Some people take pleasure in behaving foolishly…they have no sense. This is not just about behavior which is foolishly dangerous, it includes behavior which is just silly when there is serious tasks at hand. The person with sense takes a straight course to getting their work done.
I love reading this psalm in both the NLT and the NIV translations because today they give it much more meaning. The NLT presents the first two verses in the present tense: “He hears my voice and my prayer.”…”He bends down to listen.” While the NIV presents them in the past tense: “He heard my voice and my cry…” “He turned His ear to me.” I love this vision of the fact that our love for God is a response to what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do.
The people asked Jesus to tell them if He was the Messiah. The way they worded their question implied that he had avoided answering that very question in the past. Jesus replied that He had already told them, but they did not believe Him. The proof of who He was rested on the work He had done in His Father’s name. Now, we can easily take this to refer just to Jesus. However, it applies to everyone. If you claim to be a follower of Christ, does your work prove it to be true?
Jesus goes on to say something that was initially going to be my focus today. He says that those who do not believe Him do not do so because they are not His sheep. His sheep listen to His voice and follow Him. They shall never perish and no one can snatch them out of His hand. This is for me a very heartening thought. If we believe Jesus and follow Him, no one, and nothing, can separate us from Him.
This passage begins with an account which shows us that Saul’s attempts to kill David grew out of his own insecurity and were not based on any legitimate gripe with David. When presented with the opportunity to kill Saul, while Saul was seeking to kill him, David chose not to do so. I think that this passage presents us with part of the basis for how we should interact with government authorities who are acting inappropriately.
There is also the story of Nabal and Abigail. This story gives us an idea about how David increased both his wealth and his power. David supported himself and his men while he was fleeing from Saul by protecting the property of wealthy men and merchants from bandits. We, also, get a hint about the way economic life was organized at the time. When Nabal’s servants observed how he had insulted David they went to Nabal’s wife Abigail to request that she intervene.
People who lack judgement get a thrill out of doing foolish things, but those who understand the connections between actions and consequences choose a path of wisdom and follow it through.
God will bend down to hear our prayer. I have heard people say that sometimes it seems like their prayers are bouncing off of the ceiling. That is OK, God will stoop down in order to hear even those prayers which do not make it out of the room. It may seem that our cries for His help cannot even get out of our own heads, let alone up to heaven. Yet, even so, when we cry to the Lord for help, He will answer. I cannot pay the Lord back for all that He has done for me. Everything that I possess is already His. So, I will praise His name and serve Him in whatever ways that I can.
The crowd asked Jesus to tell them plainly if He was the Messiah. Jesus answered them by telling them that He had already told them, but they did not believe Him. The proof was in what He did. In the same way today, the proof of the Gospel we preach is in the works we do. If we listen to Jesus’ voice, speak what He has told us to say, and do what He has told us to do, we will provide proof of God’s existence and greatness. Jesus and the Father are one. Saying so, made the crowd want to kill Jesus. In the same way, we will face opposition when we show that we have become one with Jesus. When we preach the Gospel, let our message be the same as Jesus’ here, “Don’t believe me unless I carry out my Father’s work.” As we preach the Gospel we must also do God’s work in helping those in need.
Continuing in the theme of Saul’s insecurity vs David’s faithfulness we have today’s story. Saul gathered a strong force of elite fighting men significantly larger than the group following David and went hunting for David in order to kill him. At one point Saul goes into a cave by himself to relieve himself. David and his men were hiding deep in this cave when Saul went into it. Despite having been told by Samuel that he had been chosen by God as the next king of Israel David refused to kill Saul when the opportunity presented itself. David demonstrates once more his confidence in God’s plan for himself. He was confident that God would protect him from Saul and would, in His own time, clear the path to fulfill His promise to David. Do we have a similar trust in God’s provision for our lives?
I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.
After returning from fighting the Philistines, Saul resumed his pursuit of David. He brought 3,000 men into the wilderness where David was hiding. At one point, Saul left his men and went into a cave to relieve himself. Unbeknownst to Saul, David and his men were hiding deeper in the cave. David’s men encouraged David to kill Saul at this moment of opportunity. David crept up on Saul intending to do just that, but he could not bring himself to do so. Instead, he cut a piece off of Saul’s robe. David neither killed Saul, nor would he allow his men to do so. We see here the first sign of an important element of David’s character which will come out even stronger later when he has more power. Not only does David not do something which he saw as wrong, but which would have advanced his interests, he prevents his supporters from doing so on his behalf (if the Lord wills, I will come back to this in later passages).
