I am a Samaritan Woman

I live in Samaria, am a Samaritan woman. .  I wish I could tell you I was a  loved and respected member of my village  but I can't.  My life has not been easy. 

I am standing in my doorway looking  to see how many people are out and about.  As I expected, not many.  Why?  It is noon, the hottest time of the day and people are staying inside trying to stay as cool and comfortable as possible.  

Which I would love to do as well ,   but my water jugs are empty.  I am thirsty and I need water for cooking and washing.   It is my time to go to the well to get my daily supply.

   

I go at noon for the simple reason that no one else does.   If I go in the cool of the day, like all the other women do .. and yes, getting water is definitely a woman's job -  then I have to face the scorn and mocking of the other women, and the whispers behind my back.  They know who I am ... they call me a 'loose woman' , immoral,  whose husbands can't be trusted around me.  But they don't understand, if they had lived my life, they might not be so quick to judge. 

Oh, I admit, I didn't make the best decisions in my life - but what else was I to do?  One thing led to another ... and I attracted the wrong kind of men who used me, abused me, rejected me and abandoned me.  Finally, I just determined to make  the best of what life allowed me. 

So ... I'm off  to the well alone in the heat of the day.  

 When the well comes into sight in the distance,  I see to my surprise that there is someone there. I have never seen another woman at the well at noon, this is very strange.   

 I come closer and , see that it isn't a woman at all but a man!  What is a man doing at the well?  Especially at this time of day.   Then as I come even closer, to my shock I recognize  that not only is it a man , but a JEW !   

Jews will take the long way round just to avoid walking through Sameria -- we are so hated by them -- and now a Jewish man  is sitting on our well?  

I hesitate some distance from the well, not sure what I should do.  Should I just ignore him and get my water?   A little hard to do considering he is sitting on the well's edge, I can hardly pretend not to see him.  

But  as I hesitate, he speaks to me !  Asks me to give him a drink .. 

, I look at him  and my immediate  thoughts tumble our of my mouth in a rush of questions .. "You are a man... and you speak to me, a woman??  And you are a Jew ...how is it you  speak to a Samaritan?? and you want ME to give YOU a drink?"   

I stand and look at him, not knowing how to take him.  What to think of him. 

 He is different from the men I usually associate with .. and not just because he is a Jew.   There is something that fascinates me, his eyes, his voice?   

There is nothing sexual in his demeanor .. I can't  put my finger on what is so very different about him. 

Responding to my questions he says "If you knew who I was you would ask ME for a drink and I would give you living water."   

Okay ,  now I am even more baffled...  This is a very strange conversation ... and not knowing how to respond I simply speak the obvious... "You have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep,  so where would you get this living water from? "  

 I begin to wonder if he is maybe  making himself a little more important than he should .. and I dare to chide him... "Are you greater than our father Jacob who dug this well and drank from it himself, and his sons and livestock?" 

He did not answer me directly but he says, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again but whoever drinks of the water I give him will never thirst again ... but it will bubble up into everlasting life!"

What strange words, I do not understand , yet something burns within me .. Who is this man?  Why are his words so strangely stirring? . A longing rises up within me and my words burst out of my mouth .. "Give me this water then, that I won't be thirsty and don't have to come here anymore to draw water!"   That would make my life so much easier !  

Again ,, he doesn't answer my request but he says .. "Go call your husband... " 

 My heart stands still ...  my husband?   ohhh ... suddenly I don't want to answer him; for some reason I want him to think well of me .. 

How should I answer ?   One thing I am known for is telling the truth -- but it isn't really so noble of me ... .. when you are at the bottom of society, there is nothing to gain by lying about anything - everyone is going to think the worst anyway .. so I just tell the truth -- it is simpler.   

But this man's question ... I must answer him so I admit ..  "i have no husband.. "  hoping he will leave it at that .. but no ...  he does not let me hide behind a partial answer. .  "You speak truth that you have no husband, but you have had 5 and the one you have now is not your husband."   

I am stunned ... How could he know ?   I have never seen him before, and since Jews do not associate with Samaritans it is impossible that he heard about me from someone else. 

  

I look into his face ... and suddenly, I know ...  "You, sir," , I say, "you are a  prophet."

and then he tells me about what true worship is and that it is going to change how and where we do now and will soon worship instead ... that true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth ... and God seeks those who worship him that way. . 

Now my reeling mind begins to put two and two together and  I wonder how great a man this truly is.  

 I don't want to offend him .. but I offer .....  "I know that when the Messiah comes He will tell us all things.. " 

To my great astonishment he answers me ... "I am He who speaks with you."

Time stands still around me, I am aware of nothing but the love I read in his face .... no man has ever looked at me like that... and never have I heard words like His. 

 

Then, at that exact  moment,  I am distracted by the sound of  footsteps and I see several men approach .. they are obviously coming to join the man at the will. ...  

What shall I do ?   Will these men be upset with me?  blame me for daring to speak to their friend or leader?   Me a woman, and a Samaritan speaking to a man ..  will I be in trouble? 

I look back at the man on the well ...  and see that He is looking at me with a gentle smile on His face.. Though he says not another word I suddenly  know what I need to do ... 

 

I forget my thirst, I forget my bucket .. I forget the burning sun ...I turn and run as fast as my legs will carry me  back into the village  ...  I approach the first group of men I see and breathlessly tell them that they need to come see a man that I met at the well.   I tell them that he might well be the Messiah, the Christ,  that has been expected for so long .. 

I am suddenly thankful that  I am known to tell the truth for I do not have to try to convince the men to believe me.  They are immediately interested and willingly follow me back to the well.  

Jesus,  as we now learn his name,  accepts our invitation -- actually we beg him- to come to our village.  We want to hear more of what He has to say.  He comes and stays for 2 days and what amazing two days they are !   

I will never be  the same again - our village will never be the same --  ... 

While I have  no idea of everything that will  yet happen, it is enough to know that I am free, forgiven and in love with Jesus ... 

You know what the neatest thing is?   Before when mothers would see me in the village they would point me out to their children and while I could not hear what the mothers whispered, I could easily guess ...and they would cross over to the other side of the street,  the children looking back  at me in horror from behind their mother's skirt.   But now ??   The mothers point me out to their children and tell them I am the woman who brought Jesus to the village!    You have no idea how that makes me feel ..  I can't stop smiling and I just want to hug everyone !!   

I never  guessed that a couple of thousand years later you would be reading my story ... I am so humbled ... but if my story can help you to know Jesus better, then I can't tell you how amazing that is !  and to Him be all the glory !!!  

