Prayer of the Iona Community
Leader: Let us pray.
You keep us waiting.
You, the God of all time,
Want us to wait
For the right time in which to discover
Who we are, where we must go,
Who will be with us, and what we must do.
All: So thank you . . . for the waiting time.
Leader: You keep us looking.
You, the God of all space,
Want us to look in the right and wrong places
For signs of hope,
For people who are hopeless,
For visions of a better world which will appear
Among the disappointments of the world we know.
All: So, thank you . . . for the looking time.
Leader: You keep us loving.
You, the God whose name is love,
Want us to be like you –
To love the loveless and the unlovely and the unlovable;
To love without jealousy or design or threat;
And, most difficult of all,
To love ourselves.
All: So, thank you . . . for the loving time.
Leader: And in all this,
You keep us.
Through hard questions with no easy answers;
Through failing where we hoped to succeed
And making an impact when we felt we were useless;
Through the patience and the dreams and the love of others;
And through Jesus Christ and his Spirit,
you keep us.
All: So, thank you . . . for the keeping time,
and for now,
and for ever.
Amen.
Blessings,
Ron
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
A place for my people ...
God tells David not to build a temple. Yet then, lest we think that God is angry at David, hear the words by which God honors David:
“Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.
“And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies.
“Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.”
In accordance with all these words and with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
2 Samuel 7:8-17 – NRSV
Previous episodes in the life of David reveal his intent to honor God. David must obey the will of God. David must respect the symbols of God’s presence. David must worship the person of God. In David’s view, the life of Israel is not about David, but is instead, all about God.
We wouldn’t want to view this as an exchange, because the things that God has given to David are immeasurably superior to that which David has been able to offer God. Yet God has seen the ways that David has honored him, and wants David to understand how his God has honored him in the past, and will honor him in the future. God has taken David from shepherd to prince, from pauper to king. God has walked with David, and protected David. As David has lifted up the name of God, God has lifted up the reputation of this unlikely king. Unlikely except for the purpose and power of God.
Yet God does not lift David up merely for David’s sake; God does this for the sake of his people. Having made David king, God says, “I will now appoint a place for my people and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place …” From the very beginning, God has known that place is important for human beings, because he made them that way. He made a safe place for Adam and Eve to begin, and he has maintained a place of providence for the people who followed them. Now God appoints a place where an entire people can know his care.
We all need space: room to move, to grow, to play. God gives us freedom of movement, room to play so that, in our play, we may find new ways to use our gifts, new ways to serve him, new ways to please him. The kind of room to play that David had dancing in front of the ark. Yet human beings don’t always allow others to have space. Michal, for instance, didn’t give David that kind of room, because the only way was her way. Because she couldn’t give him room to maneuver, she couldn’t keep a place in his heart. Yet God not only gives David room to work, he makes room for an entire nation of people to discover what it means to be the people of God.
Does that mean that David and his people will be perfect? Hardly. As a matter of fact, it looks like God is setting himself up for a world of hurt. God promises, though, that he will see to it that the actions of his people in this universe will find their natural consequences. A faithful house of David will keep its throne; yet if they misstep, God will correct David’s offspring as if they were his own children. Yet despite whatever future iniquity David and his people might commit, God promises that they can count on one truth: his steadfast love will never cease.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"therefore I will hope in him."
Lamentations 3:22-23 – NRSV
May God help us,in the space that he gives us, imaginatively create a place something like the kingdom of God, however imperfect. May that place have enough room for everyone in our house to stretch, to grow, to run, and maybe even hide in the shelter of his love, even if for just a little while.
Grace and peace,
Ron
“Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.
“And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies.
“Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.”
In accordance with all these words and with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
2 Samuel 7:8-17 – NRSV
Previous episodes in the life of David reveal his intent to honor God. David must obey the will of God. David must respect the symbols of God’s presence. David must worship the person of God. In David’s view, the life of Israel is not about David, but is instead, all about God.
We wouldn’t want to view this as an exchange, because the things that God has given to David are immeasurably superior to that which David has been able to offer God. Yet God has seen the ways that David has honored him, and wants David to understand how his God has honored him in the past, and will honor him in the future. God has taken David from shepherd to prince, from pauper to king. God has walked with David, and protected David. As David has lifted up the name of God, God has lifted up the reputation of this unlikely king. Unlikely except for the purpose and power of God.
