Are you happy to give?

At the end of 1 Chronicles, David is making preparations for the construction of the temple. Over the course of his kingship, he's gathered insane amounts of wealth and supplies to build the temple, but the Lord forbid him from actually doing so due to his being a man of war.

After David relays to the people all the gold, silver, bronze, etc., to the people, he asks them "Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself today to the LORD?" The people answered as one. As David had done, the people gave gold, silver, bronze, iron, and those who had precious stones gave those.

Although the scene is not described in any amount of detail, it must have been quit a sight to see. First Chronicles 29:9 describes the people's response to their giving: "Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered deeply to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly." Again, not a lot of detail, but can't you see the smiles, can't you hear the noise as the people clamor and celebrate their gift to God?

Notice how they gave: with a whole heart. Somehow in this moment of preparation for the building of the Lord's house, the people were united not only as a group but as individuals--in their whole being. Despite whatever sins they have committed or will commit, despite the struggles of war and conflict with the Philistines, the people are altogether glad to give in this moment. What's more, they seem to "get" what they're doing, which is collectively honoring God in they're giving.

The day ends with a feast--a tremendous celebration to the Lord in which they eat and drink "before the LORD... with great gladness" (1 Chronicles 29:22). All is right among them and between them and God. A joyous occasion indeed.

~~~*~~~
Have you ever found yourself in a "whole heart," all the way committed to and delighted in the Lord--even for a moment? Has it led you to give?

Hold off on stoning our leadership

In 1 Samuel 30, David returns from Aphek after being rejected by the Philistine lords. This is a good thing, no doubt, for he would have been fighting on the side of the Philistines against Israel... or he would have had to turn on his temporary allies. I'm thinking he would have done the latter and that the Philistine lords were right to send David away. So being sent home was a providential blessing.

However, when he arrives back in Ziklag, he finds the place torched. The women and children are gone, the goods are gone. This is not a pleasant sight any time, but David's men have just marched 60 or so miles. They're relieved they don't have to fight, but any relief is gone with the town's demise. "David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep." What else could they do? They have nothing else to do, but mourn. Together.

Then we are told that David is "greatly distressed." I would be distressed at such a loss, but this isn't what the narrator is talking about. Read on: "...for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters." They were thinking of killing him--as a group--because their bitterness was so overwhelming.

Do you remember who these "people" are? These are the rag tag and bob tail of Israel that came to join David when he was on the run from Saul. They've been with him through trying times, to say the least. They live with him in enemy territory! They love him! But this is more than they could stand. So they plan to stone him.

David "strengthened himself in the LORD his God," and he spoke to God through the priest and determined his next course of action. Then he led his men on another campaign to hunt down the marauders. And they were successful.

~~*~~
But here's the thing: his men nearly turned on him. I don't know your track record regarding the leadership around you, but I do know I hear people bad talk their leaders fairly regularly. Whether it's the President of the United States or a boss or a teacher or a parent, I hear this sort of talk often. I grant that sometimes our leaders err egregiously; sometimes they do things contrary to what we know to be good and right and true. Sometimes, they go against the foundations of the very leadership they possess. Yes, there is a time to question our leaders, but how is it that we are so quick to turn on them? Sure, we needed to question England's leadership of us back before what became the Revolutionary War, but were the leaders of the time quick to do so? Must we be so quick to do so today? Even if our leaders have been consistently faithful, and have proven their intent time and again?

If our leadership is good, or is at least seeking to be so, then I'm thinking we need to put our stones down, slow down, and strengthen ourselves in the LORD our God before we do anything too hasty. It could be that what looks so bleak now will be turned around very soon, as it was for David and his men.

And yet, there is a time to call for new leadership in corporations, school, countries... but must we use stones to get them out of office? How has this worked in third world countries around the globe? And what of the "stones" we use today? Our words? Our gestures? Our disrespect? How do these work for change? Maybe strengthening ourselves in the LORD is what we need for such a time as this.

Come Thou Fount ~ Honest Faith

1. Come Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of God's unchanging love.

2. Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

3. O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let that grace now like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

"Come Thou Fount," a hymn written by Robert Robinson in 1775, tells the honest struggle of a human being seeking to be in tune with God and his grace.

