Thereafter Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah; and he said to the sons of Israel, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.' But you have today rejected your God, who delivers you from all your calamities and your distresses; yet you have said, 'No, but set a king over us!' Now therefore, present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your clans."
1 Samuel 10:17-19 (NASB) Hymn: "That Beautiful Name" Jean Perry, Mabel Johnston Camp I'm not a very good American, if I'm being honest with you. I hold to a view called Christian Nonviolence, which in essence teaches that the church has not been granted the right or power to take human lives or endorse the taking of human lives. It is distinct from pacifism, in that I don't necessarily believe all violence is wrong, or that there can be no right application of war and the death penalty, simply that I, as a follower of Christ, cannot participate or favor such avenues. This is not the post in which to detail why I believe that, but I mention it because it leads people to discuss my larger point. See, when I'm asked about the citizen's obligation to defend this nation, I answer that if this nation can only be saved by my disobeying what I believe is the command of God, then I'm comfortable letting the nation fall. And that answer is never received well. Nor is the fact that I have not stood for the national anthem in a number of years, simply because I viewed the entire affair as an unsuitable act of flag worship. You see, I am not a very good American (nor, in the mind of some, a very good Baptist) because I happen to believe that the expected behavior of Americans is a form of idolatry that places the nation above, or at least co-equal to, our God. We have, for some time, allowed ourselves to view politics as a religious activity, to define Christianity as including certain political views as doctrine, to put our trust in our nation to supply all the promises of God, and as the perceived deliverers of some of those promises our troops and police are treated almost as a class of priests. And I find this to be simply unacceptable. Let's do a brief history of what I mean. When the nation of Israel was founded, it was founded on God. It wasn't a theocracy, as we now understand the term, where the government was operated by the religion, but rather God ruled the people directly and would, as needed, raise up a judge to act on His behalf. This judge was generally outside the religious authority, and operated simply by doing what God had commanded them and frequently calling the people to participate. But that was it, there was no long-term human governing structure in place, there was no standing army, there was no capital. God delivered them from their enemies and provided their needs. But during Samuel's term as judge, the people of Israel sought to have a king like all the nations around them. God did not respond well to this; He gave them a king, Saul, but He condemned the request. Their hearts were described in 1 Samuel above where God called them out for trusting in human authority rather than His provision. Now, because Saul was followed by David, I think there's a tendency to view the rule of kings as a generally good, or at least morally neutral, thing. In light of this, the promise that a descendant of David would sit on the throne forever was taken as a promise that there would be a restoration of the human government that would never fall again. The church, in light of Constantine, looked to the kings of Israel as an example of how religion should be bound to political authority. But remember, God condemned the very concept of a king over His people. We cannot read the rule of kings as anything other than a human plan inferior to God's design. If Christ is the fulfillment of the promised descendant of David, then it makes more sense to read this promise as one in which God Himself will again rule over His people. And if that looks anything like judges-era Israel, then that means that we put our trust in God to provide our needs and stand as our defense. And such is promised throughout the New Testament. Christ reminds people that God is a good Father who knows what we need before we ask and will surely provide for us much more than He provides for the grasses of the field and the birds of the air. Paul reminds churches that God is faithful to provide. We have promises that the wrongs committed against us will be avenged by God's hand and not our own, that He will be with us through trials and tribulations, that God will be our shield and He ultimately wields judgment. Now I know that some of this has yet to be fulfilled. I do not believe that Christ has instituted the fullness of an earthly kingdom, or that we have nothing to do with the nation in which we live. But when I hear Christians talking about how they need their guns because they have to protect their families, because they have to be ready to oppose the government with force if it tries to stifle our faith, the simple answer is that no, you don't. You are not the source of your family's security, and no amount of guns will make you the source of your security. We have ultimate freedom because Christ died to free us from sin, and no number of troops have ever or will ever die to secure us a freedom on par with that. Similarly, no law providing food or healthcare will ever match the provision that God promises to His people. Listen, the government and its programs are not necessarily bad things, but we cannot make them ultimate things. We have Christ as our ultimate ruler, and our desire to put our faith in earthly governments and armies and weapons and programs instead of His provision puts us in the same place as Israel when Samuel declared that they had rejected their God by putting their hope in an earthly king. It may be that God will choose to provide protection by means of a military, to provide food by means of a government program. He has that right and power. But when He does, we cannot lose sight of the fact that He is still the one providing it. We make our nation an idol when we hear the promises of God and put our faith in human rulers to deliver on those promises. We make our nation an idol when we treat the honoring of that nation's flag as important as the honoring of our Lord. We make our nation an idol when we declare assistance programs to be the only way to bring life to people that Christ died for. We make our nation an idol when we play at sharing even an ounce of His glory and reverence with the human agents He has chosen to use. But, "my beloved, flee from idolatry" (1 Corinthians 10:14, NASB).
