In the castle at Jerusalem, there hung an atmosphere of suspense and uncertainty. King David was growing old and weaker by the day, and he had not made it clear who was to succeed him. This lack of clarity exposed the secret designs within the hearts of his servants and his sons. 

God sometimes allows people to get into a position of weakness, to expose the hearts of those around them.  David was now old with family troubles and while the king was at low ebb in his life, his son Absalom arose in rebellion. (2 Sam 15). In contrast, when Saul was weak and vulnerable, David had stopped himself and others rising up against Saul, saying “not to touch the Lords anointed”.

Centuries before, when Moses made decisions that were unacceptable to some, Korah’s corrupt heart was exposed.

When Paul was shipwrecked, his men collected sticks for a fire. As they began to warm themselves by the fire, a snake came out from inside the pile of sticks on fire. It took the fire to reveal the snake amongst the sticks. Pressure and crisis don’t make character flaws, they just reveal them. Friction, heat and differences in opinion between people, never cause character weaknesses either, they just reveal them.

The circumstances of our world and nation, haven’t made people hateful, cruel or intolerant of people with views differing from their own.  The troubles have only exposed the shallowness of our love and the limits of our acceptance.

We support every persons right to their own opinion and defend their right to hold it. We are not those that can only tolerate people that agree with us. Society and civilization can only improve when there is fair and open exchange of ideas.

Friend, our relationships are as good as the test to which it they have been put. Troubles show whether our fruit is real, fire reveals the snakes, and it is the severe scouring of the pot that shows whether the vessel is truly gold or only gilded.