Good Things
“Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised
these good things to your servant.” 2 Sam 7:25
“Would you rather have a happy family or a successful career? You can only choose one of
the two,” I asked David during supper time last night.
He pondered about this question for a while and ended up not giving an answer. It surprised
me, for I thought the response was quite simple.
“Why can’t he have both?” Kathy jumped in, trying to help David a little bit.
I guess the high school student who was staying with us had trouble responding to the question because he deemed having
a successful career very important, even more important than having a happy
home. Perhaps he felt having a happy home was a given and it would take great
effort to build a successful career.
What were the good things David was referring to in his prayer?
It is obvious that the king was speaking about God’s blessing his children and that his
kingdom would remain forever, which are indeed good things. Not only did God
endow David with a kingdom, he also promised that his children would succeed
him and the kingdom would last. What else could a man have asked?
Did those good things have any eternal significance?
Our relationship with the Lord should always precede the benefits we may receive from him, be
they physical or spiritual. What we need the most isn’t the gifts; we need the
Giver. We put the cart before the horse if we only seek blessings from the
Lord, but don’t seek the Lord himself.
Solomon inherited his father’s kingdom, but he did not get his father’s heart;
therefore the throne really didn’t do the man any good except giving him some
earthly power and vain glory.
I don’t really envy David’s kingship, albeit I am sometimes tempted by earthly power and
glory, but I do covet his heart for the Lord. My greatest desire in life is to
become a man after God’s own heart; and my biggest fear is I may turn into a
man who lusts for worldly pleasure and gain.
The photo of Steven Jobs holding an IPad seems to me so hollow and empty, for I doubt the
man was thinking about all he had accomplished when he was standing before a
big crowd, applauding his great accomplishment. It was hardly a good thing to a
person who was struggling to regain his health. What would have truly been a
good thing for him at the time? A cure for his illness.
If there truly is a final judgment, what will the good things be when we stand before the
judgment throne of God? A thing is only good if we still consider it good when
we stand before the portal of death, and it remains good after we cross the
river, assuming that we are still aware of things then. A thing is good only
it’s good eternally.