Contemplative Bible Reading

1 Samuel 3:10 (New Living Translation)

10 And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”

And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”

This is part of the (hi)story of Samuel the prophet. Samuel is still a boy at this time, yet God speaks directly to Samuel and tells Samuel about the evil actions of Eli the priest and Eli’s sons.

Tell a boy that the adults are misbehaving? This is all backwards and just plain wrong. Still, it is right and righteous. Later the text states, “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. 21 The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle.”

Sometimes God speaks directly to some children. Here it is in front of us in plain language. But uh, well, this was long ago in a galaxy far, far away and all that, right? This doesn’t happen anymore, right? Maybe? Possibly? Probably?

I don’t know the answers to these questions. Let those who have discussed these things for centuries continue to discuss them. I see where things that don’t make sense to me make sense to God. Once again, I’m not God and I don’t understand it all. Praise be to God, and God, please help me in my unbelief.

1 Samuel 18:17 (New Living Translation)

17 One day Saul said to David, “I am ready to give you my older daughter, Merab, as your wife. But first you must prove yourself to be a real warrior by fighting the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, “I’ll send him out against the Philistines and let them kill him rather than doing it myself.”

This is part of the (hi)story of King Saul and the next king David. Saul was determined to kill David because Saul was sure David wanted to kill him. Saul was wrong all around.

Saul “hatches a plot.” Saul would promise his older daughter Merab as a prize for David fighting the Lord’s battles. Surely, thought crafty King Saul, the Philistines would kill David for him. Well, as history would show, Saul was wrong about all this. And who was Saul to decide what were and were not the Lord’s battles? Anyways…

Let’s consider the relationship of Saul to his daughter Merab. Merab was a prize, a trophy. That shiny trophy was enough to convince David to go on suicide missions. Well, I guess that is one form of flattery. Still, the father says, “See my daughter. You’d die for this prize, huh?”

Saul wasn’t a good father. Saul wasn’t a good King. Perhaps there is a correlation in these “wasn’t a good” statements. How about correlating wasn’t a good father with wasn’t a good CEO or supervisor or shift manager of the midnight shift at White Castle (name any small, regional franchise).

We should only pick kings who are good fathers. We should only pick fill-in-the-blank with good fathers or good mothers. No children? Well, that makes the question a little tougher. Still, I think we can learning something here with Saul, his daughter, and David.

1 Samuel 2:12, 22 (New Living Translation)

12 Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for the Lord

22 Now Eli was very old, but he was aware of what his sons were doing to the people of Israel. He knew, for instance, that his sons were seducing the young women who assisted at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

This is near the beginning of the (hi)story of the prophet Samuel who played a large role in the life of David the King. As a boy, Samuel lived and served with the Priest Eli at the Tabernacle. Eli had two sons who were scoundrels.

We don’t use the work scoundrel much anymore. Since a scoundrel is “a dishonest or unscrupulous person; a rogue,” we have plenty of scoundrels around, but we call them something else or other. Still, here were the sons of God’s priest, and they were scoundrels. Look at some of the unscrupulous things they did per verse 22.

Verse 22 sure is a damning one. Verse 12 is as well: these sons had no respect for the LORD. It seems that this lack of respect in verse 12 led to the actions in verse 22. Yes, these are related. If I don’t respect the LORD, I do all sorts of things that the instructions given by the LORD note as wrong.

Hmm, disobeying God, not respecting God, doing what God says is wrong. All seems to go together. Seducing young women, wrong. Well, there are lots of others things God told the people were wrong. I won’t go into the list. One reason is there are lots of things politicians and the media praise as progressive and on “the right side of history” or some such nonsense. Ouch. You mean all those old things still hold? Yikes. Why, most of the world isn’t respecting God.

Sigh. How does God tolerate us? Unfailing grace. Thank you God. Help me in my unbelief.

1 Samuel 22:1-2 (New Living Translation)

1 So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there. 2 Then others began coming—men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented—until David was the captain of about 400 men.

This is part of the (hi)story of David’s struggle with King Saul. In human terms, it was a civil war or a rebellion. Here David is at a large cave. First, David’s was joined by his relatives. Later, others came until there were 400 men present. Who were these men?

They weren’t described as patriots. They weren’t described as righteous. They weren’t described as anything worthwhile. They were just discontented. They were in trouble. They were in debt.

What an army! What a bunch of losers. Yet, these are the men God sent to David to “help” him. Please God, stop helping David. I mean, David is supposed to win, right? Send David something better than a bunch of troublesome, indebted, and discontented losers.

Well, God works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform. No kidding? God sure does. Hey God, help me, but how about a more straightforward approach than sending me a bunch of troublesome, indebted, and discontented losers. Huh? I mean, I know what I’m doing here and what I need and surely you’ll provide those things for me, huh? No? You provide me with what? How is that supposed to work?

Well, God works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform. Thank you God.

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.