Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during November 2022]

Throughout the history of Christendom, whenever people have studied the Bible diligently there have arisen differences of opinion about how it should be understood. Sometimes these are just interesting debates but they can also result in dispute and division. There are many examples of where people who agree on the basics of the faith find that their differences have threatened the unity of their worship.

One such debate goes back to the first chapter of the Bible:

God called the light ‘day’, and the darkness he called ‘night’. And there was evening, and there was morning – the first day. Genesis 1 v5 [NIVUK]

Did you see the ambiguity? The word ‘day’ is used to describe both the period of light and then the combined period of light and darkness.

Some people argue that the use of ‘day’ for each stage of creation signifies 24 earth-hours; other believers are less adamant. The original writers had to use the vocabulary of their time to convey their message to their hearers and readers; they had no understanding of the solar system as we know it and the sun itself was not created until the fourth ‘day’.

A keen railway modeller wanted to create a new wagon for his layout. He considered the plans, assembled the parts, aligned the buffers, lubricated the bogies, painted the wagon and added appropriate decorations. It took several days; at the end of each day he paused to check his progress; it looked good. When the model subsequently took first prize in a local show his peers described it as ‘very good’.

Did God do something similar? The Genesis account tells us that “God said … and it was so”. Not for him the challenges and mis-steps in making the pieces fit. He spoke, it happened. God has no peers but perhaps a host of angels applauded his works of creation at the end of each stage.

If a creation day was equivalent to 24 earth-hours then what was God doing for the other 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds of each day? It might be interesting to speculate but not to the point of compromising our relationships with believers who might have a different opinion. The apostle Paul gave some sound advice to his protege Timothy:

Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 2 Timothy 2 v23 [NIVUK]

By contrast, there is no ambiguity or disagreement about a specific period of time recorded by the first three gospel writers – those three hours when the sun was darkened at the time of the death of Jesus Christ. The sun would not illuminate the demise of its creator,^[1] the execution squad was convinced of his innocence^[2] and even the angels who had applauded the miracles of creation and sang praises at the birth of Jesus were now silent.

What is your reaction to the death of Jesus?

[1] eg Luke 23 v44
[2] Matthew 27 v54

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Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
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[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during November 2022]

Small change – two words, two potential meanings; what thoughts come to mind?

The phrase might have a financial context – those coins which appear to have little individual value. How many of us are tempted to dismiss the one-penny change that comes with many of today’s cash purchases?

If we have enough of them they can add up to something worthwhile. I knew a man who, every night, put the small change from his pocket into a jar on his dressing table. Each year when the annual subscription for his sports club came due he had accumulated enough to pay it in full.

On the other hand, if small change is all we have then its significance becomes greater. The gospel of Mark records an incident in the Temple when a poor widow made a donation of small change. Jesus observed that, for her, it was a sacrifice of great significance as it was all that she had.^[1] King David, himself not short of a penny or two, had the same attitude:

I’m not going to offer God, my God, sacrifices that are no sacrifice. 2 Samuel 24 v24 [MSG]

Small change has another context – that of a minor alteration to material things, events or plans. What appear to be small changes can have big impacts. A small change to a railway timetable can mean that former connections are now longer viable. A small change to a formula may mean that an item no longer performs as previously. A small change to a recipe may enhance or spoil the taste of a product. A small change to our diet may have a significant impact on our health. In writing computer code, using a colon where a semi-colon is expected will crash the software.

We may be tempted to dismiss small changes or fail to consider their effects on other people. The prophet Zechariah posed a question to the people of his day:

Who dares despise the day of small things? Zechariah 4 v10 [NIVUK]

Could your small change be a significant blessing for someone else? Could a small change to your lifestyle give you extra time for reading the Bible, praying or even thanking God for the abundance of his generosity?

By definition, God does not change^[2] – certainly, we need to.

[1] Mark 12 v44
[2] Numbers 23 v19

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Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during November 2022]

Jonathan said, ‘My father has made trouble for the country. See how my eyes brightened when I tasted a little of this honey. 1 Samuel 14 v29 [NIVUK]

It was one of those times when the nation’s leader had made a mistake, as indeed many have done both before and since. King Saul’s son Jonathan and his assistant had led a counter-attack against an attack by the Philistines and Israel’s army had successfully pushed back the enemy but now they were tired and hungry. Saul had obviously never heard the adage that “an army marches on it stomach” and he had given an order that the troops should not eat anything, on pain of death, until the enemy had been fully defeated. Jonathan was unaware of his father’s instructions; he ate some wild honey and was visibly refreshed. When Saul tried to enforce his directive his army rebelled.

“I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals. 1 Kings 18 v18 [NIVUK]

Ahab was a later king of Israel. He made the mistake of turning his back on the God of Israel and instead he led the nation in the worship of the gods of the surrounding nations. It is recorded that he did more evil than any of the kings before him.^[1] Elijah the prophet opposed the king’s behaviour and found himself in dire straits so he fled into the wilderness. There ravens brought him food morning and evening, he drank water from a brook and he was refreshed. When Ahab tried to challenge Elijah he lost 450 of his finest clerics.

~

We do not have to delve very far into the past to see that there are still times when a nation’s leader can make mistakes. Some try to brazen their way through the ensuing trouble by calling on the force of their personality or the personnel of their forces. Often, the most unfortunate victims of their mistakes are the people that they lead.

