Elijah and Elisha—Walking Together 2 Kings 2:1-15

                   

This morning we’re beginning a series on mentoring, beginning with Elijah and Elisha. Elijah first meets Elisha soon after defeating Jezebel’s prophets on Mount Carmel. Elijah, in fear of Jezebel, runs away, depressed and afraid, thinking he’s the only one still following God. God comes to Elijah, builds him up and encourages him, and then tells Elijah in 1 Kings 19, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah, to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.” Elijah leaves his hiding place and finds Elisha, placing his cloak over Elisha as a sign that he’s chosen Elisha as his mentee.

A Taizé website talks about Moses and Elijah and their successors, “Among the different figures that people the Bible, two have a special place—Moses and Elijah. The fact that both appear beside Jesus when he is transfigured on the mountaintop says a lot about their importance…. True co-workers with God, they were able to inspire other witnesses and, in that way, open ways forward for their entire nation. For that reason, the stories about the end of their lives also occupy an important place: Joshua continues the work of Moses and Elisha that of Elijah…. God’s compassionate activity does not change the world only through isolated witnesses, but through a kind of fabric woven from witness to witness, by which men and women ceaselessly inspire one another.”

Our passage this morning gives us a glimpse into how close Elijah and Elisha have become. Elijah knows that his time on earth was coming to an end and he takes a journey and visits two of the schools of prophets that he had likely planted after the battle with Jezebel’ prophets. Elijah did a lot in bringing back God’s visible presence in the land of Israel and he now tries to quietly slip away to be alone when God takes him. He tells Elisha to stay behind, but Elisha answers, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” I’ve often wondered if Elisha senses something is going on with Elijah and he knows how important it is to stay close to him. they get to Bethel and the company of prophets show up and it becomes real clear what’s going on, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?” and Elisha says, “Yes, I know, so be quiet.” Elisha is committed to being with Elijah to the end. The same thing happens again at Jericho and then at the Jordan River, prophets show up and Elijah keeps telling Elisha to stay and Elisha replies the same way each time, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.”

After they cross the Jordan River in a scene that echoes back to Moses dividing the Red Sea and Joshua dividing the Jordan River, Elijah finally realizes that there’s something Elisha still needs from him, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” Elisha, knowing that his mentor is leaving him, asks, “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.” Elisha sees Elijah as his spiritual father and his request for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit also shows us that Elisha wants to carry on the work Elijah has been doing for the Lord, to carry on Elijah’s legacy of making God more present in the land.

This is what mentoring in the church is all about, investing in each other, walking alongside someone to help them grow their gifts and talents to carry on the work of God; making Jesus more present in our communities and land. We want the children of our church, the youth, and the young adults to grow deep in their faith, to come to know Jesus as their Lord and the guide of their lives. Mentoring is the strongest relationship outside of parents, to help them develop deep lasting faith. What happens in a mentoring relationship is that the person being mentored sees faith being lived out in real life; they’re able to see how what they’ve been taught in church, school, and at home works out in life. Mentors don’t need to have all the answers, they simply need to love Jesus, and to regret their sin, and commit themselves to following Jesus, to trusting in Jesus and his teaching and life, and being willing to share what they’ve learned while being open and curious with the person they’re mentoring in what that might look like in their life. A time ago someone called faith mentoring “God-centered friendship,” a beautiful picture of what mentoring’s all about!

Elijah tells Elisha that a double portion of his spirit is something that can only be given by God, but if Elisha sees Elijah when he’s taken away, then Elisha can be confident that God will give him what he asks for. I love how the writer to Kings tells what happens next, “As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.” Elijah goes to heaven while walking and talking with Elisha, their friendship and relationship the central focus right up to the end of Elijah’s time with Elisha. Elisha is also allowed to see Elijah go to heaven on the chariot of fire, Elisha takes his garment and tears it in two, an act of grief, he then picks up Elijah’s cloak and strikes the water of the Jordan with it and it divides in two, just as it had with Elijah, affirming that God has given him his spirit to continue on with the work that Elijah has been mentoring him in to make God more present in the land.

Jesus mentored and invested in 12 disciples to carry on the work he came here to do, calling us to repentance and belief, to make disciples of all nations. Jesus practices God-centered friendship, calling his disciples friends in John 15, then saying, “everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go bear fruit—fruit that will last.” Jesus passed on what he knew and what the disciples need to carry on his work by spending time with them, getting to know them deeply, and allowing them to get to know him as their rabbi and teacher, but also as a friend.

I’ve had many teachers in my life, but the ones who’ve made a lasting impact on who I am as a person became more than teachers, they showed genuine interest in who I was, searching for any potential in me; some had to look pretty hard at times, I’ll admit. One of the earliest mentors in my life was a lieutenant in Air Cadets. I came to Air Cadets looking for a place to belong, hoping to find some real friends. This young lieutenant took an early interest in me, offering me solid life advice that I still listen to today. He didn’t say anything much different from people in church or school, but he offered it out of a different kind of relationship, one where he took time to learn who I was. He really cared about this lonely kid who might have some potential, he believed in me when I didn’t always believe in myself. He kept me from drifting too far off the tracks.

Pastor Gerrit Haagsma was another mentor, taking time to listen to my story and my heart for broken hurting people. He tried to understand this rather rough young husband, father, and doubter of church, and even faith at times because of all the brokenness I’d already seen. He helped me begin to see Jesus and the Holy Spirit in hard places, helped me to offer hope, even in difficult situations. He did it with a compassionate heart and patience. This became a holy friendship that I still cherish today, a holy friendship that helped me stay in the church.

