Treating Poverty

Spent the morning in a workshop on Treating Poverty. It was quite an eye opener. After 30 years in clinical practice I must confess there is still a lot I don't know about the impact of poverty and what I can do to make a difference. I don't like filling out forms for patients. I have learned to accept it as part of my business as a doctor. But now I can feel confident that doing these benefit forms can make a difference in my patient's health. I should do it with that in mind. It should make a difference in my attitude towards it.

I was looking into the scripture passages I read today (1 Kings 6–7; Luke 20:27-47) to see if the Lord has something to tell me on the poverty subject. Well, 1 King 6-7 is about King Solomon building the Temple and his Palace - no expense was spared! This wealth and big show didn't do Solomon any good. He would eventually fall away from following God. In Luke 20:46-47 Jesus sent out this warning:
“Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.” I think this warning is for me too. Oh how I am so easily tempted to go after worldly honor and success!

Compassion is a charity I support for many years. It has a very good resource on "What the Bible Says About Poverty". These selected passages speak to me the most:

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy" (Proverbs 31:8-9)

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I." (Isaiah 58:6-11)

"Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." (1 John 3:17)


As I anticipate retirement in a couple of months, I look forward to many more opportunities to increase my service for the poor. Lord, guide me to the place I know you love to be the most - among the poor. Once again you reminded me:
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:40)

You Must Forgive

In Luke 15 the Pharisees and teachers of the law were offended when Jesus mingled with the "tax collectors and sinners" who had come to listen to His teaching. I could only assume that these "sinners" were learning a lot more than the "righteous" people. Jesus' words must have been both convicting as well as comforting.  Jesus then told them the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and lastly the famous parable of the Lost Son. I would assume that these were directed to the Pharisees and teachers of the law. The central theme of these parables is this: "there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent" (Luke 15:7)

But wait a minute, for the next couple of chapters, Jesus specifically addressed His disciples. He wanted them to learn a lesson too. He began with the parable of the Shrewd Manager (Luke 16:1-15), followed by the famous story of The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), and then in today's reading, Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. So watch yourselves. If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them." (Luke 17:1-4)

The Lord has set an example of reaching out to the sinners and forgiving them, I should do likewise! In the prayer Jesus taught us to pray (Luke 11:2-4):

Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.

I don't think the forgiveness of our sin is predicated on how perfectly we can forgive everyone who sins against us. But I do think that the full appreciation of God's forgiveness comes when we learn what it takes to forgive others. And once we get there, we learn to do the impossible - to love those who sin against us, yes, even our enemies! Once again God has done it (Romans 5:8):

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

O what prescious lessons to learn. Don't think that the Pharisees and teachers of the law are the only bad guys. We too can be self-righteous. Learn from Jesus!

Jesus, meek and gentle,
son of God most high,
gracious, loving Savior,
hear thy children's cry.

Pardon our offenses,
loose our captive chains,
break down every idol
which our soul detains.

Give us holy freedom,
fill our hearts with love;
draw us, holy Jesus,
to the realms above.

Lead us on our journey,
be thyself the way
through our earthly darkness
to the heavenly day.

Jesus, meek and gentle,
Son of God most high,
gracious, loving Savior,
hear thy children's cry.

Always be afraid of being afraid

This comes from the famous preacher Charles Spurgeon's commentary on 1 Samuel 27:1. The context is that David had become tired of being chased and hunted by King Saul. So in 1 Samuel 17:1 it was recorded that "But David thought to himself, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.”.  The verse began with "But" - which followed a rather miraculous and courageous event where David had the opportunity to kill Saul, but instead he followed God's command and found himself doing a very noble thing (see 1 Samuel 26). Even his enemy Saul saw this as evidence that David was God's blessed one: "May you be blessed, David my son; you will do great things and surely triumph." (1 Samuel 26:25)

So why did David become afraid? Hasn't he not seen God's mighty hand protecting him through all these years? Isn't this the same David who fought the giant Goliath and said these famous words: "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands." (1 Samuel 17:45-47)

