The Contrast of Good and Bad (1 Samuel 2:11-17)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Top picture: Eli’s sons commit sacrilege; Bottom picture: Hannah and Elkanah bring the boy Samuel to the tabernacle; by William de Brailes, c.1230 C.E.

Elkanah and Hannah went back home to Ramah, but the boy Samuel stayed to help Eli serve the Lord.

Eli’s sons were priests, but they were dishonest and refused to obey the Lord. So, while people were boiling the meat from their sacrifices, these priests would send over a servant with a large, three-pronged fork. The servant would stick the fork into the cooking pot, and whatever meat came out on the fork was taken back to Eli’s two sons. That was how they treated every Israelite who came to offer sacrifices in Shiloh. Sometimes, when people were offering sacrifices, the servant would come over, even before the fat had been cut off and sacrificed to the Lord.

Then the servant would tell them, “The priest doesn’t want his meat boiled! Give him some raw meat that he can roast!”

Usually the people answered, “Take what you want. But first, let us sacrifice the fat to the Lord.”

“No,” the servant would reply. “If you don’t give it to me now, I’ll take it by force.”

Eli’s sons did not show any respect for the sacrifices that the people offered. This was a terrible sin, and it made the Lord very angry. (Contemporary English Version)

Stories in the Old Testament of the Bible typically have two or more contrasting characters within them. One of the characters is good and the other not so much. The narrative is set up without having to tell us who is good and who is bad because the unfolding story makes it patently obvious.

This method of contrast is meant for us to look at the narrative and say to ourselves that we don’t want to go down the bad path but to walk in the good way of helpful obedient service.

In today’s story, we clearly see that, in the case of Eli’s sons, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Old Eli the priest is a contrast to the boy priest-in-residence Samuel.

Eli had many faults, especially when it came to dealing with his sons, who were also priests. Eli seems to have continually had an issue with not listening very well – which ended in making a mess of things.

His sons took the casualness to an entirely new level of bad. They were not only worthless but also interfered in the people’s sincere worship of God. The sons were more than simply incompetent; they were also downright evil.

The Law made it clear how the priests and their portion of the sacrificial animals was to occur. There were detailed instructions on the importance of what part of the animal the priests received; and that the sacrifice needed to have the fat boiled off before it was given to the priest. (Leviticus 7:30-36)

But Eli’s sons took whatever they wanted, and did whatever they wanted, with calloused impunity. They disregarded divine instructions. If they wanted to roast their meat, they did. If they decided to have a different part of the animal, they took it from the worshiper. The sons did not care about anyone, and especially about God. They were bullies of the worst kind.

When sincere worshipers tried to stop the insanity of the priests’ blatant neglect, the servant of the priests threatened them. Although Eli himself did not do this detestable practice, we are meant to see in the narrative that he is an absent father and grossly negligent as a priest.

That entire incompetent and insensitive situation raised the ire of a holy God. It would not end well for Eli and his sons. That particular branch of the Levite priesthood was completely eradicated by the direct judgment of the Lord.

The contrast between Eli and Samuel – both serving as priests – has an unexpected twist. Whereas one would reasonably expect Eli to be the good mentor because of his age and experience, it turns out that the much younger Samuel is the actual mentor to the good and right life of priesthood. Eli needed to take his cues from a child. But, alas, he did not.

Hannah presenting Samuel to Eli, by John Flaxman, 1783

Many adults seem to think that children have nothing to teach them. We who are the big people believe we’re the teachers, leaders, and mentors. Yet, in the kingdom of God, age hasn’t got much to do with it. In fact, generally speaking, children are closer and wiser to knowing how God’s kingdom works, often better than the adults do.

In many respects, I am more like an eight year old boy than the actual father and grandfather that I am. I consider that a good thing. It serves me well in living the spiritual life. And as a boy in an adult body, I say we need to take children more seriously. How can we do that?

Listen carefully. Listen with the intent to understand and learn. The best way of talking to a child is listening to them. Hear both what they’re saying and not saying. Jesus insisted that we must become like little children before we can enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:2-5)

Since we are to become like children, there’s no reason not to do your very best in getting on a child’s level and hearing what they have to say. After all, they’re the experts on being kids. The young Samuel is our model: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10)

Validate a child’s emotions, especially their fears. In truth, kids are some of the bravest souls on the planet. They typically have no real hang-ups on connecting with other people, whereas many adults have a lot of anxieties and fears concerning other people.