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What can we take personally from this story ? 

When we study any scripture passage the most important thing to glean from it is  that which reveals God's character ... the more we know Him the more our faith will grow, and nothing pleases God as much as  His children learning to trust Him !!  

So what do we see about God's character in this story? 

He is no respecter of persons ... 

 We see expressed the truth of  Acts 10:34   that says God is no respecter of persons.  To God EVERY human being has equal value before Him.   That is a little hard to grasp in our world-standard thinking, isn't it ?    How can the worst murderer of children have as much value as Billy Graham?  Or the drug dealer or a pimp  have as much value as Fanny Crosby?

Yet of all the people Jesus could have reached out to, He choose the lowest of the low, a Samaritan,  a woman , and an immoral one.   The one most looked down on.  And we see no condescending attitude, no judgement, no criticism, only gentle love.  

So --  God's character --  He sees the 'value' in each person , He sees not who they are but who they were created to be !   AMAZING ...  He looks not to their past, but to their future.   

Therefore we know, that God will never turn away from us if we come to Him, no matter who we are or what we have done .. what a comfort - what a security.  

see .. Luke 18:13, Matt. 19:14,  Mark 2:16 

He does not allow cross-criticism 

When the disciples came back to find Jesus talking to a woman,  we are told what the disciples were thinking ... how they were judging the woman and the situation they walked into... yet Jesus, of course knowing their thoughts,  did not even address them.  Because God will not listen to people bringing accusations or criticism against another .. .God does not care what others think of you, the only thing that matters is what HE thinks of you ...  Just as when Martha brought accusation against her sister, Jesus did not receive it ...   Nor can the 'accuser of the brethren'   bring accusation against us .. He has been defeated at the cross and has no right to come before God any more !  

see ...   Rom. 14:4 , Rev. 12:10 

Laws,  society norms, man's judgments do not rule Him 

By all standards of moral and religious law, Jesus should have avoided the Samaritan woman, but He welcomed her into His presence.  

Religious rituals, sacrifices, fasting etc.  do not impress God, He will  do according to His perfect will and His will is always ruled by love. 

   He judges according to the heart and draws near to people in whom He sees a 'space'  waiting for Him to fill - those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth, not with ritual or religious works. 

see Psalm 51:17, Deut. 10:12, Amos 5:21-24, Hosea 6:6, James 1:27   

He is Safe 

It must have felt so strange to the Samaritan woman to speak to someone who did not judge her, even though He knew everything about her ! Jesus never condemned her, criticized her or made her feel that He looked down on her or considered her having no value. 

This is such an important insight into the heart of God ... 

Jesus said that the self-righteous don't need Him, but the sinners do and He compared Himself to a physician ... Why ?   

When you go to a physician because you are sick you do not hold back or pretend you are well.  You tell him all your symptoms -- that you have violent headaches, you are dizzy,  you have joint pain,  your stomach is upset and you are nauseous all the time.   And what does the doctor say?  Does he say , "That is absolutely terrible of you, go away and don't come back until you are feeling better !"    Of course not ..He will say .. "Okay, we'll run some tests , get to the bottom of what is troubling you and I can assure you I will help you get better !" 

While we don't expect condemnation from our doctor,  we tend to expect it from God when we try to  hide from Him our failings and shame. 

 

God will not invade our 'privacy' .. so He waits for us to be honest with Him -- then He reaches out for us and lovingly says... "Here, I can help you get better .. I have the cure!!"   No condemnation, only a loving willingness to help and to heal. 

Jesus was nothing but kind and loving to the Samaritan woman  because that is who He is, that is His character and so we can be assured He will be the same to us! 

What God Looks for 

In the story we see that what Jesus saw in the Samaritan woman was her honest heart , her quick response to trust  Him and her eagerness to tell others about Him.  

She wasn't perfect,  she wasn't qualified to meet any standard we would hold up,  yet God choose her for something that any one of us can offer Him... 

We don't have to be rich, or wise or strong -- or educated or hold a respected position in a career or ministry, in fact we need have ANY of the things the world would look for ...  no,  God looks for those who are simply willing to show Him their hearts, and be eager to worship Him in spirit and truth. 

Can we not all come to Him alongside the Samaritan woman?   Of course ...   and like her,  God can use us to make a difference in our world.  

I thought of how the Covid 19 is a picture of how we bring Jesus into a dark world ... we are 'infected' , then we touch someone close to us , and they become infected .. .and they reach out and touch those near them .. and then those go out and infect others ...  1 becomes 2, 2 become 4, 4 become 8, 8 become 16, 16 become 32, 32 become 64 ... and soon there is a spiritual PANDEMIC !!   May a tsunami of the Holy Spirit wash over us and may we be like the Samaritan woman to tell those around us how great God is !!   and infect others by how we 'live' - simply bringing to God an honest heart and sharing what He has given us ... It will be enough!! 

Jehoshebeath - A Woman of Influence

In our fast paced world where nothing stays the same and no one has enough ‘time’ .. it is hard sometimes to focus on the important things of life that do not change.

It is hard to feel that we can make a difference when we see the tsunami of evil invading every aspect of our society.  We see hearts growing cold and life becoming less and less valued.

But God is not diminished, He is not out of control,  He is not frustrated that His plan is not working out – in fact, the opposite is true.  God’s promises are still true, God is still totally in control, His plans for His children as viable and important as ever they were.

"Really?"

 Is that your question ?  Do you sometimes feel there is nothing that God has called you to do that will make a difference, nothing important enough to even be noted or remembered?

God has given us His word, and He declares that in it is written all we need to understand Him and His ways and to find comfort and guidance in every area of our lives.

He oft ‘teaches’ us through the stories of people who have gone before.  Though they may have lived thousands of years before our time, their situations, the difficult circumstances of their life or the evil around them is oft picturing our own  times.  And we can find answers in their stories that apply to our questions.

Have you heard of Jehoshabeath?  Probably not.  Yet she is immortalized in the pages of our scriptures.  Let me take the facts recorded in II Chronicles 21-23, and read between the lines fleshing out the scanty details we are given, so  that we can ‘feel’ Jehoshabeath’s life and recognize the example she is to us.

Jehoshabeath  was  the daughter of a King and the granddaughter of a King.  We would imagine that her life would have been the sheltered life  of an adored princess, filled with affluence and luxury and servants. 

 But it  wasn’t.  

She was born into a very dysfunctional home. He father, Jehoram,  was evil, feared/hated by all who knew him.  The kind of father you would wish on no child.  Her mother, Athelia,  was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, brought up to think and do what was evil and wicked.

