A King in Bad Timing

I think David was always meant to be the first king of Israel.  He was God’s first choice.  There are those who say that God never intended to give Israel a king.  He was to be their king.  But I see that God prophesied, before Israel was a nation, that there would be a King in Israel and that he would come through the house of Judah. Messiah had the distinction of being the ‘Son of David.’ 

Genesis 49: 8 Judah, you are the one whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you.  9 Judah, a lion’s cub! With the prey, my son, you have gone high up [the mountain]. He stooped down, he crouched like a lion, and like a lioness—who dares provoke and rouse him?  10 The scepter or leadership shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh [the Messiah, the Peaceful One] comes to Whom it belongs, and to Him shall be the obedience of the people.

And yet, there came a point when the people demanded a king.  They knew the prophecy.  They knew the word of Moses to them, both in blessing and in curse.  They felt it was time for them to take their place among the nations as a proper people with a proper king.

My belief is that God chose Saul knowing that his weakness would disqualify him.  He made the promises of the Kingly line to Saul: “If . . . ., then . . .”  But Saul could not do the “If . . .”;  it was not in his character. 

Saul was chosen by God from the people of Benjamin.  Why could they not see that as a problem?  I’m sure there were those who knew the prophecy, who had a lot of questions, but the nation wanted a king so badly that the questions muted in their feeling of fulfillment.

It was not time for God’s king to arise yet.  I know that God was not surprised.  When Samuel came apologizing and lamenting the people’s demands, God said “We’re going to give them a king.  They haven’t rejected you; they have rejected me and my rule.”  The people rejected God’s leadership because they rejected his timing.

Through Moses, God told them what a ‘worldly king’ would be like.  It is not a pretty picture.  But they demanded that rather than to wait for God’s king in God’s time.  Their opinion was that it was time now and God was not coming through with the promise.  They demanded of the prophet/judge that a king be chosen.  They used the prophet’s failings as a human for justification of their demands.  Man will always supply some weakness for impatient, self-willed people to magnify and exploit.

You see, I don’t think that God has this big selfish will that supersedes and he’s going to make what he wants to happen because he can.  But the very character of God is truth and integrity.  His love and mercy join with righteousness and justice to produce a right result and there is only God’s way for that to happen.  The problem is that even God’s people, who want God’s will, most often want it according to their thinking and in their time.  And that completely takes the integrity out of it.  God’s promise will not be fulfilled outside of his timing -not in our lives, not in our world.

It is a lesson for us today.

Ownership Regardless

This is a bit of an addendum to the past two posts, 'Spending time with Abba' and 'A Question of Right or Wrong'.  My thought processes are very additive.  Often a concept will build and morph for days before I feel comfortable about committing it to the bandwidth.  Such is this post.
The first eureka was of course the fact that it's really not about good and evil, right and wrong, but about to whom you owe your allegiance.  Who 'owns' you?  For many people that is such a given, that they never really stop to consider what they are doing with their lives.  They never think about the fact that the 'wild dog' inside really wants to grab the ownership back.  My sadness at realizing that I don't yet own my black buddy when the 'wild dog' appears is somewhat selfish.
The second of course is that the more time you spend in an arena, the more your thinking is controlled and therefore the actions and finally the heart will be controlled by that arena, it's values, it's processes.  If I want to understand and function in the limitless power and benefit of my Abba father, I must spend time in his world, listening to his thoughts and playing his games.  I must slip into his world easily if I am to realize it's pleasure.  I have to have a stake there.
Sunday morning I received the third and I suppose final installment of this developing thought, though I'm sure my understanding has still much to gain and purify.  The realization came clear and strong that Willow is my dog.  He may not always respond as though he is my dog.  He may not always make me giggle in delight.  But he is and will be my dog.  You see, he trusts that I will be there when that wild hair is ejected.  He doesn't understand my anger or distance when he is rebellious, because he knows I love him.  He knows I take care of him and play with him.  He knows I scratch his chest in just that right spot and I always have a treat somewhere even if I require some skilled reaction to get it.  Sometimes, he get treats just because he's my dog.  He knows I won't leave him in the sun or rain or cold on purpose.  He knows if I'm gone, I will return.
He is my dog.  He belongs to me when he knows it and when he doesn't.  I will continue to care for him through the 'wild hair' episodes regardless the frustration and anger I feel.  And I will wait and hope for the day when he chooses me over the 'wild dog' inside.  I want him to understand that my love and plan for him is not limited to the good days.
And I belong to God.  Enough said.  Yes the analogy can break down in places, but there is truth to be had if we take it.

Spending time with Abba.

We have a room prepared.  We have a granddaughter who comes regularly to visit -sometimes for a week, sometimes for a weekend, sometimes for a couple of months.  She has clothes here and toys and books and things to do.  When she comes, she doesn’t have to pack a bag, she just shows up.  When we do have to put her in a ‘spare’ room, we put all her things there and she is okay with it.  But as soon as that interruption is done, she’s back in her familiar spot with her stuff.

