A Quiet Heart

Today's passage:  II Samuel 7
     David can rest.  At long last, many of his immediate enemies have been put down.  Israel and Judah have been reunited after over seven years of following separate kings.  Strategies planned, armies trained, battles won.  These things have taken up a lot of David's time.  Ever since leaving those Bethlehem fields, David has been moving.  Moving towards a giant, moving out of range from Saul's javelin, moving through the wilderness with his mighty men, moving against his enemies to hang on to his throne.  When has David had time to be still? In his shepherding days, he had a lot of that.  He had time to meditate, play his harp, dwell on God's goodness. Since that time, he hasn't really been able to stop.  This is not sin, by the way.  He also has a family who requires his time (of course, had he chosen to stick with just one wife, that might have alleviated some responsibility--poor decision making that cost him in more than one way).  We all go through seasons of life when we can meditate more on God.

David tells Nathan his desire to build a Temple for God--Taken from  Standard Bible Story Readers (Book Six)
By Lillie A. Faris, Illustrated by O.A. Stemler and Bess Bruce Cleaveland
The Standard Publishing Company, 1929

     I have been reflecting on that lately.  It seems no matter how early I get up, I can never seem to get these finished without boys up and screaming in the background.  I feel guilty, because I want to have my time with God, and yet I shouldn't neglect my kids either.  God has given me these three lives, and they don't understand that Mommy on the computer is time with God.  Why would they?  It just looks like I'm playing around on the computer.  So then, some days I'm rushing trying to put something up here, not really feeling proud of what I have written because the quality isn't to my liking, or I can't seem to capture that central idea.  When I was in college, I had more time to sit and listen.  Not so much anymore.  But do you know what?  God knows I try.  I don't think He is unhappy with the time I spend with Him.  He knows it is different now.  He knows that part of my quiet time is not going to be quiet.  He knows that as early as I try to meet Him in the morning, my boys may get up just as early to meet me.  I guess that is why this first verse in Chapter 7 really speaks to me.  David finally had time to rest.  God had accomplished a lot in his life.  There were things that had to be handled, had to be addressed.  David was not sinning in doing any of those things.  It just left little time for meditation.
      My sister gave a devotion recently at a sister-in-law's baby shower that really stuck with me.  "Don't wish things away."  Her point was that as new Mommies, as much as we treasure that little one, we spend a lot of time wishing for the next phase.  I have done that a time or two.  She has four beautiful children, and the youngest just started school this year.  I know it has been a difficult transition for her.  I don't want to wish away these mornings when my children get up and need me, that I have to hurry up and get finished to help them start their day.  All too soon, there will be time for that.  In short time, they will be getting ready on their own.  My oldest is already doing that more than I would care to think.  Someday I will be able to read, sit and listen.  Someday I will be happier with what I have posted.  Someday I will be able to hear God speaking to me in my heart because I have not been handling and addressing boys fighting or mismatched socks, or growling tummies.  Those days will come.  And then I will be wishing for more interruptions.  A quiet heart is good.  It is satisfying.  But so is the noise.

Miserable Michal

Today's passage:  II  Samuel 6
   
     David's wife, Michal, did not have the advantage of reading many of the verses in Proverbs.  But I believe she had the examples of many women who had gone before her. I'm sure that those women told her how a wife ought to behave.  Solomon may have observed Michal's behavior, or many of his father's wives, years before God chose him to write these words.   He also had the experience of having numerous wives himself, and I'm guessing that probably a few of those thousand fell into these categories:

"A foolish woman is clamorous:  she is simple, and knoweth nothing."  Proverbs 9:13

"A jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion."  Proverbs 11:22 

  "A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband:  but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones."  Proverbs 12:4 

"It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house."  Proverbs 21:9

"It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman."  Proverbs 19:19

"It is better to dwell in a the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house."  Proverbs 25:24

"A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike."  Proverbs 27:15

"For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear:...For an odious woman when she is married..."  Proverbs 30:21, 23a

     Am I the only one who has ever been a Michal?  I hope I am not alone in this.  I hope, however, I am alone in how often I have been like her.  David's love for God is enthusiastic.  His love for God is sometimes uncontained.  The ark of God is about to arrive.  David's excitement is at fever pitch.  He starts to dance and sing with the people.  He is handing out bread, meat and wine by way of celebration.  He is so happy to finally have the ark of God back where it belongs.  Is it no wonder David is zealously celebrating?  He abandons his kingly robes in favor of being like one of the commoners.  This day, he is making a point that they are all alike.  And in God's eyes, they are.  He wants the people he rules over to understand that when it comes to Jehovah worship, they all come to God the same way.

