The Field is the World (Matt. 13:38)

  May 31: In today’s readings, I am seeing the vital importance of the Spirit’s direction for our life. Romans 8 lists many aspects of this, the Psalmist accurately sees an orderly, predictable world established by an all-wise Creator, and David behaves himself wisely even in horrible circumstances, while Saul, bereft of the Spirit at this time, plays the fool, compounding his enmity against God in rebelling against God’s choice of David. Eli’s passivity at the news of God’s judgment on him and his house was a fault, but it was far better than Saul’s fury. 1 Samuel 21-22:  Today, we read how David’s life on the run began. Although David never sought Saul’s death, all of this shows how decisively the break was made from the beginning. David chides himself before Abiathar for not doing something about Doeg the Edomite. But how could he have known that Saul would command that the priests be slaughtered? God used it to build the relationship between David, the future king and Abi...

  May 30 : I’ve centered Jonathan in this story of David, centered the Pharisees in the consideration of God’s mercy and forgiveness, and looked at both the man of flesh who cannot please God in Romans 7 and the redeemed man who has been given God’s unfailing love as a free gift for Christ’s sake in Romans 8. So what of those outwardly obedient men who “have not obtained what he seeketh for”? (Romans 11:7, 9:32) They are provoked to jealousy (Romans 10:19, 11:11; Deuteronomy 32:21) by foolish people who are converted to be called the sons of the living God. (Hosea 1:10) What kind of Jealousy does it provoke, though? In the case of the older son in the Prodigal Son story, it’s a self-righteous jealousy. For a remnant today, there are those who become convinced about Jesus (Romans 11:5). One day, it will be “all” of them, (Zechariah 12:10), and not only will it be as a resurrection from the dead, (Romans 11:15/15:32), but a brotherly reunion as the Prodigal Son story should have been...

  May 29 : If there’s a unifying theme in these three passages, it’s our tendency to miss God’s intentions in what He gives us. Like the people’s expectations of a heroic, selfless King were dashed in Saul, like David’s expectations of a bonded relationship with the King’s family were dashed in Merab’s being given to another man, and even Michal’s love for David failing, the people of Israel now pine for a Messiah who will rebuild their Temple. He’ll come in his own name and be received, but he’ll be a deceiver who will sit in that temple and claim to be God. God’s people expected to obtain righteousness through obedience to the Law, yet it only made sin that much more attractive and condemning to them. By contrast, I need to fear and serve God from an earnest and sincere heart, and desire Him more than my expectations of what He can bring, paying careful attention to what He promises and the conditions He attaches. May He give me eyes to see clearly. 1 Samuel 18-19 : David was mod...

  May 28 : David exhibits the Spirit-led reasoning of a genuine believer, in his zeal for God, his competence in battle and his self-control to set reasonable restrictions upon himself. In our day, so many are looking around at spiritual leaders who fall prey to temptation and using that as an excuse to abandon their faith; looking at men will always provide an excuse. We need to be more realistic about ourselves and keep ourselves away from carnal men and women and keep ourselves away from other forms of temptation, so that we can walk in integrity in our houses, even when we’re out of the scrutiny of others. We also need to be as up-front as possible about why we do that, as a way to admit our liability to moral failing if we are always surrounded with temptation and no scrutiny. 1 Samuel 17 : In reality, the story about the lion and the bear are more incredible than the slaughter of Goliath. He caught (I’m assuming the lion) but the beard/mane? Two different words are used to ...

May 27 : Israel continues to await God’s man, the Messiah. Saul certainly looked the part, but although he was made a new man, he continued to have too much dependence on the flesh. He represents what James says about the “double-minded” (< g1374 >  dipsychos,  “double-souled”   James 1:8; 4:8 ) man, from whom God took His Spirit. By tying the spiritual anointing of David with the departure of the Spirit from Saul, we see that the real power to do what is right comes from Him, and not from a man of impressive flesh or pedigree. We see the surface and God looks all the way into the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7) A key revelation during David’s reign is the Davidic Covenant, which has all the guarantee on the side of God. Psalm 2 must have been written in light of this Covenant, which anticipates the “heathen” peoples becoming part of the Son’s possession. Romans 6 gives us the way of escape when we're feeling that divided loyalty, walking in the flesh too much: forsake the ...

 May 26: These three passages all point to God’s unwavering strength: in being able to declare something as done that has not yet been done; in being the strength of His king and people, in being perfectly observant of His own Law after becoming incarnate as a man. This shows His ability to keep a promise, His faithfulness. He is worthy of our trust. 1 Samuel 15: When Samuel tells Saul (vv. 28-29) that He has rent the Kingdom from him and given it to a better man, past tense for a future event, to show it’s an inevitable fact, he adds that “the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent; for He is not a man, that He should repent” it’s literally the same Hebrew word that is used in v. 35 where it says “the LORD repented that He had made Saul king over Israel.” Is this a contradiction? Of course, skeptics say that it is, but they don’t understand Hebrew any more than I do. The word is < h5162 > “nāḥam” which can mean, “to be sorry, rue, suffer grief” which God certainly did ...