Yet God does not lift David up merely for David’s sake; God does this for the sake of his people. Having made David king, God says, “I will now appoint a place for my people and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place …” From the very beginning, God has known that place is important for human beings, because he made them that way. He made a safe place for Adam and Eve to begin, and he has maintained a place of providence for the people who followed them. Now God appoints a place where an entire people can know his care.
We all need space: room to move, to grow, to play. God gives us freedom of movement, room to play so that, in our play, we may find new ways to use our gifts, new ways to serve him, new ways to please him. The kind of room to play that David had dancing in front of the ark. Yet human beings don’t always allow others to have space. Michal, for instance, didn’t give David that kind of room, because the only way was her way. Because she couldn’t give him room to maneuver, she couldn’t keep a place in his heart. Yet God not only gives David room to work, he makes room for an entire nation of people to discover what it means to be the people of God.
Does that mean that David and his people will be perfect? Hardly. As a matter of fact, it looks like God is setting himself up for a world of hurt. God promises, though, that he will see to it that the actions of his people in this universe will find their natural consequences. A faithful house of David will keep its throne; yet if they misstep, God will correct David’s offspring as if they were his own children. Yet despite whatever future iniquity David and his people might commit, God promises that they can count on one truth: his steadfast love will never cease.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"therefore I will hope in him."
Lamentations 3:22-23 – NRSV
May God help us,in the space that he gives us, imaginatively create a place something like the kingdom of God, however imperfect. May that place have enough room for everyone in our house to stretch, to grow, to run, and maybe even hide in the shelter of his love, even if for just a little while.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Unsettled in the house ...
Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, "See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent."
Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you."
But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: “Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’”
2 Samuel 7:1-7
The writers of Samuel were both skilled and inspired. They tell their story concisely and powerfully. At times they even tell it playfully. Here they play with the word, “house.” Through this chapter, they use the word house three different ways.
First, “the king was settled in his house.” It may be that this only means the palace, but does it? Isn’t David settling down into his role as the patriarch of his family? After settling his issues with Michal, doesn’t the domestic life of David reach a new and peaceful plateau? No more hiding from Saul. No more intrigue among the Philistines. Not so many running battles with powerful enemies. No more conflict with God. There is this moment in time where there is peace in the house of David.
Now David has time to think instead of react. As he looks out from the roof of his majestic “house of cedar” (second use of house), what does he see? He sees the tabernacle, the dwelling place of the ark, the symbol of the presence of Yahweh. Can you imagine what the tabernacle looks like by now? I’m sure that the Levites maintained it as best they could, but still, that tent has seen a lot of sand, and wind, and sun.
What David sees is unsettling; he can’t live with the inconsistency. I don’t think that we could either. Imagine looking out your window on a rainy night and seeing Jesus sleeping in your front yard in a WWII surplus pup tent, without even a stone for a pillow. It’s easy to understand the move toward action, isn’t it?
So David tells Nathan. Nathan is a courageous prophet, but he doesn’t even see the need to bother God. He phones this one in. "Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you."
David’s project concerns God. God is not content to be silent. God doesn’t recall Nathan as a prophet; he redirects Nathan to undo his acceptance speech. “Have I ever asked you, David, or anyone else, to build a house for me?” (The idea of a house for God, a temple, is the third use of house.) God asks David to rethink. God’s answer is obviously, “No.”
So why would God say no to such a noble and honorable request? There are a lot of good possibilities.
Perhaps, as Solomon later says, David was still busy taking care of the enemies of his people (1 Kings 5:3-4). This is possible, but doesn’t appear to completely explain God’s answer.
Perhaps David’s hands are too bloody for this holy purpose (1 Chron 22:7-8; 28;2-3). This is what David tells Solomon and the people. Could it be, though, that David didn’t ever understand God’s “no”, and this business about the blood is David’s attempt to make sense out of a decision that he never understood? Yet God doesn’t say anything about blood here.
