Lent #6, 40 days in the wilderness 3 March, 2009

We’ve concluded our first family Lent Bible study series by looking at Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness. It’s the most directly-relevant passage in relation to the humbling and self-denial that underpins the observance of Lent. Here’s how Matthew’s gospel records it:

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” (Matthew 4, 1-3)

As you look at the poor state in which so many people in Africa live, it’s easy to excuse those who turn to petty (or even serious) crime. “No wonder they steal when they are so hungry,” we say, rather easily.
The statement does a tremendous disservice to those who live in poverty and do not turn to theft, hijacking and housebreaking. It undermines the witness of Christians in the slums who resist the temptation to harm others to feed themselves if we say the crime is excusable simply because of the very real deprivation in the environment around them.
People in Kenya – sometimes even Christians, God help us – take part in petty corruption and excuse it, saying it’s just the way the system works here and, after all, even the leaders do it.
Everyone drives like a lunatic and says it’s because of the general road madness around them; you wouldn’t get anywhere in town if you observed the letter of the law.
So, we prayed that our environment, in whatever way it becomes a desert, wouldn’t create such a hunger and thirst in us that we are tempted to sinful short-cuts to master it.

Lent #5, King David’s 40 years 2 March, 2009

The whole family is keeping to their Lenten promises, though it’s been hard. We have Joel a ‘let’ on his water-only resolution for one night when he attended three friends’ combined birthday party.

Our short family Bible study today continued to look at the number 40 in the Bible. Today we looked at King David:

“David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.” (2Samuel chapter 5, verse 4)

We had a little test to see who could remember what from David’s life.  One of the Marshlings, whose name I’ll leave out this time, vaguely recalled, ‘the Israelites had a king called Goliath who asked if anyone wanted to fight him, and when David came out he knocked his head off with a stone’. Well, no – wrong on just about every material fact.

The contrast with our last 40, Eli’s ‘rule’ as High Priest and Judge, couldn’t be stronger. David was the great King who listened to God and tried to obey him, who worshiped with all his heart, who often showed mercy when judgement was expected; a shepherd who suffered and became a King, like Jesus, his descendant, was also to do in a more important way.  David’s 40 was a golden age for Israel, and left us with a remarkable set of stories and songs (the psalms).

So, our prayer was that we would learn to worship God and listen to him during these 40 days of Lent, as David has taught us.

Lent #4, 40 years to separate old and new worship 1 March, 2009

Our Lent study of the number 40 in the Bible continues with a sad story.
Long after the people of God escaped Egypt, worshiped in the desert, were made to walk 40 years in the desert because of their grumbling, and finally entered the Promised Land, they were ruled by a succession of Judges. Eventually their leader was a priest called Eli, who was weak and faithless.
As he became too old and dim-sighted to conduct the ceremonies his sons took over. They were corrupt and selfish, and are pictured as stealing the best meat of the sacrifices for themselves and their family.
God sends a child to the temple, a boy called Samuel, who really does hear from God and is destined to lead the people. He prophesies doom for Eli and his family.
A war breaks out. The holy box that contained the engraved stones on which Moses had received God’s commands was sent into battle first. Eli, now blind, remained behind. Eventually a messenger comes from the battle. It has been a disaster. The army is soundly beaten. Eli’s sons are dead. And the holy box, the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of the presence of God, has been captured by the enemy.
The account continues: “When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backwards off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man and heavy. He had led Israel for 40 years.”

Here, the number 40 marks out a distinction. Eli’s rule stands between an old form of leadership and worship that had grown corrupt, lazy, blind and faithless with a new one that was to be led by Samuel – and through him, David the King. This would be marked by genuine worship, real leadership and the living presence of God among the people; a golden age in the Old Testament.
So our prayer for Lent is that it marks out such a distinction in us, and that we will learn to worship God with increasingly genuine joy and obedience.