Fathers of the Bible — David (Part 2)

When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. When the period of mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to the palace, and she became one of his wives. Then she gave birth to a son. But the Lord was displeased with what David had done. So the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: “There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor. The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle. The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man’s own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter. One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guest.” David was furious. “As surely as the Lord lives,” he vowed, “any man who would do such a thing deserves to die! He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity.” Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own. “This is what the Lord says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view. You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel.” Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin. Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the word of the Lord by doing this, your child will die.” After Nathan returned to his home, the Lord sent a deadly illness to the child of David and Uriah’s wife. David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground. The elders of his household pleaded with him to get up and eat with them, but he refused. Then on the seventh day the child died. David’s advisers were afraid to tell him. “He wouldn’t listen to reason while the child was ill,” they said. “What drastic thing will he do when we tell him the child is dead?” When David saw them whispering, he realized what had happened. “Is the child dead?” he asked. “Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.” Then David got up from the ground, washed himself, put on lotions, and changed his clothes. He went to the Tabernacle and worshiped the Lord. After that, he returned to the palace and was served food and ate. His advisers were amazed. “We don’t understand you,” they told him. “While the child was still living, you wept and refused to eat. But now that the child is dead, you have stopped your mourning and are eating again.” David replied, “I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, ‘Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him one day, but he cannot return to me.” Then David comforted Bathsheba, his wife, and slept with her. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and David named him Solomon. The Lord loved the child and sent word through Nathan the prophet that they should name him Jedidiah (which means “beloved of the Lord”), as the Lord had commanded.
2 Samuel 11:26-12:25

Dear God, what must it have been like to be Bathsheba? She was forced into adultery. Her husband was killed. Her baby (presumably her first child) died. Then, ultimately, her next son ends up being the king of Israel. She would never had guessed the life you had for her, but I can’t help but feel sorry for her and wish for her the normal life she foresaw for herself.

But in terms of David as a father, he seems very detached in this story. I think I mentioned this in my last prayer journal about this. He didn’t seem to care that he wouldn’t get to know this child. His approach to comforting Bathsheba was to sleep with her. What? As if the opportunity to have sex with him made it all better? I don’t know. Maybe it did.

I’ve also mentioned this before, but I wonder how much of David’s attitude towards women got passed down to his children. Amnon raped his sister. Solomon slept with, at minimum, hundreds of women. One of the other sons, I can’t remember which one, slept with one of David’s concubines. And I’m sure that it was a poorly kept secret what David had done with Bathsheba and Uriah. I’m sure Solomon and all of the other children grew up hearing the stories. How did that impact David’s relationships with them? Did he lose the high ground forever? When one reads 2 Samuel, this is certainly the beginning of the decline of David’s success. The apex of his joy and victory is certainly behind him at this point.

Yes, the losing of the moral high ground is probably really significant when it comes to his relationships with his children. They probably did not respect him after that. Absolom didn’t.

Father, I don’t want or need my children to see me as perfect, but I certainly want to set an example for them. A perfect example doesn’t help because it gives them an unrealistic, condemning view of what a man should be. At the same time, a life of debauchery is no good either. Help me to just be a man that follows you, is humble about his mistakes, and gives his children the love and direction that. you need them to have through me. Do it all, ultimately, for your glory so that you might live through them and enter the world through them.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Fathers of the Bible — David

These are the sons who were born to David in Hebron: The oldest was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam from Jezreel. The second was Daniel, whose mother was Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. The third was Absalom, whose mother was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur. The fourth was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith. The fifth was Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital. The sixth was Ithream, whose mother was Eglah, David’s wife. These sons were all born to David in Hebron. After moving from Hebron to Jerusalem, David married more concubines and wives, and they had more sons and daughters. These are the names of David’s sons who were born in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.
2 Samuel 3:2-5,5:13-16

Dear God, for a long time now, David has been one of my “great man, bad father” examples.

One of the interesting things to note is that, of the first six boys born to him, they all had different mothers. Another interesting thing. Right before Solomon, it lists Nathan. Is this Bathsheba’s first child that died? Did they name him after the prophet that confronted David with his sin? Interesting.

You know that I started wondering last year about whether or not David would have made an even better judge for Israel than king. Was it the power of being king that corrupted his heart and distracted him? Not that Samuel was that great of a father. It’s just an interesting question.

We will see some interesting stories coming up about David’s parenting. Amnon will do something reprehensible–what will David do? Absolom will respond to Amnon’s action–what will David do? Even when Bathsheba’s baby dies, David’s response is peculiar. He didn’t seem to care about this child as his own. He didn’t mourn not getting to spend the rest of his life with this child. He treated it more as a random life for which he had responsibility, and he cared whether or not you would save it. When you didn’t, he moved on. I wonder if this story by itself gives us the insight we need into how David felt as a father. Is this how all fathers felt back then? Was this the cultural norm?

