Proper 14
Devotional
Streams of Living Water
Lectionary Devotional for Cycle B
Object:
2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33
O my son, Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would that I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!
-- 2 Samuel 18:33b
We are often caught in dual loyalties in our lives. David was king, but David was also a father. As king he was fighting for the preservation of his kingdom that had been challenged by the rebellion of his son, Absalom. As a father, he yearned to protect the life of his son that he loved. He sent his army out with an impossible task: defeat the rebellion but preserve the life of his son. His armies went out and at great cost -- 20,000 slaughtered -- they won the victory. At the same time, the son, Absalom, was killed. When David heard of his victory at the cost of his son, instead of rejoicing over the hard fought victory of his army, he went into mourning for his son. There is a proleptic echo here of the struggle that would take place in God's heart. The people will continue to become involved in rebellion against God's kingdom. The contrast is also important to note. In Absalom's case, he led the rebellion, and in Jesus' case, he was willing to give of his life in order to defeat the rebellion. Still, God would be caught in the same impossible bind that David experienced in choosing between the good of the people and the preservation of the life of his own son.
David had to pay the price of the life of Absalom, his son, for the sake of the people. God paid the price of the death of Jesus for the sake of the people. Can you not hear the tearing of God's heart as his own Son goes to the cross? In David's case, thousands of his soldiers gave their lives for the sake of the kingdom, and, yet, they felt shame because the king was in mourning for the sake of his son. In God's case, thousands would give their lives for the sake of the kingdom, but they could celebrate because God raised up his Son to lead them forward.
We live in a world still caught in a rebellion against God's kingdom. At times, like David, it appears that God is driven from his throne but we know at what cost God was restored to his throne. Now, the question remains whether we will invite God back to rule in our lives.
Psalm 130
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.
-- Psalm 130:5
If Psalm 130 is heard in the context of that agonizing wait that David experienced as his army went out to confront the army of his son Absalom, we hear the pain of waiting in impossible circumstances for some healing word from God. Many a believer has known the depth of agony out of which they have cried out to God when they could not see any solution to their suffering. Some of the deepest of human agonies, like that of David's, is caused by conflict within the family. Again, like David, family situations can place us in a terrible bind between what we believe to be right and a love for a family member that we cannot give up on. "Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!" (vv. 1-2). David's inability to handle his own lusts and desires had infused his family and resulted in the rape of his daughter, Tamar, and violence among his sons.
When a family member goes astray, it is not unusual for family members to become aware of their own guilt in the situation. Yet that retrospective awareness will not solve the problem. The psalmist recognized that the solution could only come in the hands of a forgiving God. "If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered" (vv. 3-4). Many a pastor has experienced this same agony within the family of the church that tears itself apart because it cannot get beyond its own lusts and desires. Sometimes the church even engenders guilt in the pastor as she or he examines the things that they have not been able to accomplish. It is difficult to wait for the Lord when your heart is being torn apart. Yet such a situation again reminds us of our true dependence on God. "O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. It is he who will redeem Israel (or the church) from all its iniquities."
Ephesians 4:25--5:2
So then, putting away falsehood let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another.
-- Ephesians 4:25
It is clear from Paul's instructions that the new life in Christ is not automatic. Like the church today, so Paul's church wrestled with the negative human behaviors that tore at community. The central core of Paul's instructions was a reminder that our faith is lived out in relationships. We are to measure our individual behavior in terms of how it affects the bonds of community. "Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear" (v. 29). At the same time, this is not avoiding conflict through the hiding of our true feelings. That type of peace leads to a false sense of community which is finally destructive to truth. "So then, putting away falsehood let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another" (v. 25).
If we are truthful with our neighbor, sometimes our differences will result in anger. If we bury that anger so as not to cause conflict, we will, in Paul's words, be making "room for the devil" (v. 27). Such repressed anger continues to work within us and will lead to a life of lies that is destructive to community. Drawing upon the wisdom of the psalms, Paul encouraged people to "be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger ..." (v. 26; see Psalm 4:4 footnote).
