Tag Archives: Wisdom

Chapter-a-Day

On Miracles and Prophecy

1 Comment

On Miracles and Prophecy (CaD Acts 20) – Wayfarer

“Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.”
Acts 20:25 (NIV)

Along my journey, I have witnessed some pretty cool things with regard to the miraculous and prophetic. This coming weekend I’m going to drop a Wayfarer Weekend Podcast and my interview with a wonderful Scottish lady and amazing artist, Heather Holdsworth. In the interview, Heather shares about her debilitating experience with Long Covid as well as her sudden and unexpected healing. Her doctor even showed her the note he put in her medical file: “Miraculous recovery.”

Likewise, I have had people give me words of prophecy that were really quite amazing. Several years ago, I was approached by a headhunter and interviewed for the job of CEO of a company in a completely different city hours away from where we live. I was one of two finalists for the job. Wendy and I kept this very private.

About this time, after a particularly difficult meeting with my business partner on a Friday, I shared with a close friend the following Sunday morning about my frustrations. I told him about how I wished for the job I’d interviewed for, and how I wanted that other job in another city where I could move to a new place and start fresh in a new company.

As we were walking out a few minutes later, a different friend happened upon us. I knew from previous experience that she had a prophetic gift. She said she wanted to pray for me, and I agreed As she was praying over me, she suddenly said, “The Father says to you, ‘I see the suitcases in your hands. I want you to let go and drop them.’” It was pretty wild. Sometimes, God does give clear direction.

But not always.

I have also experienced those who boldly and intensely proclaim that God has revealed this or that is going to happen. But, then it doesn’t.

In today’s chapter, Paul experiences the miraculous when a boy named Eutychus falls to his death and Paul brings the boy back to life. Then Paul calls for a meeting with the elders among the believers in Ephesus. Paul is on his way to Jerusalem, and he tells the Ephesians elders that he knows he will never see them again. He gives them what he believes is his final encouragement to them. They have a teary and emotional goodbye.

But Paul was wrong.

Years after the events of today’s chapter, after the final events recorded in Acts, Paul made a final visit to Ephesus. He references it in the opening of his first letter to Timothy (1 Tim 1:3).

In the quiet this morning, this had me meditating on the nature of prayer and the prophetic. I have many stories of people experiencing miraculous healing. I have many stories of the prophetic like the one I just shared. But, I also have stories of difficult situations in which the miraculous didn’t happen, and times when people utter emphatic and prophetic “sure things” don’t happen.

I have learned along my journey to hold on loosely with regard to miraculous promises and prophetic proclamations. One comment I read about Paul’s proclamation he would never see the Ephesians said, “the gift of prophecy does not mean omniscience.” Indeed, it does not. So, I humbly embrace and have faith that God can and does work in miraculous ways and speak through prophecy. At the same, I’m mindful of Bob Dylan’s lyric about God: “You think He’s just an errand boy to satisfy your wandering desires.” God is God. I am not. Faith is believing what God can do while maintaining Job’s humble and surrendered attitude: “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.”

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Waypoints of Confusion

1 Comment

Waypoints of Confusion (CaD Jhn 13) – Wayfarer

Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
John 13:7 (NIV)

When I was a young man, I worked for a small non-profit that was just getting started. As a way of helping make the financial leap of hiring me as the first employee, I agreed to raise half of my own salary for the first year. I went to family, friends, and people who were benefitting from the organization and asked for a one-year commitment to support me financially. The organization agreed to work toward making this arrangement a one-year-only commitment.

As the year wore on, I repeatedly asked for an update from the organization’s founder and board. I had told my financial supporters that it would be a one-year commitment, and I felt responsible for updating them. I even said that I might be willing to continue raising part of my salary if a plan could be worked out to slowly taper it off over time. Each month I asked if the Board had discussed a plan. Each month I was told that they didn’t get to it.

I remember being frustrated and confused during this period of time. As my work anniversary neared, it became clear to me that I was not high on the priority list, and that the circumstances I found myself in were symptoms of larger systemic issues. I made the decision that I was going to resign. This was not, however, an easy decision. I was a young husband and father of two babies. I didn’t have another job lined up. It was not a fun moment.

Having made my decision, I began notifying those who had been supporting me financially that year to let them know they could stop cutting monthly checks. One of those supporters asked me why, and I explained the situation.

“What are you going to do?” He asked.

I told him I didn’t know.

