Saul was a king that the people wanted.  They wanted a king like the other nations had.  He was tall and manly.  God's people wanted a king that would ride out in front of them in battle.  They chose Saul.

Fast forward to the story of David and Goliath...Goliath was standing there shouting insults to Yahweh.  It didn't offend Saul.  It didn't offend David's brothers.  They were ready for battle, however the king that should have been riding out in front was remaining in the camp.  That is some king!  

Who was it that was offended?  David.  The boy.  He was so offended by Goliath's insult of God that he took matters into his own hands.  He killed Goliath.  Notice, the king was supposed to go out in front in battle.  The true and eventual king did that day.  David demonstrated what a king should have done.

David was the king that had his heart in line with God's.  It was through his lineage that the ONE TRUE KING would arrive on earth.  Just like David, Jesus led us into battle over sin.  He went out ahead to the cross...suffered and died...then triumphed over Satan and sin so that we may live with him forever in heaven.

In 1 Samuel we learn about Hannah & Peninnah.  We read about Eli and Samuel.  In each case, their response to grace is contrasted.  Hannah had every right to be upset with God and refuse his grace.  But, instead she embraced God and her suffering.   In the end, God blessed her with a son, Samuel, and eventually more children.  Peninnah should have been basking in God's grace.  But, instead, she turned it into jealousy, hatred, and bitterness.  Her response made her children nothing but a footnote in Scripture!  

Eli was a priest and had a family with two sons.  His response to grace was not good.  Instead of correcting his two boys of perversion, he let them run wild and desecrate the temple and God.  Eli's physical blindness was a indication of his spiritual blindness.   Samuel heard God's voice and became a faithful servant.  Samuel listened when God spoke.  His response to God's grace was admirable and faithful to the very end.


What is your response to grace?  Will you respond like Peninnah & Eli or like Eli & Samuel?

In case you haven't discovered, Ruth is an awesome book in the Bible.  I especially like it because the major thread that weaves in through this book is that God built a systematic way to take care of the poor into their society:

Inalienable Land Law - (Leviticus 25):  This law protects the family land and ensures that it will stay in their lineage.  The nearest kinsman has the right to purchase it back in the year of jubilee.  

Gleaning laws - This allows the poor people to follow the harvesters and "glean" food rations from what had fallen on the ground.  This has the poor working to get their food, yet is constant source.  

Levirate law - (Deut 25):  When a man's brother died before having a son, it became the living brother's responsibility to marry the widow and father a child in his brother's name.  

Kinsman Redeemer - In the case that the widow's brother-in-law won't redeem her, the next closest kin has the option to purchase the dead brother's land and have a son with the widow that would carry the dead man's name and be the heir to the land!  Think about this.  The kinsman redeemer purchases land with HIS own money only to give it to the dead man's child (that was actually his).  This puts his own lineage and finances in jeopardy.  

This may all sound a bit strange.  It is in our culture.  But, it was God's way of caring for the widow, orphan, and poor.  It is actually quite beautiful if you stop and think about it.  When you read Ruth, you see her cleaving to her mother-in-law when she had every right to go back to her father.  Instead, she utilized all these God ordained laws for survival!  

God blessed her faithfulness!

The book of Judges records a five step cycle that happened in that time period:  people fall into sin; God disciplines them with foreign oppression; the people cry out in repentance; God raises up a deliverer [a judge]; and then peace is restored.  This happened seven times during the recorded time in Judges.

We can look back in history and see cycles a lot easier than when we are in the midst of our culture and our life.  However, each one of us are guilty of a similar cycle:  we sin; our sin produces a by-product that we don't like [the wages of sin are death]; we ask repentance; and God restores us.

We must remember that with Christ, we are striving for that power over our sin.  We must continue to resist temptation and break the cycle.  Then knowing how hard that truly is...assist others to do the same.  

This week in "The Story" has to do with Moses and the escape out of Egypt.  I like to think of it more as "God redeeming his people from the bondage of slavery" than a simple exit strategy.  

God first revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush.  Moses answered God's call reluctantly.  He and Aaron went into Egypt to face the people he once knew well.  God wanted to send a strong message that HE and HE alone was God.  So, he sent plague after plague combating the gods of the Egyptians.  He turned the Nile into blood.  This sent a message to there god and goddess of the Nile [Hapi & Isis].  Only Moses could turn the blood back into water.  Each plague challenged one of their gods.  Finally God knew that to get his message through he would need to do something that would send his message loud and clear.  So, that is when Moses warned him that God would take the first born son of anyone that does not smear the blood of a lamb over the doorpost of their house.  Every Israelite did this and the Lord passed over those houses.  Ultimately it took the life of Pharaoh's oldest son.  Pharaoh's oldest son would someday be heralded a god [just like his dad].  However, Yahweh is the only God.  

So, Pharaoh let the Israelite people go.  The Passover has been celebrated ever since.  This was the redemption of the Jewish people and God reminded them to never ever forget what HE did for them.

So, fast forward to Jesus.  Jesus is celebrating Passover with his disciples when he changes the Passover rituals.  He said the unleavened bread represented his body and the cup represented his body broken.  He is letting them know that the redemption they celebrate through the slaughter of a Passover Lamb is done.  He is now the once-for-all Passover Lamb.  1 Corinthians 5:7 says "For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed."  It is that Lamb that took our sins away (Jn 1:29).  He also made a similar statement commanding us "This do in remembrance of me".  

So, we still remember our redeemer, who redeems us from our slavery to sin every time we take communion.

I had a prof in seminary (Dr Dongell) that told our class that the continuous learning of the Bible is a little bit like this analogy:  you begin to read scripture and it is like you are listening to your favorite garage band.  But, then you learn about literary techniques that the writers used and your band begins to add symbols and bass drums to your band.  Then you learn about the culture of biblical times and your band begins to add woodwinds.  Then you continue to learn maps and geological information of the middle east and your band adds brass.  Before you know it your garage band is playing a rich and deep musical score.  You had no idea that it could sound so great.

So, it is with the Bible.  You can read the Bible and get something from it with little training.  Just as the garage band sounded good.  However, the more you read and the more you get to know about the Bible and the culture it was written in, the richer and deeper the meaning of the text.  The Bible becomes ALIVE.  If you don't believe me, just try it!