David’s Inward Inspection

After his failure David does some soul searching, some self-evaluation. He turns to the Lord and prays, “Make me to know my end, the measure of my days, how frail I am.” He asks God to help him understand how weak and impotent he is. David, see this as God reveals how short life is.

He then comes to the self-realization about himself and an understanding about God. He says in vs. 5, “thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state (as good as he ever can be) is altogether vanity.”

Everything that man can do, all his accomplishments, all his riches are just empty because life is short. Riches are heaped up and left for someone else.

Again, James echoes this same truth in James 4:13-14, “ye say, To day or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

That is the truth that David’s self-evaluation showed him. From the perspective of eternity, from the perspective of God in relationship to him, his power and goodness cannot compare to God’s power and goodness. Our goodness compared to God is like our life on this earth compared to God’s eternity. Now David understands this and in turning his failure over to God, he finds the fulfillment he originally sought by trying to good. It wasn’t in his goodness for God, but it his surrender to God.

Searching and Finding

Most of us, most of the time can’t, don’t or won’t examine ourselves correctly and truthfully and because we can’t see ourselves as God sees us we can’t overcome the things that cause us to fail even when we have the best of intentions to do what is right.

Paul speaks of the need for self-evaluation, self-examination twice in his letters to the church at Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 11:28 speaking about the Lord’s supper he says, “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.” Later in the second letter to the church he writes in 2 Corinthians 13:5, Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.”

Well, how do we “examine” ourselves as believers, as Christians? The Bible tells us that the heart is desperately wicked and so we can’t depend on our feelings or even our own conscience. What we need is an outside arbitrator, an unbiased appraisal, and the only place we can find that is in the Word of God. There we can see ourselves as God sees us and then the Holy Spirit can show us who we really are.

In Hebrews 4:12-13 Paul tells us, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” That sword that divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow. That sword that discerns thought and intents, that sword will not allow any to hide from God’s eyes is meant to be used upon ourselves. As we read it, as we study it, as we hear it the Holy Spirit wields that sword and shows us ourselves through God’s eyes.

And the Sword of God’s Word reveals so much.

It tells us we are sinful. Psalms 14: 2-3  The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

It tells us as it did David, that we are weak, life is short and we waste it if we fight God, Psalms 90: 9-12 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath

The Bible tells us that we need God and if we call, He will save.  Psalms 61:1-4 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings.

Self-examination from God’s perspective, through God’s word, is eternally imperative. Yet, many refuse to see the truth of who they are, the truth of who we all are. The truth from God’s viewpoint is that we are sinful, weak and we cannot help ourselves. And there can be no change, no help until we see ourselves in that truth. Face the truth, for there is salvation and hope on the other side of that examination.

I once had a man in my church, he was my song leader and a sweet, sweet man, but he was also often afraid of facing some truths in his own life. Not spiritual truths in this case but let me give you an example of what I mean. He once came to me for prayer because he was afraid he might have cancer. So, we talked and we prayed and I asked him what the doctor had said. He replied, “Oh I haven’t gone to the doctor.” I asked, “Well why in the world haven’t you gone to the doctor? He said, “Because If I go to the doctor,  I’m afraid he’ll tell me I really do have cancer!” Now this was before the internet where you can look up all manner of diseases to give yourself without seeing a doctor.

Another time he asked the church to prayer for his eyes because he thought he was going blind. This went on for weeks, maybe months. We put him on the church prayer list for his deteriorating eyes. Then one day he came to church full of joy and with a big ol’ smile on his face and he had a great smile. He told us that God had answered the prayers about his eyes. It turned out, he exclaimed, he only needed new glasses! Yes, that’s right. He was so afraid of being told he was going blind that he wouldn’t go in for an eye exam and instead walked around in fear for months squinting at everything.

Now we can see the humor in that situation but when it comes to seeing ourselves in the light of God’s word and eternity, that is not something we can afford to laugh at. Its not something we dare ignore or delay. “Exam yourself” through God’s Word now.