Father, you know how I feel about my children. It fascinates me how much of my thoughts they consume, even now that they are in their 20s. I hope for them. I pray for them every day. I reach out to them. I try to show them love. But now that they are older, I also try to back off enough so that they can have the space they need to develop their own relationships with you. Help me to find that line. Help me to be exactly what you need me to be for them. I’m sorry for how I’ve failed them and failed you in the past. I know I’ve let my own ego get wrapped up in my responses to them. I’m doing my best to not let that happen anymore.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

“Even If” by MercyMe

“Even If” by MercyMe

They say sometimes you win some
Sometimes you lose some
And right now, right now I’m losing bad
I’ve stood on this stage night after night
Reminding the broken it’ll be alright
But right now, oh right now I just can’t
It’s easy to sing
When there’s nothing to bring me down
But what will I say
When I’m held to the flame
Like I am right now

I know You’re able and I know You can
Save through the fire with Your mighty hand
But even if You don’t
My hope is You alone

They say it only takes a little faith
To move a mountain
Well good thing
A little faith is all I have, right now
But God, when You choose
To leave mountains unmovable
Oh give me the strength to be able to sing
It is well with my soul

I know You’re able and I know You can
Save through the fire with Your mighty hand
But even if You don’t
My hope is You alone
I know the sorrow, and I know the hurt
Would all go away if You’d just say the word
But even if You don’t
My hope is You alone

You’ve been faithful, You’ve been good
All of my days
Jesus, I will cling to You
Come what may

‘Cause I know You’re able
I know You can
I know You’re able and I know You can
Save through the fire with Your mighty hand
But even if You don’t
My hope is You alone
I know the sorrow, I know the hurt
Would all go away if You’d just say the word
But even if You don’t
My hope is You alone

It is well with my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Bart Millard / Ben Glover / Crystal Lewis / David Garcia / Tim Timmons

Dear God, I thought about just titling this prayer journal entry “Apology.” I owe you an apology. Now, I know that goes without saying. There is so much I do wrong. I can sin with the best of them, and I am, indeed, sorry for those things. But this is different. I’m not sure I’ve ever apologized to you for thinking you were unfaithful to me or your word.

My wife and I went through some trials a few years ago, and I remember telling friends, “I knew that when I became a Christian that I wouldn’t be protected from suffering, but in praying for my children and loved ones, I thought there would be some amount of protection.” One friend responded to me that I was disappointed in you. Yes, I thought. That’s it. I’m disappointed.

Well, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for ever being disappointed in the God of the universe. I’m sorry for ever thinking that I deserve better than I’m getting.

The song above, “Even If,” is a good song. It’s one of those that really works in a church setting. It says all of the right things. I can picture myself standing in a church with this song on the overhead and singing along–and even meaning it. But it’s the story that the lead singer tells in the video I’ve attached that helped me see that I owe you an apology.

The other thing that helped me see it was some of the stuff I’m been doing with Naomi and Ruth chapter 1 lately. One thought that occurred to me is that Naomi owes you an apology for trying to rename herself Mara. You were there the whole time. You were making a way, not only for her, but also all of Israel. You hadn’t made her life bitter. It just didn’t look how she thought she deserved it to…ohhhhhh. That’s me. I guess I owe you an apology too.

Father, I am sorry. I know you are able to do anything. I know you can change any life circumstance at your own will. But even if you don’t, my hope is in you alone. I choose to instead tell you thank you for loving me. I choose to let go of my selfishness and what I think I deserve to simply say, “It is well with my soul.”

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Fathers of the Bible — Saul (Part 2)

Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David. But Jonathan, because of his strong affection for David, told him what his father was planning. “Tomorrow morning,” he warned him, “you must find a hiding place out in the fields. I’ll ask my father to go out there with me, and I’ll talk to him about you. Then I’ll tell you everything I can find out.” The next morning Jonathan spoke with his father about David, saying many good things about him. “The king must not sin against his servant David,” Jonathan said. “He’s never done anything to harm you. He has always helped you in any way he could. Have you forgotten about the time he risked his life to kill the Philistine giant and how the Lord brought a great victory to all Israel as a result? You were certainly happy about it then. Why should you murder an innocent man like David? There is no reason for it at all!” So Saul listened to Jonathan and vowed, “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be killed.” Afterward Jonathan called David and told him what had happened. Then he brought David to Saul, and David served in the court as before. Then Saul sent troops to watch David’s house. They were told to kill David when he came out the next morning. But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, “If you don’t escape tonight, you will be dead by morning.” So she helped him climb out through a window, and he fled and escaped. Then she took an idol and put it in his bed, covered it with blankets, and put a cushion of goat’s hair at its head. When the troops came to arrest David, she told them he was sick and couldn’t get out of bed. But Saul sent the troops back to get David. He ordered, “Bring him to me in his bed so I can kill him!” But when they came to carry David out, they discovered that it was only an idol in the bed with a cushion of goat’s hair at its head. “Why have you betrayed me like this and let my enemy escape?” Saul demanded of Michal. “I had to,” Michal replied. “He threatened to kill me if I didn’t help him.” David now fled from Naioth in Ramah and found Jonathan. “What have I done?” he exclaimed. “What is my crime? How have I offended your father that he is so determined to kill me?” “That’s not true!” Jonathan protested. “You’re not going to die. He always tells me everything he’s going to do, even the little things. I know my father wouldn’t hide something like this from me. It just isn’t so!” Then David took an oath before Jonathan and said, “Your father knows perfectly well about our friendship, so he has said to himself, ‘I won’t tell Jonathan—why should I hurt him?’ But I swear to you that I am only a step away from death! I swear it by the Lord and by your own soul!” “Tell me what I can do to help you,” Jonathan exclaimed. David replied, “Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival. I’ve always eaten with the king on this occasion, but tomorrow I’ll hide in the field and stay there until the evening of the third day. If your father asks where I am, tell him I asked permission to go home to Bethlehem for an annual family sacrifice. If he says, ‘Fine!’ you will know all is well. But if he is angry and loses his temper, you will know he is determined to kill me. Show me this loyalty as my sworn friend—for we made a solemn pact before the Lord —or kill me yourself if I have sinned against your father. But please don’t betray me to him!” “Never!” Jonathan exclaimed. “You know that if I had the slightest notion my father was planning to kill you, I would tell you at once.” Then David asked, “How will I know whether or not your father is angry?” “Come out to the field with me,” Jonathan replied. And they went out there together. Then Jonathan told David, “I promise by the Lord, the God of Israel, that by this time tomorrow, or the next day at the latest, I will talk to my father and let you know at once how he feels about you. If he speaks favorably about you, I will let you know. But if he is angry and wants you killed, may the Lord strike me and even kill me if I don’t warn you so you can escape and live. May the Lord be with you as he used to be with my father. And may you treat me with the faithful love of the Lord as long as I live. But if I die, treat my family with this faithful love, even when the Lord destroys all your enemies from the face of the earth.” So Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, saying, “May the Lord destroy all your enemies!” And Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself. Then Jonathan said, “Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival. You will be missed when your place at the table is empty. The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid before, and wait there by the stone pile. I will come out and shoot three arrows to the side of the stone pile as though I were shooting at a target. Then I will send a boy to bring the arrows back. If you hear me tell him, ‘They’re on this side,’ then you will know, as surely as the Lord lives, that all is well, and there is no trouble. But if I tell him, ‘Go farther—the arrows are still ahead of you,’ then it will mean that you must leave immediately, for the Lord is sending you away. And may the Lord make us keep our promises to each other, for he has witnessed them.” So David hid himself in the field, and when the new moon festival began, the king sat down to eat. He sat at his usual place against the wall, with Jonathan sitting opposite him and Abner beside him. But David’s place was empty. Saul didn’t say anything about it that day, for he said to himself, “Something must have made David ceremonially unclean.” But when David’s place was empty again the next day, Saul asked Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse been here for the meal either yesterday or today?” Jonathan replied, “David earnestly asked me if he could go to Bethlehem. He said, ‘Please let me go, for we are having a family sacrifice. My brother demanded that I be there. So please let me get away to see my brothers.’ That’s why he isn’t here at the king’s table.” Saul boiled with rage at Jonathan. “You stupid son of a whore!” he swore at him. “Do you think I don’t know that you want him to be king in your place, shaming yourself and your mother? As long as that son of Jesse is alive, you’ll never be king. Now go and get him so I can kill him!” “But why should he be put to death?” Jonathan asked his father. “What has he done?” Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending to kill him. So at last Jonathan realized that his father was really determined to kill David. Jonathan left the table in fierce anger and refused to eat on that second day of the festival, for he was crushed by his father’s shameful behavior toward David. The next morning, as agreed, Jonathan went out into the field and took a young boy with him to gather his arrows. “Start running,” he told the boy, “so you can find the arrows as I shoot them.” So the boy ran, and Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. When the boy had almost reached the arrow, Jonathan shouted, “The arrow is still ahead of you. Hurry, hurry, don’t wait.” So the boy quickly gathered up the arrows and ran back to his master. He, of course, suspected nothing; only Jonathan and David understood the signal. Then Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy and told him to take them back to town. As soon as the boy was gone, David came out from where he had been hiding near the stone pile. Then David bowed three times to Jonathan with his face to the ground. Both of them were in tears as they embraced each other and said good-bye, especially David. At last Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn loyalty to each other in the Lord’s name. The Lord is the witness of a bond between us and our children forever.” Then David left, and Jonathan returned to the town.
1 Samuel 19:1-7,11-17,20:1-42

