JULY EDITION- 2019... WONDERFUL WORDS OF LIFE...
by Dr. Keith J. Wise
Introduction: This is the month of July 4th in which we celebrate American freedom. It is a strange phenomenon when you think about it. The road and journey of the United States is pretty nearly a one way street. Everyone wants to come here and few wish to leave. Nobody in the vast majority of cases gives up his or her American citizenship. It is still prized in the community of nations.
Why is it so? Is it because we simply have more variety and abundance of food? Better homes? Better living conditions? Our land was forged out of hardship and a country of sacrifice. In my humble assessment, I believe it is a simple factor of "freedom." We have not been a perfect country but we have been a people who seek justice for all. It is in most cases, the human rights millions of American have died for.
We are at a junction today because many take their civil rights and civic responsibility for granted. We were born in a free country. We think freedom could never end or be lost. This is a myth. If we do not stoke the fires of vigilance as our forefathers have pleaded, we will loose the privileges and goals of freedom. We must work at it. Not some of us. All of us. Not some of the time. All of the time, and reference an Almighty God who has afforded these freedoms.
So on this coming Fourth of July 2019, value your citizenship, value your vote, value your fellow Americans as we pull together. Remember, keep it for yourself, for your children and your children's children. Keep your faith and love of country strong, and your belief as you give yourself to civic interest.
There is a lot to America, and it's all yours to enjoy and strive for in our lifetimes!
I. DIGGING DEEPER... SAMUEL THE PROPHET AND JUDGE...
The book of Samuel in the Old Testament is a repository of favorite Bible stories: the story of Samuel's birth, the account of the Philistine's trouble when they capture the ark, the heroism and true friendship of Johnathan, and certainly the defeat of Goliath by the "boy" David. Often, however, they have been torn from their context and surroundings.
After the Judges we need some type of break in the narrative. With an even dozen or so judges, it is hard to keep the players straight without a scorecard. In Samuel, by contrast, there are only three main participants: Samuel, Saul, and David. There are however, some other lesser players that are added to the mix. Snapshots of prophetic depth that are pregnant with foreshadow and theme.
A. The Barren Woman- I Samuel 1-2
One of these participants is a barren women, and with her the story opens. Here is a women emotionally in rags. Though her husband loves her, he has taken another wife--no doubt because she has given him children while Hannah has not been able to supply. Her rival mocks her, much as Hagar did Sarah. To put it in a word, Hannah feels "vulnerable."
But this is just the kind of case in which God has shown his power in the past. He has produced a whole nation from a barren womb--in fact, from a who succession of them (Gen.11:30, 25:21, 29:31). Hannah's distress leads her to cry to the Lord and dedicate her offspring to exclusive service to him. This response- a model of a response the Lord wanted from the whole nation-leads to the birth of the last Judge and first "noted" Prophet: Samuel. He founds the "School of the Prophets."
Hannah's experience and her prayer (2:1-10) exalts the Lord as the one who...
...raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
and has them inherit a throne of honor (2:8).
The unique Lord of Israel encompasses security. He is the Rock of safety. "There is no Rock like our God" (2:2).
Samuel, Prophet and Judge- I Samuel 3-7
Samuel is a great Prophet that has many introductions in terms of God's ability and the dismal state of Israel's condition. This is nowhere more obvious than in the very center of Israel's worship of Yahweh- the tabernacle. Under the current priest Eli and his sons, Samuel joins a situation at the Lord's tent which could not be more disgusting. Eli's sons violate the rules of sacrifice to satisfy their own tastes, threaten violence against faithful worshipers, and introduces Canaanite sexual abominations (2:12-17,22-25).
In the midst of this loathsome disobedience, God raises his leader from infancy to manhood, marking Samuel's progress against the continuing failure of Eli's sons (2:11, 2:18-21, 2:26, 3:1-21).
We are in most part familiar with the story of Samuel sleeping in the tabernacle, hearing the voice of the Lord, and three times rousing Eli to ask what he wanted before finally being told to answer the Lord the next time. It is a dynamic and positive story for children, and a reminder to adults of God's providence and grace on a national level.