Jehoshabeath, growing up, would have suffered the attitude, reactions and whispers of people who recognized her as the daughter of the hated king, and having  a mother  even more evil than her husband. 

Jehoshebeath  was a tender-hearted girl who loved the Lord.  We wonder how she was able to stay pure of heart and soul living in a home where evil ruled.
I wonder … was Jehoshebeath named for her grandfather, Jehoshaphat?  Did she have a special relationship with him and learn about God at his knee?

When Jehoshaphat was about to die, he divided his wealth among his sons but left the throne to his oldest son, Jehoram.   Jehosebeath was about 13 years old when her father was established as King in Jerusalem.

The first thing Jehoram did upon taking the throne,  was to secure his position by killing all of his brothers.   I can’t help but feel the shock and horror that must have filled young  Jehoshebeath’s heart to witness her father coldly murdering his own brothers. 

Jehoram was  a wicked king,  not following his father’s godly example,  but rather following the council of his wicked wife, Athelia.   

Jehoshebeath must have feared every day what would happen next …  what violence would invade her fragile world.

God stirred up the Philistines and the Arabians to come against Jehoram because of his wickedness.. They came and ransacked the palace taking his possessions and his sons ,carrying them off. Only the youngest by the name of Ahaziah, Jehoshebeath’s brother, escaped. 

Soon after, the invasion, Jehoram,  came to the end of his eight year reign.  God struck him with a horrible, painful condition of his intestines and he died.  His ephitaph was that “to no one’s sorrow, he departed.”  

Did Jehoshebeath mourn her father’s death?   I don't know,  but I think she would have been afraid of what her brother and his mother would do now.   Jehrom’s only remaining son, Ahaziah, took the throne with his mother beside him.

Sometime either shortly before her father died or shortly after – we are not given the time- something very unusual happened in Jehoshebeath’s life.
God was watching over her and had an ‘escape’ planned for her.  Marriage … That in itself is not unusual but what was very unusual was WHO she married.  She married a priest by the name of Jehoiada, who was about 50 years older than Jehoshebeath.

A princess never married a priest!  It was not done. And a priest marrying the granddaughter of Ahab and Jezebel? Never…  I don’t know how God worked circumstances to make it happen – just this once!  … Maybe He spoke to Jehoiada and told him to marry the beautiful young princess who faithfully came to the temple to pray and to bring her sacrifice.  Maybe Jehoiada reminded Jehoshebeath of her grandfather and she longed to ‘be safe’ with someone who loved God as she did.

What we do know is that God had His eye on this girl…  guarding, guiding her through her life because He had a purpose for her to fulfill.

Her brother when he took the throne followed the example set by his father and did wickedly according to his mother’s advice.  God sent Jehu against those remaining of Ahab’s household and all were killed.  Ahaziah hid himself, but Jehu found him and killed him too.

When Athelia heard that her son was dead, she immediately set about to kill all the royal heirs – which would have included her grandchildren.

Someone quickly informed Jehoshebeath what Athelia was doing – or had ordered someone else to do -  and she reacted quickly.
Jehoshebeath snuck into the palace and snatched up her one year old nephew, Joash,  and his nurse and hid them in a bedchamber in the temple.

She and her husband Jehoiada became the only parents Joash would ever know. They  loved and protected him, treating him with kindness.

For six years Athelia ruled.

Then one day, when Joash was seven years old, Jehoiada gathered together men of the tribe of Levi and armed them.  They surrounded Joash as he was taken out of hiding and brought to the temple where he was publically crowned, given the law, anointed and declared king to the shouts and cheers of the people.

Athelia , hearing the tumult and shouting came to the temple to see what was going on. When she saw the boy Joash standing by the  temple pillar, she shouted “Treason, treason!”  but no one stood with her.  Jehoiada commanded that she not be killed in the temple but that she be taken outside and killed. 

And so Joash reigned for 40 years over Judah, listening to and following the godly counsel of his father Jehoiada.  And the people had peace.  I find it interesting that Jehoiada lived to be 130 years old ... so that he could advise Joash for his 40 year reign ..  and maybe to be a husband for Jehoahebeath as long as she needed him?   Even Moses only lived to 120. 

Jehoshebeath’s name means “Jehovah is my oath” .  A very significant meaning.  It was through Jeshoshebeath that God was able to keep His oath/promise to King David , that there would always be a descendant to sit on his throne, until the Messiah came.  If Jeshoshebeath had not rescued Joash, all of David’s descendants would have been killed. And in rescuing him, she brought him under the godly influence of herself and Jehoiada. 

I admire this woman we seldom look at. I love how she stayed true to God, kept her faith in Him, turned her back on the luxury of the palace for a simpler life in the temple.  She rather married a godly man than a prince or man of wealth. She also proves to us that we do not have to be bound by our circumstances or the sin of our parents. 

I also hear her speak  that if God had a purpose for her … He has a purpose for everyone of His children …  Not a one of us is unnecessary in His kingdom, not one life is without meaning.  No matter how dark it looks around us, how hopeless – as it must have for young Jehoshebeath – we know that God is watching over us, guiding us according to His good purposes and covering us with His love and grace.

 "(God), who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began ...  

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. .....  

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. " 

- II Timothy 1:9, II Corinthians 9:8 , Romans 8:28 

Recognizing the Enemy

Every human being is created in 'the image of God'.  No matter how vile a man becomes, buried within him remains that 'image' of who he was created to be like.
It seems that we so easily fall  short of being transformed from the 'earthly image' into the 'godly image'  that we lose sight of how valuable we really are.

Why is it so difficult?
Simple answer ...  everything that has worth or value is fought over.  And we are all caught in a battle for our soul.
Jesus, in His ultimate sacrifice and resurrection, won the right to receive every man to Himself - every man that desires to be His follower is lovingly 'born again' into the family and Kingdom of God.
But ... as soon as we declare our allegiance to the Lord, the enemy - Satan and his demons - screams in anger at his loss and plots to lure us back within his grasp.

Someone once wisely said ... "He who best understands his enemy wins the war."
How true !   Do we as believers understand our enemy?  Do we recognize him when he throws his darts?   Do we know how to defeat him?  How to live in the victory that is declared ours by the mouth of God?

There is a very insightful story in the Old Testament that pictures for us the tactics of the enemy and his limitations, as well as the authority and strength of the one whose trust is in God.  We learn best by pictures or stories  and the lesson learned goes deep into our understanding.

