Author: Betsy

Look Up

Posted on by Betsy

Sunrises and sunsets in the Outer Banks of North Carolina are nothing short of spectacular. The morning glow appears from behind my westward-facing bedroom and awakens me every day with its pink enticement to arise. The evening splashes of deep oranges are just steps away from my front or back door. While my house on a point in the water is perfectly situated to easily observe these things, I have to make an effort to go and see them. The sunset view from my driveway or back dock is best, and the sunrise view requires a trip to my home office. It is funny and somewhat shameful that many days I don’t make the tiny trips to the best vantage points of these spectacular events. Caught up in work and duties, I often realize hours later that I didn’t pause for that brief moment to move my focus to where I could see God at work.

That serves as a kind of metaphor for how many of us live our lives. We are focused on responsibilities to the point that we miss what God is doing right in front of us. Our passage in Deuteronomy is a reminder to look and see God and consider what is required of us. Moses delivered this message to the people of Israel on the plains of Moab as they stood at the threshold of the Promised Land. He wanted them to shift their focus to see what God had done, and what God now wants from them.

Deuteronomy 10 (Common English Bible)

12 Now in light of all that, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you? Only this: to revere the Lord your God by walking in all his ways, by loving him, by serving the Lord your God with all your heart and being, 13 and by keeping the Lord’s commandments and his regulations that I’m commanding you right now. It’s for your own good! 14 Clearly, the Lord owns the sky, the highest heavens, the earth, and everything in it. 15 But the Lord adored your ancestors, loving them and choosing the descendants that followed them—you!—from all other people. That’s how things still stand now.

The Lord requires our love, service, and obedience to the Word in exchange for all the glory and promise that fill the world. The sky and heavens are right there to assure us of God’s power and presence in our lives but most of us are distracted by looking down. In our time it is because we are usually staring at our phones.

16 So circumcise your hearts and stop being so stubborn, 17 because the Lord your God is the God of all gods and Lord of all lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God who doesn’t play favorites and doesn’t take bribes. 18 He enacts justice for orphans and widows, and he loves immigrants, giving them food and clothing. 19 That means you must also love immigrants because you were immigrants in Egypt. 20 Revere the Lord your God, serve him, cling to him, swear by his name alone! 21 He is your praise, and he is your God—the one who performed these great and awesome acts that you witnessed with your very own eyes. 22 Your ancestors went down to Egypt with a total of seventy people, but now look! The Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the nighttime sky!

When we do look up, we can see God’s great and awesome acts with our own eyes. Moses focuses our attention to God’s impartial justice and love for orphans, widows, and immigrants. We are called to love and prioritize these things, too. We are instructed to cut away the exterior covering of our distracted hearts and cling to God and revere God’s name. God is our praise! This is an invitation to inner transformation that only God can bring, one which will enable us to see everything God is doing.

May we look up and see! God is right here, right now. Do you perceive it?

Dock View

Love List

Posted on by Betsy

Raise your hand if you love a good list. I mean, who doesn’t? We all feel better when we create a list and then check things off as we accomplish them. I have even been known to write my list after I am finished a task just to check it all off. And it is fun to check out Top Ten lists and use them as a guide. My husband became a pilot at age 28 and his life was ruled by the all-important flight check lists which enabled him to do his job in the air safely. A lot of couples like a good “Honey-Do” list of chores that keeps a household running. And if it weren’t for a weekly grocery list, most of us would have to make multiple trips to the store to purchase things we forgot.

Our Scripture today is a kind of list. It gives very clear instructions on how the Israelites were to love their neighbors. From justice issues, to gossip, to holding grudges, this list is a cohesive compilation of mandates from God on how the community should behave.

Known as the “Holiness Code,” these instructions were given to Moses on Mt. Sinai after God had rescued the nation of Israel from slavery in Egypt. God began this code by stating that Israel was called to be holy “because I your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2). This reveals both the nature and intention of God. To be holy means to be separated out and set apart. God intentionally commanded the people to be separated from the other peoples around them so that the influence of pagan ideals would not permeate into Judaism. They were called to live in that world but not be of that world, much as Jesus commands us today.

Leviticus 19 (Common English Bible)

15 You must not act unjustly in a legal case. Do not show favoritism to the poor or deference to the great; you must judge your fellow Israelites fairly. 16 Do not go around slandering your people.  Do not stand by while your neighbor’s blood is shed; I am the Lord.17 You must not hate your fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your fellow Israelite strongly, so you don’t become responsible for his sin. 18 You must not take revenge nor hold a grudge against any of your people; instead, you must love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.

As you read through the list, what commands stood out to you? Caring for our neighbor involves treating everyone equally, defending their lives, not taking revenge on them, or holding a grudge. This is challenging in today’s world where social media is just one big gossip fest and hating those who don’t hold your political views seems to be accepted in society. The call to be holy in today’s environment is even important than ever. People might only see Jesus in how Christians treat their neighbors, so if love isn’t found in the neighborhood, Jesus isn’t found either.

What does it mean to you to love your neighbor? May we practice this list until we get it right.

This Neighborhood Rocks! by Kathy Schumacher

With All That I Am

Posted on by Betsy

Wedding season is upon us and I am remembering all the weddings I have officiated in the past. Couples really want to put their own stamp on the ceremony, but most will request the more traditional elements of the wedding such as Scripture, prayers, and vow exchanges. In our United Methodist wedding service, we actually do vows twice. The first is the standard “I do” sayings of commitment, and the second are the ring vows taken as the couple exchanges wedding rings. The ring vows get me EVERY TIME. Even though I have officiated hundreds of weddings, (this is where you end up when you are 1. old and 2. live in a popular wedding destination) I still tear up every time I instruct the couple to repeat this after me: “I give you this ring as a sign of my vow and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you.”

With all that I am.

With all that I have.

Those simple phrases contain a tremendous pledge of commitment, stating that the couple are head over heels, completely sold out, one hundred percent, IN.

Our scripture today is known as the Shema in Hebrew. Shema means “to hear.” It is a declaration that the Lord is the only one true God and we are instructed to be all in with God and God’s Word. With all of your heart, your entire being, every ounce of strength, you are commanded to be solely dedicated to God and God alone. Like a poker player pushing all his chips across the table, there is no turning back.

Deuteronomy 6 (Common English Bible)

4 Israel, listen! Our God is the Lord! Only the Lord!

5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your strength. 6 These words that I am commanding you today must always be on your minds. 7 Recite them to your children. Talk about them when you are sitting around your house and when you are out and about, when you are lying down and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them on your hand as a sign. They should be on your forehead as a symbol.  9 Write them on your house’s doorframes and on your city’s gates.

Teaching the children about the Lord is an important part of this passage. It is good for parents to realize that the task of educating their kids about God’s Word is not just the work of the church, but must be done at home every day. Parents, are you doing that?

In the Jewish tradition, the instruction to tie God’s words to your hand resulted in the use of the phylactery, a small leather box that contained a parchment of Scriptures that was tied with leather straps. Similarly, the mezuzah was created to post Scripture on the doorpost of the house. It was a long leather box with a parchment rolled up inside. These are intended to be visible signs of a household dedicated to studying Scripture every single day. It was God’s intention that the words be inscribed on the head and heart in such a way that the student would never stray from them. Constant repetition is how we learn, and the Shema is recited twice a day for this reason.

This passage reveals the very nature of God. God is love, and so God’s children, made in God’s image, are commanded to love. Jesus called the commandment to love God with all your heart the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:37-38. And the second greatest commandment naturally follows: Love your neighbor. (Matthew 22:39)

When we learn to love as God loves and love whom God loves, then we will truly be all in. How about you? Do you love the Lord with all that you are and all that you have? May we grow deeper in our understanding of this commandment.

All In by Kathy Schumacher

Fruit-Bearers

Posted on by Betsy

I love berry season. As soon as I see the signs in the grocery store, my heart and my cart quickly get filled up will all things berry. Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries … these colorful bits of God’s best work are lovely to behold. Berries are high in fiber, low in carbohydrates, and sweeter than sugar if allowed to ripen properly. The best berries are the ones you can pick from a farm. It is harder to get anything fresher or juicer. Sadly, for berries to be sold in grocery stores they have to be picked on the early side and endure packaging and transit. Still, any kind of berry is not just good to eat but good for you as well.

Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae made me think of how fruit on the vine ripens to perfection when properly tended. Notice in this passage how many times he talks about the message bearing fruit. God’s Good News through Jesus Christ can bear fruit in our lives if we tend it well.

Colossians 1 (Common English Bible)

3 We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you. 4 We’ve done this since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all God’s people. 5 You have this faith and love because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You previously heard about this hope through the true message, the good news, 6 which has come to you. This message has been bearing fruit and growing among you since the day you heard and truly understood God’s grace, in the same way that it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, who is the fellow slave we love and Christ’s faithful minister for your sake. 8 He informed us of your love in the Spirit.

You can just feel Paul’s appreciation for this little church. Colossae was a small and somewhat unimportant city. Their trade in fabric dyes had fallen off and their prominence was diminishing. Although Paul never went to Colossae, as an apostle (meaning “one sent”) it was appropriate to send them a letter of instruction. You probably spotted his familiar triad of faith, hope, and love in the first few verses. There was a bit of heresy happening in the church as a result of mixed religions, with each one adding its own flavor to the practices of the church. Paul wrote to instruct them that it is only through deep knowledge of Jesus Christ and wisdom that comes from God that true spiritual understanding would be achieved by the community.

9 Because of this, since the day we heard about you, we haven’t stopped praying for you and asking for you to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, with all wisdom and spiritual understanding. 10 We’re praying this so that you can live lives that are worthy of the Lord and pleasing to him in every way: by producing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God; 11 by being strengthened through his glorious might so that you endure everything and have patience; 12 and by giving thanks with joy to the Father. He made it so you could take part in the inheritance, in light granted to God’s holy people. 13 He rescued us from the control of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. 14 He set us free through the Son and forgave our sins.

The message that bears fruit in a community is evidenced by the fruit of good works. It is often only through good works that the Messenger can ever be seen and experienced. While we know that good works won’t save us, it is by our good works that others see Jesus. What good works are you doing that are bearing fruit in the lives of those around you? Can you teach? Preach? Serve? Give? Comfort? Feed? Advocate?

Paul reminds us today to be the message that will taste sweet to someone who needs to hear it. In that way we will all be fruit-bearers to a hungry world.

May the Lord will see our efforts and proclaim them to be berry, berry good.

Taste and See that the Lord is Good by Becca Ziegler

You Choose

Posted on by Betsy

A phone call between a young doctor in one hospital who was seeking the advice of an oncologist in another quickly became a matter of life or death. Cancer had been unexpectedly discovered as the patient lay open on the operating table. The question of how much tissue to remove prompted the oncologist to inquire about the patient’s age. Learning that she was a young woman of 20, he advised against the normal protocol of removing a significant amount of tissue, lest her fertility be impaired. Chemotherapy should resolve the rest, he postured. Little did he know that about eight years later, she would give birth to my first grandchild, the first of three. In that moment of life or death, he chose life for her future children, and we are forever grateful.

Our Scripture today is also about choosing life or death. Moses was giving his final message to the nation of Israel at the end of their wandering the desert for forty years and he clearly laid out the invitation to choose life. This discourse on blessings and curses was given to instruct them that blessings came through obedience to the covenant God had made with them. Obedience would result in fruit, as the Lord would help them prosper in every aspect of fertility. The land, their families, and their herds would all grow and flourish. It was a simple matter of keeping the Law, the statutes, and the commandments they had been given.

Deuteronomy 30 (Common English Bible)

9 The Lord your God will help you succeed in everything you do—in your own fertility, your livestock’s offspring, and your land’s produce—everything will be great! Because the Lord will once again enjoy doing good things for you just as he enjoyed doing them for your ancestors, 10 and because you will be obeying the Lord your God’s voice, keeping his commandments and his regulations that are written in this Instruction scroll, and because you will have returned to the Lord your God with all your heart and all your being.

God understood that the Law couldn’t be kept and so he allowed a system of sacrifice that brought atonement. We see the ultimate application of this in the advent of Jesus Christ, who came to be the last and final atonement for sin. Moses argued that choosing life was an easy task. The Israelites didn’t have to look far for the answers, because the answers were all incorporated in God’s Word. Good Jews studied and memorized the Scriptures and had them accessible in their hearts. All they had to do was choose to obey it.

11 This commandment that I’m giving you right now is definitely not too difficult for you. It isn’t unreachable. 12 It isn’t up in heaven somewhere so that you have to ask, “Who will go up for us to heaven and get it for us that we can hear it and do it?” 13 Nor is it across the ocean somewhere so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the ocean for us and get it for us that we can hear it and do it?” 14 Not at all! The word is very close to you. It’s in your mouth and in your heart, waiting for you to do it.

How about you? Have you studied God’s Word enough to have it imprinted on your heart? Have you memorized Scripture? Can you tell others what you have learned? The invitation today is the same as it was in Moses’ time. Choose life! It is all in your Bible, waiting for you to open and receive.

Fertile Life by Michelle Robertson

The Easy Road

Posted on by Betsy

Colington Road provides the only access to the place where I live in Colington Harbour, North Carolina. This road has been here since the horse and buggy days and is the most twisty, winding road I have ever traveled, with the exception of the road which leads from Jericho to Jerusalem. That particular road is a horror show of extreme turns as you hover over the side of a cliff while ascending to Jerusalem. I have ridden it in a bus and was terrified when the wheels barely stayed on the road as the front of the bus hung over the side during the sharp turns. At least Colington Road is at sea level, so there is no chance of falling off! In the past several decades, two major road improvements were accomplished on Colington Road which straightened out some of the curves. But it is still a road that requires the driver’s full attention, especially at night.

In contrast, God’s paths are straight and narrow. They are easy to spot, easy to travel, and lead to safety and peace. The only trick to God’s roads is that they require a desire to pursue righteousness through a lot of study and learning. God longs to lead us and teach us these paths in order to prevent us from falling off the side.

And trust me, it is a long way down.

Psalm 25 (Common English Bible)

I offer my life to you, Lord.
2     My God, I trust you.
Please don’t let me be put to shame!
    Don’t let my enemies rejoice over me!
3 For that matter,
    don’t let anyone who hopes in you
        be put to shame;
    instead, let those who are treacherous without excuse be put to shame.

Scholars can’t pinpoint the timing of David’s psalm, as there were many times in his life when he dealt with enemies. When you think about it, this psalm is kind of David’s experience with God in one compact nutshell. His themes of trust, conflict, sin, repentance, distress, and transgressions are all packed into these verses.

4 Make your ways known to me, Lord;
    teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth—teach it to me—
    because you are the God who saves me.
        I put my hope in you all day long.
6 Lord, remember your compassion and faithful love—
    they are forever!
7 But don’t remember the sins of my youth or my wrongdoing.
    Remember me only according to your faithful love
        for the sake of your goodness, Lord.

David began this psalm by asking for protection against his enemies and continued by asking God to forget the sins and wrongdoings of his youth. Truly our greatest enemy in life is Satan, who encourages and tempts us to sin. When we ask God for protection against our sin, we are indicating our willingness to pursue God’s goodness. God will be faithful in teaching us the way to go if we simply keep our eyes and our attention focused on God’s Word.

8 The Lord is good and does the right thing;
    he teaches sinners which way they should go.
9 God guides the weak to justice,
    teaching them his way.
10 All the Lord’s paths are loving and faithful
    for those who keep his covenant and laws.

Throughout our lives the dangerous twists and cliff hangers of sin will always be in front of us. But like driving on a treacherous road, if we pay attention to the teachings of Scripture, the lessons of service, the guidance of worship, the instructions of prayer, and the constant GPS of the Holy Spirit, we will find the easy road to redemption every day. Pay attention! The Lord’s paths are loving and faithful.

Colington Road (The road used to go around the back of the white church. There were several accidents there before they moved it to in front of the church.)

Seen and Heard

Posted on by Betsy

What does faith look like? Have you ever seen someone’s faith in action? I have been amazed to watch people at the bedside when a loved one is dying and hear their words of hope and assurance of a heavenly reunion in that moment. I have seen friends don work gloves and safety goggles and travel for hours to help people affected by hurricanes. I have watched someone wave on their way back to surgery, grinning at the knowledge that they were in God’s hands. Each time I see someone’s faith, I am struck by the notion that to see this, they have to have heard the Word proclaimed in their lives. That makes our job as faith-sharers so much more important. Real faith is both seen and heard.

In this marvelous and familiar story of the four friends who carry their paralyzed friend to Jesus for healing, we both see and hear how faith is experienced in this story. In the very first sentence we read that the people heard Jesus was at home. After healing a demon possessed man, Jesus was now ensconced in a home so that he could do his primary ministry: Teach the Word of God. He could no longer be a street preacher because the crowds besieged him with requests for healing and nobody could hear a thing.

As the man was being lowered from the rooftop, Jesus looked up and saw the faith of his friends. Faith in action is the best way to get Jesus’ attention. Their complete faith that Jesus could heal their friend was met with the man’s sins being forgiven. Wait, what? That was not what they had come for.

Mark 2 (Common English Bible)

2 After a few days, Jesus went back to Capernaum, and people heard that he was at home. 2 So many gathered that there was no longer space, not even near the door. Jesus was speaking the word to them. 3 Some people arrived, and four of them were bringing to him a man who was paralyzed. 4 They couldn’t carry him through the crowd, so they tore off part of the roof above where Jesus was. When they had made an opening, they lowered the mat on which the paralyzed man was lying. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven!”

Jesus was a problem solver, and he instantly saw the real problem here. Yes, legs that worked would solve this man’s problems, but the greater issue of his sins were addressed first. What good are legs if one is damned for eternity? So Jesus took his divine authority and healed him of his sin. Of course the legal experts saw and heard this differently. They saw a blasphemer claiming to be God. But Jesus, seeing into their hearts and hearing their thoughts asserted himself as God’s son. He had the authority to forgive sins and the power to heal his physical ailment.

6 Some legal experts were sitting there, muttering among themselves, 7 “Why does he speak this way? He’s insulting God. Only the one God can forgive sins.”

8 Jesus immediately recognized what they were discussing, and he said to them, “Why do you fill your minds with these questions?9 Which is easier—to say to a paralyzed person, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take up your bed, and walk’? 10 But so you will know that the Human One has authority on the earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed, 11 “Get up, take your mat, and go home.”

Miracles of faith are all around us if we just pause long enough to see what God is doing in our lives and stop to listen to his Word being proclaimed through Scripture, preaching, sharing, and action. What do you see? Are you listening? God’s healing is evidenced through our actions when we show and tell of his Good News. Where will you put your faith into action today? Get ready. You’ve never seen anything like Jesus!

12 Jesus raised him up, and right away he picked up his mat and walked out in front of everybody. They were all amazed and praised God, saying, “We’ve never seen anything like this!”

Faith in Action by Wende Pritchard

So Long, Pluto

Posted on by Betsy

Back in ancient times when I was but a wee child in elementary school, our solar system had nine planets. We studied it by looking at a 3D model that our teacher had made from bent coat hangers and painted foam balls of varying sizes, and sure enough, there was Pluto chugging along in ninth place. Then suddenly my world was rocked in 2006 when the International Astronomical Union had the audacity to reclassify Pluto as a dwarf planet, taking it out of the place it had held for centuries in our system. How in the universe could this have happened? Yes, new technology and intense study revealed that Pluto was not what it was first presumed to be, but to have such a massive shift in our understanding was unsettling to say the least. I still have to remember when talking to my grandchildren that the solar system only has eight planets. Back in my day, we had nine!

I imagine that this was how the news of Christ’s resurrection hit the Jews during Paul’s many journeys. Having been raised in the permanent solidity of the Law, the very idea that the Law was no longer useful in obtaining salvation must have felt like someone just took a planet away.

Paul’s letter to the Galatians on this subject is a quintessential exposé of this true but startling discovery. We see him at his theological best in these verses, unpacking the complete reversal of traditional thinking about the Law bringing salvation. He aligns himself by identifying as a born Jew then quickly makes the bold statement that righteousness no longer comes by the works of the Law, but rather through the faithfulness of Christ.

Galatians 2 (Common English Bible)

15 We are born Jews—we’re not Gentile sinners. 16 However, we know that a person isn’t made righteous by the works of the Law but rather through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. We ourselves believed in Christ Jesus so that we could be made righteous by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the Law—because no one will be made righteous by the works of the Law. 17 But if it is discovered that we ourselves are sinners while we are trying to be made righteous in Christ, then is Christ a servant of sin? Absolutely not! 18 If I rebuild the very things that I tore down, I show that I myself am breaking the Law. 

Earlier in this Scripture, Paul had to rebuke Peter. The debate on whether or not Gentiles had to become Jews first before receiving Christ plagued the early church. Circumcision and keeping a Kosher table were part of this issue, and Peter had separated himself from the uncircumcised at meals while visiting the new church at Antioch. Paul was appalled. Peter knew better, but was fearful of “certain men from James” who strongly believed that adherence of Jewish Law was a step for Gentile inclusion. I often wonder if fear keeps many of us from saying and doing the things we know are true.

Paul never wavered in his understanding of the power of the cross. He died to his old life under the Law with Christ’s death. By his faith in the faithfulness of God’s son, he was able to move from an intellectual understanding of the power of grace to a personal heart-embrace of Jesus’ love for him. Much like John Wesley’s famous Aldersgate moment when he felt his “heart strangely warmed” and moved from thinker to believer, Paul declared himself all in for Jesus.

19 I died to the Law through the Law, so that I could live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the life that I now live in my body, I live by faith, indeed, by the faithfulness of God’s Son, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I don’t ignore the grace of God, because if we become righteous through the Law, then Christ died for no purpose.

How about you? Are you all in? Do you put your whole trust in his grace, or are you still trying to work out your own salvation through ritual and good deeds? Jesus invites us to die to ourselves so that we may live with him. Don’t miss your chance.

Many Moons Ago by Becca Ziegler

Ain’t Never Had a Friend Like Me

Posted on by Betsy

If you are blessed to have people in your life whom you call friends, this Bible story will be both soothing and startling to you. Sometimes friendship comes at the price of honesty, and it can be hard to be frank with a friend who has taken a wrong turn. The pull between saving that person from themself versus protecting the friendship is a tough one. Have you ever had to confront a friend with a truth they did not want to hear? It is hard.

Our Scripture today examines the friendship between Nathan and David. David had his lover’s husband killed on the front lines of battle because he had impregnated her with a son during their adulterous affair. Murder and adultery were the sins that Nathan had to address with his friend, and hopefully none of us have had to confront a friend about evils so deep. We are lucky if the worst thing we’ve had to discuss with a friend was a poor choice in relationships or an ill-fitting outfit. Nathan’s friendship was challenged here, but he knew he was acting as God’s spokesperson, and that changed everything.

2 Samuel 11:26-12:15 (Common English Bible)

26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband Uriah was dead, she mourned for her husband. 27 After the time of mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her back to his house. She became his wife and bore him a son.

But what David had done was evil in the Lord’s eyes.

The writer shows his disdain for Bathsheba, refusing to use her name and only referring to her as “Uriah’s wife.” He also pulled no punches in calling David’s actions “evil in the Lord’s eye.” Nathan, in contrast, uses a parable to teach David about the sins he had committed. It was clever to pull David into the story of a poor man whose little ewe lamb was killed to feed a rich man’s friend. Our hearts break with David’s to learn that this poor lamb had been like a daughter to the poor man. Oh, the injustice! The evil of this rich man! What a horrible person. Then Nathan delivered the punchline that the “rich man” was David himself, having stolen Bathsheba from an unsuspecting Uriah while he was away fighting David’s battles.

12 So the Lord sent Nathan to David. When Nathan arrived he said, “There were two men in the same city, one rich, one poor.2 The rich man had a lot of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing—just one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised that lamb, and it grew up with him and his children. It would eat from his food and drink from his cup—even sleep in his arms! It was like a daughter to him.

4 “Now a traveler came to visit the rich man, but he wasn’t willing to take anything from his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had arrived. Instead, he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the visitor.”

5 David got very angry at the man, and he said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the one who did this is demonic!  6 He must restore the ewe lamb seven times over because he did this and because he had no compassion.”

7 “You are that man!” Nathan told David. “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: I anointed you king over Israel and delivered you from Saul’s power. 8 I gave your master’s house to you, and gave his wives into your embrace. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. If that was too little, I would have given even more. 9 Why have you despised the Lord’s word by doing what is evil in his eyes? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and taken his wife as your own. You used the Ammonites to kill him.10 Because of that, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite as your own, the sword will never leave your own house.

11 “This is what the Lord says: I am making trouble come against you from inside your own family. Before your very eyes I will take your wives away and give them to your friend, and he will have sex with your wives in broad daylight. 12 You did what you did secretly, but I will do what I am doing before all Israel in the light of day.”

God’s anger against David is absolutely frightening, but we must remember back to the moment that David had been selected from among the sons of Jesse to lead the nation of Israel. God had such high hopes and exceptions of his anointed leader that these transgressions were truly repugnant to God. David had been raised up high and his fall from that mighty perch was a long, long way down. Sin has consequences and for David, the consequences were devastating.

13 “I’ve sinned against the Lord!” David said to Nathan.

“The Lord has removed your sin,” Nathan replied to David. “You won’t die. 14 However, because you have utterly disrespected the Lord by doing this, the son born to you will definitely die.”15 Then Nathan went home.

The Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife had borne for David, and he became very sick.

It is hard for us to realize that God indeed took the life of the child. But we must remember that sometimes the innocent die from the actions of the guilty. Think of the drunk driver who mows down a group of kids walking to school, or the person diagnosed with a fatal cancer due to asbestos exposure. But surely that baby found his way into the arms of the Lord in eternal glory, while his parents were left to suffer from their actions for the remainder of their lives. Nathan’s bold actions ultimately saved his friend, as David confessed his sins and received forgiveness. We never read of David committing adultery again and his early predisposition to give into temptation is forever curbed, thanks to his friend’s intervention.

Is God calling you to say the uncomfortable thing to your friend? Do you see them moving headfirst into peril with their actions and behaviors? Nathan teaches us the valuable lesson of bold friendship that is fueled by honesty and a sincere desire to save someone. May we be as bold in our relationships as well.

Be Bold by Kathy Schumacher

Wash and Be Clean

Posted on by Betsy

Parents of young children often experience frustration about having to repeat things over and over. It can be hard to teach kids about right and wrong when they are distracted and simply not paying attention. I remember this being an issue again when my kids hit middle school. Thoughts of boys, outfits, mean girls, academic pressure, etc. seemed to fill their heads and pushed out through their ears, preventing my sage and wise words to filter in. Any parent will tell you that one of the hardest parts of disciplining your children is when you know you’ve warned them a thousand times not to do something and suddenly you find yourself reprimanding them for the very thing you said not to do. It is heartbreaking when “Daddy said so!” no longer works.

This idea of fruitless repetition, endless warnings, constant cajoling, and then watching the children completely ignore every effort is not lost on God. Nobody can match God’s persistence, and nobody can match God’s love. But even God had a breaking point, and that is where we find ourselves in our passage from Isaiah today. God’s anger and frustration are so great that the leadership of Judah is referred to as “leaders of Sodom and people of Gomorrah.” Every listener would remember the story from Genesis when God rained down fire and sulfur to destroy these two cities due to their immorality, injustice, egregious rebellion of God’s word, and their refusal to give aid to the poor and needy, despite God’s many and continuous warnings. Judah had so far been saved from such extinction, but it is only a remnant of what it once was.

Isaiah 1:10-18

Hear the Lord’s word, you leaders of Sodom.
    Listen to our God’s teaching,
        people of Gomorrah!
11 What should I think about all your sacrifices?
    says the Lord.
I’m fed up with entirely burned offerings of rams
    and the fat of well-fed beasts.
    I don’t want the blood of bulls, lambs, and goats.
12 When you come to appear before me,
    who asked this from you,
    this trampling of my temple’s courts?

The issue in Isaiah’s day was Israel’s apostasy and desire for the false idols of their neighbors. Prophets had been sent one after another to warn them but were ignored. Isaiah is called to proclaim harsh words of judgement and condemnation to them in hopes that they will change their ways.

What made things worse was their ability to do evil in God’s sight and then come to the altar with a meaningless offering. God clearly detested their false worship and empty ritual, even to the point of saying that such worthless gestures were repulsive, hateful, and a burden. God is tired of bearing them any longer.

13 Stop bringing worthless offerings.
    Your incense repulses me.
New moon, sabbath, and the calling of an assembly—
    I can’t stand wickedness with celebration!
14 I hate your new moons and your festivals.
    They’ve become a burden that I’m tired of bearing.
15 When you extend your hands,
    I’ll hide my eyes from you.
Even when you pray for a long time,
    I won’t listen.
Your hands are stained with blood.

The solution is given, but like our own children, is not entirely received. God invited them to wash and become clean by ending their wicked deeds and making a new life. This new life would be marked by learning to do good, helping the oppressed, advocating for the widow and orphan, and seeking justice. This is God’s way of giving them yet another chance to turn their blood stained sins into washed-white hearts.

16     Wash! Be clean!
Remove your ugly deeds from my sight.
    Put an end to such evil;
17     learn to do good.
Seek justice:
    help the oppressed;
    defend the orphan;
    plead for the widow.

What do you bring to God’s altar today? Is it just a show of piety with darkness in your heart, or are you willing to be subjected to the rigorous cleansing that only God can give? Only when we are honest and humble in our intentions will be heard in our petitions. Your Father is calling. Are you listening?

18 Come now, and let’s settle this,
    says the Lord.
Though your sins are like scarlet,
    they will be white as snow.
If they are red as crimson,
    they will become like wool.

Daddy said so.

SnOBX