God brings his wrath - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Samuel 31:7,

"When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them."

As King Saul was vanquished, all of Israel suffered. Everyone. Not some, but everyone. I have seen over the years an attitude that since one goes to church, since one does not do terrible things but does good things, since one engages in various spiritual disciplines, there is nothing to fear personally as the nation runs off the tracks.

When a nation turns its back against God, he will often bring heavy consequences to bear. We see this displayed often for us in the Scriptures. It is God's way of drawing a nation back to him, "Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again." Psalm 78:34. The suffering God causes is an expression of his love in that the outcome is achieves his agenda of building his kingdom. We find our refuge and salvation in him when we are threatened and life becomes unbearable: we seek our refuge in him.

As we read  the Scriptures we find that all people in a nation suffer. Not just the culprits, not just the abortionists, not just the homosexuals, not just those who pull the culture into a downward spiral. We all suffer.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Finding strength in the Lord - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Samuel 30:6b,

"But David found strength in the Lord his God."

Some of us fancy ourselves as being pretty sharp, fairly intelligent with skills and abilities. We may feel we see things others don't, that we are not easily fooled or deceived. As a matter of fact, in our sinful condition, we may often feel fairly confident in ourselves because we are so sharp.

The problem with such an attitude, such an outlook, (not even considering how odious we may become to those around us) is that we feel we are self-sufficient. We can handle things, we can figure things out on our own. This being the case, we may find ourselves fiercely independent. We don't need the help of anyone else.

One who is caught up in such thinking never feels they have need of anyone, even God. It is hard to embrace a savior when we do not feel the need of a savior. As such the Lord has his own ways of showing us our need of him. It is in this kind of way the Lord draws us to himself. He shows us we have great need of him.

I'm not suggesting David had troubles in this regard particularly, however the Lord is relentless in his pursuit of cultivating within us a strongly felt need we have of him. In this way we look to our Savior as the One we find our strength in, our hope in, our confidence in. This is true whether we happen to be a great man of faith as David was or if we are simply a newbie with the Lord.

In this passage we find the Lord renewing David's sense of dependency upon him by placing him in a very difficult spot. Not only was David suffering the loss of his family to the Amalekites, his own warriors began to talk of stoning David for leaving their families unprotected.

In the midst of what must have been a very difficult spot for David, we see the Lord's goal of it all playing out, "David found strength in the Lord."

Quite possibly the very difficult circumstances we face at times (and we all face them at points in our lives) are those things the Lord "works for the good" in our lives, Romans 8:28. It is in this way the Lord helps us believers find our strength in him.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

On faith and prayer - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Samuel 28:5,

"When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets."

The Philistines arrayed themselves against Saul and his army, and Saul became filled with terror.

Saul was the first king over God's chosen people, the people of Israel, so why was he so fearful? The answer lies in the accounts provided us about Saul. Saul was not a man of faith. Consequently, when he "inquired of the Lord" the Lord did not answer him. Saul was truly not one of those who, "live by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7. The accounts of Saul demonstrate the opposite, he lived by sight, not by faith.

I am reminded that when we approach God in prayer, it must be couched in faith. "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do." James 1:5-8.

I am also mindful for myself that, "In him [Jesus Christ] and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence." Ephesians 3:12. If we lack that faith, as James says, we should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such was the case for King Saul.

However, when we do approach God in faith, look what he can and might do for us! Jesus taught us, "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Matthew 21:22.

How wonderful is that?!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

On measuring up - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Samuel 27:8,

"Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites."

While living under the protection of the Philistine king, Achish, in Gath for sixteen months, David raided outlying non-Jewish peoples friendly with Israel. In order to keep King Achish from finding out what he was doing, David killed all the people of the towns and villages he pillaged. He left no one to report what he was doing.

David had been anointed by God to replace Saul as king of Israel. At some point David would assume the throne, but for now he had to find his refuge elsewhere. David's activities at this time bring to mind the choices God makes about the people he chooses for his purposes.

I might tend to think that God would choose those who appear to be religious, upright, without faults for the big things he does. Someone who manifested in their life a greatness that separated them from the pack when it came to taking the high moral ground, etc.

David doesn't seem to fit that just exactly. Not in the way he slaughtered people, not in the way he committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband killed, not in the way he employed devious ways as he escaped the king of Gath earlier by feigning mental illness, etc.

I am reminded, however, that not only did God choose David for big things in his agenda, he also chose me to spend an eternity in his family. David may have had his shortcomings... but when I think God has allowed me into his family with my shortcomings... I am just astonished!

This brings to mind what Paul had to say in his letter to the Corinthian church, "Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him." 1 Corinthians 1:26-29.

David was a great man of faith, one that God extolled as being a man after his own heart. Yet, David was a man of bloodshed, a man with faults. As such, it makes clear to me that there is a place within the family of God for someone such as me, someone undeserving, someone unaccomplished in the things of God.

I love the way Paul completes his thought in 1 Corinthians. He says, "It is because of him [God] that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: 'Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.'" 1 Corinthians 1:30-31.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

God may be right next to us - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Samuel 26:12c,

"They [Saul and his troops] were all sleeping, because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep."

Saul and three thousand "select" troops went to search for David when they were tipped off by the Ziphites that David had come to their area. Saul intended to kill David, who had been selected by God to replace Saul as king of Israel..

After Saul arrived, David and Abishai sneaked into Saul's camp and took Saul's spear and water jug while Saul and his army slept. This editorial comment helps explain why David and Abishai were able to pull it off without being caught - "the Lord had put them into a deep sleep."

I don't know- and the text doesn't tell us- that David knew the Lord had put Saul and his men in a deep sleep. But it doesn't take long in reading of David's exploits that we might expect it would be just like David to do something like this without the assurance that he would be protected by the Lord in this way.

It causes me to wonder... how many times in our lives does the Lord act on our behalf without us knowing anything about it? I just suspect we all may be stunned to find out how often the Lord has answered prayers in ways we didn't expect, so we didn't see him act. I suspect we all may be stunned to find out how often the Lord has acted on our behalf without us being aware of it. How often he may have provided us some kind of protection, some kind of open door for us, some kind of involvement in our lives.

As Paul told the folks at the Areopagus, "he [God] himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else... he is not far from any one of us." Acts 17:25, 27.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Participating in the agenda or just taking up space? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Samuel 25:2-3,

"A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. His name was Nabal and his wife's name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband was surly and mean in his dealings—he was a Calebite."

Here we are introduced to a rich man that David approached for food for his men. David was God's anointed man to replace King Saul, but had not assumed the throne yet. Living in a wilderness, he helped keep "law and order" in place that Nabal benefited from. Nabal was a rich man and should have been able to provide for David and his men.

Unfortunately, as we read above, he was a surly and mean man. When approached for help, Nabal responded, "Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?"

Nabal knew who David was of course, but chose not to help him out of his wealth.

In viewing this from God's perspective, I'm thinking the Lord simply decided that if there was a man who was hoarding everything he had and was unwilling to help support the things the Lord was doing, what good was he?

Nabal's wife, Abigail, provided what David needed. But about ten days later, since Nabal proved himself as worthless to God's agenda, he simply took his life, "About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal and he died."

I am reminded that the only thing that matters in this life is the Lord's agenda. This life is not about me, my needs, my desires, my wants. It is about what the Lord is doing in the world and, just as Nabal, I have a choice as to whether I choose to participate in what the Lord is doing... or simply to take up space.

This life is very, very temporary and we all die at some point. "Feathering my bed" is a fool's errand as I have a singular purpose for being here - and that is to participate in what the Lord is pursuing in this age.

By the way... in case there is any question about what exactly the Lord is doing in this age, it is to build his kingdom. My life has value as I participate in that effort. Otherwise, I'm just taking up space as Nabal was (but without all the wealth.)

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Developing strength of character - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Samuel 24:21-22,

"'Now swear to me [Saul] by the Lord that you [David] will not kill off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father's family.' So David gave his oath to Saul."

David had strength of character. Here he gives his word to Saul, who was pursuing him to kill him. David had an opportunity to kill Saul but didn't. After an exchange between the two, David made the above promise to Saul.

We see David following through on his promise in passages like 2 Samuel 9:3 following Saul's death, "The king [David] asked, "Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?" David was a man with strength of character, following through on promises made, etc. Something not often seen in our day.

Where does strength of character for believers in Jesus Christ come from? Some prefer to imagine the Holy Spirit sprinkles pixie dust on our lives and Presto! Chango! That is not how God works and that is not what the Scriptures tell us.

What we find are passages like, "And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Romans 5:2-4. Paul tells us that believers have strength of character developed in their lives through suffering. We certainly read of suffering in David's life... we can expect some suffering ourselves as God intends to build within us character.

How is strength of character developing in your life? As we face difficulties and suffering in our lives, remember the Lord is growing and stretching us... for our good! Keep in mind what the writer of Hebrews tells us, "If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all." Hebrews 12:8.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com