Contemplative Bible Reading

1 Samuel 1:6-7 (New Living Translation)

6 So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because the Lord had kept her from having children. 7 Year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat.

taunt: a remark made to wound someone

Peninnah and Hannah were two wives of a man named Elkanah. Peninnah had born children; Hannah had not. This was a situation from a decision from God. Let’s not forget that big point.

Peninnah, not realizing the decision of God, would taunt to hurt Hannah. Peninnah succeeded as she wounded Hannah to tears year after year.

God decides to do this and not that, that and not this. I can’t figure out why God decides some things at some times in some situations. I never will be able to figure out all that. I’m not God (and that really bothers me on bad days).

We see things; we often don’t see God’s influence on things. Things are good for me because I am good and I do things right and I and I and I and I… It’s all because of me. Wrong. Stupid. I am blessed in some ways. I wish I was blessed in a few more ways. The other fellow has some blessings I want for myself. Sigh.

One thing God does not wish is taunting. God decided to give me something. Thank you God. And God, please keep me from taunting another person because You didn’t give them that same thing. I don’t taunt out loud. Still, in my mind, well, sometimes that is another matter. Please God, help me in my unbelief.

Habakkuk 2:8 (New Living Translation)

8 Because you have plundered many nations,
now all the survivors will plunder you.

This is part of a conversation between God and the prophet Habakkuk. God was telling the prophet about using the nation of Babylon to punish a sinful people. The Babylonians would sweep through and conquer in a swift and horrible manner. The people will admit their sins, but cry out to God for relief. And, by the way, the people will cry out for God’s vengeance on the Babylonians. Those Babylonians would do God’s work, but they didn’t have to do it so swiftly with such horrible cruelty. I mean, punishment is one thing, but really.

In the verse above, God is addressing the future of the Babylonians. They plundered, but one day the survivors will do the same to them.

You did wrong; I will do wrong to you. You did bad things; I will do bad things to you. Bad will even out bad. We will go on and on doing bad back and forth till the end of time.

Who wants to live like this? Who wants bad repaid with bad repaid with bad repaid with bad?

Who will end history? Who will stop the cycles of bad on bad?

Jesus.

Awful and complex question—a one-word and simple answer.

Surely there is more to this than a one-word answer. Nope. Jesus is the answer. Plain and simple, well, maybe not so simple as I have to figure out a way that this gets complicated and their are vexing problems and the world needs a genius like me to untangle everything and make it right and I am the only one who can do this and…

Nope. Jesus is the answer. Sometimes Jesus is a misunderstood answer. Sometimes Jesus is an unwanted answer. Still, Jesus is the answer.

John 5:13 (New Living Translation)

13 The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd.

This is part of the (hi)story of Jesus healing a lame man in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate at the pool of Bethesda. This caused a controversy because it was the Sabbath or day of rest. As instructed by Jesus, the lame man picked up his mat and carried it away. Carrying your bed was forbidden on the Sabbath day as it was an act of work, not rest.

Therefore, the religious leaders were questioning this man about his working instead of resting. It seems that a miracle had been performed. “Who did this miracle?” asked the leaders.

The man didn’t know. Jesus, without announcing himself or leaving his business card, had disappeared into the crowd.

That was like Jesus. Jesus just didn’t seem to know how to act. Jesus neglected all the societal norms of that day and our day today. When you do something good, you just have to let everyone know who you are, right?

Well, Jesus didn’t do it that way. There were times when Jesus did miracles without claiming any credit. Is that the way we are supposed to do good? Just do it and don’t say anything? Shouldn’t we say, “We do this because we follow Jesus and this is what Jesus would do.” Well, nothing wrong with saying that. Jesus did that sometimes. The followers of Jesus did that sometimes. Then there were other times, like in this case, where Jesus said nothing.

This man’s life had been given back to him. I emphasize “given” as this was a gift. Nothing was bought; nothing was earned. It was a gift. And the man didn’t know the source of the gift.

The man, however, knew that something miraculous had happened. Something good had happened. The religious leaders knew these things as well.