Professor Ellen Davis of Duke Divinity School writes, “Holy friendship addresses the basic human need to draw close to God…. nurturing that desire and meeting that need is the sole reason for the church’s existence. We may provide a few valuable social services and something we rather vaguely call “community,” but the purpose of the church is to enable people to grow toward God in Christ.” Worship is a big part of coming close to God, mentoring, or holy friendships, is another part of this picture, especially for youth and young adults.

Jesus walked with his disciples, listening to their questions, fears, and confusions. Jesus helped them to see themselves and the world through his eyes. Jesus saw the potential in people and modeled trust in God which gave him the courage to face the cross and the grave. This is what we offer when we, as individuals and as a church, embrace mentoring and holy friendships.

The Goodness of Work: Genesis 1:26-31; James 2:14-19

This weekend we are celebrating Labour Day, a day to celebrate the advances made in workers’ rights. Labour Day can be traced back to April 15, 1872, when the Toronto Trades Assembly organized a demonstration for worker's rights. They were advocating for the release of 24 leaders of the Toronto Typographical Union who were put in jail for striking to campaign for a nine-hour working day. Unions were illegal then, and striking was seen as a criminal conspiracy. Late that year, the government backed down and made unions legal. My father was a union negotiator and fought hard for his work mates.

My father believed that work is a good thing. He knew that we’re created to work, to take care of God’s creation, his good and very good creation. Genesis 1 tells us who we are, “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” Our World Belongs to God confesses in Article 10 who we’re called to be as image bearers of God; we are “made in God’s image to live in loving communion with our Maker, we are appointed earth keepers and caretakers to tend the earth, enjoy it, and love our neighbors. God uses our skills for the unfolding and well-being of his world so that creation and all who live in it may flourish.”

The Bible shows us that creation is rooted in God’s creative power, but also that God has only begun the process of creation and we’re to care for it and to develop the potential that lies within creation. Creation is not a one-time event; we are called to continue the creative process that God has begun; this is part of what it is to be created in the image of God. Robert Kruschwitz reminds us that the Bible is a middle-eastern Jewish book and the reference to us being created in God’s image and being in his likeness refers to the role of kings and the “statues that monarchs erect to remind their subjects of who is in power. So, our role is to be living reminders of the Creator who is the King of the universe. To understand “dominion” (from radah, “to tread down”), remember that Israel’s king had covenantal responsibilities to care for those over whom he ruled. “Dominion, therefore, does not mean to exploit or destroy,” Butkus suggests, “but to exercise care and responsibility for God’s domain particularly in the interest of those who are poor and marginalized.”

Being in a province like Alberta, being in an agricultural area like Central Alberta, creation care is part of living here. I’ve appreciated seeing the concern our farmers have over animal care and land use; there is a recognition that wise use and careful care of both animals and land leads to better yields and better quality. It’s no different from business owners who recognize that respecting and treating their employees well leads to better workers and better-quality work being done. Work is good and even very good when it’s happening in an environment that respects and honours creation and people.

Our passage from Genesis sets our work in the context of Sabbath. Humanity doesn’t go straight to work right after being created, the first day after creation is a sabbath day, a day where God rests and enjoys what he’s made with his image bearers. According to D. J. Reed, “Sabbath forces us to put aside our own ambition and trust that our work is sufficient and that what needs to be completed will be finished in due time. In essence, Sabbaths force us to trust in God, the maker of the world, who owns the world. And when we can admit that this world is God’s, we begin to let go and take our work less seriously. We begin trusting less in our own efforts and instead trust in God’s.”

Work flows out of our relationship and time spent with God, a weekly reminder that ultimately everything we do is for God. The sabbath rest helps to remind us that our identity is not in our work or careers, it’s found in God and Jesus. Sabbath reminds us as Our World Belongs to God tells us in Article 12, that “even now, as history unfolds in ways we know only in part, we are assured that God is with us in our world, holding all things in tender embrace and bending them to his purpose. The confidence that the Lord is faithful gives meaning to our days and hope to our years. The future is secure, for our world belongs to God.” Growing up, my uncles who were farmers would always keep Sunday for worship and family, even if the weather was good on Sunday and the forecast was rain for Monday. They both said that God provides and that they never had to leave crops standing in the fields. they were able to get as much done in 6 days as others did in 7 days. Our work is important as it contributes to our community and to God’s purposes no matter what our work is or how others see the value in our work. Our work is all part of the whole of the work of others in shaping our community, meaning all our work has meaning, from being a care-giver to a janitor, farmer, business owner, police officer, nurse, or whatever else we may do to support ourselves and our families. Most work happens out of sight, yet it all comes together to build up our communities.

Our work isn’t just about what we do for a paycheque, work is so much more, Our World Belongs to God, Article 11 reminds us, “Together, male and female, single and married, young and old—every hue and variety of humanity—we are called to represent God, for the Lord God made us all. Life is God’s gift to us, and we are called to foster the well-being of all the living, protecting from harm the unborn and the weak, the poor and the vulnerable.” This leads us to James, where James is concerned that faith has become about saying the right words but not following through on what they say they believe, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds?”

