What Hannah Starts, David Finishes

I'm reading in 2 Samuel 22.2,3, this morning. David lists 9 characteristics of God, describing all that God is in his life. It's a list that would take a lot of meditation time to get through. According to David, the Lord is: my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my shield, my salvation, my stronghold, my refuge, my savior. At any rate Thomas Constable points out the similarities between David's song and Hannah's song. It's as if the author meant to make Hannah's song the starting point of his great book about God's working through Israel, and David's song as the ending point (ya think?). He writes: This psalm records David’s own expression of the theological message the writer of Samuel expounded historically. Yahweh is King, and He blesses those who submit to His authority in many ways.

It's an important point for interpretation of the book of Samuel (In the original it is all one, large book). The author put the two songs there for a purpose, and undoubtedly to understand the book, we have to understand why he did that. It was not an accident. Certainly, we must start where Hannah and David started: That the Lord is strong; that the Lord is my rock; and that the Lord will deliver his people. Vital words and life-sustaining strength to all of God's people.

Fervent Prayer

Reading in Col 4.12 this morning and I was struck by Epapharas' fervent prayer for the church in Colossae. Paul calls him a "slave of Christ Jesus" and says that he was "agonizing in prayer" for the church. This humbles me because I struggle to "agonize in prayer" for my family, more less anyone else. Thomas Constable, commenting on this passage writes: Epaphras’ fervent agonizing in prayer (cf. Luke 22:44) reflects his understanding that God would provide illumination and continued growth in proportion as people requested these of Him (James 4:2). This is spiritual work that only God can do. Just so. However, if only God can do it, then why am I not praying more fervently for those to whom I minister?

Christ to Mary Magdalene: Don't Cling to Me!

One of the first statements that Christ makes after his resurrection is to command Mary Magadalene not to cling to him (John 20.17). What to make of this command? Commentators have offered different opinions and who knows who is correct. I tend to agree with Thomas Constable. He says that Mary was holding onto Jesus as if she would never let him go and he needed to point out that there was work to be done on her part and on his part as well. He is also implying that there will be a new relationship to him soon, one in which his disciples will not be able to see and speak to him.

Constable: Thomas needed to touch Jesus to strengthen his faith. Mary needed to release Him because He would not depart immediately, and Jesus had something else for her to do.

Children and the Kingdom of Heaven

Reading in Luke 18.16-17 this morning. As usual when Christ sees a teaching moment, he seizes it. In this case the disciples obviously assumed that Christ couldn't be bothered with little children since he had much more important things to do, like healing the sick and preaching the gospel. Christ demonstrates both compassion and concern for little children as well as teaching the disciples that if one were to enter the kingdom of God, one must do it with child-like faith.

It seems to me that one of the key ingredients of the faith of a child is dependency. The child is dependent upon his parents and doesn't spend a lot of time wondering how or where the next meal is going to come from, that is for parents to worry about, not children. As Thomas Constable puts it:

Obviously infants are not humble in the same sense that adults show humility, but infants are humble in the sense of being totally dependent and unable to provide for themselves. They receive rather than provide, and in those qualities they are good examples of humility.

The Purpose of Prayer

Reading 2 Cor 1.11, this morning where Paul gives a short lesson in prayer. We are to pray, first so that the one we are praying for gets the help that they need. In this case it was for Paul and his traveling companions to be spared from "deadly peril." However, another purpose in prayer is so that those who pray and see God answer, will glorify God. Pretty cool. We both see God move and are blessed by seeing that he answered our prayers.

Two interesting words in this verse. The beginning of the sentence is συνυπουργούντων, which is a compound word consisting of three words meaning, "with," "under," and "work." So Paul implies that prayer is a working together with, or as Thomas Constable put it, "It paints a picture of laborers bowed down under some heavy burden that they are working hard together to lift." Beautiful imagery.

The second interesting word is one you don't see in the English. Again from Thomas Constable, "“Persons” (Gr. prosopon) is literally “faces.” A literal rendering presents the attractive picture of many faces turned upward toward heaven offering thanks to God for His answers to the united prayers of Paul and his readers." Got to love the Scriptures!