It is poetry and not necessarily cut and dried theology. And it's honest to the human condition. (Yes, I've now said that twice in just a few lines. It's important that you get this: The hymn is an honest expression of the human condition.)

I've read and heard various objections to this hymn over the past few years. Some people complain about the so-called archaic words, some about its supposed less than accurate theology.

ARCHAIC WORDS? For instance, the word "Ebenezer" in verse two bothers some people. Okay. That's a word that few of us know, but it comes from 1 Samuel (see 4:1, 2; 5:1; 7:7-12). It's clearly a place name. Ah, but its meaning is deep and rich. It means "stone of help." In 1 Samuel 7 the Israelites set up a memorial stone to commemorate God's victory for them over the Philistines. So though the word is "old" and few of us know it, its meaning was a treasure to Israel and it should be for us too. Instead of changing the word in verse two of "Come Thou Fount," maybe we should just let people know what it means. (Knowing its meaning might help us better understand the true nature of Ebenezer Scrooge as well.)

BAD THEOLOGY? As for the claims that the theology is "off," I'd like to say that maybe it is "off" according to some sort of "pure" systematic or biblical theology that might neglect the reality of human experience. I've heard two grievances on this front, both of which are in verse three. The first is the idea of "owing" God, or being a debtor, specifically to grace. "How can you owe God for grace--something freely given?" Good question. You can't pay back something that's freely given. You can try to pay it back, but you don't actually owe anything. And, in terms of grace, there is NO WAY you could ever pay it back.

Still, there is a non-monetary sense in which a person can be endebted to someone, a sense in which we KNOW we owe someone something. This doesn't have to be guilt-driven or guilt-ridden. It just is so. And, in reality, we DO owe God everything. He is Lord and he made us; we owe him allegience. Period. Oh, and he saved his people. As his people, owe him our rescued lives. So it's not necessarily a pay back issue, is it?

In the hymn, Robinson tries to express this. Of course he can't pay God back, but he knows he owes God in some sense, though probably not in the "I need to pay this back" sense. It's deeper than that.

Why does he ask that the grace be a fetter? This leads us to the second so-called theological problem, namely, the wandering issue. I've read on recent blogs that people don't like that Robinson says he's prone to wander. These writers and responders say, "Oh, no. I'm bound to Christ. I won't wander." Fine. God's people are bound to Christ. I don't deny it. But I won't be so foolish as to say that I'm not prone to wander. Who isn't? Who has so left behind his sinful inclinations that he or she never wanders?

None. None, save Christ.

So Robinson says, "bind my wandering heart to thee." It's a plain, very honest, very open... very davidic way of admitting the truth. But like David, he doesn't stop there. As is characteristic in so many of David's Psalms, he turns to God and asks for aid. "Here's my heart, O take and seal it/Seal it for thy courts above." How will his heart ever be fit for heaven, "tuned" to sing God's grace? Only if God steps in and tunes it for him, binds it to himself, seals it for heaven. 

So maybe Robinson didn't speak in "true" theology. He DID speak in true lived theology. But let's speak more to the point: Any theology that doesn't account for the realities of life and living under God in this world is not a very "true" theology.

You want "true" or accurate theology? Be sure to include the Psalms. Or turn to this hymn. Sing it. Plead to be tuned and taught by God's grace.

Can you relate to this? Does this ring true with your life experience?

Eating Your Words

Today I want to announce the official release of my latest book, Eating Your Words: An Introduction to Reading Biblical Narrative. (Available on Amazon.com--click the cover for a link.)

"What's it about?" you might be asking. "Food? 'Cause I think of food when I look at the title."

It is about food, namely the word of God, which is food of the highest culinary transport. The Bible mentions in several places that God's word is food, a delight to the heart. For example, in Jeremiah 15:16, the prophet says  

Your words were found, and I ate them, 
and your words became to me a joy 
and the delight of my heart, 
for I am called by your name.

One can almost picture Jeremiah's exhuberance as he finds the word of God, the savor of the flavor in his mouth (pardon the rhyme), and the swelling delight of his heart.

King David mentions something similar in Psalm 119:103:

How sweet are your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!

In his lengthy celebratory discourse on the law of God in Psalm 119, he stops multiple times to proclaim his delight in God's word. Here he says the words are actually sweet to his taste, sweeter than honey.

