Dear Family,

This past Sunday I did an addendum to my previous message: “The Culture of Contempt.” We looked at a biblical incident, the occasion of Michal’s contempt for David when the ark was recovered and returned to Jerusalem. At one of the great moments of potential restoration and transformation in the life of Israel that marked the possible return of the presence of God no less to the national life, there was a massive outburst of contempt that almost threatened the recovery of the nation. The joy is violated by two dark incursions: Uzzah’s death by the side of the arkcarrying cart that he tried to steady with his hand (contempt for the Word of God), and Michal’s despising of a dancing David (contempt for the Worship of God). You might say it looked more like the Dance of Death than a happy revival meeting. Basically, the wheels came off the wagon, and the dancing shoes almost came off David’s feet. Contempt is the characteristic demonic response to the presence and purposes of God, to the commands and character of God. The enemy has always opposed our experience of the presence of God with contempt: for Christ, for us, for others. This results in our despising of God, others and self. What was the opening satanic volley in the record of scripture? “Has God really said?” (Genesis 3:1) Contempt is the first manifestation of the diabolic subversion of God’s presence which led to the expulsion from Eden and the loss of “the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden.”

I argued that usually, behind a manifestation of destructive contempt, there is a story that explains how the despising person got to that place and posture. To know that story, to discern its damaging influences is not to excuse the contemptuous person, but to understand them; not to react in condemnation but in compassion, not in reactive mockery but in mercy, regardless of how contemptible they may appear to be. Though they are totally responsible and accountable for their own sin, they are nonetheless candidates for the healing and delivering power of God to rescue them from the grip of the accumulated experiences that have resulted in their present bitter bondage, and consequent disparaging communications and demeaning and defaming actions. To be caught in the crossfire of contempt, whether as object or agent, is a dangerous place to be. Contempt as offence in the agent, so often becomes contempt as defense in the object.

We took Michal as a case study, and looked at all the references to her from 1 Samuel 18 through 2 Samuel 6. Clearly, space does not afford me a recital of all the observations that we made as if it was a healing prayer session. I urge you to re-listen to the message, even though it is a bad, sad story. Why did we consider this story? I suggested that the excursus was important because it is a narrative that we can relate to, given the same way that key events in our lives become the cartilages that hold the bones of our histories together, providing reasons for our contempt and our wounds from contemptuousness. But the good news of the gospel is greater than the bad news of the story, for it presents forgiveness and deliverance for the one who is the agent of contempt, and healing and restoration for the one who has been the damaged object of that contempt.

God specializes in removing reproach, removing the roots that cause us to despise others and the garments of reproach with which others may have clothed our characters and spirits. From November 14, 2017 Genesis 30:23 onwards God says, “I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt.” The question then is: how has God done this? How has He absorbed all despising that I may be absolved of it? The answer is the core of the gospel: in His own body on a tree. He became the toxic waste dump of the world’s despising. “He is despised and rejected of men … He was despised, and we did not esteem him” (Isaiah 53:3). No one was more drained of esteem than Jesus, or held in more contempt. Not surprisingly, one of the most often quoted psalms in the gospels with prophetic reference to the cross, has this emphasis: “I am a worm…a reproach of men and despised by the people…All those who see me ridicule me…They shoot out the lip…He trusted in the Lord…Let Him rescue Him” (Psalm 22: 6-8). And after this concentrated horror of despising comes an unbelievable delivering truth: “God has not despised the suffering of the afflicted.” When anyone is moved to repent of the ways they have despised Him and not esteemed Him, God takes the repentant response as personally as He took the sin of despising: “a broken and a contrite heart I will not despise.” There is forgiveness for our despising, there is deliverance from its bondages and healing from its defacements of identity and spirit. Thus, at the cross we can kneel, whether a despising Michal or a despised David. Is it any wonder, given the nature of despising and its satanic character, that the gospels in their crucifixion accounts read as they do?

In Mathew “they bowed the knee and mocked him, Hail King of the Jews…the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him…those that passed by reviled him…”
In Mark: “those crucified with him reviled him…”
In Luke: Jesus predicts they will mock him and insult: “Falling on their knees they paid homage and when they had mocked him…” the cross’ power to remove our despising and the consequences of being despised! Consequently, the fruit of the resurrection is our empowerment by the Spirit, to now respond to the despising of the enemy.

As we sang in our closing hymn: “Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned He stood, Sealed my pardon with His blood, Hallelujah, what a Savior.” Redemption embraces both the despiser and the despised. May we all know that cleansing and healing, through our repentance from our own contemptuousness, and our forgiveness of others’ contempt, and may there be no barbs and splinters left to fester in our spirits.

Pastorally yours,

Stuart

P.S. If you have received any ministrations of truth by the Holy Spirit in these two messages, I urge you to come to the next Healing prayer service and sit in the presence of the Lord, or maybe make a prayer appointment, to seal what the Lord is doing and to receive the salve of His healing. Call Monique at the office: 202-544-9599