Tag: evil

In the Middle of Trouble (1 Samuel 19:8-17)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Saul and David, by Rembrandt, c.1655

Once more war broke out, and David went out and fought the Philistines. He struck them with such force that they fled before him.

But an evil spirit from the Lord came on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the lyre, Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape.

Saul sent men to David’s house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, “If you don’t run for your life tonight, tomorrow you’ll be killed.” So Michal let David down through a window, and he fled and escaped. Then Michal took an idol and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goats’ hair at the head.

When Saul sent the men to capture David, Michal said, “He is ill.”

Then Saul sent the men back to see David and told them, “Bring him up to me in his bed so that I may kill him.” But when the men entered, there was the idol in the bed, and at the head was some goats’ hair.

Saul said to Michal, “Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so that he escaped?”

Michal told him, “He said to me, ‘Let me get away. Why should I kill you?’ (New International Version)

We humans are living in a fallen world and a broken planet. Conflict and trouble is certain. It’s not a matter of if we are going to face it, but when. How will we handle conflict when it comes?

Saul’s Jealousy of David

King Saul had a growing jealousy of David. It became bad enough that Saul tried to arrange things so that David would be killed on a Philistine battlefield. But that plan completely backfired, and David became even more successful.

In Saul’s downward spiritual and emotional spiral, he brazenly created intentional conflict in order to do away with David altogether. Fortunately, Saul’s son Jonathan talked his father down peacefully. David was restored to the king’s court and out of trouble, at least for the moment.

Little did Jonathan realize how far gone his father had become. The incident of Saul telling his soldiers to kill David proved to still be an open case. It didn’t take Saul very long to renege on his promise to Jonathan, and actively went back to his old jealous ways.

David Eludes Saul’s Spear

Saul’s Attempt on David, by Gustave Doré, 1877

There was a direct relationship between David’s good spirit of integrity and success, and the wicked spirit which came upon Saul. King Saul, in his anger toward David and disobedience toward God, had clearly given ground to evil in his life.

Saul could not get a grip on his jealous feelings, and was ticked-off that David’s popularity kept growing, no matter the situation. In a fit of impulsive rage, Saul hurled his spear at David. Since David was agile, and Saul was a bad thrower, a tragic death was avoided.

At that point, David realized he needed to get out and stay away for good. David was in one of those rare situations in which a person may be so hell bent on damaging another person that drastic measures need to be taken.

Michal Helps David Escape

Most conflicts are, of course, complicated. And it’s not unusual for trouble to be a family affair. Michal was Saul’s daughter, which made David Saul’s son-in-law (and for Saul, David’s outlaw). It seems that the marriage arrangement was originally made so that Saul could keep a close eye on his rival.

Michal understood her father well enough to know that Saul meant business in handling David. So, she set up a plan for her husband’s escape, and covered for him to dear old dad.

Michal Saves David from Saul, by Marc Chagall, 1960

It appears we start to get a glimpse of insight into Michal’s character. Her possession of household gods, along with her ability to be an effective liar in order to save her own neck, ought to give us some pause. As the story of David develops in the biblical narratives, we will indeed see Michal’s true colors.

Thus far in the life of David, we see an innocent man treated unfairly and unjustly. Yet, we get no hint of bitterness or revenge from him. Instead, here is a guy who only tried to do what is best for his people Israel, and most of all, live faithfully to his God.

In contrast, Saul became increasingly frustrated and bitter, not looking to the Lord who put him on the throne. Instead, he made devious plans to destroy a man who was only trying to do him good.

Conclusion

Self-centered jealousy and bitter anger poisons a person’s spirit and turns it toward evil. If left unchecked and unchanged, it becomes gangrene of the soul. And when that happens, the only option is to cut off the affected damaged dead part. Like a withered tree or vine, it is uprooted and thrown into the fire.

Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” (John 15:5-6, NIV)

Please be encouraged to know that if you are in the middle of a conflict you didn’t cause with a person who seems not to care, it doesn’t have to result in you becoming despondent, damaged, or destroyed.

No matter the circumstance, the consistent path of the faithful person is humility, gentleness, righteousness, mercy, purity, and peace. Situations will change, and people may be fickle; but your consistent daily walk of faith need not deviate at all.

Because God is with us, and the Lord loves us, we can handle and endure anything from anyone.

