Devotion.al

Tag: jealousy

  • Burning Jealousy

    Genesis 37:3–11, 1 Samuel 16:1–13, 1 Samuel 17:12–29, Proverbs 14:30

    Unrighteous jealousy is very much a feeling. Joseph’s brothers were, without question, jealous of Joseph. Their was—in many respects—the initiator of their jealousy, for he treated Joseph differently than them. He even had a special robe made for him. It is not unreasonable to look at the robe as a foreshadowing of the royal station that Joseph would get. It was completely inappropriate for the contest of being the 2nd youngest to be so elevated, yet he was.

    As the Proverb said, the brothers’ jealousy corrupted them down to their bones. Their brother was condemned to slavery (they thought). Yes, they didn’t kill them, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that it was their first thought. Then, in a capstone to their jealousy, they put blood on the “royal” coat and deceived their father. It was an of in regard to their father’s place in their lives. Mostly, however, it was an act of cruelty. They were able to get back at their father, too.

    Unlike Joseph’s dreams, with Joseph sharing them, David’s anointing was external. The man and (last) judge of Israel, Samuel, anointed David. David really had nothing to do with it, other than obeying his father (Jesse) and submitting to the anointing. We can see later on, though, that the brothers weren’t responding well to their brother. Eliab, the de facto leader of David’s brothers, spoke poorly to David. We can see by David’s response that this is not a new thing. Yes, in many respects this is the reality of siblings. On the other hand, the often highlight the important things, implying that Eliab’s jab was more than sibling rivalry.

    The jealousy that seeks to elevate oneself at the cost of another rots human “to the bone.” Jealousy is the of an unbalanced .

    1) Why is focusing on the jealousy within families so important? What lessons can we learn from it?

    2) Unrighteous jealousy usually involves taking from . When have you seen this? What have you done, if you could, to resolve the situation?

    3) Usually all parties involved in a jealousy situation are affected/harmed. Why do you think the jealous person will often work against their self?

  • Binding Ties

    1 Samuel 2:12–17, 1 Samuel 2:22–36, Matthew 10:16–23, Ephesians 6:10–20

    Who or what are the dark powers that Paul talks about in Ephesians? Perhaps they are the family members that oppose believers. Perhaps they are the family members the “dress up” in clothing and whose behavior is unrighteous.

    Eli’s sons Phinehas and Hophni are the second set of “pastor’s” kids in the (the first were Aaron’s sons) who went off the deep . Their lack of for ‘ sacrifices was bad just on an interpersonal level. It was a form of bullying. Was there a penalty? Yes, but that doesn’t really improve the results. How many people were scarred toward the priesthood? How many became reluctant attendees because of their behavior? This can only be thought of through conjecture. Just based on behavior, it seems likely that the behavior of Eli’s sons caused a ripple effect of unseen damage. For cultural, societal, and religious reasons people would still go, for the cost of not going could result in ostracization.

    What kind of opposition was expecting? Families kicking out believers. Families turning in believers. Family gatherings devolving into religious arguments and divisions. Even Jesus’ own family was divided until at least after his death.

    The dark powers really are the sin of humankind. Yes, there are dark supernatural powers and influences. Sadly, however, humanity has enough darkness inside itself that outside influence is often not required to make a mess of things. , envy, hatred are in many respect the true dark of humanity. Along with pride, humanity will often do many things which appear to be contrary to the concept of humanity.

    Within families, the excesses often seem to be magnified. While we often think about the awkward family reunion, sometimes we find it in other “families”, whether they be fraternal orders, unions, clubs, church, Homeowners Associations, or whatever. There are always powers that work to separate the ties that bind us together.

    1) What have you experienced that tests the bonds of your with others?

    2) Do you have a tendency to look at yourself or at others first when there is a problem?

    3) What is the strongest tendency you have that pushes others away from you? What is the strongest tendency you have that draws others to you?

