Righteousness will Make you a Light for Others
2 Samuel 23:1-7Â (New International Version)
The Last Words of David
 1 These are the last words of David:
      “The oracle of David son of Jesse,
      the oracle of the man exalted by the Most High,
      the man anointed by the God of Jacob,
      Israel’s singer of songs [a] : 2 “The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me;
      his word was on my tongue. 3 The God of Israel spoke,
      the Rock of Israel said to me:
      ‘When one rules over men in righteousness,
      when he rules in the fear of God, 4 he is like the light of morning at sunrise
      on a cloudless morning,
      like the brightness after rain
      that brings the grass from the earth.’ 5 “Is not my house right with God?
      Has he not made with me an everlasting covenant,
      arranged and secured in every part?
      Will he not bring to fruition my salvation
      and grant me my every desire? 6 But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns,
      which are not gathered with the hand. 7 Whoever touches thorns
      uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear;
      they are burned up where they lie.”
We’ve already seen that God rewards according to your righteousness, but when we excercise proper rulership over those things God gives us, living righteously, and in the fear of the Lord, this results in more than rewards for us, but it results in rewards for those around us. In particular, we become a blessing to those around us, in particular to those we have some type of rulership over.
Tyrants are not revered for their rulership, but despised. However, rule in righteousness, and you will be “like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth.” You may not have thought about this, if you are a husband, a father, or supervisor, you have the oppurtunity to shine like God’s light in their life. They may or may not know that’s what it is, but for them, it will be like the sunshine following a storm… a cloudless day that takes the rain that nearly drowned them, and uses it to bring about their growth. But it’s more than that. Don’t you notice that trees, grass, and plants all stretch toward the sun? Even when a storm brings much needed rain, it’s the light that follows for which they yearn, toward which they stretch, and you are to be that light for them.
I am not a manager where I work, yet part of my job is to provide guidance for those around me. I am not their supervisor, yet I tell what to do and they generally do it. It’s an odd position that comes with a lot of responsibility. When I do it right, their jobs are easier, and so is our supervisor’s. I could take my influence and lord it over people, but that is not what God calls me to do. It would not be righteousness, and would more impose a fear of me, then demonstrate a fear of the Lord. I pray over situations and lift up our workplace to the Lord, every day before starting work (and often during it). I am not perfect by any means, but I use myself as an example because I am trying to be one. Also, because I have never applied these verses to myself quite like this before.
Then, there is being a husband a father. Many men provide light where they work, but their light fizzles out before they get home. They get grumpy and those who love them most feel more like their in a storm than in the sunshine. It is quite unfair, and I fear I may do this to my own loving family on occasion. It means that I am not ruling my home in righteousness, or at not all of the time. I imagine many of you are in the same boat. Well, I see that as something to pray about and lift up to God. How can grumpy tired person act in righteousness? It can be easy when you’ve had your coffee and have an adrenaline rush from the thrills of the day; but how about when you’re tired and dried out? Well, God still calls us to be righteous, and it still reduces to those two things: believe God and obey. It doesn’t say to be happy, though it helps. It doesn’t say to be successful at everything and perfect. Just believe God and obey. Remember… He does the heavy lifting.