The book of Nehemiah tells his story.  Nehemiah was a godly man, dedicated to love, worship and serve his God.
His heart was toward his people and when he heard of their distress because the 'walls of Jerusalem  were broken down', he cried out to God on their behalf.  (Neh. 1:3,4,5)  Responding to Nehemiah's cry  God sent him out to repair the house of God and the walls of protection around it.
What higher calling does the believer have but to build and repair in the Kingdom of God, to encourage the saints and to restore what has been destroyed.

No sooner had Nehemiah set himself to the work of God, but the enemy immediately heard of it and was 'deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel'.  (Neh.2:10)

The name of Nehemiah's enemy was Sanballet.   This name is interesting when you look for its meaning.  The Jewish Encyclopedia gives the Assyrian meaning as 'sin is vivified' (or, sin has given life)  Another meaning I found was 'enemy in secret'.   So it seems that the enemy in our story was aptly named, and it isn't much of a stretch to link him with Satan.

We see Sanballet's heart motives.  In Nehemiah 2:19 we are told that Sanballet despised Nehemiah and his people and laughed them to scorn !
We know that Satan despises God's people and mocks them in his anger. He "seeks whom he may devour" (I Peter 5:8)

Before we examine the tactics of Sanballet, we have a very revealing statement by Nehemiah. He declares to Sanballet ..  "The God of heaven Himself will prosper us, therefore we, His servants, will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem."  (Neh. 2:20)

That is such an insightful truth we need to tuck into our hearts. Satan has no heritage or rights  in God's Kingdom. He shares nothing with God's people!

As we look at the intent of Sanballet to come against Nehemiah and to stop his work, we see that Sanballet was limited in the ways he could attempt this.


THE LIE 
The first darts Sanballet threw at Nehemiah were 'lies'.  He accused Nehemiah of working without the king's permission and was in fact in rebellion to the king. (Neh. 2:19)

Satan's first attempt to harm us is always with lies.  We  remember his first lie in the garden of Eden... "Did God really say.....?"
Satan's lies always aim to plant doubt in our minds - taunting us to doubt God's word, to doubt His promises, to doubt His love for us.  He has endless variations on the theme ... "Did God REALLY say....  did He really mean ....?"
He plants the questions in our minds - "Maybe God's promises aren't for me, maybe I did something to incur God's disfavor,  His disappointment, maybe even His anger. Maybe I am not worthy of His love,  maybe God has turned away from me and will not hear my prayers  ...."

Any voice that plants doubt in our mind  is not of God but is the voice of the enemy.

THE BELITTLING 
Another tactic Sanballet employed was the mocking, belittling - the destroying of confidence. He cried out that Nehemiah and his people were 'feeble' , unable to accomplish what they set out to do. Whatever they did would fail, and fall down around them.  (Neh. 4:2)

Satan would have us look upon our own weaknesses instead the power of the Spirit within us.  He would have us falter,  like Peter, looking down at the water and sinking instead of keeping our eyes on Jesus.
Jesus speaks words of encouragement ... Satan's words always belittle and discourage.

CONFUSION 
Sanballet plotted to create confusion, and in the confusion he would be able to  enter and destroy before Nehemiah saw him coming. He sent word to the Jews that no matter where they turned they would be ambushed.
In Neh. 4:10  it speaks of the results of confusion - failing strength to work, and so much rubbish that it kept them from building the wall.

We easily see the truth of that in our own lives , don't we?  In the confusion of all the voices around us, we grow weary and are overwhelmed with the 'rubbish' that we see and hear all around us.
I think of the song lyrics that  refer to the confusion of 'the things of earth'  that grow dim when we keep our eyes on Jesus, believing His voice. (Turn your eyes upon Jesus)

FEAR 

Sanballet sought to strike fear in Nehemiah's heart. (Neh. 6:9) Fear that would cause him to be paralyzed, unable to continue the work. Sanballet tried to distract Nehemiah by threatening him and making him afraid of what the enemy could do to him.  

Fear - Satan knows that fear is man's most crippling emotion.  Fear is never from God .. because God is love and there is no fear in love.  When there is fear in our heart, we see the footprints of the enemy.  Fear lurks in the dark.   In fear there is torment. (I am not talking here about the 'good' kind of fear - the fear that is profound respect, for fire, water, gravity, and God Himself ) 

God never tries to motivate us with fear ..  He motivates us with love.   

When fear threatens our peace, we can with Nehemiah speak to the enemy .. "No such things as you say are being done, but you invent them in your own heart."  (Neh. 6:8) 

If we stand against the enemy, refusing to allow him to fill our hearts with fear but rather drawing near to God , he will flee !  (James 4:7) 

DECEPTION 

Sanballet had one more trick up his sleeve.  Unable to distract Nehemiah openly, he sought to find his vulnerability, to deceive him.  So he found someone who was a 'secret informer' - one who Nehemiah thought was his friend.  Sanballet sent this 'friend' to Nehemiah pretending to have his best interests at heart. He came with an invitation for Nehemiah to come meet him in the house of God. There they would be safe from the enemy who were plotting to kill him that night. 

Nehemiah was almost taken in ... but then recognized that God had not sent this man at all but that he had been 'hired' by Sanballet. (Neh.6:13)

We too need to be on guard that we are not taken in by 'friends'  that bring false messages.  If the message is contrary to God's word, it is not from Him and we need not fear the message or the messenger.    

IN CONCLUSION 

It is interesting to note that in our story Sanballet never 'touched' Nehemiah, never attacked physically, though his army stood ready.  Nehemiah - with God's word in his mouth was protected from the enemy.  He stood in victory because he never faltered in  keeping his focus on God and standing on His truth.  

Nehemiah knew he did not have to fight the enemy, God fought for him and his people, and it was God Himself who discredited the enemy and brought "their counsel to nothing".  (Neh. 4:14,15,20)

Nehemiah finished his work, and "when all the enemies heard of it ... they were very disheartened and perceived that this work was done by God." (Neh. 6:16)

So we too, with the sword of God's word in our mouth, can stand in victory,  not fearing what the enemy could do to us ... because "greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world."  (I John 4:4) 

And as we do the 'work' God has called us to, the enemy watching will be disheartened, knowing it is God who is working in and through us. 

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Where are you, God?

Where is God ?

When the darkness ‘round me closes in,

When fear and anxiety drum my heart’s din,

When all goodness is squeezed from my life,

When pain and suffering slash like a knife,

I fall,

I fail,

I call out in vain….

My tears drop like the rain…

Oh God, were can you be?

The answer is soft,

“I’m too close to see!”