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Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not [merely] look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, [and] being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:3-8 (NASB) Hymn: "Praise to the Lord, The Almighty" Joachim Neander, trans. Catherine Winkworth If I had a dollar for every person who I've seen hurt by the church, or who told me about how a similar hurt drove them out of Christianity, I could likely begin my future missions work today with little, if any, fundraising. Now, there is a certain degree to which the severity of pains suffered at church are inflated simply because of the nature of the church. This is a place that people invest deeply in, where we are encouraged to consider each other family, where we look at the love described of Christ and then find our fellows to fall so short of that mark. But rather than belittling these concerns, this should highlight the fact that the blows do happen, and they stand in stark contrast to Jesus' description that "by this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35 NASB). But what can we do? In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul is explaining that there are some things the mature Christian can do and environments they can enter because they have come to know Christ well enough to discern a healthy way to do so, but there are other Christians who may, even if mature in other ways, struggle with those particular things and environments. Now, this is not the specific nature of the examples I gave above, but the principle he then describes still applies: we, as Christians, need to consider the spiritual well-being of those around us as more important than ourselves. Neither I, nor Paul, argue that we should let sin reign in the church just so we can hopefully keep the people comfortable with that sin around long enough that they might catch religion. But when someone who needs a word of advice or correction is approached in a painful way because the one approaching is not comfortable doing it in a way that is healthy for the recipient, that is a problem. When the deacon puts the goals and expectations of their own little area of ministry over the needs of the body or even the needs of an individual within that body, that is a problem. When we drive someone out and openly condemn them because they, while holding sound doctrine and a visibly growing relationship with Christ, don't practice Christianity in the exact way we want it practiced, that is a problem. We have this understanding, that I've heard attributed to a number of church fathers, that withholding resources that we have in abundance is the same as stealing from those who need those resources; is that not true also of withholding a word of comfort or an apology or a promise to correct errors, when we have the full power to do so and a brother or sister is in need of it? Paul tells us to put others in the body before ourselves, to the point that we may even have to give up things that we know we don't do in sin, if it helps someone else not fall into sin. And he tells us in Romans that this is done in line with the example set by Christ. Consider: Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not [just] please ourselves. Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, "THE REPROACHES OF THOSE WHO REPROACHED YOU FELL ON ME."...Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. Romans 15:1-3, 7 (NASB) Christ gave up Heaven, He gave up all status and glory and authority to accept us. In the end He regained all of it, but Christ gave up everything that was rightfully His in order to accept us. If we are to accept our brothers and sisters in Christ just as Christ has accepted us, then we need to set aside our preferences and our desires and our comforts whenever they would hinder the spiritual health of those around us. But the example Christ gave isn't even limited to those in our family of faith. After all, everyone Christ died for was an enemy of God when He died. Following the example of Christ means spreading this love even to those who are not in the church, even to those who would oppose the church, even to those who would kill us given the chance, just as Jesus loved those who mocked Him as He hung on their cross. Jesus, having just told His followers to love even their enemies, observes: If you love those who love you, what credit is [that] to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is [that] to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is [that] to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same [amount.] But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil [men.] Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:32-36 (NASB) It is not enough to simply try to do these things, however. We cannot love each other perfectly, but Christ can love perfectly through us. We cannot build the perfect church through our own efforts, for "unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it" (Psalm 127:1a NASB). We must allow God to change our hearts, guide our relationships, love those around us with our hands and our mouths and our feet and our resources. Do I glorify God by how I treat the people around me? Do I reflect His love for them in all my dealings? If not, may I be quick to repent and place these things in the hands of the only One who is truly capable.
Hymn: "Lead On, O King Eternal" Ernest W. Shurleff, Henry T. Smart Today's reading, across the multiple sources I use, included Psalm 126, Luke 6:20-26, 1 Corinthians 7:25-31, 1 Samuel 2:1-11, and Romans 15:1-13. But I accidentally read the wrong page at one point and, instead of reading the last two, actually read 1 Samuel 2:12-21 and Philippians 4:10-23. But this accident on my end worked out pretty well. Psalm 126 is about God pouring out His blessings on His people again. It talks about God restoring the fortunes to Zion (in the ESV, some other translations use language about returning from captivity), but it is surprisingly vague about what kinds of blessings God offers. Many of the psalms have a direct object in mind: destroying Israel's enemies, pulling the author through a dark period, something fairly specific. But not this one. And the wording of the ESV may encourage a view that the fortunes God provides are, well, either fortune (in cash) or fortune (in success). It is true that God sometimes blesses people with these things, but the rest of my reading was very keen on removing that as a first, or even as any form of, expectation. Both Psalm 126 and the passage from Luke (which came from different parts of my reading plan unrelated to each other), as shown above, end on the promise that those who sow in reaping shall harvest in joy. But while the psalm begins with citing God's favor, Jesus in Luke has just called the poor, the hungry, those who weep, and the despised "blessed." While the specific verses in 1 Corinthians were mostly Paul's advice about whether or