Contemplative Bible Reading

1 Samuel 21:1-2 (New Living Translation)

1 David went to the town of Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he saw him. “Why are you alone?” he asked. “Why is no one with you?”

2 “The king has sent me on a private matter,” David said. “He told me not to tell anyone why I am here. I have told my men where to meet me later.

David is fleeing King Saul. Saul wants David dead (a good reason to flee).

Seeking some refuge, David goes to the town of Nob to see Ahimelech who is a Priest. Ahimelech, knowing some of the situation with all this fleeing and killing and such, trembles and asks David, “How’s you day?”

David lies to Ahimelech the Priest.

Well, you have to understand the situation and … Nope. David lies and he lies to a Priest. But, but, but … Nope. David lies and he lies to a Priest.

David was a man after God’s own heart. He always sought after God as a guide to living. David killed lots of people. David cheated with a married woman. David did this bad thing and that bad thing and another bad thing over there and he lied to a Priest.

We are an odd lot. God still loves us and gave up Jesus for our benefit. And we lie to priests and cheat in marriage and murder people. And God still loves us.

Can I be more blessed? Can I be a little more thankful?

2 Peter 2:1 (King James Version)

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Let’s go back to the King James Version for today’s version and contemplation.

Peter is telling the readers that there will be false teachers who will enter and quietly bring “damnable heresies.” I love that phrase, “damnable heresies.”

We don’t say “damnable” much these days. It means subject to or worthy of divine condemnation.

We don’t say “heresies” much these days, either. It means something that goes against all the other teaching.

A heresy can merely be a different point of view. But when that different point of view is subject to or worthy of divine condemnation, that is not just plain wrong. Get rid of it. Out the door, right now, with extreme prejudice.

So who are these false teachers with their damnable heresies? The folks who want to sing five songs instead of three? Nope. The folks who want a 15-minute sermon instead of a 30-minute sermon? Nope. How about those folks who…? Nope. Nope. And nope.

Silly examples? Maybe. But as we edge towards not-so-silly examples, people start to move towards damning the idea as heresy.

There are damnable heresies in the world today. Plenty of them. Let’s read the Bible—the entire Bible a few dozen times start to finish. We may then start to appreciate all the accepted teaching. Heresies may be easier to spot.

Then we punish those false teachers, right? That’s not what Peter wrote. Swift destruction will come upon those false teachers. Of course “swift” may not be swift enough for me. It will be, however, swift enough for God.

Leviticus 19:4 (New Living Translation)

Do not put your trust in idols or make metal images of gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.

God the Creator or Jehovah (YHWH) is talking to Moses. Moses is to pass along these instructions to the people.

This is one of many places in the Old Testament where Jehovah tells the people that of all the “gods” out there, Jehovah the Creator is their God. There were plenty of images out there representing the god of the river or the god of the mountain or the god of the clouds or the god of the rains or the god of the wheel or something. These were creations of Jehovah. People could see and touch these creations and worshiped them.

It was so simple. Make something to represent your favorite god. Put that statue or whatever in a prominent place in your home or your city or along a prominent road. Stop at the statue and pay homage to it. If the god were really special, put money at the foot of the statue. A special group of people would dust off the statue or repaint it annually or something. Those special people would keep the money and use it to live (sometimes live in luxury).

Wrong. Wrong. And wrong.

Worship God the Creator whom the people called Jehovah (English word). The Creator would send the Son Jesus Christ to take away the sins of mankind. That statue out on the old highway? It just got dusty and rusty. Its sort of an interesting historical marker, but nothing else. Worship it? Some of us still do. We are an odd lot.

Ephesians 2:20 (New Living Translation)

Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.

There is some old saying that has a thousand variations about “standing on others’ shoulders, not on others’ toes.” Of course, most old sayings go back to the Bible. This is one case.

The writer likens Christians to a house built on top of apostles (teachers) and prophets (those through whom God spoke). The cornerstone or first stone placed in the foundation is Jesus Christ.

Christians use what has been taught and written and move forward from that point. “Well, I have a new idea about some of this.” Wrong. New ideas aren’t needed. The foundation we have is more than sufficient. And the foundation we have allows great leeway in where we can go with our (almost and sort of) new ideas.

No need to invent it all over again. We have it given to us. Let’s just try to continue in the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Leviticus 16:29 (New Living Translation)

“On the tenth day of the appointed month in early autumn, you must deny yourselves. Neither native-born Israelites nor foreigners living among you may do any kind of work. This is a permanent law for you…”

Here is part of the old law the God gave to the people. There are those two words as the end of the first sentence: deny yourselves.

Okay, so what is that mean old God taking away from people this time? No fun, huh?

“you may do any kind of work”

Wait a minute. This must be an error in translation. Should read something like, “You may not rest” or “You may not play” or something like that. God is telling the people to rest. That is a commandment.

Easy enough, right? Wrong. We gotta’ work folks. Let’s get to it. Rest? No.

And that is what the people did. They disobeyed the command to take it easy one day.

We are an odd lot. How does God tolerate us? Thank you Lord for your grace and forgiveness. I can’t seem to do the things that are best for myself.

Exodus 32:5 (New Living Translation)

Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the Lord!”

We are an odd lot.

Moses was up on the mountain with God getting the ten commandments and all the other laws. The people grew restless and impatient. They had quickly forgotten the miracles in Egypt and crossing the sea on dry ground. They made an idol. Aaron built an altar in front of the idol.

