DAY 107

THE CENTER

2 Samuel 1 & 2 and Luke 14:1 – 24

David’s commitment to God is revealed again in our readings today. Think about it for a moment. Saul is dead and David does two things that are quite the opposite from what we might expect. We might expect him to throw a party because the man who had been trying to kill him for years is dead, and we might expect him to offer a cool drink or more to the man who brings this good news. David does the opposite.

God’s anointed is dead: David mourns. Even though God’s anointed persecuted David, David’s respect for God was such that he would neither judge God nor judge the one whom God made king. Further, to admit that you stood by and did not do everything in your power to protect God’s anointed, that is worthy of death. Chapter 1 of 2 Samuel is in some ways the first chapter of David’s reign as king; it shows us his heart.

Simply put, David keeps God in the Center of his life.

What follows is an immediate struggle between two halves of the twelve tribes. Even though David is starting well, one man’s heart can’t erase all that has taken place before. He will struggle during most of his reign with this situation.

You may remember reading how Saul, after he sacrificed to the Lord without waiting for Samuel and Samuel told Saul that God had removed his blessing, reached out and grabbed Samuel’s robe and tore it. Samuel prophesized that the nation would be torn in two – today we read of them fighting with each other and the prophesy happening (1 Samuel 15:27). Yet as Joab and Abner are about to engage again in battle we read “Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will it be before you tell your people to turn from the pursuit of their brothers?” And the battle stops.

In the New Testament we see Jesus behaving as we have grown accustomed: call it grace or mercy or compassion. Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath and then points out to those who struggle with this kindness that even they help their animals on the Sabbath when those animals are in need.

As people are taking their seats at the table Jesus seizes upon another teachable moment. “Don’t sit in the best places,” he says. Let the host invite you forward. Jesus is teaching us not to presume that the banquet is “all about us.” He even gives a reason, pointing out how embarrassed we would be if we had to “move down the ladder” vice “up.” Then He presses the teaching more. Some “take for granted their invitation” that they don’t even bother coming. Maybe they are thinking, “I come another time.”

Clearly this is directed at the Jewish people who count themselves “invited” because of their heritage. But that is the problem, “Thinking it is all about them (or us). Taking the best seat or dismissing the invitation, these are actions where we are putting ourselves at the center. Even the Sabbath protocols so “we” don’t do any work while others suffer has us in the center and not God.

What does God want? God wants all to be invited, all to feel His healing touch. God wants us to go to the ends of the earth with the Good News. Go to the Highways and Hedges – as far as possible – God says.

We will only do this when we keep Him in the Center.

DAY 106

THE NARROW DOOR

1 Samuel 30 & 31 and Luke 13:23 – 35

More adventures for David today and we also read of the death of Saul. Two items that caught my attention: first we read that David inquired of the Lord; we have not seen that for awhile. The next item is that some of his men want to punish those who got tired and did not go with them into battle, and David steps in and says, No!

My main thoughts go to this statement from Jesus, “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” (13:24)

Most folks today generally think everyone is going to heaven (save for some really bad people). The rationale is “after all, if God is love, why would he punish us whom He loves…” This attitude is rampant in our society today, after all, to tell people they are going to that other place…well that is just at best impolite and at worst downright judgmental. After all, doesn’t the Bible say judge not lest you be judged? (It does in Matthew 7:1).

We are not to judge. That does not mean everyone is spending eternity with God. Jesus in many places talks about the reality of heaven and hell. There is the story of the Rich man and a poor man who lies at gate where the dogs lick his wounds (Luke 16:19-31) which clearly establishes these two places. There is Jesus in Matthew talking about how at the end Jesus will “separate the sheep from the goats” in 25:31-46. There are other places where Jesus says things such as “if you deny me on earth, I will deny you before my father.” The point of all this is simple…the Bible does not say “everybody is going to heaven”…it is not there. You and I may want that sentiment; we just cannot establish it on the basis of Scripture.

Striving to enter through the Narrow Door leads some people to think that it is all about “doing good.” Now “doing good” is…well…good! It is not however what leads to eternity with God.

If we look at the text the first thing we need to appreciate is that Jesus, when he is asked a question about eternity is being asked it by Jewish people. Jesus’ answer would shock them. He drives that point home by making the analogy that even thought they have had dinner together, i.e. they are part of the family, they may not get in. Others will! People who are not Jewish; those from east and west.