Once Saul had left the cave, David came out after him. David called after Saul, referring to him as his lord and king. When Saul turned around, David showed him the piece he had cut off of his robe. David then pointed out that if those claiming that David wished to kill Saul were correct, Saul would now be dead. David explained to Saul that despite the urging of his men, he would not harm Saul because Saul was God’s anointed king of Israel. When Saul realized what had happened, he acknowledged that he would not have done what David had done. Saul recognized that God had put him in David’s power and it was only by David’s dedication to doing the right thing that he still lived. Saul responded to his good fortune by asking David to promise not to kill his family and destroy his descendants when David became king. David happily made this promise. Saul then withdrew with his army. I believe that Saul withdrew in part because after this exchange, he would have lost status in the eyes of his men had he continued to pursue David (and perhaps their support). It would have been too obvious that Saul’s pursuit of David was in response to David’s popularity rather than because of any threat which David posed to Saul.
After this we have the story involving Nabal and his wife Abigail. Nabal was a wealthy man in the region where David was operating at this time. This story gives us insight into what David did during the time he was in exile from Saul’s court and how he rose to become king after Saul’s death and even into how he gained the power we are told he acquired while king (and how such a powerful king left so little archeological evidence). David and his men had protected Nabal’s men and flocks from bandits while they were in the wilderness. When shearing time came, which was a time of festival and traditionally a time to be generous, David sent some men to Nabal requesting that Nabal give them some supplies in reward for having protected his interests throughout the previous year. Nabal not only refused David’s request but insulted him and called him (and his men) an outlaw. When David received word, he was furious and determined to pay Nabal back for the insult.
Meanwhile Nabal’s servants knew what a deadly insult Nabal’s response was and were in fear for their lives. One of them went to Nabal’s wife, Abigail, who already had a reputation as a sensible woman, and told her the reply which Nabal had given to David’s messengers. In addition, they told her how well David’s men had protected them while they were in the wilderness. Abigail immediately, and quickly, gathered a goodly amount of food and had her servants take it to David. She followed behind them. When she saw David, she greeted him and begged his forgiveness for her ill-tempered and foolish husband. She predicts that great things will happen for David in the future and requests that he remember her when that happens. David expresses his gratitude both for her gift of supplies and for her intervention to keep him from committing needless bloodshed. He promises that neither he nor his men will kill her husband.
When Abigail returned home Nabal was in the middle of a great feast and completely drunk, so she told him nothing until morning. When he was sober in the morning, Abigail told him what she had done. When he heard her news, he had a stroke (or at least the described symptoms sound like a stroke) and after ten days he died. When David heard that Nabal was dead, he praised God for giving him revenge for the insult which Nabal had given him and for preventing him from extracting that revenge himself. David then sent word asking Abigail to become his wife. She gladly accepted and became his wife.
David’s offer to marry Abigail and her quick response gives us an additional insight into David, his ruling strategy and the society of the day. However, I will write about that another day. I just realized that I never fleshed out my earlier point about how the story of Nabal gives us insight into David’s rise to power. David rose to power and built his kingdom by protecting merchants and others from bandits. He made it safe to do business in the areas that he controlled. Merchants and others did not need to hire as many armed guards to travel through areas controlled by David because he hunted down and either killed or drove the bandits out of it. The thing is, he did this not only to those bandits who preyed on the wealthy, but also those who preyed and the “little guy”. He made life better for everyone.
After Jesus gave the illustration of the Good Shepherd, the people listening asked Him to tell them outright if He was the Messiah. He tells them that He has already answered their question, but that they have refused to believe His answer. Continuing His Shepherd illustration, Jesus tells them that they do not believe Him because they are not His sheep. His sheep listen to His voice, are known by Him and follow Him. And no one can take them away from Him because they were given to Him by His Father, who is more powerful than any other. He concludes this by saying that He and His Father are one.
