Readings for today: 1 Samuel 5-7, John 6:1-21, Psalms 106:13-31, Proverbs 14:32-33
Imagine you are living in ancient Israel during the time of the judges. You have no Bible. You have no synagogue. You have no centralized system of government. Every now and again, a charismatic leader rises up and for a time you have peace. For a time you seek after God. But pretty soon you lapse back into your old ways. You live in a very tribal culture. Every tribe around you has its own gods and goddesses and its own way of worship that seems to have been working for them. As you build your house and plant your crops and grow your family, you grow complacent. The incredible miracles God worked on your behalf recede further and further. You are preoccupied with the present. What you will eat. What you will wear. Will your wife get pregnant this year? How many lambs will be born this spring? What will the harvest yield? Sure, you go up each year to Shiloh to make your sacrifices but then it’s back to normal. And “normal” doesn’t really include God.
It’s actually not hard to imagine, is it? This is familiar territory for all of us. How many of us own a Bible but rarely open it? How many of us belong to a church but rarely go to worship? We too live in a “tribal” culture whether it’s our family, social group, political party, etc. Everyone of those tribes has its own “gods” and “goddesses” and different ways of worship. And if we aren’t careful, we can get sucked in. We buy our homes. We grow our families. We work hard. We play hard. And we too can get complacent. The miracles and blessings of God can become commonplace in our lives as well. We too are preoccupied with the present. What we will eat. What we will wear. What kind of home we will live in. Will I get a raise this year? A promotion? Will my child make the team? Will I get into my dream college? Will I get my dream job? Will I meet the man or woman of my dreams? Sure, we go to worship on Christmas and Easter just in case but then it’s quickly back to normal. And “normal” doesn’t really include God.
Enter Samuel. A man sent by God to bring Israel back. To remind her of her covenant commitments. To have no other gods before God. To worship no idols. To honor God’s name and keep the Sabbath. “Samuel said to all the house of Israel, "If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." (1 Samuel 7:3) Samuel led Israel during a very difficult period in her history. She had suffered a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of the Philistines. The ark of God had been captured. Her priests had been killed. All hope seemed lost. And then along came Samuel to remind her of God. To challenge her to return to God with her whole heart. To put aside all the other gods and goddesses. To cleanse herself of all the false worship she had engaged in. To come back to God and watch Him work yet another miracle on her behalf. This is exactly what happened. God brought them a great victory over their enemies. The Philistines were subdued. Territory was reclaimed. Hope was restored.
Enter the church of Jesus Christ. Sent by God to bring our world back. To remind humanity of her most sacred calling. To have no other gods before God. To worship no idols. To honor God’s name and keep the Sabbath holy. To love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. The church of Jesus Christ in the 21st century is called to lead during a very challenging time. Persecution is on the rise across the globe while here in America the church is in steep decline as it struggles against the increasing secularism of our culture. Pastors are failing morally. Sexual abuse and financial infidelity seem rampant. Heresies like prosperity preaching bring shame to the name of Jesus. It does feel like we are facing a steep, uphill battle. Perhaps you even feel like all hope is lost. But God isn’t finished! The gospel is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe! Of all who place their trust in Christ! And the church is being sent out as lambs amidst the wolves to call people back to God. To stand up against the principalities and powers and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. We are being sent to challenge the people of our world to put aside all the false gods and goddesses that only deal in suffering and death. To cleanse themselves of false worship and re-commit their lives to Christ. As we do this, we can be confident. For we know we worship the only true and living God. All the false gods will bow before Him just as Dagon did that day in the temple. There is no weapon that’s formed against us that can stand for greater is He that is in us than is in the world!
Readings for tomorrow: 1 Samuel 8-9, John 6:22-42, Psalms 106:32-48, Proverbs 14:34-35