He then asked to meet with me that afternoon. He offered me a job. This summer I will celebrate my 30th work anniversary at that job.

Along my life journey, I have found myself at many waypoints of confusion.

“How did I get here?”

“What is happening right now?”

“Where in the world is this leading?”

“I don’t understand!”

I’ve discovered along the way that there are times when it is only in retrospect that I can see how God was at work in me, directing my path and guiding my steps.

Today’s chapter begins John’s recounting of the night of Jesus’ arrest. At their last supper together Jesus tells His disciples “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” This has been a recurring theme. In yesterday’s chapter, John wrote: “At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.”

As fate would have it, I find myself back at one of those confusing waypoints on life’s road at the moment. I don’t understand where things are leading. I don’t have clarity regarding the path forward. But I can look back and see how God has been faithful in all those past waypoints of confusion. I can trust Him with this one, too.

I’m back on Facebook for those who liked to read my chapter-a-day posts there! Facebook refuses to give me access to my old, hacked account, but I have started a new account. Please feel free to search for me on Facebook and friend me. If Facebook won’t let you friend me, please go to my Facebook profile and “Message” me on Facebook Messenger, which should then allow me to friend you. Cheers! -Tom

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Uncategorized

Short-Cuts

Leave a comment

Short-Cuts (CaD Hos 12) – Wayfarer

The merchant uses dishonest scales
    and loves to defraud.
Ephraim boasts,
    “I am very rich; I have become wealthy.
With all my wealth they will not find in me
    any iniquity or sin.”
Hosea 12:7-8 (NIV)

When I was a young man, I was not great with money. I confess this. It took me some hard lessons, both financial and spiritual, along with some time to get things straightened out. It has been one of the most important spiritual lessons of my entire life journey. Part of that hard lesson I learned was that sound financial strategies, much like spiritual maturity, require discipline and longevity. Short-cuts appear tempting, but they make for long delays.

Along that journey, I’ve had a number of living parables present themselves.

I’ve personally known two individuals, both sincere and devout followers of Jesus and men I considered wise, who placed all of their retirement savings in one risky investment and ended up losing everything.

My father, the accountant, has regaled me with stories, repeatedly told, of businesses he discovered were cooking the books and kiting checks. The stories end up with law enforcement, businesses closing, and business owners in big trouble.

Years ago it was recommended to me (once again, by devout followers of Jesus who I considered wise) that we switch to using a broker who was making money hand-over-fist for clients. All the powerful and wealthy were flocking to this firm. Then, I witnessed that firm quickly and suddenly implode. The palatial offices were suddenly closed. Employees were quickly spinning off to create their own companies. Investors stuck in bad investments were livid and litigious. All these years later, I hear the lawsuits are still being settled.

In today’s chapter, the prophet Hosea raises charges against ancient Israel for the corruption and dishonesty that was happening among the wealthy and powerful elites who were packing the administrations of a string of crooked kings. He describes them as sitting atop the societal and governmental food chain working their dishonest schemes and feeling untouchable while the poor and marginalized suffered.

Hosea even uses the metaphor of Jacob to describe these ancient elites. Jacob was their patriarch who deceived his older twin of his birthright and then deceived their father to get the blessing of the first-born. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, and Hosea makes it clear that the nation of Israel was guilty of their namesake’s deceptive ways.

In the quiet this morning, I am sobered by the trip down memory lane and the number of good people I have known who made foolish choices out of an out-of-control appetite to have greater financial security or to increase their earthly treasure. I’m reminded of Paul’s words to his young protégé Timothy: “godliness with contentment is great gain.” I’m also reminded that Jesus constantly spoke of being wise about what we treasure. He repeatedly spoke of the Kingdom of God as a hidden treasure worth giving up everything to acquire, while He spoke of earthly treasure as the worst investment one can make from a spiritual and eternity perspective.

Where am I susceptible to making foolish choices? What “too good to be true” opportunity would I be foolish enough to consider? Where am I most tempted to take short-cuts in life?

Short-cuts make for long delays.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Young Eli’s Approach

1 Comment

Young Eli's Approach (CaD Job 33) – Wayfarer

“But you have said in my hearing—
    I heard the very words—
Job 33:8 (NIV)

In my vocational career, I do a lot of coaching and training in the subjects of customer communication and customer service. The most requested topic, by far, is how to handle angry and escalated customers. I always begin addressing the topic with a simple truth that must be understood: There is no magic formula or simple ingredient that works every time. That said, there are a handful of tactics that can and do help in many situations.