Aaron stood in front of an idol and a place of sacrifice to the idol and said, “Let us never worship any such man made object. Let’s destroy it and every such idol of folly we ever see!”

No, wait, that wasn’t it.

Aaron stood in front of an idol and a place of sacrifice to the idol and said, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the Lord!”

Uh, huh, wait, er… We will use this idol to celebrate to Jehovah the Creator of all? Again, uh, huh? Aaron wasn’t a stupid fellow. Yet he uttered these stupid words.

Behold the patience of God. Behold heartless and brainless folks like me. Like we hear on Sesame Street, “One of these things is not like the other.”

Okay, Mount Sinai to Sesame Street. We’ve covered all that territory. Lesson learned? God tolerates us because God loves us. Oh that I may never forget that and never stop adoring God.

Micah 7:18 (New Living Translation)

Where is another God like you,
who pardons the guilt of the remnant,
overlooking the sins of his special people?
You will not stay angry with your people forever,
because you delight in showing unfailing love.

The prophet Micah is describing God to the people. Punishment, punishment, and more punishment is coming for the masses for all the repeated sins of centuries.

Still, there is a remnant—a small remaining group of faithful. Yes, this remnant was sinful as well. They were, however, special in their remorse.

God would not stay angry with this remnant forever. God delights in showing unfailing love.

Let’s repeat that one: God delights in showing unfailing love.

Stop. Let it soak in. Breathe in thanksgiving. Thank you God. Let me never forget.

Leviticus 16:20-22 (New Living Translation)

20 “When Aaron has finished purifying the Most Holy Place and the Tabernacle and the altar, he must present the live goat. 21 He will lay both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the wickedness, rebellion, and sins of the people of Israel. In this way, he will transfer the people’s sins to the head of the goat. Then a man specially chosen for the task will drive the goat into the wilderness. 22 As the goat goes into the wilderness, it will carry all the people’s sins upon itself into a desolate land.

This describes part of the ceremony that was to occur on the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur. This is the origin of the term “scapegoat” or a person who was blamed for the mistakes of another.

This is symbolic. It shows that the people admitted their many sins. Those sins were put on the head of the goat who was driven off to the ends of the earth never to return. The sins of the past year? Gone. Poof!

This leads us to Jesus Christ and how all the sins of all mankind for all time were transferred to Jesus to be carried away. Gone. Poof!

This also leads me to my day-to-day life here on earth. Do I carry burdens with me on my aching back? Do I slump through life under their weight? Do I drop them off on a goat and move ahead in a joyous life?

Let’s not be naive. Life is tough some days. Bad things happen that hurt. Let me, however, not be stupid. I am not alone. God is with me. God has provided people to be with me—the church. God has provided relief.

Please God, let me know where the scapegoat from heaven is and how to place my burdens on its head.

Exodus 28:3 (New Living Translation)

Instruct all the skilled craftsmen whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom. Have them make garments for Aaron that will distinguish him as a priest set apart for my service.

God is talking to Moses. There is much work to be done as God is instructing Moses and the people how to build a tabernacle or place of sacrifice in the form of a large tent that can be moved. In addition, the people were to make special garments for Aaron and the other priests to distinguish them as special servants who were to be set apart.

God did not leave this to chance. God filled some of the skilled craftsmen with the “spirit of wisdom.” These artisans were aided and guided by God as they measured, cut, and sowed the special garments (I don’t know enough about garment artistry to list what is involved).

At some times in some locations and some circumstances, God gives some persons a “spirit of wisdom.” Maybe that spirit holds for the rest of the person’s life; maybe that spirit is temporary and leaves the person when the task is complete. Regardless, the spirit of wisdom is from God and aids mere mortals to do miraculous things for God here on earth.

Have I ever been given a spirit of wisdom? I don’t know. There have been times when I had solutions to problems that I usually couldn’t solve. Then there have been all the other days when I stumbled and bumbled with the simplest of things. There have been days when instead of turning and walking away, I spoke a few words that improved a person’s day. Perhaps that was God’s spirit of wisdom in me for five seconds. Look around us. Do we see people doing things that are unusually good? Perhaps that is God’s spirit of wisdom. Thank you God.

Jeremiah 30:22 (New Living Translation)

You will be my people,
and I will be your God.

This is a short and simple statement. God is talking to the people through the prophet Jeremiah. At the time, the people were in bad shape. They were scattered among several nations in exile. Their disobedient lifestyle caused their nation to crumble to the point where foreign armies walked in, picked the healthy people, and took them away to be servants, accountants, merchants, and do lots of things the rich conquerors didn’t want to do.

A better time will come for the people. They will realize that Jehovah the Creator will be their God. The people will worship and serve Jehovah. They won’t worship other gods any longer. Life will be better. Society will be better. People will be happier and healthier.

Gosh, that sure sounds better than being deported to a place where you don’t understand anything anyone says, everyone spits on you, you do jobs you don’t like, and conditions are just … rotten.

I guess we can still choose what to do. Well, life here in America is pretty sweet. What’s the problem? Look around. All sorts of people pay no attention to God and they are doing just fine. Maybe so. Maybe not. Are people content? Happy? Satisfied? Have a good relationship with their kids? Maybe so. Maybe not.

This is all so simple and all so complex. There is much happening that we don’t see. Perhaps all this happiness is more than what we let people see of our lives. God, however, sees. Do I want Jehovah the Creator to be my god?