To be pure in heart is to be free from sin. But to be able to see God we need to be pure in heart. Therein lies the central human problem - the very thing we were created to do and be we cannot do and be. The glory of the gospel is that Jesus was and is all that we cannot be and invites us into the presence of our Creator through his purity and his sacrifice.
Our mercifulness does not earn God's mercy for us. Rather our mercifulness is evidence that we have received God's mercy. So, just as God's mercy is driven by his covenant faithfulness and costly forgiveness and self sacrifice, so too should our mercy be driven to those around us.
To hunger and thirst for righteousness at its core is to seek acceptance and approval. This is a universal human reality. Far too often, we seek this through worldly affirmation or religious achievement. However, true acceptance is only found in the one who knows you for who you really - God himself. Jesus offers his own righteousness for those who hunger and thirst. And those who receive it will never hunger or thirst again.
At first glance the word meek is so lackluster - who wants to be meek? But a closer look helps us see a person who remains powerful, but now under the influence of the Spirit and deeply formed by the gospel. And in the end, Jesus is really the only truly meek one. And therefore it is only through our connection to him that we enter the kingdom he offers.
Blessed are those who mourn...really? Definitely! When Jesus speaks these words he is not referring to a constant state of doom or negativity, but to a sorrowful awareness of sin. The presence of sin in our world and in us should give us a somber perspective that things are not the way God created them to be and there is nothing we can do to fix it. And then we experience the radical comfort of knowing that Jesus has done and will do what we cannot.
In this first beatitude, Jesus uses the imagery of utter destitution - a bankrupt and desperate beggar completely dependent upon others for survival. And he applies it to the entire crowd in regards to their spiritual merit and morality. The secret to entrance into the kingdom of God is spiritual bankruptcy. It is the spiritual beggars who will find and need the gospel of grace which Jesus offers.
The beatitudes are the beginning of an inauguration address to engage a wide ranging audience with the good new of the kingdom. This introduction sets the stage for our study of the beatitudes by showing that they are not a list of commands to be accomplished, but rather an ever increasing reality in the lives of those who follow Jesus.
David’s sin of adultery leads to a massive cover up. In response, the Lord sends Nathan to rebuke David. But this is not the end of the story. David, moving from cover up to repentance, experiences mercy from the Lord. God’s words to David, “The Lord has taken away your sin,” are the basis for David’s story beyond his moral failure. The same is true for believers today! There can be a redemptive (and useful!) story beyond our failures because of the gospel.
The call to make disciples is a universal call for all followers of Jesus, not just those who go to foreign lands. Where is God calling you to go? And are you trusting him by following. When we do, we find his statement that he will always be with us to be unbelievably true. So, in the words of Kierkegaard we should will only one thing - to go and make disciples.
Coming home on a massive high, David and his men return to calamity. The town is ransacked, their families are captured and the men are turning on David. How do you respond to turmoil in life? David responded by going to God and finding strength there. It was from this strength that he could set the right course for his life - a course of obedience met by the providence of God.
There's a significant difference between being desperate for God and being desperate for what God can offer. When we feel far from God, it is our desperation for him that bridges the gap. But our desperation for what we can get from him makes him seem even farther off. Saul is desperate for direction from God and leaves in the darkness, but David is desperate for God and is saved from the darkness.
Tired from running and in a moment of weakness, David finds himself seeking refuge again amongst the Philistines. Even in this major failure on the part of David, two things stand out about God. First, he doesn't give up on David. Second, he is still using David to build his kingdom even in exile. Likewise, no matter where you find yourself in life, God hasn't given up on you. And even in the brokenness and exile of our world, God still calls us to build his kingdom.
Reading the story of Nabal reminds us that we are all in some way at our core foolish. Whether we are greedy like Nabal, vengeful like David or trusting the wrong things like Saul, we are prone to go off course. In Abigail, we are reminded of the humility of our Savior who willingly intervened and took on our sin in order to redeem us.
As David continues to run from Saul, it is amazing how David continues to elude the king and his forces. Likewise, Jesus was elusive to Satan himself in the wilderness, on the cross and ultimately through his resurrection. And through our connection to Jesus, we too are elusive to the enemy and able to withstand temptation through worship and most importantly through the gospel!
The same David who defeated Goliath is now ultimately hiding along in a cave. Some of it is his own doing and some of it because of those around him. In a word, David's life is messy. But even in the mess, God is still working his perfect plan into fulfillment - a plan that is committed to entering into the mess of our world in order to redeem it.