One of the most simple and basic of tactics is to conversationally address the angry customer by name. The use of names in a conversation implies that there is a relationship. When relationships break down, it is common for people to stop addressing one another by name, referring to one another by pronouns or epithets instead. It is easier for some people to rant and and curse to a nameless, disembodied voice over the phone. When names are used then a relationship is implied and the nameless, disembodied voice becomes an actual person to the angry customer on the other end of the phone.

Today’s chapter is the opening of what will be five straight chapters of Eli the younger’s wisdom for Job. He gives Job free reign to respond at the end of today’s chapter. However, Job has stated his closing argument, and he refuses to respond. Young Eli takes this as permission to give Job an earful.

There is something different in the way young Eli addresses Job. Unlike Eli the elder, Bill, and Z, the young man actually speaks directly to Job, addressing him by name. The elder three never addressed Job by name, which is rather fascinating when you think about it. They are likely closer in age to Job and also likely to have experienced more of life with him. One would think that there would be more intimacy between the elder friends and the suffering Job. Perhaps their arm’s length approach hints at their fear of getting too close to Job, as if his suffering might be contagious.

Another subtle difference in the way young Eli approaches Job is his refusal to directly accuse Job of wrongdoing. The elder three friends were convinced that some heinous and hidden sin must be present for God to punish Job and make him suffer. Instead, Eli establishes a pattern in which he addresses and refutes Job’s own words:

“But you have said in my hearing…” (verse 8)
“But I tell you…” (verse 12)

In this, I heard echoes of Jesus’ message on the mountain when He repeatedly used a similar device:

“You have heard that it was said…” (Matthew 5:21)
“But I tell you…” (Matthew 5:22)

What is fascinating as young Eli launches into his discourse is that he claims to have heard Job say things that Job never said. For example, Eli claims that Job said he was “pure and free from sin.” Quite the opposite, Job readily admitted to being a sinner (7:21; 13:26). Job’s claim is that if he did anything to deserve the suffering he is experiencing then he’d like God to tell him what it is.

Young Eli goes on to refute Job’s notion that God is silent. He argues that God can and does speak in various ways. In this the young man is not wrong. He is, however, using a blunt instrument (God is never silent) to address what is a rather surgically precise argument on Job’s part (God has not addressed my specific complaint).

As I sat and meditated on young Eli’s self-proclaimed many words of wisdom, I found myself also contemplating Job’s silence which I find to reflect a very different kind of wisdom. Proverbs 10:19 says, “When there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is wise.” In the modern day world of social media, there is no lack of words from an infinite number of voices. Increasingly, when I feel compelled to add my words onto the pile, I choose Job’s path of wisdom and simply keep silent.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Wisdom & Foolishness

Leave a comment

Wisdom and Foolishness (CaD Job 28) – Wayfarer

Where then does wisdom come from?
    Where does understanding dwell?
Job 28:20 (NIV)

Wisdom and foolishness.

The ancients pondered these contrasting character qualities long and hard. So much thought and contemplation were given to them that there is a whole genre of ancient writing known as Wisdom Literature. Job is a classic of the Wisdom genre.

Shakespeare used the motifs of wisdom and foolishness to great effect. He often portrayed his rich and powerful characters with fatal, foolish flaws while reserving some of the most wise insights to characters who were classic fools.

I don’t find that contemporary culture thinks much about wisdom and foolishness in the classic sense. We think about fame and fortune. We value success and popularity. We strive for appearances and for avoiding failure that would result in social humiliation. Being wise is considered an honorable trait, of course. No one pursues foolishness. Yet, the world by-and-large doesn’t dwell on attaining wisdom or understanding foolishness. I went to the Amazon’s book section and did a search for “wisdom.” Pretty much every book that shows up is rooted and cloaked in Judeo-Christian or other ancient spiritual traditions. There are some “it” Christian authors. There are some more modern thinkers like Tolstoy and T.E. Lawrence. There’s not a single “it” influencer in popular culture on the cover of a book hawking the virtues of wisdom or the hidden traps of foolishness. No Oprah. Not even a Kardashian.

One of the keys to unpacking the book of Job is to understand that the author constructed it using different elements. Job’s and his friends have conversed in three rounds of back and forth discourses and ended in a stalemate. The ancient Hebrew writer now inserts a classic Hebrew wisdom poem before entering the second major section of the book in which there will be a trinity of monologues from Job, his friend Eli, and finally, God.