David Celebrates Before the Ark--Taken from Treasures of the Bible
By Henry Davenport Northrop, D. D.
International Publishing Company, 1894

     Michal has been watching.  She is embarrassed and humiliated by David's behavior.  I think she may be a little jealous too.  For some reason, she can not join in his abandon.  She can not throw off her reserve and allow herself to be so free.  She wants to maintain control.  Always control.
     When David arrives home, had she greeted him differently, he might have swooped her up in his arms and swung her around, carrying her out into the street and dancing with her.  Instead, it is like being slapped in the face.  She reviles him.  She glares at him.  She rolls her eyes and sneers at what she deems a disgusting display.  Can you imagine his bewilderment?  Moments before, he was dancing and celebrating, at the height of worship, and in a few seconds he is plunged into ridicule.  Perhaps, this is why God allowed Saul to break his promise to David.  Perhaps, God knew that Michal would be a hindrance to David and allowed Saul to marry her off to that other fellow.  It was David's choice to go after her when he became king.  It was David's choice to have his servants fetch her.  I think God knew better.  David feels his bones rotting already.  How sad!  What was Michal's problem?  Because David did not worship God the way she felt it was to be done?  When did she ever give God worship anyhow?  And when did she become the expert on how worship should be demonstrated?
     I'm sorry to say, I have too often been like this contentious, brawling woman.  She did not have access to  the many verses in Proverbs that I have.  What is my excuse?  When did I become my husband's Holy Spirit?  When did I have divine revelation from God as to all things spiritual?  When did I become his mother?  I can read Michal's response to her husband and think, "If she would have just let him celebrate."  If she couldn't do so herself, let him have his moment.  Why do so many of us feel compelled to make our husband's do things in what we think is the right way?  And what is David's reaction to Michal?  Her behavior does not achieve the desired result.  I'm trying to think of any time that I have talked to my husband disrespectfully and it produced a closer walk in our marriage.  No, I may have gotten my way at times, but not without resistance or without eroding my husband's authority.  Why do I always feel I am right, and he is wrong?  I am always wrong when I am not submitting to him.  I have come a long way from our first years of marriage, when all I ever did was bark and expect him to follow my orders like a drill sergeant and his cadet.  But I have a very long way to go.  I'm sure the people nearby who heard Michal's derision of their king, rolled their eyes and thought, "Here she goes again."  How awful.  Michal was not earning respect as their queen.  She may have thought this attack would change the people's hearts towards their king, but she was diminishing respect for herself.
     Michal is exactly the wife men do not want to have.  Michal is exactly the woman I do not want to be.  She is that drip drip of rain.  She is the brawler whose voice echoes throughout the palace.  Who wants to be her?  Raising and waving my hand wildly here, "I don't, I don't."
     "Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD."  Proverbs 18:22

Charitable

Today's passage:  I Corinthians 13:1-4
     This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible.  I would venture that it is a favorite of many people.  A majority of the verses are dedicated to telling us what Godly love is supposed to look like.  We often interchange the words charity and love but they are not the same.  One of the best definitions I have seen for the word charity is "Godly love in action".  We have experienced Godly love through our Lord.  It is hard to explain it without showing what it is.  There is so much in these verses that I think I will take only a few at a time.  I want to have a real understanding about how God loves me, and how He wants me to love other people.
     "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up."  This morning as I was having my prayer time, I was really meditating on these verses.  I was praising God for being these verses.  He is the definition of godly love, since He is God.  I was thanking Him for being a longsuffering God.  He is not only waiting for unbelievers to accept His Son, He waits for me to continue to grow and mature into the Christian He wants for me to be.  I'm really thankful He is so patient with me.  I thanked Him for being kind.  Oh, how kind He is.  How can I even begin to explain how good He has been to me.  He shows me kindnesses every day.  He has given me a wonderful family.  He has provided all my needs.  He protects me. 
     I praised Him for being a God without envy.  Jealous, yes, but not envious.  They are two completely different things.  I asked Him to help me to be a person who does not wish for the things of others, who does not wish to be others.  I praised Him for being a God who does not promote Himself.  I was really struck by this, because if there is any One who deserves to be promoted it is Him.  The Bible is full of verses talking about exalting, praising, reverencing, worshipping God, and they all come from people who at the time recognize how great He is and how much He deserves all of it.  God doesn't boom His voice down to us, reminding us that it is praise time again.  He doesn't arrange the clouds to say, "Hey, down there, I'm up here and I want you to worship me."  He could.  He has all the power in the world to do that.  He has all the right in the world to expect it.  His beautiful Creation points to it.  But He doesn't ever ask us.  He isn't "puffed up".  Nor could He ever be, since any recognition He gets He rightly deserves. 
     He does not have to exalt Himself, because when I recognize the characteristics of charity that have just been described, when I think about His longsuffering, His kindnesses, being devoid of envy, it automatically brings me to a place where I will promote Him, I will boast and brag about what a wonderful God He is. 
     I can't articulate appropriately just how much God impressed this on my heart this morning.  I can't because He is beyond my faltering words.  I pray that God will make me a person who is longsuffering (although I will never be as longsuffering as He is), a person who is kind (even though His kindnesses exceed any I even attempt), a person who is devoid of envy, but especially a person who does not seek her own glory.  I pray that if I am able to achieve even a sliver of charity's traits, I will understand that I do not deserve any recognition for those things, because God is the only One who can enable them in me.  If I represent charity in any fashion, then I know it can only be God, because never can I have that kind of love on my own.  He doesn't demand our praise, but when any of us shows His love in our lives, He is the source of it.  When we do something that seems completely contradictory to how a person would react, we are pointing to Him.  We make people wonder how we possibly could respond the way we do, then He is getting that credit He deserves, because it acknowledges a "higher power" to act that way.  When I accept praise for a particular kindness or unexplained patience, then it must not be charity at all, because if I can achieve it on my own, it must not be from God.  True charity has no feigned action.  It has no disguised humility.  It is not doing what ought to be done with an underlying sense of obligation.  If I loved others the way God loves me, I would never do anything out of duty.  I would do it with the love I have for my own children.  And even that, as selfless as it usually is, doesn't quite compare.  Because God loved me enough to give up His only child, and I'm pretty certain I will never be as selfless as that.
    

