The King of Glory; Ps 24, Ps 65, Ps 110, Ps 19

May the mumbling commence!

Let us sing a psalm of praise to the King of glory.  As the Third Day song asks, “Who is the King of glory?”  Psalm 24:10 answers the question.  “Who is this King of glory?  The Lord Almighty – he is the King of glory.”  The Lord Almighty is the King of glory.  As Psalm 19:1 tells us, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”  I witnessed this proclamation early this morning when I saw the beautiful sliver of a moon in the sky.

And the same Creator that made the heavens controls them even now.  God has the power to still the chaos of our lives.  Hebrew thought equated the sea’s turbulence to chaos.  Read the words of Psalm 65:7, which describe what God has done – “[God] who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations.”

Yes, by the power of DABAR, the spoken Word of God, the Lord subdues the chaos and the greatest fears of our lives.  Read about the word of the Lord from Psalm 19:7-11 –

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.

The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. 

The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.

The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. 

They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. 

By them is your servant warned;

            in keeping them there is great reward.

Yes, taste and see that the Lord is good.  And who is the Word of God?  Jesus the Messiah is the word of God.  Jesus is Prophet and Priest and King.  Read about Jesus in Psalm 110.  [King = Purple, Priest = Green, and Prophet = Blue.  (Because the Prophet side of Jesus saturates the other two roles, I chose Blue as the color for Prophet – it is in both Purple and Green.)]

The Lord says to my Lord:

            "Sit at my right hand

            until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." 

The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion;

            you will rule in the midst of your enemies. 

Your troops will be willing on your day of battle.

Arrayed in holy majesty,

            from the womb of the dawn

            you will receive the dew of your youth. 

The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind:

            "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." 

The Lord is at your right hand;

            he will crush kings on the day of his wrath. 

He will judge the nations,

            heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth. 

He will drink from a brook beside the way;

            therefore he will lift up his head.

I love the mysterious figure of Melchizedek (from Gen 14).  He makes an appearance in my favorite letter of the New Testament – Hebrews.  Was Melchizedek from Genesis an appearance of Jesus in another form?  Perhaps…  But, at the very least, he foreshadows Christ.

I will close with the familiar ending of Psalm 19 (Verse 14)

May the words of my mouth

            and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,

O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. 

Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out

The Foolish Heart of Worship; 2 Sam 6, 1 Chronicles 15-16

May the mumbling commence!

What is the heart of worship?  There is a popular worship song about just that, and the song tells us that it is all about Jesus.  The witness in 1 Chronicles is concerned about the heart of worship.  And the result is beautiful.  Both 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles record the story of the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Israel, but 1 Chronicles has much more beautiful detail than 2 Samuel.

Oh, to be a fool for God in our full worship!  Have you ever been in a worship service where you watched carefully what others were doing?  You know, you watch others to gauge what is appropriate to do – like raising hands or clapping to the beat or moving to the beat or swaying to the music.  If a worshiper is alone doing these things, she might feel abnormal.  If you are doing something that bucks the trend, then you feel isolated and perhaps foolish.  Have you ever been the only one to stand during a hymn?  It’s hard to continue isn’t it?

What if we would allow ourselves to get caught up in the moment of worship, the moment of our meeting with the Mighty God?  What if we would close our eyes?  Then it would not matter what others were doing.  We could fearlessly express our praise of the Lord the way God calls us to.  What a wonderful concept!  Perhaps it would be uplifting to worship with our eyes closed.  We could call it practice for being fools for Christ.

David was a man after God’s heart, and he did not care how he appeared to others or even how he appeared to himself.  David gave himself fully to worship, being swept away in the presence of the Lord.  Oh, to be swept away!  To be swept away into reverence for the Lord.  In 1 Chronicles 15:12-13, David realizes his fault in how the Ark was first transported (with the cart and oxen).  Read the passage:

He said to them, "You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it.  It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way."

