How To Respond In a Conflict (1 Samuel 19:1-7)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
David and Jonathan, by He Qi

Saul told his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David. But Jonathan had taken a great liking to David and warned him, “My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; go into hiding and stay there. I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. I’ll speak to him about you and will tell you what I find out.”

Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason?”

Saul listened to Jonathan and took this oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be put to death.”

So Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation. He brought him to Saul, and David was with Saul as before. (New International Version)

King Saul was a two-faced, fickle, and disintegrated soul who continually had divided loyalties between Israel and himself. Unfortunately, himself usually won out.

In today’s story, Saul was not so far gone into his self-centeredness that he couldn’t hear the voice of reason. Yet, that voice never lasted too long for him.

As for David, he was the runt of the family, the youngest of eight sons. The runt is always given the grunt work in the family. So, David spent a lot of time out with the sheep by himself, tending to their needs, and protecting them from predators. He eventually found himself in the court of King Saul and distinguished himself as an ideal soldier and leader in the Philistine wars with Israel.

Saul and David, by Rembrandt (1606-1669)

But all of David’s success only increased Saul’s jealousy. On several occasions, the paranoid Saul tried to kill David – who was faithful and did not deserve such treatment from the king.

Saul eventually abandoned all pretense and ordered his son Jonathan and the soldiers to put David to death. He went public with his attacks against David. Saul felt driven to desperate measures, feeling that his authority, popularity, and position were threatened.

This situation, of course, created a conflict of loyalties for Jonathan who wanted to honor his father and king, but who also loved David as himself (1 Samuel 18:1-3). Jonathan was that voice of reason, appealing to his father’s rational self, urging him not to go down such a dark path in killing a righteous person.

Jonathan let Saul know that it was in his best interest to let David live. He reminded Saul that David was the Lord’s instrument who had defeated Israel’s enemies and that Saul had rejoiced in his success. What’s more, Jonathan appealed to justice; David’s death would be totally unwarranted.

Saul would prove to be a guy who continually reneged on his promises with impunity. He was Exhibit A of the person with a divided mind who swayed back and forth in his decisions.

King Saul could not accept the fact that God was with David, and not with him. Saul’s initial jealousy came out in subtle plans to diminish David so that he himself would remain the popular one with power and control.

But, as biblical readers and listeners, we know where this sort of attitude is headed. God is concerned with a humble attitude and obedient actions – which David had, and Saul increasingly didn’t.

So, Saul began openly announcing plans for David’s demise. Although he would not be successful, trying again and again to do so, David’s life was turned upside-down.

David did nothing wrong. In fact, he did everything right and actually helped soothe Saul with harp music when he was not doing well. Even though David is exactly who the nation of Israel needed, and precisely the person Saul needed, he was the target of assassination.

Just because we may go about our work, and the way we live our life, with unassuming humility and quiet obedience, does not mean everything will be unicorns and butterflies. There always seems to be a jealous person lurking in the shadows planning for our downfall.

David and Jonathan, by Gustave Doré (1832-1883)

In such times, we are in solidarity with our Lord. And it is of great practical help whenever we have a person like Jonathan in our life who is willing to be a peacemaker.

Jonathan willingly stepped into the situation between his father Saul and his best friend David. Despite the family pressure, Jonathan urged Saul not to sin against an innocent man of integrity. David had risked his life for Israel and Saul’s kingdom.

Saul was persuaded, at least temporarily, to lift the death sentence and restore David to his rightful place in the court – all because of Jonathan’s efforts.

Notice that Jonathan did not exacerbate the situation by taking sides or using harsh language. In truth, we all need a friend who is willing to help us in difficult times, with careful and deft words which brings calm instead of chaos.

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:1, NIV

Conflict only escalates out of control without a non-anxious presence to diffuse things.

For David’s part, he wisely didn’t try to vindicate himself by responding to Saul’s anger with more anger. Instead, he trusted God and let the person who could make the difference, Jonathan, do so.