It might have begun rather insidiously with many little "thought to himself" (or "says in his heart" in other translations). Living out as fugitive for this long had taken its toll. In David Guzik's commentary, he explained: If someone says in their heart, "God doesn't care about me," it will make a difference in their life. If someone says in their heart, "I deserve better than this," it will make a difference in their life. If someone says in their heart, "I come before others," it will make a difference in their life. By the same principle, if someone says in their heart, "God loves me and I don't have to earn His love," it will make a difference. If they say in their heart, "I am grateful for every blessing I have," it will make a difference. If someone says, "Others come first," it will make difference in their life. What we say in our heart has great power for good or evil, for blessing or cursing.

So controlling our thought life is an important discipline. I have been teaching patients to do Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and yet I myself fall victim to bad thinking all the time. I should spend regular time reflecting on why I am feeling down. What thinking may have contributed to it?

Note David's "thought to himself" led to some seriously wrong conclusion:
(1) "One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul" - what is the evidence that this will ever happen? He had at least two opportunities to kill Saul and not vice versa!
(2) "The best thing I can do..." - there must be at least 3 major errors in this short little phrase. It's certainly not "the best thing". Compared to what? "I" can do - where is God in this? "do" - why not wait for the Lord?
(3) "escape to the land of the Philistines" - what?! Leaving the land of promise among God's people to run to the enemy? I have seen this happen many times unfortunately. People leaving their faith and the church community because they have been disappointed with God and living lives opposite to God's promises.

O I hope I can learn from this. 

"Always be afraid of being afraid. Failing faith means failing strength. Do not regard despondency as merely a loss of joy, view it as draining away your spiritual life. Struggle against it, for it often happens that when faith ebbs sin comes to the flood. He who does not comfortably trust God will soon seek after comfort somewhere else." (Spurgeon)

Samuel - what can I learn from this man?

My wife and I were doing a long walk last evening and as we often did, we talked about what we had learned from our scripture reading for the day. We discussed the reason why God chose Saul as the first king of Israel, even though he turned out so poorly and was later replaced by king David. In today's reading of 1 Samuel 10-12 what struck me more was the person of Samuel. I decided to get to know him more. Wikipedia once again provided me with a very broad and rich background, especially with an inter-faith perspective on Samuel. It is well worth reading.

First, Samuel's birth: According to 1 Samuel chapter 1, Samuel's father Elkanah had two wives, Peninnah and Hannah. Peninnah had children; Hannah did not. Nonetheless, Elkanah favored Hannah. Jealous, Penninah reproached Hannah for her lack of children, causing Hannah much heartache. The relationship of Penninah and Hannah recalls that between Hagar and Sarah (Gotquestions.com has a lovely story about this). Elkanah was a devout man and would periodically take his family on pilgrimage to the holy site of Shiloh. The motif of Elkanah and Hannah as devout, childless parents will reoccur with Zachariah and Elizabeth and the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1), and with Joachim and Anna and the birth of Mary, the mother of Jesus. On one occasion Hannah went to the sanctuary and prayed for a child. In tears, she vowed that were she granted a child, she would dedicate him to God as a Nazirite (remember Samson I wrote about last week? He was also a nazirite. In the Hebrew Bible, a nazirite or nazarite is one who voluntarily took a vow described in Numbers 6:1–21. "Nazarite" comes from the Hebrew word נזיר nazir meaning "consecrated" or "separated". Doesn't the word "holiness" mean the same? Shouldn't we all be like a nazirite too?). Eli who was sitting at the foot of the doorpost in the sanctuary at Shiloh, saw her apparently mumbling to herself and thought she was drunk, but is soon assured of her motivation and sobriety. Eli was the priest of Shiloh, and one of the last Israelite Judges before the rule of kings in ancient Israel. He had assumed the leadership after Samson's death. Eli blessed her and she returned home. Subsequently Hannah becomes pregnant; her child was Samuel. Hannah's exultant hymn of thanksgiving (1 Samuel 2:1-10) resembles in several points Mary's later Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55).

