Psalm 23
New King James Version (NKJV)
23 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwellin the house of the Lord
Forever.
Psalm 23 is one of the most recognized pieces of scripture in the entire Bible...who here has heard this or at least part of it before? These passages are SO popular that the Bible database BIBLEGATEWAY.com states of its top 10 cities stats: " Psalm 23 shows up in the top five passages for every city but Singapore."
This Psalm is probably so popular because it paints a picture of great comfort and tranquility. We hear it read to people who are struggling with fear, depression, hopelessness, and even those at the end of their earthly lives. It is read at funerals, offering strength to move forward in a time of sorrow.
But, there is one line in this Psalm that has always made me wonder....It's given me pause, and I've contemplated it many times. I'm talking about v.5 and specifically the first part: "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies".
First of all, the word "enemies" is a really strong word. I'd be willing to bet that very few of us here have true enemies. The definition of "enemy" is:
1. One who feels hatred toward, intends injury to, or opposes the interests of another; a foe.
2.
a. A hostile power or force, such as a nation.
b. A member or unit of such a force.
3. A group of foes or hostile forces.
4. Something destructive or injurious in its effects:
An enemy isn't just someone who may not care for us or our personality. An enemy is someone actively looking to hurt us in a physical or emotional way. The Bible calls satan himself "the enemy".
Many times I've thought about this verse and wondered what God could possibly mean by this, and why it's put this way. I'm a person who thinks in pictures. So, when I'm visualizing this Psalm, it looks something like this:
23 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
My mind picture: <Jesus as the Good Shepherd, leading me on a beautiful sunlit path, birds singing, little woodland creatures scampering around...>
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
<Jesus spreading out a blanket in a lush green field on the banks of a beautiful lake and inviting me to lay down and soak in the restful beauty all around me>
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
<Jesus is now a teacher, lovingly opening the Bible to me and explaining it in ways I understand>
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
<Here, Jesus is the Good Shepherd again, with His brilliant glory lighting the way through a dark and dangerous path, fierce animals bowing before Him along the way>
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
<I sit at a beautifully prepared table, Jesus ties a bib around my neck and places the best ice cream sundae ever in front of me. But in the dark corner of the room, there is a hourde of angry men with weapons who want to hurt me but can't, because, after all, Jesus is there! I stick out my tongue at them and begin to eat my dessert........>
Something always seemed wrong with this picture!
I didn't understand what God was doing or saying in this verse. Could I really relax and enjoy anything with my enemies in the room? Or, would I feel anxiety? Maybe my ice cream wouldn't go down very well.....
We know that in Old Testament times, and even still in modern times that a shared meal is a sign of peace. Many times when a covenant is made, the two parties who were once at odds come together and eat to seal the deal. This doesn't seem to be the case here. After all, it doesn't say "You join me with my enemies and prepare a meal for us". or "My enemies are made into friends"
The Young's Literal Translation Bible actually words this line as : 5 Thou arrangest before me a table, Over-against my adversaries"
Young's Literal Translation was compiled by Robert Young in 1898. He also compiled Young's Analytical Concordance. This is an extremely literal translation that attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek and Hebrew writings. I continued to wonder why God would serve me ice cream in a room full of meanies.
Then, the other day God gave me a revelation about this part of Psalm 23 that made me jump right out of my chair, and I would like to share it with you today.
Currently, I am working towards a Bachelors Degree in Religious Studies. I'm taking a very intense Old Testament course. When I say intense, I mean, we are going through it line by line! The professor was talking about the day when God fulfilled his covenant with the Israelites and brought them into the Promised Land. The Promised Land was also called the Land of Canaan, inhabited of course by none other than the Canaanites. The Canaanites were bitter enemies of the Israelites.
Why? Because they were the accursed black sheep of the family. Here's a little background:
This dates all the way back to Noah and his family. In Genesis, chapter 9, starting in v.18 we read:
18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These were the three sons of Noah, and from them came the people who were scattered over the earth.
20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. 21 When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father’s nakedness.
24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,
“Cursed be Canaan!
