Lenten Devotional 13: God's Great Sinners; Human Nature and Grace

Monday, March 05, 2012

Scripture reading: 2 Samuel 11:1-27

Our story today, takes place during the Deuteronomistic History (DtH) that constructs the second half of the Primary History (Genesis-Kings). The books of Samuel are technically one book that was split into two over time. I’m not here to debate Martin Noth’s view of single authorship for the DtH (Joshua-Kings) but as with the JEDP theory for the Pentateuch (Genesis-Deuteronomy) the DtH has exilic implications.

King David (the second king of Israel) reigned for forty years (1 Chr. 29:27) 1010-970 BCE/BC. But the written account of his reign was composed in the 6^th century (Noth). I tell you these technical details because David was a great king and a great sinner. Similarly, Ancient Israel was a great kingdom and a nation of sinners. Sure, it’d be easier to say human, but it’s important to know how the Lord uses sinners.

The chosen king sent his soldiers off to battle, but stayed home, which was not customary (v. 1). In his folly, David steals another man’s wife, and produces an ancient episode of Jerry Springer (vv. 2-5). Being the godly king he is, David attempts to conceal his deceptive affairs and let the woman’s husband deal with the aftermath (vv. 6-13). But, our biblical Springer show gets worse. When the first plan to deceive Uriah fails, all the king’s men set him up to die by order of the king (vv. 14-24). And everyone lived happily ever after… (vv. 25-27) or did they?

After our story, the child of David and Bathsheba’s affair dies, the Lord is not pleased with the sinful king, promising trouble for Israel, David realizes his sin against the Lord, and the Lord spares David and Israel (12:1-24). In juxtaposition, the people of Israel and Judah were sinful, they recognized their sin, and the Lord put an end to exile.

We are human and humans are sinners, but the Lord is gracious to sinners; whether we are kings, Israelites in exile, or the people of today who perpetually make mistakes. God chose humans to fulfill the covenant. Humans and sinners we may be, but God reconciles us in the work of grace. This is the Gospel of the Lord: redemption for sinners, those called human. I am a great sinner, we all are great sinners (it’s our nature) and Christ died for us all.

Lord, God, with David, you made a sinner the king of your people, and by your mercy the king and the people we reconciled. With Jesus, you became our king (the king of your people) and in your mercy you atoned for our sin, by taking it all upon your cross. On this day, we remember that we are humans and sinners, and that you were the one who died for us. Praise to you O Christ. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Lenten Devotional 08: Fasting in the Real Presence

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Scripture reading: Luke 4:1-30

In our Lenten journey, we remember our baptism in accordance with the word of the scriptures and the Word who is Christ; we live in God’s work of baptism and fasting with Christ, as we journey to the cross with Christ. Much like Holy Communion is the Real Presence of the body and blood of Christ, Lent is the real presence of the Holy Spirit as we experience forty days of fasting.

Jesus was baptized by water and Spirit (3:21-22) and we are baptized in water and Spirit, by the work of God alone. Jesus lived incarnate – fully God and fully man – connected to the beginning of creation with the first human (Hb: adam; 3:23-38). Like Jesus, we are human (as C. S. Lewis would say, “Sons and Daughters of Adam”).

Our Lenten journey with Christ continues with forty days of fasting, we live in this by the Spirit and Word of Christ. In the wilderness for forty days, Christ is tempted by the devil; as the Spirit was with Christ, so the Spirit is with us. As Christ fasted in the wilderness for forty days, the people of Israel were in the wilderness famished and tested for a period of forty years (Lk. 4:1-4; Deut. 8:2-4, 29:5-6). We are not alone.

We fast (like we eat and drink in the Eucharist) in the Real Presence of Christ, our Lord. We are tempted and tested by the things of deception (as Christ was tempted by the devil and Israel was tested in the wilderness). We live in the Real Presence of Christ through history with the people of God, in the present through Word and Sacrament, and in the future return of Christ. We endure the wilderness and we fast remembering the work of our God, but we are not alone. This is the promise of the cross.

Lord, God, you’ve gone before us, your Spirit is with us, and you’ll return for us – this is resurrection’s hope that the work of God has been done, continues to be done, and will one day be fully revealed – you are the Lord, our God. Thanks be to God. In the name of the Holy and Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.