The Levites carried the Ark and led the processional to Jerusalem.  They led the singing and music.  David and the rest of Israel danced.  David danced with all his might, while his wife Michal watched from above.  Michal thought he was a fool.  Michal upbraided David saying that he disrobed and danced in his underwear before the slave girls (as 2 Samuel 6:20 tells it).  Read David’s response from 2 Samuel 6:21-22 –

David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord's people Israel – I will celebrate before the Lord.  I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."

If only we could be as fervent in our worship to the Lord!  O, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness…  I will close with a portion of a beautiful psalm of David (from 1 Chronicles 16:23-29) –

Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. 

Declare his glory among the nations,

            his marvelous deeds among all peoples. 

For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;

            he is to be feared above all gods. 

For all the gods of the nations are idols,

            but the Lord made the heavens. 

Splendor and majesty are before him;

            strength and joy in his dwelling place. 

Ascribe to the Lord, O families of nations,

            ascribe to the Lord glory and strength, 

ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.

Bring an offering and come before him;

            worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

Enough mumbling for today…  

Peace Out.

Revere the Lord in All You Do; 2 Sam 6; 1 Chr 13

May the mumbling commence!

The Hebrew Bible, like the New Testament gospels, has different witnesses to the same events.  Today’s reading gives us the 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles recording of the return of the Ark of the Covenant.  Once David became established in Jerusalem, he began to build a palace.  The Lord was granting the house of David stability that it didn’t have before, and David wanted to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem to be nearby.  1 Chronicles 13:3 gives the reason that David wanted the Ark nearby: “Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not inquire of it during the reign of Saul."

Now there was more time to reflect on the Lord and to inquire of the Lord.  When David and the people sought to bring the Ark of the Covenant from Abinadab’s house, it became readily apparent that some of the teachings of the Lord were forgotten.  Read from 1 Chronicles 13:7-10 –

They moved the ark of God from Abinadab's house on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it.  David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, cymbals and trumpets. 

When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled.  The Lord's anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.   

David experienced anger and fear of the Lord with Uzzah’s death – both 1 Chronicles and 2 Samuel agree on this account.  David did not understand the wrath of the Lord in this case.  David either was not aware or ignored the command of the Lord to have only Levites carry the Ark of the Covenant. 

The Lord’s wrath was bubbling up long before the oxen stumbled and Uzzah reached out to steady the Ark.  Indeed the 2 Samuel witness tells us that the act of Uzzah was irreverent, but his act stemmed from the irreverent way David had chosen to move the Ark.  We also learn from the Samuel witness that Uzzah and Ahio are the sons of Abinadab.

In this context, David and all Israel were celebrating before the Lord with all their might.  They were celebrating the Lord with reckless abandon.  Usually this kind of celebration is good.  However, when they celebrated the Lord, they did not make sure that they did so with full regard to the Lord’s wishes.

We need to be careful when we celebrate in worship that that celebration is centered on God and no one or nothing else.  We must be sure that the Lord is being revered in all that we do.  So, let’s be careful not to celebrate our preachers or our song leaders or our worship leaders.  Let’s be careful not to celebrate the technology or the worship space.  All these things are great when they serve the purpose of celebrating and revering the Lord.

May all that we do bring glory and honor and praise to the Lord above.  It is the greatest goal of worship.  It is the greatest goal of life.  Think about that when you go to work and when you come home.  Think about that when you shop for groceries and when you fill up the car at the pump.  Think about it always.

Just as prayer should be unceasing, so should our worship be.  May I show my love for the Lord as I interact with God’s people, as I interact with my students on the bus, as I interact with my co-workers, and as I interact with all those who come across my path.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

In Hot Pursuit of the Best Thing; Ps 78

May the mumbling commence!

“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).”  Jesus quotes these verses as a part of the greatest commandment.  So ask yourself: “To what do I give all my heart and soul and strength?”  God wants more than lip service and listlessly going through the motions.  God wants the full devotion of our hearts, souls and minds. 

And we give the Lord our best because the Lord shows His love for us by being the Great I Am, merciful and loving.  If we choose to forget the basis for our devotion to God, then we will be in danger of wandering as Israel did many times.  The Hebrew Bible is full of instances of God’s devotion and Israel’s wandering.  Psalm 78 chronicles some of this history.  I will look specifically at verses 32-39.  They eloquently speak of the general pattern.  Read it below:

In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;

            in spite of his wonders, they did not believe. 

