Not Limited To An Eclipse

“The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.” (Ps 97:6 AV)

Tomorrow, a vast number of people will go out of their way to see something that happens several times in one’s lifetime.  It is called ‘The Great 2024 Eclipse’.  If you have been living under a rock and haven’t heard the news, tomorrow, there will be a total eclipse of the sun.  This path of totality (the path wherein one can see a total eclipse) runs from Texas to Maine.  There are articles regarding everything from the oddities one will witness in nature to prophesy sources touting this occurrence as a harbinger of the Rapture.  The thing is, this is not my first rodeo.  I have been through at least three.  Perhaps four.  I lived in the path of totality in 2017.  It was indeed something to behold.  But I have also seen partial solar and lunar eclipses over the years.  They are not that uncommon.  What strikes me as odd is that those who do not know God or who barely know Him at all think this eclipse is the most wonderful thing in nature.  They are treating it as something so phenomenal they must rearrange their entire lives just to be a part of it.  In reality, the entire universe down to the single cell or atom screams the glory of God!  It is all around.  All we need to do is open our eyes and consider how magnificently balanced by design and with purpose to see evidence of a God whom we cannot understand.

Of course, space and time limit me from bombarding one with proof of my statements.  But let me share just one.  Language.  Language fascinates me.  The ability to communicate is nothing short of a miracle.  Language is extremely complicated.  I know!  I am far from a grammar expert.  I barely passed spelling and English classes.  If it weren’t for merciful grade school teachers, I probably would not have made it to High School.  I am scratching the surface of learning a new language.  I have learned that grammar is not universal.  In other words, how we frame a sentence in English is not the same as how we frame the same sentence in another language.  Something that I am learning is that immersion is a great technique to learn a foreign language.  In fact, from my perspective, it is easier than trying to learn another language academically and translating that to immersion.  Rather, learning to simply ape words and phrases until the brain can pick up patterns without trying to study them and define them is the way to go.  But here is where I am fascinated with language.  I always thought that one would have to constantly translate language into one’s mother tongue in order to understand and communicate.  That is certainly so in the short term.  But what I have found is the longer you learn another language, the more your brain does not need to translate.  By inflection of voice, emotional interjection, and context, one can simply ‘know’ what the other is speaking.  This is miraculous.  As complicated as language is, the fact mankind can know it and use it cannot be explained outside of intelligent design.

Don’t get me wrong.  I am not knocking the eclipse or all those who want to see it.  It was certainly cool when my son and I shared the experience back in 2017.  How nature behaves is fascinating.  Birds don’t know what to do.  The shadows cast are really cool.  But the eclipse is but a very small part of the wonder of God.  Those who want to see God can do so in innumerable ways.  His handy work is all around us.  I pray and hope this eclipse will be the start for some to seek a personal God who desires to know them.  I pray the eclipse causes the lost to ask questions that lead to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  I pray this regular phenomenon will work to full-scale revival in our world.  I pray that this one thing will turn the hearts of the lost to a loving God who sent His Son as the perfect sacrifice for their sins!

A Battle Worth Starting is a Battle Worth Finishing

“I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; and turned not again until I had consumed them. And I have consumed them, and wounded them, that they could not arise: yea, they are fallen under my feet.” (2Sa 22:38-39 AV)

This is part of David’s song of victory when Absalom and the Philistines were defeated.  It took a lifetime, but David finally attained peace from his enemies.  God was very good to him.  In part, because David was a fighter and not a quitter.  He was in the battle for the long haul.  He was not committed as long as he felt he was successful.  He was in it to win it.  If it took forty years, then that was what David was going to do.  I love these two verses.  The first is our text.  But the second is just as wonderful.  When David dealt with an enemy, he made sure the enemy was completely defeated so he could not come again.  Note David wounded them so they could not arise.  They never come back to give him trouble further down the road.  When he defeated an enemy, that enemy stayed defeated.  What an encouragement as we battle our enemies.  Especially the flesh.  May it never rise again!  It is the first verse, however, which is our thought for the day.  That is, finishing a battle is just as important as starting one.

