Farewells Part 2

In the second part of our series we took a look at Israel's most renowned king (not including Jesus), David and his last words to his son, Solomon.

Now this passage in 1 Kings 2:1-9 is especially fascinating because this wasn't the first time that one of David's sons had tried to take the throne. The key here being that Solomon was God's next appointed king. So just before David died as he passed the kingdom on this his son, he had some words of wisdom.

Verses 2-4 in the NIV say "'I am about to go the way of all the earth,' he said. 'So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you prosper in all you do and where you go and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: "If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.'"

That passage has so much in it! Right before David dies the most important thing he can tell is son is 1. Act like a man and observe what the Lord your God requires.- No excuses Solomon! You're the king, you're a man, an adult, you're the one responsible for your decisions. So follow the Lord, no one's going to do it for you. And if you don't do it it's your own fault. Funny, that sounds like something my dad or mom might say. In this moment I think we see more of David's fatherly side then his role as a king. Of course the instructions are even more important because Solomon's decisions affect the entire nation but the advice applies to us all.

2. David then expands on what he's said. Walk in obedience to the Lord, keep to all that has been written in the Law of Moses.- Not only are there no excuses but there's no chance of misunderstanding or saying "I didn't know I was supposed to do that!" David was quite clear here. Walk in obedience and keep all His decrees, commands, laws and regulation as written in the Law of Moses. If you didn't know something was in there, you've already messed up because you better know it so you can live it. And don't miss that little word there "as". You don't get to change their meaning either Solomon. You follow it as it was written.

3. Next a reminder of the promise that God had given David. If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.- Lead the people well Solomon because your actions will affect their actions and if you or they reject God then you can loose everything. I know how it feels to know you've disappointing your parents. Can you imagine not wanting to disappoint them on that level? That would be a good warning!

The next verses are specific instructions. To remember those who were treacherous, those to treat with kindness, and those who promises were made to. The part that jumped out to me though is in verse 9. David says to Solomon, "You are a man of wisdom..."

This really fascinated me because of course we talk all the time about Solomon being a man of wisdom but only after  what happens in chapter 3, when Solomon asks God for wisdom so he can be a king who leads the people well. And yet David, his dad, sees that he is wise before that encounter. Which makes sense, since it takes wisdom to ask for wisdom.

Still it's interesting and brings us to point number 4. Be wise. Not in your own eyes but seek the Lord's wisdom so whatever task He puts before you, you can do it well.

There's a lot to learn from David's farewell address to his son. These are only four points but they're great reminders for us all. Which one do you most need to work on this week? No excuses, walking in obedience, living your life as an example or being wise? I won't ask you to leave a comment, when I'm not brave enough to admit my answer but I hope this gives you all something to think and pray about this week. Farewell until next time!

Farewells Part 1

First off I just have to take a moment to say thank you. Last week's post "Silent Saturday" received over 80 views! I was overwhelmed and humbled at the response! I love being able to share what God is teaching me and I really love that some of you liked it enough to share it. So thank you friends for sharing the message that God laid on my heart this Easter. I'm grateful for your response.

This week I want to do something a little different and start a series. I'm calling it Farewells. Week 1 is Moses and the Israelites.

If you could say one last thing to the people you love what would it be? In Deuteronomy 29-31 Moses takes time to speak to the people he has been leading for the last 40 years. Moses became the leader of Israel when God sent him to Pharaoh to free His people. Moses listened to their complaints during the plagues, he observed their fear when they came to the Red Sea and participated in their joy after they crossed. A few days later he grieved when the people cried out against God and he was angered when they rejected God and made a golden calf to worship even while Moses was on Mt. Sinai communing with the Lord.

Moses spent 40 years as their leader. He rejoiced with them, grieved with them, prayed for them, intervened on their behalf with the Lord for them. He ruled over them as their judge and he dedicated about half of his life to them. Obviously he had his times of anger and frustration but there is no doubt he loved them and he cared about what happened to them.

Now he's facing the end of his life and one of the last things he does is he calls the whole nation of Israel together so he can talk to them. He begins by reminding them of what God has done for them. His deliverance of the people from Egypt, how during 40 years in the wilderness their clothes and sandals didn't wear out. He reminds them of their defeats when they left Egypt, the renewal of their covenant with the Lord and he reminds them of what they left behind, the worship of idols and other false gods.

Moses also offers a warning. He warns them what will happen if they turn away from the Lord. He says that even their children and other nations will condemn them. He explains the blessings and curses that lay before them. Blessings if they follow the Lord, curses if they reject Him. Then we come to my favorite part.

Deuteronomy 30:11-20 in my Bible this section is titled as "The Offer of Life or Death" which seems like the perfect title. Verse 11 says "Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach."

