Epic Tales - Jonah and the Big Fish

 The last epic tale we are going to look at is the classic fish story.  When you ask fishermen about the big fish that got away, they will always tell you, “it was this big”.  With each telling of the story, the fish gets just a little bit bigger.  Well, with Jonah, the fish was THIS BIG.  It was a BIG FISH and he didn’t have it on his line, he was on its inside.  And this is why many people want to dismiss the story from the beginning.  It’s just not possible to be inside a whale and survive.  Or is it?

Michael Packard was a 58 year old lobster diver when last June he was making a dive and suddenly found himself being tossed around in complete darkness.  He realized that he was on the inside of a whale’s mouth.  He said, "I could sense I was moving, and I could feel the whale squeezing with the muscles in his mouth.  I thought to myself, there's no way I'm getting out of here. I'm done, I'm dead.”  

From the inside of the whale, Packard started feeling himself rising to the surface where he was violently tossed from the whale's mouth.  While technically a human cannot be swallowed by a whale, we can be captured in a whale’s mouth, carried along for a while and then spit out.  I share that story so we will not simply dismiss the story of Jonah outright as an epic fish tale, but instead, stop and learn some lessons that Jonah has to teach us.

The story is pretty simple.  God asked Jonah to go and preach to the people of Nineveh.  Nineveh was the capital of Assyria and these were the people who had pushed Israel out of the Promised Land.  They were the enemy of Israel and they were known for being wicked and violent.  God wanted the people to repent so He could forgive them and bless them, but Jonah had some strong reasons for not wanting to go.  First of all, they were the enemy.  Jonah didn’t want them to repent, he wanted them to die.  Second, they were wicked and evil people, which meant they might kill Jonah the first time he opened his mouth.  So instead of following God, Jonah ran away.

Jonah got on a ship headed away from Nineveh.  He wanted to get as far away from Nineveh as he could, and far away from God.  While Jonah was on the boat, a fierce storm hit and the sailors cried out to their gods for help.  Jonah, however, was sleeping.  When they woke him up, Jonah didn’t tell them that he was running from God, but when they cast lots to see who was in trouble with their god, the lot fell to Jonah, he knew he had to finally tell them the truth.  Jonah told them he was running from God and they should throw him into the sea to save their lives.  They do.

Just when Jonah was about to die, a big fish swallowed him.  From the inside of the fish, Jonah started to get honest with God.  For three days Jonah prayed and he began to realize that when he had turned away from God, God had compassion on him and rescued him.  So Jonah agreed he would go and preach to the people of Nineveh.  Jonah said, 

“Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.  But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you.  What I have vowed I will make good.  I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’”  Jonah 2: 8-9

After having agreed to follow God’s call, the fish vomited Jonah onto dry ground.  Jonah was not tossed back into the sea.  The fish took Jonah to the shore and helped move him closer to Nineveh.  God was already sending him on his way.  

Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.  Jonah 3:3-5

When the king heard Jonah’s message, he issued this decree:

Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”  Jonah 3:7b-9

So the people turned from their idols and wicked ways and turned toward God, and God forgave them.  While you might think Jonah would be happy that the people responded so positively to the message he shared, he wasn’t.  Jonah was angry.  He thought it was unfair for God to forgive them so easily and it just wasn’t right for the enemy of Israel to be forgiven and brought close to God.  Jonah wasn’t happy with God at all so he went out of the city, sat down and began to pout.  

During the heat of the day, God took pity on Jonah and had a large plant grow over him to provide him shade and Jonah was grateful.  But the next day the plant died and Jonah was angry once again.  God then said to Jonah,

“Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”  Jonah 4:9b-11

And that’s how the story ends.  We don’t know what happened with Jonah.  We don’t know if Jonah grew closer to God and gave thanks that there is forgiveness for even the most wicked among us, or if Jonah held on to his anger and remained distant from God.  The story doesn’t resolve itself because it’s not really a story about Jonah, it’s a story about us.  We are Jonah and we are left asking ourselves the question.  

Are we willing to grow in our relationship with God and the world around us?  

That’s really what God wanted for Jonah.  He wanted Jonah to trust Him so completely that he would be willing to follow Him no matter where He sent him.  God wanted Jonah to have the same compassion and mercy for others that He had.  He wanted Jonah to be more like Him.  And that is what God wants for us too.  God wants us to be more like Him.  God wants us to deepen our relationship with Him and have a heart that will reach out with grace and mercy to others.  

If we want to grow in our faith, it’s important to look back and see that there are three times when Jonah had to stop and get honest.   During the storm on the boat, Jonah had to get honest with the sailors and tell them that he was the one running from God.  He didn’t tell them at first, but in time he got honest and confessed.

  When Jonah got honest with others, the outcome wasn’t the best, he was tossed into the sea, but at least he had acknowledged his failure and had taken responsibility.  And while it looked like his honesty was going to cost him his life, it actually set him on a path that led him closer to God.  

Taking responsibility for our actions and being honest with others isn’t always going to be easy, but it will put us on a path where we will be able to grow closer to God.  It’s important for us to be honest with one another and deepen our relationships with one another in the church.  We will consider this more in a moment.  

From the belly of the whale, Jonah started getting honest with God.  The prayer in Jonah 2 is filled with Jonah’s honest thoughts about God and how God’s mercy had saved him.  

But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit.

“When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord,

and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.  Jonah 2:6b-7.

