blessings

Is it really true that doing the right thing for wrong motives is as bad as doing a wrong thing? I don’t know, but the question comes up after reading the story of the time the Philistines captured the ark of the covenant. David and his men recaptured it, and then this happened, in 2 Samuel 6:6-11:

“When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God.   Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.   David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, ‘How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?’ He was not willing to take the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his entire household.”

Uzzah, well-intentioned it seems, tried to steady the ark and thereby violated God’s order not to touch it. His thoughtlessness killed him, and it doesn’t seem fair. But Uzziah committed the arrogance of thinking God needed his help, thinking God’s commands were situational, thinking he knew better.

Obed-Edom had no choice. He wasn’t even an Israelite, and David just dumped the ark in his lap. But Obed-Edom faithfully cared for the ark and was blessed.

It seems that, more than our pedigree or intentions, God pays attention to our obedience. It’s worth remembering that he values listening and doing that highly.

no hate

What was it about David’s faith that let him see things as God sees them?

Read this, from 2 Samuel 4: 9-12: “David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, when someone told me, “Saul is dead,” and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news! How much more—when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed—should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!’
“So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them.”

Rehab and Baanah were a couple of bandit leaders who thought to curry favor with David by killing the son of Saul, his old enemy. David reacted the same way he did when a messenger thought to win his regard with news of Saul’s death, even claiming to have done the deed when he hadn’t: he had them killed.

The death of David’s enemies didn’t cheer him, and murder even of a enemy angered him. Rather than gloating satisfaction or revenge, David wanted only what honored God.

I get it, a little bit. I remember being upset at America’s response to the death of Osama bin Laden. Though necessary, possibly even good, even such a man’s death is no cause for celebration. Rather, this was a time when Satan eroded our humanity even as he brought ruin to a man who bought his lies.

God alone has the power of life and death. He alone decides who is past redemption. David saw that, and put his own agenda second to God’s to the extent of mourning when God mourned, even things that might help him. I hope someday to have such faith.

patience and trust

David’s faithfulness and trust in God, especially during the years he was hunted by Saul, are to me a wonderful model of discipleship. This morning, I’m struck by David’s response to the death of Saul. He mourned, which is a little surprising. But then he waited.

1 Samuel 2:1: “In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. ‘Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?’ he asked.
“The Lord said, ‘Go up.’
“David asked, ‘Where shall I go?’
“‘To Hebron,’ the Lord answered.”

David had already been anointed as king, and told he would succeed Saul. Now is his time; his hard days are over, and he can go home. Not only that, he’s the king!

Yet David waits, and goes only when God tells him it’s time. Imagine the patience and trust that took!

My prayer today is that I can have patience and trust like that.

shares

I read something this morning that I think might challenge some of our American ideas of what’s fair. I tend to be a person who questions not the existence of but the extent of the entitlements our government pays to those who need the social safety net. It’s easy for me to think it isn’t fair that I pay so much in taxes to support all these people.

But this morning, in 1 Samuel, I read of the time that David pursued some raiders who had plundered his city and made off with the treasure and families of all his men. He chased them down, but the pursuit went on so long that about a third of his men grew exhausted, and he left them with the baggage train. He caught the raiders, defeated them, took back all they had plundered from David’s men and others, and headed home.

Here’s the part that interests me this morning, from verses 30:21-25: “Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were. But all the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers said, ‘Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.’
“David replied, ‘No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us. Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.’ David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.”

This passage isn’t really about entitlements, but that’s where it strikes my heart. David’s just position struck me because I could see myself wondering why I had risked my life and those other men would gain the advantage. My military training immediately sees the truth that in any army there are many roles not directly involved in combat, but no combatant can succeed without support. David’s decree is both just and sensible – what better way to make sure that your combat support is as diligent as your combatants? But my heart still says, “But they didn’t . . . .”

