For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I hope those of you who regularly read my blog are not getting tired of pictures of flowers and of Magrat (my cat), because there are a lot more to come.
The first of these proverbs reminds us that those who forgive those around them and are at peace with themselves live healthier lives than those who allow themselves to be filled with bitterness and envy.
The second proverb tells us one side of this. Those who oppress the poor hold God in contempt and those who help the poor honour God. There is another side to this. No matter what they claim, those who hold God in contempt will oppress the poor. when all is said and done, only those who honour God truly help the poor.
I struggled this morning with what to write about this passage. I am not sure how to phrase the message which this passage conveys to me, but here goes. The two pieces of this passage do indeed go together. Jesus tells us that those who listen to His message and believe in God have eternal life. When Jesus says this He means more than just hear the words and acknowledge the existence of God. He is referring to those whose behavior is different because they heard His message and believe in God who sent Him. If hearing Jesus’ message does not change our behavior, we have not truly listened.
Then Jesus talks about the other ways we might hear how to receive eternal life. I believe that what He is talking about is the other ways people talk about when they say that there is more than one way to God (or Heaven, or eternal life). He is telling us that they are not wrong, well, not exactly. What He tells us here is that anyone who truly listens to what those other ways teach will be directed to Him. God will speak to some people by a means other than the New Testament, or Christians, but if those people listen to His message they will be led to Christ. It does not matter if God speaks to them directly, or through the writings of some other religious teacher. There are indeed directions towards God’s gift of eternal life in all of the religious teachings of this world. However, those who refuse to believe in Jesus will never hear the full message. There is a difference between those who refuse and those who have never heard that portion of the message.
We are told in this passage that Eli confronted his sons about their sins, but they would not listen to him. It is clear from both how Samuel turned out and the advice which Eli gave Samuel when God called to him that Eli served God in the way he lived his life. Yet he failed to serve God in the way he raised his sons. Eli failed to discipline his sons. He was satisfied to tell them that what they were doing was wrong.
The key to a healthy life is having a peaceful attitude. Envy and jealousy not only make you mentally miserable, they destroy your health as well. If you love and honour God, you will do what you can to help the poor. Those who mistreat and oppress the poor, whether actively or passively, show that they hold God in contempt.
I will praise the Lord because He has been good to me despite my sins. There truly is joy for those always do right. My prayer today is that the Holy Spirit shape my life so that I do what is right in all of my actions. I thank God for the forgiveness and love which He has shown to me. He has blessed me despite my many shortcomings and sins.
All will face judgement. Those who believe God and follow Jesus will experience eternal life. Those who refuse to listen to His message and continue in evil will experience judgement. There is a warning for those of us who wish to follow Jesus. The religious people of His day studied Scripture and failed to see that it pointed to Him. If we search the Scripture with an open mind, it will point us to follow Jesus. But, if we come to Scripture with preconceived notions and refuse to let the Holy Spirit show us what it says, such search of Scriptures will do us no good. Let us not allow our desire for the approval of others stop us from doing what the Lord instructs.
Today what struck me about this passage is what Eli told Samuel to say to the voice calling to him in the night. Samuel subsequently did as Eli instructed. Eli instructed Samuel to respond, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” When God calls to us, do we do the same. As important, do we then actually listen. When God called to Samuel, Samuel said this. However, he did more than that, he then actually listened. If we tell God we are listening and then continue to babble on, we should not be surprised when God does not speak to us. I will strive today to listen to what God has to say to me.
Today we have the passage where God first spoke to Samuel. When Eli realized that God was calling to Samuel he instructed Samuel to answer by saying, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” Before you read the scripture passages for today, I want you to say that as a prayer. I want to make it my goal to do that each day when I read the passages for the day. But not only then, I want to make that my prayer throughout the day. Of course, it is not enough to just say that. Once we have said it, we have to actually listen (I am sure that is as hard for some of you as it is for me).
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.