And so it is.

And this is the starting point of Eating Your Words. The Bible is a feast, waiting to be tasted and savored, waiting to nourish and brighten our souls. But if we do not come to the table aware of what we're eating, we’ll surely miss some of the experience.  
 
Eating Your Words invites readers to remember the rich color and texture of the Bible, and to read it with eyes that see and understand the narrative art and craft of its stories. Why? Because grasping the biblical narrators’ literary form and technique allows us greater understanding of the Bible's meaning.  
So come. Come to the feast. Eat of God's words—as Jeremiah did. See that they are, indeed, sweeter than honey to the mouth. Hear and see and believe. Be saved and sanctified by the very active Word of God, as it pierces the innermost being. And yes, see that the true story—as story—is good.

Worship is formative

In many ways, how we worship God forms how we see and understand him and the life he has given us.

Now, I don't want to try to prove this conclusively. Rather, I want us to consider what sort of formal corporate worship we participate on a weekly basis (assuming, of course, that you do so).

If the songs are thin, trite, repetitive, etc., as many modern praise songs are, what does this communicate to us about God and life? Is it an accurate picture? Is it even remotely complete? Is there space for mourneful songs?

I grant that many people don't like old hymns, but it needs to be noted that many of the old hymns are much more theologically developed than many modern day worship choruses. Further, many of the older hymns deal with a wider range of human emotion and experience. They paint a more accurate picture of life on this earth because they paint more of it, more than the happy hearted feel of many modern choruses. 

Let's be honest, a happy heart is not what we have much of the time. Life is a struggle, belief is often a struggle, living in love is often a struggle. King David's experience as depicted in the Psalms ought to be proof enough.

If worship is formative, then I propose we at least look at what we're singing while in worship. Is the content true? Is it indicative of the human condition and plight on this earth? Does it remind us that our only hope is Christ, especially in the dark night of our souls? In a word, do we sing of more than one or two emotions or experiences?

Take a look at this hymn by Anne Steele. It's weighty and expresses the struggling cry of a saint. Many of my friends are currently experiencing some of the things she's articulating here. In worship, they might need to sing like this, that they might be reminded in their mind and emotion that God "alone canst heal" and to him we should "cleave."

Click the song title to see a lyric video of Sandra McCracken singing the song, or just read the lyrics below. May your heart be reminded that God cares about the vast experience of mankind. May you be formed. 

"Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul"

1. Dear refuge of my weary soul,
On Thee, when sorrows rise
On Thee, when waves of trouble roll,
My fainting hope relies
To Thee I tell each rising grief,
For Thou alone canst heal
Thy Word can bring a sweet relief,
For every pain I feel

2. But oh! When gloomy doubts prevail,
I fear to call Thee mine
The springs of comfort seem to fail,
And all my hopes decline
Yet gracious God, where shall I flee?
Thou art my only trust
And still my soul would cleave to Thee
Though prostrate in the dust

3. Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face,
And shall I seek in vain?
And can the ear of sovereign grace,
Be deaf when I complain?
No still the ear of sovereign grace,
Attends the mourner's prayer
Oh may I ever find access,
To breathe my sorrows there

4. Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet,
Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet

©1998, Kevin Twit Music.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A Psalm I can't pray

I've heard that if you're prayer life is a struggle, try praying the Psalms. This makes perfect sense, as the Psalms are like the psychology book of the Bible; they speak of or to nearly every human emotion.

But there are some Psalms that I can not pray. To do so woud be to lie, for they speak in a tone of such fidelity and righteousness, that I can not speak them in good conscience. To have such devotion is beyond my place and feeling and loyalty right now.

I am ashamed of this, a little. And maybe that's the point. I don't measure up to such a standard of righteousness and devotion. Honestly, I can't imagine it.

BUT, I can imagine Christ bearing such devotion. I can imagine the soul of one of his people being moved toward and into such devotion, such faithfulness. For, indeed, this is the work of for which Christ died--to fit us for such devotion, faithfulness, righteousness. In him, we have these things in terms of our standing before God. In time, we will be conformed to them in terms of our actual state.

So for now, I pray such Psalms in great hope that God has not left my unfaithful, unrighteous heart to die in a stuck and stagnant place. 

