Saturday 21 May

1 Samuel 8:1-10:8

Amid the historically significant event of Israel appointing their first king we see a theologically significant development in the understanding of the role of the Spirit of the Lord.  The Spirit will now come upon particular people where-ever they are and crucially will change them into a different person.  It used to be that the Lord was encountered by someone getting up and going to the tent of meeting (as Joshua and Moses did).  Now God is no longer willing to wait upon people visiting him.  He himself gets up and goes to find them.  This is the missionary heart of our God.  The Spirit also previously used to empower people temporarily to perform particular tasks (such as Bezalel and Oholiab making the tabernacle) or to speak certain words of prophecy.  Now, quite shockingly, we see the Spirit making a permanent transformation in Saul so that he is equipped to fulfill the role that God has given him.  This is a glorious act of grace.  The crippling and tragic consequences of the Fall of Adam are being redeemed in the heart of Saul.  This is the fatherly heart of our God.  But, as we know, this work of the Spirit has not at this point in the bible been unleashed to transform all men and women, young and old.  And Saul, while he was no longer the same, still did not know the continual sanctifying work of God in his life, transforming him into ever increasing shades of glory.  The Spirit coming on Saul was an unimaginable privilege.  But, compared to what we have, it is like nothing at all.  It truly is a deep and full measure of grace in which we stand.  What a privilege to have the very Spirit of God dwelling inside our bodies.

John 12:12-36

Did God fluff his lines?  If you are going to bother speaking from heaven wouldn’t you say something a bit more significant and specific than “I have glorified my name and will glorify it again” (v28). It hardly gives a clear direction about what God is doing or what he thinks about Jesus.  Couldn’t he have disclosed the secret of the Trinity or said “Oi you lot, Jesus is my boy so stop hassling him”?  Well, first of all the voice speaks directly into the chief obsession of the Father - seeing his name glorified.  Secondly, the voice gets people to look with interest at Jesus.  By speaking, the Father invites people to crane their neck and check out the activity of the Son.  In particular, coming at this point in the story, the Father seems to want to draw attention to the upcoming death of the Christ.  And, in response to the voice, Jesus gives his own death some huge implications - it is a missionary act to spread many seeds and to draw people to Jesus; it is an aggressive act of judgement on the world and the driving out of Satan and; it is a worshipful act to glorify the Father.  What are we meant to do with this?  Well, these three implications form the bedrock for the 3 primary activities of our faith - drawing the world to Jesus, pushing back Satan’s influence in our lives and doing all to glorify the Father.  Or, put another way, mission, nurture and worship.  Giving ourselves to these is what it means to put our trust in the light.  Giving ourselves to these is how we can cry with Jesus - Father, glorify your name.

Psalm 65:1-13

A lot of worship seems to spring from the belief that God made and cares for this land.