Dear God, I don’t know if these stories are as much about Saul’s parenting as they are about a deranged king, but Jonathan and Michal has to deal with him as a dad so I guess they are fair game for this little series.

I guess the thing I’ve always admired about Jonathan is that he wasn’t threatened by David. He was okay with not being king. Saul, on the other hand, was consumed with the thought of David replacing his family as king.

I’m sure that at some point after Samuel’s anointing and David’s arrival Saul had dreams of his lineage being the king of Israel forever. He probably looked at his boys and their boys and already had their succession order figured out. It’s part of our vanity. Part of our sinful nature seems to be to want to be known from a fake and power standpoint. If we live a quiet faithful life, we consider it a waste. We must leave our mark!!

I suppose Saul could have responded differently to Samuel’s speech about you taking the kingdom from him (1 Samuel 15:28). He could have submitted to it. He could have asked Samuel, okay, what do I do now? But there’s no way he could voluntarily let go of that power and it poisoned him from then on. Outside of Lyndon Johnson, no president of the United States has ever not run for a second term, and I’m sure some of them considered it.

Then there is how his children were forced to respond to him. They had to lie. They had to hide and scheme. How would their lives have been different, or even better, if they had been able to yield to David’s throne. If David had not been on the run from Saul and living in exile, would Jonathan have lived longer? Would Saul?

Father, as I parent my children, help me to do it in the moment. As I express love and support for them, help me to detach my ego from it. I don’t want anything to get in the way of what you need me to do for them. And I know I’ve failed at this in the past. I’ve felt sorry for myself more times than I can count. I’ve even had bouts of it this weekend. But that does them no good. It does me no good. And it brings you no glory. I am very sorry for the ways in which I am like Saul and look to my children to feed my ego.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

“Nobody” by Casting Crowns (featuring Matthew West)

“Nobody” by Casting Crowns (featuring Matthew West)

Why you ever chose me has always been a mystery
All my life I’ve been told I belong at the end of the line
With all the other not-quites, with all the never-get-in-rights
But it turns out they’re the ones You were lookin’ for all this time

‘Cause I’m just a nobody, tryin’ to tell everybody
All about somebody who saved my soul
Ever since You rescued me, you gave my heart a song to sing
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus
I’m living for the world to see nobody but Jesus

Well, Moses had stage fright, and David brought a rock to a sword fight
You picked 12 outsiders nobody would’ve chosen and you changed the world
Well, the moral of the story is everybody’s got a purpose
So, when I hear that Devil start talkin’ to me, sayin’,
“Who do you think you are?” I say

I’m just a nobody, trying to tell everybody
All about Somebody who saved my soul
Ever since You rescued me, you gave my heart a song to sing
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus

So let me go down, down, down in history
As another blood-bought faithful member of the family
And if they all forget my name, well that’s fine with me
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus

So let me go down, down, down in history
As another blood-bought faithful member of the family
And if they all forget my name, well that’s fine with me
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus

‘Cause I’m just a nobody, trying to tell everybody
All about Somebody who saved my soul
Ever since you rescued me, You gave my heart a song to sing
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus

Written by Bernie Herms, Mark Hall, and Matthew West

Dear God, this song is exactly what I needed this morning. I’ve found that the most important thing I can do on the mornings I preach is get my heart right before you. It has to be you speaking through me. It has to be the Holy Spirit. If I get up there out of my own ego then I have failed everyone involved, most especially you. So I decided I needed to start with some praise music. I contemplated going to my usual mix on my phone, but wanted something fresh. I chose to try Christian music videos on YouTube and let it pick my mix (it’s almost like I was casting lots). I thought about whom I wanted to hear and I thought of Casting Crowns. I searched “Casting Crowns songs” and it gave me a mix starting with this song.

