Blog Hiatus - Gone to Finland!

Just wanted to let you know that I will be out of the country for a few days, and will not be blogging for a while. I will be singing at the Vaasa Choir Festival with my quartet, Lunch Break. See ya in a few days, Lord willing!

Daily Bible Reading - May 5 - When Brothers Have to Part Ways

Yesterday’s reading featured the friendship of David and Jonathan. Today’s NT reading (Acts 15) describes the parting of ways of two brothers in the Lord, Paul and Barnabas. It was Barnabas who vouched for Paul when he first came to Jerusalem after his conversion (Acts 9:26-27). Later, it was Barnabas who went to find Paul in Tarsus and brought him to Antioch to help minister the word to the first Gentile-dominant church (Acts 11:25-26). And it was Barnabas who shared the load of work on the first missionary journey, facing danger (Acts 13:50) and controversy (Acts 15:2) side by side with Paul.

As close as these two men were in the work of the gospel, we learn from Acts 15:36-41 that these two determined servants had to part company over a disagreement. The issue was not any kind of doctrinal matter. It was a matter of judgment over whether to include John Mark on the forthcoming second journey. Barnabas wanted to bring him; Paul did not. From Paul’s point of view, this young man had proven unreliable when he quit while on the first journey (Acts 13:13). This was serious, dangerous work, no place for an immature and irresponsible boy.

But Barnabas wanted to take John Mark. This is not at all surprising, since Barnabas’ very name means “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36). Further, John Mark may have been related to Barnabas (see Col. 4:10), adding an additional reason for Barnabas to want to give him a second chance.

This difference of opinion was deep – Luke says it was a “sharp disagreement” (15:39). Eventually, Paul and Barnabas had to part company, Barnabas taking John Mark, and Paul taking a new comrade from Jerusalem named Silas.

Who was right – Barnabas or Paul? I think a good case could be made for either man. Surely Paul was right in thinking that John Mark needed to realize this work was too important to be approached half-heartedly. And Barnabas was also right in thinking that everyone deserves a second chance (and who benefited more from Barnabas’ gracious spirit than Paul?). Maybe John Mark needed both sides of love, soft and hard, to become the man he had the potential to be in the Lord.

And he did indeed become a faithful servant. In Col. 4:10, Paul makes a special point of asking the Colossians to “welcome” John Mark. And at the end of his life, Paul requested that Timothy bring Mark to him in prison, “for he is very useful to me in ministry” (2 Tim. 4:11).

I think the best part of this whole story is the way Paul and Barnabas moved past their disagreement to work for the Lord. Many times when brethren disagree the work of the gospel comes to a screeching halt. Not so here. In fact, the preaching of the word doubled, with two teams of workers rather than just one traveling to proclaim Jesus.

It is unavoidable that brothers will disagree. But if the end result can be what it was in the case of John Mark – spiritual development; and if the outcome can be what it was in the case of the gospel – more preaching rather than less, then God will be glorified.

Daily Bible Reading - May 4 - Knit Together Soul to Soul

The friendship between David and Jonathan is one of the great friendships in all of literature. I don't mean that David and Jonathan were fictional characters like Sam and Frodo, or Holmes and Watson. But I do mean that in the annals of all writing, whether fiction or non-fiction, the story of these two souls knit together in friendship (1 Sam. 18:1) is truly exemplary.

This friendship was tested by the hatred Jonathan's father had for David. In 1 Samuel 19, Jonathan reasoned with his father, convincing him that David was a hero, not a traitor. Saul agreed - but in one of his characteristic moments of weakness and vacillation, he quickly turned against David once more.

This makes the story in 1 Samuel 20 even more tragic, and poignant. David asks Jonathan why his father seeks to kill him, and Jonathan can't believe this is the case (v. 1-2). It would be hard to accept the fact that your own father is a paranoid maniac, especially when you think you have changed his mind. But as the story in 1 Samuel 2o goes on to explain, Saul did indeed want to murder David - and when Jonathan spoke up for David, Saul tried to kill him! (1 Sam. 20:33). Jonathan got the point (hardee-har-har).