So he ended their days in futility and their years in terror. 

Whenever God slew them, they would seek him;

            they eagerly turned to him again. 

They remembered that God was their Rock,

            that God Most High was their Redeemer. 

But then they would flatter him with their mouths,

            lying to him with their tongues; 

their hearts were not loyal to him,

            they were not faithful to his covenant. 

Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them.

Time after time he restrained his anger

and did not stir up his full wrath. 

He remembered that they were but flesh,

            a passing breeze that does not return.   

“In spite of all this” refers to the punishment of the loving God.  God allowed His people to reap what they had sown in hopes that they would return to Him.  Israel had left their faith in the Lord for other things, despite the wonders that the Lord had done for them.  So, the Lord turned up the heat of oppression to get Israel’s attention.

Finally they listened.  Finally they remembered.  Finally they proclaimed God Most High as their Redeemer.  But the proclamation was only a lip service.  Israel still clung to the things that they had picked up to fill the place that rightfully belonged to God.  The Lord knew them even better than they knew themselves.  Still, God was merciful.

I give thanks this day for the mercy of God in my life.  God knows me even better than I know myself.  What’s amazing – God still loves me.  My deepest desire is to transform my life so that I can be a vessel of God to share this love with the world.  Yes, I need ongoing transformation in my life to have a hope of being a perfect vessel carrying God’s love and light and mercy to the world. 

Those who know me best can see that patience is needed.  The Holy Spirit is still at work within my life.  I want my life to surpass mere flattery and lip service.  I want God to transform my attitude of unworthiness.  I am a beloved child of God.  When my attitude is transformed, then my thoughts will become healthier.  My thoughts will affect my words, and my words will affect my actions.  And there will be a concert of genuine praise to the Great I Am.

This potential is in each one of us.  Chase after God’s heart with everything you’ve got.  Be in hot pursuit of the best thing.  And you will be transformed by God’s Spirit – deeply transformed in attitudes, thoughts, words, and actions.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Loving Your Enemies Beyond the Grave; 2 Sam 2-4

May the mumbling commence!

Greetings!  Welcome to my 100^th post.  Hope you are enjoying the trip through the chronological Bible as much as I am.  Thank you to my faithful readers.  If no one else gets anything out of these posts, I will.  Today’s reading continues in 2 Samuel.  I find the continuing honor that David gives to the family of Saul remarkable.  The love of enemies continues even after their death – it continues to the next generation.

Even as David began his reign over Judah in Hebron, Saul’s remaining son, Ish-Bosheth, is crowned king over the remainder of Israel.  Israel mimicked their kingship after the ones of the nations that surrounded them.  It only seemed right to pass the throne to one of Saul’s sons.  (I wonder how much our desire for being like the peoples and nations around us prevent us from aligning ourselves with the Lord’s Anointed One – Jesus the Christ.)  Because of these conflicting reigns, there was constant war between David’s men and Ish-Bosheth’s men.

Behind Ish-Bosheth was Abner, who was the commander of the armies of Israel.  When Abner fell to David’s men (and not at David’s wish – in fact David mourned over Abner), Ish-Bosheth was terrified.  Two of Ish-Bosheth’s raiding party leaders snuck into the bedroom quarters of Ish-Bosheth, where they killed Ish-Bosheth in his sleep.  They cut off his head and carried to David, thinking that David would reward him – much like the man that reported the death of Saul and Jonathan to David.  Read the interaction between David and these two men from 2 Samuel 4:8-12 –

They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, "Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who tried to take your life. This day the Lord has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring." 

David answered Recab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, "As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of all trouble, when a man told me, 'Saul is dead,' and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news!  How much more – when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed – should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!" 

So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them. They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner's tomb at Hebron.   