Part of being created in the image of God is caring, not only for creation, but for everyone, who are also created in the image of God. When God tells Adam and Eve to be fruitful, he means more than just having a pile of kids and then all their kids have a pile of kids. When Jesus talks about being fruitful, he’s talking about life and growing in our faith, in our character, and in our relationships with each other and God our Father. I think about how often political leaders will offer prayers and thoughts after disasters, but then do nothing afterwards to ensure that similar tragedies don’t happen again. What weight do your prayers carry and what kind of a faith do they reveal if you’re not part of the solution and your only role is to sound as if you care? James is hard on us here, reminding us that our work and deeds matter to God.

Robert B. Kruschwitz writes, “Order is central to the creation. God brings order, moral as well as physical, out of primordial chaos. Moral behavior is required to maintain the harmonious working of creation.” He echoes Our World Belongs to God, “God uses our skills for the unfolding and well-being of his world so that creation and all who live in it may flourish.” Jesus taught the importance of our responses to the injustices and hard times in life, of walking and working together to show our world a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus takes the journey to the cross for us to take our sin on himself, but to also bring in the kingdom of heaven, a kingdom shaped by justice and mercy, by love for God and neighbour lived out in word and deeds. James heard Jesus’ challenge that our faith is more than just right beliefs, it also has to include right actions and work so the entire community can flourish.

James throws in this provocative statement, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” James is emphasizing in a more provocative way that belief in Jesus is not enough; Satan is very aware of who Jesus is and what Jesus is all about. Satan is distinguished by his work against Jesus; our work is for Jesus; “everything you do, do it for the Lord,” as Paul tells the church in Colossae.

On Labour Day, it’s good to honour work, to embrace that work is good and necessary and that we’re created for work, but let’s not minimize work to being only what’s done for a paycheque. Work embraces so much more than money, it’s the volunteers who work in places like church, school, non-profits; it’s those who help out their neighbours during snowstorms, with repairs around their homes; it’s the visiting of those who are in prison, in the hospital and care homes; it’s the persons who do all the little quiet things that make life and our community better in a thousand different ways, it’s about investing in others and helping them reach the potential God has placed in them, it’s about exploring the creation and developing it in God honouring ways that reveal its wonder and potential; and in living in this way, it all points us to Jesus.

 

 

Esther—The Clever Queen--Esther 7

                           

Esther is an incredible story of an orphan, making her one of the least powerful people among the Jews, she’s a woman and so seen as less important or valuable in her society, and she belongs to a nation that’s been enslaved by the most powerful empire of its time. Esther is not your typical hero, not the first person you would expect God to use; and yet the Bible continually reveals that God often uses the unexpected persons to lead his plans forward. Her story fascinates me.

Esther becomes the queen of the powerful King Xerxes because he’s made to look like a drunken fool by his Queen Vashti who refuses to parade herself in front of his drunken nobles after they’ve been drinking for 7 days. The king is then manipulated by his advisors who tell him to get rid of her because other wives might refuse to obey their husbands. They then hold a contest to find the most beautiful woman in the land to be the next queen and obedient. They also make it a law that wives must obey their husbands. After a year long contest where the women are all properly trained, Esther wins and becomes queen.

However, she never tells them that she’s Jewish. This becomes important later on because one of King Xerxes’ chief advisors is Haman, descendant of Agag, king of the Amorites who was defeated by King Saul generations before this. King Saul spared Agag’s life against God’s command, so the prophet Samuel showed up and put Agag to death by hacking him to pieces. Haman’s carrying around a multi-generational hatred and grudge against Israel; looking for ways to humiliate or exterminate them. Finally, Haman has his chance and manipulates King Xerxes to sign an order to kill all the Jews.

Why are we here, does God have a purpose for us, is it alright to try to ignore the hard stuff around us and only focus on our own faith journey? One person asked, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” meaning, am I responsible for other people? The Bible consistently calls us to look outside the very narrow lanes of our lives to consider the lives of others. Mordecai, Esther’s uncle challenges her when she’s afraid to risk herself, “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” I’m reminded of what Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, said as he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize: “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides... Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant.”

Rabbi Yossi Marcus writes in the Jewish Journal that even though God is not mentioned at all in the book of Esther, we see his influence all over the place. When Esther is called on to risk her life for her people, she steps up and leads, calling her uncle to gather all the Jews in Susa together to fast and pray for three days before she approaches the king. As Esther formulates a plan for protecting her people, she also humbles herself before God for three days, seeking his guidance and will. Only then does Esther approach the king uninvited, potentially a death sentence. Remember, this is the same king who put aside Queen Vashti for disobeying his command. Esther’s willing to sacrifice herself for her people.

Esther invites King Xerxes and his chief advisor Haman to a private banquet. This is where you begin to see that Esther has thought about and planned her strategy at a deep level, understanding the heart and personality of the king, but also the heart and personality of Haman. The food’s ready and the king and Haman go to Esther’s place where they enjoy a meal together. Now the king knows Esther wants something that only he can give her, but when he asks her what she wants, Esther asks them to come together again the next day and she will tell him what she would like from him.

We know that the king’s prone to excessive emotional responses, so when the king sees his queen inviting Haman to her private banquet again, a seed of questioning and jealousy is planted, “Why is she inviting Haman again?” which may be the reason the king has a hard time sleeping that night and spends the time in his library where he discovers that Mordecai foiled a plot to kill him. Jealousy and a bit of paranoia begins to eat away at the king. Haman meanwhile, is filled with both pride and rage and filled with a pompous sense of importance which keeps him from questioning why he would be invited to a private meal with the queen and king a second time. Esther embraces the same tactics that the king’s advisors use to manipulate him for their own ends.

