May 10- Keeping Up With The Joneses

May 10, 2011

Scripture Readings:
I Samuel 8:1-9:27; John 6:22-42;
Psalm 106:32-48; Proverbs 14:34-35

Few men have the virtue to withstand the highest bidder.  
~George Washington

I Samuel 8:1-9:27

After America won the Revolutionary War and the mundane task of governing fell upon the country, many people were moved to ask General George Washington to become the king of America.  George was a tall man for that day, over six feet tall.  He was handsome and wealthy enough to be a land owner.  Known for his measured responses and graceful gait, George Washington held himself like royalty. The people were tempted to follow the governmental system with which they were familiar. Thankfully, George was not interested.  As a matter of fact, he was repulsed by the idea.  Even after reluctantly serving as the President of the United States of America, George Washington relished the idea of being a normal citizen.  Most of the founding fathers considered government service as a temporary calling.  This is very different from the career politicians we see today.  In our Old Testament reading, Israel wants to be like the other surrounding countries and have a king.  Much like our ancestors in America, they wanted to keep up with the Joneses.

As the story begins, Samuel is very old and has appointed his two sons to help him judge the nation.  Similar to Eli, Samuel has two evil sons who take brides and corrupt justice.  The people of Israel confront Samuel about this problem and say that they want to be like other nations and have a king.  When Samuel goes to God with this situation, God reassures Samuel that the nation is not rejecting Samuel, they are continuing to reject God as their king. God is going to appoint a king for Israel.

Before He appoints a king, God warns Israel of the nature of earthly kings.  Here are the warnings:

• A king will draft your sons into an army and make them run his chariots.
• The king will make some of your sons become slave laborers.
• People will be forced to plow his fields and harvest his crops.
• Some will have to forge his weapons and chariot equipment.
• Your daughters will be taken to cook, bake, and make perfume.
• The best field, vineyards, and olive groves will be his.
• He will take a tenth of everything you own, including slaves, livestock, produce.
• When you ask for relief from this, I (God) will not give it.

So who will this king be? Apparently, he is the most handsome man in Israel.  He is at least a head taller than everyone else.  He is also from a very wealthy family.  He is exactly what you think a king would be like.  Saul is on a journey and has lost some of his family's donkeys.  His servant is aware that a seer/prophet lives in the area.  They find Samuel in order to get help in finding the donkeys, but God has another purpose.  When Samuel sees Saul God tells him that this is the man who will rule His people.

Samuel tells Saul that he and his family will be the focus of all of Israel's hopes.  Saul's response is to protest that he is from the smallest clan of the smallest tribe in Israel.  We see self-doubt in this first king of Israel.

What do you think of Israel rejecting God as their king?  Do you allow God to rule as the Sovereign in your life?  Who makes the rules in your life, God or you?

John 6:22-42

In this chapter, people are chasing Jesus because he just fed them for free.  Jesus tells them that they ought to be chasing him because he can give them eternal life. He clarifies that God sent him to do that very thing.  Jesus is our only way to get life after we die.

The people tell Jesus that if he wants them to believe in him, he will need to perform a miracle like Moses giving manna to Israel in the desert.  Jesus corrects them and says that God gave the manna, not Moses.  Then Jesus declares that he is manna.  He is the Bread of Life that has come down from heaven.  He declares that he is God's Son and that all who believe in him will have eternal life and he will raise them on the last day.  May I remind us of one thing about manna.  In order to eat this manna in the desert the Israelites had to be faithful to go gather the manna each morning.  They had to do their part in order to be miraculously fed by God.  They had to go collect the miracle.  Do you collect God's blessing of Jesus the bread of life every day?  Do you eat from his Truth to get you through each new morning? This is some bold teaching!

The people begin to murmur because they don't understand how he could have come down from heaven when he is Joseph's  and Mary's son. 

Have you noticed that Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that he could give Living Water and he has told this crowd that he is the Bread of Life?  I am beginning to get the message that Jesus is saying he is the our essential food.  Through him, we live.  Through Jesus, we live forever.  He is the manna that keeps falling from heaven and feeding us through eternity and he is the living water that causes us to never thirst in eternity.  What a beautiful picture.

Psalm 106:32-48

After telling the story of Israel, vs. 47 asks that the Lord gather Israel back to the land.  God will answer this prayer in the future.

Proverbs 14:34-35

Godliness exalts a nation.  America's founding is an example of this.

What did you see today?

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal

Kathy Fullerton
© 2011