The ancient Hebrews liked to construct poetry and songs in such a way that the center of the text contains the central theme. Today’s chapter serves that function. The heart of the Job story is about gaining wisdom, and the author explains that wisdom can’t be mined by human means, nor can it be bought and sold like a commodity. Wisdom is found in the fear of the Lord and the shunning of evil. Embedded in this conclusion is both a nod back to the beginning of the story in which three times Job is described as a man who “feared the Lord” and “shunned evil” (1:1, 1:8, 2:3). It is also a foreshadowing of the final climax of the story in which God will have the final word.

In the quiet this morning, I found myself contemplating who I’ve encountered along my life journey whom I would consider wise, and those I’ve known who I would label a fool. As I contemplated this, it struck me that not one wise person I know was perfect. In fact, one of the life lessons I’ve gained from being associated with the wise is the necessary disappointment of learning that even the wise make foolish mistakes and have blind spots. I’ve come to believe that this is the true lesson of Solomon. As I tried to think of a fool I know who became wise, I had to think hard. In the few individuals that came to mind, there was always an epiphany event that preceded the life change. There was a gracious God moment, even if they weren’t otherwise religious, in which they walked away from their foolish path and pursued a path of wisdom.

And, that’s exactly the conclusion of the author’s wisdom poem. To “shun evil” I’ve learned that there is a divine grace woven with corresponding human will that is required. But it’s the divine grace that is the source, both the beginning and the end of wisdom and everything in between. It’s this humble acknowledgment repeatedly embraced that forms the path to wisdom.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Not Without Struggle

Leave a comment

Not Without Struggle (CaD James 1) – Wayfarer

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:4 (NIV)

Just yesterday I returned home from a seven day road trip. Part work, part personal, and part sabbatical, I logged more than fifty hours behind the wheel and just shy of 3,000 miles. It felt good to arrive home yesterday, like I’d reached a kind of finish line, a journey’s end.

Journey has always been the core metaphor of this blog. A wayfarer is one who is on a journey, and in these posts I write about my life journey, my spiritual journey, and this chapter-a-day journey.

On a journey, one moves and progresses towards a destination.

On both my life journey and my spiritual journey, my progress is measured, not by distance, but by maturity, wisdom, and the yield of love produced in my spirit, intentions, thoughts, words, and actions along with love’s by-products of joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.

On Wednesday of this past week, I was in Richmond, Virginia. I took the opportunity to visit the U.S. Civil War Museum located there. As is a ritual for Wendy and me, I picked up a couple of magnets to mark and memorialize the visit on the fridge back home. One of the magnets is a quote:

“Without struggle, there is no progress.”

Frederick Douglass

When reading James’ letter, I’ve found it beneficial to consider the context in which he wrote it. It was a time of intense struggle. James was not written by James, the disciple of Jesus, but by James the half-brother of Jesus who became leader of the Jesus Movement in Jerusalem. The followers of Jesus are facing persecution and many have fled the persecution and are living in other places. James chooses to remain and continue the work of Jesus.

James leadership position as a follower of Jesus in Jerusalem puts him in direct conflict with the same religious aristocracy that put Jesus to death, put Stephen to death, and sent Saul hunting down Jesus’ followers. Not long after penning this letter, James will be killed by them, as well. He writes this letter to encourage Jesus’ followers scattered to the four winds and fleeing persecution. He is writing to encourage followers of Jesus to persevere amidst the difficult struggles they faced as wayfarers on journeys of exile.

In the first chapter, James reminds these struggling wayfarers of the goal.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

The goal is maturity and wholeness which are produced through persevering in the struggle of many kinds of trials and tests of faith.

Without struggle, there is no progress towards maturity and completeness.

It feels good to be sitting in the quiet of my office this morning. I find myself thinking about “trials of many kinds” through which I have persevered. My mind flashes back to people I met and spent time with on my journey last week. Each one is facing their own struggles and trials on their respective journeys. Each one is making progress. I was blessed by my time with each of them.

I’m reminded this morning as I begin a new work week. This is a journey. Today I progress toward my destination, but not without struggle.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

The Smorgasbord of Words I Want to Hear

Leave a comment

Smorgasbord of Words I Want to Hear (CaD Jer 7) – Wayfarer

“But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.”
“Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips.”
Jeremiah 7:8, 28 (NIV)

I walk this earthly journey in fascinating times.