So he tells them to strive to enter by the Narrow Door; which door is that? He is the door…he is the gate. In John chapter 10 Jesus explicitly says he is the gate. The point is simple, Jesus is the way, and He says strive because for many it will be hard to believe, all sorts of “things” will get in the way. I see that every day, people still struggle with this “door.” The key is to look past the church, look past religion, look past blogs…and look at Him, study Him and His Words in the New Testament, that is the path through the door. 

DAY 105 ½

SUFFERING

1 Samuel 27, 28 & 29 and Luke 13:1 – 22

This is the second post for Day 105. In my blog for Day 105, I wrote, “The story of David going to be with the Philistines, and the story Saul going to a medium is very much about silence. David has stopped asking God for direction, and Saul has stopped hearing from God. I sense it is for different reasons.”

Since writing that blog I have had a nagging sense to write about Suffering. I don’t think this is a blog post to read if you are deeply immersed in suffering for it deals with the theoretical, and theoretical answers while they may be true rarely lend comfort.

And it is about 3 times longer in length than my normal posts.

Suffering and pain keep many people from God. They ask:

“If God were good, He would wish to make His creatures perfectly happy, and if God were almighty He would be able to do what He wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore God either lacks goodness, or power, or both.”(CS Lewis, The Problem of Pain, p.26)

To be with those suffering is difficult; it is one of the parts of ministry that affects me a great deal. I think one of the reasons I struggle with it is because in some ways I don’t want to suffer. People in the Gospel today I think have a similar concern: “There were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.”

These Galileans were in the Temple offering the appointed sacrifices to God. Pilate and his men come in, kill them, and their blood mixed (as it were) with the blood of the animals being offered to God. The first century historian Josephus chronicles how Pilate was notorious for these sorts of antics.

Jesus hears the concern and immediately understands. This is not a hypothetical question – they themselves are Galileans on their way to the Temple!

Listen to Jesus: “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered…there it is, the word suffered...they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?” Here Jesus frames the question in classical Jewish terms by asking if this reported suffering is linked to sin. (You remember the “man born blind – whose sin caused him to be this way…” cf. Jn. 9) Jesus in his discourse even presses the point further by pointing out another terrible thing that happened, a tower falls on some people. Is this suffering because of sin?  

Why suffering, or in the parlance of the day, “why do bad things happen to good people?” Is it sin? This issue of suffering has captured the minds of many over the years and before we return to Jesus I want to consider Buddha who has pondered suffering.

Buddha based his philosophy largely on suffering. Its foundation is the four noble truths, the first of which is that “to live is to suffer.” He speaks of the trauma of birth, the trauma of disappointment, the trauma of pain, and the trauma of death. For Buddha, life is trauma. Salvation from this suffering is the goal, the goal is achievable, and the means is to eliminate the source of suffering; our egotism or selfish desire.

Christianity does not share this view, but I offer it because suffering is a pervasive part of life. CS Lewis, whom I quoted above examines suffering is his book The Problem of Pain.

All religions writes Lewis, include an experience of awe and dread, as well as some kind of morality, or ideas of good and evil. Basic to the answer of the problem of pain is the answer to the question, “Who is Jesus?”

Why might this question be important? In Lewis’ view, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus are the very events that bring some sense into the riddle of human suffering.

Step One for Lewis is pointing out that the very nature of the universe is that not everyone can be happy…logically not possible. Think about that for a moment; is Lewis right, can everyone not be happy at the same time?

I think he is correct, and here I am not talking about evil. Evil is real and it is a source of human suffering. Rather I am talking about the type of suffering that most of go through day in and day out.

You might ask, “Why doesn’t God have everyone “be happy”?” Lewis’ answer is that this is the cost of freewill.

Consider this question, I ask it in the first meeting of every pre-marriage counseling session I hold, “If you could make an adjustment in your fiancée’s brain, if you could turn the proverbial “screw” in their head, so that they would always love you…would you?” The answer I believe is “no.” The best explanation I received was from a twenty something who said, “Because when I lay on my bed at the end of my life with him, suffering with Alzheimer’s’, in that brief moment of clarity which is becoming ever fleeting, I want to know when I look in his eyes that he is there because he truly loves me of his own accord.”  All I could say was Wow!

Freewill enables, gives us the capacity for love, real love. Lewis suggests that without freewill we really have no life at all. And the logical consequence of freewill in a finite world makes some suffering for some people a surety.

