The Best Architect and Source of Security; Ps 127, 1 Kings 6

May the mumbling commence!

Unless the Lord builds the house, the people labor in vain.  Read a psalm of Solomon, Psalm 127:1-2 –

Unless the Lord builds the house,

its builders labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city,

the watchmen stand guard in vain. 

In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat –

for he grants sleep to those he loves.

Early to rise and late to bed – it’s the mantra of US greed.  I will outwork you at all costs.  I will make myself independently wealthy.  I will build a mansion and buy the best security system money can buy.  But, unless the Lord watches over me, I am doomed to failure.  I will lose sleep rather than sleep well.  So, how do I get the Lord to build and watch over my house?  I look to 1 Kings 6:11-13 –

The word of the Lord came to Solomon:  "As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, carry out my regulations and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father.  And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel."

If I labor at maintaining a relationship with the Lord by obeying His commandments, decrees, and regulations; then the Lord will live in, build, and watch over my home.  It will mean resting in the Lord – no more early to rise and late to sleep.  It will mean forgetting any dreams of wealth at the expense of my health or the health of my family or the health of those around me.  It will mean living within my means so that I can bless others with the blessing that the Lord has given me.  It will mean putting my trust in the Lord rather than a home security system.  It will mean restful nights.

Now that I think about it, why would I ever choose differently?  May I choose to labor by the side of my Lord.  May I choose to rest in the watchful care and love of my Lord.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

True Marital Love & True Majesty; Song of Songs 8; Ps 45

May the mumbling commence!

Today, we learn of marital love at its best from the Song of Songs or the Song of Solomon.  We learn of true majesty from Psalm 45.  Let us look first at the qualities of marital love at its best:

Place me like a seal over your heart,

like a seal on your arm;

for love is as strong as death,

its jealousy unyielding as the grave.

It burns like blazing fire,

like a mighty flame. 

Many waters cannot quench love;

rivers cannot wash it away.

If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love,

it would be utterly scorned. (Song of Solomon 8:6-7)

The power of love is like a mighty flame – indeed like the very flame of the Lord.  It seals our hearts, softens are attitudes, and hardens our resolve.  Our attitudes guide the work of our arms.  Our resolve defeats mortal threats on our love.  This flame cannot be quenched by many waters or rushing rivers. 

The thought of rushing rivers hits home in these days, with the overflowing banks of the Mississippi River.  We are being reminded of the destructive power of large amounts of water.  We look at the rising waters.  We sandbag.  We retreat in utter defeat.  Waters like these and even greater than these cannot quench the flame of marital love.

And money cannot buy such a strong marital love.  Even the wealthiest of kings cannot buy it.  Are you a Beatles fan?  If you are, then the song “Can’t Buy Me Love” must be ringing in your ears.  At its best, marital love cannot be bribed or bought into or out of existence.

Now, let’s turn to look at true majesty in Psalm 45:

In your majesty ride forth victoriously

            in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness;

let your right hand display awesome deeds. (Psalm 45:4)

Majesty is genuinely victorious when it acts in truth, humility and righteousness.  As Christians, truth and righteousness seem apropos.  But what about humility – is it apropos?  In the US, humility is rarely associated with either victory or majesty.  Majesty, whether it is awarded through Hollywood or through song or through sports, is often seen as a license to be as proud and demanding as possible.  How can we accomplish this feat to wed majesty and victory with humility?  Read from Psalm 45: 6-7 –

Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;

            a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.     

You love righteousness and hate wickedness;

therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions

           by anointing you with the oil of joy.  

Here is the reminder: only the Lord is truly majestic.  If the Lord guides our actions, then we will be a truly majestic reflection of the Lord.  And we will have joy!  So, go forth celebrating true marital love and true majesty.  When we strive for these things in our lives, we reflect the Lord’s light on the world.

Enough mumbling for today…

Peace Out

Testify! Ps 50

May the mumbling commence!

God testifies numerous times against Israel in the Hebrew Bible.  Does God testify against us in the same way?  Today’s reading includes Psalm 50.  Read this passage from Psalm 50:7-15 –

"Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel,

and I will testify against you: I am God, your God. 

 I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings,

which are ever before me. 

I have no need of a bull from your stall

or of goats from your pens, 

for every animal of the forest is mine,

and the cattle on a thousand hills. 

 I know every bird in the mountains,

and the creatures of the field are mine. 

 If I were hungry I would not tell you,

for the world is mine, and all that is in it. 

Do I eat the flesh of bulls

or drink the blood of goats? 