The lowest of slaves
will he be to his brothers. ”
26 He also said,
“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem
27 May God extend the territory of Japheth
may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,
and may Canaan be his slave.”
Aha! Now we're getting somewhere! Canaan didn't do anything wrong - it was his father Ham who sinned. But Noah chose to curse someone Ham loved more than himself...his son. What could be worse?
We see through history that the tribe of Canaan separated themselves from the rest of the family, some of whom became the Family of our patriarch Israel - the children of God's promise. I think we are safe in assuming that the children of Canaan were very bitter about their rough deal. And bitterness on both sides, passed down from generation to generation would surely make enemies of the two groups.
Psalm 23 was written by King David who knew full well the relationship between the two groups, but MORE IMPORTANTLY, what God did there. When David wrote " You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies" he was reminding the people of Israel - and us today- that GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES!
God promised to give his chosen children - the Israelites, called the Hebrews or Jews- the best land. The land of Canaan was prime real estate...flowing with milk and honey. But this seemed like something impossible - the land was filled with people who absolutely hated the Jews! There was generations of malevolence there. The Israelites wondered how on earth this would happen.
We have to remember, like they did, that God is always faithful. He keeps His promises. Especially when things seem impossible. David is reminding his people: God kept his promise! God brought the Israelites into a land filled with their enemies, and set up housekeeping for them. They needed to cling to the memory of all God had done for them when He made His Promise. Don't forget His faithfulness! David is reminding us the same thing today.
That's wonderful news. Because God's word, the Bible is full of promises. Here are just a handful:
Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Matthew 11:28-29
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
John 14:27
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
Romans 10:9
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Today friends, I encourage you to remember that our Lord is a God who keeps His promises. His word is true. There is no reason for despair. God is reaching out to us, and promises to bless us. I ask you: ":What steps are you taking to get to know Him better?" "Are you living like you believe God's promises?" This week, think about ways to set aside some time to get into God's word, and increase your hope, peace and joyful living. Amen
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
Secret Prayer of My Heart: Answered. Challenge: Accepted
How long does it take to get used to the way God works in amazing, personal ways? I suspect that I will never stop marveling at the ways He shows me His presence. I hope I don't, anyhow!
I'm going to share something intensely personal that happened the other day. I'm going to take you into my secret prayer life for a short visit, to a time when my spirit called out to the Lord, and He answered in a powerful way.
Perhaps something so personal to me shouldn't be shared openly in a blog... After all, that leaves me vulnerable to criticism, skepticism or other "isms" that might hurt me. Some might say it's no one else's business to know these things.
I've decided that my witness to the power and love of Christ is more important. Also...it makes me accountable. Not that anyone reading this would necessarily call me on the carpet....that would take gallons of love that probably only my closest friends and family have to pour on me.
Did you ever notice that when someone backslides, people everywhere are talking about it...gossiping...but NO ONE loves the person enough to talk to her or him personally? Well, almost no one. It's a tough thing to do, speak the truth in love. Because they might feel "judged".
I guess what I'm trying to say is this: If my friends and family use the Word of God and the writings of fellow saints as a guide to show me an error in my ways I thank them! Please care enough to say so.
But I digress.
Last week in my prayer time, I cried out to the Lord. The weight of my calling to ordained ministry was heavy on my heart.
"Father, I give my life to You, all of it. Let every second, every breath bring You glory. There is nothing I hold back for myself. Use me!
I need your presence and help every step of the way, because I am weak, a sinner. Transform me by Your Word. Make me more like You, Jesus. SHow me how to meditate on your Word, and walk on the path You have prepared for me! I don't just want to "know" your word, I want to be lead by it.
I know myself enough to know that there are so many barriers....pride, fear, selfishness, self-control issues. Things that could turn me from your call and make this about "me" and not "You". Guide me, Abba. I need you! Come Holy Spirit! "
My prayer went on in similar fashion for many minutes.