It is important whenever someone comes to us in order to vent about another person, or makes irrational pronouncements about what they’re going to do to them, to help the situation and not add fuel to the fire.

If we take some relational cues from Jonathan, we will seek to be calm and respond with sensitivity and gentleness to the nonsensical wrath of the person speaking offensive words.

What’s more, when being the target of someone’s verbal assault, we must be careful not to fight fire with fire. Let’s remember that our humble and gentle words put us in good company with the righteous throughout history who have responded with faith and patience to trouble.

O God, the source of all spiritual and emotional health: So fill my heart with faith in your love, that with calm expectancy I may make room for your power to possess me, and gracefully accept your presence to make all the difference in my hardship. Amen.

Be Helpful, Not Harmful (Psalm 119:113-128)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

I hate two-faced people,
but I love your teachings.
You are my hiding place and my shield.
My hope is based on your word.
Get away from me, you evildoers,
so that I can obey the commandments of my God.
Help me God, as you promised, so that I may live.
Do not turn my hope into disappointment.
Hold me, and I will be safe,
and I will always respect your laws.
You reject all who wander away from your laws,
because their lies mislead them.
You get rid of all wicked people on earth as if they were rubbish.
That is why I love your written instructions.
My body shudders in fear of you,
and I am afraid of your regulations.

I have done what is fair and right.
Do not leave me at the mercy of those who oppress me.
Guarantee my well-being.
Do not let arrogant people oppress me.
My eyes are strained from looking for you to save me
and from looking for the fulfillment of your righteous promise.
Treat me with kindness,
and teach me your laws.
I am your servant.
Help me understand
so that I may come to know your written instructions.
It is time for you to act, O Lord.
Even though people have abolished your teachings,
I love your commandments more than gold, more than pure gold.
I follow the straight paths of your guiding principles.
I hate every pathway that leads to lying. (God’s Word Translation)

I don’t know about you, but disingenuous people drive me nuts. This is the type of person who is nice as pie to your face, but then walks away and talks smack about you to another. They seem to always have an agenda in order to get ahead, gain power, and be in the know, so that they can have leverage against you.

There are other people who try to avoid doing wrong and always try to do right. There are yet others who either bulldoze or sleepwalk through life, doing what they will, with impunity, unaware of how they’re damaging people’s lives. And then there are those who try to steer clear of what they consider the biggie sins, while having no problem indulging in so-called little sins. 

Selfishness, self-centeredness, and unawareness of the self’s impact on this world will create all sorts of problems for others. Indeed, sin is messy business. 

No matter the form or the attempt at dealing with one’s selfish proclivities, the bottom line is that we all engage in such behavior because it benefits us, that is, we like doing it. We might not always like the consequences and the fallout of self-centered living, but it sure feels good while it lasts.

Humanity needs a complete reorientation of the heart. Rather than hating every way that doesn’t benefit me, we must learn to hate every way which is contrary to God’s good commands.

The psalmist proclaims and affirms that all God’s precepts are right. It’s important to hate every false path which deviates from the true self and the common good of all persons. 

If we indulge in self-centered ways because we like them, the road to thinking of others and their needs is learning to hate my false self and false belief systems – to loathe them so much that it’s like a nasty stench in our nostrils. 

Hating sin comes from the acquired taste of loving God’s commandments. When we come around to cherish and desire God’s Word, then selfish sinful desires gradually become so odious to us that we want nothing to do with them.

The reason the psalmist could proclaim such an extended love song to the commands of God, is that he tried them, ate them, and imbibed them. And how good they were! It caused him to forsake every selfish way in trying to achieve human enjoyment. 

I encourage people to have a solid plan for reading (or listening to) Scripture every day – because it really has the power to reorient us from being selfish jerks who harm others to becoming unselfish thinkers who help others.

Scripture changes our taste buds. Sustained, consistent, daily eating of the psalms will teach us to want God and God’s ways – while forsaking the dark path of insolence and oppression in order to satiate our own selfish wants.