So, when a child is afraid of something, it’s wise to take notice. They have a special radar to reality that most adults lost a long time ago. I’ll bet the children of the community knew the score of Eli and his sons well before the adults caught on to it.

Observe children’s artworks. For those interested in learning from a child, their drawings with crayons say a lot; their sand sculptures and garbage art speak loads to us if we observe and take notice. Kids are communicating their worldview and how they make sense of things.

Art is about understanding life and the human spirit, connecting to the past and other cultures, and expressing emotions. Becoming open to what children create is a pathway to the divine and to what is important in this world. Eli’s sons removed the art and craft of priesthood; they made it a mere exchange of goods and services. And God was not happy with this arrangement. It took away something significant about connecting with the Lord.

By contrasting the way of Samuel with the way of Eli and his sons, we begin to see the wide chasm between a one-dimensional bullying approach to being a priest, with a multi-dimensional, beautiful, and authentic expression of priesthood that embodies the conduit between heaven and earth.

How will you go about living your life? What does the way you do things say about God?

Holy God, infuse in us your ability to remain present to your people. Help us to be there for the people who need us – for the young, the old, the needy, and the brokenhearted. Enflame our hearts with a spirit of service and obedience. And enable us to be open and ready to love. Amen.

A Controversial Christ (Mark 2:23-3:6)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Wheatfield with Crows, by Vincent Van Gogh, 1890

One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat. But the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look, why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?”

Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the house of God (during the days when Abiathar was high priest) and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his companions.”

Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”

Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath.

Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him.

He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus. (New Living Translation)

Jesus Heals the Man with the Withered Hand, by Ilyas Basim Khuri Bazzi Rahib, 1684

I am continually amazed whenever good people are surprised by being embroiled in the muck of human controversy. Since we live in a profoundly fallen world, good is often going to buck up against the bad. Besides, Jesus often found himself in a controversy of some kind; and we are not above our Lord.

There are two distinct yet similar controversies in today’s lesson; and they highlight why there were some folk who were all upset about the way Jesus went about things. Such people eventually came to the dark decision that Jesus needed to go away, permanently.

Much of the controversy between Jesus and the religious leaders came down to particular views of God’s law; and, of course, whose view was going to win out over the other. It ended up becoming what almost all controversies are about: Deciding who is really in power and calls the shots.

The Politics of Hunger

It was a Sabbath day. Jesus and his disciples were walking through the fields. And they were hungry. So the disciples took some grain, broke off the heads, and ate them. To any non-Jewish person, there’s no problem here. But the Pharisees were concerned.

First, they observed the disciples walking through grain fields. The Pharisees thought they should be staying put on the Sabbath. Second, and perhaps more significantly, the religious leaders saw Christ’s disciples gleaning – which was working on the Sabbath. To them, any respectable Jew prepared their food the day before. This is a lack of holiness, of not taking the Sabbath seriously. And this was completely unacceptable to the Pharisees.

Wheat Field and Cypress by Vincent Van Gogh, 1890

Jesus, however, viewed walking through the fields differently. He did not consider the Sabbath as trivial; Jesus instead stood back and took a big picture perspective of it all. And that view included the ancient story of David, who took the consecrated bread in the tabernacle which was reserved only for Levite priests. (1 Samuel 21:1-6; Leviticus 24:8-9)

The reason David wanted the bread was because he was a fugitive, on the run from King Saul who was trying to take his life. Jesus insisted, on that day, the priest on duty did nothing wrong in giving the special bread to David. Yes, the strict letter of the law was broken; and, no, this was not wrong – because the priest was helping to save a life, and a very important one at that.

Jesus discerned there are times when particular laws come into conflict; so it’s necessary to maintain the spirit of a law in order to maintain a high value and meet a pressing human need. In a sense, Jesus gave a covenant code legal opinion on the subject.

It’s no surprise, to any reader of the New Testament Gospels, that Christ would behave this way; and that it would drive the religious leaders bananas. After all, they, the Pharisees, upheld law and rendered legal decisions – not this upstart wannabe. Jesus took an authoritative stance on what was happening, and the leaders did not at all like their own authority questioned.

This wasn’t some maverick interpretation by Jesus. He simply pointed out that the Sabbath is a gift, given to people to promote life and health – and not a burden that folks are to carry. Any decent Sabbath-keeper knew this.