At this, those listening to Him take up stones to stone Him. He asks them for which of His good works they are going to stone Him? They reply they are not going to stone Him for anything He did, but because He claimed to be God. Jesus then quoted Psalms to them where it says “I say, you are gods!”. Jesus then asks them if the Scripture says that some are gods, why are they stoning Him for saying that He is the Son of God? They should judge Him by His works. If what He does is the work of God, they should believe Him because of His actions, even if they have trouble believing His words. The heat of the moment in the crowd being broken, the religious leaders tried to arrest Him, but He evaded them and left the area. Many started to follow Jesus after this, commenting that John had not performed miraculous signs, but what he had said about Jesus was true.
This passage has some elements that are very heartening. If we listen to Jesus voice and follow His instructions, we can know that we are known by Him and are held in His hand. No one can snatch us away from Him because the Father is holding us in Jesus’ hand and none has the power to take that which belongs to Him. Are we willing to be Jesus’ sheep? Sheep are dumb and stupid animals which need to be carefully guided by their shepherd. Am I willing to acknowledge that I am a dumb and stupid person who needs God’s careful guidance?
I never saw this psalm the way I read it today. Today I see it as being my testimony (or at least part of it being part of my testimony).
I saw only trouble and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
That comes so close to the experience that led me to fully commit myself to God. I was struggling with knowing whether or not God existed. I could find nothing which would convince me that God actually existed, but when I considered living in a world that was nothing more than the material, I found life not worth living. After months of struggling with bouts of what I now realize were a manifestation of depression, I finally had an epiphany, I could not accept that the world was nothing more than the material, so I would live as if the Bible was true. I called out to God and said that I would act as if I knew that He was real and see what happened. The results were amazing, within days there no longer existed any doubt in my mind that God was real. I received incontrovertible proof that He was real (understand that this was proof to me, I will not expect another to accept it as proof. They will need to receive such proof direct from God). My soul is at rest again because the Lord has been good to me.
What can I offer the Lord
for all he has done for me?
I am your servant, oh Lord, and I will strive to serve You as my parents did.
Variegated hostas
The first of these two proverbs is interesting. Fathers are given joy at the thought that they raised a child who shows wisdom. Those who are foolish disregard and despise their mother. Usually these couplets in Proverbs compare and/or contrast how opposite behaviors effect things. In this case, it tells us that a father is happy to have wise children, but that we can recognize that someone is a fool if they despise their mother.
The second proverb today tells us that taking pleasure in foolish behavior is the signpost of being a fool. If you recognize that something is a foolish thing to do, but do it anyway, you can know that you are well on your way to being a fool.
There are two parts to today’s Old Testament passage. The first of these is an episode of King Saul’s pursuit of David. The second is the story of David, Nabal and Abigail. In the first, King Saul returns from fighting the Philistines and takes up his pursuit of David once more. King Saul takes his army into the area where David and his men are hiding. King Saul goes aside from his men into a cave to relieve himself. David and his men are hiding deeper in that very cave. When David’s men realize that King Saul is so close to them, they urge David to sneak up and kill him. David sneaks up and then has an attack of conscience and merely cuts a corner off of King Saul’s robe. We can have little doubt that if their roles had been reversed, King Saul would have killed David. A lesson I take from this is that the evil behavior of others does not justify evil behavior on our part. Many people today would see David as perfectly justified in killing King Saul in that situation. After all, King Saul had been actively seeking David’s death for several years at this point. But David’s position was that God had chosen Saul as king over Israel and it would be wrong for David to act against that king. It was up to God to remove Saul from the kingship, not David. This lesson is that which Peter teaches in 1 Peter 3:9 “Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.”