Just like I want to think about those on government entitlements. I would never withhold that support from the people I personally know who get it. Those people enrich our society in a variety of ways, not the least of which is faithful parenting of beautiful children. They give their time freely to help other people, and contribute in a myriad of ways. When I look at my own neighborhood, I wouldn’t change any of it. But in the abstract, I can sometimes think these folks are getting something for nothing.

David reminds me this morning that my focus should be on my contribution, not someone else's, and on the plenty that I have, not what someone else has. God’s providence for me is more than enough, as are the abilities he’s given me. I need to focus on using those things, and use them, as my poorer neighbors do theirs, for the best effect for all of us.

too late

God won’t wait forever, and he does’t give limitless do-overs. There are some things it’s too late for.

That’s what I’m thinking this morning after reading about King Saul’s desperate attempt to regain God’s favor before a big battle. This is the story, in 1 Samuel 28, of the time Saul went to a witch and had her raise Samuel’s ghost. Here’s what that got him, from verses 16-18: “Samuel said, ‘Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today.’”

Time had run out for Saul. He and Jonathon both would die in the upcoming battle, and David would become king, just like God had told Saul earlier. It was too late to try to change what was to come.

That doesn’t mean Saul’s soul was lost – we don’t know about that. But Saul’s role as king, chosen by God and annointed by Saul, had been squandered.

God is under no obligation to give me a happy ending here on earth, even if I were to follow him perfectly. If I try to go my own way I especially have no right to expect God’s blessing. It’s easy to use his grace and the fact that he has given me a lot of chances as an opportunity to do what I want. That’s a risky choice; God is long-suffering and forgiving, but he doesn’t have to, and may not, treat me any better than he did Saul.

I’m grateful for God’s grace, and I don’t ever want to push God. Sometimes, though, I thoughtlessly or selfishly start to act like my life is for my benefit. When I catch myself doing that, I’m going to try to remember Saul.

riches

Our president, at a recent event in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, made a big point of how rich a few of his cabinet members are. He reportedly said that for those jobs, he just didn’t want a poor person.

On the surface, that makes some sense. After all, a man’s wealth might show that he has a superior understanding of business and money. Or maybe not. Look at this lesson from 1 Samuel 15:2-13:

“A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. His name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband was surly and mean in his dealings—he was a Calebite.”
“While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. So he sent ten young men and said to them, ‘Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name. Say to him:
‘Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!
“‘“Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing. Ask your own servants and they will tell you. Therefore be favorable toward my men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them.”’
“When David’s men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David’s name. Then they waited.
Nabal answered David’s servants, ‘Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?’
“David’s men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word. David said to his men, ‘Each of you strap on your sword!’ So they did, and David strapped his on as well. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.”

Nabal the fool, wealthy as he was, committed a fatally stupid error, one that killed him in the end. Not by David’s hand, but by God’s.

Our country has to get over its fascination with wealthy and the wealthy. Those people are chasing goals completely different than God’s. Being smart with money has no bearing on whether a person is smart about life; in fact, you could make an argument that a singular focus on money is a mental illness that handicaps a person in life

Today I’m praying along with King Solomon (or whoever wrote the applicable passage in Proverbs) that God will grant me neither too much or too little money. I fear money is a snare I wouldn’t be able to handle.

strengthener

1 Samuel 23:15-16: “While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to take his life. And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.”

That’s a striking picture of one key thing brothers and sisters in Christ do for each other. When trouble comes and we are disheartened or fearful, our Christian family can step up around us and help us see that whatever we’re facing isn’t too much for God.

I need to remember that, remember to give that kind of support. I’m pretty good with service – when someone’s in need I think of ways to help out, like doing chores for them or running errands, or watching kids or pets. Dawn and I bring meals. Those kind of things are the first things I think of when someone is facing hard times.

I also pray. In my study, as I have my devotions, or wherever I am when a prayer-chain email comes through, I beseech God on behalf of those troubled people.

But those visits are harder for me. I don’t naturally stop by to encourage people. Oh, I’m pretty good at encouragement if I run into people in church or downtown, but even then my words sometimes are more “So sorry for your trouble” than actual, helpful encouragement.