For three days, Jonah had nothing to do but sit and think.  He got honest with God about his own failure to be faithful and how God’s mercy and love had saved him.  That honestly led Jonah to reconsider God’s call to go to Nineveh.  Jonah got honest with God and we also need to get honest with God about our sin, our need for God’s mercy and what God is asking us to do. .    

God is calling each and every one of us to be part of God’s work in the world.  We are all part of the church and the church has a mission, which means all of us have a mission.  Are we willing to get honest with God and confess that we aren’t always willing or wanting to follow Him in that mission?  Can we get honest with God and look at all the ways God’s love and mercy has helped us and that maybe we should respond to that love with gratitude and obedience to God’s call?  Jonah shows us that we can run, but we can’t hide from God.  What we need to do is start getting honest with Him.  

At the end of the story, God asks Jonah to get honest with himself.  Do you really love this plant more than people?  Do you really not care about those who are in need around you?  Do you really just want me to care for you and love you and not care and love others?  God asks Jonah some pointed questions so he will get honest with himself and make some changes in his heart and life.  

We don’t know how that honest reflection ended up in Jonah’s life, but again, that’s not important, what’s important is how it will end up in our lives?  Are we willing to get honest with ourselves and confess our sin, accept God’s grace and follow God where He leads us?  Will we get honest and start looking at what needs to change in our own attitudes or actions so that we can grow closer to God and be a blessing to others. 

While the focus of Jonah’s story is always the big fish, the lesson from Jonah for all of us is that it’s time to get honest about our lives and our faith. It's time for us to allow God to ask us some tough questions and hold us accountable.   

Next Steps

Jonah and the Whale

Read the book of Jonah.

Jonah didn’t want to preach to the people of Nineveh because they were the enemy and he didn’t want them to know God’s mercy or love.  

● Is there a group of people who you don’t feel deserve God’s love or mercy?  

● Is there a person you struggle to forgive or show them God’s love or mercy?

● Pray for a change of heart and an understanding of what it means to “love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you”.  

Jonah tried to run from God but quickly learned he couldn’t.  

Read Psalm 139.

● Have there been times you ran from God?  

○ How did that turn out?  How did God find you?

● Are you tempted to run from God now?  If you are, is there someone you can turn to for help and guidance?  

We don’t know the end of Jonah’s story.  

● What do you think happened to Jonah?

● What is your takeaway from the questions God asked Jonah?  

● What was Jonah still struggling with?

Pastor Andy said the story of Jonah is really our story.  

● If God were to question you, what questions would He ask?  How would those questions challenge you?

● Jonah had to get honest with others, God, and himself.  Which of these is most difficult for you and why?  

● If accountability is truly an invitation for us to listen as we invite others to speak into our lives, who can you invite into your life and faith today?  

epic Tales - Joseph and the Pit

 One of the reasons the story we are going to look at today is an epic tale in the Old Testament is because of its length.  The story of Joseph is the longest narrative in the Old Testament.  Joseph’s story covers 13 chapters and has more detail than the stories of his ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  One of the reasons Joseph’s story is so important to the history of Israel is because it explains how God’s people ended up living in Egypt.  The single most important moment in Israel’s history is the Exodus, when God led his people out of slavery in Egypt and into the Promised Land.  The story of Joseph gives us the backstory of how God’s people ended up as slaves in Egypt to begin with.  

While Joseph’s story is long and involved, and contains several high and low moments, one of the main questions it helps us answer is: how do we find hope in times of loss and despair?  

It is not a coincidence that the week we wrestle with this question of hope in times of loss is the week that Archie from Raising Hope Ukraine is with us.  Their story is one of finding hope in the midst of the loss and pain of war.  War not only brings loss of life, but there is the loss of homes and businesses.  There is the loss of friendships and community.  There is the incredible economic loss of people and their nation.  And there is the loss of hope; hope that life can ever be good again.  

In the midst of this kind of loss, Archie, Ruslan and their ministry team provided hope.  They quickly expanded their ministry to care for refugees fleeing the violence in the cities.  They provided food for the hungry and clothes and good for those who had to leave everything behind.  They were even able to provide moments of love and joy by helping a couple who were fleeing celebrate a wedding.  With an unwavering trust that God would lead them and provide for them, they offered hope to the people. God continues to use them to truly raise up hope for the people of Ukraine and we are blessed to be part of that ministry. The story of Joseph is also the story of finding hope in the midst of pain and loss.    

Joseph was one of the 12 sons of Jacob.  The father of God’s people was Abraham.  Then there was his son Isaac, and then Jacob.  Jacob later became known as Israel, and his 12 sons became the 12 tribes of Israel. While Jacob had several wives, the one he loved most was Rachel, but Rachel was never able to have children.  Jacob had 10 sons by his other wives when finally, in their old age, Rachel gave birth to a son.  That son was Joseph.  Since Rachel was the one Jacob loved the most and Joseph came in their old age when they never expected a child, Joseph was the one Jacob favored.  

Because he loved Joseph so much, Jacob gave him an amazing technicolor dreamcoat.  Oh wait, that was the Broadway musical.  What the bible says is that Jacob gave his son an ornate robe.  Scholars aren’t sure what that word ornate means so some think it was richly woven, or had long sleeves, or that it had many colors.  No matter what it looked like, it set Joseph apart from his brothers, which made them jealous.  