I’ve heard “Nobody” before, and I haven’t loved it. It sounded a little too spot-on for my taste. Too Christian-y. Too obvious. Like a Sunday school lesson with no depth. But this morning I sat down and listened to it while watching the video. It’s exactly what my heart needed to hear on a morning when I will stand in front of people and hopefully–prayerfully–deliver your message to them. When I’m standing up there, I’m just a nobody trying to tell all of them about what you have taught me. You have taught me through my successes, but more often than not you have taught me through my failures. You have taught me through my struggles and insecurities. You have taught me through repentance and forgiveness. I’m just one of them, standing in front of them give them hope, direction, inspiration and lead them in worship of and devotion to you.

So let’s look at this song in four chunks: the two verses, the chorus, and the bridge.

Why you ever chose me has always been a mystery
All my life I’ve been told I belong at the end of the line
With all the other not-quites, with all the never-get-it-rights
But it turns out they’re the ones You were lookin’ for all this time

I will confess to you that I’ve never wondered why you chose me. I grew up in the church at an early enough age that I never doubted that you came for everyone, including me. Now, where this verse does fit me is the idea that I do feel like I don’t measure up. I don’t measure up to others’ expectations, and I certainly don’t measure up to who you are or would want me to be. I have received your mercy and grace for this, and I am grateful, although I do confess that I take this for granted often. It’s such an amazing gift, how could I not? There’s no way I’ll ever be able to intellectually understand just how amazing your grace is.

Well, Moses had stage fright, and David brought a rock to a sword fight
You picked twelve outsiders nobody would’ve chosen and you changed the world
Well, the moral of the story is everybody’s got a purpose
So, when I hear that Devil start talkin’ to me, sayin’,
“Who do you think you are?” I say

That’s the beauty of the way you gave us scripture. Outside of Leviticus, Deuteronomy and parts of Exodus, you really didn’t give us an owner’s manual. You gave us a book of stories and letters. And the stories are filled with flawed people. Adam was flawed. Abraham. Noah. Moses. Job. Elijah. David. Peter. Paul. James. John. Mary. Joseph. They were all flawed. But that’s us. We are your people. You love us. My children are flawed and I love them very much. We are flawed and you love us even more.

I’m just a nobody tryin’ to tell everybody
All about Somebody that saved my soul
Ever since You rescued me, You gave my heart a song to sing
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus

That’s it. I almost put an exclamation point there, but it’s more relaxed than that. It’s simple. That’s it. I’m just a guy sharing my faith this morning. I’ve spent time with you in prayer. I’ve studied and contemplated the scriptures. I’ve listened to the Holy Spirit. And now I feel like the Holy Spirit has something to say through me this morning. And the message is all based on things you’ve taught me. Waiting on you. Understanding I can’t see the whole picture. Not expecting all sunshine and roses. Rejoicing and worshipping anyway.

So, let me go down, down, down in history
As another blood-bought faithful member of the family
And if they all forget my name, well that’s fine with me
I’m livin’ for the world to see nobody but Jesus

I wasn’t put on this earth for my glory. I wasn’t put on this earth for fame and attention. I wasn’t put here to be remembered. My life will be largely forgotten two generations from now. My greatgrandchildren will probably know very little about me, if anything at all. But my life will have rippled into theirs in ways they will never know, just as thousands, millions, and even billions of lives have rippled into mine. My name won’t be attached, but if those around me can see you–if my children, my family, and my friends can see you–then my life has a shot at being a catalyst for the world to see you.

Father, help me to decrease as you increase this morning. Love through me. Live through me. Inspire through me. Convict and motivate through me. Let every person there see you and not me.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

 

The Elephant

Dear God, I’ve been praying through and thinking through these scriptures all week. I’ve looked at Moses on the mountain getting about eight chapters worth of instructions from you. I’ve looked at Peter talking in his second epistle about his experience at the Transfiguration. And I’ve looked at the Transfiguration itself. I’ve also layered on top of it the story of Naomi from the book of Ruth. These are the pieces of quilt I feel like you’ve given to me this week as I’ve prepared to preach tomorrow. So this morning, what I’d like to do is ask you to help me take these pieces and weave them together into the message that your Holy Spirit wants to deliver to the parishioners at the local Presbyterian church in the morning .

It starts, I think, with the old illustration of the blind men who each touch a different part of an elephant and then asked to describe the elephant. One describes the elephant as being a really long stump (the leg). One describe an elephant as an odd snake-type creature or really long, rough hose (the trunk). One describes it as a long smooth spear (the tusk). One describes it as a huge rough wall (the body). Another describes it as a thin, wiggly animal with some hair on the end (the tail). They are all accurate in their description of what they know, but they are wrong. They can’t see what we can see. They cannot see how the leg, trunk, tusk, body, and tail all work together to form one of the most majestic animals in the world.

