Tag: faithfulness

Showing God’s Kindness (2 Samuel 9:1-13)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
King David reaching out and receiving Mephibosheth, 13th century Bible illustration

David asked, “Is there anyone from Saul’s family still alive that I could show faithful love for Jonathan’s sake?” There was a servant from Saul’s household named Ziba, and he was summoned before David.

“Are you Ziba?” the king asked him.

“At your service!” he answered.

The king asked, “Is there anyone left from Saul’s family that I could show God’s kindness to?”

“Yes,” Ziba said to the king, “one of Jonathan’s sons, whose feet are crippled.”

“Where is he?” the king asked.

“He is at the house of Ammiel’s son Machir at Lo-debar,” Ziba told the king.

So King David had him brought from the house of Ammiel’s son Machir at Lo-debar. Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson, came to David, and he fell to the ground, bowing low out of respect.

“Mephibosheth?” David said.

“Yes,” he replied. “I am at your service!”

“Don’t be afraid,” David told him, “because I will certainly show you faithful love for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the fields of your grandfather Saul, and you will eat at my table always.”

Mephibosheth bowed low out of respect and said, “Who am I, your servant, that you should care about a dead dog like me?”

Then David summoned Saul’s servant Ziba and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything belonging to Saul and his family. You will work the land for him—you, your sons, and your servants—and you will bring food into your master’s house for them to eat. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, will always be at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my master the king commands.”

So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s own sons. Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica. All who lived in Ziba’s household became Mephibosheth’s servants. Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table. He was crippled in both feet. (Common English Bible)

This is actually one of my favorite stories in all of Holy Scripture. It clearly demonstrates why David is a king and a person who reflects God’s own heart. I believe that King David is at his best here, ruling and living exactly as the Lord wanted him to.

In much of the ancient world, whenever a king came to power and replaced the previous king of whom he was not related, it was a common practice to either exile or outright kill the sons and grandsons who would have become heirs to the throne. It was a literal cutthroat way of securing the new throne, by wiping out any potential rivals.

It’s quite possible that no one would have faulted David or batted an eye if he had made sure there was nobody around related to King Saul – who died in a battle with the Philistines. Not only did David avoid that practice, but he did just the opposite of it.

Finally on the throne of both Israel and Judah, one of the first acts of King David was to wield his power and authority by finding out if there were any relatives of Saul that he could show faithful love toward.

I can just imagine the servant of Saul, Ziba, being brought into David’s presence, thinking for sure that this is the end. Instead, David wanted to know if there’s anyone in Saul’s family to which he could show kindness.

The word King David used to communicate his benevolent intentions was “chesed” (חסד – pronounced “KES-ed”). This is rich Hebrew word which refers to God’s steadfast covenant loyalty and love toward Israel.

Because of its richness, chesed is translated various ways in the English translations, including: “mercy,” “kindness,” “loving-kindness,” “steadfast love,” “compassion,” and even “goodness.”

The big idea in today’s story is that David had the power to destroy, but instead used his authority in order to extend loving loyalty and mercy to Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan, and grandson of Saul – David’s old enemy and nemesis.

What’s more, David could have found out about Mephibosheth, learned that the man was crippled, in no position to ever do anything for or against him, and simply left him alone. And again, nobody likely would have thought anything about ignoring the man.

But not David. He was determined to embody chesed in the life of Mephibosheth. So, he brought him to Jerusalem and provided for him by having him sit at the king’s table for the rest of his life.

David didn’t have to do that. Yet, God’s steadfast love compelled him. You know grace has a hold of someone’s life, whenever they go out of their way to extend human kindness to another person who has absolutely no means of paying them back or reciprocating at all.

Jesus, the Son of David, clearly understood the idea of chesed and lifted it, taught it, and embodied it for his own followers:

“If you love those who love you, why should you be commended? Even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, why should you be commended? Even sinners do that. If you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, why should you be commended? Even sinners lend to sinners expecting to be paid back in full. 