Could it be about the people? After obedience to God, the first duty of a king is to care for his people. Instead of taxing his people to finance a temple, and instead of using their labor to build an edifice of limited utility, shouldn’t the people be allowed to build their own houses, and farms, and herds? Shouldn’t the king help the poor, care for the sick, find shelter for the orphan, give the widow security, make safe the alien, and bring justice among his own people? Isn’t that task large enough for anyone who governs? Especially after so many years of war?
I think that God’s reasons are even deeper. God’s answer hints that he is a God who is not tied down to one place. He has power in Eden. He has power in Canaan. He has power in Egypt, in the wilderness, in Jericho; even in Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron. God is a God who goes where he desires to go. He can go to Jerusalem or Bethlehem; it doesn’t matter if there is any room at the inn or not.
God does not need for us to make a place for him; He is the Maker of Place.
God does not need a building so that we can find him; if we seek God, we will find him among his people.
God does not desire stone temples; he seeks living ones.
God doesn’t want to be sent to his room. He wants, oddly enough, scarily enough, to live with us.
Are we open to God’s presence in our lives?
Ron
Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you."
But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: “Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’”
2 Samuel 7:1-7
The writers of Samuel were both skilled and inspired. They tell their story concisely and powerfully. At times they even tell it playfully. Here they play with the word, “house.” Through this chapter, they use the word house three different ways.
First, “the king was settled in his house.” It may be that this only means the palace, but does it? Isn’t David settling down into his role as the patriarch of his family? After settling his issues with Michal, doesn’t the domestic life of David reach a new and peaceful plateau? No more hiding from Saul. No more intrigue among the Philistines. Not so many running battles with powerful enemies. No more conflict with God. There is this moment in time where there is peace in the house of David.
Now David has time to think instead of react. As he looks out from the roof of his majestic “house of cedar” (second use of house), what does he see? He sees the tabernacle, the dwelling place of the ark, the symbol of the presence of Yahweh. Can you imagine what the tabernacle looks like by now? I’m sure that the Levites maintained it as best they could, but still, that tent has seen a lot of sand, and wind, and sun.
What David sees is unsettling; he can’t live with the inconsistency. I don’t think that we could either. Imagine looking out your window on a rainy night and seeing Jesus sleeping in your front yard in a WWII surplus pup tent, without even a stone for a pillow. It’s easy to understand the move toward action, isn’t it?
So David tells Nathan. Nathan is a courageous prophet, but he doesn’t even see the need to bother God. He phones this one in. "Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you."
David’s project concerns God. God is not content to be silent. God doesn’t recall Nathan as a prophet; he redirects Nathan to undo his acceptance speech. “Have I ever asked you, David, or anyone else, to build a house for me?” (The idea of a house for God, a temple, is the third use of house.) God asks David to rethink. God’s answer is obviously, “No.”
So why would God say no to such a noble and honorable request? There are a lot of good possibilities.
Perhaps, as Solomon later says, David was still busy taking care of the enemies of his people (1 Kings 5:3-4). This is possible, but doesn’t appear to completely explain God’s answer.
Perhaps David’s hands are too bloody for this holy purpose (1 Chron 22:7-8; 28;2-3). This is what David tells Solomon and the people. Could it be, though, that David didn’t ever understand God’s “no”, and this business about the blood is David’s attempt to make sense out of a decision that he never understood? Yet God doesn’t say anything about blood here.
Could it be about the people? After obedience to God, the first duty of a king is to care for his people. Instead of taxing his people to finance a temple, and instead of using their labor to build an edifice of limited utility, shouldn’t the people be allowed to build their own houses, and farms, and herds? Shouldn’t the king help the poor, care for the sick, find shelter for the orphan, give the widow security, make safe the alien, and bring justice among his own people? Isn’t that task large enough for anyone who governs? Especially after so many years of war?
I think that God’s reasons are even deeper. God’s answer hints that he is a God who is not tied down to one place. He has power in Eden. He has power in Canaan. He has power in Egypt, in the wilderness, in Jericho; even in Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron. God is a God who goes where he desires to go. He can go to Jerusalem or Bethlehem; it doesn’t matter if there is any room at the inn or not.