Psalm 26 is one such Psalm. Read it and see if you get what I'm talking about. And, should you see yourself lacking in the devotion and righteousness that David possessed, know that David's God reaches out to his people and leads them to such as this.

PSALM 26. Of David.

Vindicate me, O Lord,
    for I have walked in my integrity,
    and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
²  Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
    test my heart and my mind.
³ For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
    and I walk in your faithfulness.

⁴ I do not sit with men of falsehood,
    nor do I consort with hypocrites.
⁵ I hate the assembly of evildoers,
    and I will not sit with the wicked.

⁶ I wash my hands in innocence
    and go around your altar, O Lord,
⁷ proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,
    and telling all your wondrous deeds.

⁸ O Lord, I love the habitation of your house
    and the place where your glory dwells.
⁹  Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,
    nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
¹⁰ in whose hands are evil devices,
    and whose right hands are full of bribes.

¹¹ But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
    redeem me, and be gracious to me.
¹² My foot stands on level ground;
    in the great assembly I will bless the Lord.

Behold: a point of view shift

POV. Point of View. It's a literary term that gets thrown around often, and rightly so, for it's a pretty central concept to writing and reading. Understanding who's point of view you're reading through in a story is often (always?) crucial to interpretation and understanding. 

Narrative techniques used to convery point of view are sometimes subtle, sometimes easy to miss. For example, in the Old Testament, a change in point of view is often noted with the word "behold."

Case in point: in 1 Samuel 25 (as I've discussed before), David is on his way to slay the ungracious Nabal for refusing to show hospitality to David and his men. Abigail hears of this, prepares food and mounts a donkey to intercept David and his men. Here is how verse 20 reads:

"And as she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain, behold, David and his men came down toward her, and she met them."

The shift is subtle. We are given the narrator's point of view, his retelling of the events: "And as she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain." Then the point of view shifts and we are seeing what Abigail sees:

"behold" [which marks the point of view shift]

"David and his men came down toward her" [Abigail's perspective]

If this were a film, we would be seeing the general perspective of the scene--perhaps Abigail on stage right and David and his men higher up on stage left, and then we would be seeing out of Abigail's eyes, experiencing what she is experiencing.

Now this might not mean much; in fact, I'm not sure what the exact significance is in this story. It could be we're seeing through Abigail's eyes as she assesses the situation. Perhaps she is deciding what course of action she should take, given David's current emotional state.

Regardless of the exact meaning, I am coming to see more and more that perspective or point of view in the Bible (in all literature) is important. As readers we need to be aware of whose point of view we're listening to. If we're not careful, we'll follow the wrong one and end up making skewed interpretations.

The same could be said of real life, could it not?

[Image: "Abigail and David" Woodcut Biblical illustration by Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld, published in the book, "Das Buch der Bücher in Bilden." From the World Mission Collection, http://www.wmcwels.com]

Coming and Becoming, part 2

Monday I began discussing that Christ's advent is about coming and becoming. In Galatians, Paul says the "gospel preached beforehand" to Abraham is that in him all the nations would be blessed. The apostle Matthew understands that this is coming to pass in Christ. He's exhuberant at the thought of it, to say the least.

Though God has been silent some 400 years (between the Old and New Testaments), He has not forgotten his promises. That Matthew knows this is evident after reading just the first verse of his gospel. There he wastes no time connecting the ancient good news with the arrival of the new baby: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.” The word translated “genealogy” here literally means “generation.” Now from Genesis 1:1, the Jews knew clearly that God has no beginning. God as God already was when the creation began. But this is the generation of God as man. In a sense, Mathew is stating that he that made the world is now made man and this is the story. He understands that the birth of this child is about coming and becoming—God coming as God and becoming God-man. And, as John will later say in his gospel, “the Word became flesh and dwelt [or, ‘pitched His tent’] among us” (1:14). Both apostles understand that this is God coming to earth and setting up tent, dwelling. The God who dwelt in the tabernacle of old is now tabernacle-ing with his people. For Matthew, there is no question or confusion about the significance of what he is recording. This is Jesus, the God-man, the Christ. All revelation that has come before, spoken or typified, is now become, i.e., is manifested.