                         julie klassen,2016

I was thinking about how  far away God seems at the darkest times in our life. When we need Him the most, we grope in vain to find Him. 

Through my mind paraded bible heroes of  faith, and I realized how they too went through 'dark' times when God seemed to be far away.  Yet, in hindsight,  we know their stories from God's perspective  and can easily see that God was the closest to them in the worst times. He was working out what was needful for His highest purpose in their lives. 

I thought of Joseph, suffering in prison for a crime he did not commit - then, when hope finally came, it was dashed for two more long years.  He was forgotten - no family, no friends - where was God?  He was preparing Joseph for the 'moment' when he would step into the role of second-to-Pharaoh - ruler in the land. Through Joseph, God would save the people.  The telling of his story has captured the imagination of thousands of generations!    

I thought of Elijah, who stood alone against a wicked king and his even more evil queen who wrathfully threatened his life.  Elijah fled in fear ... where was God?  God was so close He was in the whisper. 

I thought of Naomi, who fled with her family to a foreign land, to escape the famine and then lost her husband as well as her two sons.  She returned home , empty and feeling forsaken by God, with a heathen daughter-in-law who insisted on going with her. Had He forsaken her?  Oh no, God was too close to see - He was walking alongside putting the details in place for Naomi to be blessed through her daughter-in-law, Ruth, to be the grandmother of King David and in the genealogy of Jesus. 

I thought of David whose psalms express his heart's cries when he felt abandoned, unable to find God.  Yet, we know, God was close ... looking upon David as a 'man after His own heart' - a king who pre-figured the coming King of kings, Jesus! 

I thought of Job, who cried out for God and wished for death, unable to bear the darkness of his lonely pain and suffering.  Where was God? Close ... very close.. about to speak to Job in audible voice. God knew this short time of testing in Job's life would be written about and be God-glorifying for millennia to come.

I thought of Esther, who faced a life and death situation - in her words, "If I perish, I perish."   Where was God?   Hovering very close, about to use Esther "for that moment of purpose" where she would save her people. 

I thought of Abraham, climbing the mountain with his beloved son, ready to sacrifice him according to God's command.   Where was God?  Oh, so very close - about to provide in  prophetic picture the supreme sacrifice He would make in the death of His own Son. 

I thought of Jesus Himself , at the moment of His full humanity, when He cried out .. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken Me?"    Where was God?   Oh...   so very close !  His love, through His Son, reaching out to save the whole world. 

God recorded these stories of bible characters for us, so that we can be encouraged and strengthened - so that we can be inspired to deepen our faith, having the assurance that even as God did not abandon them, neither will He abandon us in our time of need but will draw  near to us...  so near that He is too close for us to see. 

Duet. 31:6 "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear, nor be afraid of them, for the Lord you God, He is the One, who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."

Heb. 13:5b,6 "... For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you', so we may boldly say, ' The Lord is my helper, I will not fear, what can man do to me?' "

Malachi 3:6 .. "For I am the Lord, I do not change!" 

Martha, Martha !

                                                                                                                              painting by Harold Copping

Martha ,  is  one of the more readily known characters of the bible -- but I feel that too often Martha is criticized without giving her due credit and praise!

I wrote about Mary a few posts back -  and did not intend to  ignore her sister Martha!
The sisters, Mary and Martha - we so rarely think of one without the other.
But there is much we can learn from Martha by putting her centre stage instead of looking at her in the shadow of the sister that is so readily given the higher praise.

Martha, is not 'less than' Mary, in fact, she has the highest commendation that can be given ...
Jesus LOVED her !
John 11:5  "Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister and Lazarus."
Note how Mary is not mentioned by name in this verse, only as Martha's sister! Is it to draw our attention to Martha to see what Jesus saw and valued in her?

Martha --  no other bible character shares her name.  
Martha means 'mistress' - mistress of her home.
From the facts we are given we can glean that Martha indeed was 'mistress' of her home. We know her husband must have died because the laws of her society did not allow women to own property unless they were widowed.
We know Martha was hospitable.   It says she 'received'  Jesus into her home.  The Greek word used there means "entertain hospitably'.
There was a reason Jesus went often to her home. Martha knew how to treat her guests. She 'served' them, made them feel welcome and cared about!   Her home was a place of 'rest' and 'comfort' where needs were anticipated and met.

But then , in the recorded story we are so familiar with in Luke 10:38-42 , we see that something goes wrong.
We find the clue to discover what went wrong from Jesus' words to Martha.  He says "...you are encumbered..." 
The Greek word translated encumbered means 'to drag all around'.
Have you ever felt like you were 'dragging around' ?  Feeling burdened down with a to-do list longer than your day, feeling like everyone else was 'playing' and all the work was left to you ?    Isn't it often our 'attitude' , rather than our task itself, that is so heavy we are 'dragging' it around ?
We see this attitude found root in Martha's thinking  since she verbalizes it  to Jesus, "Don't you care...?" 
+   
Lets change the story up a little... do a little role reversal.
Lets imagine that Martha is doing what she loves to do -- serving others and  graciously taking delight in seeing others enjoy her hospitality.
Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to His words.   She looks up and sees Martha busily serving -  getting fresh drinks, refilling plates, getting napkins, finding an extra cushion for the one whose back is sore.
Mary, feeling pride that she has rather chosen to sit at the feet of Jesus than rush around serving food and drinks,  says to Jesus, "Jesus, look at my sister, Martha.  She is just running around doing needless tasks instead of sitting at your feet , as I am doing, drinking in your words!"  
What would Jesus have said to her ?
He would have said ... "Mary, you are indeed sitting at my feet, but Martha has chosen to serve me with the gift I have given her and I will not take it away from her."   

How do I know that is what Jesus would have said ?
Because Jesus does not allow finger pointing.
We have another example in John 21:21,22 where Peter , having been told that he will die a violent death, looks around and points to John asking .. "What about him?" and Jesus answers .. "What's that to YOU?"  
Also in II Cor. 10:12 we are told not to compare ourselves one to another.
Each of us has been given a gift of God and if we use that gift to His glory , one is not better or higher than another .
What we need to guard is the attitude in which we exercise our gifts and to recognize that ALL gifts are needful .

Do we need servers in the body of Christ ?? Most definitely.  It is the Marthas that do the things that make us comfortable, that make us feel welcome , that add those touches that lift our hearts and brighten our days.  It is the Marthas that make 'room' for the other gifts to flourish,  They are the ones who walk into a situation and see what needs to be done !  It is the Marthas who make sure that nothing distracts the heart from God, but rather makes room to draw the heart to see God.
We see this modelled in Martha - that very practical 'gift' of serving/organizing/recognizing and doing what is needed.