Secondly, Samuel's calling (vocation): According to 1 Samuel Chapter 3, one night, Samuel heard a voice calling his name. According to the Jewish historian Josephus, Samuel was about 12 years old. He initially assumed it was coming from Eli and went to Eli to ask what he wanted. Eli, however, sent Samuel back to sleep. After this happened three times Eli realized that the voice was the Lord's, and instructed Samuel on how to answer. Once Samuel responded, the Lord told him that the wickedness of the sons of Eli had resulted in their dynasty being condemned to destruction. In the morning, Eli asked Samuel to honestly recount to him what he had been told by the Lord. Upon receiving the communication, Eli merely said that the Lord should do what seems right unto him. And this is his calling: And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle. At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them. Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’” (1 Samuel 3:11-14) This is the first time God spoke directly to a man (that's why some scholar think Samuel was even greater than Moses and Joshua!). God continued to speak to him through the years: "The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word." (1 Samuel 3:19-21) So Samuel became a prophet through hearing God's word and telling it to the people (while Eli was still the priest and the judge until he died at the age of 98, some twenty years later).

Thirdly, Samuel the Judge, Priest, and leader of Israel: After 20 years of oppression by the philistines, Samuel, who had gained national prominence as a prophet (1 Samuel 3:20), summoned the people to the hill of Mizpah, and led them against the Philistines. The Philistines, having marched to Mizpah to attack the newly amassed Israelite army, were soundly defeated and fled in terror... The text then states that Samuel erected a large stone at the battle site as a memorial (Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” - 1 Samuel 7:12), and there ensued a long period of peace thereafter. "Samuel continued as Israel’s leader all the days of his life. From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all those places. But he always went back to Ramah, where his home was, and there he also held court for Israel. And he built an altar there to the Lord." (1 Samuel 7:15-17)

Fourthly, Samuel the king maker: According to classical rabbinical sources, Samuel lived to the age of fifty-two, some twenty years later (according to the scholar, the burden of leading Israel had prematurely aged him). Before he died, Samuel initially appointed his two sons as his successors; however, just like Eli's sons, Samuel's prove unworthy. The Israelites rejected them. Because of the external threat from other tribes, such as the Philistines, the tribal leaders decided that there was a need for a more unified, central government, and demanded Samuel appoint a king so that they could be like other nations. Samuel interprets this as a personal rejection, and at first is reluctant to oblige, until reassured by a divine revelation. He warns the people of the potential negative consequences of such a decision. Samuel was a known chozeh, a seer believed to be endowed with true spiritual insight, in contrast to the false prophets, enchanters and magicians of the neighbouring nations. When Saul and his servant were searching for his father's lost asses, the servant suggested consulting the nearby Samuel. Samuel recognized Saul as the future king (1 Samuel 8-11).

Fifth, Samuel's farewell: Just before his retirement, Samuel gathered the people to an assembly at Gilgal, and gave them a farewell speech (1 Samuel 12) in which he emphasized how prophets and judges were more important than kings, how kings should be held to account, and how the people should not fall into idol worship, or worship of Asherah or of Baal; Samuel threatened that God would subject the people to foreign invaders should they disobey. He then asked God to perform a miracle to demonstrate His power: Then Samuel called on the Lord, and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the Lord and of Samuel. The people all said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.” “Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own. As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish.” (1 Samuel 12:18-25)

The story will go on to describe the fall of Saul and Samuel's subsequent anointing David to be the king (tomorrow's scripture reading!). Throughout these stories I see Samuel as a man who served God faithfully through his short life. He was also a man of prayers who pray for his people and consulted God on every important decision facing him. He also demonstrated strict obedience to God's Word even at times it was very difficult. For me Jesus has spoken and He is God's Word. Obey Him!

Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. (1 Samuel 15:22)

Why is Samson in Hebrews hall of faith?