Jonathon traveled to see David, and helped him find strength in God. I admire people who do that, people who take the time to sit and weep, and pray together, and share scripture. I could, and I know I should. I wonder why I don’t?

leadership and responsibility

As an Army Guard officer, one key leadership lesson I learned was this: Listen to your people. If you’re the only one who wants to do something, you’re either that much wiser than everyone else or you’re wrong. Take the time to find out which it is.

Saul evidently had different leadership training. In his passion to kill David, he didn’t take much advice. Here’s an example I read this morning, from 1 Samuel 22:17-19: “Then the king ordered the guards at his side: ‘Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me.
“But the king’s officials were unwilling to raise a hand to strike the priests of the LORD.
“The king then ordered Doeg, “You turn and strike down the priests.” So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. He also put to the sword Nob, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep.”

Always when I’ve read this passage I’ve disliked Doeg. True, as an Edomite he has no reason to have any loyalty to David or the priesthood, but he comes off as a sneaking spy who ratted David out. His willingness to slaughter the priests, horrific as it is, seems no more than what such a man would be willing to do to gain favor.

Today, I’m seeing Doeg as a tool of Saul. The king needed such a man because all of his officials refused to follow through on the massacre. Only the Edomite was willing; he was the weapon, but was wielded by Saul. So my disgust really is for Saul, who ignored his men and authored such evil.

It’s a reminder that those in leadership, even just the informal leadership that comes from influence, have a huge responsibility. People will do things because we say so, or even just because they think we might want it. If we’re not careful, a lot of hurt can grow from the things we say, because others may act on them.

Sometimes I don’t want to lead anyone; there’s too much responsibility. But God has put me here, and given me some authority and influence. It’s up to me to be sure that the vision I communicate and the actions I encourage are ones that God would approve.

prophets

It’s so striking in scripture that there’s nothing people can really do to fight God.

Here’s an example of what I mean, from 1 Samuel 19:18-24: “When David had fled and made his escape, he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there. Word came to Saul: ‘David is in Naioth at Ramah’; so he sent men to capture him. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came on Saul’s men, and they also prophesied. Saul was told about it, and he sent more men, and they prophesied too. Saul sent men a third time, and they also prophesied. Finally, he himself left for Ramah and went to the great cistern at Seku. And he asked, ‘Where are Samuel and David?’
“‘Over in Naioth at Ramah,’ they said.
“So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even on him, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth. He stripped off his garments, and he too prophesied in Samuel’s presence. He lay naked all that day and all that night. This is why people say, ‘Is Saul also among the prophets?’”

With all his evil intent toward David, the only thing Saul and his men could do was prophesy for God! The greatest power of the king meant nothing to God.

Why, then, doesn’t God assert himself more in this world? Why doesn’t he stand up for himself and his people? I don’t really understand, but it makes me think that there’s mercy involved somehow. So often when God forebears its because he is giving unbelievers a chance to believe. That doesn’t help me understand, but it helps me trust.

Certainly I need to remember that, when I’m tempted to go against God, either by outright defiance or by skirting the edges of his commands, I’m dealing with a God who made a king strip naked and lay on the ground babbling.

Saul and David

This morning as I continued my read through 1 Samuel, I was struck by the strong contrast between Saul and David.

In chapters 17 and 18 the story arc of their relationship begins at the battle lines opposite Goliath and the Philistines, progresses through Saul’s grateful patronage of David, and descends into mistrust and animosity. It’s a soap opera told in just a couple of pages.

But look at the differences between these two men. In  1 Samuel 17 starting at verse 33 there’s this exchange: “Saul replied, ‘You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.’
“But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.’
“Saul said to David, ‘Go, and the Lord be with you.’”

The key difference: Saul fears Goliath, so he can’t trust God. David trusts God, so he doesn’t fear Goliath. It’s a matter of what they look at, the bellowing giant or the king of the universe.