Despite claims to the contrary, folks know there is a God. Folks know there is something that cannot be explained. There is a part, sometimes a tiny part, inside folks where they want to believe in something that cannot be explained.

Let’s do the good that Jesus would do. Sometimes we explain it with Jesus; sometimes we don’t say anything. Still, let’s do the good and the loving that Jesus would do.

John 3:3-4 (New Living Translation)

3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again,[a] you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

These statements are from the famous conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. This conversation leads to John 3:16, which is one of the most famous statements in the Bible.

At this point in the conversation, we see something that occurs many times in John’s telling of the life of Jesus: Jesus mentions a common occurrence in life, but Jesus is speaking about something else, something far more significant. In this case, Jesus isn’t speaking of physical birth, but of the gracious gift of spiritual birth and salvation.

Jesus “gets into trouble” many times in John’s telling of the life of Jesus by doing this type of thing, i.e., speaking about high concepts using words about basic things in everyday life. I wish Jesus wouldn’t do that. Just speak plainly; say what you mean, and mean what you say. Right? Come on, Jesus, use some common sense. Right? Doesn’t Jesus understand these things?

Well, here I go again, telling Jesus how to do things. How stupid is that? Jesus knew what to do and how to speak and how to touch the hearts and minds of people then and ever since then. Should I speak and write like Jesus? Will that work for me as I attempt to share the Gospel? Perhaps. Please God, grant me wisdom.

Obadiah 1:13 (New Living Translation)

13 You should not have plundered the land of Israel
when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have gloated over their destruction
when they were suffering such calamity.
You should not have seized their wealth
when they were suffering such calamity.

God is speaking to the people of Edom through the prophet Obadiah. Those people were guilty of a few things and punishment was coming their way.

The people of Edom plundered the people of Israel. The people of Edom stole everything they wanted. Plundering and stealing are wrong; they are crimes everywhere for all people of the earth.

And right up there with these heinous crimes is, uh, er, gloating. Gloating? Uh, well, perhaps there is something lost in translation or something like that, huh?

Nope, taking pleasure in another’s misfortune is wrong. It is just as bad as stealing.

Consider that here in America we are in an election year. Some people will suffer misfortune. Will I gloat about that? Uh, er, well…please God, help me in my unbelief.

Luke 4:22 (New Living Translation)

22 Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

Jesus spoke to many people during the time He spent on earth. The Bible often calls them “multitudes.” People would stop what they were doing and walk for hours to hear what Jesus said.

People were amazed by the gracious words that came from His lips.

Well, of course. This was God on earth. Of course He amazed people by what He said. Or was there something else? Some people are better speakers than others. Some people are better with words than others. Some people can jump higher and run faster than others.

Jesus, the human side of Him, was better at speaking than others. Running fast and jumping high weren’t needed in His ministry. Speaking was. God chose wisely. Let me try to choose as God did.

Isaiah 45:7 (New Living Translation)

7 I create the light and make the darkness.
I send good times and bad times.
I, the Lord, am the one who does these things.

God is speaking to Cyrus the Great of Persia through the prophet Isaiah. God is reminding Cyrus of a few things before God uses Cyrus to accomplish a few tasks in ancient times.

In practical and higher matters, Cyrus needs to understand that the God of Israel, Jehovah or YHWH, is God. God brings light and dark, i.e., day and night. That is something simple that everyone can see and feel. God also brings good times and bad times, i.e., value to some people which is also horror to some other people. That is quite a high concept in human affairs.

Bump your funny bone? Eventually, that comes from God. Anxious about retirement 20 years down the road? Eventually, that comes from God. We live in God’s creation. Everything that has ever happened everywhere in our world has led to this moment. And now, what am I going to do?

Fear God, keep his commands, walk humbly with God. Love one another. Love God. I could go on. I should always go with God. Please God, help my in my unbelief.