  • Unpolishing the Church

    Haggai 2:1–9, Matthew 16:13–20

    There is a lot of hand-wringing about the demise of the church. To put things in , it is often better to read the Old Testament than the New. Yet people often skip all the prophets because it appears so dark and -wrenching. It is.

    God’s sadness, anger, , are all there in those pages. The hearts of the prophets are there, too. God and prophets yearning for the people to fully to God.

    As the church looks around and sees its influence diminishing, and churches closing, and people leaving the church, and then the , it would seem that all is lost. The shininess is all gone, now.

    The temple was once big and shiny. It had lots of beautiful things. It had lots of worshippers and visitors. It had lots of priests. It didn’t last long. The church, on the other hand, has had a long run of it. Perhaps, just perhaps, it’s time for us to dispense with the shiny.

    Haggai’s message was that a shiny temple didn’t mean that God wasn’t present. In fact, God’s has nothing to do with the shiny temple.

    ‘ disciples didn’t have a shiny place. While they were tolerated, they were allowed to at the temple, but eventually (over time) that became dangerous. They couldn’t gather at they synagogues, either. They could only gather in private homes. The gatherings were about Jesus, not the place, just as the Jewish gatherings should have been about God, not the place.

    1)When you think about the “state” of the “church”, what do you feel?

    2) When others comment or make a declaration about the “bad” state of the church, how do you ?

    3) Do you think your responses are based more on you, or on God?

  • Among Crowds

    Psalm 26, Matthew 21:42–46, Acts 13:43–52

    Crowds are a powerful thing. They can be a source of powerful . In the current , people are helping to launch products they want by putting some of their into it. By doing so, people go around the big companies that controlled how new things came to market. Yes, there have been massive failures. There have also been fantastic successes. On the other hand, crowds often like unrestrained monsters, attacking people, destroying property, killing, looting.

    What motivates a crowd is the most interesting, as it will vary person to person. For example, there were people who just followed . There were people who followed Jesus because other people followed Jesus. Then there were those who sought to control Jesus (including making him their king). There there were those who were jealous of his innate popularity in comparison to the false fawning they experienced due to their positions in Jewish society.

    and Barnabas also drew crowds. Through their words they drew Jews and to Jesus. Yet, there were those who were jealous of the crowds and stirred up trouble forcing them to leave.
    This is still going on today. The draw of social media has been that it is where everything is happening. The problem is that it is where everything is happening. People are becoming fatigued with it all, yet are now so conditioned to live with it.

    Then there are all the “happening” places. Even churches and their leaders succumb to the crowd-. Churches and church leaders look to see what the “popular” churches and leaders are doing and often try to copy them. However, just like going along with the crowd, what is good for the crowd may not be good for you. The flip side of that is what is good for you may not be good for the crowd, or at least many in it.

    1) How do see yourself when looking at who appear more successful or happy than you?

    2) Why are crowds a bad barometer for choosing the right path? Why are crowds a good barometer for choosing the right path?

    3) Whether we acknowledge it or not, we watch the crowds. What is the right way to to and view the crowds?

  • Not-So Great Expectations

    Psalm 43, Jeremiah 38:1-28, John 15:17-16:2

    Life is not always easy. There are those that just seem determined to oppose you even if it is to their advantage to support you. Pride, , greed, and envy can lead anyone to make poor decisions regarding .

    King Zedekiah was not a particularly strong king. His advisors pushed him to punish Jeremiah’s words (from God) because they feared (reasonably) that if the soldiers and people heard the words, their resolve would weaken or collapse. Truly, we should be able to understand their point. Nations that do not understand a democratic republic see the political posturing of our political parties as weakness (mostly because they are all of an authoritarian mindset). The officials of Jeremiah’s day were of the same authoritarian mindset. In addition, Jeremiah’s role as prophet meant that his words had significant weight. In other words, they had a point.

    It is how they dealt with the point that was the issue that is the issue. There was a general distaste, distrust, and disrespect from these men towards Jeremiah, and thus God. It is a sample of their attitude that got the people of Israel in this situation in the first place. The words from Ebed-Melech to the king (they do “evil”) show us that perhaps their hearts weren’t as heartfelt for the people as it seems. This easily leads one to conclude that they—and those like them—were at least a source of Israel’s downfall. That God would offer King Zedekiah a way out, without , and not these leaders, shows that God was also still honoring his to David.