In today's scripture reading (Judges 13–15; Luke 6:27-49) I want to focus on the person of Samson. Samson is famous for the Samson and Delilah's story. It has been made into movies and other forms of art and literature, like this one by Rubens:

 Judges 13-15 told the story of Samson's beginning and the time prior to the Delilah story in Judges 16. His birth was a miracle - God gave a childless couple a son and instructions on how to bring him up (Judges 13). He then married a Philistine woman which led to a whole lot of conflict with the Philistines, who were ruling over Israel at the time (Judges 14 and 15).

God gave Samson tremendous physical power:
"The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat." (Judges 14:6)
"Then the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. He went down to Ashkelon, struck down thirty of their men, stripped them of everything and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle." (Judges 14:19a)
"So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails, lit the torches and let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the shocks and standing grain, together with the vineyards and olive groves." (Judges 15:4,5)
"As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men." (Judges 15:14,15)
Samson became Israel's judge (this was before Israel asked for a king) for 20 years and he protected his people from the Philistines.

So what was it that made Sampson so great that his name is listed among the people named in Hebrews 11? I am talking about people like Noah, Abraham and Moses. The scripture described him (among a list of others) as:
"And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies." (Hebrews 11:32-34)
The Hebrews famous "faith" chapter then concluded: "These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." (Hebrews 11:39,40)

Now I don't think I am alone in thinking that among the "people that are listed in Hebrews 11, there is none as controversial as that of Samson. Most messages that I've heard on him leave the impression that this man was a failure, a failure that just happened to straighten out in the very end... for most writers had little good to say of him, and many went so far as to imply that it was a mistake that he was even mentioned in the 'Faith chapter' at all." (from this Discussion Forum by ceedub or C Johnson). C Johnson went on to say: "It seems that the consensus among the majority today is that Samson was a man of little faith, or worse yet, not a man of faith at all, a man that failed for most of his life and somehow managed to repent in the end, thus squeaking into Hebrews 11 by the skin of his teeth. But something is amiss, for it was God that placed Samson among the giants of faith, listing him by name no less, and with God there are no mistakes. So why the controversy?". He then went on to give a fabulous sermon as to why Samson was indeed a man of faith - well worth reading. I will extract here a few key points which I will chew on today to help me grow in my understanding of what my faith is about:

• Heb 11 doesn't list the men that had the cleanest records (for otherwise David may have been excluded), nor the ones that played it safe and protected their reputations among men the best (for then the Pharisees would have been found here). Hebrews 11 is not nicknamed the 'Hall of Law Keeping'. It lists those that were sure of the unseen, who believed in God's promises, who had their praise from God and not men. (Rom 2:29)
• Samson was the last of Israel's judges who lived in the same time as Samuel. The days of the judges are listed as the darkest days of Israel's history, a time of great evil and faithlessness, and a time when, according to Judges 17:6, 'every man did what was right in his own eyes', a condition that makes the faith of Samson shine all the brighter, for it was a terrible time to be given the task of leading this nation. It was in this time when Israel was being oppressed by the cruel Philistines for the wickedness that they themselves had committed, that God ordained Samson, before his birth, to begin the deliverance of his people, (for David would finish it some years later).
• One of the most fascinating things that set Samson apart from all others is the call upon his life, before he was even conceived, to be a Nazirite... to the time of his death. He is the first Nazirite mentioned in all of scripture, and unlike others, his lifelong vow was ordained and commanded by God himself, making this Samson a most unique type of Christ, who was the fulfillment of the true separation of a Nazirite... Samson's life and calling are very unusual and even appear odd at times, so it is important to see that Samson was set apart by God not so much to imitate, but rather to see a picture of the coming Saviour. (C Johnson then explained what "TYPE" means - imperfect "picture" of what was to come; illustrated by (1) his calling, (2) his taking a gentile bride, (3) destroying the lion in the vineyard, (4) the wedding feast, (5) striking out against Israel's enemies as God's appointed deliverer, (6) betrayal of Samson, (7) the middle 20 years are missing, (8) Delilah's betrayal, and lastly, (9) Samson and the cross).
  

What a picture of Jesus, who came and accomplished His greatest work of deliverance with outstretched arms! And as he laid down His life, accomplished the deliverance that would set his people free!!