Thank you.
What does your name mean?
I'm not asking for some pseudo-etymology that you may have come across in a Hallmark card or some obscure corner of the internet.
No. I'm asking, when people hear your name, what do they think?
When you hear your name, what do you think?
Perhaps the better question is, what do you stand for?
What does your name represent?
How much of your life is taken up with the task of making a name for yourself?
This is sort of a distinctively American thing.
I actually think it's a human thing that Americans have perfected really well, making a name for ourselves.
Many come to New Haven on precisely that quest.
To spend a few of their years, usually in their youth, striving to make something of themselves.
Maybe that's you.
Or maybe you're in the second half of your life, looking back on a youth that has passed you by.
And even my mention of making something of your life ignites a deep bitterness in you.
A bitterness of regrets.
Lost or misspent opportunities.
Disappointed youthful ambitions.
We call this the midlife crisis.
The time is tragically past, so you think, for making a name for yourself.
Or perhaps you're in a third category.
Life, you think, has dealt harshly with you.
And has given you no real opportunity to make anything of yourself.
And you're far too busy simply squeezing out an existence of finding food and adequate shelter.
To be at all concerned with the grand task of making something for yourself.
There are plenty of people like that in New Haven as well.
Men and women have a natural craving for making a name for themselves.
For glory.
To behold something larger, grander, and greater than they are now.
And indeed, to become precisely that thing that they want to behold.
We read in the history books and watch on the movies the lives of great men and women.
And our soul longs to be like them.
We identify with the protagonist, the hero of the story.
However, we're chastened by the fact that the Bible has no lack of examples of those who desire to make something of themselves.
And instead made of themselves a ruin.
Think of the Tower of Babel in Genesis.
Scripture identifies the motivation that underlies their desire to build a tower to be,
Let us make a name for ourselves.
Or think in the New Testament of Herod.
Who gave a speech.
And the people responded to it by saying,
The voice of a God and not of a man.
Scripture picks up the story and says,
Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down because he did not give God the glory.
And he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.
Amidst all these stories, one might be surprised, however, to learn that the Bible never categorically rejects the impulse for us to make a name for ourselves.
To seek after glory.
Never once has the Bible said the longing for glory is itself a sin.
Instead, Scripture depicts the gospel of Jesus coming into our lives and transforming that desire.
Whoever would be great among you, Jesus says, presuming that we desire to be great, must be your servant.
And whoever would be first, must be last.
These are the ways that Jesus transforms, but does not destroy, our desire for glory.
So I pose to you then a question.
How shall we make a name for ourselves without making a ruin of ourselves?
This is the question answered in our text tonight.
Our text for this evening is 2 Samuel chapter 8.
2 Samuel chapter 8.
Before we read that together, I want to briefly return to a section in the previous chapter.
So, probably the same page.
Turn with me briefly to 2 Samuel chapter 7, verse 8 through 9.
For a fuller discussion of this chapter, go ahead and go online into the archives of Trinity.
We've been preaching some sermons straight through 2 Samuel, and you'll find sermon on this passage there.
Just a brief reminder on this context.
The context here is that David is now comfortable in his palace, having defeated a lot of his enemies.
And he desires to make a temple for the Lord, a house for the Lord.
God, however, does not allow him to do this.
But instead, God honors David for having a concern for his house.
Let's read together 2 Samuel chapter 7, verse 8 through 10.
Now, therefore, you shall say to my servant David, thus says the Lord of hosts,
I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel.
And I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all of your enemies from before you.
And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.
And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them,
so that they may dwell in their own place, and be disturbed no more.
And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly.
Now, skip ahead to 2 Samuel 8.
After this, David defeated the Philistines, and subdued them.
And David took Mepheg Amah out of the hand of the Philistines.
He defeated Moab, and he measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground.
Two lines he measured to be put to death, and one full line to be spared.
And the Moabites became servants to David, and brought tribute.
David also defeated Hadadezar, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah,
as he went to restore his power at the river Euphrates.
David took from him 1,700 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers.
And David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but left enough for 100 chariots.
And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezar, the king of Zobah,
David struck down 22,000 men of the Syrians.
Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus,
and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought tribute.
And the Lord gave David victory wherever he went.
And David took the shields of gold that were carried by the servants of Hadadezar,
and brought them to Jerusalem.
And from Betah and from Berotai, cities of Hadadezar,
King David took very much bronze.
When Toi, king of Hamath, heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezar,
Toi sent his son Joram to King David to ask about his health,
and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezar and defeated him.
For Hadadezar had often been at war with Toi.
And Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold, and of bronze.
These also, king David, dedicated to the Lord,
together with the silver and gold that he dedicated from all the nations he subdued,
from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, Amalek,
and from the spoil of Hadadezar, the son of Rehob, the king of Zobah.
And David made a name for himself,
when he returned from striking down 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
Then he put garrisons in Edom.
Throughout all Edom he put garrisons,
and all the Edomites became David's servants.
And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.
So David reigned over all Israel,
and David administered justice and equity to all the people.
Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was over the army.
And Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was recorder.
And Zadok, the son of Ahitub,
and Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar, were priests.
And Saraiah was secretary.
And Benaniah, the son of Jehoiadaia,
was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites.
And David's son were priests.
What we have here is God making a promise to David,
I will make a great name for you like the great men of the world.
And in this text we see that David has made the name for himself.
And I think upon closer reflection,
my prayer is that we will find a way from this text
to make a name for ourselves without making a ruin of ourselves.
My sermon tonight has one point.
David made a name for himself
by providing for his followers the means to worship God.
Our text opens in a familiar way.
David at war with Philistines.
We've seen this over and over again in our text.
So it might escape your notice
that this is actually a climactic moment.
The city that he captures,
Methed Amah, is difficult to translate.
But that second word, Amah,
is probably related to the Hebrew word for mother.
In essence, David here is capturing
the mother city of the Philistines.
This is the last time we will see the Philistines mentioned
until chapter 21.
13 chapters in advance.
Which occurs toward the end of David's reign.
The blow he deals here to the Philistines is decisive.
And it's the culmination of all the previous battles
that went before him.
But notice, the conquests of David do not end here.
The text says he also destroyed the Moabites,
the Syrians, the Edomites,
the king of Zobah,
who reigned near the Euphrates River,
which is in modern day Iraq.
Perhaps these places mean very little to you.
The important thing about them
is that these are not lands
that God promised to Abraham
for his descendants to inhabit.
What David's doing here
is creating a buffer around the land of Israel
so that there are no enemies around him
to plague him,
or more importantly,
his descendants.
He hamstrings all the horses,
that is,
he doesn't kill them,
so they're still useful for farm work
and other types of labor,
but they're no longer strong enough
and fast enough to be used for military purposes.
He's destroying rival armies all around him
while leaving the people intact.
He's neutralizing the threats in the area
so they will not crop up again
in the lifetimes of him
or of his descendants.
In many ways,
this chapter represents
the height of David's strength
with his enemies defeated all around him.
But look a bit closer.
I think we can observe
that this is not simply
a chronicle of military conquests.
David has just been told
that his son,
not he,
will build a house for the Lord.
That happened in the previous chapter.
In the parallel text
in 1 Chronicles 22,
we learn that David
was disqualified
from building the Lord's house,
a great honor,
because David
had shed much blood
and waged great wars.
Therefore,
David knows that his son
will not be able
to be a warfaring man
if he is to build
the house of the Lord.
Therefore,
it falls to David
to create the conditions of peace
in which his son
will be able to build
the Lord's house.
David is preparing the way
for his followers
to worship God
in relative peace
and tranquility.
tranquility.
Notice another theme
that we have in this passage.
Frequently throughout
2 Samuel,
and again here in verses
8, 10, and 11,
we see David
amassing wealth
through spoils
taken in war
and through tribute.
Here he wins gold,
silver, and bronze.
On one level,
this is another indication
of David's military prestige.
rich.
But fascinatingly,
we're not told much
about what David does
with all this riches.
We're told only that
he dedicates them
to the Lord,
verse 11,
but we don't see
these war spoils again
for plenty of time
to come.