Working or Worshipping?

Today's passage:  I Corinthians 7:17-40
     "There is difference also between a wife and a virgin.  The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit:  but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband."
     I think somewhere along the way, I either forgot about this verse, or didn't understand it fully.  Up until a few years ago, my husband worked the "afternoon" shift.  This means he left for work late afternoon, and did not return until after midnight.  As a teacher, I worked a usual school day, which means that for the first five years of our marriage, we rarely saw each other.  In some ways, it was almost like I was still single.  I didn't rush home to make dinner, since it was only me.  I stayed late grading papers, because I would go home to an empty house.  I often spent time with friends when the school day ended, because I was not able to enjoy his company.  I didn't drop any of the church ministries I was involved in because after all, the Lord should always be first.  Somewhere along the way, I neglected to make my husband my priority.  I think it is because I never really transitioned from being single to being married.  I guess I still felt single.  I always knew that my husband should be my priority.  I always understood that now that I was married it would be different, but since our routines didn't change much, it didn't feel very different.  It was easy for me to behave the same.  I said yes to a lot of things to which I should have no.  I see that
now.           
     After the kids started coming along, there were definite ministries I knew I could not be involved and had to quit.  Still, after only one child, it was mostly just little guy and me.  Daddy still worked every night, although now that I was home, I was able to spend time with him during the day.  I felt more like a married woman than I did in our earliest years.  Two more children, and you would think I would have slowed down with responsibilities outside my home, but I feel busier than ever.  I'm not sure that this is always a good thing.  I have a problem with one little word.  NO.  I can say no to my kids.  I can say no to my husband.  I just have a hard time saying no to anyone else.  I have seen how I have made others more of a priority.  I can see how I should have handed some of my church responsibilities to other people.  This is not quitting.  This is not getting less involved.  I am showing love for God by loving my husband better.  I have neglected our home.  I am getting better, but nobody can keep up the schedule I'm keeping and expect a clean house.  When I am not here to clean it, when I am exhausted running around to everything under the sun, how can I expect dishes to be done, laundry to be folded, floors to be mopped?  I'm getting better.  My husband never complains.  He tells me on occasion, we have three kids, things are going to get messy.  I always argue, not this messy.  I say, other people who have this many kids manage.  Other people who have young children do not seem to turn white when an unexpected knock comes on the door.  I have been looking around lately.  I am at everything.  Other ladies are not.  Other ladies actually do miss some things so they can go to the laundromat, or go to the grocery store, or just do the weekly household chores.  I don't see every mother at every birthday party, every bridal and baby shower, with kids in tow.  I think those things are important,  especially as regarding my church family.  But I'm beginning to think I have it all wrong.  When did my church family become more important than my real one?  I have had to do a lot of soul searching this morning, and I think that perhaps it is time to lay some things down.  I have tried to balance.  Being home during the day seems like it should give me ample time to get everything accomplished, but when the responsibility list outside my home grows greater, it leaves less time to pick up the broom and dustpan.  It leaves little time to tend to my husband who works so hard.  I'm not saying that I will stop attending events, that I will stop teaching my Sunday school class, that I will not take a meal to somebody who is ailing.  I'm just looking at how I've been a wife and mother for these last several years, and if I were grading myself, I would have to give myself bad marks.  I've gotten some things right.  But I know that my family has been pushed farther and farther down the priority list.  A clean home is not everything, I understand that too, but I am showing less love for my family when every week I have to scramble to find something to eat because I haven't had time to go grocery shopping or when I have to search high and low for matching socks because I haven't put the laundry away yet.  Not everything gets done in the best of homes.  But somehow I have equated my love for God with busyness.  I have become Martha instead of Mary.  Some weeks are naturally going to lend themselves to hectic schedules, but should every week?  I have a lot to pray about.  God will always be my highest priority, but serving God does not mean I have to neglect my home.  That is certainly not serving my husband, or my children.  I am remembering something one of my college professors, a pastor's wife, once said, "Don't get work and worship confused.  They are not the same thing."  Have I been working, thinking I have been worshipping?  I am not to worship my husband, but the verse above says I am to please him.  When is the last time I have done that?  Maybe I should ask him. 