May 25 : In today’s three passages, I see the central theme of God’s hero, of which all our most selfless and courageous men are poor shadows. God reveals His holy arm for us in winning our salvation by the obedient life and vicarious death of our Second Adam, the Son of God, the King of Kings, the King God will set upon His Holy Hill and give all the nations for an inheritance. By His cross, He triumphed over the powers and authorities, disarming them and making a public spectacle of them. “Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing: Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same, And He must win the battle.” 1 Samuel 14: In light of the other two passages, I started wondering, is Jonathan a type of Christ, in his (essentially) solo campaign against the Philistine garrison here? I remembered v. 45, “Shall Jonathan die, who hat...

 May 24: There’s a character of saving faith - Hebrews 11:6 tells us that it is believing that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. My reading in Romans 4 today adds the detail of being “fully persuaded” in spite of circumstances not being conducive to that belief. There’s a content  of saving faith: the incarnation of the one-and-only, true-and-living God in human flesh, His substitutionary atonement and resurrection. There’s the implication of saving faith: simply acting as if  these things are true: Abraham’s faith that caused him to leave his father’s country, not knowing where he went, to continue to try for a child, knowing God had promised Isaac, and to offer Isaac, believing God would raise him from the dead. Where does it become presumptuous? In Abraham’s and Sarah’s case, it was in taking Hagar to force it along. In Saul’s case, it was in offering the sacrifice in the stead of a tardy priest; and it also seems to have been getting...

 May 23: I see a theme of acceptance running through these three passages: Saul accepted as king by the people, the Jews' mission to promote acceptance of the Lord by the nations, the acceptance of Paul by Christ. What are some wholesome things that make a man acceptable to his peers that shine through these accounts? Zeal: Saul's decisive action shamed his peers and drew them to him, which is not only how he became accepted as Israel's first king, but how the nation became united and defeated their oppressors. Worship and holiness in truth: the Psalmist praises God accurately, with knowledge of His works and no fear of the idols of other nations. He's an apologist for God, and urges others to submit to Him. As Psalm 33:1 says, "Praise is comely for the upright." Faithfulness and competence: Paul demonstrates both clarity in his reasoning and a deep understanding of the Scriptures. He handles the truth faithfully, putting things that are clear to any honest re...

 May 22: In these three passages, I see four different ways we can react to the ever-present, undeniable evidence that we aren't what we should be , or what a perfect God would have created us to be like: Like Saul, we could swing back and forth between doleful apathy and self-determined energy about it like a pendulum. By stages "woe is me" or "I'm going to fix this." Like the Psalmist warns, we could resist God's repeated urgings to repent and trust and become hardened by unbelief. Like Pharisaic Judaism, we can leverage knowledge of the Law only to gain advantage over others, failing to apply its teachings to ourselves. This is what Romans 1-3 is warning about. Like the pagans who at times show the work of the Law written on their hearts but consistently reject the God Creation tells them about, we could be willfully ignorant and pursue hedonism.  Ecclesiastes warns of the dissatisfaction this brings; many of the Proverbs warn of the sorrow and ruin i...

 May 21:  It seems to me that Samuel’s time represents the late stage of the time of the Judges. There’s a lot of ignorance about God, underscored by the repeated phrase “everyone did what was right in his own eyes,” (Judges 21:25) and “there was no open vision” (1 Samuel 3:1). Samson is illustrative of the whole nation at this time, called and separated from birth, strong but blinded by his own lusts. Jephthah is ignorant of how distinctive God is from the idols of the surrounding nations, but is nevertheless faithful in persisting in hope for deliverance. Ruth, an outsider, finds strength and redemption when she places herself under the wings of Israel’s God. The Psalmist of Psalm 94 may not be David, but he’s writing during the highest period of the monarchy, the united kingdom of Israel and his writing reflects the high quality of reflection upon the law that David’s peaceful and uniting reign brings. Meanwhile, Paul’s analysis of human history up to his time includes clar...

  May 20: Today’s reading makes me think what a comfort God is to those who have repented and placed their trust in Him, but what a horror to those who will not. He is immovable, unbending, eternal. Exposure to His revelation, His Law, is exposure to judgment and shame for those who will not bend to it. It’s only hope to those who receive it and are taught and converted by it. 1 Samuel 5-6 : What must the Philistines have thought, when Dagon was broken off before the Ark of God? Their intention was clear: in their mind, they had captured the God of Israel, and put Him in the Temple of Dagon, with the thought that their god had given them power to conquer the Israelites and the God of the Israelites. Instead, they recognized what He meant by the sign: “his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.” (1 Samuel 5:7, 6:5) Even the priests of Dagon commanded the offering, commanded worship of God, (1 Samuel 6:5), and set the sign that was fulfilled. (1 Samuel 6:9, 12) After this de...

