Contemplative Bible Reading

Job 1:4-5 (New Living Translation)

4 Job’s sons would take turns preparing feasts in their homes, and they would also invite their three sisters to celebrate with them. 5 When these celebrations ended—sometimes after several days—Job would purify his children. He would get up early in the morning and offer a burnt offering for each of them. For Job said to himself, “Perhaps my children have sinned and have cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular practice.

Here at the beginning of the (hi)story of Job, we have this practice of Job. He offered sacrifices to God each morning on behalf of his children. I don’t advocate animal sacrifices each morning. That was a different practice in a different place at a different time. I do, however, advocate daily prayers for all.

Note that at this time, the emphasis was on the heart. Job didn’t fear that his children had cursed God or violated God’s will in their actions. Job was concerned about how his children felt in their hearts. The emphasis was on the heart. In the middle of all these physical sacrifices, the emphasis was on the heart.

I am repeating myself here with all these words about the heart. I find that I cannot overemphasize the role of what folks felt in their hearts. The Old Testament goes on and on about physical sacrifices. And the Old Testament goes on and on about how the heart was more important than all these physical sacrifices. The New Testament continues this pattern. It is the heart.

Okay, I do lots of good things. Really, I do. Still, is my heart in the right place? That is important. The outward acts are seen by others. The heart? Only God sees that. Please God, help me in my unbelief.

2 Samuel 14:1-3 (New Living Translation)

1 Joab realized how much the king longed to see Absalom. 2 So he sent for a woman from Tekoa who had a reputation for great wisdom. He said to her, “Pretend you are in mourning; wear mourning clothes and don’t put on lotions. Act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for a long time. 3 Then go to the king and tell him the story I am about to tell you.” Then Joab told her what to say.

Set the stage: there is great trouble in King David’s family—literally a civil war is brewing among David’s children. Joab—David’s nephew and commander of the army—is trying to advise King David. Joab decides to use an around-the-back idea to convince David to bring peace to the family.

Joab brings in an unnamed woman from Tekoa. This woman had great wisdom. Joab’s instructions are “pretend” and “act like.” In other words, lie to the King so he will learn something. Hmm. Is acting lying? Yes, in one sense it is. In another sense it is a teaching and advising technique. Hmm. It is also risky.

It works…in this case. The woman from Tekoa is a good actress—a good pretender. David decides to act and bring peace in his family.

Jesus told lies, um, er, well you see…Jesus told parables. Those were stories of things that didn’t actually happen, but the stories helped people to learn. Jesus told folks things that weren’t true, but could have been and all that nuance.

Pretending, acting, telling stories, etc. Love, converse, point the way to God. I should do better. Please God, help me in my unbelief.

2 Chronicles 24:15-16 (New Living Translation)

15 Jehoiada lived to a very old age, finally dying at 130. 16 He was buried among the kings in the City of David, because he had done so much good in Israel for God and his Temple.

So ends the life of Jehoiada the priest. One of his significant duties was advising young King Joash of Judah. Joash did what was right in the eyes of God as long a Jehoiada advised him. Once Jehoiada was gone, well, things didn’t go so well for Joash and Judah.

Jehoiada did so much good for the people and for God and the Temple. Note, good for mankind in the service of God. This was not either this or that—this was BOTH this AND that. This is not a choice of one over the other. This is a choice to serve God and that service leads to good for others.

A follower of God is a good person, a good citizen, a good neighbor. Followers of God pay their taxes, cut their lawns, coach kids in sports, tutor, sit, heal. The list goes on.

Jehoiada isn’t at the top of any list of the more famous persons in the Bible (Peter, Paul, David, Moses…where is Jehoiada?). He, however, should be. I doubt I will live 130 years. Perhaps someone will say of me that I did “so much good.” It is a worthy goal.

1 Kings 15:11,14b (New Living Translation)

Asa did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, as his ancestor David had done…Asa’s heart remained completely faithful to the Lord throughout his life.

I break with tradition in this blog with how I quote the scriptures in this post. I skip a few sentences and add half a verse to emphasize how King Asa was faithful as David.

King David had many faults. He committed adultery with another man’s wife and had that man killed in battle. David lost faith in God’s power and took a census to ensure his power on earth. David lied and cheated.

Given all these faults, God cherished David for being faithful to Jehovah the God of Israel and worshiping no other Gods. We read here that generations later King Asa followed the example of King David in this respect: Asa was faithful to Jehovah God of Israel and did not worship any other gods.

King Solomon, David’s own son, was praised and rewarded by Jehovah God of Israel for asking for wisdom instead of riches. God rewarded Solomon with wisdom, riches, and peace in his 40-year reign. Solomon, however, fell to temptation and worshiped other gods.

After the split of the kingdom into Judah in the south and Israel in the north, the kings of Israel all worshiped other gods as did many of the kings of Judah. They neglected the ways of David for the ways of Solomon.

Loyalty to the one true God is pretty important. From these examples, I surmise that loyalty to the one true God is paramount. Thanks be to the grace of God and my family heritage, I don’t worship the god of the sun or of rain or hurricanes or blizzards. I have enough other troubles.

1 Samuel 3:19-20 (New Living Translation)

19 As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. 20 And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord.

All Israel knew that Samuel was a prophet, i.e., God spoke to the people through Samuel. How did the people of Israel know this?

Everything Samuel said proved to be reliable.

Well, that’s pretty simple. I mean, surely a prophet would have credit for something spectacular or something, right? Just being reliable, well, anyone can be reliable, right?