Yet while a certain amount of suffering is the result of freewill, there is a next question that arises when we ponder what it means to hold a Christian view of God and to believe in Jesus. We accept that God loves us and that God is love, and yet we experience pain. Cannot God orchestrate the world so that His people escape pain?

In approaching this question Lewis points out that by even asking it we demonstrate that we do not understand love. Love is not the same thing as kindness, listen to this quote from p.40 of The Problem of Pain.

And by Love…most of us mean kindness—the desire to see others than the self happy; not happy in this way, or in that, but just happy. What would really satisfy us would be a God who said of anything we happened to like doing, “What does it matter so long as they are contented?” We want, in fact, not so much a Father in heaven—as a grandfather in heaven. A senile benevolence who, as they say, “liked to see the young people enjoying themselves,” and whose plan for the universe was simply that it might be truly said at the end of the day that, “a good time was had by all.”

I have to admit that “I resemble that remark” and I quite frankly would like to live in world such as this, but I don’t. And if God is Love, and I believe He is – for when I look at Jesus Christ I am convicted of such – then given the nature of matter and free will, to expect such a world as Lewis describes above is to ask for the impossible.

We indeed have a loving God. Lewis reminds us that love is different than kindness. That love is both splendid and stern so that we read from pp. 46-47:

“…in awful and inspiring truth, we are the objects of His (God’s) love. You asked for a loving God: you have one. The great spirit you lightly invoke, “The Lord of the terrible aspect” is present: not a senile benevolence, that drowsily wishes you to be happy on your own way, not the cold philanthropy of a conscientious magistrate, nor the care of a host who feels responsible for the comfort of his guests, but the consuming fire Himself, the Love that made the worlds, persistent as the artists love for his work, despotic as a man’s love for his dog, provident and venerable as a father’s love for a child…How this should be I do not know: it passes reason to explain why any creatures, not to say creatures such as we, should have a value so prodigious in the Creator’s eyes.”

Lewis concludes that we allow the philosophical problem of pain, only if we allow a trivial understanding of love.

But where does this leave us? Is the point, “Suck it up” or “man-up”? That seems to offer little consolation to the pain we are experiencing, and quite frankly casts God in a rather callous light…that is until you look at the Cross and Eternity.

Returning to that little snippet of the Gospel from today we see Jesus basically say, “Don’t get focused on the wrong thing, or you will similarly perish…eternally.” He says the awful words of love…repent…make sure you are going the right way.

If you and I have our eyes on eternity and our feet firmly planted on the ground then we have made a good start of it. We have much road to cover, but we are making a good start. The road will lead us through joyous peaks and dark valleys, that is the road of living in a land of freewill. Yet as we look heavenward our eyes will be looking through the Cross. The Cross, the terrible instrument of Love, which makes our eternity possible; the Cross, the terrible instrument that screams at us that God is not callous, quite the opposite; the Cross that proclaims there is no pain that God has not felt; the Cross that touches you in your pain and says, “come let us take up our crosses and walk together, and might I carry your pain for you.”

Buddha said to suffer is to live; therefore let us escape suffering by escaping life. Jesus says, take up your cross and follow me…for my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Mt 11:30)…for I have come to give you life and give it to you more abundantly (Jn. 10.10). 

DAY 105

WHEN GOD IS SILENT

1 Samuel 27, 28 & 29 and Luke 13:1 – 22

The story of David going to be with the Philistines, and the story Saul going to a medium is very much about silence. David has stopped asking God for direction, and Saul has stopped hearing from God. I sense it is for different reasons.

I wonder if David was getting use to his success, or worn down from always being on the run. Whatever the reason, there is a notable absence from the text, that being, “David called upon the Lord…” For Saul it is because of his complete abandonment of God. Saul only calls upon God when he is desperate, after he has exhausted all his human methods, and God has removed his blessing from Saul because of it.

Divine Silence is the situation that Jesus finds Himself in the middle of; the religious of the day are no longer hearing from God. They have built up their religious practices so high and so deep that God seemingly cannot get through…He will of course, but it will take the death and resurrection of his son.

So what do we do when God is silent? There can be any number of reasons. One might be that God is asking you to “wait upon the Lord.” Anxiousness is not a fruit of the Holy Spirit; patience is. Waiting can be hard and my advice is to immerse yourself in the Psalms if that is the space you are in.