Joseph added fuel to the fire when he told his brothers that he had these amazing dreams where he was exalted above them.  

He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”

His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.  Genesis 37:6-8

Joseph was not very perceptive.  He didn’t see that his brothers’ anger was turning against him, so he told them another dream.

Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”  Genesis 37:9

By now, Joseph’s brothers have had it.  They allowed their jealousy to consume them so that when Joseph was sent by his father to check on them, they plotted to kill him.   

So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.  “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”

When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.  Genesis 37: 17b-23

So Joseph is dumped into a pit without food or water.  There is no way for him to get out and no way for him to get help.  While he may not have been the most humble brother in the world, he certainly didn’t deserve this.  As he was sitting in the darkness of the cistern, he must have felt like he had lost everything and there was no hope.  Joseph was going to die in this pit unless someone rescued him.  It was when all hope seemed lost that God stepped in.

As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.

Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?  Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.

So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.  Genesis 37:25-28

Joseph’s brothers sold him to be a slave in Egypt and then they told their father that Joseph had been killed by wild animals.  While we focus on the pain and loss Joseph went through being forced from his family and country to be a slave in Egypt, think about what his father must have gone through.  One of the most profound losses anyone can experience is the loss of a child.  Whether the child is young or old doesn’t matter, that loss is acute for a parent.  

As a pastor, I had to tell a 93 year old woman who had already lost 2 of her 3 children to cancer that her last son had died.  Her grief was deep.  She couldn’t understand how and why she had outlived all her children.  It was a loss she struggled with and we prayed about often.  That loss was difficult.  All loss is difficult.  Loss of a job, loss of a relationship, loss of our health, a spouse, a parent, or friend is difficult and can feel insurmountable, but the story of Joseph shows us that from any pit of loss and pain, we can find hope.  

Joseph arrived in Egypt and the Midianite traders sold him to a man named Potiphar.  Potiphar was one of Pharaoh's officials which placed Joseph in a wealthy and powerful home where Joseph could prosper.  God didn’t just rescue Joseph, He blessed him.  .  

The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.  Genesis 39:2-6a

God had taken Joseph from the literal dead end of a pit and put him in a place of power and authority.  It wasn’t where Joseph wanted to be.  He wasn’t among his own people and with his family, but God had not left him in the pit.  God was at work in his life.  Things were getting better and looking up.  

Joseph’s story, however, is the story of real life.  Things didn’t keep getting better, there were setbacks and those setbacks were big.  After working in Potiphar's home for many years, Potiphar’s wife took a liking to Joseph and tried to seduce him.  Joseph was faithful to God, and to Potiphar, and resisted her.  While Joseph had acted in a righteous and honorable way, Potiphar’s wife wasn’t happy so she accused Joseph of rape, which landed him in prison.  

Many people have the mistaken idea that if we are faithful to God, God will make everything smooth and easy.  Or that when we follow Jesus, we will never encounter another storm or face another trial.  But God never promised an easy life when we place our faith in Him.  He didn’t promise to keep us out of the storms but to be with us in them.   

If you are following Jesus and working hard at being faithful and things aren’t working out the way you want them to, you aren’t alone.  Just be thankful you aren’t in jail.  For Joseph, sitting in jail must have felt like being back in the pit.  I can hear Joseph say, really God?  You take me out of a pit so I can be sold as a slave, and then after working hard and being faithful I end up in jail?  Is this really your plan?  And God answers, yes, this is really my plan.  Trust me Joseph, and keep going.  

So let me condense the story a bit.  In prison, Joseph uses his God given ability to interpret the dreams of his fellow prisoners.  One of those prisoners ends up returning to his job as the cupbearer to Pharaoh.  From this position, literally at the side of Pharaoh, the cupbearer hears that Pharaoh is being troubled by his dreams and that no one is able to interpret them, so he tells him about Joseph 

Pharaoh sent for Joseph who interpreted the dreams and told Pharaoh that for 7 years there will be bountiful harvests, but after that will come 7 years of drought.  Joseph told Pharaoh that he should store up all he can during the first 7 years so he can feed the people during the next 7 years.  This seemed like a good idea to Pharaoh so he put Joseph in charge of the entire operation.  

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”

So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.  Genesis 41:39-43

Joseph had gone from a pit in the desert to a palace in Egypt.  He had gone from a place of hopelessness and despair to being second in command in all of Egypt.  This journey wasn’t easy and it wasn’t quick.  It may have been a decade or more that Joseph worked for Potiphar and sat in prison, but Joseph knew God was at work.  What was once a hopeless situation was now filled with hope.  

So let’s go back to the original question we asked earlier: how do we find hope in times of loss and despair?  

How did Joseph make it through all these years?  There are at least three things Joseph did during that time that helped him hang on to his hope in God and these are the same three things we do when we have to drive in the fog.  What is the first thing you do when we run into a fog bank while driving?   

Slow down.  When the fog hits, you don’t go speeding ahead because you aren’t sure what is lying 10 feet in front of you.  You slow down.  You literally go slow enough so you can see what is coming ahead.    

Joseph went slow.  Joseph worked 10 years in Potiphar’s house and then in prison.  While I’m sure he wanted God to rescue him and lift him up much sooner, he was patient and went slow.  We have to go slow.  Problems aren’t going to be solved overnight.  It takes time for God to move us to places of redemption.  It takes time for God to turn our lives around and set us a different course.  We have to be willing to give God time and not expect an overnight miracle.  