It appears the leaders didn’t like being reminded of it from Jesus. What’s more, Jesus was much too close to likening himself to David. Yet another reason to despise this uppity teacher.

The Legality of Suffering

A second controversy brought the issue of who is in charge and who gets to arbitrate community values into a greater light. There is perhaps no other place for that conflict to happen than in the synagogue, the meeting place of worshipers. The juiciest things always seem to happen in a place of worship.

In the first story, the religious leaders were caught surprised over the behavior of Jesus and his disciples. They’re determined not to make that mistake again. From this point forward, it seems the Pharisees are continually waiting for a chance to put down Jesus as a lawbreaker and rabblerouser.

Byzantine mosaic of Christ healing the man with a withered hand, Cathedral of Monreale, Palermo, Sicily

For them, the issue wasn’t about the ability to heal, but whether it’s being done on the Sabbath. Much like the grainfield incident, healing is work, and working on the Sabbath is a direct violation of God’s immutable law. The religious leaders wanted to prove that Jesus has no regard for God’s will.

Law, for many Pharisees in Christ’s day, was meant to bring order so that chaos does not rule. Obedience to the law is a pre-condition for blessing. Without a clear demonstration of holy living, the community could be under a curse, much like their ancestors before them who were exiled for disregarding God’s law.

Yet again, Jesus cut through the anxious fear and authoritative posturing and went directly to the intended spirit of the law. The Sabbath, of all days in the week, ought to be a time for doing good, not harm; and to save life, not kill it. Jesus was not doing anything that could be considered work, anymore than his disciples were actually gleaning or harvesting grain.

There is no better day than the Sabbath for restoring a man’s withered and malformed hand, for giving him back his ability to make a living and contribute to the community. Much more was restored to the man than a physical ability; he now had the ability to better his life and his family, not to mention the local economy. It ought to be all good…

Unfortunately, the Pharisees didn’t see it that way, that the man gained his dignity back, his wholeness and his joy. They could only see a threat to their own hegemony.

The Beginning of the End

So, this marks the beginning of the end. The leaders are so upset and angry, they began plotting for Christ’s destruction. Unlikely political allies came together because of a common enemy. To view Jesus as a threat to society is, at the least, messed up. But that’s what happens when people cannot see beyond the end of their nose. They make bad choices.

Even though Jesus came to give life, others want to take his. Despite the fact that Jesus did not reject the law or demean the Sabbath, people with a short-sighted agenda and hard hearts could only see someone upsetting the status quo.

Today, these same things can quickly turn to hostility. The legal implications of one’s values and commitments can get nasty fast. Opinions can harden, resulting in oppression, persecution, and even death.

The most noble of motives can go sour; and the best of intentions, the highly educated, and the most gifted persons among us can become despotic in their leadership. Indeed, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

This is why the gracious and benevolent kingdom of God will win the day. Hard-hearted people become desperately out of touch with what is most important; they are calloused to the human need in front of their faces. I believe that the words and ways of Jesus can dispel those dark forces and impulses.

I’ll take a controversial Christ any day because that is the path to life abundant and everlasting.

Whenever unjust, oppressive, harmful, and fearful systems hold on, the ministry of Jesus exposes them for what they are, and will deliver us from evil.

Thanks be to God!

In Need of Integrity (John 7:19-24)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Pharisees, by German painter Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, 1912

It was Moses, wasn’t it, who gave you God’s Law? But none of you are living it. So why are you trying to kill me?”

The crowd said, “You’re crazy! Who’s trying to kill you? You’re demon-possessed.”

Jesus said, “I did one miraculous thing a few months ago, and you’re still standing around getting all upset, wondering what I’m up to. Moses prescribed circumcision—originally it came not from Moses but from his ancestors—and so you circumcise a man, dealing with one part of his body, even if it’s the Sabbath. You do this in order to preserve one item in the Law of Moses. So why are you upset with me because I made a man’s whole body well on the Sabbath? Don’t be hypercritical; use your head—and heart!—to discern what is right, to test what is authentically right.” (The Message)

One of my ardent desires for every person on planet earth, is that they will experience an integration of themselves – that they will know their true selves. And with this awareness, their head, heart, and gut will all be in alignment with each other. Every part of oneself will be acknowledged and work in harmony with the other parts.