Sacrifice thank offerings to God,

fulfill your vows to the Most High, 

and call upon me in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

God called out to Israel: “I am God, your God.”  They needed the reminder, apparently.  Sometimes, as I read the paper and watch the evening news, I wonder – do we need a reminder, too.  Sometimes, I look at how I spend my money and my time, and I think – I need a reminder that the Lord is my God.

I may tithe, but God does not need my money.  Everything in all creation is the Lord’s already.  I may come to the Lord feeling guilty, but the Lord does not need my guilt.  I may volunteer at church and at worthy organizations, but the Lord desires more.

What does the Lord desire?  The Lord desires an attitude of gratitude.  Give thanks unto God.  The Lord does not want out guilt and contrition.  The Lord wants us to fulfill our vows and obey His Word.  God desires for us to call on Him in our days of trouble – not on anything or anyone else.  If we do these things, we will honor God.  We will show the world that we are God’s children.  We will proclaim with our attitudes, words, and actions that the Lord is our God.

And make no mistake about it – God will deliver us unto eternal life.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

An Ode to the Pursuit of Wisdom; 1 Kings 3, 2 Chron 1

May the mumbling commence!

An ode to the pursuit of wisdom!  Today’s reading brings us to Solomon’s prayer for wisdom.  I will look at both the 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles account of this prayer.  Read them below.

Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.  The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 

At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." 

Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. 

Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.  Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number.  So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" 

The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.  So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.  Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for – both riches and honor – so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings.  And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life." (1 Kings 3:3-14)

Solomon son of David established himself firmly over his kingdom, for the Lord his God was with him and made him exceedingly great.  Then Solomon spoke to all Israel – to the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, to the judges and to all the leaders in Israel, the heads of families – and Solomon and the whole assembly went to the high place at Gibeon, for God's Tent of Meeting was there, which Moses the Lord's servant had made in the desert.  Now David had brought up the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim to the place he had prepared for it, because he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem.  But the bronze altar that Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made was in Gibeon in front of the tabernacle of the Lord; so Solomon and the assembly inquired of him there.  Solomon went up to the bronze altar before the Lord in the Tent of Meeting and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it. 

That night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." 

Solomon answered God, "You have shown great kindness to David my father and have made me king in his place.  Now, Lord God, let your promise to my father David be confirmed, for you have made me king over a people who are as numerous as the dust of the earth.  Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?" 

God said to Solomon, "Since this is your heart's desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, riches and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have." (2 Chronicles 1:1-12)

The Chronicler continues its positive view of David’s family.  While 1 Kings accuses Solomon of falling short at the high places, 2 Chronicles makes excuses for Solomon.  While 1 Kings acknowledges the potential for Solomon to disobey, 2 Chronicles omits this fact and the promise that follows it.  2 Chronicles also omits that Solomon is childlike.  

Hmm…  Jesus tells us to come to the kingdom of God like a child.  Let’s remember whom to honor.  Honor the Lord.  And from whom all wisdom comes – from the Lord.  

Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out  

A Pawn of God; 2 Sam 23

May the mumbling commence!

I want to spend some time with the last words of David, which are recorded in 2 Samuel 23:1-7.  It is fitting that these words are a psalm.  Read them below:

"The oracle of David son of Jesse,

            the oracle of the man exalted by the Most High,

the man anointed by the God of Jacob, Israel's singer of songs: 

The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me;

            his word was on my tongue. 

The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me:

'When one rules over men in righteousness,

            when he rules in the fear of God, 

he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning,

like the brightness after rain

that brings the grass from the earth.' 

Is not my house right with God?

Has he not made with me an everlasting covenant,

            arranged and secured in every part?

Will he not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire? 

But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns,

            which are not gathered with the hand. 

Whoever touches thorns uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear;

            they are burned up where they lie."

The best of our leaders will be tools of the Lord.  The height of leadership is allowing the Spirit of the Lord to speak through you.  May the words of God roll off our tongues!

If we yield to the Spirit of the Lord, we can rule in righteousness.  We will have light like the sun at sunrise.  Have you ever ridden into a sunrise?  The light is nearly blinding.  That is why most vehicles have visors.  Driving into the light of a sunrise or sunset has no comparison.  And there is no comparison to the wisdom of the Lord.

But, in this case, we are talking about a sunrise.  For this is not the end of the light.  It is only the beginning.  And this light will bring forth life like the light of the sun after a rain shower.  Because we are living in the midst of a drought, we hope that rain will fall this week.  Water and light brings life like nothing else.  That is why water and light are great symbols when we speak about the Lord.