The king and Haman arrive at Queen Esther’s banquet the next day, and while they’re enjoying wine, the king asks again, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the king, it will be granted.” Professor Cameron B. Howard explains what happens next, “Upon hearing Esther’s account of Haman’s plot, the king is enraged (again), and Haman is terrified… the king stomps out to the garden, while Haman “stayed to beg his life from Queen Esther.” When the king comes back inside, he sees Haman prostrate on Esther’s couch, and we notice once again that the king does not understand how to read a situation. He believes Haman is trying to sexually assault Esther, and it is for that reason he condemns Haman, not for his plot against the Jews. While the defeat of Haman is the “correct” outcome, the king reaches that outcome erroneously.” Esther has set everything up perfectly for Haman’s destruction. She makes sure that Haman is there when the king goes explodes in rage so that Haman’s fall comes quickly, before he can change the easily manipulated king’s mind.

Haman’s impaled on the gallows he had built to hang Mordecai on as the first step in his plan to rid the empire of Jews. There is clear irony here, especially as Mordecai is then chosen as the king’s new advisor. Through this entire story of Esther, one thing shines through: Esther’s most important attribute is faith. She realizes that God runs the world, not Xerxes or Haman. There’s a deep trust that God does not abandon his people, that even though they’re in exile, God is still watching over them. Esther uses the ways of the culture in the palace of manipulation and cleverness, yet it is done with the knowledge that God is the one in control. I’m reminded of Jesus’ parable where he commends the wisdom of the servant who is about to get fired, but then lowers the debts of all those who owe his master so he will have a chance to find a new grateful boss after he’s fired. He uses the ways of the world.

Jesus calls us to place our trust in God and himself, especially when things seem dark and confusing. In John 14, Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me,” also often translated as, “You trust in God; trust also in me.” There are so many times in our lives when we find ourselves in situations where we cannot feel or see Jesus’ presence, even though we’re looking for him. We remember that Jesus promises in Matthew 28 “to be with us always,” but we find that it’s going to mean moving forward in faith and trust, doing the best we can, trusting that Jesus is always true to his word and promises to us.

 Trusting in Jesus happens at a number of different levels, in different ways. We trust in Jesus, believing in Him for salvation as John reminds us, “whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life.” We believe and trust that Jesus is God in human form and came to save us from our sin, died for our sins, and rose from the dead, so that we can have new life in him and with God our Father. Trust and belief in Jesus gives us hope when times are hard. Elliot Clark writes, “Hope for the Christian isn’t just confidence in a certain, glorious future. It’s hope in a present providence. It’s hope that God’s plans can’t be thwarted by local authorities or irate mobs, by unfriendly bosses or unbelieving husbands, by Supreme Court rulings or the next election. The Christian hope is that God’s purposes are so unassailable that a great thunderstorm of events can’t drive them off course. Even when we’re wave-tossed and lost at sea, Jesus remains the captain of the ship and the commander of the storm.”

Esther sees God’s face behind the powers in her world and so is able to fearlessly and strategically pursue what’s right and good no matter what is happening. In the same way, faith gives us the strength and courage to focus on building Jesus’ kingdom without fear of the kingdoms of this world.

 

Ruth-Humility and Kindness: Ruth 3

                

Naomi and Ruth find themselves in a place where they are unable to completely make it on their own; they're relying on what Ruth can harvest in Boaz's fields, but that's only a temporary solution, it won't get them through the whole year. Since Ruth is a foreigner from one of Israel's greatest enemies, many villagers will be slow to help.

Boaz notices Ruth and asks his foreman who this woman is. He’s told she’s Ruth, daughter-in-law to Naomi, a relative of his. Boaz goes to Ruth, “I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband—how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” Ruth’s reputation has gone before her, a reputation for kindness, hard work, and commitment to her mother-in-law.

Now Naomi re-enters the story and advises Ruth. "My daughter, I must find a home for you, where you will be well provided for. Now Boaz, with whose women you have worked, is a relative of ours. Tonight, he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor. Wash, put on perfume, and get dressed in your best clothes. Then go down to the threshing floor, but don’t let him know you are there until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, note the place where he is lying. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down. He will tell you what to do.” Boaz is a hard-working farmer and he's sleeping in the field to protect his crops from thieves. Ruth does as Naomi tells her. She shows trust, humility, and obedience, unlike Israel during this time of the Judges.

Ruth is risking herself, putting herself in a dangerous situation; physically, emotionally and socially. Just think about it, it doesn't matter what culture or time in history, a woman dresses up in her best clothes with perfume and makeup and in the dark of the night goes to visit a man in the fields all alone, what do you think might or will happen. Ruth, a foreigner from Moab, a detested enemy of Israel is offering herself to a wealthy older man in return for protection and security.

Ruth dresses herself up prettily and puts on perfume and as darkness settles over the land, she makes her way to the field where Boaz is working. When she sees him lie down and fall asleep, she silently goes to his feet, uncovers them and lies down there. Boaz doesn't have any idea what's happening and, in the night, when something wakes him up, he's startled to find a woman at his feet. His first reaction is to ask, "Who are you?" He doesn't recognize Ruth at first. Ruth answers, "I am your servant Ruth, spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer." Ruth uses the word "amah" which can mean "servant," but also means "slave, maid or concubine."

