A Mini-Hospital

Romans 12:10, 13

"Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another... distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality."

One way we must be kind and prefer others t o ourselves is in our giving. Gods word calls us to distribute to the needs of the saints. We do Ythis through deacons who serve, as we give to a fund to help those in need. So there is a financial piece to this. We also go meet needs ourselves, bringing food, spending time with someone in need. We are given to hospitality, which leads us to open our homes or hearts to others we don't know as well. The idea is to be a mini hospital, to give needed care and send them away refreshed. It's easy to take pride in hospitality if we do it often, or to shirk it completely, if we haven't seen it before. But it comes from being mindful of the communion of the saints, knowing that your home is on loan from God, more than from the bank. It comes from opening your life to others, as Jesus has done for us.

10/1/13

The Wisdom of Abigail

The story of Nabal and Abigail in 1 Samuel 25 is full of wisdom for us.

The Story:
David asks Nabal for some food for his men from Nabal's sheep-shearing feast. David had protected Nabal's sheep in the past, and he asks for some payment. Nabal calls David a rebel and refuses to give him anything. David sets off with all his men to kill Nabal and every male in his house. Nabal's wife Abigail intercepts David and intercedes for her house, giving David food. David commends her, and gives up the attack. Nabal is oblivious in his feasting and God strikes him dead. David then marries the lovely and wise widow Abigail.

Dealing with Nabals makes you like them.
Fools tend to provoke, and when we are hurt by someone else's sin, we tend to sin back at them. David plans to kill every male in Nabal's house, a violent overreaction to Nabal's thoughtless insult. When you are offended, be slow to take up an offense. Love your enemies. Do good to those who hurt or persecute you. Watch your thoughts. David is muttering in anger all the way, until Abigail breaks into his path, speaks a different mind, and changes his heart.

Wisdom cools hot heads with humility.
Abigail calls herself "your servant" to David. This was common speech then, but she repeats it often enough to make the point: someone in Nabal's house is humble and respectful toward David. When tempers flare and strife arises, there is usually plenty of pride and ego to go around. At this point in the story Abigail stands between two proud and angry men, ans she displays unflappable humility.

Wisdom is found in unexpected places.
God delights to humble us, by leading us through people we don't usually esteem highly. David had no formal obligation to listen to Abigail. Nabal had spoken for his house, and a wife cannot overrule her husband's policy in the public square. But she spoke wisdom, and David heeded it, regardless the source. God's Word emphasizes this, when David tells Abigail, "I have obeyed your voice." Many times husbands need to heed their wives. Parents need to heed their children. Pastors need to heed their elders and elders, pastors. Both need to heed the flock. Listen to wisdom, no matter in what instrument God sends it.

Fools have little sense of their impending doom.Nabal feasts like a king while Abigail forestalls his destruction. He thinks he is big stuff, snubbing the anointed king of Israel. Fools will be rendered helpless by God, in His time. Meanwhile, be aware of your social debts and render thanks accordingly.

Be loyal to the true king

Nabal and Abigail held opposite political views regarding the kingship of Israel. Nabal thought David a rebel who had disrespected Saul's authority. Abigail knew David was the true and future king. This text calls us to act with fidelity to our true king, regardless who we may wind up contradicting in the process.

Review: The Early History of Rome: Books I-V of the History of Rome from its Foundation

The Early History of Rome: Books I-V of the History of Rome from its Foundation by Titus Livy

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



Livy was a prolific ancient Roman historian, writing around the time of the birth of Christ. He chronicles the political and military history of Rome from its founding by Aeneas to its sacking by the Gauls around 386 BC.

He is keen to uphold certain values.

Piety.
"When we followed God's guidance all was well; when we scorned it, all was ill" (pg. 397). Following omens and divinations was more convincing even than reasoned oratory. It is more important to obey the gods than to follow the persuasions of men.

Patriotism.
"The only true patriotism... is founded upon respect for the family and love of the soil" (105). Love of nation requires a sense of place and people. Romans were Romans because of their location, not so much the buildings or the ideas they had, though that grew in importance later on.

Power.
Typically, Livy takes pride in Rome's undefeated military record. Most of the book is taken up with military campaigns against one neighboring city or another. It is striking that the book ends with their being beseiged and rescued by a strong but exiled former military commander.