That’s what you showed me in the story of Moses on the mountain. You were getting some business done with Moses. It was housekeeping time. It was paperwork time. You and Moses needed to spend some time together so that you could give him some marching orders for all of Israel. But the Israelites couldn’t see what was going on. All they saw was the cloud and the fire. For all they knew, you had grown angry with Moses and he was dead. If you would have asked them to explain what was going on they would have had no clue. Not even Moses really understood the whole picture, but you did. You could see what no one else could see.

Then we get the story of the Transfiguration. Another example of you tangibly showing up on a mountain and spending some time with your man. In this case, it was your son, Jesus, and he brought three friends (notably, you brought two friends of your own in Moses and Elijah). You know I’ve thought for a number of years that you did this because Jesus needed it. He was on his way to Jerusalem. He, at a minimum, had a good idea of what was coming if not complete knowledge of his impending future. I think he needed some affirmation and encouragement, and you provided it to him through your personal presence and affirmation as well as whatever he learned from Moses and Elijah. But what were Peter, John, and James doing there? If you asked them in that moment to describe what they had just experienced they would have said that Jesus is really powerful, and they had just gotten to see Moses and Elijah. Yes, Jesus kept talking about his death, but they didn’t really believe that. How could he possibly die? It’s almost like we look at the current stock market. How could it possibly start to lose? The piece of the elephant they could see what very small in the grand scheme of things. They didn’t understand the pressure Jesus was under or what he needed. They didn’t understand what you were doing for them in revealing the reality of Jesus being the Messiah to them through this story. That’s what the verses in 2 Peter are about. Peter, in retrospect, is telling his audience that he knows the Jesus story is real because of what he witnessed on that mountain. He and his two friends didn’t only hear some disembodied voice that could be explained away as a hallucination. They physically saw Elijah and Moses–so much so that it occurred to Peter to put up houses for them. You don’t build houses for spirits.

And then on the way down, they are still trying to make sense of what they had seen. They wondered if maybe seeing Elijah there was a fulfillment of the prophecy about Elijah preceding the Messiah. That’s when Jesus explains to them that they have already seen Elijah in John the Baptist. Jesus showed them just a little more of the elephant.

So why don’t you show us what is going on? Why do you keep us on a need-to-know basis? Why is it that I so rarely need to know? The answer is obvious. If we know any suffering or inconvenience that lies ahead we will most certainly avoid it. If I had known what answering your call to quit my stable job in 2003 would mean to my own discomfort and instability I might not have done it. If I had known some of the pain involved in parenting I might have avoided it. If Jacob had known that his relocation to Egypt would result in generations of slavery he might have let his family die in the desert. And that impoverished widow who Jesus saw put her two coins in the collection never knew that her faithfulness in the midst of her poverty would be a lesson to all of us for thousands of years.

And then there is Naomi. She was convinced you had turned on her. Mara. Call me Mara because God has made my life bitter. When I left I had everything, but now He has taken everything from me. The Lord has sent me nothing but tragedy and made me suffer. (Ruth 1:20-21) But she didn’t know. She didn’t know that you would use her situation and the loss of her husband and sons to bring Ruth to Bethlehem. She didn’t know that she would play a role, through her dead husband’s legacy, in setting Ruth up with Boaz. And she didn’t know that she would end up cuddling and raising King David’s grandfather, Obed. She didn’t know that Obed’s grandchild would kill Goliath and set up the country for its greatest period. She could only see a little piece of the elephant. But you were faithful to her.

What’s one other common thread in these stories. You gave each person affirmations along the way. They didn’t necessarily see them as affirmations. The Israelites didn’t understand that if Moses had just disappeared for 40 days with no cloud or fire they wouldn’t have necessarily believed him when he came back with the rules. Peter didn’t realize at the time that you had given him evidence of who Jesus was through witnessing the Transfiguration. And Naomi didn’t see it at the time, but if she had stopped feeling sorry for herself for a moment she would have seen that Ruth was there for her when she absolutely didn’t have to be. Naomi could have been left for dead, but you were there for her.

