Devotional Thoughts for Today
1 Samuel 18:20-21:
20 Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. 21 Saul thought, “Let me give her to him, that she may be a snare for him and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time, “You shall now be my son-in-law.”
It’s Sunday, you are getting ready to go to church; I hate to write such a dark quiet time, so I apologize in advance. They say that the greatest love in the world (outside of God’s love) is the love parents have for their children. (Technically, they say a mother’s love is greatest, but I’m working with Saul here, so give me some leeway.) This is why when we read a story about a mother killing her children, we find it incredibly disturbing. Such stories attract huge amounts of national media attention because they defy sensibilities and shake what we think we know about love. Of course, most of us would agree that people who do these things to their children are the exception, not the norm. Most parents would rather die than let harm come to their children.
Unfortunately, I have heard about one too many stories of filicide (when parents kill their kids) to universally accept the axiom that the greatest human love is the one parents have for their children. Although it is true for most people, I think there is one human love that can even trump a parent’s love; namely, the love a person has for him/herself.
When we read about Saul giving his daughter to David in marriage, we are cushioned by the facts that David is a righteous man and Michal loves him. But make no mistake, Saul’s motivation in blessing this marriage was not his daughter’s happiness; rather, he was hoping that Michal would be a “snare” to David. In other words, Saul was using his daughter to secure his own kingdom; sure, not as bad as killing his daughter, but in the general ballpark. For Saul, Michal ceased to be his daughter; she became an asset to him. It’s pretty cold if you think about it.
Let me ask you a question: Are people assets to be used and discarded, or do you genuinely care about them? Is self-love the strongest love in your life right now? If you answered yes to either of these questions, let me remind you this morning of the love of our Lord, who placed the needs of the world over His own and died on the cross for us. Let me also remind you of the love of the Father who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all (Rom. 8:32). Lastly, let me remind you of the Holy Spirit, who empowers us to love others (all others) more than we love ourselves, which can truly be the greatest human love in the world.
Bible Reading for Today: Jeremiah 16
About a month ago, my wife asked me my thoughts on the Brian Williams’ scandal, to which I responded with a blank, inquisitive, and ultimately clueless look. My wife then rebuked me, telling me, “You’ve got to look at more than just sports on the Internet.” She then proceeded to fill me in on the details of how Williams claimed to have been in a helicopter that was shot down in Iraq in 2003, but over ten years later it was reported that he was not on that helicopter. He then claimed to be foggy on the details, and how embarrassing this incident was looking for him.
Every time I read this passage I think, “What is wrong with Saul? He totally fell off the wagon and is setting up idolatrous images of himself,” similar to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue (Dan. 3) or the golden calf (Ex. 33). In other words, I start to self-righteously judge Saul, thinking, “I could never do such an idolatrous thing like that.” But as I read this passage more carefully, I realize that the Bible never says that this monument was supposed to function as a center of idolatry, worshiping Saul. It simply says a “monument for himself.” It could have simply been a pile of rocks celebrating his victory over the Amalekites. In that light, I realized that not only do I set up monuments for myself, but our society is preoccupied with self-monuments. Think about it: Why do people write their names in wet concrete? Why do teenagers who are “in love” carve their names together in trees? Why are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. so popular? Why does every architect dream of designing a New York skyscraper? I could go on and on.
I cannot prove this scientifically, but I think “Saul” lives at my house in the form of a five-year old boy. I tell my son, “Saul (not his real name), clean up your room.” When I come back five minutes later, I see him in the middle of his still messy room, playing with legos or whatever toy he is into this month. Again, I tell him, “Saul, I told you to clean up your room!” Saul replies, “I did clean up my room. Look, I put the books away.” Sure, the lad has put the books away, but there are still a ton of legos, action figures, and craft supplies out all over the place.
When we think about growing in godliness, there are many factors that we can attribute to positive spiritual growth. We think about dedication to reading God’s word, faithfulness in prayer, serving, attending small group, and the list goes on. But one important thing that we often neglect in our pursuit of godliness is watching how we speak. With the exception of the heart and the mind, the tongue is probably the most sinful part of the body. Think of all the sin that comes out of our mouths: lying, slandering, gossip, put downs, cursing, boasting, just to mention a few.
When I think of Jonathan, the first word that comes to my mind is “friendship.” Biblically speaking, we know Jonathan was the best friend of David, but even in this passage, we see that friendship was a vital part of Jonathan’s leadership style. It’s not difficult to get people to follow you using force, positional power, or even fear and intimidation, but it is entirely a different matter to have people give you their heart and soul. Clearly, there was something special about Jonathan that attracted people’s undivided friendship and loyalty. Even when faced with an impossible situation where Jonathan’s life hung on the balance, his armor bearer was willing to go with him heart and soul, even to death. Wouldn’t we all benefit from a friendship like this?
We live in a world where patience is losing its value. Remember when the Internet was first introduced, and you could hear the sound of the AOL dial up struggling to make that connection – only to hear your mom picking up the phone and that entire precious waiting wasted in a second? Today, we complain about lagging YouTube videos or long lines. We have entered into an era of instant gratification, and sadly this mindset is plaguing our spiritual lives as well. In many cases, waiting means losing, and we must do whatever it takes to win as self-sufficient people.