Again, there were men thinking that David would rejoice at the fall of his enemies.  David even recalled to these men what he had done to the man who killed Saul.  And it seems that David already knew the circumstances of the murder, and he was appalled at their actions.  Would a more honorable killing have been acceptable?  I doubt it.  David was fulfilling the vows that he made to Saul (and later he will fulfill his vows to Jonathan).  The vows did not become null and void with the death of Saul.  David was a man of his word.   These men were expecting reward and they received a death sentence instead.

Can you and I love our enemies so deeply?  Will we vow to protect our enemy’s children?  Will we vow to do them no harm?  David did these very things for Saul, who sought his life.  Jesus tells us to love our enemies.  When I look at the life of David, I see loving enemies put into action.  It is possible on the personal and on the political level!

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Distress and Grief; 1 Sam 30-31 & 2 Sam 1

May the mumbling commence!

Where do we go with our grief and distress?  Do we bottle them up inside of us, until we explode in anger and retribution?  Let’s look at the ending of 1 Samuel and the beginning of 2 Samuel to find clues from the life of David, the man after God’s own heart.

In 1 Samuel 30, David, who had been successfully shamming the Philistines, had been continuing the sham as he followed them into battle with Israel.  The other Philistine commanders did not trust David, so they forced King Achish to send him back home (1 Sam 29).  When David and his men returned to Ziklag, the city King Achish gave to them, they found it plundered and burned. 

Following through on their sham with King Achish had caused them to leave the city of Ziklag relatively unprotected.  They mourned and wept for their lost spouses and lost children.  David was not untouched either both his wives were missing.  And David was deeply distressed.  His leadership had a part in this tragedy, and his men realized it.  They were talking about stoning David.  What did David do in his distress?  Read from 1 Samuel 30:6b-8 –

But David found strength in the Lord his God.  Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the Lord, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?"

"Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue."

After inquiring of the Lord, David and took four of his six-hundred men (200 were too tired to come).  They overcame the Amalekites and recovered all the plunder, including plunder from Judah.  David’s men drove the flocks and herds before David, announcing as they went that this was David’s plunder.  When they reached the other 200 men who had stayed behind because of their exhaustion, they thought they were being kind by giving those who had stayed behind their wives and children and sending them away.  These men did not put their lives at risk to recover the plunder.  This grieved David, so David spoke these words and followed through with these actions (as recorded in 1 Samuel 30:23b-30) –

"No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and handed over to us the forces that came against us.  Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike." 

David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this. 

When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, "Here is a present for you from the plunder of the Lord's enemies."  He sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir; to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa and Racal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where David and his men had roamed.

David divided the plunder by returning the plunder to the places and the people that it came from.

Then, David and his men returned to Ziklag, where they began to pick up the pieces.  Once again the return to Ziklag brought ill tidings.  Saul and his son Jonathan were killed in battle and Israel was defeated by the Philistines.  The man who brought the news probably thought he would be rewarded.  He must have been distressed and confused when David and his men wept for Saul and Jonathan.  Why would someone weep for those who sought their lives?  The man was paid by his death. 

But David’s grief would quickly turn to celebration, right?  Now he could ascend to the throne that the Lord had given him.  Wrong.  David, in his sadness, wrote a lament honoring both Saul and Jonathan, which is recorded at the end of 2 Samuel 1.  May you and I grieve half as well for the fall of our enemies.  

Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out

Let Us Rise With Him; Ps 69, 86 & 131

May the mumbling commence!

Jesus is risen!  (He is risen, indeed!)  May all of you have a blessed Resurrection Sunday.  In honor of the glorious day that we especially set aside to celebrate our risen Lord (We should celebrate the resurrection every day of our lives!), I will focus on some portions of Psalms 69 and 86 that particularly ring out to me when I think of the passion of Christ.  

The first passage that I will look at is from Psalm 69:7-9 –

            For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face. 

I am a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my own mother's sons; 

for zeal for your house consumes me,

            and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.

How can anyone read this passage without thinking of the insults hurled upon Jesus as he hung on the cross?  Every time I fall short of the purpose that God has made me for, I join these people in hurling insults at my Lord and Savior.  And what is at the heart of the purpose that God has for all people? 

Read this passage from Psalm 69:30-33 –

I will praise God's name in song

            and glorify him with thanksgiving. 