The movie, Rocky, was a smash hit.  It spawned several more in a series revolving around the main character Rocky Belboa.  Rocky was an old-fashioned boxer who did things the hard way.  He was cast as a down-on-your-luck kind of guy who was always underestimated.  It didn’t matter if he was boxing Apollo or the Russian, Rocky was always a severe underdog.  Rocky’s opponents had the best trainers, facilities, equipment, and technology.  If I remember right, the Russian boxer was also drug-enhanced.  In the first Rocky movie, Rocky’s equipment was a jump rope and the stairs leading to the capital building in Philadelphia.  In the second movie, Rocky retreated to a cabin in the north wintry woods and his equipment was an ax and a sled.  Each movie had the same theme.  When the bout came, Rocky would get pummeled to near defeat.  When it appears as though he has had enough and the trainer is ready to throw in the towel, Rocky gets his second wind.  He came back and beat the snot out of his opponent.  The crowd goes wild!  The little guy wins!  The one who had everything against him came out on top.  What Rocky started, even though it appeared as though defeat was a foregone conclusion, never gave up.  He stuck in there and finished the fight.  He beat his enemies not because he was stronger or faster.  He whooped his foes not because he was better trained or had better technique.  Rocky came out on top because he finished what he started.  It was sheer determination, character, and commitment that won the battle.

None of us possess unlimited strength and ability.  We all face battles too big to handle.  When we see someone got through similar circumstances and it appears they fare better than we do, don’t be fooled.  You see them at their best.  They have trials too big to bear as well.  When we do, commitment and not strength is the key to seeing it all the way through.  The LORD will never ask you to face something bigger than yourself without the promise to be there with you and enable you to make it past the finish line.  Commitment is what we can offer.  God is not asking us to do the impossible all on our own.  What really spoke to me was the finality of the statement of David.  He was able to sing that song because he made a choice.  This choice was made in his childhood.  This choice carried him through every trial he ever faced.  It was why he could hunt and kill a lion and bear.  This choice drove him to defeat Goliath.  This commitment was the guiding principle of David as he fled Saul while still honoring him.  This choice to see a thing through to the end was the strength that placed him on his throne after the death of his son.  David never quit.  What he started is what he finished.  This is why he could sing what he did above.

My Own

“Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.” (Pr 5:15-16 AV)

Solomon is speaking to his sons regarding their satisfaction with the wife of their youth.  He speaks with much experience.  Having one thousand wives and two thousand concubines, Solomon of all people could attest to the pleasure and blessing of having only one.  The comparison is to the strange woman.  Or, the woman who plays the harlot.  This theme often repeats itself in the book of Proverbs.  Some equate this to a metaphor of godly wisdom versus worldly or ungodly advice.  I don’t go that far.  To do so is to minimize the efficacy of each proverb.  In particular, those that deal with faithfulness in marriage and limiting oneself to only one life partner!  Rather than dwell on that point, let me muse on how blessed I have been with the wife of my youth.  There is one particular word in the two verses above. It appears twice.  That word is ‘own’.   A remarkable word.  One with promise, hope, and blessing.  One that brings fluttering to the heart, security to the soul, and gratitude toward the LORD who met your need.

Last night, my wife and I went to a dinner theatre.  We sat with church members less than half our age.  What a delight.  As we sat and enjoyed a meal, I was impressed with how blessed I am.  Next to me sat my wife of 37 years.  That may seem like a long time, but not so.  When building a life together with the love of your life, those years seem to pass quickly.  I have also found the cliché to be true that states love gets better as you age.  This is so true.  Gone is the pretense and ambition that comes with youth.  The children are all grown and out of the house.  Ministry is becoming easier with age.  When my dearest comes home from work, we enjoy supper together, watch a show or two, and then settle in for the night.  We talk.  A LOT!  What was true 37 years ago is still true today.  As we walked down the avenue that runs parallel to the Toronto Science Museum on our way to the subway stop, I was struck with how secure and permanent marriage was.  I was struck by how perfectly content and whole I felt.  That feeling has never changed.  The older I get the more I realize just how perfect our match was, and still is.