Father, help me to reach the level of faith where I don’t need to see what the elephant looks like to follow you joyfully. I don’t know what the lives of my children will look like. I can’t see how a decision they make in this moment will impact the next. I cannot see how my own actions will flow into history. But you have been good to me. You have been better to me than I deserve. I guess my simplest prayer is that I will decrease, you will increase, and I will worship you and do my best to love all of those around me with your love.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Fathers of the Bible – Saul

Now the men of Israel were hard-pressed on that day, for Saul had put the people under oath, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food before evening, and until I have avenged myself on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food. All the people of the land entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground. When the people entered the forest, behold, there was a flow of honey; but no man put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. But Jonathan had not heard when his father put the people under oath; therefore, he put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened. Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly put the people under oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food today.’” And the people were weary. Then Jonathan said, “ My father has troubled the land. See now, how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. How much more, if only the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For now the slaughter among the Philistines has not been great.” They struck among the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. And the people were very weary. The people rushed greedily upon the spoil, and took sheep and oxen and calves, and slew them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood. Then they told Saul, saying, “Behold, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating with the blood.” And he said, “You have acted treacherously; roll a great stone to me today.” Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people and say to them, ‘Each one of you bring me his ox or his sheep, and slaughter it here and eat; and do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood.’” So all the people that night brought each one his ox with him and slaughtered it there. And Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first altar that he built to the Lord . Then Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and take spoil among them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” So the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.” Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You give them into the hand of Israel?” But He did not answer him on that day. Saul said, “ Draw near here, all you chiefs of the people, and investigate and see how this sin has happened today. For as the Lord lives, who delivers Israel, though it is in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” But not one of all the people answered him. Then he said to all Israel, “You shall be on one side and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.” Therefore, Saul said to the Lord, the God of Israel, “ Give a perfect lot .” And Jonathan and Saul were taken, but the people escaped. Saul said, “Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son.” And Jonathan was taken. Then Saul said to Jonathan, “ Tell me what you have done.” So Jonathan told him and said, “ I indeed tasted a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am, I must die!” Saul said, “ May God do this to me and more also, for you shall surely die, Jonathan.” But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die, who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Far from it! As the Lord lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.” So the people rescued Jonathan and he did not die. Then Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.
1 Samuel 14:24-46

Dear God, Saul’s relationship with Jonathan will come up several times in the rest of 1 Samuel. I will admit to you that I’ve always had a little bit of a soft spot for Saul. I know he grieved you by doing a pre-battle sacrifice and ceremony before Samuel had arrived, but at least he was trying to keep worshipping you. In this case, he was just stupid to make this curse in the first place. As the text says, everyone was weak from hunger. That’s not a great way to fight an enemy. And then Jonathan’s sin was revealed so Saul felt compelled to fulfill his oath. I’m still not sure where you stood on that whole thing. Did you want him to kill Jonathan? I don’t think you did, but this story intimates that you were upset about the broken oath and expected some sort of punishment.

Is there room for stupid people in your kingdom? Does the new covenant allow for a well-intentioned idiot? When the people asked Samuel for a king, did you really just pick Saul as a placeholder until David was old enough to be king. And what about Jonathan? Why take the kingdom away from him? He seemed to be pretty good and faithful. He was certainly faithful to David.

In the next stories, we will see Jonathan trying to deal with his dad as a tyrant, and Saul getting exasperated with Jonathan. It’s one of the more complicated set of stories for me, and I’m not sure I’ll know any more about what to make of them after talk with you about them than I do now.

Father, speak to me as a dad. Help me to, first and foremost, love you well. Help me to give you all of the glory for every good thing, and to point people to you when they are both celebrating and afraid. To paraphrase a Rich Mullins song, “If I Stand,” if I am in a good place, let me be there knowing that you brought me there. If I am in a bad place, let me fall on the grace that brought me to you in the first place. If I celebrate, let me celebrate all that you do for me and this world. And if I ever weep, let it be simply as someone that longs to be with you.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

“Lord (I Don’t Know)” by Newsboys

https://youtu.be/JZeYMj_WF1M

You are the author of knowledge

You can redeem what’s been done

You hold the present and all that’s to come

Until your everlasting kingdom

Lord, I don’t know where all this is going

Or how it all works out

Lead me to peace that is past understanding

A peace beyond all doubt

You are the God of tomorrow

Turning the darkness to dawn

Lifting the hopeless with hope to go on

You are the rock of all salvation

Lord, I don’t know where all this is going

Or how it all works out

Lead me to peace that is past understanding

A peace beyond all doubt

Oh, Lord, you are the author

Redeeming what’s been done

You hold us in the present

And all that is to come

Lord, we don’t know where all this is going

Or how it all works out

Lead us to peace that is past understanding

A peace beyond all doubt

Dear God, the deeper I get into your presence and studying your word, the more I see the truth in this song. I’m supposed to be leading a devotion for the ministerial association today. It’s interesting that it is coinciding with me preaching this weekend. I think the message will largely be the same–just shorter. The message is that our limited vision makes us completely incapable of seeing what you see. We cannot see where all of this is going. We cannot see how it all works out.