Wrong. Everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. Not just this or that, not just the important things, not just the simple things, everything. But what about the temperature tomorrow morning. Samuel probably didn’t say much about that. What about this, that, and the other thing? Samuel probably didn’t say much about those things either.

My guess is that Samuel chose his words carefully. My guess is that Samuel looked to God for guidance before he opened his mouth. My guess is that I could follow Samuel’s example much more. Please God, help my in my unbelief.

1 Kings 18:45-46 (New Living Translation)

45 And soon the sky was black with clouds. A heavy wind brought a terrific rainstorm, and Ahab left quickly for Jezreel. 46 Then the Lord gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel.

This is part of the (hi)story of the prophet Elijah. God had sent a drought on the land. The drought was about to end with a sudden and miraculous rain storm.

Evil Ahab hopped in his chariot and sped towards the town of Jezreel. Elijah tucked his cloak into his belt, tightened the laces of his Nike track shoes (I made up that last phrase), and started running. Elijah ran faster than the galloping horses pulling Ahab’s chariot.

It must have been a jolt of adrenaline that enabled Elijah, right? I mean, that’s the only thing that could explain it. A man, especially an old man dressed like Elijah, just cannot possibly run faster than galloping horses.

Nope. It was special strength from God.

Well, that’s just an old story, right? Wrong. It is right in front of us in black and white. God’s special strength. I cannot explain special strength from God. I’ve never received special strength from God that enabled me to run faster than galloping horses.

Have I ever received special strength from God? Probably. I believe that at some time or another, most of us have. That special strength pushed me to love someone I didn’t like or help someone I didn’t want to help or merely let someone else move in front of me in traffic when I didn’t want to. Special strength is just that—special. There is no explaining it.

Deuteronomy 34:10-12 (New Living Translation)

10 There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. 11 The Lord sent him to perform all the miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, and all his servants, and his entire land. 12 With mighty power, Moses performed terrifying acts in the sight of all Israel.

These verses describe Moses. Moses was a man “the LORD knew face to face.” God used Moses to negotiate with Pharaoh and bring the people out of Egypt.

Note that Moses “performed terrifying acts in the sight of all Israel.”

When Moses followed God’s commands and brought plagues and such, the people didn’t stand back, say, “Wow! Oh my gosh!” and applaud. They ran and hid in terror. The gnats, the frogs, the lice, the darkness, etc.—the were TERRIFYING! My years of Sunday School as a kid has diluted these signs and miracle and plagues for me. A million people were TERRIFIED at the sight.

God works in mysterious ways. I don’t “get it” much of the time. My mind just isn’t big enough or searching enough or something. All these super hero special effects movies have dulled my senses. When was the last time I was terrified? I am not sure I want to see God act in my life and terrify me. Please God, help my in my unbelief.

1 Chronicles 16:19-22 (New Living Translation)

19 He (God) said this when you were few in number, a tiny group of strangers in Canaan.
20 They wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.
21 Yet he did not let anyone oppress them. He warned kings on their behalf:
22 “Do not touch my chosen people, and do not hurt my prophets.”

This is part of a Song of Praise from King David. The song reminds the people how God protected them in their journey and wandering.

Note the last two phrases: God did not let anyone oppress the people. God told kings, “Do not touch.”

God protects some people. God speaks to unbelievers. Maybe God speaks to them in dreams, thoughts, or through advisors, but God speaks to unbelievers. “Don’t touch those people over there,” God told kings. Those kings obeyed God. Hmm, unbelieving kings obeying God. Odd how I, a devoted follower of God, have trouble obeying God sometimes. Yikes. I have to do better.

God protects some people. I have traveled far and wide—safely. I have never been harmed in traveling through kingdoms. I can attribute this safety to all sorts of logical reasons. I can also attribute safe travels to God as protection by God. God spoke to folks along the way, “Do not touch Dwayne.”

Maybe I am stretching this too far. Perhaps not. God speaks to people everywhere all the time. Thank you God.

Deuteronomy 32:20-21a (New Living Translation)

20 He said, ‘I will abandon them;
then see what becomes of them.
For they are a twisted generation,
children without integrity.
21 They have roused my jealousy by worshiping things that are not God;

God is speaking to the people through Moses. One condemnation about the people is that they are children without integrity.

When a person says they will do one thing, but does another, that is one sign of a lack of integrity. What were the people saying and then not doing? They said they worshiped Jehovah their God and Jehovah alone. Instead, they were worshiping other gods.

This is the great failing of the people of the time; they worshiped what the people around them worshiped. Need rain for crops? Don’t pray to the real God, worship the local god of rain. Need help in a battle in the hills? Don’t pray to the real God, worship the local god of the hills. The list went on and on.

David sinned in many ways. David, however, only worshiped Jehovah the true God. Other kings after David? They worshiped other gods. They were children without integrity.

God, bless me with integrity. Bless me with the strength needed to do what I say I will do. Bless me with the wisdom to say only what I can do.

1 Chronicles 16:24-25 (New Living Translation)

23 Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!
Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.
24 Publish his glorious deeds among the nations.
Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.

King David gives to Asaph and his fellow Levites a song of thanksgiving to the Lord. Part of this song is listed above.

Okay, I have five minutes to talk to someone. What shall I mention? I could point out their many mistakes and how they should feel ashamed of themselves. I could give a lecture on the proper forms of worship. I could give a lecture on proper attire for all situations. I could… the list goes on.

How about this one: I could tell them about God’s glorious deeds. I could proclaim the good news that God saves.

Hmm. That’s pretty simple. Hear ye, hear ye! God created it all. God gave it all to us to enjoy in the right ways God intended. Let us rejoice!

Sometimes I want to expand on the simple to my detriment and the detriment of others.