God does not need for us to make a place for him; He is the Maker of Place.
God does not need a building so that we can find him; if we seek God, we will find him among his people.
God does not desire stone temples; he seeks living ones.
God doesn’t want to be sent to his room. He wants, oddly enough, scarily enough, to live with us.
Are we open to God’s presence in our lives?
Ron
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
It's not about you ...
David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, "How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants' maids, as any vulgar fellow might shamelessly uncover himself!" David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord, who chose me in place of your father and all his household, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord, that I have danced before the Lord. I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in my own eyes; but by the maids of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor." And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.
2 Samuel 6:20-23 – NRSV
David has experienced a wonderful day in the presence of God. He has leaped and danced the ark of the Lord all of the way into the city of Jerusalem, and he has shared a wonderful meal with all of the people of God as a reminder of God’s providence. But David did forget about one thing – that the palace has a view.
David will grow an inordinate fondness for that view later, but it is others who avail themselves of its possibilities on this day. “Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart” (2 Samuel 6:16 – NRSV).
When David comes home, happy and ready to bless his loved ones, Michal awaits him. David doesn’t even make it to the door; Michal charges out of the house and attacks him out in the street in front of the palace.
“Don’t you know how to act like a king?”
“Don’t you know how to behave like a married man?”
“Don’t you know that we have appearances to keep up?”
Essentially, Michal guts David like a fish in front of the palace and in full view of his household. This tirade may cut David to the heart, but David’s reply cuts to the heart of the matter.
“It’s not about you!” is effectively the reply of David. “This day wasn’t about your husband, or your father Saul. The way that I dressed and danced didn’t have a thing to do with you, Michal, but it was all about the God who made your father king and then made me king. It’s not about you!”
“It’s not about me!” is the other thing that David made clear. “Yes, I am king, but before God I will abase myself because he is God. It’s not about me!”
“It’s about God! This day was about God, about his presence, his providence, his power in making this kingdom, this city, and this palace all possible, Michal. This day is about pleasing God, praising God, and parading God as a victorious king before his people. It’s about God!”
Michal is an easy target, isn’t she? But when you think about it, she is doing something that almost all of us have done at some time or another. She is upset with the worship leader. Have we ever fussed at the song leader, complained about the preacher, or found fault with the prayer leader? Have we ever griped that we’re not getting anything out of worship? Of course we have. And of course we want to get something out of worship. But when it comes down to it, worship isn’t really about us is it?
Worship is about our majestic king. Worship is about our gathering together so that the Creator of the Universe, the Savior of Humanity, the Spirit that Empowers us will come into our midst. Worship is about Immanuel, God is with us. And though there may be days when God blesses us with wisdom, or insight, or comfort, or an awareness of his presence, the important thing is that God is with his people. He should be our focus.
Does God see the boy doze? Yes, he is the feeling of safety surrounding that boy that allows him that peace. Does God hear the baby cry? Yes, and he exults in the wonder of that life and the beauty of that human being. Does God feel the ache in my heart? Yes, he can tell it by the slightest change in my voice, and he shares my pain with me. Does God know about my impatience with the words used in worship? Yes, and wants me to learn to be still and know that he is God. He can sanctify people, and he can sanctify even the inadequate language we use to talk about him.
Let’s make worship about God.
Imagine, if you will, that what David has done is lead Yahweh into Jerusalem like a conquering monarch coming to assume his throne. Imagine that God is enthroned as his people sing this song in his praise:
Clap your hands, all you peoples;
shout to God with loud songs of joy.
For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome,
a great king over all the earth.
He subdued peoples under us,
and nations under our feet.
He chose our heritage for us,
the pride of Jacob whom he loves.
Selah
God has gone up with a shout,
the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the king of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm.
God is king over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne.
The princes of the peoples gather
as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
he is highly exalted.
Psalm 47 - NRSV
As we go about our day today, may we remember that the day is not about us, our ministry is not about us, but rather that our entire lives are about the God who loves us and saves us.
May God rule in our hearts, and his praises dwell on our lips, forever. Amen.
