How do you handle the things in the Bible that you just don't get? Does it shake your faith or is it just one of those things that you puzzle a bit over but it isn't a deal breaker?
As I've said before, I start from the premise that God is way smarter than I am so the problem must be on my end. I assume God is correct and I am the one that just doesn't get it. And as long as it doesn't involve "foundational" things like Jesus dying for my sins and being raised from the dead, for me it doesn't shake my faith.
Why? Because I have personally experienced God's direct involvement in my life so many times that it more than makes up for any small things that I don't understand in the Bible. In other words, it is the personal relationship with God that makes the difference. Does that make sense?
Let me share with you an issue from this morning's reading that I am puzzling over.
------------------------------
Matthew 12:1-8(NKJV)
1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
2And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”
3But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:
4how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?
5Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?
6Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.
7But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ £ you would not have condemned the guiltless.
8For the Son of Man is Lord £even of the Sabbath.”
-------------------------------
Jesus and his disciples are technically “harvesting grain” on the Sabbath and the Pharisees call Him on it. He uses the example of David feeding his men with the showbread to justify what He did. It wasn't lawful for David to feed his men that way but it was apparently ok with God because He let David and his men live.
But let’s look at some other examples. There was a guy, can’t remember his name, who was one of many men that were escorting the ark of the covenant. If I remember correctly, the oxen that were pulling the cart that the ark was on stumbled and this guy just reached up to steady the ark and was instantly killed by God because he touched the ark. I look at that and wonder why? He didn't have any evil intent. He was just trying to be helpful.
Or how about this one. Saul is waiting for Samuel to show up to make an important decision about an upcoming battle. Samuel tells Saul he will be there in two days. Samuel doesn’t show up when he says he will. Saul, not wanting to go into battle without inquiring of God decides to seek God’s guidance without the priest. God takes offense and punishes Saul for it. Again, why? There was no evil intent there.
Now what was the difference? In the instances where the people where punished, I don’t see any evil intentions in any of the cases and yet they were punished while at other times God let it slide.
Confusing? You bet. I think this is an example of where diligence comes in. From a casual reading it appears confusing. However, I would bet that if I actually do an in depth study of those stories I will begin to see minor differences that will be instructive.
So what is the lesson here? Don't be afraid to put in a little extra time with God to dig deep to discover the wisdom He has provided for us. I believe that the more effort we put into understanding God, the more He will reveal to us. Give it a try and see if you don't agree!
No comments:
Post a Comment