Matthew is almost impatient with the excitement of this news. It is as if he cannot wait to tell the story. So he starts with the present and works backwards in time, giving the punch line, climax, and conclusion all in one short statement before showing any concern for the set-up, the narration, and the premises. In less than twenty words, he is back in history all the way to Abraham. In less than twenty words he gives no small reason why a reader must hear what he has to say. In less than twenty words he has proclaimed the most glorious news of all. This is it! The Christ! There is no doubt about what is come and become. This is gospel.

However, Matthew knows that explanations or “proofs” are needed, and the background for him is no less glorious than the conclusion. He has led his audience back to Abraham; now he leads them from Abraham to the present, tracing Abraham’s seed to David and then from David to Christ. He sees order and reason in the expanse of time and the list of names that fill the gap between God’s first disclosure to Abraham and His revelation to the world at Christ’s birth. Abraham to David is fourteen generations; David to the captivity in Babylon is fourteen generations; the captivity in Babylon to the Christ is fourteen generations (Matt. 1:17). Why the detail? This shows that there is, in a sense, “equal” time allotted for each step of development. There are fourteen generations of growth and development after the covenantal promise of blessing is given to Abraham. Then there are fourteen generations of prosperity and decline after the covenantal promise of dominion is given to David. Finally, there are fourteen generations of lying fallow until the time when the direct descendant of these two men is born, inheriting both the blessing of Abraham and the dominion of David. The soil has been tilled, used, and now rested. God has not forgotten his gospel, spoken beforehand to Abraham and developed over further covenantal administrations and revelations to Moses and David. Quite the contrary. As Matthew understands it, the time is ripe and full; birth can and has now come (see Galatians 4:4).

Sitting before God

"Then King David went in and sat before the LORD..." ~ 2 Samuel 7:18

After bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem, David wants to build a house for God's name. David does live in a lavish palace, while God dwells in a "tent;" it makes sense that he would want to build a special place for God to "dwell." Ah, but God turns things around and through Nathan the prophet tells David that he will build David into a house.  

The new king is overwhelmed. In response to God's word to him, David speaks to God in a prayer that spans twelve verses (2 Samuel 7:18-29)--one of his longest speeches in the Bible. 

But before David speaks, he goes in and sits before the LORD. He sits. Can you see him there? He's on the floor, maybe with his legs crossed, hunched over and looking for the words to articulate what's in his heart. His breath may be coming in hitched increments, swelling his lungs and chest to their full capacity. 

Can you see the image? Oh, it may not be as I described--probably isn't--but the king is sitting before the Lord. He is seated and ready-ing for speech.

What is this? It looks like a conversation--an honest heart-to-heart conversation. (Pardon the cliche.) It looks like a man opened up, made more aware of the startling nature of God. And so he slows down--sits--and then speaks. He sits and speaks without distraction and at length, aware of himself and of his God and unhindered by such knowledge. 

The lives we lead are busy. Cluttered. Noisy. God doesn't necessarily speak to us through a Nathan, but he does speak in and through his word. Can we hear him amidst the bustle and buzz of what we call "life"? Can we hear him... and then sit... and speak back?

Wisdom is justified by her deeds, part 3

In David's psalm of confession (sung or perhaps prayed when he comitted adultery with Bathsheba and murdered Uriah), he declares the truth of God's love for wisdom: "Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart" (51:6).

So we know God loves wisdom. And we know that the wisdom he teaches is deep, it's some kind of core wisdom--wisdom in the secret heart... "in the hidden part," as the New American Standard translates it.

This is the kind of wisdom I long for. I long to be at a place in life and experience where I don't have the cliched short fuse, where I don't blurt out nonsense without thinking or understanding first. Sometimes I experience such moments of clarity, of insight. They are few, but they are like small, personal epiphanies. I've found those around me benefit much more from this calm, quiet, cool-headed wisdom than from my, ahem, erruptions.

Heh. My dad used to always tell my brother and me, "Think before you say something." I wonder how many kids have heard their fathers say that very thing. I'm a father now and I'm saying the same thing to my own kids... and still to myself.

But God gives greater grace and he teaches wisdom to the secret heart. God gives wisdom generously to those who ask (James 1:5). Think I'll ask more often. Maybe someday the wisdom he teaches my secret heart will be justified by my deeds.