The psalmist committed himself to avoiding worthless selfish situations, as well as steering clear of harmful people with the propensity to doing wrong. They are fickle, double-minded, two-faced people, divided in their loyalties.

On one side of their mouth, they talk a good line about faith; and then talk out the other side of their mouth, spewing a bunch of worthless gobbledygook which, at the least, adds no value to anything, and, at worst, wrecks good plans and harms others.

If there are people in authority over us who don’t give a wit about our most cherished values, we will likely find ourselves tasked with doing things which rub against our understanding of Holy Scripture. In this state of moral distress, we are pushed, pulled, and tested in our single-minded devotion by the double-minded selfish person to do what we are uncomfortable with.

In the stress and crucible of trouble, we need the courage to speak up, despite the fear of repercussions. And that strength is only possible if we have a resilient spirit with the capacity to sustain our personal integrity in the face of distress. That is, we need God and God’s Holy Word.

Scripture and fellow believers provide support; we need to care for one another as a community of redeemed persons who seek to live into the words of ways of almighty God.

It can be tricky business, wisely trying to discern between what we to accept and what to pushback against. Yet, with God, God’s Word, and God’s people, we possess all the resources required in living the spiritual life and navigating the selfish world we inhabit.

Almighty God, I pray that you will deal with me according to your steadfast love and teach me your statutes. I am your servant; give me understanding so that I might know and live by your commands and forsake the evil of the world. Amen.

Jesus Stills the Storm (Mark 4:35-41)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Calming the Storm #1, by Tigran Ghulyan

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 

A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 

And waking up, he rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Be silent! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (New Revised Standard Version)

Jesus taught the people all day beside the sea. So many of them crowded around that he ended up getting into a boat and speaking from the water to the folks on land. It was an eventful day of telling memorable parables.

Then, evening came. Jesus told his disciples they were crossing over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. In doing this, they were also crossing boundaries from Jewish to Gentile territory.

Christ’s disciples had not yet gotten used to Jesus crossing over to places they’ve never been to before. For them, it might as well be an ancient version of Star Trek, going boldly where no Jew had gone before. Following Jesus was like a science fiction trip into the unknown in which they had already seen things beyond their imagination.

Although Jesus respected people’s personal boundaries, he continually crossed both social and spiritual boundaries galore. Christ ate with the wrong kind of people; broke Sabbath laws and healed people at the wrong time; and was leading his motley band of disciples to the wrong sort of place.

Jesus kept going to where the religious establishment had firm boundaries not to cross. Hanging out with Christ meant taking risks at unpredictable times in unknown places.

The disciples were not quite ready for crossing a weather boundary, and they were understandably scared. Although they evidenced a certain lack of faith, conversely, it took some faith to even listen to Jesus and do what he told them to do and get in a boat to cross the sea.

There’s really nothing safe about being a follower of Jesus Christ, at least from a human existential perspective. Jesus put his disciples in all sorts of different situations that were downright dangerous. So, I’m not sure why any Christian would be surprised whenever they face trouble and danger in their lives; it’s part of following Jesus.

Christ Asleep During the Tempest, by Eugene Delacroix, 1853

A big windstorm popped up as the ship crossed the sea at night. A lot of people I know get scared and anxious when a thunderstorm hits; and they’re in a safe place within their own house. So, to be in a wooden ship with old school sails and oars at night, and a storm strikes, we can see that panic quickly set into the disciples. They, of course, cried out in their fear and distress.

But where is Jesus? Lo and behold, it turns out he was asleep, down in the hold of the ship, without a worry in the world. That struck the disciples the wrong way (much like talking to the wrong people and going to the wrong places and doing the wrong things). They interpreted this event of a peaceful sleeping Christ as calloused and insensitive to their collective plight.

How many times have we thought the same thing, and uttered along with the disciples, “Don’t you care that we are perishing!?” O you of little hermeneutic.