Ruth allows Boaz to decide how to interpret the word "amah," but she does mention at the same time that he's a kinsman-redeemer with the responsibility to protect her. By asking Boaz to spread the corner of his garment over her, Ruth is asking him for his protection. She's at the mercy of Boaz. What is Boaz going to do? If he chooses to use Ruth as a slave or concubine, she will have certain rights and protections. But might Boaz, as a righteous God-fearing man choose to treat her as a maiden and truly be her kinsman redeemer and take her as a wife and protect the family line of Naomi and Elimelek, even though, according to Deuteronomy 23, their children would not be allowed to enter the assembly of God for 10 generations? It's all in Boaz’s hands and in the middle of a field at night, Ruth will have to submit to it.

Boaz responds, "The Lord bless you, my daughter. This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier: You have not run after the younger men, whether rich or poor." Boaz is touched by Ruth's act of trust. Because of her character, Boaz responds positively to her request to be her and Naomi's kinsman-redeemer. But another relative has first right over Naomi's land and Ruth, but Boaz promises that if the relative refuses to be their kinsman-redeemer than he will. Boaz is willing to take on the shame of marrying Ruth, a Moabitess in order to keep her safe and provide for her. Naomi and Ruth's future is safe and secure. Boaz fills her shawl with barley and sends her home early so that Ruth's reputation isn't ruined by someone seeing them together and drawing wrong conclusions about what's happened.

Jesus is our kinsman-redeemer. We’re created in the image of God to be in relationship to him, but through sin and rebellion and a refusal to listen to God, we sold ourselves into slavery to Satan and his lies. A kinsman-redeemer is family taking care of family. We’re children of God, Jesus is our older brother, and he’s stepped in to buy us back from the sin we’ve given ourselves over to. In the time of Ruth and Boaz, Israel has drifted far from God, doing whatever each person decided was right. As you read the end of Judges, cruelty, crudeness was normal, God wasn’t central to their lives, faith was only rituals, and most people created their own truth that revolved around themselves.

As I reflect on where we’re at today, we’re travelling down that same road in our culture, where everyone does what’s right in their own eyes, often right is what pleases them and benefits them, even if it hurts or demeans others. People listen more to voices that tickle their ears and beliefs rather than digging deeper into Scripture for the way and teaching of Jesus. It's easy to treat others in negative ways, focusing on how they don't measure up. There's a casual cruelness today that comes out in gossip and snide remarks that cut into peoples' hearts and souls. If you hear enough of this from people around you, it's easy to believe you're worthless and don't belong.

Like Ruth, many people walk through their days feeling as if they don’t really belong. Having mentored people who wrestle with their identity, youth in trouble with the law, or those simply coming from the wrong side of the tracks, many feel that no one cares about them. This is why Youth Unlimited, the Broomtree, and FCSS are so important; and why the church is so important as a place of safety, hope, and belonging. Jesus understands because he experienced the same thing, rejection, aloneness, fear, and more. Boaz offers Ruth safety, protection, acceptance, hope and grace, just as Jesus does for us.

Jesus invites you to come to him when you’re tired and life is heavy. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jesus shows you how much he loves you by being your kinsman-redeemer: paying the price of sin on the cross so that you can experience the grace of forgiveness and belonging. Being our kinsman-redeemer is more than his death on the cross, it's also about offering a life filled with emotional, relational, and spiritual health. Jesus takes our shame and guilt on himself, as Boaz took Ruth’s, in order to make us right with God our Father. Jesus sends his Spirit to the church to offer the world hope; giving people looking for a place to belong, looking for acceptance and aching to be valued, for a family who will love them and walk with them as we follow Jesus together. This leads to hearts of confession and repentance, obedience and a life of daily worship; looking always to Jesus.

We experience Jesus’ presence and health by reaching out to the people he has called his own; people he talks about in Matthew 25, "Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me;” reaching out with arms of love, safety, and protection to a hurting and broken world.

The story of Ruth ends with hope and fertility, “Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son…. Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.”

We’re here to bring the world a message of hope and grace and new cleansed lives. This is what Ruth and Naomi found in Boaz, what we find in Jesus; this is the message we bring!

 

 

Abigail—Wisdom: 1 Samuel 25

                                  

This story of David, Abigail, and Nabal feels like an interruption in the larger story of David and King Saul. This story comes between two stories of King Saul going after David and David showing King Saul mercy after having opportunities to kill the king. David’s mercy and grace in both these instances are important to remember as we reflect on our passage this morning.

The prophet Samuel has died and David is no longer able to lean on Samuel’s wisdom and guidance. David takes his 600 men and moves into the wilderness south of Jerusalem, away from the danger of King Saul. While David and his men live in the wilderness, they come across the flocks of a clansman of David called Nabal and they keep an eye over Nabal’s flocks and men, protecting them from thieves and wild animals. This is what you do for a person from your same tribe of Judah, especially when he’s as wealthy as Nabal is. There’s an unspoken relationship here of “you scratch my back and I will scratch yours.”

Now the time comes to shear the sheep, a huge task that always ends with a celebration, “David tells ten young men, “Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name. Say to him: ‘Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours! Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing. Ask your own servants and they will tell you. Therefore, be favorable toward my men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them.’”