• we see her serving in her own house - hospitality (Luke 10:38)
• we see her serving in other people's homes - Simon the leper (Matt. 26:6)
• after her brother died - interestingly it was not Mary who ran to meet Jesus, it was Martha.  Mary is overcome by grief, Martha is still in 'control' thinking ahead, thinking what is best to do, doing what can she put her hand to, helping others (as calling Mary to come to Jesus)  (John 11:20)
• at the grave - when Jesus commands the stone to be rolled away - it is Martha that immediately evaluates the situation -- and points out that since the body has already been in the grave for 4 days there will be a terrible smell.  (John 11:39)

Is the serving gift exalted in scripture ?   very much ! 

• Matt. 20:27-28 Whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve. 
• Gal. 5:13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty, only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 
• I Peter 4:9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. 

I am not a Martha, I am more a Mary -- BUT -- I admire the Marthas I know, appreciate them, love them, and I watch them, learning from their example how  to be more like them. 

"What's in a Name, Baruch ??"

I think about what it must have been like for Baruch to carefully, painstakingly copy letter by letter , word for word, the message that Jeremiah dictated.    What kind of scroll was it , what kind of pen, what kind of ink ...  how long did it take him ?
The greatest miracle is that we .. thousands of years later... have Baruch's recorded words in our hand, in our language!

We looked at the life of Baruch in my last post -- today I wanted to share some neat insights if we dig even deeper into Baruch's carefully recorded  ancient words of scripture.

1. Names are important in the bible, their meaning telling a story about the name bearer.

Baruch means 'blessed'.   His name is often linked with that of his father, Teriah .
Teriah means 'light of God'.

I'm reminded of the first Psalm that says... "Blessed is the man ... (whose) delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law he mediates day and night."   

So we have Baruch -- blessed because day and night he sits in the 'light - or Word- of God'...
(Psa 119:130  The entrance of Your words gives light; )

2. There is a neat analogy/picture in the story of Baruch.

When we first saw Baruch,  he was involved with the legalities of Jeremiah's purchase of land -- but this was no personal investment for future economic security.
Jeremiah was carrying out God's word of commandment to him - it was a prophetic enactment with meaning. To the Jews it was meant to be a pictorial promise  that one day God would restore them to their land.  He held the deed to it and would preserve it.

But I believe there is a deeper meaning for us  hidden in this picture.
After  Baruch wrote out the documents according to God's words and sealed the deeds  according to legal procedures,  Jeremiah then gave Baruch this further order. We read it in Jer. 32:13-15,   

Then I charged Baruch before them saying, 

"thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: 

Take these deeds, both this purchase deed which is sealed and this deed which is open, 

and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last many days."

In this picture we see  in Baruch an example of both  the 'hearing' and the 'doing' of God's word.  

Jas 1:23  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 

 God added one last detail in His instructions... "put them in an earthen vessel" .

Why ?  so they would last many days.  

In II Cor. 4:7  our physical bodies are referred to as earthen vessels ...
and in Psa 119:11  we read ... Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  It is not enough to hear, or even to keep the letter of God's laws  ... we need also to 'hide' it in our hearts so that it will be preserved -  as a 'living Word' that becomes part of us. 

So then from this picture we see ...  "We are blessed if we meditate on God's word, walk in the light of it, and hide it in our heart, so it will 'last many days' --We know God's word, His promises will stand, they will not fail and if we keep them in our heart, they will bear  eternal fruit and we know in Him - the Word of God - we have eternal life!"  

3. There is another interesting 'picture' in this story.    

Jeremiah's prophecy came true -- Israel was carried away into captivity by the  Babylonian king.  

Jeremiah and Baruch were among the few that remained  in the land of Israel, but Baruch's brother Seraiah was among those taken captive.   

Jeremiah had a task for Seraiah.  He  gave him the following instructions. (Jer.51:59-64)

He said, "Seraiah, when you go with the King of Judah, with those taken captive to Babylon , when you get there, take this scroll  upon which I have written all the evils that will come upon Babylon. They shall be utterly and completely destroyed. When you have finished reading it so all can hear, then tie a stone to the scroll and throw it out into the Euphrates River so that they will know that as the scroll sinks to be seen no more, so also shall Babylon sink and be no more when I bring my judgement upon her!"   

It is  interesting or important to note  that Seraiah was given this task and not Baruch.     

Baruch's name means  'blessing' and this was no blessing that God was proclaiming upon Babylon.  

Seraiah's name means .. 'God has prevailed!"  making him such a 'fit' choice to deliver  the judgement prophecy over Babylon.   

So the people of Babylon who stood listening to Seraiah,  HEARD the words of God,  SAW it enacted ,  and also , could not ignore the name of the messenger GOD HAS PREVAILED!   

When God speaks -- so shall it be !! 

Baruch,  a little known character in the bible... but with surprisingly much to teach us !  

The Dispelling of Shame

One day , long , long ago, a baby was born.

The baby’s birth was celebrated as only the birth of a King’s son can be.

Loving arms and affluence withheld nothing needful or desired for the baby.

His name? Mephibosheth.

A difficult name to pronounce was perhaps the first indication that an easy life was not to be for this dear child.

His loving father , however, hid hope in the meaning of the name he bestowed upon his son - ‘dispeller of shame’.

It was because of  the child’s grandfather, Saul, that the events unfolded that changed the course of his life, bringing shame upon him. 

The child was only five years old when disaster struck the house of King Saul.

When news that the battle had taken the lives of both King Saul and Mephibosheth’s father  came to the palace,  panic ensued. Fear spread like flames of fire and everyone fled for their life.

The young child’s nurse could not bear to leave her charge behind and snatched him up to carry him with her. In her frantic hurry, she stumbled and dropped him .  Mephibosheth's  legs were injured , leaving him permanently crippled.

We hear nothing more of this boy through the rest of his childhood and into his adult life until years later.

One day Mephiboseth had a visitor. Not someone he knew but a stranger, who demanded that Mephiboseth immediately accompany him. The King was demanding that he be brought to the palace to appear before him.

Mephiboseth was terrified. He knew the stories of how wickedly his grandfather had treated David and tried many times to take his life. Now David was king and obviously wanting to even the score. Take his just revenge!

Trembling , he was led to the throne of King David and there fell on his face before him in pleading tones offering himself as a willing servant!

Imagine how his trembling fear turned to disbelief - when he heard the words…. “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for Jonathan , your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather ….. “ and best of all, the words …… “You shall eat bread at my table continually!”

