Meditate on it

God's calling and filling does not come in expected ways or obvious times.  In 1 Samuel 16, how odd that God chooses David, fills him with his spirit, yet the beginning of his kingship lies several years ahead.  Of course David is young at the time.  Saul has messed up badly.   Still God knew from the beginning that David was his man. Why involve Saul at all? Why fill young David then have him wait for the fulfillment? Why fill one man and leave another not neutral, but with a spirit of fear/despair? James Tissot, Jesse Presents His Sons to Samuel 1900

If the Bible were "just a story," the figure of Jonathan would be what they call a "flat character." He assumes certain fixed qualities and does not change through the course of the story.   At least this is my hypothesis jumping into the Samuel, Saul, Jonathan, and David narrative this morning. Qualities of Jonathan 1.  He was a leader: "Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent."   1 Samuel 13:2 Saul placed Jonathan over one of the three companies of his soldiers. 2. He was a man of action  Jonathan attacked and killed the Philistine governor stationed at Geba (Gibeah). 1 Samuel 13:3 "Later that day, Jonathan, Saul's son, said to his armor bearer, "Come on, let's go over to the Philistine garrison patrol on the other side of the pas

Warrior, Prophet, Priest, Judge, and King--Who is Who? One of the concepts that intrigues me in the OT is the concept of leading and authority with regard to the roles of warrior, prophet, priest, judge and king. Is authority always tied to military might? This first seems to be the case with Joshua and Caleb. Although Moses killed a man in his youth and although he led the Israelites out of Egypt with the Egyptian armies in chase, I don't think of Moses as a warrior, but more as a spiritual leader. Yes a judge. Yes a prophet. No, not a king. No not a warrior. The Lord's intent in earthly authority seems to muddy once they enter the Promised Land. Left without a common cause to focus and unify them, the book of Judges ushers in an era of relativism. Over and over the mantra is that "each did what seemed right in his own eyes." Could anyone be a prophet? Reading through OT passages, it seems like prophets were a common occurrence. If you needed direction i

Saul & David, Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, 1655-1660 Where did Saul come from?  David, I understand.  He has a heart for the things of the Lord--he's dynamic, he's winsome.  But Saul?  Saul was clearly chosen by divine design (through Samuel), yet--a bit like Moses---he wears the cloak of king reluctantly at first.  We find him hiding amid the baggage! I wish I had time to linger over Saul this morning, over Jonathan too, over David---so many nuances in this story in the way that they are chosen, how they interact with each other, their loyalties, friendships, multiple sides, strengths, and shortcomings.  They would make a more than worthwhile topic for a "Book Club." ; ) The BKC has this to say.... Saul, "who appeared quite naive and unkingly in many ways. He hailed from the town of Gibeah (1Sa_10:26), where the concubine of a Levite who had sought hospitality was raped and killed (Jdg_19:1-30)." -BKC And although I have many more half-f

Can the study of the Word become an idol?  I think so.  Loving people and loving God is the end, not knowledge of the Word.  "Knowledge puffs up but love edifies."  -1 Corinthians 8:1 KJV "But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church.  Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn't really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes." 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 NLT Jack Abeelen gave a thoughtful sermon on this passage recently.  I suspect our true "fruit" is the extent to which we are willing to humble our selfish interests to those of others for the Lord.

I listened to a John Piper interview yesterday while working out.  Increasingly, I find "real life" conversations fascinating.  This particular interview centered around Piper's recent retirement--what were his plans, did he have any regrets? Things I took away: *He's going to retreat for about 14 months to TN with his wife to pray and ponder what God would have him do in this next stage of his life.  Great model--seek Him first in any new stage.  Don't assume you know where God would lead you. *He views his gifting as primarily bent toward writing as opposed to missionary work, etc.  I think I always struggle with the idea of writing as the most useful gifting.  It seems that you could invest a lot of time in writing but not be heard.  Of course, Piper has a following and that would not be the case, but all the same, I admire the high regard he has for the ministry of writing. *He does not view his retirement work as primarily public.  Instead, he openly