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CHARACTER

 

What We Truly Are When No One Is Watching

 

“Character, n. 1. The combination of emotional, intellectual, and moral qualities distinguishing one person or group from another…3.Moral or ethical strength: INTEGRITY…” Webster’s II New Riverside University Dictionary ISBN: 0-395-33957-X, ©1984.

 

After King Saul of Israel sinned in failing to obey God, the prophet Samuel was sent on a mission to anoint a new king from among the sons of Jesse. And when Eliab, the eldest, was introduced to him, Samuel was impressed and thought he was the one God had chosen.

 

“But the Lord said to Samuel, Look not on his appearance or at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” 1 Samuel 16:7 (Amplified Bible).

 

After Samuel was shown seven sons and God still had not pointed out the one to be anointed, Samuel then asked Jesse if he had any more sons. The reply was that there was one more—the youngest—who was tending the sheep. And when David was brought before Samuel, God instructed His prophet to anoint the young man as the next king of Israel.

 

To fully grasp that momentous occasion we need to understand that Israel having a human king to rule over them was not God’s directive will. Prior to Saul being given the throne, Israel was a theocracy with God Himself ruling over them. But the people wanted to be like the nations around them and have a king they could see. So God exercised His permissive will and allowed it:

 

“So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked of him a king. 11 And he said, These will be the ways of the king who shall reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 He will appoint them for himself to be commanders over thousands and over fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest and to make his implements of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14 He will take your fields, your vineyards, and your olive orchards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your men and women servants and the best of your cattle and your donkeys and put them to his work. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves shall be his slaves. 18 In that day you will cry out because of your king you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not hear you then. 19 Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, No! We will have a king over us, 20 That we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles” 1 Samuel 8:10-20 (KJV, emphasis mine).

 

So to give them what they wanted, God led Samuel to Saul, the son of Kish (1 Sam.9:15-16) and here is what the Word of God tells us about him:

 

“Kish had a son named Saul, a choice young man and handsome; among all the Israelites there was not a man more handsome than he. He was a head taller than any of the people” 1 Samuel 9:2 (Amplified Bible).

 

In other words, Saul looked like a king! He was tall and handsome and the people were tickled to death by God’s choice. But what they did not know was that Saul was sadly lacking in character and would eventually abuse his power and position. They wanted a king and they got one, but in doing so they actually rejected God as their Sovereign. And while it has been said that experience is the best teacher, Israel continued to be a very poor student!

 

So when Saul eventually failed (as God knew he would) David was chosen to be the next king because of his innate character. And even before his selection was made known to Samuel, God spoke through him to Saul with the following message:

 

“And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. [14] But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee” 1 Samuel 13:13-14 (KJV, emphasis mine).

 

A man after God’s own heart! Does that not speak volumes about what David really was inside and how he would behave under trying circumstances? Yet in spite of his character, reverence, and a life generally characterized by obedience to God, David still had a sinful nature and committed some terrible sins before he died. But that fact should be a source of comfort for all believers because our heavenly Father will never cast out those who trust in Christ.

 

“All whom My Father gives (entrusts) to Me will come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out [I will never, no never, reject one of them who comes to Me]” John 6:37 (Amplified Bible).

 

David not only committed fornication and adultery with Bathsheba, but then had her husband murdered and tried to live a lie by keeping the whole sordid mess from being exposed. But to his credit he immediately confessed his sin and repented after being confronted by the prophet Nathan—rather than waffle and make excuses like King Saul did to Samuel. The difference in the two individuals is that one was a man of character, while the other was not.

 

And I believe David was actually relieved when Nathan pointed his finger at him and said, “Thou art the man!” (2 Sam.12:7). You see, David was a genuine believer and the Holy Spirit of God was within him. Therefore he could not give himself over to sinful behavior and enjoy it, because of the convicting ministry of the Spirit in his heart. So when given the opportunity to confess, he did not hesitate—even though he was keenly aware that under the Law of Moses his sin was a capital offense and carried a penalty of death by stoning. But God graciously spared his life and not trying to evade guilt when his sin was exposed may have been the reason.