When I finished I turned to my Bible to check out the scripture I was going to use for Sunday's sermon. I knew I was planning to work with the passages in 1 Samuel regarding the annointing David as King...somewhere in chapter 15, I thought (of course I didn't have the lectionary verse written where I could find it...)
I turned to chapter 15 and read through in entirety.
The words hit me like a brick! God was talking to me and responding to my prayer very very specifically. As I read, God highlighted specific ideas that jumped out and spoke into my heart. I'm sorry that this sounds confusing, but it's the only way I know how to describe what happened.
Below is listed chapter 15, I have highlighted the words God used to speak to me...
4 So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim—two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men from Judah. 5 Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. 6 Then he said to the Kenites, “Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.
7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, to the east of Egypt. 8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. 9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.
10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.
12 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.”
13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”
15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”
16 “Stop!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”
“Tell me,” Saul replied.
17 Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.’ 19 Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”
20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”
22 But Samuel replied:
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I
violated the
Lord’s command
and your instructions. I was afraid of
the people and so I gave in to them. 25 Now I beg you, forgive my
sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord.”
26 But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!”
27 As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. 28 Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you. 29 He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.”
30 Saul replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.” 31 So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.
32 Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.”
Agag came to him confidently,[c] thinking, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”
33 But Samuel said,
God showed me the dangers to avoid in my walk with Him, and the way to remain in His will! He used King Saul as a lesson in "what NOT to do", so to speak. If I had to translate what the Lord spoke into my heart with this passage it would be this:
"Bridget, see how Saul failed when I the Lord raised him up as a leader over my people.
I gave him a clear command. I sent my High Priest Samuel to deliver the message, so there was no guessing. Saul disobeyed, and this disobedience took root and produced bad fruit.
Saul's bad fruit:
WOW! God spoke to me in answer to my prayer. I was overwhelmed.
Was this a warm and fuzzy, easy-to-hear message? Heck no! I have lots of work cut out for me, and I will have to be vigilant DAILY to keep from these pitfalls. But the Lord promised to help me and answer my call. And, as we see above 29 He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.”
I hope that in sharing this with you, I have encouraged you, too, to pour out your heart to the Lord. He knows we have weaknesses, and by His grace He comes to our rescue.
One more thing... We have something on our side that Saul did not have: Atonement of sin through Jesus Christ! We are free from condemnation and nothing can seperate us from God's love. That's GREAT NEWS!
Well, sorry for being so long-winded on this Monday afternoon! Have a super day. :)
I'm going to share something intensely personal that happened the other day. I'm going to take you into my secret prayer life for a short visit, to a time when my spirit called out to the Lord, and He answered in a powerful way.
Perhaps something so personal to me shouldn't be shared openly in a blog... After all, that leaves me vulnerable to criticism, skepticism or other "isms" that might hurt me. Some might say it's no one else's business to know these things.
I've decided that my witness to the power and love of Christ is more important. Also...it makes me accountable. Not that anyone reading this would necessarily call me on the carpet....that would take gallons of love that probably only my closest friends and family have to pour on me.
Did you ever notice that when someone backslides, people everywhere are talking about it...gossiping...but NO ONE loves the person enough to talk to her or him personally? Well, almost no one. It's a tough thing to do, speak the truth in love. Because they might feel "judged".
I guess what I'm trying to say is this: If my friends and family use the Word of God and the writings of fellow saints as a guide to show me an error in my ways I thank them! Please care enough to say so.
But I digress.
Last week in my prayer time, I cried out to the Lord. The weight of my calling to ordained ministry was heavy on my heart.
"Father, I give my life to You, all of it. Let every second, every breath bring You glory. There is nothing I hold back for myself. Use me!
I need your presence and help every step of the way, because I am weak, a sinner. Transform me by Your Word. Make me more like You, Jesus. SHow me how to meditate on your Word, and walk on the path You have prepared for me! I don't just want to "know" your word, I want to be lead by it.
I know myself enough to know that there are so many barriers....pride, fear, selfishness, self-control issues. Things that could turn me from your call and make this about "me" and not "You". Guide me, Abba. I need you! Come Holy Spirit! "
My prayer went on in similar fashion for many minutes.
