Who Completes Our Sanctification

Thus far in 2 Samuel, those who were in Saul's camp have proven to be anything but loyal. Consider how much betrayal exists in the first four chapters of 2 Samuel. First was the Amalekite who killed Saul and thought himself righteous for it. David put him to death. Then there was Abner's manipulative support for Ish-Bosheth. He eventually was offended and turned on him. Now, two more men prove to be opportunistic and vengeful as they put Ish-Bosheth to death.

2 Samuel 4:5–6 (ESV) Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out, and about the heat of the day they came to the house of Ish-bosheth as he was taking his noonday rest. 6 And they came into the midst of the house as if to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

This murder is incredibly diabolical. They came to Ish-Bosheth under false pretenses, then while he was unarmed and resting they brutally murdered him in cold blood. After this, they see a chance to curry favor with David by bringing Ish-bosheth's head to him as some type of trophy.

David will once again have none of this. He's horrified and puts them to death in with a statement:

2 Samuel 4:12 (ESV) And David commanded his young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet and hanged them beside the pool at Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner at Hebron.

Now if we consider Saul a picture of our life under the power of the age and David a picture of Christ who comes to save us by assuming the rule and reign in our hearts this story comes alive. Inwardly we are full of contradictions, disloyalty and conflictions. We are messed up. As was the case of Saul's army, give us long enough and we will become our own worst enemy. 

When Christ comes in he brings the power of God into our hearts to put to death these deadly traits. Christians should rejoice that the Lord refuses to leave them as they are. This process is not peaceful but rather painful. Saul's kingdom did not lose its authority in Israel without bloodshed. Your walk with Christ will not experience true freedom from the past and your sinful habits without lots of pain and spiritual blood. 

What Recab and Baanah symbolize for the Christian is that last part of our lives which thinks we can achieve our own sanctification through our efforts. It's called works righteousness - a form of Christian living that looks the part outwardly but inwardly is still bent on self-glorification and personal achievement. These kinds of Christians are everywhere. They fill the pews on Sunday morning and sing the songs. They dress the part and acts like they have it together. But inwardly, there's still ambition and personal glory calling the shots. 

Here the lesson: Christ, like David in this story, takes no joy in our self-exaltation "Christian" achievements. He seeks to put those parts of us to death as well. For our Christian life is not a resume of our righteous acts but the rescue of a Perfect King. A Christian does not simply repent of their sins, but also of their self-centered attempts a looking better than they really are. Our righteousness is hollow. God's righteousness is whole.

Consider Paul who looked the part in Judaism. What was the turning point for him? It was a sort of righteousness that he knew he could never achieve by works but simply receive by grace. It was this righteousness that became the impetus for his life of selflessness and sacrifice in serving the Gospel. Not the phraseology of the words from Philippians 3:

Philippians 3:7–10 (ESV) But whatever gain I had (i.e. personal goodness/righteousness), I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

Dear Christian, you don't have to look the part and present your trophies of Chrisitan activity to God. You simply have to surrender and let His work transform you from the inside out.