With the dawn of the internet age, I have access to more words, information, and voices than any human being has ever experienced in history. It’s instantly accessible through the phone in my hand every minute of every day. With this phone I can constantly read and listen. Often when I can’t sleep I will stick an AirPod in my ear and listen to a voice reading a favorite story. Last week I woke up and remembered that, in my dream, there were two boys who amazed me because they were quoting long passages of one of my favorite stories from memory! The words from my phone, through my ear, were being regurgitated through my brain into my dreams.

As I stop to consider this amazing reality, I also observe that few people seem to be considering how this is changing our lives. Parents are concerned about screens, of course. Sociologists and experts are studying it, writing papers and books, and publishing articles. But any words or information posted, published, tweeted, or spoken now competes with all the information and entertainment available to every individual on the phone in their hand. Every person can listen and endlessly read whatever they desire. I think about this every morning when I hit the “Publish” button on these posts like a sower sowing his seed. How do you compete against the unlimited number of options every human being has at their fingertips?

As I read today’s chapter, the words of the ancient prophet Jeremiah felt eerily prescient to these fascinating times. He stood at the entrance to God’s Temple in Jerusalem and proclaimed the words God had given him. He did this even as God told him, “When you tell them all this, they will not listen to you.”

I find it fascinating that in a time when we have more information at our fingertips than could have been been imagined just a generation ago, I observe the actual denial of facts and truths that have not been questioned in the history of humanity. With this unprecedented access to more words and knowledge I would think that profitable conversation and productive discourse would flourish. Instead, I observe in our culture the demand to abolish discourse, debate, and the free exchange of ideas under the misguided notion that words are hurtful and disagreement is violence.

Just this morning I read these words from a professor at one of the nation’s large universities. The academic described his observations of colleagues who:

“…work desperately to remain in a state of denial, not to think about the obvious. The exhausting labor of self-deception pushes them into more extreme behavior. Just as lies beget lies, self-deceptions metastasize into new self-deceptions.”

Please don’t read what I’m not writing. It’s the spiritual issues of my observations that are stirring my mind and soul in the quiet this morning. It is a spiritual matter that Jeremiah pokes at and that Jesus would address hundreds of years later. Those who have eyes don’t actually see. Those who have ears don’t actually hear. Simple truths are hidden from the “wise and learned” while perfectly understood by a mere child. Knowledge doesn’t lead to truth, but deception. As God said in today’s chapter through Jeremiah: “Instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.”

Immediate access to a smorgasbord of information, words, and voices does not necessarily lead to my increased knowledge or wisdom. It can also lead me to an intoxicating indulgence in only those voices, words, and ideas that affirm my darkest and most unhealthy inclinations. They can facilitate in me the same thing that tripped up Adam and Eve; I can be like God so as to create my own reality. I can easily follow my appetite for self-deception and self-justification by gluttonously feeding on an endless stream of affirming words and voices to the point that any words or voices of dissent become unbearable and send me repeatedly back to the buffet of voices who will tell me exactly what I want to hear and call it truth. As they do, they proclaim that doing so is loving, caring, kind, and good.

No matter how much the internet age has changed my access to information, words, and voices, what has never changed since the days of the ancient prophet Jeremiah is the human condition.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Generations

1 Comment

But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him.
1 Kings 12:8 (NIV)

When I was a young man, I had all the confidence in the world. I had an intense belief that I could do anything to which I set my mind. I didn’t even question it. The only question was what it was to which I would set my mind and heart. I was three years old when Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon, and for my generation, I believe there was a certain anticipation and belief that we could shoot for the stars. Our grandparents were “the greatest generation” who grew up during the Great Depression and gave their lives to save the world from tyrannical evil in World War II. Our parents’ generation put men on the moon. There was no limit to what our generation could accomplish.

In those early years, I don’t remember having much anger or animosity toward the previous generations other than what I perceived to be their blind obedience to institutions and institutional traditions. I was an obedient and good kid for the most post, but I bucked traditions that I found silly and void of any tangible purpose.

By way of contrast, our daughters’ childhood and youth were marked by September 11, 2001, and a post-9/11 world. Taylor was 11, and Madison was not quite 10. Now in their 30s, I look at their generation and find them to have a very different mindset. My personal observation has been that they’ve largely rejected the faith and belief systems of previous generations outright. Despite being arguably the most affluent and privileged generation in the history of humanity, theirs is a pessimistic and cynical worldview of a world made perpetually evil by the previous generations and their belief systems, an assuredly apocalyptic future from any number of doomsday scenarios from climate change to capitalism, and their conviction that only they can change the world and save it for subsequent generations.