David’s asking for Nabal to be generous to him and his men and offer them a few sheep for themselves out of gratitude for protecting Nabal’s flocks and men. Nabal nastily and rudely mocks David and his protection, refusing to offer them anything, insulting David as mere ruffian. David’s angry! He tells his men to put on their swords and he’s going to teach this miserable, mean cheapskate a lesson. Now Abigail, Nabal’s wife enters the story, the only woman in the Bible describes as being both intelligent and beautiful. One of the family servants comes to Abigail and tells her what her husband has done, insulting David after David and his men had protected them and their flocks and then asked for a gift of food to celebrate a successful shearing season. The servants realize that they’re in danger of losing their protection due to Nabal’s foolish stubbornness. The servant tells Abigail, “He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him.”

David vows, in very crude language that our English translations translate much more politely, “May God deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!” David’s desire for vengeance after being insulted by Nabal stands in a stark contrast to how David responds to King Saul’s attempts to kill him both just before and right after this story. We get a glimpse of David’s not so godly impulses here. Most commentaries connect David’s reaction in this story to David’s impulsive act with Bathsheba later on; neither act honoring God, both putting God’s plans at risk.

The Jewish Women Archive writes, “Abigail’s intervention prevents a bloodbath. She quickly assembles an elaborate feast, which is loaded up on donkeys and sent in advance. She then intercepts David to persuade him against fulfilling his violent oath…. Before we are struck by the full force of the oath, we anticipate its undoing.” Abigail shows up with an extra-generous gift for David and his men and she does so in a spirit of humbleness, realizing only humility will sooth David’s pride. When Abigail sees David, she quickly gets off her donkey and bows down before David. ^“Pardon your servant, my lord, and let me speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. Please pay no attention, my lord, to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name means Fool, and folly goes with him. And as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my lord sent. And now, my lord, as surely as the Lord your God lives and as you live, since the Lord has kept you from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, may your enemies and all who are intent on harming my lord be like Nabal.”

 Before, Samuel would have been around to advise David against seeking vengeance, but now God brings Abigail, an intelligent and wise woman, to offer David godly guidance. Abigail recognizes that God has plans for David and those plans likely include the throne of Israel. If that’s the case, then a blood feud with the family of Nabal would create division in the tribe of Judah and make it difficult for David to gain the throne. Abigail goes against her husband and takes the side of David, calling David “lord” and herself his “maidservant.” She tells David that if he turns back from his vow to kill Nabal, that God will “make a lasting dynasty” of David’s family line, and “the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling,” an echo back to David’s defeat of the giant Goliath. Abigail recognizes that David’s vow of vengeance doesn’t fit with the character the king of Israel needs to have, or the kind of character that David normally shows. We need people like Abigail in our lives, reminding us of who Jesus calls us to be as his children and followers.

David turns from his vow to kill Nabal, acknowledging Abigail’s wisdom keeping him from bloodshed and vengeance. David’s decision to follow Abigail’s advice shows his worthiness to be king over Israel, and reveals how God often uses those around us to offer us guidance in life, turning us back to his ways when we are tempted to follow the darker impulses in our hearts. James reminds in his letter that “each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed,” while Paul tells us in his first letter to the Corinthians that, ^“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

God uses the wisdom of Abigail to keep David from seeking vengeance and remind David of his true character shaped by the mercy and grace David showed Saul. God provides us with ways to endure and get through temptation, often using wise people already in our lives, parents, mentors, friends, teachers, counsellors, and others. Jesus goes to the cross and returns to heaven in order to send us “the Holy Spirit to be with us forever, the Spirit of truth… who will teach us all things and remind us of everything Jesus told us;” as John reminds us in his Gospel. It’s important that we surround ourselves with people who continually call us to godly character, but also that we gently call each other to godly character in all the areas of our lives.

Abigail acts as a mediator between Nabal and David, even though Nabal’s unaware of it at the time. Abigail turns David’s wrath aside by bringing David an offering to soothe his wrath and anger. In this way, Abigail is a foreshadowing of Jesus, our mediator to God, going to his Father to turn God’s wrath away from us and onto himself as a sin offering, even when we’re unaware of our sin. Paul writes to Timothy, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.” Isaac Ambrose, the English Puritan preacher, describes Jesus as our mediator, “Only Christ is that ladder between heaven and earth, the Mediator betwixt God and man; a mystery which the angels of heaven desire to pry into.” The Heidelberg Catechism reminds us in Q & A 49 that “Jesus pleads our cause in heaven in the presence of the Father.”

Abigail returns home ands finds her husband drunk from feasting. She waits until the morning to tell him what she has done and his heart turns to stone in fear and he dies ten days later, struck by the Lord. Abigail saves her household and at the same time makes an impression on David with her wisdom and courage. David takes Abigail as his wife, bringing her wisdom into his household. David’s marriage to Abigail also increases his standing in Judah, making him one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in the tribe, setting him up for when God finally sets David on the throne in Jerusalem.

Abigail fades out of the Bible story, bearing David a son, standing by him at his inauguration, but we learn nothing more about this interesting woman. God places Abigail into David’s life to offer him wise guidance and to act as a mediator, pointing us to who Jesus is in our lives still today.