Listen to my prayer.
    I am so weak.
Save me from those who are chasing me.
    They are stronger than I am.
Help me escape this trap,
    so that I can praise your name.
Then good people will celebrate with me,
    because you took care of me. Amen. (Psalm 142:6-7, ERV)

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.

From the Overflow of the Heart, the Mouth Speaks (Luke 6:43-45)

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

Jesus said, “A healthy tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a poor tree bear good fruit. Every tree is known by the fruit it bears; you do not pick figs from thorn bushes or gather grapes from bramble bushes. A good person brings good out of the treasure of good things in his heart; a bad person brings bad out of his treasure of bad things. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Good News Translation)

I often find public confessions on television to be a rather disingenuous affair. Typically, celebrity apologies only take shape when one has been caught saying something and are called on the carpet.

Then, when the apology finally comes, it’s predictably odd and incongruent. The person says something to the tune of, “I’m sorry if I hurt anybody by what I said. Saying that really wasn’t me. I’m not really like that.”

Well, apparently you are! The offending words came out of your mouth, not somebody else’s. It is a lot easier, however, to see a problem in another and name it. To see and deal with our own stuff is different.

Just the other day, I made an off-the-cuff comment to a colleague. The person has an unusual first name (from my perspective) and so I blurted a quick pun of it in front of others when I greeted them. I thought nothing of it.

But later in the day, the person came to me privately. They gently let me know that my pun of their name was hurtful. My only saving grace was that I listened, didn’t go off on an explanation of why I said it, and offered a heartfelt apology with the promise to not use their name in that way again.

Jesus said that out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The words we say out loud betray what is truly inside us. In truth, I said what I said to my colleague, because I find their name to be strange. What was actually inside me came out of my mouth. And I’m an introvert. I can’t even imagine what extroverts have to go through!

To illustrate his point, Jesus used the metaphor of a tree. If the roots, the trunk, and the branches are good and healthy, then you can be sure the tree will produce good healthy fruit. However, if the tree is diseased, or infested with insects and rotting from the inside out, then no one can expect anything other than bad fruit that is not fit to consume.

Good Tree and Bad Tree, by Bible Art

If the fruit is bad, the tree is bad. If the words are hateful, sarcastic, passive-aggressive, manipulative, conniving, racist, hurtful, ignorant, mean, unjust, foolish, and either subtly or overtly abusive, then the person has a dark heart and is need of redemption, not excuses.

Conversely, if the words are affirming, encouraging, loving, compassionate, gentle, caring, direct, helpful, peaceful, kind, giving hope and life, then there is a good heart behind it.

Yes, bad hearts can parrot good words. However, those words are not genuine but mere rote recitations to achieve some sort of personal agenda.

And, of course, good people will occasionally say dumb or hurtful words – as I did with my colleague. In such times, let it be a reminder that we all have some shadowy places within our hearts – and that we must depend on God’s grace to enlighten those dark spaces.

It is best to observe patterns rather than focus on isolated events where either good or bad words were said. A consistent pattern of invalidating another’s experiences or feelings; intimidating or threatening others; dismissing or discounting someone’s input; or being unnecessarily blunt, are all major red flags pointing to a severe heart issue.

Evil does exist in the world. And if we are not vigilant to its insidious role in the crafting of words, wickedness can easily smack us upside the head when we aren’t looking.

The heart cannot be concealed forever. Eventually, the virtuous person will be shown as such by the stream of speech which pours forth from their heart, as if it were living water for others to drink and enjoy. Their words reflect their good character.

The wicked person, however, cannot keep the bad words down. Those vile words sit in the soul, poisoning and making the person ill. Then, all of a sudden, the evil words come up and out with a great vomitous heave and spew impurity and unholiness all over the innocent. Their words betray their foolish and poor character.

Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. The wicked heart will not be able to speak ill of others with impunity forever. They will be called to account for their abusive words, whether overtly violent, or subtly undermining.

The righteous heart, however, shall experience divine pleasure and reward, as if the careful construction of helpful and building up words win first-prize at the great heavenly fair.

The good person loves and does not hate. They are so far from harming anyone that they even pray and wish well for their enemies. They pray for blessings on those who curse them. There is an honest striving to speak good words to everyone, regardless of who they are.