The second thing you need to do when driving in the fog is to 

turn your lights on dim.  High beams don’t work in the fog, it blinds you.  Your lights need to be on dim.  They need to be focused on the road in front of you.  You can’t look too far ahead, you have to deal with what is in front of you and then move on.  

Joseph didn’t look too far ahead.  He first just tried to be the best servant he could in Potiphar’s house.  He did all he could in that position to honor God without looking to the future.  When the setback came and he ended up in prison, he once again looked at the road in front of him.  Joseph just did what he could right where he was.  He served in prison and he used his gifts to interpret dreams.  When he used the gifts God had given him, God was able to place Joseph exactly where He wanted him, in Pharaoh's palace.   

While it is good to have hopes and dreams for the future, and a vision of who God wants us to be and where God wants us to go, we also have to trust God to get us there one step at a time.  The road we might want to take will probably not be the road God has for us.  We can’t get ahead of God, we have to set our lights on dim and look at where God has put us and what our next step might be.  

The third thing we have to do when driving in the fog is:

keep your eyes on the white line.  In the fog it’s important to keep your eyes on that white line on the side of the road.  As long as you stay close to that line you know that you aren’t going to run off the road and you know you aren’t getting into the path of an oncoming car.  You have to keep your eyes on the line that will guide you and keep you safe.  When we are without hope, we have to keep our eyes on the One who can lead us and guide us and keep us safe.  

Joseph kept his eyes on God.  Joseph faithfully served God in the places he found himself.  As a servant or as a prisoner or as second in command in all of Egypt, Joseph faithfully served God.  He followed that white line.  For us, that white line is Jesus.  If we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, we will end up where He wants us to be and we will end up being who He wants us to be.  Following Jesus means not only living by His word but by His example.  It means asking the spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, to lead us.

How do we find hope in times of loss and despair?  We go slow.  We turn your lights on dim and focus on what is in front of us.  We follow the white line, we follow Jesus.  That is what Joseph did and God rescued him and blessed him. 

Now let’s jump to the end of Joseph’s story.  The 7 years of plenty came and Joseph created a system for Egypt to amass huge amounts of grain that would be able to feed people during the drought.  When the 7 years of drought came, not only were the people of Egypt in need, but so were all the surrounding tribes and nations, including Joseph’s family.   

Desperate for food, Jacob sent his 10 oldest sons to Egypt to buy grain.  These were Joseph’s brothers, the same ones who threw him in a pit and sold him as a slave.  When they arrived in Egypt they had to go to Joseph to buy grain and while Joseph immediately recognized them, they did not recognize Joseph.  And why should they?  There was no way they could have imagined that the brother they sold to a band of Midianite traders 25 years ago had become second in command in Egypt.  But he had, and while Joseph could have held a grudge and pushed his pain and anger from that earlier moment onto his brothers and kept the cycle of brokenness and pain going, he didn’t.  Joseph forgave his brothers.  

It’s a long and involved story, but here’s how it ends.  

Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.  So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.  Genesis 45:4-8a

Looking back, Joseph saw that being thrown into a pit and sold as a slave was all part of God’s plan.  Joseph could now see the purpose in the pain he suffered.  Joseph could see it as he walked through it day by day, but now he could see what God had been doing all along. God was working to save his family.  

The story of Joseph not only tells us we can have hope in times of loss but that there can be a purpose to the pain we go through.  In his book, The 6th Stage of Grief, David Kessler says, Loss is what happens in life.  Meaning is what we make happen after loss.    

Joseph experienced a lot of loss during his life, but he found meaning in it.  God was working through it all to help rescue his family.   

When we experience profound and painful loss, when we are sitting in a pit of despair, we can find hope, but we have to be willing to go slow and give God the time to work things out in our lives.  We have to turn our lights on dim and be faithful in the things that are right in front of us.  And we have to keep focused on the white line that keeps us safe.  We have to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.  There is hope we can find in despair, there is meaning we can find in loss as long as we trust that God is with us and leading us along the way.  

Next Steps

Epic Tales – Joseph in a pit

Read the entire story of Joseph.  Genesis 37, 39-50

• How do you think Joseph felt sitting in a pit, being sold as a slave, being falsely accused, sitting in prison?  

• When have you experienced times of loss, despair, and hopelessness?

• Name all the ways God was working in Joseph’s life from the time he was thrown in the pit until he was placed in command in Pharaoh's government.  

• How might each advancement given Joseph hope?  

• How might each setback taken hope away?  

How do we find hope during times of loss and despair?

Go slow.  

• Where do we see Joseph’s patience and willingness to go slow?  How did that make a difference in his life?

• In what ways do you need to be patient and go slow in your life?  

Turn your lights on dim.  

• How did Joseph focus on what was right in front of him?  How did that help him be patient and move forward?

• What is right in front of you that you need to focus on?  

• How can you be faithful in the little things God has given you today?  What gifts does God want you to use?  

• Read Psalm 118:105-109. How can God’s word give light to your daily path?

Focus on the white line.

• Read Hebrews 12:1-3.  

• How can you fix your eyes on Jesus?  

• How can Jesus’ word and example keep you running the race and finding hope?