When I finished I turned to my Bible to check out the scripture I was going to use for Sunday's sermon. I knew I was planning to work with the passages in 1 Samuel regarding the annointing David as King...somewhere in chapter 15, I thought (of course I didn't have the lectionary verse written where I could find it...)
I turned to chapter 15 and read through in entirety.
BAM!!
The words hit me like a brick! God was talking to me and responding to my prayer very very specifically. As I read, God highlighted specific ideas that jumped out and spoke into my heart. I'm sorry that this sounds confusing, but it's the only way I know how to describe what happened.
Below is listed chapter 15, I have highlighted the words God used to speak to me...
1 Samuel 15
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
The Lord Rejects Saul as King
15 Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord. 2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”4 So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim—two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men from Judah. 5 Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. 6 Then he said to the Kenites, “Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.
7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, to the east of Egypt. 8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. 9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.
10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.
12 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.”
13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”
15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”
16 “Stop!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”
“Tell me,” Saul replied.
17 Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.’ 19 Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”
20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”
22 But Samuel replied:
“Does the Lord delight in burnt
offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”
as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”
26 But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!”
27 As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. 28 Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you. 29 He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.”
30 Saul replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.” 31 So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.
32 Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.”
Agag came to him confidently,[c] thinking, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”
33 But Samuel said,
“As your sword has made women
childless,
so will your mother be childless among women.”
so will your mother be childless among women.”
And Samuel put Agag to death
before the Lord
at Gilgal.
34 Then Samuel left for Ramah, but
Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of
Saul. 35 Until the day Samuel died,
he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for
him. And the Lord
was grieved that
he had made Saul king over Israel.God showed me the dangers to avoid in my walk with Him, and the way to remain in His will! He used King Saul as a lesson in "what NOT to do", so to speak. If I had to translate what the Lord spoke into my heart with this passage it would be this:
"Bridget, see how Saul failed when I the Lord raised him up as a leader over my people.
I gave him a clear command. I sent my High Priest Samuel to deliver the message, so there was no guessing. Saul disobeyed, and this disobedience took root and produced bad fruit.
Saul's bad fruit:
- Disobedience to God's direct command
- Pride: setting himself above God in his own mind and in front of God's people (by building a monument to himself in Carmel for his own honor)
- Dishonesty. Lying about what he did and why he did it
- Denial / Blame. Not taking responsibility for your failures
- Fear of men rather than fear of the Lord - Caring more what men think rather than what God thinks.
- Hardened heart - seperation from a personal relationship, as evidenced by Saul calling the Lord "your God" vs. "My God, or Our God"
- Ineffectiveness - watching someone else (Samuel) complete a mission God commanded Saul to do
WOW! God spoke to me in answer to my prayer. I was overwhelmed.
Was this a warm and fuzzy, easy-to-hear message? Heck no! I have lots of work cut out for me, and I will have to be vigilant DAILY to keep from these pitfalls. But the Lord promised to help me and answer my call. And, as we see above 29 He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.”
I hope that in sharing this with you, I have encouraged you, too, to pour out your heart to the Lord. He knows we have weaknesses, and by His grace He comes to our rescue.
One more thing... We have something on our side that Saul did not have: Atonement of sin through Jesus Christ! We are free from condemnation and nothing can seperate us from God's love. That's GREAT NEWS!
Well, sorry for being so long-winded on this Monday afternoon! Have a super day. :)
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Outward Appearance vs. The Heart
Good afternoon friends! It's another sunny day here in Michigan and
it feels like it will be a hot one before it ends.
I spent the morning in the park at St. Johns
writing the message I will deliver at Middleton United Methodist Church
tomorrow. As I get more experienced with
writing and giving sermons, I've come to know that the Lord ALWAYS has a
message for me to deliver...and He will give it to me in His time. So, no sense in worrying if it gets to be 7pm
on a Saturday and I still have only blanks.
