May the mumbling commence!
God sees beyond our outward appearances. God sees our hearts. But there are times, if we pay attention,
that we will see the heart of someone else by what they do or what they have or
how they respond to an adverse situation.
I was thinking of this as I was reading about the family
of Saul. There is definitely some dysfunction
going on there. Saul had it out for his
son-in-law David. Look how David’s wife,
Michal defeated her father’s plan to kill David… Read from First Samuel chapter nineteen:
Then Saul sent troops to watch David's house. They were told to kill David when he came out the next
morning. But Michal, David's wife, warned him, "If you
don't get away tonight, you will be dead by morning." So she helped him climb out through a window,
and he escaped. Then
she took an idol and put it in his bed, covered it with
blankets, and put a cushion of goat's hair at its head. When the troops came to arrest David, she
told them he was sick and couldn't get out of bed.
"Then bring him to me in his bed," Saul
ordered, "so I can kill him as
he lies there!" And
he sent them back to David's house. But
when they came to carry David out, they discovered that it was
only an idol in the bed with a cushion of goat's hair at its
head. (Verses 11-16)
Protecting human life is always
right. That is a feather in Michal’s
cap. In this way, she outshines her
father.
Yet, Michal deceives her father’s
men… and the way she deceives them. She
used an idol to simulate David being sick in bed. What was an idol doing in her household? What was an idol doing in the household of
the King of Israel?
Of all the questions that this
passage brings up, this question is on the forefront of my mind. There should be no idols in Israel. It shows the heart of Saul and his
family. Their hearts were not after
God. Their hearts were rotting from
within.
Who do our hearts chase after…
idols or the Lord? It is an essential
question to ask. What idols do we need
to banish from our lives?
God knows our hearts. Clean our hearts, O God. Help us to follow You – just as the apostles
did in the nomination of a disciple to take the place of Judas Iscariot. Read from Acts chapter one:
"Brothers,
it was necessary for the Scriptures to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who
guided the Temple police to arrest Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the
Holy Spirit, speaking through King David.
Judas was one of us, chosen to share in the ministry with us."
(Judas bought a
field with the money he received for his treachery, and falling there, he burst
open, spilling out his intestines. The
news of his death spread rapidly among all the people of Jerusalem, and they
gave the place the Aramaic name Akeldama,
which means "Field of Blood.")
Peter continued,
"This was predicted in the book of Psalms, where it says, 'Let his home
become desolate, with no one living in it.' And again, 'Let his position be
given to someone else.'
So now we must choose another man to take Judas's place.
It must be someone who has been with us all the time that we were with the Lord
Jesus – from the time he was baptized by John until the day he was taken from
us into heaven. Whoever is chosen will join us as a witness of Jesus'
resurrection."
So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also
known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they all prayed for the right man to be chosen.
"O Lord," they said, "you know every heart. Show us which of
these men you have chosen as an apostle to replace Judas the traitor in this
ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs." Then they cast lots, and in this way Matthias
was chosen and became an apostle with the other eleven. (Verses 16-26)
Prayer reveals the heart of the
person praying. If open to it, the heart
of the person praying will be transformed.
God knows our hearts, and God knows where our hearts should really be –
focused totally on the Lord and the mission God has given us. Worship God and proclaim the Holy Name to all
we meet.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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