The truth is, those who wish to save their life will lose it – it will perish, be destroyed. But those who lose their life and let it perish for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.

Yes, the dangers of death and destruction are very real; but taking up our cross and following Jesus turns out to be the safest option we have. It’s the deliberate choice of walking by faith, not sight.

Jesus, awakened by his disciples, proceeded to rebuke the wind and told the sea to settle down. That’s the same sort of language Jesus used when doing an exorcism.

Just as crowds marveled that the demonic realm obeyed Jesus when he healed persons of bad spirits, so Christ’s disciples were amazed at the authority which calmed a wild storm. Yet, no matter the situation or the reality, Jesus can and does bring orderly calm from disruptive chaos.

The eerie resemblance to exorcism in calming the storm let’s us know that Christ has power and authority over all evil in this world. Therefore, the teaching and ministry of Jesus is authoritative. Christ rules with a great power of benevolence and mercy over everything.

This understanding of Christ’s power and authority is the believer’s basis for faith and not fear. The lack of courage points to the lack of faith. To be both a coward and a Christian is incompatible and nonsensical.

We all become afraid, at times, because of various things. And some of that fear is warranted; it’s part of being human. Cowardice, however, is a different thing. Both the courageous and cowardly are fearful – the difference is that the former acts despite the fear, and the latter does not act because of the fear.

What matters is what the person of faith does in the face of a fearful situation, and not because they are afraid. There is no sin in the actual emotion of fear; it’s what we do with being afraid that makes the difference.

Following Jesus is no guarantee of a fear-free or a storm-free life. We may, especially in times of high stress, find ourselves blurting out to Jesus to wake up and help us because we feel he isn’t paying attention or doesn’t care.

The reality is that the power and authority of Jesus is needed most in fearful places. So, the Christian (and especially Christ’s Church) better get used to having courageous encounters and conversations with others.

Wherever there is pain, suffering, and neediness, that’s where the words and touch of Jesus are found. So then, if we are looking for Jesus, we ought to know where to find him.

Christianity is a religion which will send us where we’ve never been before – both externally and internally – into the violent storms. Entering the fray takes faith. And feeling afraid is expected. But this is where real needs are met, as well as the place of genuine spiritual development.

No matter what or who we face, we have the confidence that Jesus is with us. And even if he is sleeping during a storm, we are in a good place of peace.

Almighty and everlasting God, preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, and grant that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which you have manifested to us in your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Seeking God in Hard Times (Psalm 9:9-20)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
By Bible Art

The Lord is a safe place for the oppressed—
    a safe place in difficult times.
Those who know your name trust you
    because you have not abandoned
    any who seek you, Lord.

Sing praises to the Lord, who lives in Zion!
    Proclaim his mighty acts among all people!
Because the one who avenges bloodshed
    remembers those who suffer;
    the Lord hasn’t forgotten their cries for help.

Have mercy on me, Lord!
    Just look how I suffer
    because of those who hate me.
But you are the one who brings me back
    from the very gates of death
        so I can declare all your praises,
        so I can rejoice in your salvation
        in the gates of Daughter Zion.

The nations have fallen
    into the hole they themselves made!
    Their feet are caught
        in the very net they themselves hid!
The Lord is famous for the justice he has done;
    it’s his own doing that the wicked are trapped.

Let the wicked go straight to the grave,
    the same for every nation that forgets God.

Because the poor won’t be forgotten forever,
    the hope of those who suffer won’t be lost for all time.

Get up, Lord! Don’t let people prevail!
    Let the nations be judged before you.
Strike them with fear, Lord.
    Let the nations know they are only human. (Common English Bible)

I firmly believe that there is hopeful comfort in the Lord – that when people go through awful things, God is there to be a safe place for them.

I also believe that, in the end, good triumphs and evil perishes. That’s because I am convinced that the Lord is an equitable judge; God hears the cries of defenseless righteous victims and acts on behalf of the oppressed without prejudice or favoritism.