But then,
a generation later,
we see Solomon
building the temple
of the Lord
with gold
and silver
and bronze
and wood
from all over.
All of these
massive resources.
And I think
it's not too far
a jump to think
that some of the resources
that Solomon used
to adorn
the temple
of the God
were captured
by David
in precisely
these raids.
David himself
was not able
to build
for himself
a temple,
but David
made for himself
a name
by providing
the resources
for his son
to worship God
by building
the temple.
So David
makes a name
for himself
by defeating
the enemies
around them
and by
having enough
resources
for his son
and those
who follow him
to worship God
in the temple.
So let me ask you,
who will follow you
for whom
are you preparing
a certain type
of world?
Who is watching you
to see what
faithfulness
to God
looks like?
Are you making it
easier
or harder
for those
who come behind you
to worship
God?
When you think
of making
a name
for yourself,
do you think
of creating
a world
in which
those who
follow you
can more
closely worship
him?
Are you using
the influence
and power
you have
to create
a world
where it's
easier
for those
who follow
you
to worship
God
rightly?
This is why
David made
a name
for himself.
Not just
because he
defeated
one army
in one battle.
No,
it's broader
than this.
He was
committed
to the
worship
of the
true
God
and he
would not
build his
own house
without also
striving to
build the
house of
the Lord.
Is this
your conviction
as well?
Do you
desire not
to have
fame and
glory in
this world
unless the
Lord has
fame and
glory in
this world?
This was
David's
conviction
in the
previous
chapter
and that
is why
God
blessed
him.
David,
you see,
didn't even
seek his
own glory.
If you
go back
and look
in 1 Samuel
in the
war with
David and
Saul,
David is
frequently
reacting,
not acting,
not scheming
for his
own glory.
He's letting
God work
in history
to bring
about his
vindication.
Is that
your scheme
as well?
Make no
mistake about
it.
You can
make a
name for
yourself
in this
world and
go straight
to hell.
You can
make something
of yourself,
have biographies
written about
you,
have a
grand and
glorious
tombstone,
have your
name on
t-shirts,
then burn
in hell and
bring many
who follow
you with
you.
It's
possible.
Dare I
say it
may even
be
frequent.
Parents,
what name
are you
making in
the eyes
of your
children?
Do they
know you
as one
who is
desperate to
climb a
career ladder
or a
social ladder
and apathetic
about leading
your family
in God's
way?
Future
parents,
what will
you do?
What habits
are you
making now
to make it
easy for
your children
and the
children of
Christians around
you to
follow the
Lord?
My father
is a
pastor in
Pennsylvania.
I've listened
to him give
hundreds of
sermons.
I don't
remember almost
any of them.
But there's
nothing that he
has said from
behind a pulpit
that has ever
struck me more
profoundly than
this one
sentence.
He says,
if this
church grows
to be a
thousand people
and you
all in these
pews think I'm
the greatest
preacher you've
ever heard
and a rousing
success,
but that
woman,
my wife,
in the front
row and
those children
who sit next
to her,
my children,
think that I'm
a phony,
then I am an
abject failure.
Irrespective of
what you all
think of me.
I'll never
forget my dad
saying those
words.
parents,
can you say
that about
your career?
That if
employer and
employee,
if the bottom
line for the
company all
says that you
are a rousing
success and
your family,
those who come
after you say
you are a
phony,
then you are
indeed a
failure.
Can you say
that?
Can you say
that in the
hearing of your
children?
I think
your children
want to hear
you say
that.
I think
they want
to know
that your
foremost
concern is
that you
will follow
the Lord
and will
help them
in following
the Lord.
This is how
you can make
a name for
yourself.
This month,
the Steve Jobs
movie came
out in
theaters.
Steve Jobs
is renowned
for his part
in making
Apple into
the technology
behemoth it
is today.
No one can
deny that
Steve Jobs
has made
a name for
himself.
He's almost
as equally
renowned for
being an
utter failure
at his
relationships.
At one point
in the trailer
for the movie,
someone close
to him says,
Steve,
what you make
isn't supposed
to be the
best part of
you.
When you're
a father,
that's supposed
to be the
best part of
you.