We saw Fiddler on the Roof.  Being partly of Jewish descent, there is something about this production that hits me.  A major theme of this play is the changing tradition of matchmaking.  The practice of matchmaking is where a widow of the town matches people for marriage.  The father of the prospective bride makes a deal with the groom or groom's father to finalize the marriage.  The bride has little or no say in the matter.  This causes mismatched marriages.  Marriages are arranged strictly on a pragmatic basis.  Compatibility, values, goals, etc are of no consequence.  Therefore, to say two people were a perfect match may happen.  But it may just as well not happen.  One of the musical pieces is a result of the eldest daughter being granted permission and blessing from her father to marry her childhood sweetheart rather than an elderly butcher.  The line that segways onto the piece is the perspective groom's comparison of a glove and a hand.  As the glove and hand are a perfect fit, so too are these two young people.  That is how I feel about my wife and I!  We are a perfect fit!  I cannot imagine anyone else at my side.  She is so remarkable.  There are no words!  Therefore, to enjoy my wife is to enjoy my own wife.  Not a woman who could be any man’s wife.  Rather, my own wife.  Designed from eternity to be my comfort, support, helper, and friend, God knew what He was doing.  He still does!  Praise be to His name!

Delight of Soul

“In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.” (Ps 94:19 AV)

There is a lot to unpack here from such a small verse.  The writer has a multitude of thoughts.  These thoughts are within him.  One could say our writer cannot help but muse.  He thinks of all things possible.  He thinks of all things probable.  There is also a comparison between the multitude of thoughts and the comfort provided by God.  There are two possibilities here which really don’t matter a whole lot in light of the outcome.  Either the psalmist is troubled by the multitude of his thoughts and it is the comfort God brings in spite of it that delights his soul.  Or, the multitude of his thoughts are occupied only by that which brings comfort and delight to his soul.  I think they are the same thing but of differing degrees.  Whether we are troubled of mind and soul or we are at peace with God and circumstances, it is the comforts of God’s word that overcomes our troubled mind and soul or it keeps our soul in a state of delight.  Either way, the word of God and His presence are the source of the comforts that delight the soul.

Second, there arises the truth that regardless of life’s circumstances, the delight of the soul can be a reality.  The context of the psalm is one of trouble inflicted upon God’s people in general and the writer in particular.  There is persecution and abuse leveled against the nation and the writer is praying to the LORD for intervention.  Then this verse pops up.  Regardless of our circumstances, the delight of the soul is possible.  Comfort is sometimes hard to accept.  Some of us are happier in a state of misery than we are in complete comfort.  We would rather be constantly coddled as we complain of one thing or another.  Sort of like Israel as they passed through the wilderness.  They refused to be comforted.  It sounds odd, but we are like that sometimes.  There is that person who is constantly adjusting the heat or air conditioning.  They are in a constant state of agitation over one thing or another.  Life is not perfect.  It never will be.  However, despite an imperfect world, comfort is possible.  We have to be willing to accept the comfort offered.

Note also the direction of the comfort offered.  It goes from the mind to the soul.  The writer has a multitude of thoughts.  Yet that is not where comfort is kept or where it stops.  Comfort, if from God, goes beyond the mind.  The multitude of thoughts may be helping or hindering according to their nature.  If they are contrary to comfort, they are disciplined.  If they produce comfort, they are enhanced.  But the direction of comfort goes from the head to the soul.  Comfort is not merely convincing the mind of the benevolent nature of God.  Comfort goes far beyond musing to one’s mental satisfaction.  At some point, the source of comfort must travel from the mind, through the heart, and rest in the soul.  In short, to be comforted requires we accept the comfort offered to the degree it can be applied.  To be comforted means to quiet the soul so the presence and truth of God can permeate.  To be comforted requires all other influences on the soul to become secondary to the comfort of God’s presence and truth.  If we do that, the psalmist testifies our souls can be had in delight.

