King David Or Laban?
When I first started reading the Bible, I expected to encounter people who always "got it right". Instead, I found a Book full of very flawed characters trying to find and follow a very perfect, but compassionate, God. No one in the Bible ever got it right all the time! Not Jacob or Laban or Rachel or Leah or King David. ... And neither will we.
Although both King David and Laban were wealthy and both men abused their power and authority, there is a big difference between these two men. If you didn't know the context of their stories, you might assume King David was "worse" than Laban; after all, Laban may have treated his employees unfairly, but King David abused his power to commit adultery and murder. But on the contrary, King David is considered one of the leaders of the faith, while Laban is not exactly heralded as a biblical hero. There is a human tendency (Christian or not) to sort of "rank" sin; to act as if certain sins are unforgivable (usually the ones others commit!) and that other sins are "not that big of a deal" (usually the ones we struggle with!). But that's not how God works. (See Luke 18:9-14)
King David had, what I would call, some strongholds. He loved the Lord, did his best to follow Him, and yet he still had some areas where he was failing to acknowledge his own sin. God had to actually send a prophet to King David to remind him that, although others may not be aware of some of his sins, God was. As soon as King David became aware of the gravity of his sin, he immediately repented. He loved the Lord, was grieved by his own failures and shortcomings, and he had a humble and teachable heart.
Laban, on the other hand, was repeatedly confronted about his sin. Like King David, he had supernatural experiences as well; God spoke directly to him in a dream. Laban was given opportunity after opportunity to acknowledge his sin, turn toward God, and change his ways, and yet, he was never able to admit he was wrong, follow God, or change his attitude or behavior.
There is a tendency in the Christian community to think that once you are "born again", you are suddenly and instantaneously a different person. In many ways, that is true! But that doesn't mean that beliefs, behaviors, and strongholds change overnight. Christian or not, no one gets it right all of the time! Just like the rich man who was unable to sell all he owned, give it to the poor, and follow Jesus, we will all fail to follow God perfectly at some point in time, both before and after "becoming a Christian"; that's why we all need Jesus! This is what Jesus was alluding to after the rich man went away sad and Jesus was asked how we can possibly be saved when we all fail to follow perfectly; Jesus said, "With man this (living perfectly and 'earning' your salvation) is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (See Luke 18:24-27)
If you are a Christian and reading scripture only validates what you already believe to be true, and never challenges you to think about something differently, then you may have some strongholds God wants to address.
By definition, a stronghold is:
"a place where a particular cause or belief is strongly defended or upheld: 'a Republican stronghold'"
Dictionary.com defines it as:
"a place that serves as the center of a group ... as of persons holding a controversial viewpoint: 'The campus was a stronghold of liberalism.'"
I think both the left and the right, both Christians and non-Christians, have strongholds about God, Jesus, the Bible, and what it means to be a "Christian", especially when it comes to their politics. I have no doubt that God desires to tear these strongholds down and replace them with the Truth of who He is and what His Character is like.
The question isn't if you will have a stronghold in your life that God will want to address at some point; the question is: when God reveals it to you, how will you respond?
© I Lift My Voice, 2022.
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