Ron
2 Samuel 6:20-23 – NRSV
David has experienced a wonderful day in the presence of God. He has leaped and danced the ark of the Lord all of the way into the city of Jerusalem, and he has shared a wonderful meal with all of the people of God as a reminder of God’s providence. But David did forget about one thing – that the palace has a view.
David will grow an inordinate fondness for that view later, but it is others who avail themselves of its possibilities on this day. “Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart” (2 Samuel 6:16 – NRSV).
When David comes home, happy and ready to bless his loved ones, Michal awaits him. David doesn’t even make it to the door; Michal charges out of the house and attacks him out in the street in front of the palace.
“Don’t you know how to act like a king?”
“Don’t you know how to behave like a married man?”
“Don’t you know that we have appearances to keep up?”
Essentially, Michal guts David like a fish in front of the palace and in full view of his household. This tirade may cut David to the heart, but David’s reply cuts to the heart of the matter.
“It’s not about you!” is effectively the reply of David. “This day wasn’t about your husband, or your father Saul. The way that I dressed and danced didn’t have a thing to do with you, Michal, but it was all about the God who made your father king and then made me king. It’s not about you!”
“It’s not about me!” is the other thing that David made clear. “Yes, I am king, but before God I will abase myself because he is God. It’s not about me!”
“It’s about God! This day was about God, about his presence, his providence, his power in making this kingdom, this city, and this palace all possible, Michal. This day is about pleasing God, praising God, and parading God as a victorious king before his people. It’s about God!”
Michal is an easy target, isn’t she? But when you think about it, she is doing something that almost all of us have done at some time or another. She is upset with the worship leader. Have we ever fussed at the song leader, complained about the preacher, or found fault with the prayer leader? Have we ever griped that we’re not getting anything out of worship? Of course we have. And of course we want to get something out of worship. But when it comes down to it, worship isn’t really about us is it?
Worship is about our majestic king. Worship is about our gathering together so that the Creator of the Universe, the Savior of Humanity, the Spirit that Empowers us will come into our midst. Worship is about Immanuel, God is with us. And though there may be days when God blesses us with wisdom, or insight, or comfort, or an awareness of his presence, the important thing is that God is with his people. He should be our focus.
Does God see the boy doze? Yes, he is the feeling of safety surrounding that boy that allows him that peace. Does God hear the baby cry? Yes, and he exults in the wonder of that life and the beauty of that human being. Does God feel the ache in my heart? Yes, he can tell it by the slightest change in my voice, and he shares my pain with me. Does God know about my impatience with the words used in worship? Yes, and wants me to learn to be still and know that he is God. He can sanctify people, and he can sanctify even the inadequate language we use to talk about him.
Let’s make worship about God.
Imagine, if you will, that what David has done is lead Yahweh into Jerusalem like a conquering monarch coming to assume his throne. Imagine that God is enthroned as his people sing this song in his praise:
Clap your hands, all you peoples;
shout to God with loud songs of joy.
For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome,
a great king over all the earth.
He subdued peoples under us,
and nations under our feet.
He chose our heritage for us,
the pride of Jacob whom he loves.
Selah
God has gone up with a shout,
the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the king of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm.
God is king over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne.
The princes of the peoples gather
as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
he is highly exalted.
Psalm 47 - NRSV
As we go about our day today, may we remember that the day is not about us, our ministry is not about us, but rather that our entire lives are about the God who loves us and saves us.
May God rule in our hearts, and his praises dwell on our lips, forever. Amen.
Ron
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Too mad to see straight ...
The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months; and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.
It was told King David, "The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God." So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing; and when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. David danced before the Lord with all his might; David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.
As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.
They brought in the ark of the Lord, and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being before the Lord. When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the offerings of well-being, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts, and distributed food among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, to each a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people went back to their homes.
2 Samuel 6:11-19 – NRSV
How long does it take to get over being mad at God? I’m not sure that there is just one answer. I’ve known farmers who’ve been angry at the Creator for years because of the weather that drowned or dried up a crop. I’ve know people who’ve maintained a grudge against God for decades because of the way that God’s people acted toward them on one traumatic Sunday many, many years ago.