I’m talking about wholeness. This is what produces peace, unity, harmony, joy, and strength of spirit. For me, this is the consummate Christian path of discipleship to walk. Jesus has gone before us to clear the way as the pioneer of our salvation. He makes it possible to realize wholeness. Christ has the ability to make us well and to live well. To know Jesus is to be whole.

People who are a bundle of disparate parts – with some of those parts suppressed and unacknowledged – are disturbed. They always seem to be upset with something because the parts of themselves are unable to communicate with each other. With them, there is no peace or wholeness. There is only a myopic view, usually coming from only using the head, only thinking.

But to have thoughts of God, to think about God’s law, and to police how God is thought of and how God’s law is implemented – without the heart or the gut involved – leads to fragmentation and disruption.

To only think, and withhold feelings and intuition, is to sin.

It’s impossible to know God and live God’s commands without involving your entire self. A head without a heart cannot affect humanity with the good that it so desperately needs.

A heart without a head cannot effectively steer the rudder into accomplishing sustained goodness.

And a head and a heart without a gut cannot sense the danger around the corner and loses its good plans and intentions.

Jesus was addressing religious leaders and a large chunk of fragmented people. Many of those persons were unable to discern who Christ actually is, because only the person of integrity and wholeness can do that. So, each one came at Jesus from their own limited place of disintegration. And none of them were able to truly see themselves as they actually are – blind to the reality that they were not keeping God’s law.

Christ and Pharisee, by Russian artist Ivan Filichev, 1993

A fragmented person’s perspective comes at things like this: “I’m obeying the law, although there are some laws I’m not really holding to.” Yet, Jesus understood that to break just one law makes us lawbreakers and in need of healing and wholeness.

Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath. The disintegrated person only saw Jesus working on the Sabbath, which in his head is a no-no. It requires work to heal someone. Therefore, it can wait until tomorrow. Thus, this Jesus fellow sinned against God and disobeyed God’s law. In fact, it only stands to reason that he is in league with a demon, the fragmented person reasons.

But that is to make a poor discernment of the situation. It is, however, only what the fragmented person can do. However, a wise understanding of the man’s healing by Jesus is to observe that Love has come among you – that Sabbath was made for humanity, not humanity for the Sabbath – and that this bringing of wholeness to a person, in restoring not only his health but his ability to connect with society, family, and community, is a knowable good thing. This is most certainly not what any sort of demon would do.

Perhaps one ought to test the spirits and make a good, right, and just discernment. Just maybe, Jesus is the one who can guide us to wholeness, goodness, and integrity. It could be that God is among us, and we didn’t even know it.

Constant criticism of others only deflects from paying attention to our own spirit; and always living in your head keeps you from experiencing the heartache of love.

Merely giving-in to the heart without engaging the head creates a caregiver who has no idea how to care for themselves; eventually they become bitter and gain a critical spirit that no one is caring for them as they care for others.

Blurting-out gut-reaction judgment at another may be truthful, but it will be taken as a severe and discouraging criticism because there was no thought or heart behind it.

There are a lot of upset people in this world. Yet, there are precious few persons with the wholeness to speak from the head, heart, and gut as a unified whole, bringing words and actions of life to others.

The persecuted person is one who has become wonderfully whole, namely because there are far too many fragmented people who view them as a threat, and see them as demonic. Fragmented folk believe they need to put the integrated person in their place, if not done away with altogether.

And that is exactly why Jesus was arrested, tortured, and killed. But fragmentation, disintegration, oppression, and sin do not have the last word. They are not the judge. There is resurrection, new life, and abundant joy because the grace of God in Christ always has the last word.

Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, by Argentine artist Jorge Cocco Santángelo

There’s trouble ahead when you live only for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them. That’s the way of the fragmented ones; they will find themselves cursed. However, the blessings of God’s rule and reign recognize and affirm the whole person. Jesus said:

You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.

You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.

You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.

You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of competing or fighting. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.

You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom. (Matthew 5:3-10, MSG)

May you live into who you are, and avoid who you are not, to the glory of God. Amen.

Making a Vow (1 Samuel 1:19-27)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Hannah Presenting Samuel to Eli, by Arent de Gelder, 1710

The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea, and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.”

The next year Elkanah and his family went on their annual trip to offer a sacrifice to the Lord and to keep his vow. But Hannah did not go. She told her husband, “Wait until the boy is weaned. Then I will take him to the Tabernacle and leave him there with the Lord permanently.”