Eli was olde, but he knew that his sons were doing wrong. He confronted them verbally, but did nothing more. God sent a prophet to Eli who told him that all of his descendants would die young and his family would no longer serve as priests. The prophet told him that both of his sons would die on the same day.
Meanwhile Samuel assisted Eli and by doing so served the Lord. One night after Eli had gone to bed, Samuel, who slept in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God, heard a voice call out his name. He thought it was Eli and ran to his side. Eli said that he had not called him and sent him back to bed. Samuel heard the voice a second and third time and went to Eli’s side each time. The third time it happened Eli realized what was going on. He told Samuel that it was the voice of God and that he should tell God that he was listening. When the voice called his name once more, Samuel did as Eli had instructed and said, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” God told Samuel that he was going to carry out his threats against Eli and his sons because Eli had failed to discipline his sons. In the morning Eli insisted that Samuel tell him what God had said to him. When Samuel told Eli what God had told him, Eli responded, “It is the Lord’s will. Let Him do what He thinks best.”
In some ways, I think that Eli in this story is a tragic character. He had failed to discipline his sons and restrain them from using the office of priesthood to blaspheme against God. Yet, he raised Samuel to love and honor God and when God sent word of judgment against him he responded, “It is the Lord’s will. Let Him do what He thinks best.” How many of us can face the Lord’s judgment for our failure with such equanimity? However, the real lesson for us is in what Eli told Samuel to say when he heard the voice call his name. “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” Do we respond to the Lord in this manner? More importantly, do we actually listen? I think that we have a tendency to say that we are listening and then keep on talking. In order to listen to what God has to say to us, we need to stop talking. That is my biggest challenge when it comes to prayer, I all too often don’t stop talking long enough to hear what God is saying.
Shortly after the above encounter the Israelites went to war against the Philistines and lost the first battle badly. They sent for the Ark of the Covenant. They thought that if they had it with them in battle, God would have to give them victory. Eli’s sons went down to the battle with the Ark. When the Israelites went into battle again, once more they were defeated and the Ark was captured by the Philistines. Eli’s two sons were killed in the battle.
A messenger rushed from the battle to the town where Eli resided. We are told that Eli was waiting beside the road for news of the battle, not out of concern for his sons but out of concern for the Ark of the Covenant. When the messenger told him that the Ark had been captured, Eli fell backward out of his seat and broke his neck. He died immediately because he was old and overweight.
Jesus makes a statement that gives me great joy. He says that those who listen to His message and believe in God who sent Him will have eternal life. If you listen to Jesus’ message and truly believe in the God who sent Him, you will act on that message. Jesus goes on to say something that I have never seen in quite the same light as I see it today.
Jesus said that the time has come that those who have died will hear his voice and those who listen will live. I am not sure what this means, but I will choose to interpret it according to the idea that C.S. Lewis wrote in “The Great Divorce”. In that book, C.S. Lewis suggests that those in Hell have the option to leave Hell and enter Heaven, if they would just surrender to God. He goes on to say that they will refuse. I am not completely sure about that idea. But this passage suggests that people get at least one more chance to accept God’s gift after death. If you read it that way, it also suggests that most will continue to refuse to surrender to God’s sovereignty. The original sin was the desire to usurp God’s position, unless we are willing to yield the throne to God, we cannot be saved.
Today’s psalm, like so many others, calls on us to praise the Lord. It asks us, “Who can ever praise him enough?” And I answer that question, “Certainly not me.” Like my ancestors, I have sinned against God and, like my ancestors, God has nevertheless intervened in my life to save me from my just deserts. And like my ancestors, I will believe His promises and praise His name. I am undeserving of God’s grace but He has given it to me anyway, so I will praise His name.
If you want to be physically healthy, you need to start by being at peace with yourself and with God. If you indulge in jealousy of others, it will eat at you like cancer and lead to various physical symptoms (which sooner, or later, will be real physical problems).