A person of character will tell the truth even if doing so will be painful and this principle is reflected in a psalm David wrote:


LORD, who shall dwell [temporarily] in your tabernacle? Who shall dwell [permanently] on Your holy hill? 2 He who walks and lives uprightly and blamelessly, who works rightness and justice and speaks and thinks the truth in his heart, 3 He who does not slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his friend, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor; 4 In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he who honors those who fear the Lord (who revere and worship Him); who swears to his own hurt and does not change; 5 [He who] does not put out his money for interest [to one of his own people] and who will not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved” Psalm 15 (Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).

 

Dr. Bob Jones, the evangelist who founded Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C., often exhorted believers “to do right until the stars fall!” Doing what is right regardless of circumstances is a demonstration of true godly character.

 

And the lives of two young men in the Bible—Joseph and Daniel—continue to inspire as we read of their individual triumphs over “the world, the flesh and the devil”:

 

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” 1 John 2:15-17 (KJV).

 

Both Joseph and Daniel were separated from their families and thrust into ungodly foreign cultures at a relatively young age (like going off to college or the military!). They were subjected to temptations that easily conquered most of their peers, but throughout their entire lives neither of them yielded an inch. And they proved that God’s people can retain their integrity during extremely tough times by depending on Him.

 

Joseph was falsely accused of attempted rape and spent several years in prison. And during those long and dreary days he did not allow himself to descend into despair and self-pity. Why? Because through an unwavering faith in Jehovah God he knew intuitively there was a plan and purpose behind it all. And that faith was ultimately vindicated when he, as Pharaoh’s chosen representative, was able to tell his brothers—the very ones who sold him into slavery—that what they intended for evil, God had used for good (Gen.50:20). Cream does indeed “always float to the top!”

 

Daniel was among those of the Kingdom of Judah taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar and removed to Babylon. Then because he was of the royal household of Judah’s King Jehoiakim (Dan.1:3, KJV), he was selected as a potential candidate to be taught the learning and language of Babylon. And right off the bat he and the other young men were faced with the prospect of having to eat food that was not “kosher” and therefore forbidden to Jews. Did Daniel try to solve the problem by calling for a hunger strike or other means of mass protest? No, he respectfully requested that they be allowed the privilege of an alternative diet on the grounds that it was actually healthier. By using his head, he achieved what he wanted and did not cause any consternation among his captors. Then over time his demeanor and godly attributes attracted the right kind of attention and he, like Joseph, wound up being promoted to positions of great leadership under three different kings. And just as an aside, I find it utterly fascinating that God caused Daniel to wind up being “made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers” (Dan.5:11, KJV). Those tools of the devil, all of them practitioners of the occult dark arts, were forced by Nebuchadnezzar to accept God’s man as their leader! And the “Wise Men,” the Magi, who sought the baby Jesus hundreds of years later, were adherents of that same occult Gnostic tradition. So can we not see the supreme irony in God forcing Satan’s men to submit first to the leadership of His man Daniel and then many years later to acknowledge the Kingship of His Son Jesus Christ and bow in His Presence?

 

Let me ask you a question that will give a good indication of how you rate on this subject: If you found something of great value that belonged to someone else and knew beyond doubt that you could keep it without anyone ever knowing—would you do it? Unfortunately, most people in this old world would latch on to it in a New York minute, but those with character would return it to its rightful owner. Which of the two types best describes you?

 

If you have been born again and received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but have been very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly forgive you, and fill your heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Then, you need to begin a daily walk of prayer and personal Bible Study.

If you have never placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, but have come to sense His reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to receive His FREE Gift of Eternal Life, you can do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once you truly believe in Him as Lord and Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the Kingdom of Antichrist will not touch you spiritually. If you would like to become Born Again, turn to our Salvation Page now.

We hope you have been blessed by this ministry, which seeks to educate and warn people, so that they can see the coming New World Order Kingdom of Antichrist in their daily news.

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God bless you