Beyond waiting you might also just check yourself. Jesus today, when asked about why bad things are happening to people, says essentially don’t think bad things are happening because of a person’s sin, but be more concerned that you are walking the wrong way…”repent” Jesus says. He also tells us that we need to realize that while we may not be seeing something big happening, remember the Kingdom of God starts small. Allow the seed of faith to grow in your life…the silence may just be a period of growing that you cannot yet see!

DAY 104

THE GOOD WIFE

1 Samuel 25 & 26 and Luke 12:32 – 59

In this blog I feel a bit like I am entering a mine field. I am not trying to be sexist. Most husbands know how a good wife is beyond worth, and let’s hope someone would say this about a good husband. Further, I figured quoting Socrates could not hurt. Today we read about Abigail; an amazingly wise and beautiful woman. Her husband is named Nabal. The translation of the husband’s name “Nabal” is literally “fool.” Having read the story you no doubt agree.

Abigail takes quick and decisive action and saves the lives of many people, and saves David from sinning. What more needs to be said than what we have read. God expects us to use common sense, something fools do not possess.

In chapter 26 we see Saul pursue David, and David once again spare Saul’s life. Psalm 54 is listed as a Psalm that is attributed to David on this occasion. He writes, “Save me O God…arrogant foes are attacking me…” We see in this Psalm what is lying underneath David’s calm exterior. I notice two things that might be less then complimentary: David doesn’t ask God what he should do (we will see this pattern continue where David was once always asking, but now we will see this less and less), and also notice that David goes and seeks Saul out.

I am at a little bit of a loss for what to say about Jesus’ words; we again have a list of short pithy teachings. I had never really noticed this in Luke before. In my mind, Luke’s Gospel is the one full of great stories, not short concise teachings.

It would appear that these teachings are a collection of things he was primarily saying to his disciples, possibly in private. In verse 22 it reads, “And he said to His disciples…” and these sayings continue all the way to verse 54 where the text points out that he is now talking to the multitudes. We know by now the Pharisees are having enough of Jesus because a chapter earlier in 11:53 it stated that the Pharisees began to be very hostile to Him.

So things are heating up and Jesus is obviously concerned about his followers…today that would be me and you. We need to hear and take in His words about not being afraid, and about taking seriously his admonition to be working for Him while “he is away”.  

We need to be ready. Abigail seemed ready, even with a fool for a spouse. St. Francis was reported asked this question while “hoeing” in the garden. “If you knew you were going to die today what would you do?” He reported answered, “Keep hoeing.” Sounds like someone who was ready! I am thinking about how I would answer that question…may we be ready.  

DAY 103

FEAR NOT…EVEN WHEN HIDING IN A CAVE

1 Samuel 22, 23 & 24 and Luke 12:1 – 31    

I am not big on going into dark caves. Today we find David making his home in a cave. David’s situation continues in extremis. He has relocated to a cave and over these three chapters he, and those who have joined him, will relocate several more times. Speaking of those who have joined, here is the Scriptures description: those in distress, and in debt, and bitter in soul…400 of them. My picture is one of a rather tough group to organize and lead. David has more responsibilities; his parents. He has to once again turn to foreigners, Moab, to keep them safe.

Meanwhile Saul is going in the opposite direction; he has resorted to killing priests. His servants refuse and so an Edomite (read a non-Israelite) does his dirty deed.

David saves a city, but as he learns that Saul is on his way, David inquires of the Lord who reveals to him that this recently rescued city will turn on him, and so he flees to Engedi. Engedi is a beautiful place, with springs of fresh water, and caves. Saul of course pursues with 3,000 choice men.

Then we have a moment, a latrine moment! It is one of those stories of the Bible. David spares Saul. He is close enough to cut off part of Saul’s garment, and yet he lets him live! Now that you have read it, I imagine you will always remember that David spared Saul's life while Saul was "going potty." For the moment David and Saul have peace.

In the New Testament we have a series of short pithy teachings from Jesus. There seems to be a theme. He starts off by teaching to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, but then quickly describes a series of situations (even a parable) that have to do with not being afraid of following Him. He says “fear not” for you are more valuable than sparrows to God. He encourages us to acknowledge Him before men and to “not be anxious” when we are brought before rulers. The parable points out the foolishness of trusting in something other than God, and then Jesus’ teaching culminates in not to be fearful or anxious, but instead seek his kingdom.