    While Jeremiah wasn’t killed, much of his life was not all that comfortable. Imagine being the doomsayer that was right. Often the doomsayer who is wrong is mocked, but the one who is right? Jeremiah was probably not everyone’s favorite, and obviously many of those in power were less than pleased. Often power doesn’t like , and often God’s Truth speaks to power in ways it doesn’t like.

    When speaks about the world hating us, there is (sadly) truth in that. We should be clear, though, that there are plenty of Christians (on either side of the political spectrum) that take great pride in being persecuted “for the ,” when it is really their approach (most often) or politics (theirs or others’) that is the problem. Compare “persecution” here in the US with true persecution in places like China, North Korea, Iran, then adding on non-systematic persecution such as the bombings that happened in Sri Lanka on this recent Easter. Not that we don’t feel put upon out our faith, it’s just that we still have power, even if it is equal to the non-believer next door (the ballot box).

    The reality is that there is something about the message of Jesus that both attracts and repels those of the world. It’s easy to say everyone. It’s hard to do it. The world is mired in , and the concept of victory over it offends many. Granted, Christians are often not the best messengers of Jesus. However, even those who are great messengers still have to deal with animosity and persecution. It is a dark—yet, still hopeful—truth, if the world killed Jesus, can we really expect anything less?

    1) Have you ever felt persecuted? If so, how? When you look around the world, what is the difference between your experience, and that of others?

    2) Do you feel as if you are more often having to apologize for other Christians just so you can talk about Jesus?

    3) God and earthly power exist in tension, with earthly power often pretending to be Godly. Where do you see that at work in the US, and in the world?

  • Revealing Unity

    Numbers 16:1–50, Romans 16:17–20, 1 Corinthians 1:10–17

    Most of us have heard John Dalberg-Acton’s quip, “ tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” What is most often missed is Acton’s “tends”.

    David Brin takes a slightly different tack, “It is said that power corrupts, but actually it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power.”

    Lastly, Robert Caro’s take might be the most significant for us, “We’re taught Lord Acton’s axiom: all power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. I believed that when I started these books, but I don’t believe it’s always true anymore. Power doesn’t always corrupt. Power can cleanse. What I believe is always true about power is that power always reveals.”

    Korah wanted more than he had. Whether he wanted power, prestige, or influence, is unclear. Who knows, maybe he thought he could earn holiness by being the chief priest. Regardless, his entire family was given a duty in regards to the things of the . It was still an , but as some many of us struggle with, it wasn’t the honor he wanted. The undercurrent of this is power. At this point, the religious leader was the people’s leader. It’s not clear whether Korah convinced people to follow, or that they gathered somehow. The reality is that they did gather. Scripture says that they rebelled against Moses, but as the story unfolds into the relation that as they were rebelling against the leader by God, they were rebelling against God. Without question, Moses was chosen supernaturally by God, and there were multiple events that testified to that. It was abundantly clear. However, in our day-and- is it the same?

    How our leaders are chosen is different than such an obvious outward of God’s hand. It is through prayer, wise thinking, discernment, and much counsel that good leaders are chosen. However, we are all human. Leaders make mistakes. Followers make them too. Two of the biggest obstacles to are not necessarily tied to the leadership position itself (for who wants the blame), but the influence and power of the leader, then there is and envy. This is human reality. Human selfishness often hides behind the call of doing the best for others, but truly only serves the self. When Paul talks about divisions in Romans, there are obviously people stirring up trouble. That’s got to be dealt with. Most people expect the leader to do it, yet it is not the leader’s responsibility, it is the responsibility of everyone. There is mutual accountability and responsibility in the community. Yet, people will still be people, and divisions will occur.