Epic Tales - Ruth

 Not all the epic tales in the Old Testament are filled with action and adventure.  Not all tales talk about lions, giants and whales.  Today we are going to look at an epic love story, and it fits our Starship Enterprise setting because it involves people who boldly go to lands they had never gone to before.  This Epic Tale is the story of Ruth.  One of only two books in the Bible named after women.  

Once again, to understand the story of Ruth we need to understand the back story.  The tale begins when a drought hit the land of Israel.  A good Jewish family left their home and country and traveled to a new and strange land in search of food.  Elimelech and his wife Naomi, and their two sons, left Bethlehem and traveled to the land of Moab.  Today, Moab is part of Jordan on the east side of the Jordan River.  

Once they arrived in Moab, things went from bad to worse.  First Elimelech died and left Naomi a widow.  Her sons both married Moabite women but neither one of them had children.  After living in Moab for 10 years, both of Naomi’s sons died.  So over the past 10 years, Naomi lost her home in Israel, she lost her husband, her sons both got married and never had children, so when her sons died she had no heir and the burden of caring for two daughters-in-law.  She has lost everything.  

Perhaps you have been in Naomi’s situation where things have gone from bad to worse.  You lose a job, then maybe a home.  You lose relationships, your health suffers.  Or maybe all of this happens and you find yourself alone living a life you never wanted.  If you haven’t actually been there, you might have felt like you have.  We all face moments of feeling lost and alone.  We all face dark days when nothing seems to be going the way we thought it would or wanted it to.  We often end up feeling bitter towards the world and toward God.  

Naomi was bitter.  In fact, she changed her name from Naomi which means pleasant, to Mara which means bitter.  Naomi once had a pleasant life but now she feels that God has made it bitter.  She thinks God has let her down, so she changes her name.    

“Don’t call me Naomi,” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.  I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”  Ruth 1:20-21

Naomi feels empty and alone.  She wonders why the Lord hasn’t protected her and provided for her.  She has gone from pleasant to bitter.  I know what you are thinking, this hardly seems like a love story, but this is actually where the love begins.  

As Naomi plans to return to Israel, hoping that one of her relatives might take her in and care for her, she tells her daughters in law to stay in Moab and return to their families.  

Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the Lord show you kindness, as you have shown kindness to your dead husbands and to me. May the Lord grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.”  Then she kissed them goodbye and they wept aloud and said to her, “We will go back with you to your people.”

But Naomi said, “Return home, my daughters. Why would you come with me? Am I going to have any more sons, who could become your husbands? Return home, my daughters; I am too old to have another husband. Even if I thought there was still hope for me—even if I had a husband tonight and then gave birth to sons— would you wait until they grew up? Would you remain unmarried for them? No, my daughters. It is more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord’s hand has turned against me!”  Ruth 1:8-13

In the Jewish tradition, it was the responsibility of a younger brother to take in the widow of an older brother and make her part of his family.  The goal was for the two of them to have a son that could be considered an heir of the older brother.  But Naomi has no more sons and she is too old to have another child and even if she did, her daughters-in-law would have to wait too long for that son to care for them.  Naomi sent her daughters-in-law back home so someone in their own family would take care of them.  One daughter-in-law went, she returned to her family, but one daughter-in-law stayed.  Ruth refuses to go, and this begins the epic story of love.  

Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her.  Ruth 1:16-18

Maybe you've heard this read at a wedding.  Where you go, I will go.  Where you stay, I will stay.  Your people will be my people and your God will be my God.  Ruth was giving up everything she had to go with Naomi.  She saw how lost and alone Naomi was and refused to leave her.  Her love would not let her forsake Naomi.    

Does this kind of love sound familiar?  It should, because this is the love that God has for us.  God saw how lost and alone we were and how we needed someone to be with us and care for us.  God loved us so much that He came in the person of Jesus to be with us in this world.  Jesus came to go where we go and to stay where we stay.  The love of Ruth reflects the love of God seen in Jesus because Jesus left His home in heaven to walk with us.  Jesus gave up all He knew and all He had to walk with us.  Jesus saw us lost in sin and came to provide for us a way out.  And the only reason Jesus did all this is because of His epic love for you and me.  

God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16

The story of Ruth is an epic love story because it points us to the love of Jesus.  Ruth loved Naomi completely and unconditionally and walked with her through the bitter times of her life. Her love brought Naomi comfort and peace, but the epic love of this story isn’t done yet.  

Naomi and Ruth travel back to Bethlehem where Naomi had some distant relatives.  Her hope was that one of them would show them compassion and take them in.  

Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a man of standing from the clan of Elimelek, whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor.”

Naomi said to her, “Go ahead, my daughter.” So she went out, entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters.  Ruth 2:1-3a

One of God’s commands to His people was to not harvest the fields to the very edge.  They were to leave produce and grain along the fringes and whatever fell to the ground was to be for the poor and hungry.  This is called gleaning.  So Naomi sent Ruth out to glean so that they would both have food.  It was the love of God that directed Ruth to the field of one of Naomi’s relatives.  Once again, God’s love was not letting Naomi down.    

As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.  Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be with you!”

“The Lord bless you!” they answered.

Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, “Who does that young woman belong to?”

The overseer replied, “She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi.  She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter.”

