Walking On the Knees
Sermon
WIND THROUGH The VALLEYS
Sermons for the First Third of the Pentecost Season
One needs to read this prayer of King David twice! The second time it needs to be read aloud and "with feeling." There is an emotion that overtakes one in such a reading. An attitude is reflected. It reminds us of the words of the prophet, Micah, who spoke to the moral corruption of his day and laid out plainly of what true religion should consist:
What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)
Justice, kindness, and humility were a part of David's character. He had done great things for God and for his people. He had unified the Twelve Tribes again. He had conquered the strong fortress of Jerusalem and made it the capital. He had defeated the powerful and bothersome Philistines. He had made the capital city the religious center by bringing there the Ark of the Covenant. He had shown justice and fair play to a degenerate King Saul by remaining loyal to him. He had shown kindness to Saul's family by caring for a grandson of Saul, Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both his feet. Now he was beginning other plans for God. There would be a temple, a home for God, built in Jerusalem. David would see to that! The plans were already in his mind!
God had other plans! David is not to be lifted up here for what he had done and what he was going to do. God is lifted up in this prayer-text for what he had done and what he was going to do. God had a "no" and a "yes" for David. it was not in God's plans to have David build a temple. But it was in his plans to give David a family, a family that would rule on the throne of Judah, and rule in the Kingdom of God forever!
God's plans had to do with blessing, not with building. What God had in mind for David and his family was to continue, through them, the promise first made to Abraham. It was a promise for the blessing of all the people of the world through those individuals God had chosen. Right now David was one of them. His importance as an individual was not what he could do for God, but what God could do through him.
The doctrine of the supreme worth of the individual, which we trumpet in America, is a biblical concept. It needs to be emphasized. However, that doctrine is incomplete, even dangerous, if it stands alone. The Bible says more than that an individual has extreme worth. It sees the individual as important not only because of the person's intrinsic worth, but also as that person is used by God for his plan and for the good of other people.
David is an important biblical character because through him there was always, on the throne of Judah, a descendant. Through him God kept alive, and together, a part of his chosen people, whereas others were dispersed. Through him and his descendants God kept alive the hope, even during the exile, that a son of David would again rule. Through him and his descendants God nurtured the messianic hope. Through him and his descendants, most notably Joseph and Mary, Jesus, the Christ, was born. It is this Jesus who brought to mankind the Kingdom of God. In this Kingdom the love and grace and forgiveness of God rule. This Kingdom is eternal, in that its qualities are of God; and everlasting, in that it will continue beyond earth's time. God was promising David all of this through Nathan the prophet. All of this was in the plan God had for David!
How much of this did David understand? Probably not much, and yet enough! David knew that somewhere out there was something greater than he could fathom. He also knew he could not build the temple. For these reasons he took to prayer. "Thou hast made this revelation to thy servant, saying, I will build you a house; therefore thy servant has found courage to pray this prayer."
David could have been awfully disappointed. He could have thrown down his preliminary drawings for the temple, his pencil, and T-square, at the feet of the prophet, complaining, "A man can't even make a sacrifice these days!" Or, "isn't my money good enough? Just wait till you come around asking for something!" He could have, but he took to prayer.
We are told that he "went in and sat before the Lord." He went to the place of the Ark of the Covenant. Cornmentators are bothered by the word "sit," as though it were not a proper posture for prayer. Is it better to stand? Or lie down, or kneel? David was probably in the typical Oriental posture, down on his knees and sitting back on his feet, allowing him to move back and forth. It doesn't matter, but it serves well for the theme of this sermon. Walking on the knees describes the essence of religion. It describes the request of Micah "to walk humbly with your God."
David tarried here. He continued to walk on his knees. God had made his plans. God had announced his blessing. It was for David to receive, and to give thanks. "Who am I, Lord?" he asks. The obvious answer: you are nothing! "What is my house that you have brought me this far?" Nothing! "What more can I say to you?" Nothing! "What other nation is like the people you redeemed?" None! There is nothing more to be done or said; God has spoken! Ten times, in this prayer, David speaks the Divine name, Yahweh. Ten times he calls himself a servant. Here is a proper relationship between a believer and God. This is to walk on one's knees, not only at prayer time, but all the time. It illustrates the mark of true religion.
In a proper relationship with God, it is not what we do for him that matters, but what he has done for us. We are not self-made or independent people. We owe our existence to God. We owe our salvation to God. We owe the meaning of life to God. God is our father and mother. God is one who knows us inwardly and outwardly. He is the power beyond us. Our relationship with him he has established. For our part, we can only yield or respond to him. Whether we are walking the hilltops of our lives or walking the valleys, we can only walk on our knees.
In his prayer, David first gives God humble thanks for what he has done (verses 17-24). Then he prays to God to fulfill that which God said he was going to do (verses 25-29). God has done it! He has kept his promise to David and we share in it! His gift of salvation as Jesus Christ is here! The promised Savior and the promised kingdom have arrived! They are ours to be received by faith. As to David, so also to us, these gifts of God come by Divine word and promise.
Dr. Martin Luther put it very well in his explanation to the second article of the Apostles' Creed:
He has freed me from sin, death, and the power of the devil - not with silver or gold, but with his holy and precious blood and his innocent suffering and death. All this he has done that I may be his own, live under him in his kingdom and serve him.