Once David wins, though, this is what happens, in 1 Samuel 18:2-5: “From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. . . . Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul’s officers as well.” Now, it seems, Saul has put his trust in David, where he couldn’t trust God.

And then, just a few verses later, in 1 Samuel 18:8-9: “Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. ‘They have credited David with tens of thousands,’ he thought, ‘but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?’ And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.” Just that quick, David is the threat, and Saul’s trust evaporates.

David’s steady service compares well to Saul’s fickle paranoia, and it all seems to grow from David’s constant trust in God. One man trusts, one man can’t. One man is loved by God, the other God regrets. It’s a pointed lesson in where I should put my faith, and who or what can reward it.

regret

There are some events that hang like a cloud. The really sad things in our lives, like broken relationships, loss of friends, or failure of a business, can take the joy out of our days for a long time. We wonder what went wrong; we think of all the things we might have done differently. Sometimes there’s shame and guilt, sometimes just sorrow.

This morning I read of the event of Saul’s kingship that was finally too much for God. Ordered to exact God’s vengeance on the Amalekites, Saul ignored God’s instructions to eliminate every Amalekite person and animal; none was to be left alive. By keeping the best of the livestock and a few people as trophies, Saul in effect stole what God had claimed for himself. God declares an end to Saul’s dynasty; on Saul’s death, the throne would pass out of his family.

But this is the unexpected end to the story, from 1 Samuel 15:35: “Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.”

Samuel mourned, God regretted. Israel’s first experiment with a human king was a failure.

I get why Samuel mourned. He was sad that the Israelites wanted a king other than God in the first place, and he was even more sad that now the people had a bad king. And he sorrowed over Saul’s squandered potential; remember that Saul’s kingship started with the spirit descending on Saul so that he prophesied.

I’m confused by God’s regret. It implies that God lost control somehow, that he either made a mistake or was unable to anticipate what might happen. Regret means wishing you’d not done a thing. How does that reconcile with my understanding of God as omniscient and omnipotent? After pondering, I still don’t know.

How many times, do you suppose, have I done things that caused saints to mourn and God to regret? I pray that there were few. I want there to be none, but I know my own heart. Thank God for the grace of the cross!

42 years

1 Samuel 13:1: “Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty- two years.”

I don’t think I ever realized that Saul reigned for such a long time. In the context of the kings of Israel, he may have been one of the longer-tenured ones, and there were certainly a bunch who didn’t hold the throne nearly as long. Saul was 72 years old when he died in combat, fighting the Philistines. That’s impressive.

That surprises me because I think of Saul as the failed king, the one God rejected. But, just like David, Saul was selected by God and anointed by Samuel. God rejected Saul as the founder of a family dynasty but it seems Saul was a reasonably good king for a lot of years.

When I consider the reign of Saul, I remember that he was reluctant to be king, and that, other than his unreasoning jealousy of David, he wasn’t abusive. He did the best he could for a job he never was trained for. And in the end, although God wouldn’t give the kingdom to Saul’s son, he didn't abandon the Israelites either. By many measures Saul had a long and successful life.

I find that encouraging. It seems to signal that God will not lose faith with me even if I disappoint him. His care for me has more to do with his own character than with me. That’s a good thing. This morning, I can feel kinship with Saul. His story seems not unlike many of ours.

obedience

The Israelites wanted a king, because they though having a king would save them from the depredations of their neighbors. They were tired of the constant raid and warfare, but they didn’t understand the truth of what was going on.

Samuel, as he had all along, warns the people. In 1 Samuel 11 and 12 I read of the start of Saul’s kingship, when he rescued an Israelite village from the Ammonites. After his success, the people are wholeheartedly his. So Samuel pelts them with a storm to get their attention, and then says this, in 1 Samuel 12:20-25:

“‘Do not be afraid,’ Samuel replied. ‘You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish.’”