“Instead, love your enemies, do good, and lend expecting nothing in return. If you do, you will have a great reward. You will be acting the way children of the Most High act, for he is kind to ungrateful and wicked people. Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate. (Luke 6:32-36, CEB)

I wonder who it is that God wants you to show grace, mercy, and love toward?

Lord Jesus, as you commanded us to love one another, just as you love us, help us to demonstrate that love toward others. We acknowledge that it is impossible on our own, so we ask for the enabling of your Holy Spirit to produce that love in us.

We believe that you love and care for those who are suffering from illness, violence and persecution. We pray for protection, comfort and healing for those in need or who are forgotten.

Enliven us with your Holy Spirit, so that we may be instruments of your peace and love in a troubled world. Use us and all believers as your ambassadors to our families, colleagues and neighbors.

Holy God, you demonstrated your love for us through the Resurrection of your Son and our Savior Jesus Christ. We commit to making decisions as who trust in your ever-present love and grace. Guide us in becoming a people who welcomes all, and values mutuality and partnerships.

Provide us courage and insight as we seek to be a community who provides respite, and a place to sooth souls. Grant us all the things necessary for our common life, and bring us to be of one heart and mind within your Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Some Perspective: Pray Like You Mean It (Psalm 61)

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

Hear my cry, O God;
    listen to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I call to you,
    when my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock
    that is higher than I,
for you are my refuge,
    a strong tower against the enemy.

Let me abide in your tent forever,
    find refuge under the shelter of your wings.
For you, O God, have heard my vows;
    you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

Prolong the life of the king;
    may his years endure to all generations!
May he be enthroned forever before God;
    appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

So I will always sing praises to your name,
    as I pay my vows day after day. (New Revised Standard Version)

Some Historical Perspective

Historically, the book of Psalms has been the Church’s prayer book. Yet, over the centuries, the biblical psalms have tended to lose this understanding of being a written expression of one’s inner response to God.

Protestant Evangelicalism, in particular, has tended to disdain anything written, rote, and repetitive. Instead, the Evangelical understanding of true spirituality tends toward a strong bent of extemporaneous prayers.

Some Personal Perspective

I still remember years ago, when I was a young Pastor, a parishioner happened to see that I had a written prayer in my notes for the worship service. This person ended up “reporting” me to the church elders, questioning my relationship to God – simply because I read a prayer, instead of improvising it for the congregation.

The church elders had a discussion with me and “dressed me down” for the practice of using written prayers. What’s more, they didn’t like the content of the prayer – charging that I must be emotionally and spiritually unstable for having crafted such a prayer (assuming that I wrote the prayer myself).

After they were all done (and having not asked me why I “read” my prayer) I responded to them calmly, stating, “Yes, I read a prayer on Sunday. And the prayer I read was Psalm 61. By the way, that’s in the Bible. And I apologize that I didn’t have it memorized.”

Some Logical Perspective

Aside from my sarcastic and passive-aggressive statements at the end, it is a sad affair whenever we are unable to take advantage of Holy Scripture for it’s intended use in the life of the believer.

To be sure, the condemnation of written prayers originally came about because of clergy and lay persons alike reading prayers without any sincerity or heart behind it – sometimes not even understanding what they were reading.

Yet, it’s illogical and unreasonable to simply throw out the baby with the bath water. The problem was never with the prayers themselves, or the act of reading them; the issue always has been with the person praying.

Some Existential Perspective

All of this is to say that I am inviting you to read today’s psalm, out loud and several times; and to adopt it as your own and express it as your own offering to God in prayer.

Because it is truly possible (and I would argue necessary and important) to read biblical prayers with personal flavor, resonating with their content and intent.

Furthermore, I also invite you to restate the psalm in your own words, to write out your understanding of the text (with actual pen and paper) so that the concepts and ideas of the psalm are expressed from the heart. This is just one way of embracing both the written and personal aspects of praying to God.