The next passage is the story of Nabal and Abigail. Nabal was a wealthy man. David and his men had cleared the bandits out of the area where Nabal’s servants tended his flocks. At sheep shearing time, a traditional time of celebration and generosity, David sends some of his men to Nabal to request some provisions. Nabal not only refuses but insults both David and his men. When David hears Nabal’s response he is furious. When we read Nabal’s insult it is hard for us to understand why David was as angry as the passage tells us he was. However, the other actors in the story expected David to be furious and to react violently. At least one of Nabal’s servants who saw his treatment of David’s men thought it had crossed the line and would bring trouble. In addition, Abigail, Nabal’s wife, when she heard what he had told David’s men thought that it would bring trouble. Abigail quickly puts together a package of provisions and sent them out to David, following closely behind. When she sees David, she humbles herself and begs him to accept her gift and not take revenge on her husband and his men. The passage tells us that when, after a night of heavy drinking on his part, Abigail tells Nabal what she had done (and what would have happened if she had not) he suffers a serious health issue and dies after ten days. The passage tells us that his death was God’s judgement on his actions. After the death of Nabal, David takes Abigail as his wife. This might appear a little unseemly to us. However, in that society at that time, Abigail was in a very precarious situation. First, as a woman without a husband as a protector she would be viewed as a legitimate target for predatory behavior. In addition, it is probable from the story we have about Nabal that there were men who would be anxious to exact vengeance on him by attacking his estate (including his widow) now that he was no longer around to defend himself. So, by marrying Abigail, David extends his protection to her. Of course this is not a one sided arrangement, by marrying Abigail, David most probably came into possession of Nabal’s wealth. This story does not reflect well on David, but, on the other hand, it is not really all that negative either. It shows that David had a temper and that he was willing to take advantage of opportunities that came his way. The real lesson is in both Nabal’s and Abigail’s behavior. Nabal was selfish and gluttonous and suffered for this. By gluttonous I do not mean that he consumed excessive amounts of food, although the passage in no way contradicts that, but that he used his wealth to satisfy his pleasures in excessive ways. The passage tells us that Nabal was celebrating like a king when Abigail returned from pacifying David. This is a danger for us in America, that we might fail to give of our wealth to help those in need and instead use our wealth to live lavish, unhealthy lifestyles.
In this passage people asked Jesus to tell them if He was the Messiah. Jesus answers by saying that He has already answered and they did not believe Him. He continues by telling them that they should judge Him by what He has done, but that they will not believe Him because they are not His sheep. He goes on to say that He and the Father are one. At hearing this the people take up stones to stone Him. He asks them for which of His good works they are stoning Him. They accuse Him of blasphemy for claiming to be God. He quotes scripture to them and tells them that if they will not believe His words, they should believe the miracles He has performed, do they reflect the work of the Father? There is a lesson here for us. It is not enough for us to preach the gospel, we must also live the gospel and do the works of God. There is a quote attributed to Francis of Assisi that is relevant here, “Preach the Gospel always: When necessary use words.” I found this great article on that quote. The author sums up what I believe this passage is telling us. People can judge our words by looking at our actions, but they need our words to understand what our actions mean. Those who emphasize preaching the Gospel over doing good works are wrong. Those who emphasize doing good works over preaching the Gospel are equally wrong. We should preach the Gospel while doing good works. We do not do good works in order to have the opportunity to preach the Gospel. We do good works because they are part of the Gospel, but we must preach the Gospel because it is the only way that people will understand why we are acting as we are.
I read this psalm and I see what our model should be and how prayer can bring us hope in the face of trouble and joy when all around us seems to be collapsing.
I love the Lord because he hears my voice
and my prayer for mercy.
Because he bends down to listen,
I will pray as long as I have breath!
God listens to us even when no one else will. The psalmist goes on to say that if we call on the God to save us, our outlook will improve.
I saw only trouble and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“Please, Lord, save me!”
The psalmist goes on to ask what he can offer to the Lord to repay for what the Lord has done for him. His answer is that he can do no more than praise the Lord and walk in His ways. That is all God asks of us.
O Lord, I am your servant;
yes, I am your servant, born into your household;
you have freed me from my chains.
I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of the Lord.
How true this passage is. If you look at the people you know, think about those who think poorly of their mother. How many of them would you consider wise? Even if you see the justice in their opinion of their mother, children who think poorly of their mothers are rarely, if ever wise. On the other hand, I have known people whose mothers were not very good mothers who praised their mothers for those things they got right and dismissed their failings as those of all mankind. The second proverb talks of how those with no sense revel in foolishness. I have known such people. People who know that something they are about to do will bring them discomfort and pain, yet do it any way for the joy of the moment. They have been a lesson to me to attempt to think through the consequences of my actions before taking them.
