Daily Lesson for June 30, 2020

Today's Daily Lesson comes from 1 Kings chapter 5 vereses 1-13:

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. 2 Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4 So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5 And the king of Aram said, “Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.”

He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. 6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.”

8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”

Humility is a hard thing to come by.

And most of us have to get really, really desperate to find it.

So here is Naaman, the foreign general with all his retinue of horses, and guards, and attendants, who is desperate enough to be healed that he's willing to go to foreign and even enemy gods, but not quite desperate enough to bow down in their muddy creek.

But then Naaman's servants reframe things for him.  He said he was willing to do something big for the sake of his salvation; why not something small?

It's one thing to do something big for God; but it takes humility to do something small.  But it's the small things in which our disease of hubris is cleansed.  And most generals, and kings, and heads of state, and probably a lot of the rest of us don't ever quite get desperate enough to do something small for the sake of being made clean.

You have to be willing to swallow your pride in order to do that. And when Jesus commented on this story, he saw it as an indictment against Israel that its arch-enemy, foreign general could find his way to a place of humility and therefore outward cleansing of the outer disease of leprosy, while its own leader would never allow himself to do what was necessary to be cleansed from the inner disease of hubris.

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year.  Tomorrow's Lesson comes from 2 Kings 9-11.

Daily Lesson for June 29, 2020

Today's Daily Lesson is from 2 Kings chapter 2 verses 9 through 14:

9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” 10 He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” 11 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. 12 Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

13 He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.

One of my prized possessions on this earth is a stole that once belonged to my friend and mentor Ted Dotts.  Ted played a major role in getting me to Duke Divinity School, where I met Irie.  So I and my children owe a whole lot to him. 

Ted was a gentle, but serious prophet, and a leader on many, many, civil and human rights fronts, including LGBTQIA rights.  Ted was probably on his way to being Bishop in the Methodist Church in the 70s but began publicly advocating for the equal rights and full inclusion of gay and transgender persons in Lubbock and in the Methodist Church.  He never did make Bishop out in West Texas, but will be remembered longer than any who did.  Texas Tech named an Ally award in honor of  Ted and his equally-strong and courageous wife Betty, who gave to me Ted's beautiful stole after he passed.

It is an honor to have that stole.  It's as close a thing to Elijah's mantle as I own. I wear it when I need courage.  And I used it to tie a symbolic knot on the hands of two men whose wedding I officiated just a few weeks ago.

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year.  Tomorrow's Lesson is 2 Kings 5-8.

Daily Lesson for June 26, 2020

Today's Lesson comes from 1 Kings chapter 22 verses 13 through 18:

13 The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the words of the prophets with one accord are favorable to the king; let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.” 14 But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, whatever the Lord says to me, that I will speak.”
15 When he had come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?” He answered him, “Go up and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” 16 But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” 17 Then Micaiah said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep that have no shepherd; and the Lord said, ‘These have no master; let each one go home in peace.’” 18 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy anything favorable about me, but only disaster?”

The King of Israel Ahab and the King of Judah Jehoshaphat allied themselves for war against the King of Aram.

Ahab had surrounded himself with a court of sycophant prophets who flattered with the words he wanted to hear. And when time for war came, they tickled his ears with prophecies about success.

But then there was another prophet, Micaiah, who dared to tell the truth to the two Kings, even though it cost him his freedom. Arrested for his minority report, the last thing Micaiah said to the King of Israel was," If you return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me."

The LORD had spoken by Micaiah and the King Ahab did not return from war in peace. In fact, he did not return at all.

"The LORD," the Bible says, "had put a lying spirit in the mouths of all the prophets," and King Ahab could not discern the lies because they sounded so good. Anything that flattered him was gospel truth to him and he risked everything on it. And in the end the flattery was his downfall.

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year. Tomorrow's Lesson comes from 2 Chronicles 19-23.

Daily Lesson for June 25, 2020

Today's Daily Lesson comes from 1 Kings chapter 21 verses 1 through 14:

Later the following events took place: Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. 2 And Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, so that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house; I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.” 3 But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you my ancestral inheritance.” 4 Ahab went home resentful and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him; for he had said, “I will not give you my ancestral inheritance.” He lay down on his bed, turned away his face, and would not eat.