Mephibosheth, having lived with shame all his life was unable to grasp the ‘dispelling’ of it … and questioned … “Why ? why would you do this… why even look at a dead dog such as I?”

But it was true, the King’s blessings were poured upon Mephiboseth. He was treated as one of the King’s sons, sharing the King’s table for the rest of his life. (II Sam. 4, II Sam. 9)

***

This story is such a beautiful picture of us , isn’t it ?

Each of us fell through Adam and Eve and were crippled under the shame of sin, fearful of the judgment we deserved.

Yet, we are called by God, chosen by Him … for the sake of His Son … exchanging our shame for His righteousness.

He calls us His sons/daughters and invites us to eat at His table forever !

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God….” I John 3:1

“... That you may eat eat and drink at My table in My Kingdom …” Luke 22:30

Who in the world is Erastus?

                                                                               photo source - www.bibleplaces.com

I know we all have a funny bone but I believe there must also be such a thing as a curious bone and mine is a little larger than most !

Sometimes I learn the most interesting things that begin with a detail that stirs up my curiosity.

One such detail grabbed me some time ago when I was reading Acts 19:22 which says ....

"So he (Paul) sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus ....."

I thought ... Timothy we all know... but who is Erastus ???

I wondered if he was mentioned anywhere else in scripture and I found another reference to him in II Tim. 4:20 where it states that Paul left him in Corinth. Erastus's name appears one more time in Romans 16:23. In this reference we are given a clue to his identity.

He was the "treasurer of the city" from which Paul was writing the letter to the Romans. The city was Corinth.

Not much to go on, but putting our gleanings together and reading between the lines we can know the following facts about Erastus...

1. He was a Christian
2. He was respected and valued by Paul
3. He ministered to Paul
4. He travelled with Paul
5. He was a friend of Timothy and went on mission trips with him
6. He was the treasurer of the city of Corinth

It was that last detail that gave me an idea. If Erastus was the treasurer of Corinth perhaps there would be some references to him in secular history.

And today how easy is it to pursue a trail with Google at our fingertips ever ready to guide us.

My search was enlightening.

I learned that in 1929 an archaeologist by the name of T.L.Shear found among the ruins of Corinth a paving stone. This paving stone bore an inscription that read "Erastus, Procurator and Aedile, laid this pavement at his own expense". (see photo of the paving stone above)

An 'Aedile' - latin - was someone in charge of the financial matters of a city.

The paving stone had been laid in the 50's AD which would have been the time that Paul's Erastus lived in Corinth.

What are the chances of there being two treasurers at that time named Erastus? Probably rather slim.

I did a little more digging and learned that in Rome anyone holding public office , such as treasurer would be a wealthy man and it was the wealthy men who personally paid for the public roads.

I thought about Timothy's father being Greek and perhaps also rich and/or influential. (Timothy also ministered to Paul - indicating that he had some wealth). Therefore, it made sense to me why Timothy would have been partnered with Erastus - they may well have found things they held in common besides their faith. Both holding family wealth and also perhaps both having pagan family members who did not agree with their belief in Jesus - perhaps even causing them personal opposition.

Erastus being a city official and therefore being wealthy would have been well able to minister to Paul and provide for his physical needs and comforts.

A few interesting details but my imagination flew to wondering what could have been the personal story of Erastus.

Was he married? did he have children?

How did he become a believer ?

He was a wealthy Roman in influencial places. Somehow, somewhere he heard about the followers of the new religion. Perhaps one in his own house was a believer who told him about Jesus. He was interested, the message found a receptive place in his heart. Was it a struggle for him to turn away from his Roman gods - to turn his back on what he had always been taught and believed ?

Was he ridiculed, mocked by his Roman family/friends?

Did he risk everything to follow Jesus?

What was he able to offer from his official city office that which was helpful to the church?

We know he was sincere, that his conversion was real and that it was wholehearted.

How often did he sit with Paul in deep conversation about the believers at Corinth and what was happening in the Corinthian church as well as the other churches that were being planted and growing in other cities.

He was an important person in Paul's life and therefore important to the early church and I regret that we know so little about him.

I have a list of the people I want to look up in eternity and ask them all the questions that I have about them.

Erastus is on that list!

*

A New Look at the Christmas Story

Sometimes we don't realize how easily we filter what we see or hear through the grid of what is familiar to us or according to the cultural defines of our world.

I believe we do this more often than we know with the bible stories or teaching that we have heard all our lives.

I recently read a very interesting book by Kenneth Bailey called "Jesus, through Middle Eastern Eyes". Kenneth is a university professor who spent sixty years living in the Middle East observing first hand the ways and customs of the village people -- so little changed over the last 2000 years.

What he reveals changes some of the details of the Christmas Story that are taken for granted in the telling and retelling of the events as they are understood from our own cultural perspective. We are unaware that the details may well be different than we have been given to understand them.

Let's examine the story from the Middle Eastern culture in which the events of the beloved story took place.

1> The Census-
"So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city." Luke 2:3
When the census degree was issued everyone had to present himself in the city of his birth.
Immediately, we imagine people going back to the city of their birth - a city that has changed and grown. Joseph and Mary would be entering a city crowded with travellers all looking for accommodations .. and just like we have experienced .. the inns, the hotels all have 'No Vacancy' signs hung in the window.
Not so .... in ancient Bethlehem !
Joseph was not travelling to a foreign city. He was going home! Home where many family members still lived. Not only was he going 'home' but he was considered 'royal'. Bethlehem boasted of so many descendants of King David that they affectionately referred to it as The City of David. Joseph was "of the house and lineage of David" meaning that most every house in Bethlehem would be open to him.
To refuse hospitality to a descendent of King David would reflect negatively on the whole community. It wouldn't happen!

So if we accept that Joseph and Mary would not have come to Bethlehem with no where to stay .. how do we deal with the other details of the story as we have understood it?

2> The Inn
But the scriptures specifically say "for there was no room in the inn" , don't they?
Yes.. but ... what is meant by 'the inn' ?
There is a specific Greek word for what we would call a hotel or public inn. That word is used in the parable of the Good Samaritan. But the Greek word used here in the Christmas story is a word that is used only one other time and that is when Jesus sent His disciples to go to a certain house and ask to use the upper room or guest chamber.
We need to understand something about the homes of the Middle East villagers... homes that remained unchanged into the middle of the 20th century.
The homes consisted of two rooms. One of those rooms - either build onto the side of the house or on top of the roof (as in the upper room or as was built for Elijah by the Shunamite woman) was set aside for a specific purpose. Hospitality being of such importance in the eastern culture every home had a 'guest room' where they could put their guests. It was used for no other purpose.
So now we know... the home where Joseph and Mary went to find lodging already had its 'guest room' occupied. Because of that, the babe was laid in a manger. So we have to answer the question of the 'manger'.