So Boaz said to Ruth, “My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. Watch the field where the men are harvesting, and follow along after the women. I have told the men not to lay a hand on you. And whenever you are thirsty, go and get a drink from the water jars the men have filled.”  Ruth 2:3b-9

Boas learned that Ruth was gleaning to provide food for herself and Naomi and he told her to stay in his fields and that he would not only provide food and water for her, but he would protect her as well.  Boaz was so moved by the love Ruth showed to her mother-in-law who came from a different land and culture that he extended his love to her.  Through Boaz, God’s love was poured out to both Naomi and Ruth.  

Ruth returned to Naomi with armloads of food and told her all that had happened and that the field she was in and the man who helped her was Boaz.  

Ruth told her mother-in-law about the one at whose place she had been working. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.  “The Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “He has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead.” She added, “That man is our close relative; he is one of our guardian-redeemers.”  Ruth 2:19b-20

Naomi suddenly understood that God had not forgotten her.  She said, the Lord has blessed me.  God had not left her alone but sent Ruth directly to one of the family members who could take them in.  A guardian redeemer was an influential person in a family who could help a family member in a time of distress.  Guardian redeemers could buy back land that had been taken.  They could buy back family members who might have been enslaved due to outstanding debts.  They could seek justice for family members who were injured or killed, and in Naomi and Ruth’s case, they could provide an heir for a widow when a husband died and there was no brother to take her in.  Families could have several guardian redeemers but it was the responsibility of the closest one to care for the family member in need.  

God sent Ruth to one of Naomi’s guardian redeemers and Naomi saw this as an act of God.  When Naomi said, He has not stopped showing His kindness to the living and the dead, she wasn’t talking about Boaz, she was talking about God.  Naomi now realized that God had not forgotten her. Once she was dead, but now she was alive.  Once she was empty with no husband, no son, and no future, but God had not forgotten her.  God directed Ruth to a relative who could protect and provide for them.  

This is an epic story of love because not once but twice, when Naomi felt lost, alone and forgotten by God, God provided for her.  First God provided Ruth to go with her, and then God provided Boaz to give them a new life.  This is what we need to learn from this epic love story.  God’s love is there for us in times of need AND God’s love is there for us always.

During those bitter times when nothing seems to be going well and we feel completely forgotten and forsaken by God and the world, we need to remember that God’s love is there for us AND it will always be there for us.  God’s love doesn’t lead us just part of the way and some of the time.  God’s love is always there and always will be there.  Even when we are the ones who have turned away, God’s love is still there.  

If you feel like you are all alone, let me assure you that you aren’t.  God is right there.  That is the message we hear in Psalm 139.

Where can I go from your Spirit? 

Where can I flee from your presence?  

If I go up to the heavens, you are there; 

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, 

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me

and the light become night around me,”

even the darkness will not be dark to you;

the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you.  Psalm 139:7-12

For Naomi, the darkness of bitterness didn’t keep God away.  God sent Ruth to go with her and God sent Ruth to the field of Boaz.  God’s love was actively at work both protecting and providing for Naomi.  God directed them to a man who could bring them back into the family, and that is exactly what Boaz did.

After a long day of threshing barley, Boaz fell asleep on the threshing floor.  Ruth went and slept at his feet.  When Boaz woke up and saw Ruth there, he knew she was asking him to take both her and Naomi into his home and family.  Boaz was again so moved by Ruth’s love for Naomi that he agreed to be their guardian redeemer, but he first had to get permission from the guardian redeemer who was a closer relative to Naomi.  

Boaz got permission to redeem Ruth and the epic love story ends as they all should end with everyone living happily ever after.  

So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”

Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed.  Ruth 4:13-17a

When Ruth had a son, it gave Naomi a son as well.  For Naomi and her husband and brothers' name to live on, they needed a son.  Ruth and Boaz gave them that son.  In many ways that son was as much Naomi’s as it was Ruth’s.  Naomi went from being full to empty to full again because God’s love was with her.  

As I was talking about this story with Jeff last week, he said something that I had never thought of.  He mentioned how eager Boaz was to care for Ruth and Naomi.  Boaz heard about Ruth’s dedication and loyalty and immediately began to provide them both with food and protection.  His love for Ruth grew when she came seeking his help and Boaz went out of his way to accept the position of guardian redeemer.  He didn’t marry her out of duty or obligation.  He was eager to marry her because he loved her.   

Once again, this is a reflection of God’s love for us.  God doesn’t forgive us out of duty or obligation.  God doesn’t walk with us just because He promised to and now He can’t go back on that promise.  God eagerly and passionately wants to save us.  God will not be content until He finds us.  Jesus is the good shepherd who will leave the 99 sheep to go out and find the one that is lost.  God is relentless in His love and eager to save.  Not only is God’s love there for us in times of need and always will be, but God is eager to love us.  

God is passionate about you right now.  God can not love you any more than He does right now.  If you are feeling bitter about life, know that God is eager to love you.  If you are feeling weighed down by sin or guilt or shame, God is eager to love you.  If you are living in darkness and despair and see no light, God is eager to love you.  And if you are feeling loved by God right now, God is eager for you to know more of His love.  Both Ruth and Boaz point us to the love of Jesus.  This book is an epic story of God’s love for us.  But it doesn’t end there.  There is one final act of love to come.  

The child of Ruth and Boaz was Obed and Obed was the father of Jesse.  Remember Jesse?  We talked about him last week.  He was the man who had 8 sons, the youngest being David who Samuel anointed King of Israel.  It is only the epic love of God that turns a hopeless situation like the one Naomi and Ruth were in into a story that gives us the greatest King of Israel.  And don’t forget that it is from the line of David that Jesus came into the world.  So what was once dead and dark - Naomi and Ruth’s life in Moab, literally becomes life and light.  