The upright heart thinks the best of everyone and holds nothing over someone else’s head. A good heart condemns no one, leaving all judgment to God alone. It is patient with the most exasperating of people, praying they might come to their senses and become spiritually healthy.

The righteous are able to use their speech to admonish their neighbor with care and affection. They freely forgive, happily give, liberally encourage, and use their tongue to speak words of life. Indeed, their speech is wise, humble, full of grace, and above all, loving.

If there is a problem with words, it will not do to simply change the speech. That’s because it is a heart issue. And the heart must be willing to change and be transformed by sheer mercy.

Fortunately, God is the expert on renovating dilapidated hearts and performing effective heart transplants.

Jesus is the gracious carpenter. God is the divine surgeon. The Holy Spirit is the energetic power source. They are ready for the work. Will you consent to let them in?

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit so that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Coming Divine Judgment (Revelation 20:7-15)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Lake of Fire, by David Howard Hitchcock, 1888

When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Then I saw a great white throne, and he who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. (New International Version)

Almost everything is temporary. All things temporal must come to an end. Therefore, it is foolish to live as if everything we have will last forever.

Conversely, there are a few things which are permanent, namely, God and relationships. So, it only makes sense that we exist for values that will last, while holding very loosely the temporal things. Jesus put the matter like this:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21, NIV)

Yet, despite knowing this, people struggle with their espoused values. Many times, we succumb to the temporal as if it were permanent; and with permanence the things which are temporary. This situation speaks to the power of evil; and evil is not something to trifle with.

The Judgment of Satan

Just when we might evil is contained, it isn’t. In today’s lesson, Satan is loosed from his imprisonment, still a threat. That is the nature of evil amongst us; it has the sinister capacity to rebound and wreak havoc in people’s lives.

In the Apostle John’s apocalyptic vision, Satan is joined by Gog and Magog, who represent the nations of the earth. This hearkens back to the prophecy of Ezekiel in the Old Testament (Ezekiel 38-39) in which Gog – the leader of the land of Magog – leads an attack on Jerusalem. In other words, evil comes together and focuses its energies on the people of God in order to destroy them.

However, God intervenes; the destruction the nations intended on God’s people comes upon them. Evil is finally done for, once and for all; it is thoroughly purged from the presence of the righteous.

The Judgment of the Dead

With evil put in its place, there is nowhere for the old rebellious systems and order of things to exist anymore. A new heaven and a new earth is needed – not just a reconstituted heaven and earth – because that’s how nasty evil really is, that it must be completely purged. New systems are put in place which can accommodate righteousness. Jesus predicted this new reality:

And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.  (Luke 5:37-38, NIV)

When the time comes, all persons will stand as they truly are before the Lord. There can be no making oneself look better than they are, or presenting a particular optic that spins a good look in order to impress. All the actions and deeds of people are laid bare.

God’s grace, along with and human actions, are held together in tension. God grants salvation; and what we humans do with that gift matters a great deal.

Humanity’s works in this life demonstrate what sort of person they actually are. So, if those works are inconsistent and incongruent with how one’s life has been lived, it demonstrates where their hearts truly are; and where their final destination will be.

There is a coming judgment in which death and hell are done away with forever. Anyone whose name is not found in the Book of Life goes the way of death and hell, because when they had the chance to use their temporal life to give permanent life for others, they did not.

Conclusion

The point is not to try and determine who Gog and Magog are; or when in the future this all will happen. The sage person remains far away from such useless folly.

The aim of the Apostle John, for which we must pay attention, is twofold: encourage the faithful; and warn the unfaithful.

The Book of Revelation was given to believers in Jesus, to help them see that suffering, persecution, and hardship is temporary; remain faithful, persevere in faith, and you will see your name written in the Book of Life.

Revelation was also given as great warning sign to those who have put so much stock into power politics, jostling for authority, and oppressing others to get what they want. The positions they hold now are temporary. The oppression they give in this life will be what they receive in the next.

In the end, all things shall be judged rightly. In this, I take great comfort and hope.

Lord Jesus Christ, by your patience in suffering you hallowed earthly pain and gave us the example of obedience to your Father’s will: Be near me in my time of weakness and pain; sustain me by your grace, that my strength and courage may not fail; heal me according to you will; and help me always to believe that what happens to me here is of little account if you hold me in eternal life, my Lord and my God. Amen.