Holy Places

Today's passage:  I Corinthians 6:9-20
     Solomon built the first Temple for Jehovah God.  All the other nations had erected temples in the names of their gods.  Baal had a temple.   Ashtaroth had a temple.   Dagon had a temple.  Jehovah did not have a temple.  When David was burdened about this, God allowed him to prepare the way for another king to build, but he would not allow David himself to carry out his vision.  Why?  Because his hands were unclean.  He had spent his reign fighting Israel's enemies.  How could he start a building project when much of his kingship was spent away from the throne either fighting his enemies, or fleeing those who wanted to usurp his power?  God let David fight the battles, so his son, Solomon, could reign in peace.  The peace and prosperity during Solomon's reign would allow him to focus on constructing something magnificent and deserving to the God of gods.  David provided the materials, but was never able to see his Temple dream fulfilled.  He died before this glorious vision was realized. 
     Solomon spent seven years on the Temple construction task.  He spent money on the finest materials.  He hired the most skilled laborers.  Every detail was carefully planned.  The finished product put the temples in the surrounding nations to shame.  What was also a shame was when it was burned to the ground by the Chaldeans.  This structure that meant so much to the Jewish people was destroyed, and though rebuilt numerous times, never matched that first showing.
     "What?  know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price:  therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
     God provided us with the most costly material in order to make us His temple.  He sacrificed the Lord Jesus Christ.  Such care went into that provision.  Such planning went into building me.  God has not spent only seven years, He has spent a lifetime.  To be compared to His temple is not a light thing.  It was a place of reverence and worship.  It was a place of confession and praise.  It was a place of thanksgiving and awe.  Regrettably, it also at times became a place of corruption and deceit.  The original Temple did not see such activity, but subsequent temples did.  There have been times in my life when I have needed rebuilding.  There have been occasions when the breaches have needed repaired and the walls patched.  Through all these times, my purpose has remained the same.  My temple was designed to bring glory to God.  Just as Solomon's Temple was a gathering place for worship, so am I.  Paul says to flee fornication for this very reason.  So I can represent the Lord.  The wear and tear of regular activity is damaging enough, I do not need to participate in activities and recreation that would further erode my capabilities to bring honor to the Lord.  God bought this temple with His Son's blood.  He has spent years on the blueprints, and though He is still perfecting me,  I can show my gratitude by taking as good care of this body as possible.  My body is a vessel that He wants to use to bring worship to Himself.  How careful am I to treat it that way?

Insignificant David

Today's passage:  I Samuel 16:1-13
     "And he said, Peaceably:  I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD:  sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.  And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice."
     I have a question.  God calls Samuel to go to Bethlehem to anoint the next king.  Samuel fears for his life, because if Saul discovers his errand, he will kill him.  This tells me that Saul was never truly repentant at the end of the last chapter, or he would have accepted God's consequences for his behavior.  For him to interfere with Samuel on this, means he had not accepted God's punishment.  That is not my question. 
     When Samuel arrives in Bethlehem, the townspeople are fearful.  They want to know if Samuel has come in peace.  My guess is, Samuel had been known to be Saul's mouthpiece, and Saul had not exactly been an easy king.  The last verse of Chapter 14 says that whenever Saul saw a strong or valiant man, he would recruit him for his battles.  Perhaps the Bethlehemites are concerned that Samuel has been sent for this mission, to scout the town for future soldiers.  But this is not my question either.

David Plays the Lyre--taken from the Standard Bible Story Reader, Book One
by Lillie A. Faris, illustrated by O.A. Stemler and Bess Bruce Cleaveland,
The Standard Publishing Company, 1927

     Samuel assures the people that he has come to sacrifice to the Lord.  This has been his habit in the past, to go from town to town and offer sacrifices.  Samuel presents himself to Jesse, asks them to do their ritual cleansing before offering to the Lord.  Jesse and seven of his sons prepare for this time.  Okay, here is the question.  And I know the obvious answer, but it still doesn't make sense to me.  Why doesn't Jesse call David to the sacrifice?  I mean, I know somebody has to tend to the sheep, but where do they put them overnight?  Surely they have a sheepfold.  Isn't Jesse concerned about the spiritual well-being of his youngest son?  How often had Samuel come to town to offer sacrifices to the Lord?  And if David was always the one to tend to the sheep, how many times had he missed this event?  Maybe this is the first and only time Samuel had come to Bethlehem for this.  That would make it even more significant, which should lead Jesse to call in his youngest son.  Did he just overlook the fact that David wasn't there, until Samuel asks if all the boys are present?  Was Jesse just old and tired and didn't notice things as he formerly did?  That could be, but David has seven older brothers who could have summoned him.  I'm wondering if there is a reason David was deliberately left out.  I don't think the fact that he was tending the sheep is enough of a reason for him to be left out of this worship time.  David doesn't have a clue what is going on up in the town, until someone fetches him and brings him to Samuel.  Was this just God's way of further emphasizing that this young man, who obviously was of no account to anyone, that they couldn't even remember to call him from the fields, is the man God selected?  God had His eye on David. 
Every hymn David sang while leading the sheep to pasture, every prayer David said while allowing the sheep to graze, every harp praise offered up while watching for bears and lions, was noticed by God.  David might have felt unimportant doing these little things, but he did them to the best of his ability, and even though he didn't get to worship God in the usual way, by being called to sacrifice, he still worshipped God.  David's worship was real.  It wasn't ritualistic, it wasn't a list of do's and don'ts.  It was heartfelt.  It was genuine.  I think that we all could take a page from David's worship book.  We all could learn to sit quietly and wait on God.  This is not to say we should abandon church and sit in a field as our Sunday worship.  No, but when we are in church, instead of thinking about the grocery list, or the week's schedule, or the lunch menu, intently listening to what God is saying through the speaker.  When we are not in church, studying God's Book.  Singing to him while we are doing our chores, taking a time to pray quietly to Him, and then waiting for a few minutes for an answer.  Memorizing His Word and meditating upon it.  I think David should have been in "church", but he wasn't really given that option.  Nobody told him that "church" was taking place.  Yet, David's worship was still noticed.  It was noticed because this was something David did daily, not just on occasion.  It wasn't a ritual that David followed, it was a love for God, that I don't think his brothers shared.  God could see this in David's heart, and that is why He selected him to be the next king. 
     What is my worship like?  I go to God's House, because that is what God expects of me, and that is where I will learn and grow and serve, but what about when I am not in His House?  Every other day of the week, is my worship genuine?  Is there worship at all?  I should give God praise every day, not just on Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night.  This is why David's worship was so special, it was every day of the week.  God sees me.  Of the billions of people on this earth, and He hears my every prayer, He sees my daily work as worship to Him.  Wiping the table, sweeping the floor, dusting the bookshelves are all acts of worship when I include Him in the process.  The good thing about those chores are that they only take my hands, my heart and mind can be occupied listening to Godly music, memorizing and quoting Scripture, praying for people.  David had all day to think about God, because in his alone time watching the sheep, it only took his hands.  His heart and mind could be occupied elsewhere, and his daily activities became acts of worship to the Lord.  And God noticed him.  When I feel insignificant, when you feel insignificant, remember that God notices everything.  He doesn't miss your dedication to your job.  He doesn't overlook the time you take to make sure things are done right.  He doesn't forget the prayer you said, or the worship you gave him.  He may not make you a king, but you will have a reward, even if it is just that small nudge from the Holy Spirit inside that says, "You did a good job today.  Be proud.  God loves you and He noticed that." 
     Thank You, God, for making me feel so special.  Thank You that wiping down toilets is just as special to You as planning a missionary banquet.  Thank you that changing out bulletin boards is just as important to You as speaking at a conference.  You get all the glory in all of those tasks and nothing we do for You goes unnoticed.

