Contemplative Bible Reading

Hosea 8:4 (New Living Translation)

The people have appointed kings without my consent,
and princes without my approval.

This is the prophet relaying God’s words to His people. Consider that one for a moment. “Thus says the Lord…” What a blessing to have. The people, however, had their own ideas on who should be King and what a King should do.

Poor people. Why did they ignore God? Poor us today. Why do we ignore God? Why do we interpret God’s heart in light of our own desires? I suppose this is part of the fallen nature of mankind. Nothing seems to change.

And let us thank God that nothing seems to change as that carries with it that…God doesn’t change. In spite of all our failings, God remains steadfast in his love towards us.

These are old ideas and old words (thus and steadfast). Perhaps we should repeat the words of verse 2 of this chapter:

‘Help us, for you are our God!’

Proverbs 6:16-19 (New Living Translation)

16 There are six things the Lord hates—
no, seven things he detests:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that kill the innocent,
18 a heart that plots evil,
feet that race to do wrong,
19 a false witness who pours out lies,
a person who sows discord in a family.

Two things in this list that the Lord hates: hands that kill the innocent (murder) and sowing discord in a family.

How did these two appear in the same list? Once again, there must be a mistake in translation or something, right? Probably not. One thing in the list is illegal: murder. Another thing (lying) is illegal in some situations.

The rest are just plain bad in the eyes of God. How do I see them? Yikes. Let’s move on to another question before I find myself woefully wanting in yet another instance.

Isaiah 66:2 (New Living Translation)

“I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts,
who tremble at my word.

The Lord God Creator blesses those who step back and do not impose their power on others. God blesses those who are saddened when they realize that they have committed wrong. God blesses the simple readers and listeners who tremble at His Word.

Where is the gold medal for the biggest, fastest, and strongest? Hmm, odd. This doesn’t sound quite right.

This, however, is what God tells us. Let us listen and heed. Our ways often disagree with God’s. Let us accept God as Lord. Please God, help me in my unbelief.

Hosea 8:7 (King James Version)

For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind:

I use the King James Version of this verse as it is an old, well-used (at least in old times it was well-used) verse and saying.

The prophet Hosea is speaking God’s words to His people. Day by day, little by little, the people had moved away from God and what God wanted. Nothing major, just something here and something there.

They planted a breeze. Uh oh, here comes a tornado.

Unimaginable force and destruction. All because of a little sin here and there and over there as well.

I am better than that. I know better and I would never… Silly me. I am no better. I do no better.

Thank you God for your grace and forgiveness. The tornado is not coming for the house trailer of my being. God’s grace is a barrier from that. Thank you God. How many times can I write that?

Proverbs 6:16-19 (New Living Translation)

16 There are six things the Lord hates—
no, seven things he detests:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that kill the innocent,
18 a heart that plots evil,
feet that race to do wrong,
19 a false witness who pours out lies,
a person who sows discord in a family.

This is one of the lists that we find here and there in the Bible. Things the Lord God hates.

One of the troubling things about this list to me is that I—all of us—see these things every day. I see them, I shrug, and I know that the Lord God hates them. I am sort of, oh well, what’s new, who cares?

Well, God cares. And so should I. It is time I stop accepting these as parts of life and that’s “just the way it is.” It doesn’t have to be this way, and there are some things I can do.

1 Chronicles 12:16-17 (English Standard Version)

16 And some of the men of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David. 17 David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in friendship to help me, my heart will be joined to you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no wrong in my hands, then may the God of our fathers see and rebuke you.”

King David is addressing a group of persons who had come to him in a time of trouble. There are two things that stick with me in David’s response.

First, “If.” David isn’t judging or concluding on the intentions of these persons. He is letting them decide on that. And David knows that God knows their intentions.

Second, it is all about God. If they have bad intentions, God will take care of them. David does not give himself to power to punish.

In this occasion, David put God first. David acknowledged the power of God to judge and mete. There were other occasions when David didn’t do so well.

Let us all note that success comes from allowing God to be God and me to be much less than God.

2 Samuel 23:3-4 (English Standard Version)

3 The God of Israel has spoken;
the Rock of Israel has said to me:
When one rules justly over men,
ruling in the fear of God,
4 he dawns on them like the morning light,
like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning,
like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.

These are the words of King David. He listened to God (well, at least on this occasion).

Do you want to bring goodness like the morning light and life-giving rain? Simple. Rule justly in the fear of God.

Pretty simple—these few words. This must be pretty difficult to do as David failed at them more than once as have all the rulers since. We fail at this as well. Please God, help me in my unbelief.

1 Samuel 15:22-23 (New Living Translation)

22 But Samuel replied,

“What is more pleasing to the Lord:
your burnt offerings and sacrifices
or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
23 Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft,
and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.
So because you have rejected the command of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”

The prophet Samuel is delivering a message from God to King Saul. The message, while clear, is not good. The first part of verse 23 brings the charges against Saul.

The second part caught my attention: being stubborn is just as bad as worshiping idols. Huh? That has to be a misprint or something, right? Sure, a few of us are stubborn some of the time, but we aren’t worshiping idols; we’d never do something like that.

God had told Saul, “I know you like doing such-and-such, but stop doing such-and-such and start doing something else. Life is different when you follow Me, so change.” Saul refused to change. Saul was stubborn. Saul felt that his own ways carried as much supernatural power as God. Boy, was he ever wrong.

2 Chronicles 9:8 (New Living Translation)

“Praise the Lord your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne as king to rule for him. Because God loves Israel and desires this kingdom to last forever, he has made you king over them so you can rule with justice and righteousness.”—the Queen of Sheba

The Queen of Sheba (a title out of Hollywood) had visited the court of King Solomon. She saw everything—all the gold, silver, livestock, people, buildings, and all that stuff.

“Praise the God of your people,” she says. “You rule with…”

Justice.

Righteousness.

She doesn’t mention all the stuff. She mentions a place where people treat one another fairly and do what is right.

Funny how all that stuff seems to go along with the simple things. Funny how the simple things are rare.

1 Samuel 16:11 (New Living Translation)

Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.”

The prophet Samuel was looking for the next king of God’s people. God sent Samuel to Jesse to look at Jesse’s sons. There was one more son—David. He was doing what a king should be doing: he was watching the sheep and goats.

Consider the act of watching the sheep and goats. Consider what a leader, King, or representative should be doing.

Watching.

Observe. Notice. Note. Consider. These are acts of a leader. They are more difficult to see than prancing about kissing babies and glad-handing the populace.

Perhaps God is showing us something that we could learn and do.