Sunday, June 6
In our Old Testament reading today we're nearly finished with 2
Kings. The two chapters we read today are a study in contrast. Chapter
21 recounts the reign of Manasseh, one of the worst of the Judean
kings while chapter 22 recounts the reign of Josiah, one of the best.
I find it kind of odd the way the generations can change. I would
expect that a good king would raise up his son to be a good king, but
Manasseh was the son of Hezekiah, one of the better kings who "did
what was right in the sight of the Lord".
In contrast Josiah's father was nearly as bad as Manassah and
abandoned the Lord. How is it that he raised up a decent son? Of
course, Josiah was only eight years old when he began to reign.
Regardless, these stories remind us that raising up a child is no easy
task and there is no guarantee that a child will follow in the
parent's footsteps. Sometimes the acorn falls quite far from the tree
indeed.
The other fascinating part of today's Old Testament reading is the
discovery of the "Book of the Law" in the temple by Hilkiah. Scholars
disagree on what the "Book of the Law" was. Some think it was the book
of Deuteronomy. Others think it was the entire Pentateuch, the first
five books of our Bible. Regardless, it emphasizes how far the people
of Israel had strayed from their inheritance. It also reminds us of
the value of cleaning house now and then, both literally and
figuratively.
The other notable aspect of this story is that the priest and other
officials go to the prophetess Huldah to inquire whether the book is
authentic or not. Think about that. These ancient Israelites went to a
woman to find out whether this book was from God or not. For me, at
least, it's very hard to understand how people can interpret Scripture
to say that women should not have authority in the church when we have
within the Bible so many clear examples of women in positions of
authority over God's people.
Our New Testament reading for today is 2 Corinthians 9. As a pastor,
it's encouraging to know that even the apostle Paul had to deliver a
stewardship sermon on occasion! Although Paul's approach might not
meet with great success in today's churches, there are some important
lessons about stewardship that apply to us today as much as they did
to the Christians in Corinth.
One lesson is that we often forget is that we should not give out of
guilt. Although the first part of the chapter might be interpreted as
trying to guilt the Corinthians into giving, it's more about
encouraging them to follow through on their promise (their pledge if
you will). But Paul is quite clear that giving is voluntary.
Nevertheless, giving is an act of faith in the God who is able to
provide and giving is a ministry that glorifies God. And glorifying
God is what discipleship is all about. Remember that the first
question in the Westminster Catechism is "What is the chief end of
humanity?" and the answer is "To glorify God and enjoy him forever."
We shouldn't give because there are bills to pay. We shouldn't give
because we're ashamed not to. We should give because we are grateful
for all God has given us and because giving is an act of discipleship
that helps us to grow in our faith.