Battling

Today's passage:  I Samuel 11:7-15
     I have viewed several war movies.  Some were pretty graphic, but as graphic as they were, the battle scenes usually only took 5-10 minutes of the film.  Some films have two or three battle scenes, which still adds up to only a half hour of a 2 or 3 hour movie.  The reason I mention this, is because most of us have no comprehension how long an actual war battle would take.  I guess guys are really engrossed with bloody battles, I could do without them.  I'm interested in the end result and how it fits in the storyline, but as for the actual battle itself, I don't need to see or hear all the gory details.
     War is grueling.  Battles are not five or ten minutes long.  They take hours.  It is physically depleting, mentally draining, and psychologically exhausting.  And that is just the fighting part.  What about all the setup before, and cleanup afterward?  Soldiers would be strategically placed, waiting for their cue.  Artillery would be stationed, ready to roll on command.  Officers would be alert, waiting for some sign to attack or defend.  All of the waiting puts a soldier in a sort of nervous frenzy.  When the fighting actually takes place, adrenaline kicks in and he becomes a machine prepared to pummel anything in his path.  I know it would be the adrenaline because my police officer husband has says it has happened to him in high-pressure situations.  The adrenaline rush gives the soldier or rescue person a kind of tunnel vision which only allows them to see the task at hand.  This is why when an officer has to take down a criminal, and more than one shot is fired, calling them "trigger happy" is not usually accurate.  Many times, the adrenaline has kicked in , and the officer has switched into survival mode.  For those of us never having been in this type of situation, (and thankfully I haven't) it would be easy to be critical of the end results.  On the battlefield, the scenario would be the same, but on a larger scale.  It would be easy to see how the soldier would switch into survival mode and not even be fully aware of all his actions until the battle had ended.  Even though he experienced it first-hand, the tunnel vision view would only give him a narrow scope of what had taken place.  A soldier on the sidelines, might be able to paint a broader picture. 

Saul Destroys Nashan the Ammonite's Army--Taken from Treasures of the Bible
By Henry Davenport Northrop
International Publishing Company, 1894

     Saul will become general for his first battle as king of Israel.  He slays oxen and parcels their portions throughout the tribes of Israel.  The message he sends is this:  Fight with me and Samuel, or this is what will become of your livestock.  I like how Saul includes Samuel in this battle summons, so the people have no doubts that the man of God is in agreement.  The people congregate and Saul sends the messengers back to Jabesh-gilead to tell them rally troops will be there tomorrow.  Verse 11 says: "...and they came into the midst of the host in the morning watch, and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day:  and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together."  I mean, this is hours of fighting.  Not minutes like the movies show.  From the morning until the heat of the day would at the least be from 9am until 2pm.  I believe it was probably longer than that, because references I read said the morning watch was in the early hours of the morning.  Whether that is before sunrise or after, I cannot be sure.  The heat of the day may be noon when the sun is directly overhead, but when today's dermatologists talk about sunscreen coverage, they talk about protection during the hottest part of the day (2-3 pm).  What is meant here?  I don't know.  Suffice it to say, the battle took a good portion of the day.  Saul and the Israelites are victorious.  Still in battle mode, many of the Israelite soldiers (adrenaline pumping) are poised to lasso up any dissenters who refused to join them in taking down the Ammonites, and execute them as well.  God's Spirit is still upon Saul, and he is able to keep the adrenaline force from clouding his judgement.  He is able to see this action would be unwise and declares mercy on anyone in Israel who did not see fit to aid them.  Instead, they have a worship service in Gilgal. 
     I am in a battle every day.  These battles are sometimes only minutes long, like in the movies.  Some take hours or days, like on a real life battlefield.  My enemy (Satan)seems stronger than me, and I assure you, he wants to take me down.  He wants to take me down in the small matters first, because the taste of victory will encourage him to topple me in bigger areas of my life.  I need a soldier's tunnel vision for the battle before me,  so I will not be distracted by the battles around me.  I need God's Holy Spirit to supply me with adrenaline to defeat the enemy.  I need His wisdom, and His peace to calm me after a victory so that I can give Him the glory for the success.  I am a soldier, and unlike the movies, my battles are for a lifetime. 