As David's profile rises, Saul's love for him fades and Jonathan's grows. Why is this? Saul's love for David was all about his usefulness to him, but Jonathan's love was about his unity with David. So, as this new king was rising, there was a choice to be made. And so it is with Jesus. Is it just about Jesus being useful to us? Or is it about our union with him?
Each of us face personal giants in our life - affliction, struggle, sin or more likely a combination of all three. The story of David and Goliath gives us hope that the weak can be victorious. But not in the way we are used to hearing it! Our victory is not in our personal bravery and valiance. Rather, our victory is because Jesus came and fought the greatest giant for us. Only because of this, we are able to advance against the enemy in our lives.
In the story of God choosing David as the new king, we are confronted with the reality of competing visions - the view from the eyes of man and the view from the heart of God. Whereas man sees and perceives, God purposes and sees. From David, ultimately to Jesus we see the bigger purpose of God in establishing his kingdom.
Saul's reign as king is a self preservation project. He withholds from his army and then appeases them - in both ways acting only to firm up his grip on his kingdom. The truth is that most of our life is a self-preservation project too. We tighten our grip on our "kingdom" and in so doing create bondage, anxiety and a joyless existence. What if there was a different way? Jesus has already preserved his kingdom for us. And this kingdom is the source of joy and life.
In this narrative, the responses of Jonathan and Saul to their circumstance couldn't be more opposite. From them we see the epitome of faith in obedience and action. Faith is a willingness to trust God in the day to day even when it doesn't make sense. It allows us to expose ourselves in the valley, confident in God's sovereignty.
In Samuel's address to the people of Israel, we once again see God's unbelievable grace which not only exposes sin, but offers forgiveness and a future. This forgiveness is based solely on the great name of God - its his doing, not ours. So though it storms, we need not fear the thunder!
The story of the coronation of Saul as king is really a story about the grace of God. This grace is made known through providence as he weaves our stories together and persistence as he affirms the call on our lives. His grace is unveiled in this story of redemption and Spirit empowerment, where Israel's wrong ask for a king is made right by the true King himself.
How is it that we often find ourselves heading in the opposite direction of God? We are stubborn. In the story of the Israelites asking for a king, we see this reality. The stubbornness of Samuel is shown through his mishandled leadership. And the stubbornness of Israel is demonstrated in their continual search for provision outside of God and inability to heed wisdom.
When faced with the reality of God we have two choices. We can reject him or embrace him. Rejection leads to harvests of lifelessness. But a life of worship leads to the reality of peace where God thunders on behalf of his repentant people who rightly depend upon him.
Where is the glory? This is such an important question as we examine our lives. For most of us, we have built most of our existence around bringing glory to ourselves with futile results. Conversely, God is passionate for his glory and establishing his kingdom. Are you trying to use God to accomplish your agenda and establish your glory? Or are you trying to be used by God to establish his kingdom and bear his glory?
After a season of silence due to the rebellious ways of his people and leaders, God breaks his silence to call Samuel as a prophet. And likewise each of us has a unique calling from God. Cultivating nearness to him, learning how to discern his voice and having the courage to follow will determine our ability to live into this calling.
Hophni and Phineas demonstrate a life off the rails and filled with greed. How did it get this way? They didn't know God. Certainly they knew about him, but they didn't know him - and there is a big difference. And what's worse is their father was doing little to help the situation. Yet, in the midst of this chaos, God was grooming the next leader of his people - a young boy name Samuel.
The book of 1 Samuel opens with the story of Hannah who is struggling with the reality of her barrenness. While her rivals provoke her and her husband tries to make up for her lack in his own power, this remarkable woman of faith turns her eyes to God. And God's grace leads to the birth of Samuel - a son for Hannah and a leader for Israel.
History is filled with the horrific stories of brutal leaders who held onto power by crushing others around them. Herod is one such story. But even in the midst of his ruthless oppression, God's story of victory through Jesus emerges greater. And in that story, the remarkable obedience of Joseph and Mary to follow the leading of God is a grand model of faith.
This often passed by story of Jesus' dedication in the temple unveils a powerful narrative showing an exodus story led by a boundary-breaking Jesus received by people of faith. Already Jesus is smashing long held boundaries and making God available to everyone through himself. And already those who respond to him are doing so by faith.