Remarkably Jesus is not giving us a new teaching. He is instead calling us back to God’s original teaching. We see God’s original teaching in action in the Old Testament. In David’s world the “kingdom is where God’s king is” and David will not kill the anointed King of God…even when this King is trying to kill him.

How can David be so calm? Might it be that he trusts God? Think of all the nights in the fields tending sheep and having to fend off wild animals. David has spent his life learning to trust God. It is what has allowed him to face Goliath without fear. It is what is allowing him to do whatever it takes to stay alive, all the while seemingly remaining calm.

How about you? Think back to all the times God has come through for you. If you were to make a list, how long would it be? Might such a list encourage you to trust God more? I have a sense, and it is just a sense, that David has such a list planted deeply in his mind. I know that you have read quite a bit of Scripture today, but Psalm 57 is described as the Psalm David wrote after this event…it gives insight into his heart and it challenges me in a positive way, and even makes me wonder a bit about dark caves.

DAY 102

COARSENING

1 Samuel 19, 20 & 21 and Luke 11:29 – 54   

I want to encourage you to “dig into this story”; the story of Saul and David with all the supporting players. It is a powerful story of two people anointed by God to be king over his people. It is a story that will weave you up and down the mountains of Judea as you live the highs and lows of their lives. Today we read another part of the story. Today we come to a low point; a low point for both of them.

There is “coarseness” to today’s readings, both Old and New. Save for Jonathan we will read little of grace, mercy, and tenderness. It starts with Saul.

Why on earth would Saul want to kill David? We read he had a “spirit” come upon him. How might we understand that? Certainly we might understand it literally, but we also note that Saul runs “hot and cold” regarding David. It is easy to track that every time David is successful (on behalf of Saul) Saul gets crazy.

Into this mess comes Saul’s son Jonathan. Jonathan truly cares for David and intercedes and protects him a number of times. Saul becomes so distraught he seeks to use his daughter against David. The degree of Saul’s obsession is hard to overstate. We can certainly read and judge Saul; we might also ask what areas do we border on obsession over?

In chapter 21 we read of David’s actions in regard to Saul’s pursuit. David and his men flee and find themselves starving. To gain nourishment they eat the Holy Bread. Jesus will refer to this when he is challenged (Mark 2:25-26). The intersection of David eating Holy Bread, retrieving Goliath’s sword and then seeking refuge in the city the Goliath was from, Gath, is remarkable. David acts insane and you have to love the king’s response, “Do I lack madmen…?” (Ever had a day like that in your life?) Yet don’t miss the depth of this moment: an anointed King of Israel is forced to eat the Holy Bread of God, commandeer one of his greatest opponent’s sword, and then act insane in order to have a king of the mortal enemy of his nation protect him…pretty low.

Sin does this to us. Whether we are the ones involved in the act of sinning (Saul), or whether we are the ones that are in the path of the sin (David, Jonathan, et. al.).

Sin consumes and destroys. Saul is consumed by his obsession with David and you will read the painful story of how it destroys him, and those around him.

Sin…the word is strong…it simply means not following God or God’s direction…and while it is that simple to understand…we often fail to understand how serious God is regarding it. Jesus today gives us a glimpse into God’s anger over sin.

Read Jesus’ words, “This generation is an evil generation…” He calls a Pharisee “a fool” and says “Woe” to them, all culminating in charging them with the blood of all the prophets from Abel to Zechariah (we have not read about this Zechariah yet, but we will cf. 2 Chronicles 24:20-21). It may seem that Jesus is really pushing the point and He is in fact driving it home.

It might be important to note where we are in Luke’s narrative. Jesus since chapter 5 has been demonstrating his authority: His authority over demons, disease, defilement (leper), defectiveness (paralytic), the despised, (call of Matthew) and more. His ministry continues in chapter 7 through 9 by healing the sick, raising the dead, calming storms and all along the way teaching.

With all this what is the result? “Give us a sign” they say! Jesus is exasperated. He will give them a sign. It will be the Cross and the Resurrection showing again God’s disdain for sin and His love for humankind.

It is important we don’t get confused. Our salvation is not about our behavior (curiously the more we understand this the more our behavior will change.) The point of the readings today is that they reveal to us the coarsening effect sin has on the human experience. We see it in Saul, in David, in the Pharisees…and I see it in myself.

May God lead us and protect from all temptation and sin.