David gets over his temper in three months. In a lot of ways, he’s probably ahead of the learning curve for most human beings. What changes David’s mind? Apparently, it is that David sees that, for three long months, the Lord is blessing Obed-edom greatly for his hospitality to the ark. Despite the shock and horror of the tragedy with Uzzah, Obed-edom has made a place for this symbol of the presence of a very dangerous God. For this courageous display of respect, God showers blessings so large and plentiful upon Obed-edom that it comes to the attention of all of Israel.
David comes to understand that his anger with God has cut him off both from the presence of God and the blessing of God. Perhaps that is why God chooses to bless Obed-edom so richly; God wants David to see just exactly what his unquenched anger was costing him.
When David finally does open his eyes, he sees that God has continued to take care of his people. God holds the day of praise and blessing for David. When David can put away his anger and return humble, doing the right things with the right heart, then he could receive the blessing of that day. When David decides to get over his anger and rejoin the movement of God in this world, then he manages to demonstrate that God's people can't take half a dozen steps without God's blessing being present, and without the need for the praise of God's people to return as a blessing to their God.
Our anger with God hurts God; because he loves us profoundly he is capable of the most profound suffering as well. That anger, though, hurts us in more ways than we might understand. It is not just that we lose his presence and his blessing. Our anger can also deafen us from hearing what God would have us hear from his word and the world around us. It can blind us from seeing how God is moving in our lives and the world around us. If we give our anger free rein long enough, it can dull our senses so that we are no longer capable of experiencing God’s power or presence at all.
How can we recover our senses? Hear the word of the Lord:
I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him, and be radiant;
so your faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
and was saved from every trouble.
The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.
Psalm 34:4-8 – NRSV
May God open our eyes to help us see that the One who is with us is greater than those who are against us.
Grace and peace,
Ron
It was told King David, "The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God." So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing; and when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. David danced before the Lord with all his might; David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.
As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.
They brought in the ark of the Lord, and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being before the Lord. When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the offerings of well-being, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts, and distributed food among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, to each a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people went back to their homes.
2 Samuel 6:11-19 – NRSV
How long does it take to get over being mad at God? I’m not sure that there is just one answer. I’ve known farmers who’ve been angry at the Creator for years because of the weather that drowned or dried up a crop. I’ve know people who’ve maintained a grudge against God for decades because of the way that God’s people acted toward them on one traumatic Sunday many, many years ago.
David gets over his temper in three months. In a lot of ways, he’s probably ahead of the learning curve for most human beings. What changes David’s mind? Apparently, it is that David sees that, for three long months, the Lord is blessing Obed-edom greatly for his hospitality to the ark. Despite the shock and horror of the tragedy with Uzzah, Obed-edom has made a place for this symbol of the presence of a very dangerous God. For this courageous display of respect, God showers blessings so large and plentiful upon Obed-edom that it comes to the attention of all of Israel.
David comes to understand that his anger with God has cut him off both from the presence of God and the blessing of God. Perhaps that is why God chooses to bless Obed-edom so richly; God wants David to see just exactly what his unquenched anger was costing him.
When David finally does open his eyes, he sees that God has continued to take care of his people. God holds the day of praise and blessing for David. When David can put away his anger and return humble, doing the right things with the right heart, then he could receive the blessing of that day. When David decides to get over his anger and rejoin the movement of God in this world, then he manages to demonstrate that God's people can't take half a dozen steps without God's blessing being present, and without the need for the praise of God's people to return as a blessing to their God.
Our anger with God hurts God; because he loves us profoundly he is capable of the most profound suffering as well. That anger, though, hurts us in more ways than we might understand. It is not just that we lose his presence and his blessing. Our anger can also deafen us from hearing what God would have us hear from his word and the world around us. It can blind us from seeing how God is moving in our lives and the world around us. If we give our anger free rein long enough, it can dull our senses so that we are no longer capable of experiencing God’s power or presence at all.
How can we recover our senses? Hear the word of the Lord:
I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him, and be radiant;
so your faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
and was saved from every trouble.
The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.
Psalm 34:4-8 – NRSV
May God open our eyes to help us see that the One who is with us is greater than those who are against us.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Monday, May 4, 2009
An outburst upon Uzzah ...