Blurred Lines

Today's passage:  I Samuel 7
     When I was younger, and we went to the beach I used to walk along the sand, watching my footprints disappear as the waves washed them away.  I would write my name or draw a picture waiting for the waves to erase them like an Etch-a-Sketch.  Sometimes the sand would only partially erase them, so that the letters of my name or the lines of the picture were blurred.  They were still there, but it wasn't easy to make out what they had been.  This is what I think about when I think about how Israel mingled idol worship with Jehovah worship.  Blurred lines which make you wonder what the real thing was in the beginning.
     Samuel tries to set his people on a right path.  Throughout Israel's history, they had forsaken God and gone after the gods of the surrounding nations.  When the leadership was weak, Jehovah worship was weaker.  One of the first instances of the people departing from God to worship an idol is back in Exodus, when the people form the golden calf.  They had just come from Egypt and had been exposed to the numerous idols the Pharaoh and his people worshipped.  Why shouldn't the Hebrew children have a physical representation of Jehovah?  They quickly find out this was not God's plan, and suffer the consequences of such behavior.  Yet, we see repeatedly in the Old Testament how they continue to fall into these heathen rituals.  The book of Judges narrates repetitive cycles of the Jews falling away from God, falling before idols, falling into trouble, and then falling on their knees before the Lord.  Why would they keep doing this?  Peer pressure. Like the waves of the ocean carrying away part of the sand picture, peer pressure carried away part of what they believed.   During Joshua's military campaigns, he had failed to drive the enemy nations out of the land, so their influence remained in the land, and slowly trickled into Israel's worship. 
     Now, in I Samuel, they were aggravated with the Philistine control of many of their cities.  Samuel tells them how to correct this.  It doesn't seem like he should have had to explain this to them, but it had been a long time between the book of Judges and the book of Samuel.  We saw how Eli had been the priest for many of those 100 years.  And as we've seen before, with weak leadership was weak worship.  They needed to be reminded how to go back to God.  Sometimes we need reminders.  Sometimes we don't even see how far away the ocean has carried us until God brings something into our lives and we look and say, "Hey, how did I get all the way over here?"  I think that probably happened in Israel.  They drifted little by little until they didn't even know they weren't worshipping God at all.  It isn't until Samuel brings it to their attention that they say, "Oh yeah, we've been doing this wrong."
      The people commit to do things God's way. Samuel puts their faith to the test.  How?  He has the people gather at Mizpeh (not to be confused with Mizpah, which is a little farther north in the hills).  Mizpeh is located right on the border of Philistia and Israel, past the hill country of Ephraim, and on a major waterway.  Do you think the Philistines are not going to notice this?  Do you think Samuel chose this site by accident?  I don't.  I think Samuel was letting his people (and the Philistines) know that if they were truly going to surrender to God, they were going to have to trust Him to deliver them from the enemy.  He makes a big show of it too, almost daring the Philistines to come after them.  He had seen how they had demolished his people, I'm guessing he was anxious to see some of them tucking tail and running.  Samuel pours out a drink offering, and the people fast and pray.  The Philistines are on their way over.  God's people are afraid.  They had already suffered at Philistine hands once, they really didn't want to go through that again.  Samuel prays and offers a lamb sacrifice before the Lord.  The Lord answers by thundering down on the Philistines.  Israel takes back ownership of many of the cities the Philistines had captured and the two nations live in relative peace while Samuel is in charge.  Of course, this sets the scene perfectly for the epic battle between David and Goliath.  It is no wonder Goliath will taunt the Israelis, but more about that in Chapter 17.
     Would Israel's behavior be long-term?  Only if they distanced themselves from evil influences.  Only if they didn't chat with the Philistine farmer just on the other side of the border, or go get a drink with the Philistine soldier guarding the river crossing.  When I think about these people in their everyday life, that maybe they had befriended each other in their daily lives, then it is easy to see how dinner at a Philistine family's home could develop into a meaningful friendship and could influence love for Jehovah God.  Maybe there were times that this had the reverse effect and a Philistine would come to know about Israel's God instead of the other way around, but it seems this was rare.  Does this mean we shouldn't be friends with the world?  We have to be careful.  Of course, we want to be friendly and show them the love of God, but it becomes difficult when we are invited into their homes or invited to other activities.  My husband faces this every week.  He has many police friends that invite him to a bar or a party or even a ballgame.  The bar is obviously out, but the party or the ballgame seem harmless.  But usually there is drinking involved.  Though my husband has had a history with alcohol and has not had a temptation to return to it, he knows that it makes better sense to stay as far away as possible than put himself in a situation where he will be under its exposure.  These have not always been easy choices for him, because he wants to be friends with these people so he can point them to Christ.  But there has to be a line of separation too.  And that line of separation can become blurry after a while, if we do not keep close to God.  You know what keeps the line from getting blurry?  Drawing the line farther away from the tide.  I never had to wonder if my footprints or my name or picture would wash away in the waves when I was farther up the beach.  Once in a while an unusually heavy wave would try to reach me, but if I was far enough off the tide line, I could play for hours.  The Israelites were only as safe as their lines were.  If the lines started to blur, and they didn't reestablish them far enough away from their heathen counterparts, they would become confused and lose their identity in God.  I have to establish lines too.  And that is not always easy.
    

