Cripples at the Table of the King

“So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.” 2 Samuel 9:13

I don't know if everybody does this, but when I read through biblical stories I will always picture myself as the different people I'm reading. When reading about Moses, I picture myself with a long beard and dirty tunic holding two stone tablets, or I'll picture myself as David with a slingshot and five rocks. It's probably evidence of narcissism more than anything, but a part of it is the relatability of the biblical characters. These are real people who had real encounters with God, and we can see ourselves in them because, like us, they were human. In 2 Samuel 9, a not as well known character is introduced into the bible, Mephibosheth, who  is the crippled son of King Saul, the only son left in his family. David wants to honor his friendship with Jonathan by finding anyone left in Saul's family and bringing him to his palace. Mephibosheth is the only one left, and he is crippled in both feet. When David brings him before his throne, Mephibosheth is shocked and doesn't know how to handle David's kindness. Nevertheless, David takes care of his family and Mephibosheth gets a permanent invitation to eat at the table of the king. Just imagine it, there is King David at the head of the table, all his beautiful wives, his sons and daughters, the mighty men of Israel, and then a cripple. If I were honest with myself, of all the biblical characters I relate to best, its Mephibosheth. Through Jesus, I have been invited permanently to sit at the table of the king, but there is nothing I have to offer him. I am a cripple that can add nothing to God, but he invites me anyways. What a wonderful king we serve that provides a spot at the table of his kingdom for a cripple like me!

Lord Jesus, thank you for your grace in inviting us to the table, despite our crippling disabilities. You are a majestic King who gives favor where no favor is due, and grace to those who don't deserve it!

Future Blindness

“Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.”” 1 Samuel 27:1

David needed a Delorean and a flux capacitor. After being pursued constantly by Saul for years, living in caves, always on the move, expecting to be killed at all times, David got to a point where he couldn't believe his life would be anything else. He resolved in his heart that Saul would eventually kill him so out of desperation he sought asylum in the hands of his enemies. David could have used time travel. If him and Doc Brown could go even two years into the future, he would see that his life was not meant for ruin but to be a great king. However David forgot his anointing, lost sight of the words God already gave him and fled in despair. There are so many times when we, like David, could use a time machine. We might be stuck in a dead end job, going through a difficult time with a spouse, a friend, a family member that just never seems to end, we might have a sickness or pain that won't go away, or be in the midst of any number of other struggles and sorrows. We may have waited patiently, trusted God fervently, prayed unceasingly, but still nothing happens. Many of us, like David, have had enough of waiting and have slipped into the violent abyss of despair. One of the most crippling and widespread disabilities amongst people is future blindness. None of us can see the future. And because of the lack of sight into our own personal future, we let our blindness cripple us in the present. But believers, we must not lose heart in the midst of pain. Although we may not know our own personal end, we may not understand the present sufferings that we find ourselves in, we do know that God will bring us into his kingdom. We do know that God is drawing people to himself for the glorification of himself, and that all things serve to that end. So we cannot lose heart.

Lord Jesus, be our vision in the midst of our blindness and help us to see your purposes and goodness in all circumstances.

Good Intentions Don't Matter

"And Samuel said, "Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to listen than the fat of rams." 1 Samuel 15:22

The practice of worship can be a dangerous thing. I think there is a pervasive mentality that as long as we have good intentions in worshipping God, it doesn't really matter if how we worship lines up with his commandments. This is the, "It's the thought that counts," view of worshipping and serving God. Saul and the people of Israel had this. Although God commanded them to completely destroy the Amalekites, they thought it would be nice to instead take the best of their crops and flocks and sacrifice them to the Lord. When Samuel heard about this, he went and told Saul the kingdom is being taken away from him. In that dialogue, one of the most significant statements about worship in the whole Bible is made. God doesn't care about the sacrifice, the rituals, the offerings, the liturgy, or any of the religious acts of worship if obedience is compromised to accomplish it. Some examples: there is a glaring need of the poor in our immediate community and instead we use the resources God gave us to expand or enhance our already incredible facility. God commands us to take care of the poor, not have perfect clarity in our sound system. A cross or crucifix is set up in a worship service and instead of using it as an artistic image to point to a spiritual worship of God, we bow down before it and worship the object in front of us. God commands us not to make or worship images of himself. Worship music, sermons, books, or any other creative act of worship are made for the sake of business profit over the sake of growing the kingdom and expanding the glorification of God. God commands us to have no other gods before Him, including the greedy god of capitalism. The list can go on and on. All of these things are done with good intentions thinking that God wants whatever worship we give him as long as we mean well. But this is simply not true. Worshipping God, at its core, is being obedient to what he commands and submissive to his lordship. Worship without thought to obedience is dangerous, and we ought be more careful.

Lord Jesus, we repent of the way that we place the mode of our offerings before our obedience. Give us a passion for righteousness that guides us to right worship!