What I love most about Jonathan is his humility. No one stood to lose more by David's kingship than Jonathan. He was the heir to the throne, his father's natural successor (a fact Saul angrily reminded him of in 1 Sam. 20:31). But Jonathan remained ever loyal to David, willing to serve by his side because he knew it was God's will for David to be king (1 Sam. 23:17).

Jonathan was a true friend. He remained loyal to David even at the expense of his father's resentment, and even at the cost of his own status. And despite Saul's failings, he remained loyal to his father, dying at his father's side in battle (1 Sam. 31). We would all be blessed to have a friend in our life with the integrity, courage, and loyalty of Jonathan.

Daily Bible Reading - May 3 - The Book of Acts (of Two of the Apostles)

One of my favorite college professors used to introduce his class on the Book of Acts by saying: "The Book of Acts is not all the acts of all the apostles; or all the acts of some of the apostles; or some of the acts of all the apostles; it is some of the acts of some of the apostles."

That is exactly right. And in particular, it is some of the acts of two of the apostles: Peter and Paul. In fact, an easy way to organize the Book of Acts is in two main sections, Acts 1-12 - the acts of Peter; and Acts 13-28 - the acts of Paul. At the end of Acts 12, Peter disappeared from Jerusalem after his escape from prison (Acts 12:17), and other than his speech at the Jerusalem conference in Acts 15, he is not mentioned again in the book. From Acts 13 to the end of the book, Paul is the focus of the story.

As you read the second half of the book, look for parallels between Peter's ministry and Paul's. For example, in today's reading in Acts 13, we have the first record of one of Paul's sermons, which naturally parallels the narrative of Peter's sermon in Acts 2. Each sermon has its unique characteristics, but both end up at the same spot - the death and resurrection of Jesus. In Acts 14, Paul will heal a lame man, just as Peter healed a lame man in Acts 3. And so on.

One important dimension to this similarity between Peter's preaching and miracles and Paul's is that it gave legitimacy to what Paul was doing in the minds of some of the more traditional Jews. This acceptance was not automatic for Paul, any more than it was for Peter when he went to preach to Gentiles and eat with them in Acts 10. But, if they accepted Peter's work, since Paul's work was quite similar, then they had to accept Paul.

So be on the lookout the rest of Acts for parallels with Peter, and of course, also bear in mind that both apostles share in the same kinds of experiences as did their Master.

Daily Bible Reading - April 30 - David Versus Saul

One of my college professors forever changed the way I look at the story in 1 Samuel 17. In my Bible, the heading says, "David and Goliath." And for years that it was I thought this story was all about - the epic battle between David and Goliath. But as my teacher (Phil Roberts) pointed out, the real contrast in this account is not between David and Goliath, but between David and Saul. Goliath is merely a foil to highlight this contrast.

Remember how Saul was described in 1 Sam. 9:2 and 1 Sam. 10:23? He was taller than anyone else in Israel. He was Israel's giant! Who better to take on the Philistine giant? Further, the very reason Saul was king to begin with was because the people wanted a king who would go out and fight for them (1 Sam. 8:20). They have their king, they have their battle. But their king has proven to be a coward. Indeed, Israel has the king it deserves. "When Saul and all Israel heard these words [of Goliath's], they were dismayed and greatly afraid" (1 Sam. 17:11).

Enters David. And the contrast between him and Saul could not be more stark. Saul was the tallest man in Israel; David was the smallest man in his family (the Hebrew word translated "youngest" in verse 14 also means "smallest"). Yet as soon as David heard the noise of a potential battle, he "ran" to see what was going on (v. 22).