Excuse Me

Today's passage:  I Samuel 6
     Probably one of the biggest excuses policemen hear from people they have pulled over is, "Oh, I didn't know."  And more than likely they are telling the truth.  People are not aware of many laws.  Do you know what?  That doesn't mean you will not necessarily still get a ticket for it.  Now sometimes, policemen will be merciful and only give out a warning.  But people should not expect this, and should not complain against the policemen for enforcing what the general public should already know.  Ignorance is not an excuse.  If I don't know, it is my responsibility to find out.  Sometimes the best way of finding out, is suffering the consequences.
     After seven months, the Philistines finally devise a plan for getting rid of that wretched Ark.  I'm not sure why it took so long.  Even if the Ark had resided in each of Philistia's five major cities for a month, that still leaves two months left over.  Maybe it took them that long to decide what to do with the thing.  In the meantime, they are suffering from the boils until it leaves their country.  After consulting their wise men, they melt down gold and dip some of their emerods and field mice in it to send as a trespass offering with the ark.  Now when the wise men first propose this plan they say, "If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty," which sends alarm bells ringing in my head, "Uh-oh, they aren't going to open that box, are they?"  But do you know what? They had sense enough not to do this.  They do put it on a cart (which was a no-no), but I don't think God expected them to have enough knowledge about His Ark not to do this, and he does not dole out punishment for it.
     They hitch up some milk cows to the cart, secure the ark on it along with a chest of the gold items, and send it on its way back to Israel.  Some of the Philistines follow behind, just to make sure it reaches its destination, and doesn't get waylaid somewhere in their country.  As it reaches one of the borderlands, a field in Beth-shemesh, the Israelis of course are thrilled to see their beloved symbol back on their soil.  They immediately take it down from the cart (they knew it should not be on there) and offer the milk cows as a sacrifice.  Many people had gathered by this time.  All of Israel was rejoicing that the Ark of the Covenant had been returned.  Then they did something that even the Philistines knew not to do.  They looked in the Ark.  Why would they do such a thing?  Did they think they could get away with such behavior?  Were they that ignorant, when people from another land, who worshipped other gods, knew not to do this?  The Philistines had more respect for God's Ark, than its own people did. God smites them.  And the number is pretty astounding.  Over 50,000 people are killed.  Does that mean 50,000 people took turns looking into the Ark?  I'm guessing no.  I'm guessing several hundred may have, but several thousand more stood by to watch without giving any warning, without trying to stop them.
     What does this tell me?  The people had lost any respect for God and His ways.  This could be because Eli had been an ineffective priest.  He was nearly 100 years old at his death, which would mean he had been a priest in Israel for a very long time.  Beth-shemesh is only about 30 miles from Shiloh, the religious capital at the time.  That doesn't seem so far a distance for these field-hands not to know what God's Word taught.  But chapter 2 already told us, that because of the corruption of Eli and his sons, many people had stopped coming to the tabernacle to offer sacrifices.  If they were not going there to offer sacrifices, they were probably not going there for much of anything else.  When they fell away from this, they more than likely fell away from studying the Scriptures on their own.  When they fell away from that, they started to drift from revering God as He should be revered.  Little step by little step produces big consequences.
     So why would God not punish the Philistines for their ignorance in putting the Ark on a cart, and not spare His own people for looking into it?  Forgive the worldly quip here, but as Uncle Ben in Spider-Man said, "With great power, comes great responsibility".  The more knowledge we have, the more we are accountable.  If the Beth-shemites were ignorant, it would be their own fault, for neglecting to worship at the tabernacle (even with the corrupt priests) and then neglecting to study God's Word on their own.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think God excuses us from our responsibility just because someone else is not living up to his.  God still expects us to be faithful.  He still expects us to follow through.  He will hold those doing wrong accountable for their actions, but He will also hold us accountable for our wrongdoing.  The Israelites should have known that they were not to look in the Ark.  The Philistines were not God's chosen people.  He did not expect them to behave as if they were.  He did not expect them to know all the details of how to treat His Ark.  They obviously knew the big one which was not to look inside.  But He wasn't going to hold a heathen nation responsible for the details they did not know.  The Israelites had been given this information thoroughly, and still had it in His Word to reference.  They would be held responsible for what they did or did not know, because if they didn't know, they could find out.
     How does this apply to me?  God expects me to know what His Word says.  He expects me to go to His house to find out, and He expects me to go to His Word to find out.  If I am not doing either of those two things, I can not expect God to excuse my bad behavior because I claim ignorance.  I should know, and if I don't know, I should take the opportunity to find out.  If I make a decision without consulting His Word first, and believe it or not, He can direct me through it, even today, I have no excuses when my plans go awry.  If I make plans and do not pray to Him about them, I shouldn't complain when my expectations are thwarted.  Just because I don't do those things, doesn't mean God is going to be merciful to me, although He may choose to be.  But I can only blame myself if He chooses to allow me to suffer the consequences. 
     God might be like the policeman who gives only the warning, but if He chooses to give me the ticket or send me to jail, ignorance will never be an excuse.