not to change one's marital status after becoming a Christian, the chapter has a general thrust about glorifying God with the circumstances one has in light of the form of this world passing away, instead of concerning oneself with radically change them. The portion of Philippians was concerned with how Paul has learned to be content with all circumstances and is now urging his readers to mirror that. And 1 Samuel was a cautionary section, about God opposing priests who put their own appetites and desires above their service to God and His commands. While yesterday's reading was all about leaning on God for rest, today was all about leaning on God for so much more. His greatest blessing, in the end, is Himself. God is with us; when we mourn we can cry to Him, He provides when we are poor and hungry, He is making all things new and working in our circumstances to bring restoration to all things, He is our source of contentment. "But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. "Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe [to you] who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. "Woe [to you] when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way. Luke 6:24-26 (NASB) This is important to God, to the point that He stands opposed to those who rely on themselves and their own resources. Why? Because God knows that nothing we can ever do for ourselves, nothing we can ever work for or provide, will ever be as good as that which pours freely from Himself. When we envy what others have, when we seek to take our provision into our own hands, when we accumulate for ourselves, we stand opposed to the God who will gladly give all we need. Our desire for self-sufficiency, which is so important to modern western culture, is direct rebellion against God and a lapse of faith in His goodness and ability to know and meet our needs. Every comfort of this life will pass away, but God remains. James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have [its] perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. James 1:1-6 (NASB) Those who trust in the LORD
Are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the LORD surrounds His people From this time forth and forever. Psalm 125:1-2 (NASB) Hymn: "My Jesus, As Thou Wilt!" Benjamin Schmolck, C. M. von Weber On the way to school this morning, I listened to the audio version of the Book of Joshua, and the first couple chapters of Judges. It was a difficult morning, I worked a closing shift last night which didn't get me into bed until nearly 1 and, thanks to my commute on Tuesdays, I was in the car again by 5:30. I was trying desperately to keep up with my classes, and when I had the chance to take a brief nap in the afternoon, I had trouble falling asleep and ended up working on a project for a study group instead. It was all running, and while I know that I am better prepared to do devotionals later in the day, I didn't intend to push it until 10 tonight. But that's what I did. I prayed this evening, and found my mind bending toward the desire to be better about spending time in the word and in seeking after God and His will in all that I do. The hymn I found and prayed clicked well with this, being focused on the desire to do the work Jesus wills one to do. With Joshua dealing a great deal with serving the commands of the Lord, and Judges picking up that refrain right from the beginning, I was feeling a trend. And that was great, I thought, but I wasn't considering how none of what was going through my mind in that moment really said what that will and command would be in my current situation. I decided in my reading today to begin using a devotional I'd picked up last month at a sale a couple towns over, which included a reading plan. So I read the passages included there, as well as the ones listed for the day on this year's Catholic liturgical calendar because I just like the idea of a liturgical calendar and still haven't figured out how to read the Book of Common Prayer I was gifted last year. Psalm 125 talked about God's people standing firm and God protecting them and the blessings He has for those who seek His commands rather than their own "crooked ways." But the rest of my reading suddenly began to take a specific turn. It included almost all of Nehemiah 13, in which Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem to find some guy living in the temple, the priests breaking their oaths through marriage, and people just generally profaning the Sabbath. I noticed, in a way that I never had before, that not only does Nehemiah drive out the merchants and ensure the gates are closed for the Sabbath, but once that work is settled, he sets the priests to guard the gates "to keep the Sabbath holy." He reminds the people that they were originally driven out of the land, and the city destroyed, in large part because they failed to keep the Sabbath. He makes it a very important part of his restoration of the city, and then sets priests to guard the gates. This struck me, but I couldn't place why yet. There is a certain degree to which I still haven't. The last bit of reading was Hebrews 3, in which the author notes the supremacy of Christ to Moses, and a warning that the people who left Egypt with Moses did not enter God's rest due to disbelief. I didn't get to Hebrews 4, that's on tomorrow's reading list, but I know where this thought process goes. Moses gave commands, one of which was to honor the Sabbath, but God promised through Moses a greater rest to come. The people took this as the promised land, which to a degree was true, but even Joshua points to a coming rest. God's rest was not yet fully realized, and even what had been realized was lost as they were taken from the land, forcing Nehemiah to enforce the institute of the Sabbath and place it among the tasks of the very people who had been commanded to serve in the temple. We can find rest in Christ because He has done the work we could not, He has brought us into the people of God, He has granted us peace and comfort and deliverance from sin and fear. If I'm going to follow the commands of my God, as I prayed and read and pondered all day, then I must obey the command to rest in Him. He doesn't need me to run around all day, to put off my reading and my sleep. God has work for me, but He has decided that this work must be done by a refreshed, peaceful, loving servant and not from a rushed fool. God is not a taskmaster who will push and push and demand and demand, He is the source of all comfort who promises to give His strength and to carry my burdens and to bring me to the place where I can enjoy Him in true rest forever. The Sabbath is a taste, sweet as honey, of a day of rest that will never end; but we can know some of that rest now, and are commanded to do so. These were wonderful words to a tired man.
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Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation
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