Generations are fascinating.

In today’s chapter, Solomon’s son Rehoboam takes over his father’s throne. I couldn’t help but think through the experience of the generations:

Generation #1: David
David has an incredibly difficult journey to the throne. Despite his early victory over Goliath and popular acclaim, David lives as a mercenary in the desert with a price on his head for well over a decade. He’s a middle-aged man by the time he ascends to the throne. He earned the kingdom through grit, faith, perseverance, and conquest.

Generation #2: Solomon
David’s marriage to Bathsheba and the subsequent birth of Solomon came relatively late in David’s life and reign. Solomon was born into the wealth and power of the royal family, but he was relatively young when he ascended the throne and inherited a vastly larger and wealthier nation that his father had spent a lifetime building. Solomon enjoyed the heck out of it, but his excess and extravagance came at a heavy expense to the everyday people of the nation.

Generation #3: Rehoboam
From what we can surmise, Rehoboam never knew a difficult day in his life. He great up, not only in the Royal palace like his father, but he also experienced the wealth, extravagance, and excess with which his father lived. Solomon may have known privilege, but Rehoboam knew only privilege and fortune on steroids. When he finally has his chance at the throne, he has no regard for his people or his nation. He and his entourage of similarly privileged and wealthy friends treat the throne as if it’s their golden ticket to continue their extravagant living while using their power to lord themselves over others.

In the quiet this morning, I ponder my place in the Great Story from a historical and generational perspective. On one hand, I feel humble in accepting the reality that generations are often unwitting products of the generations before them and the circumstances around them over which they have no control. On the other hand, I find myself desiring to not be fatalistic about the differences between generations but rather to help other generations with the wisdom of experience. Ultimately, you can’t control whether another generation will listen to or accept that wisdom.

The elders who tried to speak wisdom into Rehoboam learned that the hard way.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Solomon: Most Wise Fool

1 Comment

Solomon: Most Wise Fool (CaD 1 Ki 4) – Wayfarer

The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy. And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon’s subjects all his life.
1 Kings 4:20-21 (NIV)

In the list of Solomon’s officials are two secretaries and a recorder. I’m not sure if one of them functioned like the press secretaries that Presidents have today, but today’s chapter drips with the positive spin we’ve come to cynically expect from modern press briefings of national leaders. In today’s chapter, everything is rosy. Everyone is happy. Solomon is the perfect ruler whose wisdom is second only to the future Messiah.

Over a lifetime of observing positive spin from both sides of the political aisle, I have, perhaps, grown a little cynical. Many readers may take the information shared in today’s chapter on merit, but between the facts written through rose-colored glasses, I couldn’t help but notice a few things.

Solomon inherited everything from his father. The lands and peoples over which Solomon reigned were conquered by David. Solomon simply took over control. I can’t help but think that history is full of stories of children squandering what their parent(s) had earned. Governing and maintaining control over many tribal groups over a large area for any length of time was tricky business in that period of history. It took an amazing balance of diplomacy and military threat. The facts we are given simply point to a Solomon who lived rich, courted foreign diplomats who showered him with praise, and enjoyed every minute of being the richest and wisest man in his known world. Knowing from history that the entire kingdom implodes immediately after Solomon died, I’m left to wonder if Solomon gave any thought to preserving the kingdom that God had established and blessed for subsequent generations, or if he simply enjoyed the wild and luxurious ride he’d inherited.

Solomon’s administration was full of insiders. Solomon’s officials and advisors were largely sons of his father’s advisors and sons-in-law. David had built the Kingdom on a diverse group of supporters from different backgrounds that he developed from his decades as a mercenary. Solomon does not appear to be building bridges and political alliances with the conquered peoples over whom he’s ruling. He’s keeping his kingly power concentrated with what many in his kingdom might call “the same old cronies.”

Solomon’s great kingdom was built by forced labor. There are only seven or eight jobs listed in Solomon’s cabinet. One of them is the secretary of “forced labor.” Solomon’s lavish building projects are being accomplished on the backs of slaves and “forced labor” from his own people. This was not new. It was the way of the world back in those days. However, Solomon’s never-ending construction projects from palaces to the Temple would indicate that he likely required a level of forced labor that would have bred all sorts of anger and discontent among the masses.