Bandwagon Fans

Today's passage:  John 12:12-50
     I am a converted Cubs fan.  Actually I am a converted baseball fan.  I never really watched major league baseball before I was married, because it moved too slowly, but I have always been a sports fan in general.  Watching games with my husband in our early years of marriage, convinced me that either I better start enjoying this sport or I would be in for some long nights of boredom.  It wasn't hard to start liking it, especially in the years they were doing great, like 1998, which happened to be our first year of marriage.  The following seasons were a little slower until 2003.  Any baseball fan knows what happened to the Cubs in 2003.  In Game 6, at Wrigley Field, five outs from going to the World Series (they had not been since 1945), an incident with a foul ball flustered the Cubs and cost them the game.  They squandered their opportunity in Game 7 and Cubs fans around the world were heartbroken.  Since 2003, the Cubs made back-to-back appearances in the first round play-offs only to be eliminated after the first three games both times.  This year is the first season I have not watched a single game.  I just became so disillusioned with management decisions, with favorite players being traded, with getting so close and never getting there, that I had to stop watching.  Maybe next year is the Cubs fan motto.  Well, maybe next year I can start watching them again, I just couldn't stomach it this season.  Some might think that I am a bandwagon fan, because I am not watching them while they are losing (and I assure you, they are not having a great season).  I take exception to this.  In thirteen years I have watched plenty of losing seasons.  Would I watch them this year if they were winning? More than likely.  But even genuine fans can get fed up.
     What on earth does all this have to do with the passage in John?  This is the passage of the Triumphal Entry.  It is Passover week.  This means that Jerusalem will be packed with people.  Jews from all over the country (and maybe some other countries) will travel to Jerusalem to worship for the Passover feast.  The marketplace will be brimming with produce to attract customers.  Innkeepers will prepare every vacant room for the influx of guests.  The Temple will be filled to capacity.  Then Jesus comes riding into the busy city on the back of a donkey.  The people see this, many of them followers of Christ, and create a path of palm tree branches and colored coats. 

Jesus Riding in on a Donkey--Taken from Standard Bible Readers, Book Six
By Lillie A. Faris, Illustrated by O.A. Stemler and Bess Bruce Cleaveland
The Standard Publishing Company, 1929

What a sight to see!  If I had been in the market, and heard this commotion, I more than likely would have put down my bag of pistachios to see what was taking place.  If I had been offering up prayers in the Temple, and saw a throng of people gathered at the Jerusalem gate, I may have abandoned my prayer shawl to hear what was happening.  Jesus did have genuine believers in that crowd, but He also had a lot of bandwagon fans who were completely happy with Him when He was performing miracles and challenging the Roman government.  When He said things like He said in verse 32, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." they were not so happy.  They didn't want to think about what He really came to do, because it made no sense to them.  It would be like telling a Cubs fan that her team plays baseball but not for the purpose of going to the World Series.  Verse 34 tells me exactly what the Jews' mindset was, "The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up?  who is this Son of man?"  Now I have a question.  They said they had heard this out of the law.  Usually the law is referring to the first five books of Moses.  Had they read past that?  Did they read the whole Book?  Plenty of places in the prophetic books told them of the death of the Messiah.  Why were they ignoring those parts?  Don't I do this sometimes?  Don't I want to cling to certain passages, and forget about others? 
     I have referred to Philip and Andrew before in one of my other posts, but I need to refer to them again.  After Christ has made his entry, there are some Greeks who want to talk with Jesus.  I'm guessing they are Greek Jews because it says "them that came up to worship at the feast."  To whom do they make their request to address Jesus?  Philip.  He then asks Andrew, and together they tell Jesus about the Greeks desire.  It seems to me, even though Philip and Andrew had different outlooks on life (see my post, Anticipating Andrew, Pessimistic Philip) they were the most approachable of all the disciples.  People felt they could talk to them.  Isn't that the first step in bringing someone closer to Christ?  If a person doesn't feel like she can talk to me, how will I ever be able to share my Lord with her?
     Are these Greek Jews bandwagon fans of Jesus?  Maybe.  They haven't been in this country to see what Jesus has done, although I'm sure His miracles were news fodder throughout Mesopotamia.  They had only heard the highlights, they hadn't seen an actual game.  Maybe that is why when Jesus is entreated here, He responds with His mission to die.  He makes it clear that they will have to be satisfied with the highlight reels, because His miracle work seems to be at an end.  He will be going to His death in a few short days.  Can you imagine the disappointed "Awwww" from these Greeks who wanted to see some action?  What was their real motivation?  Were they true followers or were they just jumping on the bandwagon?
     I'm afraid that even today, Jesus has some bandwagon followers.  They will follow Jesus as long as He is doing something spectacular in their life.  Do I treat Him so callously?  Do I treat Him like I've treated my beloved Cubs this year?  Have I said, "Lord, you haven't done anything for me lately, I will worship you again next year."?  Haven't done anything for me lately?  How about, I saved your soul.  How about, I've given you every breath in your body.  How about, I've let you live in a country of freedom and plenty.  So many blessings, He has given us, and yet some people fail to see them.  Lord, help me never to treat You so lightly.  Help me to never take for granted all that You have done.  Help me not to tune You out when I'm not happy with Your answers.  I want to be Your follower in good times and bad, not just when it looks like You are winning the game.