How do we respond when other people react badly to our mistakes? Perhaps that response is linked to how we react to other people’s mistakes. Do we endeavour to teach them a lesson with a like-for-like; do we resort to language that would make a sailor blush or do we try to bottle-up our frustrations?

Alternatively, we can recognise that everybody makes mistakes. We can treat mistakes as opportunities for learning, forgiveness and refreshment. For both Jonathan and Elijah, God provided refreshment at the time of need using natural resources; he can still do the same for us. Have you counted your blessings today?

You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by. Life will be brighter than noonday, and darkness will become like morning. Job 11 v16-17 [NIVUK]

[1] 1 Kings 16 v30

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Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during October 2022]

Ghita is one of my neighbours, he has a small flock of sheep. At this time of year they are kept near to home and they are often seen grazing on patches of roadside grass. Unlike the classical image of a shepherd playing his flute and warding off lions and bears, the main danger for Ghita’s sheep is the passing traffic. He will sit by the roadside and, without raising his voice, he is able to keep the flock from wandering into the road. As evening falls the sheep willingly follow him back to their pen. A peaceful pastoral scene!

But Ghita has been taken ill – what will happen to the sheep? A neighbour has taken on the task of looking after them. He is diligent in his efforts but it is interesting to see how differently the sheep react to the shepherd they know compared with the shepherd they don’t. They want to see if the grass is greener on the other side of the road and, of course, where one explores the others follow!

Strangers will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
Isaiah 61 v5 [NIVUK]

Shepherds get a lot of mentions in the Bible. Starting with Abel, the son of Adam and Eve, we read of such examples as Rachel the shepherdess, the sons of Jacob who took better care of their sheep than they did of their brother, Moses who led the exodus from Egypt, David the psalmist and the shepherds who saw the glories of the nativity. It seems that God uses caring for sheep and goats as good training for the real work to come.

Amos was one of the shepherds of Tekoa; he wrote a minor prophecy with major implications. He lived during a time of relative peace and prosperity but, in a vision, he was instructed to rebuke the people of Israel for their complacency and indifference. He started by describing the impending judgement on a nation at some distance. No doubt many people said “Those events are far away – they will not affect us here”. How many people today have a similar attitude towards events that they think are a long way off, geographically or time-wise?

The judgements that Amos announced came steadily closer to home: distant relatives, neighbours, kindred – all received judgement. Then it was the turn of the people of Israel themselves. They had ignored the warnings, as have so many people right up to the present day. We all, sooner or later, will have to face a judgement. Will it be negative – a rebuke – or might it be positive, as in the deciding of rewards. One thing is certain, it will not be indifferent.^[1]

Jesus himself had a lot to say about shepherds, both good ones and bad. He described himself as “the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep”. He added “I know my sheep and my sheep know me”.^[2] Can you echo the opening words of Psalm 23 and say ‘The Lord is my shepherd’?

For a final thought we turn to another vision, that of John as recorded in the book of Revelation:

For the Lamb who is in the centre of the throne will be their Shepherd, and He will guide them to springs of the waters of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes [giving them eternal comfort].
Revelation 7 v17 [AMP]

Are you looking forward to a tear-free future?

[1] Revelation 3 v15-16
[2] John 10 v11,14

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Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This reflection by David Makanjuola was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 23/Oct/2022]

Headlines from the BBC website include articles about the global economic crisis. Some have said the rise in energy prices has been largely fuelled (excuse the pun) by Vladimir Putin’s actions including his war against Ukraine. The markets have reacted adversely to the UK Government’s mini-budget of a few weeks ago. Things look unstable at the top of the Governing party. The cost of living crisis is beginning to take its toll and people fear that even worse is to come with possible public sector spending cuts.

Further down on the web page, there was an article on the drought in Somalia, another about protesters climbing the QE2 bridge at Dartford, leading to the closure of the bridge – the protesters feeling this was the only way to make their point and the commuters stuck in traffic, their travel disrupted.

You would be forgiven for sometimes thinking “what’s the point in caring?” Most of the news on TV, or in print, seems depressing, and one can feel helpless at best, or perhaps stop caring, which would be worse.

The specific issues may be different, but similar troubles were also present in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas during Jesus’ time on earth. Living under Roman occupation brought many challenges, with many wanting to do whatever it took to free themselves from it, and others struggled with the fact that they were treated as outcasts in society either because of infirmity, or their social status.

In Matthew chapter 9, it states that Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

A few things come to mind from this passage:
1 – Jesus was busy teaching, preaching and healing, but He was still able to see the people’s pain. There are times when we are so busy being busy (sometimes worse if we are busy doing what we believe is God’s work), that we don’t see the needs of the people around us.
2 – Often, when faced with difficult situations, we feel that we can’t possibly deal with them, but that is because we are thinking of solving the problems in our own strength. Jesus told his disciples to ask the Lord of the harvest for help. We need to take that advice.

So, faced with the news on the BBC website (and other news sources), what would Jesus do? I think He would withdraw to some place where He could be alone and pray.^[1] He would then look on the people around him with compassion and set out to meet their needs.

I would suggest that rather than join the ‘baying mob’ pointing fingers at our politicians and others who we feel are deserving of our displeasure, we should emulate Christ and ask God to give us the grace and wisdom to be channels of His peace.

[1] Luke 5 v16

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.