Some Biblical Perspective

Psalm 61 is a personal lament of King David, concerned with having the reassurance of God’s protective presence. David found security in the Lord as his refuge and strength. Whatever particular circumstances prompted the prayer, it seems David was facing an adversity out and away from the worship center of Jerusalem.

David longed to be in that center, to be in the place where God dwells. He pictured himself under the shelter of angelic wings, as if he were there inside the Ark of God itself, as close to the Lord as he could possibly get.

Because it is in the presence of God that there is perfect steadfast love and faithfulness. There’s no better place in all the world than to be in that spot, enjoying the peace and protection of the sovereign almighty God of the universe.

Ultimately, deliverance from threatening situations, fearful circumstances, and dire straits, comes from the Deliverer, the Savior, the God who sees all, knows all, and has the power to do something about it!

Some Prayerful Perspective

So, having said all that, here is my own expression/translation/transliteration of Psalm 61 – and may the Lord’s blessing and peace rest upon you this day, and every day, as you pray for yourself and for those who are good and godly leaders:

God, listen to my loud echoing shout,
    and bend your ear to respond to my heartfelt prayer.
When I am experiencing a disappointed heart and at my last breath,
    from a place that seems the very end of the earth,
I cry out and call to You from the highest lonely mountain,
    so that You may hear me above all else that’s going on in the world.

You’ve always given me plenty of space and grace to be myself,
    and provided for me a place to get away from it all on this messed-up planet,
You have always taken me seriously, God,
    welcoming me under the shadow of your wings, letting me reside permanently in Your tent.

I know that You will let the days of the benevolent ruler add up,
    and that there will be years and years of good and just leadership.
Make this good leader’s chair last forever, in the full light of God.
    Post the sentries of Steadfast Love and Faithful Truth as ever-watching lookouts.
Then, it will be me who makes a grand musical fuss to You forever and ever,
    and I shall make good on that promise every single day.

Amen.

It Is Not Yet My Time (John 7:1-9)

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

Later Jesus was going about his business in Galilee. He didn’t want to travel in Judea because the Jews there were looking for a chance to kill him. It was near the time of Tabernacles, a feast observed annually by the Jews.

His brothers said, “Why don’t you leave here and go up to the Feast so your disciples can get a good look at the works you do? No one who intends to be publicly known does everything behind the scenes. If you’re serious about what you are doing, come out in the open and show the world.” His brothers were pushing him like this because they didn’t believe in him either.

Jesus came back at them, “Don’t pressure me. This isn’t my time. It’s your time—it’s always your time; you have nothing to lose. The world has nothing against you, but it’s up in arms against me. It’s against me because I expose the evil behind its pretensions. You go ahead, go up to the Feast. Don’t wait for me. I’m not ready. It’s not the right time for me.”

He said this and stayed on in Galilee. (The Message)

For some Jews in the ancient world, if the Messiah were to come, it would certainly happen in the most celebrated month of the Jewish year (Tishri, in the Fall season).

The New Year celebration happens on the first and second of the month; the Day of Atonement on the tenth day (Yom Kippur); and leads to the joyous celebration of the fifteenth to twenty-second days in the Festival of Tabernacles (Booths or Shelters, also known as “Sukkot”).

That is the time of year in which faithful followers of God leave their homes and live in temporary shelters. It serves as a powerful reminder of their deliverance and divine preservation in the wilderness. It’s a celebration of the harvest, a time to remember the Israelites’ journey through the Sinai desert and God’s protection throughout that time. 

This festival also symbolizes unity and inclusivity, and looks forward to the Messianic age when all nations will come to Jerusalem to worship God.

The Feast of Tabernacles, by Bible Art

So, it only made sense to the people who knew Jesus, that he would want to make a big splash during the month of Tishri – a time of high celebration where everyone is together, recalling God’s gracious actions.

Christ’s own family were insistent that he take advantage of the festival’s timing and clearly show himself to the world. But Jesus wasn’t having it. Why not?