Whether In Life or in Death

“And Ittai answered the king, and said, As the LORD liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be.” (2Sa 15:21 AV)

There is a slight difference of opinion as to who this Ittai is.  Some suppose he is a Benjamite who was exiled from his tribe for some unknown reason.  Most, however, believe him to be an exiled Philistine who, with 600 men, allied themselves with David.  Perhaps this small band met up with David and was the reason he fled from Saul into the land of the Philistines years ago.  Regardless of how they met, it is apparent this group of Philistines, and Ittai in particular, were devoted to David to the bitter end.  When Absalom committed insurrection, David advised Ittai and his 600 men to return to Jerusalem and serve Absalom.  Ittai and his men were banished from Gath and were men without a home.  They could not return to their home country.  David’s reasoning was his ignorance of the future could not guarantee Ittai and his men's security and safety.  Absalom seemed like the most pragmatic of all choices.  In this repatriated Philistine, we see integrity and loyalty not seen in any other of David’s mighty men.  Joab and Abishai would eventually turn on David.  Only the proselytized Philistine who commanded a third of David’s army was loyal unto death.

Loyalty is a rare commodity today.  Not many are willing to go all the way no matter the results.  Few are willing to commit on principle alone.  There has to be a guaranteed outcome.  The opening of baseball season was a few days ago.  We have not gone to a game as yet. I am sure we will squeeze one in here before the season ends.  There are those who hold season tickets and would never miss a game.  Most, however, go only if our team is winning.  If they happen to have a losing season and have no hope of advancing to the playoffs, attendance at the games seems to peter off.  It’s the diehard fans that will stick through thick and thin until the bitter end.  I remember going to a Cubs game that took well over seven hours before they finally called it on account of the weather.  It was a well-known game because the grounds crew fumbled the infield tarp time and again.  It was more entertaining to watch them try to roll out the tarp and return it again.  My friend and I stayed until they called the game on account of the weather.  There were multiple stoppages.  I cannot remember how many.  There must have been quite a few because if I remember right, the game had not been played enough innings for the game to be considered complete.  Only the true fans will stick it out no matter the outcome.

Upon reflection on our dedication to Christ, I wonder how many will stick it out until the bitter end.  Loyalty is a hard character trait to teach.  It is not something that one has and another does not.  We have it because we choose to have it.  Those who have loyalty do so because it is a matter of character.  Loyalty is not a personality trait.  Loyalty is not a spiritual gift.  Having said that, I wonder how loyal I am to the LORD no matter the outcome.  Will I continue to spread the good news of the gospel regardless of interest?  Or, will I seek a way out and let it be someone else’s problem?  Will the people of God stand for what is right even if it might mean jail time, loss of income, or worse?  Will the people of God declare that what the culture is doing is contrary to God’s word no matter the consequences?  Will the true churches of God call out what is wrong with our society no matter how they might respond?  If we see martyrdom as the only outcome of loyalty, will we be loyal nonetheless?  My fear is if we cannot be faithful in times of relative ease, we will not be faithful when things are more difficult.

Blessing After Sin

“And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.” (2Sa 12:24 AV)

The LORD did not have to do this for these two people.  Their marriage was a result of an adulterous affair.  But wait, it gets worse.  Having had an affair, David had Bathsheba’s husband killed in battle so he could then marry Bathsheba after he got her pregnant.  From our human perspective, these two people are wretchedly wicked and there aren’t too many of us who who seek their company.  From our perspective, we would not expect God to bless them at all.  The child from which this affair came was struck by the hand of God.  He died because the LORD would not allow David and Bathsheba to enjoy the fruits of their sin.  God would have been just and fair to cause Bathsheba to become barren once she gave birth to their child.  Rather, God’s grace was greater than their sin and He gave them a son who would later become the wisest king Israel had ever had.  God didn’t have to grant grace to these two.  But once God forgives, He forgives completely!

We have to be careful here.  We have to remember even though God blessed David and Bathsheba with a son whom God loved and would elevate to the throne, there were still four sons who would die an unfortunate and untimely death.  There was the baby born to David and Bathsheba, Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah.  God forgave David and Bathsheba.  But He did not remove all the consequences of their sin.  There was still heartache that would await them down the road.  Full forgiveness does not necessitate absolution from consequences.  However, what we can take away from this is God’s mercy in the midst of those consequences.  Bathsheba actually had several children with David.  Some historical sources put the number at six.  Despite how the relationship started, God saw fit to bless them with children.  This can be nothing else but the pure mercy and grace of God.