Anger is a natural human emotion generated by our independent spirits rubbing up against each other. Facing anger honestly and immediately, keeping the value of the building up of the community primarily in mind, we have the opportunity to grow in relationship to each other. Living in the kingdom is not an easy task, and it is a continual challenge for the church. What church has not experienced periods when the negative spirits seemed to dominate? Can you not hear Paul speaking directly to your church when he says, "Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice..."? (v. 31). But when Paul urged us "to be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another ..." (v. 32), it was more than just pragmatic advice. God in Christ, having formed us through forgiveness, established the foundation for our community. The heart of authentic community rests on our recognizing that God has forgiven us, and, therefore, to be true to God, we must forgive each other. This will continually require sacrifice on each individual's part on behalf of the others in the community. In doing so, we are imitating God as we seek to "live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (v. 2).
John 6:35, 41-51
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."
-- John 6:35
The church continually experiences the tension of wanting her practical needs met while at the same time realizing that there is a deeper hunger that yearns to be fed. Jesus had previously performed the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 (6:1-14), and they responded to Jesus as someone who could meet their immediate needs which were the continual challenge of their daily lives. The popularity of sermons that offer practical advice on daily living is testimony to that continual hunger among believers. Yet the authority of such preaching is the experience of the believer who finds it applicable to his or her life. In this passage, Jesus used the people's hunger for bread to point to a deeper hunger. He drew a contrast between the physical need of bread and a deeper hunger that was also a life hunger. "Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die" (vv. 49-50).
When Deuteronomy commented on the feeding of manna in the wilderness, it recognized that same dual hunger. "He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 8:3). But when Jesus began to speak of things eternal, the question of authority was again raised. "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?" (v. 42).
For many people in our society, even those in the church, they can accept the practical ways the church helps them, but it is more difficult to believe that what the church has to offer can affect them eternally. People are free to be offended in the church and leave the community without any great concern that they may be risking anything eternal. Yet at the same time there is a continual hunger in our society that has made materials on spirituality a growth industry. Jesus offered himself as the bread that feeds that deeper hunger: "... and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh" (v. 51). It is as one seeks to live the life of faith within the body of Christ, the church, that one is both offended by its human nature and drawn to the truth of our full dependence on God for eternal life.
O my son, Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would that I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!
-- 2 Samuel 18:33b
We are often caught in dual loyalties in our lives. David was king, but David was also a father. As king he was fighting for the preservation of his kingdom that had been challenged by the rebellion of his son, Absalom. As a father, he yearned to protect the life of his son that he loved. He sent his army out with an impossible task: defeat the rebellion but preserve the life of his son. His armies went out and at great cost -- 20,000 slaughtered -- they won the victory. At the same time, the son, Absalom, was killed. When David heard of his victory at the cost of his son, instead of rejoicing over the hard fought victory of his army, he went into mourning for his son. There is a proleptic echo here of the struggle that would take place in God's heart. The people will continue to become involved in rebellion against God's kingdom. The contrast is also important to note. In Absalom's case, he led the rebellion, and in Jesus' case, he was willing to give of his life in order to defeat the rebellion. Still, God would be caught in the same impossible bind that David experienced in choosing between the good of the people and the preservation of the life of his own son.
David had to pay the price of the life of Absalom, his son, for the sake of the people. God paid the price of the death of Jesus for the sake of the people. Can you not hear the tearing of God's heart as his own Son goes to the cross? In David's case, thousands of his soldiers gave their lives for the sake of the kingdom, and, yet, they felt shame because the king was in mourning for the sake of his son. In God's case, thousands would give their lives for the sake of the kingdom, but they could celebrate because God raised up his Son to lead them forward.
We live in a world still caught in a rebellion against God's kingdom. At times, like David, it appears that God is driven from his throne but we know at what cost God was restored to his throne. Now, the question remains whether we will invite God back to rule in our lives.
Psalm 130
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.
-- Psalm 130:5
If Psalm 130 is heard in the context of that agonizing wait that David experienced as his army went out to confront the army of his son Absalom, we hear the pain of waiting in impossible circumstances for some healing word from God. Many a believer has known the depth of agony out of which they have cried out to God when they could not see any solution to their suffering. Some of the deepest of human agonies, like that of David's, is caused by conflict within the family. Again, like David, family situations can place us in a terrible bind between what we believe to be right and a love for a family member that we cannot give up on. "Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!" (vv. 1-2). David's inability to handle his own lusts and desires had infused his family and resulted in the rape of his daughter, Tamar, and violence among his sons.