 May 18: The conscience is a way that men even without the revelation of God are judged. It is therefore a way that God speaks to man, and is refined by exposure to God’s revelation. It’s a serious matter to allow this avenue for His influence on one’s life to become seared. (1 Timothy 4:2) Instead, I should pray for a renewed, circumcised heart, a tender conscience before God. (Hebrews 9:14; 1 Timothy 1:5) 1 Samuel 3-4: I always maintain that God is able to make His will known to us. He can and does speak differently to different people, in ways that they are able and willing to hear. Why, then, is God being ambiguous to Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:4, 6 and 8? First of all, Samuel didn’t yet know the Lord. (1 Samuel 3:7) The whole incident must be the means by which Samuel came to know Him. But more to the point, the audible voice forced Samuel to involve Eli, and it was Eli who needed the prophecy. Another principle I have always held to be true is that God won’t reveal His will for my...

 May 18: Do the three passages for today contrast the heart of a godly mother with hope in the sufficiency of God for the future of her son with the passivity of Eli? She’s passive toward God in giving up her son, but not in interceding. Psalm 91 reminds us of judgment coming for the wicked, but we’ll see it but not experience it because of our opportunity to run to God’s sheltering wings. Romans 1 paints the sad picture of decline in our land and how inevitable it is when people know about God but make a conscious decision not to know Him, as Eli’s sons had done. 1 Samuel 2 : Is Eli’s confrontation of his sons’ wickedness a good model for us? If not, why is it what we tend to follow when addressing the younger generation? “Why do ye such things?” (We don’t hear their justification, if they even give any.) "If a man sins against the LORD directly, who shall intreat for him/advocate for him?” They did not listen, just as our younger generation doesn’t listen. What would be a better...

 May 17 In today’s readings, I see our responsibility to steward our time well and make the most of our lives, since we have such a short time on earth. We see such evil and sorrow in that time, and Christ’s desire is to have us where He is (John 17:24). So for us to remain on earth serves a purpose and we need to diligently seek and fulfill it with the resources He has given us. Samuel’s mother saw this, and wanted it for him enough to give him up, though he was her only child, the desire of her heart. Paul clearly understood his indebtedness, not only to God, but to his neighbor, to declare the gospel clearly and completely, to edify those to whom he was sent. This is the first and greatest commandment and the second like unto it (Matthew 22:36-40) in a nutshell. 1 Samuel 1: What is more miraculous, the prophesied birth of Samuel after Hannah’s barrenness, or her willingness to give up her only begotten son to the Lord? I think both are part of the redemptive work of God in the ...

May 16:  Considering today's readings, I'm seeing themes of slavery through a defaulted debt, incorporation into the entirely one-sided Covenant of David, and the need to ask to be redeemed. What a beautiful collection of passages reminding me of my glorious redemption! Ruth 3-4 : Old Testament Levirate marriage seems a very strange custom to us; and yet the book of Ruth gives us a hint at how we are grafted in (Romans 11:17) to the Root (Revelation 22:16) of Israel. Just as by the time of Ruth, the “loosed shoe” tradition had apparently been slightly modified and made more civilized, (Compared to Deuteronomy 25:7-10), might the initiation of the marriage have been modified somewhat? (Perhaps in light of the events of Genesis 38?) It’s compelling to me that Ruth, in effect, made the marriage proposal by uncovering Boaz’ feet and putting herself under his feet. It was then his opportunity to spread his fringes/edges/wings (kanaph) over her, indicating that she would be under the...

May 15: Your life is being watched: your testimony matters. Trust God and lean not on your own understanding. Wait for Him and see how it pans out. Ruth 1-2 : Does Naomi come to repent of her unjust testimony about the Lord? (Ruth 1:20) It seems so, and hopefully her daughter-in-law’s story becomes better known than her bitter complaint. She had abandoned the house of bread for the pagan nation in a time of crisis, but God had nevertheless shown kindness to her, to Ruth, and to her dead husband and son.  Psalm 89:1-29 : Who is the real King of Israel? It is the LORD (Psalm 89:18). David is HIs servant, who will cry to God as his Father, the Rock of his Yeshua, and God will make him His firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. His Seed will endure forever. We can compare this passage to Galatians 3:16, as in the Abrahamic Covenant as well as this promise, God has Christ in mind. It's important that the words of this Psalm are passed along accurately or the prediction is lost, ...