This week, the lectionary (a weekly group of
scripture suggestions used by pastors and lay speakers everywhere) as usual had
its Old Testament, Psalm, Gospel and New Testament non-Gospel suggestions. I'm usually, for some reason, drawn to the
Epistles. My husband, Pastor Clare,
usually uses the Gospel scripture when preparing his sermons. This week, however, I was drawn to the Old
Testament scripture, found in 1 Samuel.
The scripture opens in chapter 15, where King Saul
has rejected the Word of the Lord and God's High Priest Samuel is directed to
go to Bethlehem to anoint God's Chosen One to be King of Israel. Here is what the Lord gave me for His people
this week.
1 Samuel 15:34-16:13
New
Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
34
Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul.35Samuel
did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over
Saul. And the Lord was sorry that he had made Saul king
over Israel.
Samuel Anoints David
16The
Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you grieve over Saul?
I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and
set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for
myself a king among his sons.’2Samuel
said, ‘How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.’ And the Lord said, ‘Take a heifer with you, and say, “I have come to
sacrifice to the Lord.”3Invite
Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall
anoint for me the one whom I name to you.’4Samuel
did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The
elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, ‘Do you come
peaceably?’5He said, ‘Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.’
And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6
When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s
anointed is now before the Lord.’*7But
the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance
or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward
appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’8Then
Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, ‘Neither has
the Lord chosen this one.’9Then
Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, ‘Neither has the Lord
chosen this one.’10Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said
to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen any of these.’11Samuel
said to Jesse, ‘Are all your sons here?’ And he said, ‘There remains yet the
youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.’ And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and
bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.’12He
sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was
handsome. The Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; for this
is the one.’13Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the
presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came
mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to
Ramah.
This
scripture brings us to one of the most significant moments in the history of
the Jewish faith, and of course in all of Christianity as well: the anointing
of David as King.
David
was a young shepherd boy, not considered important enough to attend the
ceremony of the High Priest, Samuel, as he sacrificed to the Lord. He was left behind by his father and brothers
to tend the sheep. They didn't consider
him important enough for such an honor, but God had different plans.
As
the Bible documents King David's life, we find he becomes King, arguably the
most important figure in the Old Testament.
The Lord promises that the Messiah - JESUS - would be born in the line
of David. There is no greater honor.
So,
what was it about this shepherd boy that caught the Lord's attention, and His
favor? So much so, that he was raised
above all Israel to become King, an author of the Book of Psalms and great
grandfather to our Lord Jesus.
I
believe the answer is found in verse 7:
7But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look
on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him;
for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on
the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’
David often has been called "A man after God's own
heart"....why? Because when King
Saul fell out of favor with the Lord, God sent Samuel to deliver this message,
found earlier in the first book of Samuel, chapter 13:14
14but now your kingdom will not continue; the Lord
has sought out a man after his own heart; and the Lord
has appointed him to be ruler over his people, because you have not kept what
the Lord commanded you.’
God
looked at David's heart and He liked what He saw!
I
got to wondering, as I wrote this, why is man's heart so important, above all
else? In the New International Version
of the Bible, 1984 Edition, the word "heart" appears 743 times. I think a great summary is found in the book
of Proverbs 4:23
Proverbs
4:23
New
International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
23 Above all
else, guard your heart,for it is the wellspring of life.
Petersen's
Bible paraphrase "The Message" puts it this way:
"Keep
vigilant watch over your heart;
that's where life starts."
that's where life starts."
That's
where life starts.
My friends,
how are your hearts today? If God looked
inside our hearts, what would He find?
The fact
that God looks at the heart and not the outward appearance can give us great
comfort. Why? Because the blood of Christ washes our
hearts. If we open ourselves to the
grace of the cross we can be - and ARE in fact - transformed.
Ever had one of those
days? Everything you do and say comes
out wrong - not as you had intended it.
How many people look in the mirror and sometimes all we see is this? :
Guess what?? God looks at our hearts! When He finds Jesus there this is what HE sees:
He recognizes us as His own
child. He sees our beauty, even when we
can't. We are a new creation in Christ,
and that change starts on the inside.
We need to guard our hearts. How?