Samuel knew what the people should have, that all the troubles they suffered at the hands of raiders and pagan armies was because they didn’t obey God. Each time they turned from God, he chastised them with a foreign army. It would be no different just because they had a king, Samuel warned. Obey and you will succeed. Disobey, and you and your king will die.

This simple message is the core of the Christian life: obedience is the sure sign of a believer. Disobedience is the unfailing mark of an unbeliever. God knows best and wants what’s best for me, and he loves me enough not to let me get away with anything else.

amateurs

I’m not old yet, but I’m getting older, and one thing I find as I age is that there are more and more funny things in the Bible. Certain often-read scenes suddenly strike me as ironic, or comic, or maybe satiric. Usually the humor is accompanied by some sadness, because what I think I’m seeing is the folly of mankind.

I had a moment like that this morning, reading of the coronation of King Saul, the first king over Israel. A ceremony had been laid on to go through the process of identifying the new king by lot, but here’s what happened, as related in 1 Samuel 10:20-25:

“Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. So they inquired further of the Lord, ‘Has the man come here yet?’
“And the Lord said, ‘Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.’
“They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. Samuel said to all the people, ‘Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.’
“Then the people shouted, ‘Long live the king!’
“Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.”

It seems to me the most amateurish coronation ever. The man who would be king doesn't want to be, and hides among the baskets and bales of stuff brought along to support all these people. Then, when he’s dragged out, the people shout, “Long live the king,” but Samuel has to explain to them what the king is actually going to be doing on their behalf, and what they owed the king in return. No one, king or people, had any idea how to do this.

But note the faithfulness of God throughout. The people want a king, and he has decided they will have one. He points out the hiding place of Saul, and his prophet explains to everyone how the kingship should work. Rather than sitting back and letting this comic farce progress to its natural, disastrous conclusion, God ensures that it will, in the end, work.

It warms me to think that God sometimes loves his people so much that he protects us from ourselves when we go our own way. What a wonderful love that is!

kings

1 Samuel 8:19-20: “But the people refused to listen to Samuel. ‘No!’ they said. ‘We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.’”

This is how the ministry of Samuel began to unravel. At the end of his life, when it became obvious that his sons weren’t going to be the kind of selfless rulers that he was, Samuel got what felt like rejection from the people. Even after he tried to explain that earthly kings take advantage but God had always looked out for them, they wouldn’t change their minds.

It’s striking that the people feel this way after God delivered them from the Philistines, as detailed in the previous chapter. Despite God’s amazing acts, they wanted to be like other nations. They wanted a king to fight their battles.

What blindness! God had fought their battles, many of them! Most recently, he scared the Philistines into running away with the sound of his loud thunder. What king could possibly do better?

We expect too much from earthly leaders and not enough from God. We want easy lives and plentiful blessings and freedom from risk. But Eli and his sons couldn’t do it, and Samuel’s sons couldn’t either. And all of Israel’s kings wouldn’t either, in the long run. And even though God had, it wasn’t enough to make his people loyal.

I’m prompted to examine my own attitudes toward leaders. Do I look to them as a place to put my hope instead of God? If I do, then won’t God do whatever he needs to in order to get my attention once again? If I don’t, then why do I expect such impossible things?

Putting my hope in government officials or church leaders is a sure path to disappointment. Putting my hope in God is a sure way to be fulfilled. I know that. Why don’t I act like I know it?

defense

Sometimes I get angry on God’s behalf. When I hear people mock God, or see them desecrate the cross, I want to do something about it.

But God doesn’t need and probably doesn’t want my help. I say that because of what I read this morning, in 1 Samuel 5 and 6, about what happened when the Philistines captured God’s Ark of the Covenant and thought to display it as a trophy. That bit of arrogance ended up with the ark getting passed from town to town like a hot potato, with death following to each.

Finally, this, as recorded in 1 Samuel 5:10-12: “So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, ‘They have brought the ark of the god of Israel around to us to kill us and our people.’ So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said, ‘Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it will kill us and our people.’ For death had filled the city with panic; God’s hand was very heavy on it. Those who did not die were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.”