In further reference, it is not an incidental story, for it cites the beginning of Samuel's prophetic career before Yahweh. The fact that all of Samuel's words come true-remember they must if he is a "true" Prophet- prompted Israel to recognize again that here was a prophet in their midst (3:19-21;cf.3:1).
As already noted, Samuel is a Prophet, but he becomes a Judge. The capture of the ark and its history in Philistine territory(chaps. 4-6) show that God does not need Israel to vindicate himself as the true God. Rather, they need him. With Eli and his sons eventual death, deliverance from the Philistines may begin. Samuel in his role as judge achieves one of those mighty deliverances in which Yahweh himself for Israel (chapter 7).
But now Samuel's final and most famous task begins to take Israel into its monarchy. Samuel is God's "kingmaker" (chaps. 8-12). Not that Samuel likes the job. He considers the elder's request for a king a personal slap in the face; worse than that, so does Yahweh (8:6-8,12:13-19). Yet the idea of a king in Israel isn't new: Jacob predicted the rising of the king's rising scepter in the tribe of Judah(Gen. 49:10), regulations for the king were given in Moses' handbook (Deut.17:14-20), and Hannah's prayer spoke of Yahweh strengthening his king (I Samuel 2:10). Some or most of this is also prophetic of the Messiah deliverer.
The lessons of scripture for the believing community is always a matter of contrast. The people's request for a king was a desire for visible security. They had no hope in Samuel's sons who would potentially follow as faithful judges (8:1-3), unlike those of Eli, and they don't want to wait until the next invasion for a deliverer to arise. Better to have a permanent king who will fight their battles (8:19,20), and appear as the other nations around them. Their failure to completely trust Yahweh for safety will mean higher taxes to support a defense complex, a costly bureaucracy, and a draft to establish a standing army(8:10-18). What a price to pay for such lack of faith!
Ironically, this is in itself is not an absolute evil, though these people ask out of evil motives. Yahweh will give them their king, and that first king is Saul (I Sam. 9-11). Saul seeks out the prophet to help him find his father's donkeys, and ends up on the throne.
III. DID YOU KNOW...
There is a strange diet... "The rivers eat away their banks, the tides devour the sand; the morning sun drinks up the mist, the ocean eats the land. Taxes eat up property, and pride eats out the soul, but moths the diet record hold, because they eat a hole." Observations of the Obvious
Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is.
Men usually get somewhere when they develop a brake for the tongue and an accelerator for the brain.
Have you ever noticed that the knocker is always outside the door?
IV. NUGGETS OF NOURISHMENT... A Sermon Outline of Patriotic Thoughts-
Title: The Recovery of America
Texts: Psalm 72:1-4; Romans 13:1-7; Acts 5:29
Introduction: In a day in which so many are confused about their affiliation to their country, we might look back to look forward to see keys to our identity and commonality. To begin, we might read the lyrics to the The Star Spangled Banner written by Frances Scott Key. If you do any research on the founding of America you will see a profound documentation of the Christian influence on the nation. I believe there are three primary ways we can "recover a healthy vision of America."
I. We Pray For the Mighty- Read Psalm 72-
II. We Fight For the Lowly- Read Proverbs 31-
A. Be a Watchdog-
B. Be a Neighbor-
C. Be a Mentor-
III. We Stand for the Godly- Read Romans 13:1-7
Conclusion: As we evaluate these scriptures, we see a whole array of actions we can take individually to transmit positive energy and information to make our nation a nation of truth and compassion. Let us commit ourselves as part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
V. NOTABLE QUOTES...THOUGHTS THAT TRANSFORM
"The preservation of our way of life depends on men of strong faith, who are advancing spiritual principles, and are working together with understanding, especially with the strength that come through persevering patience." Admiral Chester W. Nimitz
"If you spend all your time collecting money for fear of poverty, you are practicing poverty already." Egyptian Proverb
"Men show their character in nothing more than in what they think laughable."
" Prosperity is only an instrument to be used; not a deity to be worshiped." Reader's Life Quotes
"A song in the night is worth two in the day." Albert's quotes