Political unity.
Much of the substance of the book is also taken up with the partisan politics that threatened to tear the city apart. Patricians sought to keep their privileges, while plebians demanded bread and rights. Livy doesn't disguise his preference - he saw the representatives of the people as the cause of much of the trouble. Their demagoguery created unnecessary strife, even to refusing to serve in the military when the city was under attack!


As a Christian the inadequacies of this worldview became obvious to me as I read. Whenever things got really tight, a dictator was appointed to force resolution. Strength of the sword was the only way to quash the chaos and quiet the city (or defeat the invaders). The only way to get internal unity was to focus on an external enemy. The very things Rome prided herself in, she could not achieve, though Livy does his best to convince his reader through anecdotes and speeches that Rome did achieve them.

Overall, this was a tedious read, the high points being the speeches and some of the military exploits related.



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Satire on church attendance

This was enjoyable.

Review: The Lost Baron: A Story of England in the Year 1200

The Lost Baron: A Story of England in the Year 1200 by Allen French

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Great childrens' story.

Set in the time of King John, a fine book that highlights virtues of hard work, initiative and wisdom.

When Lord Eric disappears mysteriously for months and his moody and menacing cousin takes over, young Martin from the village learns some secrets by hard work and keeping his eyes and ears open. He serves the new baron well, but the old one even better. With Eric's wife and daughter locked away in their rooms mostly, Martin finds a way to protect and restore them.

This is not the best written tale, and the plot is fairly obvious. Some might call it twaddle, but I think it's worth the read, especially for a 10-12 year old boy.

The same author wrote "The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow," which I also recommend.



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A Royal Mess

Douglas Wilson

"Businesses have a clear and obvious right to discriminate based on behavior. No shoes, no shirt, no serviceworks because no shoes and no shirt is a behavior. So is ordering a cake with two grooms on it. So is requiring a black baker to bake a Confederate battle flag cake. So is requiring a graphic designer married to a compulsive gambler to design a billboard for the local casino. So when you, for arbitrary and capricious reasons, define someone’s personal vice as an essential part of their personal identity, and link it with iron bands to their constitutional rights, you are making a royal hash of everything."

No Rough Waters

Revelation 21:1-4

"Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

We are headed for a time of no sea, no rough waters, in the new heaven and earth. This might concern you if you like boating or fishing, but the point is, no more chaos and fear. The Spirit will have finished His restoring work. You will sit at rest under your own vine and fig tree, at the Lord’s table to feast.

The Spirit hovers over us, even now. Without His brooding work, we are not united with Christ, we cannot commune with Him. Let us consider the cross and empty tomb, the work of Christ for us, taking away our guilt and disorder and restoring us to life in Himself.

9/22/13

Affection Commanded

Romans 12:10

"Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another"

Let us confess our coldness toward others, where God seeks affection.

Let us confess our preferring ourselves selfishly, where God seeks service.

Oh come, let us worship & bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

9/22/13

Review: Genesis in Space and Time; The Flow of Biblical History

Genesis in Space and Time; The Flow of Biblical History by Francis August Schaeffer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Excellent.

A study of Genesis 1-11 - not a commentary.

Schaeffer emphasizes the flow of redemptive history at each point, doesn't get bogged down in minor detail, and rejects humanistic science or philosophy that assumes and asserts a closed uniform world system. But neither is he dogmatic about uncertain detail in Scripture as some creation scientists today can be.

An example of this is the geneologies of chapters 5 and 10. They are not given for chronology (counting the years between the flood and Babel, for instance), and shouldn't be used that way, as there are some gaps.

Written in 1972, but this would be my first and highest recommendation to any Christian looking for some supplemental study on the early chapters of Genesis.



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Outlasting the Stars

Psalm 102:24-28

    I said, “O my God,

    Do not take me away in the midst of my days;

    Your years are throughout all generations.

    25      Of old You laid the foundation of the earth,

    And the heavens are the work of Your hands.

    26      They will perish, but You will endure;

    Yes, they will all grow old like a garment;

    Like a cloak You will change them,

    And they will be changed.

    27      But You are the same,

    And Your years will have no end.