David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. David and all the people with him set out and went from Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned on the cherubim. They carried the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart with the ark of God; and Ahio went in front of the ark. David and all the house of Israel were dancing before the Lord with all their might, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.
When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen shook it. The anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God struck him there because he reached out his hand to the ark; and he died there beside the ark of God.
David was angry because the Lord had burst forth with an outburst upon Uzzah; so that place is called Perez-uzzah, to this day. David was afraid of the Lord that day; he said, "How can the ark of the Lord come into my care?" So David was unwilling to take the ark of the Lord into his care in the city of David; instead David took it to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
2 Samuel 6:1-10 – NRSV
Years before David’s reign, before Saul became king, and even before Samuel assumed leadership of Israel, the ark of the Lord had been a mighty symbol for the people of God. After a devastating loss to the Philistines, the Israelites decided to take the ark with them into battle, assuming that, if they hauled the divine throne to the battlefield, God would ensure their victory to protect his throne and defend his name.
Their assumptions were incorrect. The ark was lost and began a unique little exodus of its own (1 Samuel 4-6). Taken to Philistine territory as an apparent captive of Dagon, Yahweh vindicates both his ark and his name by proving his power superior to Dagon or any other being. After God devastates the major cities of Philistia with plague, the Philistine kings chose to send the ark back to Israel on a brand new cart. The ark finds its way back to Israelite territory, and it is taken to the house of Abinadab for safe keeping.
After David captures the idols of the Philistines at Baal-perazim, he has the opportunity to think about this history. Just as the Israelites once hauled the ark into battle to tip the scales toward victory, so the Philistines brought and lost their idols as a result of the same logic. David believes in Yahweh, and has sought to honor him for the victories he has thus far experienced. What better way to honor God than to bring the symbol of God’s presence with his people to the center, to the capitol, of his people?
A new cart is built to carry the ark, just as the Philistines had done. Instead of two cows sent out on their own, though, this wagon is pulled by oxen, and carefully led by humans. Yet this time, instead of a successful trip, there is death. God breaks out against the Philistines at Baal-perazim, and God breaks out against Uzzah at Perez-Uzzah. Everyone is horrified and scared.
In his years of being with the ark in his father’s house, had Uzzah grown careless of respect toward the ark? Or was the problem the fact that the ark was moved on a cart instead of by the carefully prescribed and historically practiced method (Ex 25, 40; Num 3; Dt 10)? If the cart was the problem, then why wasn’t it a problem for the Philistines?
The Philistines didn’t have a way of knowing not to use a cart. God actually used the Philistine’s “cart test” to prove that he really was in control of their little universe. And, the Philistines didn’t have any Kohathites to carry the ark anyway.
David, though, should have known. As king, he had a responsibility to know the teachings of God. David either didn’t know his Torah here, or chose to ignore it.
The actions of God scare David, and then, as it so often does, anger follows fear. The anger of David rises. How could God have done this thing? Was death really necessary? Doesn’t God appreciate the honor that David chose to show him? The confident David, the King David who has had all of the answers so far now finds that he is uncertain of what to do and estranged from his God. He returns this dangerous ark of this dangerous God to storage. Obed-edom courageously extends hospitality to the ark within his home.
How do we handle God when God doesn’t appear to play by the rules, at least not the rules as we understand them? Perhaps the beginning of wisdom really is the fear of the Lord (Ps 111:10; Pr 9:10). He is not predictable; he has free will; he knows and understands that which we cannot. Neither can we “handle” God. God is beyond our manipulations, even if our well-intentioned designs are for his glory.
Perhaps gratitude, and not anger, should follow fear. Thankfulness that as many of us who have life, have it. Thankfulness that God has seen us through so many battles. Thankfulness that God has provided our every need and asked for so little in return.
Much of our grief comes when we focus on the tragedy that God appears to have let happen instead of the hundred that he has prevented. Many of our problems with God come when we focus on the prayer he doesn’t appear to hear instead of the thousand that he has answered.
May God forgive us when we are blind to his blessing.
May God forgive us when we tell God how he ought to be God.
May God forgive us when we think that we should be able to understand him or his actions.