God's Silence

“Now the young man Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.” 1 Samuel 3:1

The book of Judges ends on a bit of a rough note. “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25) Picking up from there, the book of 1 Samuel doesn't start off much better. It's hard to believe that in only a few generations, Israel had completely walked away from God and perverted the covenant made with them. They were not that far removed from the miracles done at the hand of Moses and Joshua, and were reminded of God's power through the numerous judges God sent to Israel to save them. But it didn't seem to matter. They did what was right in their own eyes, so much so that the very voice of God, the words which rang so sweet to Moses, that drove Joshua to victory, the very presence of God that made Israel distinct and revered amongst the nations, was gone. God didn't seem to want to speak to them. As Hannah, in her prayer spoke, “Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn.” (1 Samuel 2:5) There are times when God chooses not to speak for the sake of building faith. Those times are sweet silence and we should be joyful while suffering through them because God is doing more in his silence than he was in his speech. However, often times he is silent because we are not in a position to hear him. The only people in Israel at the time of 1 Samuel to hear God was a barren woman and a little child. Israel was in such sin and perversion God threw up his arms and decided to withhold his word. This is a scary place to be. If God is silent, both personally and in our communities, our churches, and our culture, then we need to take an honest look at our personal and communal sins. Are we a people God would want to talk to?

Lord Jesus, we repent of our straying hearts that make our ears not work with your voice. Remove all the hindrances that keep us from you and return your Spirit to our midst once again!

God's Impatience

“So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel.” Judges 10:16

The patience of God is abounding through Scriptures as he deals with both Israel and His church. God waits as we struggle through faith, as we turn away, as we repent. He is patient to not destroy us or disown us. In Judges, Israel turns away frequently and God is continually disciplining and then saving them. It seems if he were to grow impatient with anything, it would be of Israel's disobedience. But instead, God grows impatient in watching Israel suffer as a result of his discipline. This is powerful insight into the magnificent love of God. Regardless of what we have done, when we are called children of God, His heart breaks to see us suffer, even if the suffering is deserved. What joy we have in Christ, that our Lord grows impatient with our misery, for it is the impatience of God that leads to His action of salvation.

Lord Jesus, thank you for your unwavering love of your wavering children!

The Nature of Worship

“As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the LORD has given the host of Midian into your hand.”” Judges 7:15

From the beginning of Gideon's story, it is apparent that he is a strong man. But despite his strength, he is hesitant to use it to do what God asks of him. Even after signs and miracles, success and victory over the Midianites, Gideon still has doubts about God's power to do what he says. Finally, after God tells him to go and listen to the enemy predict God's victory, Gideon gets it...and he worships. Worship is often times a word subjugated to a mere act of singing done on a Sunday morning. But with Gideon, worship was the moment he finally allowed his will, his skill, his talent, and his power to bow down to the lordship of Almighty God. Worshipping God should be nothing less for us. It is not the repetitious singing of songs or prayers or meditation or art or writing in itself. Worship is the response of complete submission and those other actions are predicated on that initial posture. 

Lord Jesus, let us not belittle worship by making it anything but a complete submission to you!

Debtors to Grace

“I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’” Joshua 24:13

The blessing of God is always a result of the grace of God, we never deserve God's blessing. After Israel received their inheritance, having driven out the inhabitants of the land, God reminds them to not get proud or entitled about the land they were now living in. They lived in cities they did not build and ate food they did not plant. How often do I look at the blessings God has bestowed on my life and forget who gave them to me. I look at my job and think I got that because of my education, background, and skill set. I think of my home and think this came about through a series of investments and choices that brought in enough money to qualify for a loan and make a down payment. I think of my family and claim that I was able to pursue and woo my wife into a relationship with me and through my wooing, we are now a family. All the blessings I have received, without explicitly acknowledging it, I count as a result of actions I did. Blessings seem to be thought of as my just desserts. I praise God he reminds all of us that we are merely poor men and debtors living in the mansion of the king. The food we eat is from the king's pantry, and the bed upon which we sleep is covered with noble linens. Israel was not a special nation. They were smaller than everyone else, stubborn, and a nation without a home. They were poor and lowly nomads and slaves. But God saw fit to give them cities and land, vineyards and pastures, cattle and fruit, and make them a nation greatly feared by other nations. I am  no different. I was a man born into selfishness and pride, without discipline or love, an absolute slave to sin and helplessly bankrupt with regards to spiritual life. I was literally dead to all things that mattered and utterly incapable of doing anything about it. But God saw fit to save me, to give me a city and home I did not build, and vineyards I did not plant, and he did so out of grace. We cannot forget that we are debtors to grace and undeserving recipients of blessing.

Lord Jesus, I praise you for your grace and am in debt to your blessings. I praise you for you are a God of love unspeakable and riches everlasting!