And you can
tell,
if you've read
the biography,
if you've heard
stories about him,
that it seems
like he was
very willing
to sacrifice
his children
and those
who came
after him
for his
own name.
So parents,
are you like
Steve Jobs?
Are you like
the ones
building Babel
to reach
for heavens
yourself?
Or are you
giving your
children the
resources to
build God's
temple in
their midst?
God's
you can
make a name
for yourself
by helping
those who
come after
you serve
the Lord.
So there's
parents.
Perhaps you're
single.
I want to
ask you,
what does
your family
name mean?
Your last
name?
Where do you
fall, if at
all, in a
lineage of
faithfulness?
How many
generations back
in your family
can you trace
the hand of
the Lord?
mine doesn't
carry that
sort of weight.
I'm a second
generation Christian.
Both of my
parents were
miraculously
converted out
of very
nominal,
mostly apathetic,
perhaps pretty
dysfunctional
families.
And it's
amazing, in my
family tree, you
can trace, there's
a one-to-one
correlation between
love of Jesus and
degree of
functionality.
And it's a
pretty precipitous
decline, man.
But this means
that God has
placed me
providentially in
this moment in
history, in my
family tree with
a decision.
What will it
mean to be of
the Hawkins
family?
Will our
name be
associated with
a generations-long
effort to
strain every
nerve for our
own kingdom?
Think
Rockefeller.
Think
Vanderbilt.
Or will the
family name be
known as one
that has a
consistent and
persistent lineage
of striving to
realize the
kingdom of God?
If you do not
come from a
lineage and a
heritage of
faithfulness, it
can start with
your generation.
You can make a
name for yourself
and your family by
helping those who
come after you
serve the Lord.
another way David
helped provide for
his followers to
worship God.
In verse 15, we
see that he
administered justice
and equity to all
of his people.
Afterwards, it's
going to become much
more problematic and
you're going to see
that kings don't do
this to Israel and
that people fall.
The true worship of
God declines with the
decline in justice and
equity.
David helped those
who followed him
follow the Lord by
ruling, by exercising
his authority with
righteousness and
justice.
What authority do you
have?
Are you an employer?
Are you anywhere other
than the bottom in a
hierarchy?
Do you use your
authority in such a
way that those who
follow that authority,
those who see that
authority, are quickened
in their path of
following the Lord?
Or stopped?
If you're an employee
and you're providing
services to people, do
you have a reputation
for both good service
and care for your
clients that befits
Christ and one who
bears his name?
Do you make it easier
for the people around
you to worship the
Lord or not?
So we have parents,
we have singles, and
we have employers, those
with authority.
But in my introduction, I
mentioned also that there
is something in this
passage for those for
whom life has been
hard.
And at every turn, they
have been barred from the
opportunity of making a
name for themselves.
Perhaps you don't have
any influence, any
authority, any family, and
it seems as though you
can never have a name
for yourself.
The Bible, I think, has
glorious news for you.
Whereas in the Old
Testament, one's name was
quite intimately connected
with how well established
their family was and how
many children it had to
carry on the name, in the
prophets.
They foresee a day when
all of this will be
changed.
Isaiah, speaking of
outsiders, says this,
Let not the foreigner who
has joined himself to the
Lord say, the Lord will
surely separate me from
his people.
And let not the eunuch
say, behold, I am a dry
tree.
For thus says the Lord to
the eunuchs who keep my
Sabbaths, who choose the
things that please me and
hold fast my covenant, I
will give in my house and
within my wall a monument
and a name better than
sons and daughters.
I will give them an
everlasting name that
shall not be cut off.
An everlasting name that
shall not be cut off,
promised to those who are
foreigners, who are poor,
who have no family to speak
of.
How is this possible?
Because in God's economy,
in God's organization of
the world, greatness does
not have to do with earthly
prestige.
Sometimes the two come
together and we ought to be
both thankful and somewhat
worrisome, worried when that
happens.
We ought to be very careful
when advancement in the
kingdom and advancement in the
world seems so closely tied
together.
It's always difficult.
It's always dangerous.
