Hebrew Bible and Christian Scriptures

A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post on presence. You can read it here. (For those of you reading from our Scriptures 1 class, it was a post I did not tag for class.)  In that post, I share my thoughts on the presence of Jesus with us specifically when we pray. Perhaps this is why the presence of God at the dedication of the temple in 1 Kings 8 stood out to me.

In 1 Kings 8, Solomon has finally completed the temple, and the time has come to dedicate it. The author tells us as the ark was brought to the temple Solomon and the people were “sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered” (1Kings 8:5 NRS). What a joyous day in the life of Israel. They had finally constructed a permanent dwelling place for God. After the ark was installed in “the most holy place,” the inner sanctuary of the temple, “a cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD” (1 Kings 8:10-11). What an amazing theophany of God’s presence among God’s people!

Sometimes I wish God would show up in such a  visible way. Often, our experience of God’s presence while tangible, is nearly indescribable. However, I wonder, if God did show up in a visibly tangible way, would we recognize Him? Or would our western, scientific brains have some explanation for the theophany? Is our view of God big enough to allow for such unexplainable events?

A quick story. One summer during camp, rain was threatening our last night of worship which was to take place in an amphitheater overlooking a lake. Rain was imminent according to the radar and the clouds. Swimming and other outdoor activities had been rained out several times through the week. So I prayed for God to hold the rain until after our service which on the last night of camp could be quite lengthy. We started our service with the distant rumble of thunder, but as we watched the clouds (and the radar) the rain split and went right around us. It was raining nearby, but not at the camp. We were able to finish our worship service, time of response and prayer, and eat s’mores around the bonfire. The rain came right as our campers headed back to their cabins. One of the workers at the camp facility tried to tell me the lake had some impact on preventing the rain, but I choose to believe God acted on our behalf protecting our time of worship and displaying his glory for all to see.

Have your eyes ever hurt standing in line of the supermarket or at least your head? The magazine rack is beaming with bright colors with familiar faces. Faces that we hold up as heroes for some almost in a Greek pantheon way. Not only do we lift up Hollywood, but we all too often lift up the names in the Bible as unreachable humans. Instead of seeing Abraham or Ruth as a man or woman just like you and me perhaps you, like me, see them as a Superman figure that God had a highly unique relationship. Then there are some stories that explode this view.

The time had come Sarah had passed and Abraham knew that he wanted to see his son, Isaac, married. He called in his servant gave him instructions to bring a wife from his ancestors back to Isaac. The servant made an oath that he would faithfully complete this task and
he set off to land of Ur.

The servant arrived in the village of Nahor. He strode arrogantly in with his procession of fine goods he had brought as gifts to the bride to be. Then upon inquiring of Abraham’s family began a beauty pageant to see who would be selected. Sorry nope. No King Xerxes here.

The servant stops at the village well and prays. Whoa! Wait I thought God only had a relationship with those he picked out. This is before the ten commandments and Israelite religion. Here is a servant praying,

“LORD, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. ¹³ See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. ¹⁴ May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master” (Genesis 24:14).

This is one of my favorite prayers in the Bible. It is humble, simple, and the servant expects God to show up in a big way. He asks God for a very specific sign you can tell he is taking this oath to his master seriously.

Another reason I gravitate toward this prayer is its searching for discernment. The servant is concerned both with fulfilling his oath, and also carrying out God’s wishes “let her be the one you have chosen”. There is a hint of familiarity in the servant’s prayer that indicates to us reading it that this was not the first prayer uttered by this servant.

The last aspect of this prayer is its tone. The tone is so friendly. If it stopped after the opening line “O LORD, God of my master give me success today” it would sound official and impersonal. Instead. The second line sounds more like a face to face conversation “See, I am standing beside this spring…”. The servant goes on to explain his predicament and how God can help him through it.

