Facing Your Giants 1 Samuel 21
Some of the comments I had intended to post in this section ended up on my comments on this morning's blog entry. The main point being that after David told the first lie to the priest, it seemed to get much easier for him to twist and misrepresent the truth. One rationalization leads to another then to another. . .
Max seems to be playing both sides of the fence in this chapter. On pages 29 to the top part of 31, he seems to condemn David for lying and "losing God-focus". Then further down on page 31, Max seems to be justifying the means by the end. He writes "the one (David) who entered the sanctuary hungry and weaponless leaves with a bellyful of bread and the sword of a giant." No mention of the deceit that David used to garner these necessities.
I know that Max's point is that the church should be a place where both the saved and unsaved can find peace, nourishment and the encouragement to face another day. Whether David's lies were justified is but a side bar, but it troubles me that Max seems to ride the fence. Or does he? Max goes on to write on page 33, "the question is not how many laws were broken, but how many Davids were nourished and equipped."
Are today's churches more worried about unwritten church laws/procedures than desperate people? I think that many churches have made great strides in this area. As an individual do I focus more on the needs of a person or on their behavior- People who get food stamps shouldn't be able to buy cigarettes. Why is she buying lottery tickets when her kids are filthy?
The church MUST be a place of relief from giants. Even thought the giants will waiting Monday morning at work or Sunday afternoon at home, time spent with God and other believers should be a time of release and comfort. As Christian brothers and sisters, we can be God's instruments in helping a others fight their giants.
As I read back over this evening's entry, one word comes to mind, "incoherent". It seems if I am rambling a bit, so I will call it a night.
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