The Israelites didn’t have to rescue God. God scourged his enemies until they sent the Ark away.

God can and will defend himself if he deems it necessary. That frees me from having to be combative, so that I can instead try to win people with gentleness.

faith and judgment

I wish I was as faithful a follower of God as Eli was.

Oh, I know, Eli doesn’t look very good when we read about him in 1 Samuel. The things that were going on in the temple under his leadership were terrible, and because it was his sons doing them, he seemed inclined just to let it go.

Yet for all that, when Samuel tells him of God’s plan to destroy his family, he only had this to say, recorded in 1 Samuel 3:18 “So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, ‘He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.’”

For all his weakness, Eli knew two things about God. One was that Eli couldn’t stop God from doing anything. And the other was that God was just, and what he planned was justice. Even when God’s justice was about to fall on Eli’s boys, he didn’t object, he didn’t rail against God, he didn’t try to change God’s mind. His trust in God extended far enough that he accepted even God’s judgment.

Can I do that? Do I have enough faith to put myself in God’s hands for judgment? Or would I rather avoid judgment? I’m not sure. But the fact that even Eli, weak as he was, could trust God gives me hope that I will too, no matter what God’s decisions might bring me.

sacrifice

There’s an interesting contrast at the start of 1 Samuel.

The first few chapters of this book are about God’s provision of a faithful priest for his people. Chapter 1 tells of Hannah and Elkanah, two faithful Israelites doing their best to follow God even as they wonder about his plan for them. Chapter 2 is about the family of Eli, priests all, who could care less about God’s plan.

We see the contrast in how they treated the sacrifice. God’s law gave careful instructions about how the sacrifice must first be presented in the temple, and only after that certain parts of it could be shared by the people.

First, we read of Elkanah’s sacrifices, in 1 Samuel 1:4-5: “Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb.”

One short chapter later, we read of this about the priests in the temple, in 1 Samuel 2:12-16: “Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord. Now it was the practice of the priests that, whenever any of the people offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand while the meat was being boiled and would plunge the fork into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. But even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, ‘Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.’ If the person said to him, ‘Let the fat be burned first, and then take whatever you want,’ the servant would answer, ‘No, hand it over now; if you don’t, I’ll take it by force.’”

Nothing could demonstrate better the need for a man of God in God’s temple than this contemptuous, self-centered treatment of the holy sacrifice by Eli’s sons. And nothing could explain better why God turned to Hannah and Elkanah to fill the lack than Elkanah’s loving, selfless following of sacrificial law in a way that showed tenderness to his sorrowing wife.

Not all of the leaders in God’s house please him. And some of the best followers of God are those we consider followers in our church. These are facts worth remembering as we choose who to honor.

noble character

Ruth 3:11: “All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character.”

That’s what Boaz said to Ruth when she asked him for his protection as kinsman-redeemer. It was a significant request – a marriage proposal, in a way – as well as a deeply personal offer. And Boaz thanks her, says don’t be afraid, and the reason is that everyone knows what a good person Ruth is.

Ruth was from Moab, not a Jew. She was a widow, and so poor she was reduced to gleaning the fields, the equivalent of being on welfare in our day. Not shameful, surely, but still a circumstance that some might use to question her character, not affirm it. And yet, after a few days in town, her noble character was evident to everyone.

It reminds me that the way we live is the best testimony we have. Ruth, in those few days, selflessly gave her hours and energy to caring for her mother-in-law who, herself a widow, had nothing to give back. There was no possible question of benefit to Ruth, but she did the right thing anyway.

That’s not normal, so it gets noticed. What Boaz called noble character we would say is being a class act, or a standup guy. Putting other people before yourself is so unusual that it makes people ask why, and that’s a more powerful witness than any scare-mongering over Hell or condescending moralizing.

