth<\/span> lived in a place "without the\nWord."<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Early\nin this series on the 23rd Psalm, we read,<\/span> <\/span><\/span>"He\nmaketh<\/span> me to lie down in green pastures,"<\/span><\/i><\/b> <\/span><\/span>and saw that the\n"green pastures" literally represented eating of the Word.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Mephibosheth<\/span><\/span>, by\nDavid's "goodness and mercy"<\/span> <\/span><\/span>(<\/span>k<\/span><\/i>heseed<\/span><\/i><\/span>)<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/span>has now been restored to a place where he has continual\naccess to the Word -- the Word of God as it comes through David, and the word\nof David as King of Israel.  Though legally Mephibosheth<\/span>\nhas no more kingly authority because of the removal of the anointing for royal\nleadership from his grandfather, Saul, yet because of the goodness and mercy\nwhich had become part and parcel of David's character and makeup, he will eat\nfrom the King's table and have access to the inner workings of the royal court\nall the days of his life.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

When\nthe Lord referred to mercy (in Isaiah's prophecy -- Isaiah 55:3) within the\ncontext of "the sure mercies of David," He was drawing a picture of\nHis mercy within the context of someone whose life literally exemplified the\nmercy of the Lord in human flesh.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

David's\ncovenant with Jonathan was filled with<\/span> <\/span><\/span>agape<\/span><\/i>.  It was a\ncovenant of <\/span>k<\/span><\/i>heseed<\/span><\/i><\/span>, and\nthat is exactly what Isaiah prophesies,<\/span> <\/span><\/span>"Incline\nyour ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an\neverlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David."<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Yessir<\/span><\/span>! <\/span> <\/span><\/span>"Surely\ngoodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life."<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

The\nBible is neither a collection of laws and commandments nor a book of rules. \nIt contains 66 bags of seed that we can plant in our lives.  As long as we\nactually plant that seed, and then water it appropriately with our daily\nconfession of faith, we will receive the expected and very tangible harvest.<\/o:p><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n

Blessings on you!<\/span><\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> \n
<\/span><\/div>
\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Regner\n A. Capener<\/span><\/b>
\n CAPENER MINISTRIES<\/b><\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

RIVER\nWORSHIP CENTER<\/span>
\nSunnyside, Washington 98944<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Email\nContact:<\/span> Admin@RiverWorshipCenter.org<\/span><\/a><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

All\nCoffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for\nreprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted\n\u2013provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee\nBreak archives are available at<\/span> http:\/\/www.RegnersMorningCoffee.com<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/u> Coffee Break\narticles are normally published weekly.
\n
\nIf you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email,\nplease send a blank email to:<\/span> Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com<\/span><\/a><\/span>.To remove yourself\nfrom the mailing list, please send a blank email to<\/span> Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

CAPENER\nMINISTRIES<\/span><\/b> <\/span>is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should\nyou desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry,\nplease contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or\nvisit: <\/span>http:\/\/www.RiverWorshipCenter.org<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n

 <\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m BAAAAAACCCCKKKK! Miss me?
\nThis was supposed to post on Wednesday, but because of activities with our son, Chris, and his search for a home here (he’s preparing to move his family from Alaska to Sunnyside, Washington) there simply was no time to even be in my office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[189,65,99],"class_list":["post-4782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-another-coffee-break","tag-189","tag-another-coffee-break","tag-june"],"yoast_head":"\nANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: 15 STEPS LI - Regners Morning Coffee<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/regnersmorningcoffee.com\/blogger\/another-coffee-break-15-steps-li\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: 15 STEPS LI - Regners Morning Coffee\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I'm BAAAAAACCCCKKKK! 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