We buy her stuff, and I won’t say that she never asks for things.  Truth be known, I can’t say she never asks for trivial things that she doesn’t need and we aren’t likely to buy.  But when we don’t give that stuff, she’s okay because she knows we will supply what she needs – not just for survival, but for a good time and some frivolous joy every now and then.

Our time together is not spent in serious debate over behavioral issues –though we do have those.  Our time is not characterized by “I want” and “I need” though that is a part of our relationship.  We dance; we sing; we work; we cook; we eat.  The truth is, we live.  We hug a lot.  We tell each other “I love you.”

I have other grandchildren and I love it when they visit.  I wish they would come more often.  My love for one –no matter how strong and supplying- has no diminishing affect on my love for another.  We do the same things with them when we can.  And yet when they come they must drag along everything they will need of clothing and toys.  Their garments are their own choosing.  Their toys are what their world has provided.  They come with a list of things they want to have and do.  That’s not offensive to us, but it makes for a different relationship.  They see that there is a difference.  They understand the comfortable relationship we have with the other and they think we must like her better.  Sometimes they ask “What would you do with Olivia?”  But the truth is, they don’t know us as well.  They don’t understand us.  They don’t even enjoy many of the simple interactions we have with Olivia.  When we say ‘No’ it is seen as a denial and as lack.  And as much as we love them and want to give to them, their requests seem different as well.

What is the difference then if the love is the same?  The main difference is sheer quantity of time and the results that are produced there.  As I was putting some things away in ‘Olivia’s room’, I was struck by the strength of that time and by the changes that occur naturally in that amount of time.  When someone else comes, the room quickly is adapted to the needs and wants that it will satisfy.  Yet we know that the time will be short and infrequent.  There is no reason for a more permanent solution.

A year ago this month, my youngest daughter came back to live for awhile.  We cleaned Olivia’s stuff out of the larger room.  The smaller room became her room.  She was pleased with the change.  It was sufficient for all her needs.  A bit at a time, we’ve redecorated and the room is even more suited to her personality than the larger one was.

There is a verse that says “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.”  They are suited to us and our need.  Some people see that simply as a statement of an existence in the future –the afterlife.  But I think we can go visit and help him decorate.  We dance and sing and look at his treasures.  We speak his way and play with what he has supplied and when we cry out he is beside us.  If we say, ‘My shoes are getting small and worn, he doesn’t see it as us trying to get something from him.  He just pulls out a new pair suited to the need.  He knows we’re not trying to get what he gave someone else; it’s between his heart and ours.  We don’t come looking for a ‘good time.’  We simply enjoy being with him.  The more we are there, the more we feel at home in his presence. 

I know this analogy has some hang ups.  But it has some truth for those who will take it.

The Question of Right and Wrong

I’ve always had a problem with the black and white and the grey areas.  I was raised in a heavily legalistic environment by loving parents who lived what they taught. Today I came to a sad but sure realization that settles the discussion of right and wrong.

It began in my morning devotion time when I wandered off the text.  I was thinking about why Jesus stayed for 40 days and then started thinking about John the baptizer.  Can you tell I’ve entered the book of Acts? 

Some how, I ended up on the rich young man who came and asked Jesus what he could do to gain eternal life.  Jesus loved him; he wanted him as a disciple.  They established that he was a good man who did right by others and tried to honor God in his behaviors.  They also established that he needed more than that.  Jesus told him to go sell what he had and give it to the poor and then come follow him.  He could not.  He walked away.  You see, that has always bothered me.  I’ve just never had a handle on it until this afternoon.

Almost a year ago I got this pretty, intelligent, good-natured dog.  I’ve taught him tricks and commands.  I’ve brushed him and cleaned him and made sure he had good nutritious and satisfying food.  I give him treats for no reason at all.  I give him treats when he learns a new skill.  I play with him; I love on him.  He has a warm place to stay and toys to play with.  There are two or three things we don’t see eye to eye on.  But he’s learning to comply and I’m trying to teach him in a positive way.  He is affectionate and seems to enjoy my company.

But, as yet, he does not ‘belong’ to me.  What happened this afternoon isn’t really the point and were I to tell it all, many would say 'That's just the nature of that breed.’  And I would agree.  But I’ve seen dogs that really belonged to their masters.  I’ve watched them in a pinch.  You see, I want Willow to rise above his breed.  I want him to follow me.  I want him to be my dog.  I want to be able to trust him when I’m not looking.  I want him to belong to me.  We aren’t there yet.  He is still a wild dog at heart and his love for me cannot rule the wild dog in him.

I was hurt more than angry.  I’m not going to send him to the human society or give up on him or refrain from caring for him as I have done.  But I was saddened by the whole thing. 

And then in my human upheaval the answer came to the long time question of right and wrong, black and white.  It’s not about right and wrong; it’s about to whom you belong.  If I belong to myself, I do what I do naturally.  I obey when I decide to or when it’s in my best interest to do so by my judgment.  If I belong to myself, obeying the ‘rules’ makes me a pretty good person. 

But if I belong to God through Christ, it is about obeying his voice, submitting to his design for my character and for the days of my life.  It is not about the commandments or the moral code of this or that church group.  Obeying Christ will take care of the commandments and laws, but it will do so much more.  I know this is not new.  But I have seen it new this day.