It's always possible for us to
slip over from seeking the
kingdom of God to seeking our
own kingdom.
But to those for whom there is
no possibility of realizing
their own kingdom, making their
own name on earth, rejoice that
the Lord has not organized the
kingdom of heaven the way he
has organized our sinful, our
sinful natures have organized
the kingdom of man.
An eternal name that will never
be blotted out.
An everlasting name better than
sons and daughters.
How can this be true?
It's true because God has
intervened in history in such a
way as to disrupt and upset it.
He has seen the brokenness and
the sinfulness of the world and he
has come to make all things new to
turn it on its head.
He does this in Christ.
Christ who comes into the world and
takes away the sins of the world.
And in replacement for those sins he
gives us his righteousness but not
only his righteousness he gives us
his name.
Christians are those who bear the
name of Christ.
And this was promised in the Old
Testament over and over.
After the Lord gives the blessing
that Aaron is supposed to give over
the people he says so they shall put
my name upon the people of Israel
and I will bless them.
When Isaiah is looking forward to
the bringing in of all the nations
the Lord says I will say to the
north give up and to the south do not
withhold bring my sons from afar and
my daughters from the ends of the
earth.
Everyone who is called by my name
whom I created for my glory.
whom I formed and made.
The Lord gives us a glorious name by
giving us his glorious name.
Just as David was concerned first to
build the Lord's house and then the
Lord established his house.
This is the way of making a name for
ourselves as Christians.
This pattern is frequent in the Bible.
Humiliation and exaltation.
Think of Philippians 2.
The son, the identical copy of the
father, does not esteem equality with
God for him to be grasped onto.
But instead he empties himself, makes
himself like a servant.
Therefore the Lord has highly exalted
him.
Over and over those who exalt
themselves will be humbled and those
who humble themselves will be
exalted.
So I urge you to seek for yourself a
name.
A great name.
By helping those around you
worship the Lord rightly.
By humbling yourself.
Saying not to us, O Lord, but to your
name give glory.
And do you know what the Lord does to
those who say not to us, O Lord, but to
your name give glory?
He gives them a name.
He gives them glory.
Corinthians says that when we behold the
glory, we are transformed into that image
of glory.
Think of all the promises of reward that
are held out in the New Testament for
those who would humble themselves, take
up crosses, and follow him.
Jesus says you will be given crowns and
robes and authority over angels forever.
But the cross comes first.
And bearing the name of Christ comes
first.
Bearing witness to him comes first.
Christ.
This is the lesson to take from David.
David did not seek his own glory first,
but rather sought the glory of God.
And as Jesus says, all these things were
added unto him.
May it be so with us as well.
May we make a name for ourselves without
making a ruin of ourselves by helping those
around us worship God rightly.
Let's pray.
Lord, I thank you for this example of David.
And I thank you for your Holy Spirit,
without whom all of this would be impossible.
We thank you that you have given us a
promise of glory that has been held out for
us.
And we pray that you would give us the
grace to attain that glory.
Give us the assurance that when we say,
not to us, O Lord, but to your name,
give glory.
We are placing our good into your hands,
and there is no better, safer hands to put
that into than yours.
Lord, we do pray that your people in New
Haven and beyond who are called by your name
would be glorious in heaven because of the
great works that you've done in and through us on
this earth.
In the name of Jesus, I pray.
Amen.
In our evening services, we have the, oh, you
may be seated.
We have the opportunity in the evening services
to stump the preacher.
So if you have any questions on the text, the
application, anything of that nature, feel free
to ask and I'll do my best to answer.
Any questions on this?
Yeah, Darcy.
Darcy.
The last verse.
Chapter 18 of what?
Chapter 18.
Yeah.
18 verse.
Verse 18.
It says, and David's sons were priests.
So who and how did they become priests if they were not in the line of Aaron?
Or, how did David's sons become priests if they were not in the line of Aaron?
I have no idea.
Good question.
Yeah.
The priestly, kingly system is confusing to me, to be entirely honest with you.
Any of the pastors have a better answer than that?
Nope.
Okay.
I'm getting the nod.
I'm getting the no.
All right.
Great question.
So the first question, the first stump.