All this God lays as a gift before us. We can only believe it, receive it, give thanks for it, and walk humbly with our God!
What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)
Justice, kindness, and humility were a part of David's character. He had done great things for God and for his people. He had unified the Twelve Tribes again. He had conquered the strong fortress of Jerusalem and made it the capital. He had defeated the powerful and bothersome Philistines. He had made the capital city the religious center by bringing there the Ark of the Covenant. He had shown justice and fair play to a degenerate King Saul by remaining loyal to him. He had shown kindness to Saul's family by caring for a grandson of Saul, Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both his feet. Now he was beginning other plans for God. There would be a temple, a home for God, built in Jerusalem. David would see to that! The plans were already in his mind!
God had other plans! David is not to be lifted up here for what he had done and what he was going to do. God is lifted up in this prayer-text for what he had done and what he was going to do. God had a "no" and a "yes" for David. it was not in God's plans to have David build a temple. But it was in his plans to give David a family, a family that would rule on the throne of Judah, and rule in the Kingdom of God forever!
God's plans had to do with blessing, not with building. What God had in mind for David and his family was to continue, through them, the promise first made to Abraham. It was a promise for the blessing of all the people of the world through those individuals God had chosen. Right now David was one of them. His importance as an individual was not what he could do for God, but what God could do through him.
The doctrine of the supreme worth of the individual, which we trumpet in America, is a biblical concept. It needs to be emphasized. However, that doctrine is incomplete, even dangerous, if it stands alone. The Bible says more than that an individual has extreme worth. It sees the individual as important not only because of the person's intrinsic worth, but also as that person is used by God for his plan and for the good of other people.
David is an important biblical character because through him there was always, on the throne of Judah, a descendant. Through him God kept alive, and together, a part of his chosen people, whereas others were dispersed. Through him and his descendants God kept alive the hope, even during the exile, that a son of David would again rule. Through him and his descendants God nurtured the messianic hope. Through him and his descendants, most notably Joseph and Mary, Jesus, the Christ, was born. It is this Jesus who brought to mankind the Kingdom of God. In this Kingdom the love and grace and forgiveness of God rule. This Kingdom is eternal, in that its qualities are of God; and everlasting, in that it will continue beyond earth's time. God was promising David all of this through Nathan the prophet. All of this was in the plan God had for David!
How much of this did David understand? Probably not much, and yet enough! David knew that somewhere out there was something greater than he could fathom. He also knew he could not build the temple. For these reasons he took to prayer. "Thou hast made this revelation to thy servant, saying, I will build you a house; therefore thy servant has found courage to pray this prayer."
David could have been awfully disappointed. He could have thrown down his preliminary drawings for the temple, his pencil, and T-square, at the feet of the prophet, complaining, "A man can't even make a sacrifice these days!" Or, "isn't my money good enough? Just wait till you come around asking for something!" He could have, but he took to prayer.
We are told that he "went in and sat before the Lord." He went to the place of the Ark of the Covenant. Cornmentators are bothered by the word "sit," as though it were not a proper posture for prayer. Is it better to stand? Or lie down, or kneel? David was probably in the typical Oriental posture, down on his knees and sitting back on his feet, allowing him to move back and forth. It doesn't matter, but it serves well for the theme of this sermon. Walking on the knees describes the essence of religion. It describes the request of Micah "to walk humbly with your God."
David tarried here. He continued to walk on his knees. God had made his plans. God had announced his blessing. It was for David to receive, and to give thanks. "Who am I, Lord?" he asks. The obvious answer: you are nothing! "What is my house that you have brought me this far?" Nothing! "What more can I say to you?" Nothing! "What other nation is like the people you redeemed?" None! There is nothing more to be done or said; God has spoken! Ten times, in this prayer, David speaks the Divine name, Yahweh. Ten times he calls himself a servant. Here is a proper relationship between a believer and God. This is to walk on one's knees, not only at prayer time, but all the time. It illustrates the mark of true religion.
In a proper relationship with God, it is not what we do for him that matters, but what he has done for us. We are not self-made or independent people. We owe our existence to God. We owe our salvation to God. We owe the meaning of life to God. God is our father and mother. God is one who knows us inwardly and outwardly. He is the power beyond us. Our relationship with him he has established. For our part, we can only yield or respond to him. Whether we are walking the hilltops of our lives or walking the valleys, we can only walk on our knees.
In his prayer, David first gives God humble thanks for what he has done (verses 17-24). Then he prays to God to fulfill that which God said he was going to do (verses 25-29). God has done it! He has kept his promise to David and we share in it! His gift of salvation as Jesus Christ is here! The promised Savior and the promised kingdom have arrived! They are ours to be received by faith. As to David, so also to us, these gifts of God come by Divine word and promise.
Dr. Martin Luther put it very well in his explanation to the second article of the Apostles' Creed:
He has freed me from sin, death, and the power of the devil - not with silver or gold, but with his holy and precious blood and his innocent suffering and death. All this he has done that I may be his own, live under him in his kingdom and serve him.
All this God lays as a gift before us. We can only believe it, receive it, give thanks for it, and walk humbly with our God!