I’d like the the people of my town to know that I am a man of noble character. But the only way that will happen is if I live like one.

barley harvest

There’s this delicious bit of foreshadowing at the end of the first chapter of Rush. Ruth 1:22 says this: “So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning.”

The barley harvest would be the scene of this short story, the tale of the romance of Ruth and Boaz. God’s timing here is perfect: not only would Ruth and Naomi’s need draw Ruth to the gleaning fields, but only at those fields would the worlds of wealthy landowner Boaz and destitute immigrant Ruth ever be likely to cross. And only at those fields would Ruth ever have a socially-acceptable way to signal her interested to Boaz. The barley harvest was the time God had selected to work out his plan to save Naomi.

Naomi couldn’t see it. When she arrived back home this is what she said to all her friends, in verse 21, just before the one I quoted above: “’Don’t call me Naomi,’ she told them. ‘Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.’”

Naomi had no idea that she was an instrument of God’s salvation to the world. Naomi could only see her present circumstances as a poor widow, bereft of everything she loved. Except Ruth, the faithful daughter-in-law, and God’s precious gift to Naomi. For whatever reason (I think it’s to show clearly that Jesus would be a Messiah for all people) God wanted a Moabite woman in Jesus’ family tree. Boaz, of the line of David, would marry Ruth and through them Jesus’ ancestry would continue. So it seems to me that God sent Naomi to Moab to bring Ruth back. And Ruth would be God’s means to reward Naomi with a restored place in Jewish society.

That’s why I love the story of Ruth and Boaz. It’s a simple story about village life that shows as clear as good water what God planned for the whole world. Boaz, the kinsman redeemer, saves Naomi and Ruth just as Boaz’ distant grandson would save us all.

And it all happened, this happy story that was a clear message of God’s love and intent for me, during the barley harvest.

biting and devouring

Galatians 5:13-15 “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”

I’m struck by what an appropriate description this is of our time. Biting and devouring each other is exactly what we do.

We snap at each other over education policy, and tax policy, and environmental policy, as if by defeating each other’s arguments we can actually influence those policies. We look down our noses at anyone not like us, those people with not enough education or too much, not enough money or too much, too much tolerance or not enough. And we seem to revel in our hostile impulses, willing to demean anyone not of our tribe if it will gain us accolades from our tribe.

Are we in danger of being destroyed by one another? Paul thinks so. But he shows us a better way: serving one another humbly in love.

Can we do that? Can we lovingly serve people who hold different politics, have different moral beliefs, different skin color, different social status? Can we love them as we love ourselves?

Of course we can. We’re Christians, and it’s what Jesus calls us to. And we know from experience that anything he calls us to he will equip us for. The only thing holding us back is ourselves. But to choose biting and devouring truly would a strange use of this freedom that grace has given us.

foolish

I sometimes think if Paul showed up in Orange City, he’d say, “You foolish Christians!”

I think that because of what I read this morning in Galatians 3:1-3: “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?”

I think, despite all our pride at knowing the Bible and knowing our doctrine, that Paul wouldn’t be impressed. He’d ask the same things of us as he did the Galatians: Are you forgetting the truth of the cross? Weren’t you saved by believing in Jesus? If so, then why now are you trying to earn your salvation?

Here’s why I think that: it’s easy for us to measure ourselves and others by what we do. We judge based on who shows up at the second service (in my church) or who volunteers, or who gives the most. We decide who’s the most spiritual by who seems to do the most for Jesus.

That’s why our faith so often seems like a burden. We feel like we’re not doing enough. Sometimes we feel like the things we do are earning us demerits with Jesus, which implies he’s keeping score. If we think that, we also think that we can stack up merit points by doing the right things.

That’s works-based salvation and it’s exactly the heresy the Galatians were struggling with. When we think that way, we totally miss the amazing gift of Jesus sacrifice, and God’s grace. We miss the fact that we don’t earn anything by our actions. We miss out on the blessing of a life lived in joyful gratitude, and instead choose a life of grim duty.

Foolish Christians indeed.