Great job, guys.
All right.
One for one.
Any other questions?
Yeah, you first.
Yeah, great question.
So the question was, how do I connect the idea of David making a name for himself by helping others worship him with Jesus' idea that if you want to be first, be last?
The way I do it is this.
First of all, if this is a pressing question for you, or even if it's not, go read an essay by C.S. Lewis called The Weight of Glory.
It's in a book conveniently called The Weight of Glory.
You can find the PDF online.
The general argument is this.
Human beings are given this desire for glory.
And that desire connects up with the glory that we will behold and will become in heaven.
Our temporal desires for glory, the desire is there, but now it's attached to a different object.
So we still want to have and behold glory, but we are connecting that now to our own ambition, to career advancement, to other things.
So the desire is there, but it's now aimed at the wrong object.
So what Jesus comes along and does, he says, what he comes along and says, look, the answer is not to cease being great or desiring to be great.
The answer is to be great in the way the kingdom of God operates.
And the way the kingdom of God operates is that greatness is marked by self-emptying.
And on earth, my argument here from this passage is that one major way that self-emptying works is that you use your life so that those around you can worship the Lord more fully and more adequately.
There is a Trinitarian analogy here where what the members of the Trinity do is they exist in a perfect self-emptying love for each other.
And the amazing thing is that they're continuing to give love, give love, give love, and they never run out.
Why? Because they're being filled with love from the other members of the Trinity.
And I think you can run this analogy down through a number of human relationships.
If you're in a marriage, one way that you can try to be happy is to seek your own happiness.
And then you have two people who happen to have wedding rings and share a house seeking their own happiness.
Or you can seek your happiness in the happiness of the other.
And you empty yourself to try to love the other person.
And if it's working correctly the way it works in the Trinity, both members of the marriage are doing this for each other.
Such that they never run out of energy.
What you have is the husband loving his wife self-sacrificially and the wife loving her husband self-sacrificially.
And now what you have is they're not only having their own happiness, they're also intimately connected.
Like this.
And I think the answer is, the way this dynamic works is it's similar to the Philippians 2 passage that I mentioned.
Where the pattern in the Christian life is humiliation and exaltation.
So Jesus, the son did not consider equality with God's men to be grasped.
He emptied himself.
Therefore the father highly exalted him.
I think this is the way the greatness thing works in the Christian life.
You become great by emptying yourself.
And that's what's meant by the first shall be last and the last shall be first.
First, those who are first by the standards of this world, which is in fact upside down, turn out to be last.
And those who are last, those who seek the good of others and those who do not care for their own standing, end up, when the universe is flipped right again, being on top.
Does that answer your question?
Excellent.
Thank you.
Great question.
Back of the soundboard.
Great question.
How should we view the examples in the Old Testament where worldly things like the wisdom of Solomon and all of his riches that accompany him are held forth as a reward?
There are two parts to this answer, I think.
The first one is when it comes to the kings in the Old Testament, they particularly and strangely represent the people of God in a way we don't have an analogy for in the New Covenant.
So the earthly success of Israel is in some ways a marker of the Lord's favor upon them, but interestingly, not always.
And I would contend that even like all the riches that Solomon had were deeply ambiguous.
So in Deuteronomy, interestingly, before they have a king, there are rules given for a king.
And some of the rules say he should not do three things.
He should not amass much wealth.
He should not amass for himself many horses.
And he should not have for himself lots of wives.
What three things does this represent?
High taxation, high standing army that could become tyrannical, and high foreign entanglement.
When Solomon is introduced, it says, and he got for himself much gold, many horses, and lots and lots of wives.
And if you know the story, all those things become his downfall at the end.
So I think there is this implicit warning, actually it's an explicit warning in the Old Testament about those earthly riches.
There's a way of stewarding those things well, but it's deeply difficult.
So does that answer your question?
All right.
Okay.
Good?
I'm sure we could go on.
These are great questions.
Thank you, Justin, for bringing that.
Friends, our worship evening comes to its conclusion, but our worship of God does not as we go out.
So I pray that as you go, you will do that.
Let me briefly point you to your bulletin for a few announcements.