Jesus responded that it is not yet his time. By that he meant it wasn’t the right festival season. The timing of Christ would be for Passover, not Tabernacles. His role was not as the Divine Warrior who would beat up the Romans and establish an earthly rule in the vein of King David.

Instead, Christ’s purpose was to take on the role of the Suffering Servant, the dying Messiah. A joyous public spectacle during Tabernacles to announce deliverance from Roman oppression was not the reason he came to this earth.

Jesus had no intention of being pressed into something that wasn’t his understanding of God’s will.

Indeed, Christ’s time of glorification would come. But at the time of Tabernacles, when the feelings of the people were drawn to Jesus, and expectations were high for divine deliverance from Gentile rule, a capitulation to the crowd would be akin to the devil’s temptation of throwing himself from the Temple, so that everyone could see the Jewish Superman in action.

Jesus is not that sort of Messiah. Ostentatious displays of power and authority were not his path for the people’s salvation. That is the way of the world, not heaven; it’s the concrete road of the proud, not the dirt path of the humble.

Evil needed to be dealt with, once and for all – and not only for the sake of the Jews, but for all creation. And it had to have to divine effectiveness, not a worldly solution.

It still remains yet to this very day, that those with unbelief demand a strong leader and a powerful sign of authority. They want a take-charge sort of person who looks good and has style.

Such worldly-minded persons insist that the strong leader get out there and have lots of exposure. Pay attention to the optics, and engender supreme confidence in others. Engage and change the situation with all of the proven tactics of the world’s power base.

Yet those who truly believe, discern that life does not consist of grand imperial displays of opulent strength and worldly control. Rather, the heavenly virtues of wisdom, patience, and a settled hope surround them. They pay no attention to bombastic pronouncements and empty promises.

The believer is able to see Jesus for who he truly is, and not for what they want him to be.

In other words, up is down, first is last, suffering before celebration. These are not the ways of the unbelieving world; they are the practices of the faithfully devoted ones.

Even though Christ’s brothers strongly urged him to openly show himself in an ancient version of mass marketing, Jesus patently forsook it. He was not seeking to enhance his own reputation, to get his brand recognition out there and impress the crowd.

Jesus Christ will only act as his heavenly Father commands and wills him to – even if his own family want him to do different.

And that is why the world “hates” Jesus. Because he will neither operate according to, nor submit to, its prevailing cultural, political, and familial standards. Pride mocks humility. Arrogance disdains the meek and gentle. Worldly strength wants nothing to do with any sort of perceived weakness.

Metamorphosis of Narcissus, by Salvador Dali, 1937

Yet, the world does not realize that ultimate power, control, and authority comes not through public shows of toughness, but by private practices which embrace spiritual disciplines and knowing oneself.

I myself have no stomach for the supposed follower of Christ who merely seeks to honor Jesus in order to make the Name of Jesus serve their own name’s purpose.

And I gag every time I observe the self-centered leader try and act as if they care for important things, when in reality their only concern is self. Their worldly actions and attitudes betray their true feelings and purpose.

“It is better to incur the world’s hatred, by testifying against its wickedness, than gain its good will by going down the stream with them.”

Matthew Henry

We live in a world of indecision; there is no real decisive action which champions the common good of all citizens. We stick our finger in the air to see which way the wind is blowing. Our insecurity as a people is profound and palpable.

We seem incapable of sound and just public decision-making, let alone making personal choices which foster and engender spiritual and emotional growth.

This world is in desperate need of good, right, and just people who will faithfully occupy places and positions of trust. For me, that means following the narrow way of Jesus, and not the broad highway of destruction paved by narcissistic leaders.

Do you and I have the courage to take a hard look at ourselves, our relationships, and most of all, Jesus? Will we seek discernment as to what is really the world, and what is truly the words and ways of Jesus? Can we gain a sense of divine timing?

Almighty and ever-living God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth: Strengthen the faithful, arouse the careless, and restore the penitent. Grant us all things necessary for our common life, and bring us all to be of one heart and mind within your holy Church; through Jesus 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.