“Whatever you think is best,” Elkanah agreed. “Stay here for now, and may the Lord help you keep your promise.” So she stayed home and nursed the boy until he was weaned.

When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull for the sacrifice and a basket of flour and some wine. After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli. “Sir, do you remember me?” Hannah asked. “I am the very woman who stood here several years ago praying to the Lord. I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. (New Living Translation)

Hannah had no children. In an era of patriarchy and polygamy, she had to put up with a rival wife verbally attacking her – not to mention a husband who seemed somewhat clueless to what was going on.

The piety of Hannah was unmatched. When worshiping the Lord in the tabernacle at Shiloh, Hannah offered a heartfelt prayer to God. She not only asked for help in her distressing situation, but also promised that if the Lord would give her a son, she would return to the Giver; thus, making the child a double gift to both herself and God.

God listened to Hannah and remembered her. Through her pregnancy and birth of a son, there is even more going on than displaying the Lord’s power over infertility. In taking divine initiative to do what Hannah asked, God demonstrated care and vindication for one of the least valued members of an ancient society that looked askance on infertile women.

Hannah and Samuel in the Temple, by Rembrandt, 1650

In the patriarchal society, Hannah’s husband, Elkanah, could have nullified her vow to the Lord. But he allowed her promise to stand, and even encouraged it. Perhaps this was yet another sort of miracle, to have a husband move the great distance from unaware and aloof to aware and connected.

Hannah and Elkanah went to Shiloh, and back to the old priest Eli, not only making a typical animal sacrifice, but also offering their son, in fulfillment of Hannah’s vow to the Lord. Hannah very much took her vow to God seriously.

As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few.

Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool.

When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. Don’t let your mouth make you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved.

Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead. (Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, NLT)

Any sort of commitment we express to God, no matter what, is to be taken seriously. Making vows to the Lord isn’t simply a way of helping us feel good about our relationship to God; rather, vows have important implications for our daily life and decisions.

What’s more, vows are not bribes. We don’t make deals with God. That’s because we have nothing to offer in any sort of human understanding of contractual obligations. A vow is a promise, a commitment to follow through with something. And the Lord will hold us accountable to our promises.

Hannah offered her son willingly and gladly to the Lord, and not begrudgingly. In fact, this may have been her thought all along to dedicate a child to God. In other words, giving up her son was not a sorrowful grief but a deep joy. Hannah raised the boy until he was weaned – which was likely, in that day and age, around 3 or 4 years old.

It’s quite possible that Hannah spent those formative years preparing her son for a life of service and doing all she could to help him get a good beginning in the Lord’s Tabernacle.

The biblical character of Hannah has a lot to teach us in our own journey of faith. She was completely devoted to God, found ways to honor and obey God, made a carefully crafted vow to God, persevered and never lost sight of what was important, and did it all with a spirit of obedience, initiative, spunk, gratitude, and gladness.

Hannah was motivated, principled, and sincere. Her good intentions developed into a focused vow, and she organized her life around her promise to God. Hannah did not overpromise or act impulsively; she knew what she was doing. And we have no record of her putting it all in her rival’s face.

God isn’t looking for grand ornate vows from us. The Lord just wants us to live obediently, with a good attitude, and follow through on our expressed commitments. And that’s one of the simplest paths to living a joyful and satisfied life.

Gracious and holy God, who creates, saves, blesses, and sustains us, these things we promise for this day and forevermore:

Never again shall we see another person as an enemy.
Never again shall we place our hope in power.
Never again shall we use violence against another person.
Never again shall we build walls to keep others out.
Never again shall we raise our hand in anger against others.
Never again shall we rob others of their dignity.
Never again shall we treat people differently based on the color of their skin or ethnicity.
Never again shall we take from others what is rightfully theirs.
Never again shall we make judgments about another’s gender identity.
Never again shall we blame another person or group for our own failings.
Never again shall we forget that we are all brothers and sisters.
Never again shall we refuse to listen to one another’s stories.
Never again shall we forget to love others as you love us.
Never again shall we forget that we belong to you.
Never again shall we forget to see ourselves caretakers of your whole creation.
Never again, Creator, shall we forget that you made us as we are, all colors,
shapes and sizes, and said, “Wow! Look at that. Now that is good!” Amen.