This simple servant had somewhere along the way learned to pray to Abraham’s God who was now their God. Abraham makes it to Hebrews 11 the servant’s everyday faith doesn’t, but it is one I can really grab onto. So I tip my hat to us common everyday faithful saying God may never use us to start a nation, marry a  tyrant to save your people, or to call down fire from heaven, but he is still God with us.

As the last words of the servant’s prayer are dripping from his mouth God begins acting. There before him was the girl for Abraham’s son. The servant anticipated the arrival of God he prayed as if God always shows up. Entering into advent I am mindful of the anticipation of Christ’s coming both present tense and future tense. Do I have the faith of this servant who expects and prays in  anticipation of God who always shows up?

I don’t know about you, but I am never perfect. Ouch. That’s hard for this perfectionist to admit, but it’s true. Try as hard as I might, I am just not perfect, and I never will be. Perhaps that’s why David is one of my favorite characters in the Bible.

In 1 Samuel 13, God rejects Saul as king after he impatiently offered a burnt offering instead of waiting for Samuel.  In verse 14, God tells Saul, “…the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart; and the LORD has appointed him to be ruler over his people.” He is speaking of David.

David, the raiding pirate. David, the adulterer. David, the murderer. This certainly does not sound like a man who follows God wholeheartedly. Or does it?

David commits many sins. However, he repents completely and humbles himself before God repeatedly. We see this most clearly in 2 Samuel 11 & 12, the story of David’s adultery with Bathsheba and its consequences. After the prophet Nathan’s parable and rebuke, David admits his sin. He then humbles himself before God praying and fasting on behalf of his and Bathsheba’s child who has been struck ill. Through the picture painted by the author of 1 & 2 Samuel, we see David communing with God, talking with God, relying on God for protection, writing psalms of praise to God, dancing before God as the ark is brought into Jerusalem, and seeking God’s direction. I think God calls David a man after his own heart because God knew David’s heart, and his heart was devoted to God. Sure he messed up. But he never wavered in his devotion to God. In comparison to Saul, Solomon, and the myriad of kings of the divided kingdom, David stands out because of his wholehearted devotion to God. He is remembered as a wholehearted follower of God despite his imperfections and missteps. What better way to be remembered?

He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake;
12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.
(1Ki 19:11-12 NRS)

Unfortunately, too many good climbers are no longer around because of summit fever. Summit fever is typically defined as the dangerous state of mind in which a person fails to notice dangerous weather, route conditions, physical exertion or refuses to take them into consideration in a desperation to reach the top.

I further expand this definition to include the problem many extreme sports enthusiasts find themselves in. This problem is when ‘big’ is not longer ‘big enough’. Climbing a huge mountain is no longer a challenge so I will ski down the face of Everest. Normal ski runs are not doing it for me so I will take a run with a 255ft jump. This river in South America has never had a first descent I will drop in knowing there is no way out for the next few miles and if I make one mistake I will die. So summit fever is a danger to all extreme athletes. If  you throw all of this in a pot and get it to a boil you will notice really we are dealing with contentment.

One spring day King David wakes up from a nap. His band of brothers is far off doing his bidding for some reason this year he was not interested in battle. This behavior was completely out of character for a warrior from boyhood, a national military hero in adolescence, an outlaw robin hood in young adulthood, now king of a nation. As this restless man looks out over his kingdom his eyes see a woman bathing on her rooftop. Summit fever strikes! David asks of her identity and can’t keep his mind off of her. Despite the fact that he has multiple wives and that this woman Bathsheeba had a husband he is blinded by a summit fever of sorts.

After a night of  indiscretion David awakes. Whew, he thinks “I will skate by”. Then the ground shakes and above him on the slope is wall of snowing descending over 100mph. Pregnancy, a honorable husband, one of my best men he is pummeled. Clawing from the cold coffin he arises over the bank in the midst of white out. Murder, loss of a child, the incestuous rape of one of his daughters, fratricide, the rebellion of a son the cloud never seems to lift for King David. Finally, stumbling trying to make sense of which way is up he surveys his people to establish the might of his kingdom. The cold hard air closes in on his chest a night from which he will never arise.