This will please the Lord more than an ox,

more than a bull with its horns and hoofs. 

The poor will see and be glad –

            you who seek God, may your hearts live! 

The Lord hears the needy and does not despise his captive people.  

We were born to praise, glorify, and honor the Lord with thanksgiving.  God will be more pleased with us if we worship Him truly than if we fall short and need to offer sacrifices or lean upon the greatest and most perfect sacrifice of all – Jesus. 

And proclamation is part of this purpose for all lives.  Through the message of Jesus that we bring, the poor will see and be glad.  The message will lead people to seek God and live.  God is out there.  God is listening.  God can set anyone free.  So if you are not, seek God today with all your heart – like David who wrote this Psalm.  

Now, I turn to another passage from Psalm 69, verses 19-21 –

You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed;

            all my enemies are before you. 

Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless;

I looked for sympathy, but there was none,

for comforters, but I found none. 

They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.

Again, how can we read these words on Resurrection Sunday and not think of Jesus on the cross?  The wanton blood thirst of humanity had brought Jesus to the agonizingly slow death on the cross.  Jesus’ heart must have been broken by the utter rejection.  There was no sympathy or comfort from the people.  The soldiers, indeed, put vinegar in the sponge that they offered Jesus to slake his thirst.  

Let us not be proud.  Let out hearts be content (as the brief Psalm 131 implores us).  Let us cry out to God like David in Psalm 86:11-15 –

Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth;

give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. 

I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;

            I will glorify your name forever. 

For great is your love toward me;

            you have delivered me from the depths of the grave. 

The arrogant are attacking me, O God;

            a band of ruthless men seeks my life –

men without regard for you. 

But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,

slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. 

Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out

You Are in Good Hands; Ps 31 & 40

May the mumbling commence!

You are in good hands.  These words may remind you of a certain commercial.  I won’t name the company, but I am sure many of you know the one I speak about.  Well, I will be looking at portions of Psalms 31 and 40.  David proclaims to us in these Psalms that the only good hands to be in are the hands of God.

Twas the day before Easter and all through my head verse five of Psalm 31 rings through my being.  “Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.”  Jesus spoke similar words when he was breathing his last on the cross.  One more day of living with the incredible sacrifice that Jesus suffered for our benefit.  I look forward to Resurrection Sunday – it is always extra special when I get to preach the word, like I will tomorrow.

Later in Psalm 31, David gives reason for the trust that he puts in the Lord’s hands. Read verses 14-16:

But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, "You are my God." 

My times are in your hands;

            deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me. 

Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.

Too often, we assign too much influence to ourselves, to others, and to the things of our lives.  Why cannot we say with David, “Our times are in Your hands?”  And there is no better hands to be in than the hands of the One who loves unfailingly.

The question on my mind this Holy Week is: how do we return this unfailing love?  To find the answer, I now turn to a portion of Psalm 40.  Read it below.

Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but my ears you have pierced;

burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. 

Then I said, "Here I am, I have come –

            it is written about me in the scroll. 

I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart." 

I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;

            I do not seal my lips, as you know, O Lord. 

I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;

           I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.

I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly. (Verses 6-10)

Pierce our ears, O Lord.  Open them so that we may hear You true.  You do not want us to stumble and seek Your favor through sacrificial offerings.  You want from us the deep desire to do Your will, with the Spirit of the Law within our hearts.  It is all too easy to stop at this point in the Psalm for those from a service oriented background.  Let our actions speak for us.

No.  I proclaim Your righteousness in the great assembly.  I speak of Your faithfulness and salvation.  I can neither hide nor conceal Your righteousness, Your love, or Your truth from the great assembly – even if I wanted to hide and conceal them.

May we speak clearly to the world through the concert of our words and actions speaking as one.  If we only speak the words and not do them, no one will listen.  If we only do the requirements and not speak of our Lord, then the world may think that we do these things of our own righteousness.

With the Lord Jesus, I am in good hands.  Jesus brings me joy, and I can neither sit still nor keep quiet.  What righteousness!  What unfailing love!  What truth!

Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out