3> The Manger.
Again we need to examine the home of the common people of that time. Beside the 'guest room' there was one other room in the house. A long room that was divided by either timber laid across the width of it or a dropped floor.
This division was needed because on one side the family cooked/ate/slept/lived. On the dropped side the animals spent the night. They were brought in at dark and tied.
There were two reasons the animals were brought into the house. One was that the animals kept the house warm and the other was that it kept the animals safe.
At the divide between the animal side and the family's side were one or two mangers filled with straw. If the animals became hungry at night they could eat of the straw provided.
In the morning the animals were taken back out, the area thoroughly cleaned and fresh straw laid in the manger. Many a village babe was laid in this manger for the day. it was perfect !
It was here that baby Jesus was laid - His first bed.
Another misconception we have is that Mary suffered and birthed her babe alone. That would never happened in middle eastern culture. The women would have sent the men out of the house and they would have attended and cared for Mary when her time came. For the family or even villagers to have left her uncared for would have been an unspeakable travesty of hospitality or the blatant neglect of their own.

4> The Shepherds
When the angels appeared to the shepherds that night they gave them a 'sign' saying "and you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger".
What was the meaning of the sign? Why was it important for the shepherd to know this ?
Shepherds were considered the poor of the poor -- the lowest on the social ladder. If the angels had come and told them that a King had been born, the shepherds would never have dared to go look for him. They knew they would never be admitted to a palace or even into the home of a wealthy citizen of Bethlehem. But the angel told them "swaddling clothes, in a manger". That told the shepherds that this baby was born into a common village home. Swaddling clothes they understood -- their own children had been so wrapped.. and they all had a manger in their homes. The angels' message to them was that the babe was 'one of them'.

5> The Wise Men
Not only was the babe born for the poor, but also for the rich. The wise men were eager to find the new king - the babe the star directed them to.
We read that they came to the 'house' where Mary and Joseph were -- not a stable, not a cave but a house!
Some have tried to make this fact fit by saying that Mary and Joseph had moved back to Nazareth at this time but that is easily seen to be false just by reading the scripture. After the wise men had come, the Lord warned Joseph in a dream to take his little family to Egypt. This he did and it was after he came out of Egypt that they moved to Nazareth.

I know these details do not change the important message of the story - that Jesus was born a baby... in humble circumstances - that He came to live among us fully man and fully God.
We can still rejoice in the great 'gift' of salvation that He brought with His life and His death.
Jesus - the evidence of God's love toward us and God's desire to live among us.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Dispeller of Shame

One day, long long ago, a baby was born.

The baby's birth was celebrated as only the birth of a King's son can be.

Loving arms and royal affluence withheld nothing needful or desirable for the child.

His name? Mephibosheth.

A difficult name to pronounce was perhaps the first indication that an easy life was not to be for this dear child.

His loving father, however, hid a nugget of hope in the meaning of the name he bestowed upon his son -- 'dispeller of shame'.

It was the child's grandfather, Saul, that brought the shame upon his life. The child was only five years old when disaster struck the house of King Saul.

News of the deaths of Mephibosheth's father and grandfather reached the palace causing an immediate panic as everyone fled for their lives.

The young child's nurse could not bear to leave her charge behind and snatched him up in her arms to carry him with her. Somehow, an accident happened, perhaps she stumbled and dropped the boy, who at five years of age would have been heavy. His legs were injured in the fall leaving him permanently crippled.

We hear nothing more of this boy through the rest of his childhood and into his adult life until years later.

Then one day, someone came to Mephibosheth's door asking for him by name.

Not someone he recognized - it was a stranger who commanded Mephibosheth to immediately accompany him. The King was demanding that he appear before him!

Mephibosheth was terrified. He knew the stories of how wickedly his grandfather had treated David and how he had tried many times to take his life. Now David was king and obviously wanting to even the score -- take his just revenge!

Trembling, he was brought to the throne on which David sat. Not even daring to raise his eyes, he fell on his face pleading that he was a willing servant.

Imagine how his trembling fear turned to disbelief - when he heard the king kindly say ... "Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for Jonathan, your father's sake and I will restore to you all the land of Saul , your grandfather !"

That was unbelievable enough .. but then came the promise....

"YOU shall eat bread at my table continually!"

Mephibosheth, having lived with shame all his life was unable to grasp the 'dispelling' of it and questioned ... "WHY?? why would you do this, why even look at a dead dog such as I?"

But it was true... the King's blessings were poured upon Mephibosheth and he was treated as one of the King's sons, sharing the King's table for the rest of his life.

(II Sam. 4 and 9)

A beautiful story of love, is it not?

When I reread the story recently, I thought of how the story is really a picture of our own experience!

Adam and Eve stumbled in the garden of Eden and each of us fell as a result. Each of us has been crippled under the shame of sin.

We lived fearful of the judgement we deserved.

Then one day, we heard the Good News that God was calling for us ! That He had, in fact, chosen us for the sake of His Son !

We approached Him hesitantly, afraid to believe, and yet .. It was true !! God's offer of love and salvation would 'dispel the shame' we had carried all our life.

His countenance smiles upon us in love, exchanging our shame for His righteousness and joy !

He calls us sons and daughters, inviting us to eat at the King of King's table forever !!

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God.." I John 3:1

".... that you may eat and drink at My table in My Kingdom..." Luke 22:30

A Little Child

I love the tender heart of God .
We see it in so many places. It is reflected in the delicate beauty of a Mandevilla bloom and the gently falling snow flakes I'm watching outside my window.

I also see God's tender heart in the story of Jonah. While Jonah wished judgment on the people of Ninevah and destruction of their city, God's tenderness reached out in mercy to the little children and even the animals.

Perhaps you have seen the video of the little girl telling the story of Jonah, but if you haven't, the link is here .... http://vimeo.com/16404771 . She recites the narrative so well... and her childlike innocence catches the heart of the story. Being able to memorize it all is one thing , to tell it with such natural expression is another!

One of my favorite verses is in Luke 10:21 - the words of Jesus - "I praise You Father, Lord of heaven and earth that You have hidden these things from the wise and prodent and revealed them to babes. Even so Father, for so it seemed good to Your sight."
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