The saint does and should feel guilt and shame over what they have done.  But not to the point grace is refused.  What do I mean by that?  Our sin is a stench in the nostrils of God.  There is no sugarcoating our sin.  It is utter wickedness and the LORD abhors it.  This truth should be meditated on far more than it is.  What we cannot forget is that no matter how bad our sin is, grace is always greater.  This does not minimize the seriousness of what we have done.  David had an affair and then saw to it his mistress’ husband was killed in battle.  This he did while enjoying the company of multiple wives.  He simply wanted another man’s wife.  This is beyond horrible.  It is reprehensible.  We could all sit in judgment of what David did.  We had better, however, have a mirror handy.  Our sin is no better no matter what we might think of David’s.  What we can see is hope.  We may have to suffer for our choices, but God still shows grace.  He forgives.  He shows mercy.  And, He often showers blessings so the consequences of sin don’t sting as much.  God is so good!  He doesn’t have to be!  He could exercise His justice to its full measure.  Our loving God decides when we have had enough spankings and shows us kindness and mercy so healing can ensue.

The Ripple Effect

“Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master’s son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master’s son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.” (2Sa 9:10 AV)

So, the question here is, will Mephibosheth eat at David’s table, or will he eat of the crops harvested by Ziba and his sons?  It appears as though there might be a contradiction.  The Bible has no errors or contradictions and in those that seem as such, there is often a great truth to be gleaned.  But a little context first.  Mephibosheth is the son of Jonathan and the grandson of Saul.  David and Jonathan made a vow one to the other in a day of deep friendship many years previous.  David swore to Jonathan that he would not destroy the house of Jonathan and would show those who descended from Jonathan kindness.  When David secured the kingdom, he sought to fulfill this promise he made to his best friend.  Enter Ziba.  Ziba was a servant to Saul.  If anyone would know if there were descendants of Jonathan, it would be Ziba.  Ziba reveals Jonathan had a son, Mephibosheth.  David brings crippled Mephibosheth to the palace and treats him as his own son.  From that day forward, he is fed from the king’s table.  Or, is he?

Ziba is commanded to farm the land of Saul which would all fall to Mephibosheth.  Ziba and his twelve sons would oversee the husbandry of the land bequeathed to Mephibosheth and in return, Ziba and his family would also enjoy the fruits of their labor.  But what of Mephibosheth?  Is he fed from the king’s table, or does he live off the crops his father’s servants reaped?  Which is it?  The answer is actually quite simple.  Mephibosheth had a son.  His name is revealed in verse twelve.  Micha was his name.  One might say that Micha was not Jonathan’s son, but rather, Mephibosheth’s.  That is true.  But in the word of God, there is often no distinction between son, grandson, great-grandson, etc.  A descendent of the one through whom an inheritance would come is referred to as a son regardless of how many generations there may be between the two.  Therefore, there is no contradiction here.  The son of Jonathan who would eat at David’s table is Mephibosheth.  The son who would be fed from the labor of Ziba’s family is the son of Mephibosheth, also the son of Jonathan, Micha.  So, what is the application?

The parallel of this relationship between David and Mephibosheth with the relationship the Father has with the saints never ceases to amaze me.  Because of the friendship Jonathan had with David, grace is shown to his descendants.  Because of the friendship between the Father and the Son, those whom the Son births by salvation are shown eternal kindness from the Father.  But what of Micha?  Grace has a rippling effect.  If only the world understood this.  Recently, there has been quite an uproar over what our nation’s leader did on Easter Sunday.  Although the offense felt by many is justified, the real tragedy is those who hate God are cutting off their nose to spite their face.  Saying no to God’s wonderful gift of grace is one thing.  They will suffer all of eternity for that choice.  But when they persecute the people of God, they are robbing themselves of the ripple effect of grace.  Pharoah learned this.  God blessed him for Joseph’s sake.  Artixerses learned this.  God blessed him for Esther’s sake.  There are many examples in the word of God when those who do not love God are blessed by the ripple effect of God’s grace on those who do.  At the very least, they should leave the people of God alone.  At the very least, they should not seek to destroy us.  What should our response be?  Certainly, we should be offended for God’s sake.  But we should also pity and pray for those who think it does them good to hate on God and His people.  Jonah said it best.  “Those who observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.”