5 His wife Jezebel came to him and said, “Why are you so depressed that you will not eat?” 6 He said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it’; but he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” 7 His wife Jezebel said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal; she sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. 9 She wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth at the head of the assembly; 10 seat two scoundrels opposite him, and have them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out, and stone him to death.” 11 The men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. Just as it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, 12 they proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the assembly. 13 The two scoundrels came in and sat opposite him; and the scoundrels brought a charge against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city, and stoned him to death. 14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.”

What we see in today's Lesson is raw abuse of power and conspiracy ending in murder.

Ahab as king has all he needs but he wants more.  But Naboth refuses to give up his family's property -- for the land was everything in those days (it still is) and Israel had never put to practice the ancestral land reclamation it was supposed to through the property of Jubilee.  So Naboth knows once the property is gone, he and his family will never get it back.  And first having been asked to give it away, be assured the price he was offered would not have been fair market.

So, stung by Naboth's reproach Ahab goes home to stew and soon his wicked wife Jezebel concocts a plan to frame Ahab and have him killed.  And the charge: "Say he curses God and King," she says.  In other words, the old tried and true tactic of impugning a person's patriotism and religion.

Think about that.  How often have we seen that strategy of calling into question a political opponent's personal faith or fidelity to country?  How often have we seen people say, "They aren't Christian and they don't love America."

It's an old, old tactic. And an effective one.  And when we see it we ought to remember Ahab, and Jezebel, and Naboth and his vineyard.

NOTE: We are reading the Bible through this year.  Tomorrow's Lesson comes from 1 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 18.

Daily Lesson for June 24, 2020

Today’s Daily Lesson comes from 1 Kings chapter 19 verses 9 through 16:

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”

11 He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.” 15 Then the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. 16 Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.

These are tumultuous times for Elijah the prophet; and though he has just seen a mighty victory over the prophets of Baal, the evil Ahab and his wicked wife seem not to even flinch, but rather double down on Elijah’s life.

Exhausted, he heads for the hills — literally, and a mountain of despair. Worn out and defeated, he enters a cave of isolation. He is hopeless and depressed and — seemingly — all alone.

The earth shakes, the wind blows, and fire erupts, but none of these stirs Elijah from his despair. Nothing outside can convince him the struggle is worth continuing.

But then, there is stillness, the “sound of sheer silence”, and inside it Elijah hears the voice of God. He is not alone.  God is with him.  And so too, it is revealed, are others. Elijah is to go and find them.

Friends, do not despair. We are not alone. Though the struggle is long, and hard the forces of evil may seem to be so strong, we are not alone.

So find the silence today. Hear the still voice of God. Find God. And then find friends . . .

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year.  Tomorrow’s Lesson comes from 1 Kings 20-21.

Daily Lesson for June 23, 2020

Today's Daily Lesson comes from 1 Kings chapter 16 verses 15 through 23:

15 In the twenty-seventh year of King Asa of Judah, Zimri reigned seven days in Tirzah. Now the troops were encamped against Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, 16 and the troops who were encamped heard it said, “Zimri has conspired, and he has killed the king”; therefore all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp. 17 So Omri went up from Gibbethon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged Tirzah. 18 When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the king’s house; he burned down the king’s house over himself with fire, and died— 19 because of the sins that he committed, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, walking in the way of Jeroboam, and for the sin that he committed, causing Israel to sin. 20 Now the rest of the acts of Zimri, and the conspiracy that he made, are they not written in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Israel?

21 Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts; half of the people followed Tibni son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri. 22 But the people who followed Omri overcame the people who followed Tibni son of Ginath; so Tibni died, and Omri became king. 23 In the thirty-first year of King Asa of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel; he reigned for twelve years, six of them in Tirzah.

As we make our way through the Bible, now begins the wild ride of wars and rumors of wars, and coups, and counter-coups, accompanied by the writer's summary judgement on so many of the reigns of so many of the kings: "He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD".

Omri has now come to power in the North.  The Bible will tell us he will do "more evil than all who were before him".

The "before him" part is important.  For as evil as Omri himself is, there is a whole House of Omri to contend with, the bottom of which knows no end.

It is indeed going to be a wild ride to come. And the spirit of evil will appear untamable.

But we should not lose heart.  For as Walter Brueggemann says, "the poet" -- meaning the one with prophetic word --  shall "finally come". And with him the end of the house of evil also.