After 40 years of leading the nation of Israel through the wilderness and right before they're about to finally cross the Jordan and enter the land of their inheritance, Moses takes this opportunity to give the people a choice. He knows them and he tells them straight out that what he's telling them isn't too difficult for them. He's taking away all their excuses but he also acknowledges that the choice is theirs. They can follow the Lord and choose life or reject Him and choose death. He urges them to choose life to "love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him."

In this moment, just before Moses is going to die and the people are going to claim their inheritance I imagine that he thought about what the most important thing he could tell them would be. And this what he came up with.

So what would you say in your farewell? If you had the chance to tell your loved ones something before you passed away? Moses urged his loved ones to choose life and cling to the Lord. Even as he was brutally honest and acknowledged that they would walk away. What would you? What would your farewell address be? And if you'd want to say it at the end of your life then why not say it now?

Silent Saturday

I recently heard today, the Saturday between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, referred to as Silent Saturday and I thought that it's a very fitting description of the day. It should be a day of reflection but I think most of the time we just skip over it. Maybe we attend a Good Friday service. And we plan for our Easter dinner and family get together on Sunday but Saturday just gets skipped over. We're focused on finalizing our plans and stuffing Easter eggs. We forget all about the significance of this day. And it is very significant.

This year I was looking forward to Easter more then I have in years. I was looking forward to a family dinner on Saturday with a few of my siblings and my parents and grandparents. I was really looking forward to the huge special service my church was planning. I was so excited about it! And then... the Corona virus hit.

I'll admit I spent quite a bit of time being incredibly disappointed. All my plans were ruined. And that got me thinking about the first Easter about 2,000 years ago.

After about three years of traveling with Jesus, sharing in His ministry and performing miracles themselves the disciples headed back to Jerusalem with Him to prepare for the Passover. They were greeted with enormous crowds on the day we've come to celebrate as Palm Sunday. I imagine they loved it! I mean who wouldn't? Finally the rest of the world is coming to recognize what they already know, the man they've been following around is the Messiah! The Son of God! And now huge crowds are acknowledging it as Jesus rides into the city and they shout "Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

They must have felt so vindicated! And maybe it made it easy to ignore Jesus' warnings about his upcoming crucifixion. Or His tears as He looked out on Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44) and condemned it.

Soon though everything changed. One of their best friends betrayed them and the Messiah when Judas handed their beloved Jesus over to the Pharisees and He was arrested. On Good Friday the disciples watched the Messiah be crucified on a cross next to thieves, humiliated and beaten down. Their faith was shattered and they fled. I can't even imagine the grief and disappointment, the fear and doubt, that they must have been experiencing. And the next day, Silent Saturday, I'm sure they woke up praying it had all be some awful nightmare and when they realized it wasn't? I can't even begin to imagine, much less describe, the depths of those emotions.

I imagine they feared for their lives. After all they were well known associates of Jesus. No doubt they wondered how long until they themselves were arrested and killed. More then that, the whole foundation of their lives for the last several years had been built on Jesus being their Savior and now He was gone. How could they go on? What was the point of life anymore?

I think that this Easter some of us are dealing with those same questions. Perhaps not to the same degree but we're still struggling. We're wondering what we do now. How much longer will we be forced to stay at home in quarantine? What do we do if we can't work? Will our lives ever return to normal? We've been stripped of our freedom to go out and enjoy life, of our contact with loved ones and in many cases, our work in which we place so much of our identity. Where does that leave us?

The fact is that I don't have the answers to these question but what I do have is the end of the story. The part that the disciples didn't know about on Silent Saturday. I know that Saturday wasn't the end because next came Resurrection Sunday. Jesus rose again! He conquered death! He is our Savior and He is alive! That's where we find our identity. Not in our jobs or our contact with the outside world but in our Savior. That's what Easter, and every other day, is really about. Living our lives for Him.

I have no idea when our lives will return to normal, or how much longer we'll be in quarantine or what we should do while we wait. What I do know is that on this Easter when we can't be distracted by our normal celebrations it's a great time to focus on what this holiday is really about.

Silent Saturday should be a time of reflection but that reflection should ultimately remind us of the hope that we have in Jesus and the gift of salvation that He freely offers to us all. If you want to learn more about this please send me an email or leave a note in the comments and I will gladly talk to you about it.

Happy Easter my friends. He is risen!

A Little Humor

With all that is going on with our world and now that the federal mandates have been extended through April 30th to slow the spread of COVID 19 I just thought we could all use some humor. I hope you're all staying safe. And just so you know I'm taking this situation lightly but I really wanted to give everyone a laugh.

Which one is your favorite? Leave me a note in the comments or share your quarantine meme!