    28      The children of Your servants will continue,

    And their descendants will be established before You.”

It is strange to think that we will outlast the heavens we see. By God’s grace this will be so. God will change this old worn out world for a new one. At the great resurrection, we will arise to a new heaven and earth. This table proclaims the Lord’s death. It also proclaims His resurrection. The bread is broken, but it rises. The wine is blood-red, but it gives joy. It is a transformed, new creation. Remember, when you are in Christ, you are a new creation. old things have passed away; all things have become new. This meal shows your union with Christ, so you are a new creation. Rejoice in our great God who creates life and gives favor.

9/15/13

Abhor and Cling

Romans 12:9

"Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good."

These words show us that our affections matter. Loving and abhorring and clinging engage your emotions, or they should. It is easy to act loving and interested outwardly, but to not really care inside. The Greek word hypocrite means actor. It’s easy to put on an act. But we need to ask the Lord to work His grace down beyond our face and our words and our actions, and into our heart and our affections. We don’t just identify and renounce and expose evil. We abhor it and flee from it. We don’t just approve of the good, vote for it, and read about it. We cling to it for life.

Let us confess our apathy to love Jesus Christ and to pursue holiness.

9/15/2013

Review: Sermons on Genesis Chapters 1-11

Sermons on Genesis Chapters 1-11 by John Calvin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Excellent.

850 pages, on 11 chapters of the Bible!

This is an excellent edition gives us a glimpse into Calvin's pulpit ministry. Rather wordy, but his pastor's heart shines through. No academic discourses, these! He was always on the lookout for applying the text to the people, clearly and plainly. I found myself quoting his pithy sayings from the pulpit myself, often.

On Abel's murder: "The blood of Abel accused Cain, but the blood of Jesus Christ excuses us."

From Cain's guilt: "Even if the reprobates lived in palaces and did nothing but take leisurely walks and everyone came to make a big fuss over them and were at their beck and call... they still... have to be scared stiff, their lives are still hanging by a thread, and they feel no certainty or assurance, and they do not know why."

From Cain's departure, we "learn what true repentance is, which is hatred for the sin which is rooted in our hearts."

From Genesis 5 we learn to "not become entangled in the abominations which sourround us on all sides."

On God remembering Noah: "we imagine that God is asleep.... it is not enought to trust in God for just a single minute. We must persist, and our faith must not grow weary. That, in short, is how we must put this passage into practice."

Calvin repeats that last sentence often, or a variant of it. He wraps up a section saying, "That's the main thing."

Calvin preached every weekday, many weeks, and these are dated in the book: "Thursday, 14 December 1559." It's fun to see him start a sermon by saying, Yesterday we saw that...

THere is a lot to weed through, here, but there are gems that show the world hasn't really changed all that much since Calvin's time, and the pastoral application is as relevant today as it was then.



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Review: Genesis: Creation and Fall

Genesis: Creation and Fall by James Montgomery Boice

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Excellent series of sermons. Though Boice is a bit too accommodating to modern science and soft on the old earth position for my taste, his expositions are always clear and helpful.

One of the best features is how he links the more obscure and ignored passages with the major themes of Scripture. Lamech and Noah drunk in his tent, and Nimrod all connect to God's purposes.



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Review: The Beginnings

The Beginnings by Ray C. Stedman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Decent but dated popular commentary on Genesis 4-11. Stedman has an evangelical perspective, and his exegesis is usually sound. The application is sometimes too cold war related, and lacks enough emphasis on the church and redemptive history, though that isn’t totally absent. His reading of Ham is pretty good for 1978. Though some of his language would be considered politically incorrect today, I didn’t see anything racially offensive.



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Review: Taran Wanderer

Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



Okay.

I read the first three of this series out loud to the kids, but quit half way through this one - a rarity. It was that... blah. We finished it separately, but the younger ones lost interest.

Not bad, just boring. The older kids finished it, and I'm looking forward to the last of the series, which is a Newberry Award winner.

Taran sets off to discover who he is. He learns several trades. The values of initiative and strength to serve others comes through strongly. Also, being able to take hard knocks and keep going.

His conclusion of his search for himself was very disappointing. Maybe stretching the actual discovery to the next book, but there was more plot needed here, then!



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