Oh, to be a pawn in the hand of the Lord!  I would cherish the thought of helping to birth new life with the powerful combination of light and water found in the word of God.  It is the power of DABAR.

May we make our houses into homes that are right with God.  Only then can we be secure in our salvation.  Only then can we tame our desires.  Otherwise, thorns will take root and choke out the words that God whispers in our ears.

Enough mumbling for today…

Peace Out

More Tools for Construction; 1 Chron 28-29; 1 Kings 1

May the mumbling commence!

In 1 Chronicles 28, there is a second caveat for being a peaceful person.  There is a second caveat for what materials are to be used to build a temple for the Lord.  Read 1 Chronicles 28:2-3 –

King David rose to his feet and said: "Listen to me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it.  But God said to me, 'You are not to build a house for my Name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood.'”

Again there are two different ideas for building materials for the temple of the Lord.  The more important of the two is the rejoinder to be careful to follow all the commands of the Lord your God (verse 8).  Another important building material is acknowledging that the Lord is King and seeking and serving Him with wholehearted devotion (verse 9).  Do not be afraid or discouraged, but be strong and courageous and do the work the Lord puts before you (verse 10; 20).

Then, 1 Chronicles 29 adds to these raw materials.  Be a willing and cheerful giver.  Read 29:3 –

Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple.

David gave far beyond a tithe.  David sacrificed some of his personal treasure – some of his luxuries – to build a temple.  And the people followed David’s example.  They, too, gave willingly.  Everyone rejoiced.  And David put words to their rejoicing.  Read them from 1 Chronicles 29:10b-14 –

"Praise be to you, O Lord, God of our father Israel,

             from everlasting to everlasting. 

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power

            and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,

for everything in heaven and earth is yours.

Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom;

you are exalted as head over all. 

Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things.

In your hands are strength and power

to exalt and give strength to all. 

 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

     But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.

We give generously because it all belongs to the Lord, the Great Creator.  In many ways, this psalm reminds me of the Lord’s Prayer.  Exalt God!  Come to Him for your daily bread.  Praise Him!  Remember:  This is prophecy.

And, in case we forgot, we are reminded in verse 19 that our wholehearted devotion is required.  Keep the commands, requirements, and decrees.  Then, we will be well on our way to following in the footsteps of Jesus the Christ.  We will be well on the way to constructing a temple for the Lord.

And we must construct together.  There is no room for prima donnas, like Absalom or Adonijah (1 Kings 1).  Red flags should go up when someone wishes to seize leadership.  It is for God to choose not us.

Enough mumbling for today…

Peace Out

Singing Prophets; 1 Chron 25

May the mumbling commence!

And now for some of those details that I promised!  You know how I just love to wade through those details!  Today was a harder day than most for me in my reading of the chronological Bible.  Today, I will turn to the first eight verses of 1 Chronicles 25.  Read them below:

David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals. Here is the list of the men who performed this service: 

From the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah and Asarelah. The sons of Asaph were under the supervision of Asaph, who prophesied under the king's supervision. 

As for Jeduthun, from his sons: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah and Mattithiah, six in all, under the supervision of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied, using the harp in thanking and praising the Lord. 

As for Heman, from his sons: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael and Jerimoth; Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-Ezer; Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir and Mahazioth.  All these were sons of Heman the king's seer. They were given him through the promises of God to exalt him. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. 

All these men were under the supervision of their fathers for the music of the temple of the Lord, with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the supervision of the king.  Along with their relatives – all of them trained and skilled in music for the Lord – they numbered 288.  Young and old alike, teacher as well as student, cast lots for their duties.  

Here we have two things combined that many people would not anticipate.  Prophesying and music are interwoven together in these verses.  How about that!  Think about these words next time you choose music for a worship service or the next time you sing or play an instrument during worship.  The Spirit of the Lord is enabling you to prophesy.

The Chronicler lists these instruments: harps, lyres, and cymbals.  These instruments, as well as the human voice, are lifted up in song to thank and praise and exalt God.  These instruments help us to recall the promises of God.  Herein lies a much more complex concept of prophesy.

Prophesy is much more than prediction of future events.  To prophesy is also to proclaim the praises of God.  To prophesy is also to thank the Lord.  To prophesy is also to remember what the Lord has done for us in the past.  To prophesy is also to remember the promises of God that have been fulfilled and those that will be.  To prophesy is to look at the present day world through the lens of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness.

Let us sing and make music.  Let us praise the Lord in joyful song.  When we do, we are prophesying to all who will hear – the Lord God Almighty is Lord of all.

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out