Luke 5:11 (New Living Translation)

11 And as soon as they (Peter, James, and John) landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.

Peter and his partners, James and his brother John, were commercial fishermen. They fished in a great lake and sold their fish in the markets. This was a business. This was a livelihood. This wasn’t going out on the weekend in a bass boat for fun.

Jesus performed a miracle that allowed them to catch a boat-full of fish. This was a big payday! Peter, James, and John walked away from everything and followed Jesus.

First, they abandoned their business. Gone, forgotten, bye bye. Second, they abandoned a boatload of fish. They could have taken the fish to market, sold the fish, put money in their pockets, and then followed Jesus. That would have made sense.

Nope, they walked away from a boatload of money. They walked away from all the capital investment in boats, line, nets, bait, and everything else.

Can you imagine what their parents said when they learned of this folly? Can you imagine what their fellow commercial fishermen said? Oh, by the way, what did those standing around at the time do with that boatload of fish? Hmm?

That was faith: belief and action. Please God, help me in my unbelief and lack of faith.

Isaiah 44:16-17 (New Living Translation)

16 He burns part of the tree to roast his meat
and to keep himself warm.
He says, “Ah, that fire feels good.”
17 Then he takes what’s left
and makes his god: a carved idol!
He falls down in front of it,
worshiping and praying to it.
“Rescue me!” he says.
“You are my god!”

God is talking to the people through the prophet Isaiah. Many of the surrounding peoples worshiped idols. God is explaining the foolishness of such.

In the above verses, consider the man who makes an idol from the wood of a tree. After felling the tree, the person burns part of it to roast his meat. The fire is useful, and the warmth feels good and comforting.

The rest of the wood is used to make something to worship. The man bows in front of the wood, prays to it, and asks it to rescue him. From what the man needs rescuing is unknown, but the man seems to understand he needs help.

Let’s go buy a bag of charcoal briquettes. Let’s cook some steaks on the grill. We will arrange the briquettes left in the bag into a nice pile. Then we will kneel in front of the pile and pray to each briquette asking for protection and blessing. What do you think? Good idea?

Uh, well, er, looks sort of, well, the Bible uses the word “foolish” to describe this. I guess that word is still allowed in our world of foolishness.

The man who made the idol from what was left of the tree was seeking protection. That man feared something and knew he couldn’t defend himself from that something. That man realized his weakness. That man sought help from the wrong source. The right source of help was right in front of that man. The right source of help is right in front of me right now as I sit in a coffee shop typing these words on a computer some three thousand years after the man and the idol from the tree.

Nothing has changed. Mankind needs protection. God provides. Sticks and briquettes don’t.

Jonah 4:8 (New Living Translation)

8 And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. “Death is certainly better than living like this!” he exclaimed.

This is the end of the story of Jonah. God sent Jonah to Nineveh to tell those people in that great city that they were all wrong. They lived sinful lives and needed to turn to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph. They needed to turn to Jehovah the God of Israel. Oh, by the way, the people of Nineveh had easily smashed the nation of Israel in a war.

So here comes Jonah, telling the people of a powerful enemy city that they are all wrong. At the conclusion, Jonah says, “Death is certainly better than living like this!”

Those evil people of Nineveh must have grabbed this fellow who told them they were all wrong and put him in prison and tortured him to the point where wished he was dead, right? Wrong.

Jonah told the message of God. The people repented and turned to God. Jonah was a hero. Then Jonah sat under a shade tree. God sent a little worm to take away the shade. Then Jonah wished he was dead.

Jonah allowed himself to be tortured by a little worm. Can you imagine that? A little worm. Really? How silly.

I don’t like the way someone cuts their hair or doesn’t tuck their shirt in their pants. Can you imagine how disgraceful it is to not tuck your shirt in your pants. Why God should strike down that person and and and … It is a punishment worse than death to be around people who won’t tuck their shirt in their pants and cut their hair right. Why why why … And maybe a little worm will cause me to wish I was dead.

How does God tolerate us? Jonah allowed a little worm to bother him to the point of death. I allow an out of place shirt to bother me to the point of death. We are an odd lot. Thank you God for your eternal patience and grace.