This is an epic love story that can take place in your life because Jesus still turns darkness to light, and God is eager to redeem you and bring you life and life eternal.  

 

Next Steps

Epic Tales - Ruth

Read the Book of Ruth.   Name all the ways Naomi was “full” when she left Bethlehem and “empty” when she returned.  

● Have there been times you have felt this empty?  

Ruth was the beginning of God showing His epic love to Naomi.  

● How does Ruth reflect the love of Christ?  

● What does Ruth say and do that point us to Jesus?  

● What decisions and actions can you take that would help others experience God’s love and see Jesus?  

Returning to Bethlehem, Naomi still felt bitter.  

● Why was she not able to see God’s love in Ruth?  

● What keeps you from seeing God’s love in your life?

Trace the ways we can see God at work when Naomi and Ruth return to Bethlehem.  What does this tell us about God’s love?  

Have there been times God has loved and directed you even when you were bitter and unbelieving? 

Boaz was one of Naomi’s guardian-redeemers.  He brought Naomi back into the family and gave her a future by giving her a grandson. He also welcomed Ruth, a Moabite, into the family of God.   

● How does Boaz point us to the work of Jesus?  

● How does Jesus bring us back into the family of God?

● How does Jesus give us a future?

● How does Jesus open the family of God to all nations and people?  

How do we see the eagerness of Boaz in the story?  What does this tell you about the love and passion God has for you?  

What does Ruth in the line of David (and the lineage of Jesus) tell us about God’s love and desire for all to be saved?  

Epic Tales - David and Goliath

 The mission of the starship enterprise was to boldly go where no man has gone before, and each week captain James T. Kirk and Dr. Spock would go on epic journeys where good would always overcome evil and the underdog would come out on top. That sums up our Epic Tale today - an Old Testament story where good overcomes evil and the underdog comes out on top.  Today we are going to look at the story of David and Goliath.  

Again, this is such a familiar story that we might forget the important lessons we can learn from the early part of David’s life.  We first meet David when the first king of Israel, Saul, had lost favor with God.  Saul had been chosen as king in part because he was tall.  He looked like a king and that was what the people wanted.  In time, Saul stopped listening to God and started listening to himself and those around him.  He didn’t seek God’s will and he didn’t follow God’s laws, so God rejected Saul as king and sent his prophet Samuel out to anoint a new king of Israel.  

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”  1 Samuel 16:1

When Samuel arrived in Bethlehem, Jesse called his first son, Eliab, to come and stand before Samuel because everyone thought he would be the new king.  Eliab was the first born and he was tall and handsome.  Like Saul, he looked like a king, so Samuel thought surely this would be the one he would anoint, but God said no.    

The Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”   1 Samuel 16:7

Eliab was not going to be the new king, so Jesse sent in his second son, but he was not chosen either.  Then Jesse sent in his third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh sons, but none of them were chosen.  It’s interesting that Jesse didn’t offer to bring his last son to Samuel to see if he might be the one God would choose.  In Jesse’s mind, there was no way David was going to be chosen.  He was the youngest and he was just a boy.  He was only good for watching sheep.  He wasn’t a leader and he certainly wasn’t material for a king.  Jesse doesn’t bring him in until Samuel asks him to.  

So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”  Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”  So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.  Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”  So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.   1 Samuel 16:11-13a

The one that no one thought would be chosen ends up being anointed the king.  No one saw in David what God saw in him, and that is the first lesson of this story.

God sees potential and possibilities when the world doesn’t.  

God saw something in David that no one else saw.  David came to be known as a man after God’s own heart, so maybe God saw the passion David had to always seek after God.  Maybe God saw a person who always wanted to learn more about God, and find ways to give himself more fully to God.  Maybe David just looked at things the way God did.  We don’t know, but God looked beyond the outward appearance and saw the possibilities and potential this young man had.  

Our world often just looks at the outward appearance and chooses and rewards those who look good.  In gym class it is always those who are tall who are chosen first for basketball and volleyball, and those who are fast for relay races and soccer.  In high school if you don’t look like everyone else, you aren’t part of the in crowd.  In business if you don’t look professional you won’t get hired. 

It’s the entertainment industry, however, where the outward appearance really matters.  It doesn’t matter how talented you might be, if you aren’t attractive, it’s going to be an uphill battle to get noticed.  Let’s face it, there just aren’t a lot of unattractive movie stars or singers.  The outward appearance matters more than what anyone might find on the inside.    

You know the old saying, you can’t judge a book by its cover, but we do.  We are quick to judge someone’s talent, worth, ability and potential by what we see.  One of the great things about shows like American Idol is that we get to see the auditions of people who might not look like a superstar.  

In August of 2008, a 47 year old woman from rural Scotland took the stage at Britain's Got Talent. As she was introduced, neither the judges nor the audience thought she had a chance.  She really didn’t look the part.  They were judging the outside, but what was inside her stunned that audience and the world.  

Susan Boyle sang I dreamed a dream from the broadway show Les Mis, and she brought the house down.  That video has been viewed literally millions of times on youtube and it continues to both inspire people and bring them to tears.  Due to copyright laws, I can’t show you the video, but if you have never seen it, check it out online.  It is amazing.