Yet, that does not mean God’s people will always be inoculated from trouble, hardship, and adversity. What it does mean is that the Lord is with us, and that God loves us.

Everyone goes through difficult times. Some folks endure horrible trauma. And those experiences can dog us and torment us, even long after the event. Even in good times, we might sometimes become anxious or frantic without any real threat in front of us.

We may want to praise God with genuineness and sincerity. However, we might not yet feel vindicated or released. And there still may be some unjust suffering going on. We long to declare the goodness of God, but we also want to do so with a testimony of deliverance and healing.

That is precisely how the psalmist felt. He knows the wicked won’t endure, but he also wants to give praise to the Lord for seeing them sink in the sinister pit they’ve dug for others.

God is a righteous judge. And there are times when the Lord brings judgment upon evil by letting the wicked self-destruct with their own words and behavior. In other words, God at times engages in direct judgment, and other times lets the moral gravity of the earth crush them in their duplicitous crimes.

Whenever circumstances are hard, it’s easy to feel forgotten, as if no one sees or hears our suffering; they don’t realize the depth of our hurt by a wicked person. It’s appropriate, as the psalmist did, to cry out and plead with God to rise up on behalf of the weak and powerless; and to call for an end of the mindless and godless insanity of arrogant people.

It is equally hard to observe others we care about experience oppression. We cry out to the Lord on their behalf, that they will no longer have to endure such injustice. We want our loved ones to thrive and enjoy life and thrive – not to be crushed under an unjust burden from selfish people who only care about themselves.

We boldly ask God to knock them off the evil hill they’ve built for themselves – to blot them out because of their continual oppression of the righteous. The wicked think no one can touch them atop their proud strong perch. They believe they’re above accountability and can get away with anything. That makes us angry!

Whenever we are wronged or treated unfairly – or observe another person or group of people experiencing injustice – it stirs up our anger.

Anger, in and of itself, is neither good nor bad. It just is. It’s what we do with our anger that gets dicey. A lot of human anger gets expressed in unhealthy ways by either passively stuffing it and ignoring it; aggressively lashing out with verbal and/or physical violence; or passive-aggressively doing indirect jabs at the object of our anger.

The psalmist, however, is assertive with his anger. He offered straightforward observations with definite feelings to God. He also affirmed that the Lord is the One who administers justice with fairness and equity.

There are times when only God can bring an evil system, institution, organization, government, nation, group of people, or individual to heel.

When the poor are overlooked or oppressed by the rich, it’s unjust. It creates anger, both human and divine. In their misery and hardship, the needy can flee to God, who is faithful to care for them and treat them with respect and dignity, as people carrying the divine image.

The nations of the earth are not all attentive to the needy. They don’t all serve their citizens and try to do right by them. Unfortunately, many people throughout the world groan under national leadership which is enamored with power and privilege – and forget those who are powerless, unable to lift themselves by their bootstraps.

In the teeth of such a reality, the psalmist petitioned God. He asked, even insisted, that God step in and act as judge and jury. It was an assertive use of anger that went to the source of true help, to the Lord, who possesses both the will and the ability to overturn injustice and establish a right use of power.

Do you know what I want? I want justice—oceans of it. I want fairness—rivers of it. That’s what I want. That’s all I want.

Amos 5:24, MSG

The Lord, thankfully, is a strong fortress for the oppressed and a protective force in times of trouble.

God remembers the prayers of the down-and-out.

Sooner, or later, those who are wicked in their dealings through exploitation of the powerless, will know firsthand that they are puny humans, and that God is immensely big.

God almighty, you have given all peoples one common origin. It is your will they be gathered together as one family in yourself. Fill the hearts of humanity with the fire of your love and with the desire to ensure justice for all.

By sharing the good you give us, may we ensure equity for all our brothers and sisters throughout the world. May there be an end to division, strife and war. May there be a dawning of a truly human society built on love and peace, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.