Beginnings and Endings - Day 133 Through the Bible

More "Trashformation" Art (using found objects) by Rolf Holmquist - on the way to the cabin

Biblical Dramas and Dramatic Structure 

My Lessons and Applications from Today's Readings

A king of Israel begins with great works for God, by His Spirit, and ends his life without God, sunken in the depths of apostasy.  A teacher of Israel - a Pharisee - begins his life without knowledge of Christ and ends it in a courageous act of faith - in defiance of his own Pharisaic group that has plotted Christ's death.

Saul's Great Fall, Heading Into the Dénouement- ( 1 Sam 28) In the story of Saul's life, we have been in the dramatic "falling action" part for several days now in our readings.  Today heads us into the dénouement.  When Saul was first anointed king...when he was imbued with the Spirit...led by God...for God, he had banned the mediums and spiritualists from the nation...they were an abomination to God.  Here, in his fallen state, Saul seeks out "the witch of En Dor" to conduct a séance, to call up Samuel from the dead.  The LORD has departed Saul...will not answer him in prayer, in dreams, in the Urim or by the prophets...because of his disobedience.  He sneaks to the woman...in disguise...in secret...at night.  To her own seeming surprise, Samuel does appear...to speak final doom to Saul.  The LORD will not answer or help him, nor will he.  In fact, God will give Israel over to the Philistines, Saul and his sons will die and join Samuel the next day, and David will become king of Israel.

My Lessons and Applications:  In desperation, in panic, when help and hope seem to have left us, we often fall into extreme depths.  For some this is a turning to drugs, alcohol, illicit sex, ungodly counsel and friends, thrill seeking or other dissolute behaviors.  Of course, these only deepen the crisis.  Saul's pretense of faith has left him without a rock, without The Rock.  When our worlds shatter...when all we have spent our lives building and loving turns to ashes..will our faith sustain us?  Will it stand the test of fire?  Will we draw nearer to God...finding the "peace that passeth all understanding" in our Savior that preceded us in this agony, or will it all be so much "wood, hay and stubble?"  Will it be a "professed faith or a possessed faith"? (Spurgeon)

The Great Climax in Nicodemus's Life, in Our Lives - (John 3) The teacher of Israel is being taught by The Teacher of Israel.  Nicodemus must be born again; we all must be.  How can this be?  We cannot enter into the womb again.  Jesus answers, '"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, "You must be born again."" Then Jesus brings into the lesson what Nicodemus will know so well as a Pharisee - the story of Moses and the Exodus.  "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (all who looked upon it were healed of their disease/sin), even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

Deus ex machina vs God's Intervention in Our Lives - In Greek drama the protagonist is saved by a deus ex machina (god by machine) - a god inexplicably entering the scene via a crane or other device from heaven and solving the unsolvable.  In our Biblical studies, we see the Mighty Hand of God, His Outstretched Arm, His indwelling Spirit saving us, enabling us, empowering us to live our lives out to His glory and honor.  The earthly end is not always what we expect.  Christ, the prophets, the disciples, many of the saints endured unimaginable difficulties.  (Hebrews 11 is a partial accounting of this.)  It is not the life of the flesh that is our final consideration, but that life in us born of the Spirit and led by the Spirit...the life that is eternal to His praise and glory.

My Lessons and Applications:  Pilate had the right questions; the right answers were directly in front of him, "but he comprehended them not, he knew Him not" (John 1). The questions:  1) What shall I do with Jesus, who is called the Christ? (Matt 27:22)  2) Truth? What is truth? (John 18:38)   We must each answer the first question - to the salvation or condemnation of our souls.  The second is answered for us.  It is ours to believe or reject:  Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)