When a family member goes astray, it is not unusual for family members to become aware of their own guilt in the situation. Yet that retrospective awareness will not solve the problem. The psalmist recognized that the solution could only come in the hands of a forgiving God. "If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered" (vv. 3-4). Many a pastor has experienced this same agony within the family of the church that tears itself apart because it cannot get beyond its own lusts and desires. Sometimes the church even engenders guilt in the pastor as she or he examines the things that they have not been able to accomplish. It is difficult to wait for the Lord when your heart is being torn apart. Yet such a situation again reminds us of our true dependence on God. "O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem. It is he who will redeem Israel (or the church) from all its iniquities."
Ephesians 4:25--5:2
So then, putting away falsehood let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another.
-- Ephesians 4:25
It is clear from Paul's instructions that the new life in Christ is not automatic. Like the church today, so Paul's church wrestled with the negative human behaviors that tore at community. The central core of Paul's instructions was a reminder that our faith is lived out in relationships. We are to measure our individual behavior in terms of how it affects the bonds of community. "Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear" (v. 29). At the same time, this is not avoiding conflict through the hiding of our true feelings. That type of peace leads to a false sense of community which is finally destructive to truth. "So then, putting away falsehood let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another" (v. 25).
If we are truthful with our neighbor, sometimes our differences will result in anger. If we bury that anger so as not to cause conflict, we will, in Paul's words, be making "room for the devil" (v. 27). Such repressed anger continues to work within us and will lead to a life of lies that is destructive to community. Drawing upon the wisdom of the psalms, Paul encouraged people to "be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger ..." (v. 26; see Psalm 4:4 footnote).
Anger is a natural human emotion generated by our independent spirits rubbing up against each other. Facing anger honestly and immediately, keeping the value of the building up of the community primarily in mind, we have the opportunity to grow in relationship to each other. Living in the kingdom is not an easy task, and it is a continual challenge for the church. What church has not experienced periods when the negative spirits seemed to dominate? Can you not hear Paul speaking directly to your church when he says, "Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice..."? (v. 31). But when Paul urged us "to be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another ..." (v. 32), it was more than just pragmatic advice. God in Christ, having formed us through forgiveness, established the foundation for our community. The heart of authentic community rests on our recognizing that God has forgiven us, and, therefore, to be true to God, we must forgive each other. This will continually require sacrifice on each individual's part on behalf of the others in the community. In doing so, we are imitating God as we seek to "live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (v. 2).
John 6:35, 41-51
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."
-- John 6:35
The church continually experiences the tension of wanting her practical needs met while at the same time realizing that there is a deeper hunger that yearns to be fed. Jesus had previously performed the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 (6:1-14), and they responded to Jesus as someone who could meet their immediate needs which were the continual challenge of their daily lives. The popularity of sermons that offer practical advice on daily living is testimony to that continual hunger among believers. Yet the authority of such preaching is the experience of the believer who finds it applicable to his or her life. In this passage, Jesus used the people's hunger for bread to point to a deeper hunger. He drew a contrast between the physical need of bread and a deeper hunger that was also a life hunger. "Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die" (vv. 49-50).
When Deuteronomy commented on the feeding of manna in the wilderness, it recognized that same dual hunger. "He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord" (Deuteronomy 8:3). But when Jesus began to speak of things eternal, the question of authority was again raised. "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?" (v. 42).
For many people in our society, even those in the church, they can accept the practical ways the church helps them, but it is more difficult to believe that what the church has to offer can affect them eternally. People are free to be offended in the church and leave the community without any great concern that they may be risking anything eternal. Yet at the same time there is a continual hunger in our society that has made materials on spirituality a growth industry. Jesus offered himself as the bread that feeds that deeper hunger: "... and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh" (v. 51). It is as one seeks to live the life of faith within the body of Christ, the church, that one is both offended by its human nature and drawn to the truth of our full dependence on God for eternal life.