NOTE: We are reading the Bible through this year.  Tomorrow's Lesson comes from 1 Kings 17-19.

Daily Lesson for June 22, 2020

Today's Daily Lesson comes from 2 Chronicles chapter 10 verses 12 through 16: 12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had said, “Come to me again the third day.” 13 The king answered them harshly. King Rehoboam rejected the advice of the older men; 14 he spoke to them in accordance with the advice of the young men, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” 15 So the king did not listen to the people, because it was a turn of affairs brought about by God so that the Lord might fulfill his word, which he had spoken by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.

16 When all Israel saw that the king would not listen to them, the people answered the king,

“What share do we have in David?

    We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.

Each of you to your tents, O Israel!

    Look now to your own house, O David.” Rehoboam son of Solomon acceded to the throne at a very precarious point in the life of Israel.  The Northern tribes were organized and ready to split apart from the powerful Judah, and the clouds of civil war were on the horizon. Rehoboam was given one last chance to keep the House of David together.  The people demanded reform.  They wanted a say in governance and a share in prosperity. But Rehoboam took bad counsel.  He flexed his muscle and doubled down on his might.  Soon the nation was at war within itself. It would never be unified again. This is a cautionary tale.  The consent of the people is an essential part of governance.  In order have that, the people must feel that their interests are being served and that they are being treated with fairness. A wise ruler will listen to the people and learn from them, or risk losing them. And when the people are lost so too is the nation.

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year.  Tomorrow's Lesson comes from 1 Kings 16 and 2 Chronicles 17.

Daily Lesson for June 19, 2020

Today's Daily Lesson comes from Proverbs chapter 30 verses 24 through 28:

24

Four things on earth are small,

    yet they are exceedingly wise:

25

the ants are a people without strength,

    yet they provide their food in the summer;

26

the badgers are a people without power,

    yet they make their homes in the rocks;

27

the locusts have no king,

    yet all of them march in rank;

28

the lizard can be grasped in the hand,

    yet it is found in kings’ palaces.

There is an old saying that the only way to defeat organized money is with organized people. 

The wisdom sayings we read today are about animals; but they are meant to teach something about people and their organization.

Ants are tiny, but they are strong, and they work together to move mountains.

Badgers have learned to dig in deep into the rock, making it exceedingly difficult for them to be eradicated.

Locusts move without a clear, singularly identifiable leader, but can take over a city in their swarm.

The lizard can be crushed in the hand, but he is too quick to be caught.

Go, learn from the animals, the Proverb is saying.  Organize like them.  Move together like them.  For you may be small, but you can be quick -- and together, even mighty.

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible together this year.  Over the weekend we will read 1 Kings 12-15 and 2 Chronicles 10-16.

Daily Lesson for June 18. 2020

Today's Daily Lesson comes from 1 Kings chapter 11 verses 26 through 33:

Jeroboam son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, rebelled against the king. 27 The following was the reason he rebelled against the king. Solomon built the Millo, and closed up the gap in the wall of the city of his father David. 28 The man Jeroboam was very able, and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious he gave him charge over all the forced labor of the house of Joseph. 29 About that time, when Jeroboam was leaving Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Ahijah had clothed himself with a new garment. The two of them were alone in the open country 30 when Ahijah laid hold of the new garment he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. 31 He then said to Jeroboam: Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “See, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and will give you ten tribes. 32 One tribe will remain his, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. 33 This is because he has forsaken me, worshiped Astarte the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and has not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and my ordinances, as his father David did.

A prophet comes speaking of a new time and new kingdom.  The old kingdom will soon be torn in two and will not be able to be patched back together.  So the prophet wears a new garment, which he then tears.  The one Israel, united by David, will soon be torn apart.

This is a judgement.  A nation split, its people divided, unable to rise above its differences, its fault lines antagonized by the hubris of its own leaders.

The writer of 1 Kings is more charitable towards King David than I think is deserved.  But his son is the one who pressed the divide; and his son following him even more.

There isn't much good news in today's Lesson -- except the warning to beware.  For there are difficult days coming in the story.  The unified vision is no more.  The kingdom has fallen back into tribalism.  It's ripping at the seams.  And what we will see next will only hasten the divide.

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year.  Tomorrow's Lesson comes from Proverbs 30 and 31.