 

 

Rahab—On God’s Side: Joshua 2:1-24

This morning’s story is all about spies and intrigue, about a prostitute who becomes a traitor, and God using the most unlikely people to move his plan of redemption forward. Who says the Bible’s boring! Israel has been wandering through the wilderness for 40 years and it’s time for them to claim the land God has promised them. They’re no longer a gaggle of slaves trying to figure out what it means to be free; they’ve had 40 years to learn how to be God’s people through following the commandments and the way of living that God has given them. They’ve learned to trust in God, and how to be warriors able to conquer the land promised to them by God.

Joshua, before going up against Jericho, a powerful city guarding the way into the promised land, sends spies to scout out the land and the people, just like Moses did 40 years earlier. Unlike 40 years earlier, the spies come back with a positive report due to meeting with a prostitute named Rahab. Now these spies are noticed pretty quickly by people who tell the king, “Look, some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.” We can ask, “Why would they go to the house of a prostitute,” since the Israelites have many laws against prostitution and purity. Yet there’s wisdom in going to Rahab’s place as she would know what many of the men in the city were thinking and what they thought of the Israelites encroaching onto their land.

The Jewish website thetorah.com reminds us, “Again and again, God chooses unlikely human instruments, either flipping systems of social power or making it supremely clear that the true power belongs to God alone, or both. To be sure, Rahab represents such marginality in several ways: She is a woman – and a single, childless woman at that. She is not part of Israel, but one of the people of a city that is about to be conquered. And finally, of course, she is a prostitute.” We wouldn’t choose a foreign prostitute to be the hero of God’s story, but God often chooses the weak, the rejected, and the undesirable to accomplish his plans, or as examples of faith, or to remind us that this is all God’s doing. Rahab’s wise to the ways of the world and yet she’s attuned to God in a way that even many of the Israelites may not have been.

After hiding the spies and sending the king’s men on a wild goose chase, Rahab shows incredible insight into what’s really going on, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed.  When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.”

Rahab recognizes that Israel’s God is giving his people the land of Canaan, and nothing that the Canaanites do can stop Israel or Israel’s God. Rahab, in her line of work, has heard what her own people are saying about the Israelite people; they’re terrified of them. This fear has been building up for years, and we know from Deuteronomy 2:25 that this is because God began working in the Canaanite’s hearts 40 years earlier, “This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you.”

Fear weakens people, nations, and even churches. John talks about that in his first letter, 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” When we come to that place where we finally understand the depth and power of Jesus’ love for us, a love expressed on the cross where Jesus takes away our sin by taking it on himself, we fully experience the Father’s love and our fear is driven out. The Canaanites follow gods they’ve created for themselves, and so they find themselves against God and Rahab knows that’s a losing game as she sees the fear in her own people, a fear that weakens them.

Rahab recognizes that God is the one who has protected the Israelites during the past 40 years from the kings and nations that went up against Israel. Kings like Sihon and Og found out just how powerful God is, and when they’re defeated by Israel, the Canaanite’s “hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed.” God’s been working behind the scenes for a long time now and the spies are just discovering this. The fear and trembling that lead to the Israelites doubting God 40 years before is now deep in the hearts of the Canaanites. God has turned everything upside down. God’s reminding Israel that they’re not going to conquer the land in their own strength, that the land comes from God and he’s giving it to them. They simply need to be faithful to him.

Then comes the most astonishing words from Rahab, “for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.” She acknowledges that Israel’s God is the Lord of the universe; that God is over everything, even other gods bow down to Israel’s God. This is extraordinary and completely unexpected. Rahab makes the switch in her allegiance from her people and gods to God and the people of Israel, “Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.” The spies agree to her request, giving her a scarlet cord to tie in her window to keep her and her family with her in her house safe. This echoes to the blood spread on the doorframes of the Israelites when the angel of death spared their lives when they left Egypt.

Rahab commits herself to Yahweh, choosing God by helping the spies escape with the knowledge they need, only asking that she and her family be spared. The unspoken request is that they will take care of her and her family by accepting them among the people of Israel despite her past. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1, “Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” 

Matthew 1 tells us that Rahab marries into the Jewish people and becomes part of the family line of Jesus through King David, “Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.” God’s ways are definitely not our ways and he knows our hearts better than we do ourselves. God can, and often does use people we believe are unworthy and have nothing to offer us or God. We underestimate the grace of Jesus. Jesus is at work in our community, there are many who are afraid, there is so much stress in many people’s life because of inflation, we hear of the increase in domestic abuse in the past few years, and yet we have seen God has been at work in the lives of people in our community, leading to the rise of the Broomtree ministry, new programs by FCSS, new commitments by churches to reach into the community with the hope of Jesus. Jesus is working in our hearts way before we realize it, preparing us for his work here. Jesus is able to accomplish great things through our openness to the Holy Spirit and our obedience. Faith is about responding to the movement of God, Hebrews 11:31, “By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.”

Rahab chooses God and God welcomes her into his family. John tells us that all those who believe in Jesus will not perish but have eternal life; this is why he went to the cross, to wash away all our sin, to offer grace to all those who come to him to find hope, grace, and forgiveness, no matter what our past looks like. Jesus calls us to believe in him, and to repent and love God with everything we are, and to love our neighbours. We’re not saved in our own strength, but only through faith in Jesus.  