The easiest way to honor God is to help the poor. Those who oppress the poor insult God, who made them. Helping the poor is more complicated than just giving them things or money (although it certainly at some point involves that). We cannot meet God’s call to help the poor simply by throwing money at them. We need to be personally invested in showing them how to get out of the situation they are in and then providing, to the best of our ability, the means to do so.
This passage tells us that Eli was very old, but nevertheless, he was aware of his sons sins. He spoke with his sons and reprimanded them for their evil actions, but took no effort to discipline them for it. The passage tells us that Eli’s sons failed to respond to Eli’s reprimand because God was already planning to put them to death. From this passage we learn that if we continue to sin, God will no longer offer us the opportunity to repent and change our ways. I believe there is a simple way to tell if there is still time to repent. That is if you feel an impulse to turn away from your sin, there is still time to do so. Once God has decided to bring about your end because of your sin, you will no longer have any thought whatsoever of ceasing your sinning.
First, God tells Eli what He will do to his family, then He sends a message to Samuel about what it to come. When God calls out to Samuel, Samuel believes that it is Eli and goes to him. We learn from this passage that, although his sons were very sinful, Eli still respects and honors God (even though he fails to follow God’s commands and discipline his sons). Eli tells Samuel that it is God calling him and instructs Samuel in how to reply. In the morning when Samuel rises, he is afraid to tell Eli the message that God has given to him because it is such a judgement on Eli’s family. Eli insists that Samuel tell him what God had said. When Eli hears the message, Eli accepts it with an attitude of submission to God.
We then have the story of the end of Eli’s sons and of Eli’s death. The Israelites go into battle against the Philistines and are defeated. They ask why God allowed them to be defeated by the Philistines. Rather than answer that question, they attempt to force God’s hand by bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the battle. God refuses to be coerced and once again the Israelites are defeated, but this time the Ark is captured by the Philistines and Eli’s sons are killed. When word of the capture of the Ark is brought to Eli, he falls out of his chair and dies. The children of Israel lost the Ark of the Covenant here because they attempted to force God to act according to their will rather than they acting according to God’s will.
Here Jesus speaks of the judgement that is to come on both the living and the dead. That those who have chosen to accept God’s forgiveness and live according to God’s will will rise from death and be granted eternal life, but those who continued in evil will receive judgement. He goes on to speak of those sources of testimony about Him. He tells the Jewish leaders that John the Baptist testified of Him, that they initially were excited by John. He implies that they lost interest in John the Baptist when they found they could not turn his preaching to serve their ends. Jesus goes on to tell them that their scripture tells of Him, but that they, nevertheless refuse to accept His teachings. He tells them that even Moses, who is the basis for their hopes, testifies to His coming. Yet, they will not believe even that. We must not make the same mistake that they made, which was to twist the scripture to say what they wanted to hear rather than to learn God’s will from it.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord?
Who can ever praise him enough?
There is joy for those who deal justly with others
and always do what is right.
This snippet from today’s psalm contains so much truth. God’s love is faithful and it endures forever. There is no possible way that anyone could list all of God’s miracles and I do not have it within me to praise Him anywhere close to what He deserves. I have experienced the joy of doing what is right…and the loss of joy from not doing what is right. After saying this, the psalmist goes on to say:
Like our ancestors, we have sinned.
We have done wrong! We have acted wickedly!
How true this is. I know of God’s greatness and the wonders He has performed. Yet, I still sin. I, once more, cry out to God for forgiveness and ask Him to help me to grow, learn to do His will and sin no more. I live in shame and regret that I have sinned in the past, but my greatest shame is the knowledge that I shall sin again.
A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body;
jealousy is like cancer in the bones.
We have a tendency to view this proverb as symbolic. This is a mistake, because while there is truth to the symbolism we give this, modern medical science is discovering that it is, also, literally true. Those who have a peaceful heart are healthier than those who are constantly worrying and fretting, while those who harbor jealousy suffer from many variations of ill-health.