Some suggestions are to only put in good things! Prayer, scripture, study, wholesome
thinking.....The Message has some to-the-point directions as well:
23-27 Keep vigilant watch
over your heart;
that's where life starts.
Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth;
avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
Keep your eyes straight ahead;
ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step,
and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left;
leave evil in the dust.
that's where life starts.
Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth;
avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
Keep your eyes straight ahead;
ignore all sideshow distractions.
Watch your step,
and the road will stretch out smooth before you.
Look neither right nor left;
leave evil in the dust.
For
me, this is a daily struggle. My nature,
of course, pulls me this way and that.
Only by keeping my eyes straight ahead (on Jesus and His teachings) can
I avoid daily pitfalls that plant naughty little seeds in my heart. It's when those naughty seeds start to sprout
that the trouble begins.
There is a way to know when we're in
trouble - when we need to hit our knees and cry out to God in prayer for
help. That's when we're walking around
looking and acting like this:
...but God sees that our hearts look
like this:
That's when we begin to do things
for "show", for the wrong reasons....or when we start to see
ourselves as "better" than others....or when we become deceptive in
any way. That's what turns our witness
into hypocrisy.
I'm talking about pretending to be
"good" but holding onto darkness in our hearts (And we all do it,
friends!). We need to examine our hearts
every day and get onto our knees and pray.
Because only God can change our hearts.
Use the Word of God to help guide your prayer.
King David was a man after God's own
heart, but does that mean he was perfect?
Heavens no! He had some of the
darkest moments and steepest backsliding of anyone in the Bible: MURDER, DECEPTION,
MISUSE OF POWER, LUST, ADULTERY.
What makes him different than others
who fell? He repented and earnestly
asked God to change and cleanse his heart. He realized "hey, I screwed up! But I love God and He loves me!! Above all else I want His blessing" He wanted to change. Friends, it is never ever too late to change; to ask God to reach us in that place where we need the most help. Jesus is in the business of transforming hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit.
And He is so faithful in answering the prayer of a repentant heart, the one who calls out "Help!"
I'd like to close by praying Psalm
51 with you. David wrote this in one of
his darkest moments. As I pray, let the
words wash over you in a new way, and sink into your heart. Know that the Love and Mercy of Jesus lives
in you and renews your heart.
Psalm 51
Prayer for Cleansing and
Pardon
Have
mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
and blameless when you pass judgment.
Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother conceived me.
You desire truth in the inward being;
therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
For you have no delight in sacrifice;
if I were to give a burnt-offering, you would not be pleased.
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
then you will delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt-offerings and whole burnt-offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Well....That's what I have for the folks at Middleton. Your comments are welcome as we learn and grow together. The service starts at 11:30 if you would like to join us :)
Have a great evening friends!
PS Sorry about the formatting errors....I'm still learning :)
Friday, June 15, 2012
WELCOME!
Welcome to my Blog. I'll readily admit, I'm green. I've never "blogged" before but I've read many.
Why am I blogging? Well...I am practicing journaling. Some of my thoughts might be intersting, or maybe even entertaining for you. I always like to hear input, from people in all walks of life. I'd love to hear your thoughts about my posts. Call it symbiotic if you like.
Perhaps you're wondering why I've named my blog Matt6? My life verse in the Bible - the verse that speaks loudly to me, and served as a foundation when I was a baby Christian is Matthew 6: 33, which says:
"33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
I used to be a CHRONIC worrier. If I wasn't worrying I worried about why I had nothing on my mind to fret over. Needless to say this was a bad deal.
One day God got a hold of me. I was reading in Matthew, chapter 6 about .....worrying. I was trying through prayer and study to break out of my old self and "be transformed" into who God wanted me to be. When I cam to verse 33 it was like a brick dropped out of the sky and bonked me on the head!
Did change come over night? Heck no! God focused on pruning my life steadily for 10 years. For me, pruning was more like sanding with a rough grit sander. SPARKS FLEW!
I'm still far from perfect (So very very far!) but I have stepped through some new doors of servanthood in recent years. God has brought some amazing people into my life, and has used me as His vessel for so many opportunities to bring glory to His name. Most recently, I have been called to serve Him in ordained pastoral ministry.