May we praise God for who he is and what he has done.
May we praise God in spirit and truth.
Blessings,
Ron
When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen shook it. The anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God struck him there because he reached out his hand to the ark; and he died there beside the ark of God.
David was angry because the Lord had burst forth with an outburst upon Uzzah; so that place is called Perez-uzzah, to this day. David was afraid of the Lord that day; he said, "How can the ark of the Lord come into my care?" So David was unwilling to take the ark of the Lord into his care in the city of David; instead David took it to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
2 Samuel 6:1-10 – NRSV
Years before David’s reign, before Saul became king, and even before Samuel assumed leadership of Israel, the ark of the Lord had been a mighty symbol for the people of God. After a devastating loss to the Philistines, the Israelites decided to take the ark with them into battle, assuming that, if they hauled the divine throne to the battlefield, God would ensure their victory to protect his throne and defend his name.
Their assumptions were incorrect. The ark was lost and began a unique little exodus of its own (1 Samuel 4-6). Taken to Philistine territory as an apparent captive of Dagon, Yahweh vindicates both his ark and his name by proving his power superior to Dagon or any other being. After God devastates the major cities of Philistia with plague, the Philistine kings chose to send the ark back to Israel on a brand new cart. The ark finds its way back to Israelite territory, and it is taken to the house of Abinadab for safe keeping.
After David captures the idols of the Philistines at Baal-perazim, he has the opportunity to think about this history. Just as the Israelites once hauled the ark into battle to tip the scales toward victory, so the Philistines brought and lost their idols as a result of the same logic. David believes in Yahweh, and has sought to honor him for the victories he has thus far experienced. What better way to honor God than to bring the symbol of God’s presence with his people to the center, to the capitol, of his people?
A new cart is built to carry the ark, just as the Philistines had done. Instead of two cows sent out on their own, though, this wagon is pulled by oxen, and carefully led by humans. Yet this time, instead of a successful trip, there is death. God breaks out against the Philistines at Baal-perazim, and God breaks out against Uzzah at Perez-Uzzah. Everyone is horrified and scared.
In his years of being with the ark in his father’s house, had Uzzah grown careless of respect toward the ark? Or was the problem the fact that the ark was moved on a cart instead of by the carefully prescribed and historically practiced method (Ex 25, 40; Num 3; Dt 10)? If the cart was the problem, then why wasn’t it a problem for the Philistines?
The Philistines didn’t have a way of knowing not to use a cart. God actually used the Philistine’s “cart test” to prove that he really was in control of their little universe. And, the Philistines didn’t have any Kohathites to carry the ark anyway.
David, though, should have known. As king, he had a responsibility to know the teachings of God. David either didn’t know his Torah here, or chose to ignore it.
The actions of God scare David, and then, as it so often does, anger follows fear. The anger of David rises. How could God have done this thing? Was death really necessary? Doesn’t God appreciate the honor that David chose to show him? The confident David, the King David who has had all of the answers so far now finds that he is uncertain of what to do and estranged from his God. He returns this dangerous ark of this dangerous God to storage. Obed-edom courageously extends hospitality to the ark within his home.
How do we handle God when God doesn’t appear to play by the rules, at least not the rules as we understand them? Perhaps the beginning of wisdom really is the fear of the Lord (Ps 111:10; Pr 9:10). He is not predictable; he has free will; he knows and understands that which we cannot. Neither can we “handle” God. God is beyond our manipulations, even if our well-intentioned designs are for his glory.
Perhaps gratitude, and not anger, should follow fear. Thankfulness that as many of us who have life, have it. Thankfulness that God has seen us through so many battles. Thankfulness that God has provided our every need and asked for so little in return.
Much of our grief comes when we focus on the tragedy that God appears to have let happen instead of the hundred that he has prevented. Many of our problems with God come when we focus on the prayer he doesn’t appear to hear instead of the thousand that he has answered.
May God forgive us when we are blind to his blessing.
May God forgive us when we tell God how he ought to be God.
May God forgive us when we think that we should be able to understand him or his actions.
May we praise God for who he is and what he has done.
May we praise God in spirit and truth.
Blessings,
Ron
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