Teaching Our Children to Love God: Deuteronomy 6:4-9

           

How many of you remember the Andy Griffith show? In one of the episodes, a hobo told Andy he should just let his son Opie "decide for himself" how he wanted to live, Andy had these words of wisdom. "No, I'm afraid it don't work that way. You can't let a young’n decide for himself. He'll grab at the first flashy thing with shiny ribbons on it. Then, when he finds out there's a hook in it, it's too late. Wrong ideas come packaged with so much glitter that it's hard to convince ‘em that other things might be better in the long run. All a parent can do is say 'wait' and 'trust me' and try to keep temptation away." Many parents today are more worried about being their child’s friend than in being their parent. What is the parent’s responsibility to their children? This is at the heart of today’s passage that Evan and Dawn chose for their children’s baptism.

I love that you chose this text for Theodore and Oskar’s baptism as it shows that you understand the importance of your responsibility to raise your children to know and love God, to understand who Jesus is and what he accomplished for us on the cross, and the forgiveness we find in Jesus’ loving sacrifice there. Parents have the most influence on their children’s lives; never under estimate how your beliefs and faith will shape your children’s faith. Ultimately, your children will look to you for guidance and values. The more we get to know God, the more that love for God grows in us.

It all begins with the Shema, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Shema comes from the word “listen;” basically Moses is telling the Israelites to listen to the Lord and his call on their lives, reminding them who God is. The Israelites are camping at the foot of Mount Sinai after being rescued by God from slavery and the power of Egypt. They’ve been in Egypt for 400 years. But over those 400 years, the Israelites have also embraced an Egyptian way of seeing gods, believing that there are many gods who all need to be appeased and feared. You never knew what these gods really wanted, so sacrifices were made to keep them in a good mood.

Moses is reminding the Israelites who their God is, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of creation, the one and only God who is one and not many. Their worship and obedience are rooted in their confession that, “The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” God asks for their love, not their fear; a deep love that comes from their heart and soul with all their strength. Moses goes on, “These commandments that I give to you today are to be on your hearts.” I appreciate how Evan and Dawn recognise that these commandments are given to the Israelites as a gift to help shape their love for God by being on their hearts, and on our hearts.

One of the key ways we show our love to God is through obedience; taking his commandments seriously, trusting that God knows and wants what’s best for us. God gives Israel his laws to create a holy people whose character, both as individuals and as a community, is built on the foundation of worshipping and following God in every area of their lives. Jesus later on tells his followers that their obedience is how they show him that they love him, “If you love me, you will keep my commands,” Jesus said. Jesus summarizes all his Father’s commandments by first repeating Moses, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength,” which is the point of the first five of the Ten Commandments, and then Jesus adds, “and love your neighbour as yourself,” as the point of the last five commandments. The Ten Commandments protect God’s honour by telling us how to relate to God, and they protect our neighbour from our selfishness and greed.

This is where the parenting comes in, “Impress these commandments on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” This is every day, going through the day faith growing in your kids. This is intentional faith training in your children. As parents, your main task is to show them who God is, help them see God all around them, the book of creation that the Belgic Confession talks about, and to shape how they live as the children of God, shaped by his values and centered on his commandments. It’s a parent’s task to show how the commandments reveal to us who God is, what the heart of God is and what our hearts are to be like. We teach our children to obey by obeying God’s commands ourselves.

Talk about God while you’re at home, sitting at the dinner table, or while doing chores around the house, or while simply being together. Today Moses might have said, talk about these things while on your tablet or watching television, talk about them on the way to volleyball, badminton, or hockey practices, and share with your children at bedtime how you’ve seen God at work during the day as you pray with them and sing them the Shema song. When you get up in the morning together, begin by thanking God for his grace and ask for his guidance in the day ahead. This is how you make faith a day long part of your lives as a family and as individuals; teaching yourselves and your children to see God at work everywhere you go and every place you end up. When this becomes a regular part of your children’s life from an early age, it creates habits of faith that remain with them through their entire life.

The Israelites are told to tie the laws of God on their hands and on their foreheads to shape their work, thoughts, and beliefs so that they’re always working for God, honouring him with their thoughts and plans. They place specific texts from Exodus and Deuteronomy in these little boxes called phylacteries, or in Hebrew, tefillin. The two leather boxes contain hand written parchment scrolls of passages in the Torah from Exodus 13:2-10 and Exodus 13:11-16 about consecrating every first-born male to the Lord, and from Deuteronomy 6:1-8 and Deuteronomy 11:18-21 which are calls to teach our children to obey the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 11:18-21 echoes our passage about fixing these words on their hands and forehead and teaching them to the children, and then adds this promise “so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.” Here’s a glimpse that this is about placing eternity in the hearts of our children.

They’re told to “Write them, these commandments, on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates,” an echo of the blood of the lambs that was spread over their door frames to protect them from the angel of death. The people heard this as the law giving them life. Later on, God, through Jeremiah promises a new covenant, different than the one here at Sinai. Jeremiah 31:31–34, “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” This points to Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit into our hearts. The challenge to us is to listen to the Spirit’s guidance as we read Scripture together, as we make prayer a regular part of our life together as families and church, as we look to the Spirit to keep our head, heart, and hands Jesus oriented.

When our hearts are turned to God, obedience flows out of love rather than obligation. This is why Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit, to remind us of Jesus’ forgiveness and grace found on the cross. The Spirit works in our hearts to transform us into the people of God who are a blessing to the nations as we model Jesus and go make faithful disciples shaped by the Holy Spirit and live out Jesus’ command to love God with everything we have and are, and love our neighbours as ourselves.