So, in other words: I NEED YOUR PRAYERS!
Speaking of prayers, I also want to use this blog as a place where you can bring your prayer requests. I will diligently pray for you and your concerns, as I hope you will do the same for me and others who may post requests. God always answers prayers, and uses them not only to work in people and situations...but our requests transform our hearts as well.
Some personal information for those of you who don't know me very well... I am married to the most wonderful man ever - Clare. He is a busy Pastor of four United Methodist churches, but has been transferred and will be serving a two-point charge in Sunfield MI beginning in July. (let the packing commence!)
I am the proud Mom of two. My son Tyler will be 21 in a few weeks <sigh>. He attends Holy Cross College in SOuth Bend IN and is working for his dad in PA this summer. I'm so proud of his academic accomplishments - he will be a Senior this fall! He's working toward joining his dad in business and eventually taking the reigns. He can do ANYTHING he sets his mind to!
My daughter Emily is 15 and will be a Sophomore this fall. She is an accomplished guitarist, and percussionist and even lettered in Track this year. SHe also made the honor roll two trimesters in a new school. She meets any challenge head-on and rolls with life! I'm proud of her too!
Enough bragging!
As I close, I want to add that I will be amazed if anyone takes time to read my little blog, but I'm throwing it out there!
I have more to say (as usual) but have to go work on my sermon outline.....
Later! :)
Why am I blogging? Well...I am practicing journaling. Some of my thoughts might be intersting, or maybe even entertaining for you. I always like to hear input, from people in all walks of life. I'd love to hear your thoughts about my posts. Call it symbiotic if you like.
Perhaps you're wondering why I've named my blog Matt6? My life verse in the Bible - the verse that speaks loudly to me, and served as a foundation when I was a baby Christian is Matthew 6: 33, which says:
"33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
I used to be a CHRONIC worrier. If I wasn't worrying I worried about why I had nothing on my mind to fret over. Needless to say this was a bad deal.
One day God got a hold of me. I was reading in Matthew, chapter 6 about .....worrying. I was trying through prayer and study to break out of my old self and "be transformed" into who God wanted me to be. When I cam to verse 33 it was like a brick dropped out of the sky and bonked me on the head!
Did change come over night? Heck no! God focused on pruning my life steadily for 10 years. For me, pruning was more like sanding with a rough grit sander. SPARKS FLEW!
I'm still far from perfect (So very very far!) but I have stepped through some new doors of servanthood in recent years. God has brought some amazing people into my life, and has used me as His vessel for so many opportunities to bring glory to His name. Most recently, I have been called to serve Him in ordained pastoral ministry.
So, in other words: I NEED YOUR PRAYERS!
Speaking of prayers, I also want to use this blog as a place where you can bring your prayer requests. I will diligently pray for you and your concerns, as I hope you will do the same for me and others who may post requests. God always answers prayers, and uses them not only to work in people and situations...but our requests transform our hearts as well.
Some personal information for those of you who don't know me very well... I am married to the most wonderful man ever - Clare. He is a busy Pastor of four United Methodist churches, but has been transferred and will be serving a two-point charge in Sunfield MI beginning in July. (let the packing commence!)
I am the proud Mom of two. My son Tyler will be 21 in a few weeks <sigh>. He attends Holy Cross College in SOuth Bend IN and is working for his dad in PA this summer. I'm so proud of his academic accomplishments - he will be a Senior this fall! He's working toward joining his dad in business and eventually taking the reigns. He can do ANYTHING he sets his mind to!
My daughter Emily is 15 and will be a Sophomore this fall. She is an accomplished guitarist, and percussionist and even lettered in Track this year. SHe also made the honor roll two trimesters in a new school. She meets any challenge head-on and rolls with life! I'm proud of her too!
Enough bragging!
As I close, I want to add that I will be amazed if anyone takes time to read my little blog, but I'm throwing it out there!
I have more to say (as usual) but have to go work on my sermon outline.....
Later! :)
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