    In Corinth, we read of divisions of which person they follow. While most of us would say, “I follow Jesus,” is that true? As the Western World runs away from Christianity (sometimes with good reason), while the Middle East and Eastern Worlds actively oppose Christianity, the Church has to come to a form of unity. The Church for far too long has been separated for good doctrinal reasons, but the reality is that every denomination and unaffiliated congregation will have to come to some sort of agreement with one another. As long as the church eats itself, it cannot feed the world the Bread of Life.

    1) Where do you see the greatest unity in your personal life? Where do you see the greatest division?

    2) Where do you see the greatest unity in the world around you? Where do you see the greatest division?

    3) For each of the above, what can and will you do to build unity and heal division?

    FD) People usually from others when they are hurt emotionally. What can we do to help?

  • Legacy of Enemies

    Psalm 35:11–28, Exodus 35:1–29, Acts 10:9–23

    Sometimes the greatest evidence that we are doing well is those that oppose us. Another way of perhaps saying that is that the measure of one’s success is the quality of one’s enemies. Some scholars have claimed that part of the reason why David had so many struggles was the of that we don’t read about.

    Whether it was the counselors of Saul or (later) David’s son Absalom, some scholars believe that there must have been more than Saul and Absalom in the picture. Many times there are those that we are no looking at that are truly the ones guiding things…the power behind the throne, so to speak. We could think of such people positively, as there were and are many counselors who believe their greatest success is the successful leader. On the other hand, there are those who hide behind the leader, using the leader as a distraction from themselves, so as to hide their deeds in the shadows.

    These last ones are in the same spirit as those about whom David laments. David has cared for them. Lamented for them. Prayed for them. How did they repay the care? By piling on when David was down. Not only did they mock him, but they also made it worse by saying bad things about him. They celebrated his misery and misfortune, they who had benefitted from his love and care. As David looked , he relied on God to see him through it all. David’s legacy was at stake, and his response was to turn to God. David, like all people, wanted personal success, yet understood that his true legacy relied upon the faithfulness of God.

    Moses understood that everything relied upon God. While in the desert, God called upon the Israelites to to something greater than themselves. Through Moses, God called upon the Israelites to give from their hearts so as to make a temple to their God, a symbolic reminder that their God was among them. If you’ve ever read the list of items required to make the tabernacle, it’s easy to see how monumental that list was. It also speaks to where the hearts of the Israelites were at that moment. They had escaped slavery with much of the Egyptian wealth. For the most part (there are always exceptions) they freely gave of this newfound wealth to the creation of this temple, rather than hoarding it. Instead of holding on to what would make them individually rich, they gave to something that made them collectively richer than material goods. Yet, if they had just piled all of that stuff at Moses’ feet, nothing would have happened. Instead, people of skill (particular skills of varying types) were required. God just so happened to have blessed some people with those very skills. Out of the collective goodwill, in addition to skills of certain people, and through the faithful leadership of Moses, something greater than they could have imagined came into being. How could a bunch of slaves tasked only to make bricks make something as intricate and amazing as the tabernacle? Through God.

    This amazing event that helped to define a people for generations also captured the hearts of the people, and not in a good way. They had become so ingrained with the outward appearance that when God did a new thing, they were still blind. People important to the seemingly insignificant were so blinded by the wrong legacy that they could not see the that was never hidden by God. It had been wrapped so tightly and so much by human will and , that God’s love could not be seen through it all. When Peter had his , he too was still captured by the traditions passed down. It was not that God’s law was wrong or ever invalid it was just that the deeper (and Truer) truth could not be seen. God is love. Peter had to have an experience that challenged the legacy he had been handed that God was a God of (rigid) Law. Peter had to have an experience that showed God meant what he said to Abraham, “you will be a to the nations.”

    1) Legacy is important and must be part of how we frame our lives. However, we must be careful to hand off a good legacy. How can we work to make sure we leave a good legacy?

    2) What makes a legacy good or bad? What makes a legacy live-giving or not?

    3) What are your thoughts about what legacy you will leave behind?

    FD) What traditions were (or are being) passed down to you?