It may sound like I coming down really hard on David and I am. The point I am trying to make is the that we all  hear the siren’s call to summit fever. Contentment is the hardest thing in life. Materialism is ingrained in us as children. The TV declares that we need the latest dolls that pees everywhere or the remote control car that can climb straight up walls. Then as a teenager it is all about having the right label and portraying the right image. As adults guys can get a beer or body wash or both that will get all of the beautiful women you could shake as stick at. Women can get underwear that will instantly make them supermodels, even angels. If you just work harder you can get more vacation, more money, more happiness. You can take a pill that will make you skinny and you won’t have to do any of that exhausting exercise. Technology! Oh Technology! You can’t get anything that uses electricity that doesn’t go out of date before you leave the store. I am pretty sure that if you even bought a toaster it would be useless before you got home.

If you listen to what is swirling around you, you will hear “Your life is horrible!! There is something better for you. Your body is ugly. You have no value unless you have _____. This relationship is temporary there is someone better.” On and on the refrain goes. Take it from those who have gone before us summit fever bites! King David can attest to that. So how about you and me we sit down and figure out how to translate the climbing mantra “Climb to live another day!” We must declare that bigger is not better and enough is enough!

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Throughout the stories of Saul, David, and Solomon we often read of a person who has attained the privilege of eating at the king’s table. We see this with Mephisbosheth in 2 Samuel 9. David desired to show kindness to someone from Saul’s family for the sake of his friend Jonathan. Mephibosheth was Jonathan’s son, and David did not hesitate to show kindness to him. Eating at the king’s table was one of the many things David did for Mephibosheth.

Over the weekend, Aaron and I had the privilege of attending the wedding of his cousin Hayley. The ceremony was beautiful and meaningful. A true worship service. The reception was like something straight out of a movie. It was in a garden at a sculpture museum under a canopy of trees amidst peaceful fountains and stunning sculptures. The trees were lit by hundreds of tiny light bulbs, and the tables were set with fine china and crystal. I felt as if I was at a royal dinner. In the midst of all this beauty, my mind drifted to the kings of Israel. Was this what eating at the king’s table was like? Was there live music and dancing? Fine wine and people dressed in their finest? What must Mephibosheth have felt at the generosity and kindness of King David?

From here my mind drifted to thoughts of heaven and a feast at the ultimate king’s table, the King of Kings. What a joyous day it will be to be in God’s presence!

What do the Tooth Fairy, Scorpion King, and Rock have in common? They all answer to the name Dwayne Johnson who can be seen below with his signature move the “People’s Elbow”.

Imagine for a moment the pain and shame dealt by Dwayne on these men. In Deuteronomy 17 the LORD gives Moses several commandments for kings. This of course was well before Israel would have a king, but God knew the path things would take.

Here is what is required of a king:

• must not acquire many horses
• not acquire many wives
• not acquire silver and gold in great quantity
•  he must have his own copy of God’s law with him at all times
•  he must read the law and learn to fear the LORD
•  must obey the law
•  must not exalt himself above other members of the community

I can just imagine Gideon’s face when God told him “you have too many men for me to deliver Midian into [your] hands” (Judges 7:2). I imagine him thinking something along these lines: “Are you sure God? Have you seen the Midianite army? You want to reduce my army of thousands down to 300?!” (Find the whole story of Gideon in Judges 6-8.)

But God in His infinite love and wisdom had a plan for those 300 men. In Judges 7:2, God goes on to explain why He wants to reduce the army: “in order that Israel may not boast against Me that her own strength has saved her.”

Put another way: “Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s power ends.” –George Muller

If God wants to use 5 counselors and Aaron and me to show His love to campers this summer, who am I to question Him? After all, He often uses a very small number of people to do very big things. (Gideon isn’t the only example. Read Judges. And the rest of the Bible for that matter.) While I still hope and pray that God will provide at least one more counselor, I can rest in the knowledge that His plan is perfect. I have faith that He will provide the staff we need to run three weeks of camp. And in the end, God gets all the glory because the only explanation for Camp Machaceh’s success is His provision.