The real contrast between David and Saul, of course, was not they looked like outwardly, but what their character was like inwardly. Saul demonstrated in the episodes in 1 Samuel 13 and 15 that he does not have the faith to obey God's word and trust in His promises. Ironically, Saul's estimate of David is pretty much the same as the heathen Goliath's - you are too young and too small to fight (compare 1 Sam. 17:33 with 17:42-43). David, on the other hand, was supremely confident that God could deliver Israel from this monster just as He had delivered his flock from predators (17:34-37). And that is exactly what happened.

There is an old expression that says "it's not the size of the dog in the fight; it's the size of the fight in the dog." What 1 Samuel 17 teaches is that it is not the size of a person's stature, but the power of the person's God, and the depth of the person's faith, that makes all the difference. Dagon was no match for Yahweh, and Saul's fear and Goliath's bluster were no match for David's faith.

Daily Bible Reading - April 29 - "But the People..."

When Israel made its way out of the oppressive land of Egypt, a fierce people called the Amalekites attacked the long caravan of the Hebrews (Ex. 17:8-16). God made a promise that some day the Amalekites would pay for this attack, and in Deut. 25:17-19 we learn why the Lord was so angry. Amalek attacked the "tail" of Israel, the end of the caravan, which would have meant the elderly and sick, women and little children. For that outrage, Amalek was to pay the price of retributive justice (1 Sam. 15:1-3), and Saul was the be the instrument of God's wrath.

God gave Israel victory, but "Saul and the people" (1 Sam. 15:9) spared the Amalekite king, Agag, along with the best of the livestock. In spite of this insubordination, Saul had the audacity to build a monument to himself! (1 Sam. 15:12)

The sad story that unfolds in 1 Samuel 15 is one of stubborn refusal to admit wrong doing.

• In 15:13 Saul declares that he has performed the commandment of the Lord.
• In 15:14-15 when God's prophet, Samuel, asks Saul why he hears animals, Saul blames the people for sparing the flock (even though the text plainly says he did this in v. 9), and once again asserts he has been obedient.
• In 15:16 Samuel essentially says for Saul to "Shut up!" ("Stop!"), rebukes him for his disobedience.
• In 15:20-21 Saul has the gall to disagree with Samuel and again say he was obedient, and once again blames the people for the spoil.

It is not until 15:24 that Saul finally says "I have sinned," and even then he still blames the people for what happened ("I feared the people and obeyed their voice").

God can forgive and use even the chiefest of sinners. But what can be done for a person who repeatedly refuses to acknowledge they are in the wrong, and constantly blames others for their mistakes? There is nothing left for the Lord to do but to reject them - because such an attitude shows that they have rejected Him (1 Sam. 15:26).

Daily Bible Reading - April 28 - By Many or By Few

I love the story of Jonathan and his armor-bearer in 1 Samuel 14. During one of Israel's recurrent conflicts with the Philistines, Jonathan decided to do some scouting, and came upon a Philistine garrison. Undaunted, Jonathan said to his armor-bearer:

"Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the LORD will work for us, for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few." (1 Sam. 14:6).

Jonathan was willing to take on an entire detachment of Philistines - not because he was arrogant and cocky - but because he had total faith in the power of God to grant victory, even through the hands of just two Israelites. Later he expressed complete confidence that "the Lord has given them into our hand" (1 Sam. 14:10). And sure enough, Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed about twenty Philistines, and in the process sent the camp of the enemy into a panic (1 Sam. 14:14-15).

Israel did not always win such dramatic victories because the nation was not always faithful to God. Without God's help, it did not matter if Israel had overwhelming numbers on its side - it would lose (see Josh. 7:3-5). Their strength was the Lord. As the psalmist said:

If it had not been the LORD who was on our side—
let Israel now say—
if it had not been the LORD who was on our side
when people rose up against us,
then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have gone over us;
then over us would have gone
the raging waters. (Psalm 124:1-5)

But with God, His people are unstoppable. Two courageous Israelites can defeat a fortress of Philistines. One young shepherd can vanquish a giant. Twelve apostles can turn the world upside down with the message of the gospel. The Lord can save by many or by few - and that includes me and you.