Solomon’s twelve “districts” were a form of ancient gerrymandering that crossed tribal boundaries and redrew the map. There may have been a good reason for this. Perhaps Solomon was trying to ensure that every district had enough agricultural production to provide their annual monthly supply for his lavish lifestyle at court. Redrawing the map, however, meant that districts crossed ancient tribal boundaries, which in turn likely stirred up ancient tribal rivalries and resentments. The key to preserving a kingdom in those days was maintaining peace and stability, not stirring up trouble.

In the quiet this morning, I’m pondering two realities. The first reality is that Solomon was most certainly the intelligent, charismatic, and wise man described in today’s chapter. There is no doubt that he was wealthy and successful during his reign and in his lifetime. The second reality is the sobering fact that Solomon was also a flawed human being just like every other sinful human being. Solomon’s press secretary does a masterful job of diverting our attention away from Solomon’s flaws and focusing on Solomon’s greatness. History, however, reveals that it is Solomon’s flaws and blind spots that lead to his great kingdom dying with him. Those blind spots will plague subsequent generations with political strife, civil war, violence, and bloodshed for hundreds of years.

I’m reminded this morning of the word picture Jesus gives His followers at the end of His famous Sermon on the Mount. I’m reminded because I just gave a message a few Sundays ago about that very word picture. It is a contrasting word picture of two people who each build their own house. One of the houses blows down when the storms of life hit. The other house remains standing through those storms. For all of his wisdom, Solomon’s kingdom will fall with the first political wind that blows after his death.

As I mentioned in my message, Jesus’ word picture begs a number of questions of me:

What am I building with this life I’m given?
What am I building it on?
What am I building it with?
What will blow away with my death? What will last for eternity?

Today’s featured image, Most Wise Fool, was created with Wonder A.I.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.

Chapter-a-Day

Sometimes I Need a Lecture from Doc

2 Comments

Sometimes I Need a Lecture from Doc (CaD 2 Sam 21) – Wayfarer

Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. 2 Samuel 21:15 (NIV)

The man who has been my doctor for most of my life is retiring at the end of this year. He has been my family’s primary physician since about the time I was entering my teens. Doc was a young man fresh out of medical school. The first time I saw him was when a large sliver from my the wooden skateboard, which I had received for my birthday, lodged deep in my thigh and required both a minor surgical extrication and a lecture about being careful with my toys. Lately, he’s lecturing me about fiber, cholesterol, and prostate health.

One of the things I have always loved about Doc is his blunt and honest way of giving it to you straight. He doesn’t mince words, though he may add a little colorful verbiage. Once when were discussing a minor procedure I needed done he simply laughed and said. “Get ready. It’s gonna hurt like hell.” It did. A few years ago I wrenched my knee in a waterskiing accident at the lake. He stormed into the examining room after reading my chart. His first words were an exclamation spoken so loud the the people the waiting room had to have heard it: “WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?! WATERSKIING?! AT YOUR AGE?!“

Thanks, Doc. Nice to see you, too.

He was half-joking with me, but only half. The truth is, every season of the journey comes with its own threats and opportunities. I can’t do some of the things I could do physically even ten years ago. At the same time, experience and maturity afford me the opportunity to do some things better than I ever have before. C’est la vie. I might as well embrace reality because I can’t change it.

One of the things I appreciate about the story of David is that we get to follow his story from a young boy to an old man. Unlike many biblical stories in which a life span can be reduced to a sentence or two, we have two entire books and part of a third that are dedicated to his biography. We started with the young shepherd boy slaying Goliath with his sling. In today’s chapter, David discovers that he can’t wield the sword like he once could. His men, speaking like predecessors of my family doctor, gave King David their own “WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!” lecture. He’d reached that age. It was time for him to hang up his sword and lead from the rear.

A few weeks ago I posted about the threat of early retirement. On the surface it may seem contradictory with today’s post about about not trying to overdo things once you reach a certain age. As with so many things in this life journey, truth is found at the point of tension between the two extremes. I’m discovering that wisdom lies in channeling my available resources in the most constructive, efficient and effective ways. Where I best channel them changes at different waypoints on the road of life.

 A Note to Readers
I’m taking a blogging sabbatical and will be editing and re-publishing my chapter-a-day thoughts on David’s continued story in 2 Samuel while I’m taking a little time off to focus on a few other priorities. Thanks for reading.
Today’s post was originally published in May 2014.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.