And we are in good company. Noah couldn’t see it. Abraham. Jacob. Moses. Naomi. Ruth. Samuel. Saul. David. Skip to the New Testament. Peter. Paul. James. John. Paul had no idea that his incarceration would bring Christianity to the West. He just knew he wanted to go a different direction and you kept. Closing the door. He knew his incarceration was for you, but he had no idea why.

Now, I have a family member who is really struggling emotionally. Come to think of it, I have several. I have a few that are really facing some major hurdles. Some are scared. Some are fighting for something and they aren’t sure how to get it. Some are fighting and they would be hard-pressed to say why except that they are feeling sorry for themselves. I have a friend undergoing a second back surgery today because the first one only made things worse. I don’t know why she is having to go through this. I don’t know where all of this is going. But I know you can redeem. I know you can heal. I have a relative in the hospital right now. I don’t really know him and probably haven’t seen him in 40 years. But I should be praying for him more than I have because you could be using this in his life to bring him to peace in you.

Father, help me to turn loose of where all of this is going. Help me to stay in the moment with you. Help me to accept the circumstances around me and lead me in the ways in which I should respond to them. Help me to love well. Help me to bring your presence and peace into every situation.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

Matthew 17:1-13

Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. Peter exclaimed, “Lord, it’s wonderful for us to be here! If you want, I’ll make three shelters as memorials —one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But even as he spoke, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.” The disciples were terrified and fell face down on the ground. Then Jesus came over and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” And when they looked up, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they saw only Jesus. As they went back down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” Then his disciples asked him, “Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes? ” Jesus replied, “Elijah is indeed coming first to get everything ready. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, but he wasn’t recognized, and they chose to abuse him. And in the same way they will also make the Son of Man suffer.” Then the disciples realized he was talking about John the Baptist.
Matthew 17:1-13

Dear God, I want to look at this story today from Peter’s, James’s and John’s perspective. Well, mainly Peter’s since he is the one who talks so we know a little more of what is going on with him. That, and the fact that the New Testament reading for this weekend is Peter using this Tory to make his point.

I’ve talked before with you about how I think this experience was your way of encouraging, affirming, and even comforting Jesus on his way to Jerusalem. But, frankly, he didn’t have to have these three disciples with him. But maybe they needed to be there. In fact, who’s to say that Jesus didn’t have several experiences like this that weren’t recorded because no one was there?

I would say that one of the things Peter got was a revelation that this was all for real. He had just seen Moses and Elijah, for crying out loud! What a testimony this was to them in a time when they might have started to doubt!

You can tell they are trying to process what they just saw as they walk down because they are trying to make sense of having just seen Elijah (they just saw Elijah!) and how it might fit into the prophecy about him coming back before the Messiah comes.

Of course, Peter uses this experience later in his epistle to underscore that this is all very real. You are real. Jesus was/is real. The message he was preaching is real. This one little event had a huge impact on him.

Father, you do things that encourage me all of the time. Sometimes I notice and sometimes I miss them. Please help me to notice you in every moment. Help me to be grateful for every single thing you do for me. And, really, thank you for even caring about me at all, not to mention loving me so much.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

2 Peter 1:16-21

For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.
2 Peter 1:16-21

Dear God, this New Testament reading for this Sunday fits in with the gospel reading (transfiguration) and the Old Testament reading I prayed about a couple of days ago with Moses going up on the mountain. Moses and Jesus has their personal encounters with you, but so did Joshua, Peter, James and John. It’s important not to overlook the impact your personal presence on these two mountains had on everyone involved.

In the case of this passage, Peter is leaning on it as evidence. It’s like he’s saying. “You can’t tell me this whole Jesus guy was a fraud because I saw Moses and Elijah, I felt the Holy Spirit and I heard God. I was there. It was real. It is real.”

So now one might question Peter’s testimony–or John’s or anyone else’s. Well, if they were lying then they were fools because all their lying brought them was suffering and, in most cases, martyrdom. Not much of a reward for lying.

I wonder if you have appeared to anyone in such a personal, tangible way in the last 2,000 years. I know many claim to have heard your voice. For my part, I have certainly felt lead by the Holy Spirit and felt words placed on my heart that seemed to be from you. I’ve also had people say things to me that the Holy Spirit seemed to encourage me to heed as words from you.

Father, as I try to crystallize your message to the church this weekend through my sermon, please speak to me. Guide me so that I might be your voice for at least one person in that room this weekend. Love through me. Encourage and admonish through me. Inspire through me. And help me to decrease as you increase.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen