Wednesday, May 29, 2013 Day 143 – I Chronicles 13-15, Psalm
119:1-32, Romans 6
In a previous reflection, I remember quoting T.S. Eliot in Murder in the
Cathedral: "The last temptation is the greatest treason: to do the
right deed for the wrong reason." The theme that emerges for me today is
another temptation to be avoided: to do the wrong deed for the right
reason. For me, the latter is the more difficult discernment at
times. There is such a tightrope we must walk on our spiritual
journey: to use all of our talents to the best of our ability, and at the
same time to constantly be attuned to the will of God in our lives. Saul
was incredibly gifted, yet as we saw earlier in I Chronicles, "Saul died for his
unfaithfulness; he was unfaithful in that he did not keep the command of the
Lord..." (I Chronicles 10: 13a). Saul in some way lost his connection with
God and consulted a medium for guidance instead.
In reading through the I Chronicles chapters for today, at first I wanted to
start singing, I Will Dance Like David Danced. I love the joyful
exuberance of that song. Yet, on closer examination, there are some hints
in these chapters that all is not well with David and his people's dance with
God. David starts by saying to the people, "If it seems good to you, and
if it is the will of the Lord our God," but then there is no evidence that the
consulting he does with the leaders has been done with God as well. They
prayed that God would bless what they were doing (transporting the Ark with the
new cart), but perhaps they should have prayed for guidance in how they were
doing it.
Back in Exodus 25, God was clear that the Ark was designed to be carried (not
carted), and it was supposed to be carried by specific Levites who were
Kohathites. (Numbers 4:15). Further, even those specified by God to carry
the Ark were not to see or touch the Ark, or they would die. Uzzah touches
the Ark and is struck dead, and David is angry with God as a result. Let's
do a little logic check here:
1) God says: here is how I want this
done. Here is who I want to do it. And by the way, if you don't
follow the how and the who, you will die.
2) David doesn't follow the how and the who.
3) The person dies -- and David gets upset with God.
Maybe if David had put a little more discernment into his planning he would
have remained faithful to the clear instructions God had given. Perhaps
the same would have been true for Uzzah. Even if Uzzah had every good
intention to protect the Ark from falling, if the Almighty has already said,
"Touch this and you will die," perhaps I would want to keep that in mind.
Somehow, David learns from the experience, because in I Chronicles 15:2a, "David
commanded that no one but the Levites were to carry the ark of God, for the Lord
had chosen them to carry the ark of the Lord."
It becomes a powerful reminder that our ministry is first and foremost to do
things God's way, not mine. It might seem restricting at times, but Paul
reminds us today of the advantages: "So what advantage did you then get
from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death.
But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you
get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:
21b-23).
It would be easier for me if God's commands were clearer for the everyday
discernment I must undergo. Were God to tell me, "Do this and you will
die," I think the choices would be clear cut. But it is not that clear
most of the time -- at least for me. (I haven't been struck dead yet so I
guess we're doing okay.) What it does point to is the urgency to stay in
intimate relationship with God in prayer, to examine and re-examine my motives
and my actions. That is the only way I will be able to live out the
psalmist's proclamation today, "Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk
in the law of the Lord (Psalm 119: 1). To borrow a marketing buzzword, the main
Constant Contact I need in my life is with God, so that, in the words of the
Thomas Merton prayer, "I hope that I will never do anything apart from that
desire (to please You)."
Peace,
Marty Zlatic
119:1-32, Romans 6
In a previous reflection, I remember quoting T.S. Eliot in Murder in the
Cathedral: "The last temptation is the greatest treason: to do the
right deed for the wrong reason." The theme that emerges for me today is
another temptation to be avoided: to do the wrong deed for the right
reason. For me, the latter is the more difficult discernment at
times. There is such a tightrope we must walk on our spiritual
journey: to use all of our talents to the best of our ability, and at the
same time to constantly be attuned to the will of God in our lives. Saul
was incredibly gifted, yet as we saw earlier in I Chronicles, "Saul died for his
unfaithfulness; he was unfaithful in that he did not keep the command of the
Lord..." (I Chronicles 10: 13a). Saul in some way lost his connection with
God and consulted a medium for guidance instead.
In reading through the I Chronicles chapters for today, at first I wanted to
start singing, I Will Dance Like David Danced. I love the joyful
exuberance of that song. Yet, on closer examination, there are some hints
in these chapters that all is not well with David and his people's dance with
God. David starts by saying to the people, "If it seems good to you, and
if it is the will of the Lord our God," but then there is no evidence that the
consulting he does with the leaders has been done with God as well. They
prayed that God would bless what they were doing (transporting the Ark with the
new cart), but perhaps they should have prayed for guidance in how they were
doing it.
Back in Exodus 25, God was clear that the Ark was designed to be carried (not
carted), and it was supposed to be carried by specific Levites who were
Kohathites. (Numbers 4:15). Further, even those specified by God to carry
the Ark were not to see or touch the Ark, or they would die. Uzzah touches
the Ark and is struck dead, and David is angry with God as a result. Let's
do a little logic check here:
1) God says: here is how I want this
done. Here is who I want to do it. And by the way, if you don't
follow the how and the who, you will die.
2) David doesn't follow the how and the who.
3) The person dies -- and David gets upset with God.
Maybe if David had put a little more discernment into his planning he would
have remained faithful to the clear instructions God had given. Perhaps
the same would have been true for Uzzah. Even if Uzzah had every good
intention to protect the Ark from falling, if the Almighty has already said,
"Touch this and you will die," perhaps I would want to keep that in mind.
Somehow, David learns from the experience, because in I Chronicles 15:2a, "David
commanded that no one but the Levites were to carry the ark of God, for the Lord
had chosen them to carry the ark of the Lord."
It becomes a powerful reminder that our ministry is first and foremost to do
things God's way, not mine. It might seem restricting at times, but Paul
reminds us today of the advantages: "So what advantage did you then get
from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death.
But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you
get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:
21b-23).
It would be easier for me if God's commands were clearer for the everyday
discernment I must undergo. Were God to tell me, "Do this and you will
die," I think the choices would be clear cut. But it is not that clear
most of the time -- at least for me. (I haven't been struck dead yet so I
guess we're doing okay.) What it does point to is the urgency to stay in
intimate relationship with God in prayer, to examine and re-examine my motives
and my actions. That is the only way I will be able to live out the
psalmist's proclamation today, "Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk
in the law of the Lord (Psalm 119: 1). To borrow a marketing buzzword, the main
Constant Contact I need in my life is with God, so that, in the words of the
Thomas Merton prayer, "I hope that I will never do anything apart from that
desire (to please You)."
Peace,
Marty Zlatic
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