Camp Machaceh Staff 2008

When I was a senior in high school, my senior class at church selected Joshua 1:9 as our theme verse for the year.

“Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

We recited this verse each Sunday morning. It was a fitting verse for such a transitional time in our lives.  However, I have realized that God’s message to Joshua about courage is an important one for most stages in life. In college, I needed to trust in God’s presence and guidance as I made decisions regarding my major and other future decisions including getting married. Over the last 7 years, I have needed to be courageous and rely on God’s guidance as Aaron and I started Camp Machaceh. Courage also came into play as Aaron and I transitioned to seminary and life in Waco. I find much peace in God’s promise to always be with Joshua wherever he went.

Over the last few weeks, my mother in law was diagnosed with primary peritoneal cancer and underwent surgery to remove the tumors. She is home from the hospital and well on the road to recovering from surgery, but she faces a long road of chemo ahead of her. My prayer for her and our family on this journey is Joshua 1:9. Regardless of the outcome or the difficulty of the road, I pray that we will always remember and take courage in God’s presence with us.

Okay maybe David didn’t utter those words. I can still remember sitting in my Old Testament class in undergraduate class and hearing Dr. Tatum explain that David operated like a pirate. This consqeuntly brought all sorts of imagery to my mind. In this present moment I am envisioning a swashbuckling Jack Sparrow type.

David had no ships nor water to carry out his raiding fancy. However, in 1 Samuel 25 – 30 David takes on the role as pirate.

First, is the extortion of Nabal. David keeps his sheperders “safe” in the desert. Yes David defends them, but aren’t his band of rebels the ones raiding the country side. Nabal sees no need for David’s security force and sends him away. At the risk of breaking hospitality customs Nabal spurns David’s men. Nabal’s destruction is narrowly averted by his generous wife Abigail.

David later moves on to the land of Philistines to escape the pursuit of King Saul. David had already tried to escape to Gath where King Achish lived, but his reputation as an Israelite commander preceded him. David played insane to escape.

This time David returned pirate plan in hand. David and his six hundred men went out raiding and pillaging enemies of Israel. Then they would return to King Achish pay him tribute with the spoils with the explanation that they had raided an Israelite town. Pirate scheme in place…Check.

Lastly, David proved that he is the ultimate pirate when his own village is raided and everything is taken. After crying their eyes out the band of rebels did what any good pirate crew did they organized for a mutiny. In this moment David leans on the LORD and is given a promise that a rescue attempt would be successful. The Amalekite raiders have a several days head start but David is such a tank that he catches up to them. 200 of his men couldn’t even keep up with the pace. After this crazy dash David and his men fight the raider for 24 hours. Then David and his band of rebels return with all their stuff and then some. Who is the best pirate in the land? David of course!

I never want to meet David or one of his men in a dark alley that is for sure.

I am part of a minority group. This may seem like an odd statement considering I am a white, middle class American, but I am a minority all the same. You see, I am left-handed in a world created for right handed people. Ever noticed how the pen attached to the credit card machine is geared toward right handed people? Or how most desks in college classrooms are for right-handers? So it is no wonder I have always enjoyed the story of Ehud in Judges 3. Now don’t get me wrong, it is quite a disturbing story. Ehud showed up to present tribute to King Eglon, but when the king was left alone with him, Ehud drew his sword and “thrust it into Eglon’s belly.” The Bible includes all the gory detail about the entire sword entering his belly and the fat closing over it. Overall, a rather disgusting story. What I like about this story, though, is in verse 15- “But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man” (emphasis added). Ehud was able to carry out his task of killing King Eglon because he was left-handed. The guards would not have thought to check Ehud’s right thigh for a weapon because everyone was right-handed and would have strapped their swords to their left thighs. Often being left-handed was looked down on and in some cases seen as evil. But here we see God using Ehud to rescue his people, and the writer pointed out that he was left-handed. I guess being left-handed has its perks after all.