God doesn’t look at the outward appearance, He looks inside.  He looks at the heart.  Jesus also did this.  Jesus was a master at seeing potential in people the world wanted to push aside.  He chose ordinary fishermen to be disciples.  When others saw a despised tax collector, Jesus saw a faithful follower.  When the world saw prostitutes, Jesus saw women of God.  Jesus looked beyond what the world would see to see the potential, the value and the worth of everyone.  We need to have this kind of vision when we look at others.  We need to see the God given potential in every person. We need to see their inner value, worth, and dignity.  We need to learn how not to judge by what we see but try to see what God sees.  

We also need to have this kind of vision when we look at our own lives.  Too often we define our own sense of value and worth by what we see on the outside or how the world might define us.  When God looks at us, He doesn’t see failure but the potential for faithfulness.  God doesn’t see a sinner who will never be able to do things right, He sees a saint that has been forgiven and redeemed.  What God sees in us is the potential He placed in us.  We can’t define ourselves or limit ourselves by what we see or what we think the world sees when they look at us.  We need to ask God for the ability to see ourselves the way He does and then live into the potential God has for us.  

Having been chosen by God, it didn’t take David long to live into the potential God saw in him.  It was 4 or 5 years later that David took food up to his brothers who were in the army.  They were on the front lines fighting against the Philistines.  For 40 days the Philistines sat on one mountain and the Israelites on another, with a large valley in between.   Every morning and every evening, a giant of a man named Goliath came out to taunt God’s people.  

A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.

Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.   1 Samuel 17:4-11

There was no one among the Israelites who wanted to fight this giant.  What they saw on the outside of the man terrified them. He was huge.  He was well protected with armor and well armed with a javelin.  All the Israelites saw was this massive man who must have made them feel like insects.  There was no way they could go up against him and win.  When David arrived with food for his brothers and heard the taunts of Goliath, he wondered why no one would go out and fight him.   

David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”  1 Samuel 17:26

When David’s brothers heard this, they could still only see his outer appearance.  He was their younger brother.  He was still a child and only good for watching sheep, and they made sure he knew it.  

Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”  “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?”  1 Samuel 17:28b-29.  

Finally King Saul heard David’s comments and asked to see him.  Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”   1 Samuel 17:33

Everyone was just looking at the outer appearance of David and Goliath.  There was simply no way this inexperienced boy could go up against a well armed and experienced giant.  But that’s not how David saw things.  Like God, he wasn’t looking at the outer appearance.  First of all, David knew what he had in him.  He knew his God given potential.  He knew that he had taken down bears and lions and that gave him a good chance against the man.  David also saw Goliath in a way no one else did.  He saw his weaknesses and ways to defeat him.  When David looked at Goliath he saw a giant who was weighed down by 150 pounds of armor.  Due to his size and weight, Goliath was not going to be quick on his feet and he had to have been tired from marching up and down the mountain twice a day for 40 days in full armor.  He also only had a javelin which might be good for taking down an enemy far away but would not be good when the enemy was close in.  David knew his God given potential and he saw the God given opportunity to take down Goliath.  

The Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David.  He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.  1 Kings 17:41-49

By running toward Goliath, the big man was not able to use his weapons effectively and his size and weight would not allow him to change course quickly, so David had the upper hand.  And David’s experience with a slingshot gave him the tactical advantage he needed to take him down.  Which he did.  

Samuel, Jesse, and David’s brothers looked at David’s appearance and said, there was no way he can become a king, and no way he can be a mighty warrior in battle.  But God looked inside.  God saw a heart that loved Him enough that it would not allow God to be taunted day after day.  God saw a faith that was bold and courageous and trusted that God would be there to help if he would step out in faith.  And God saw a mind that looked at things differently.  David saw things the way God did and he acted accordingly, and when he did, he took down the giants in his land.  

That’s the second lesson for us here: when we begin to see things the way God does, we can defeat the giants in our own land.  

When we see our own God given potential, and the power God gives us when we trust in Him, we can defeat the giants in our lives.  We all face giants.  We all see hopeless situations that seem to have no way out.  We see things as the world does and fail to see God’s promise or potential.  If we can see things the way God does, then we can develop a faith that will step out and take down giants.  

The beginning of seeing things differently is to look at our own lives and ask God to help us see in us what He sees in us.  Ask yourself these questions:  Who has God created you to be?  What gifts have God given you?  What passions and interests move and motivate you?  Where is God opening a door in your life?  Where do you see potential to step out in faith and do something you thought you could never do?  How can you boldly go where you have never gone before, trusting that God will go with you?  

Every one of us has the potential to change our world by using what we have to change the hearts and lives of the people around us.  One small act of kindness, one small step of sharing our faith, one consistent prayer might be how God is going to move in our land and you may be the one God wants to use.  

In a few weeks we are excited to welcome Archie from Raising Hope Ukraine.  What started as a simple ministry to reach children in Ukraine turned on a dime when the war started.  They suddenly became an outreach center to hundreds of people who were fleeing the war.  They not only provided food, clothing, shelter, and transportation to those who had to leave everything behind, but they gave hope to those who passed though.  They also started to care for those on the front lines.  They saw the potential to send troops much needed supplies.  Day by day they worked to make a difference in the world.  They stepped out in faith and boldly went where they had never gone before.  

There is another story from the war in Ukraine that reminds us that when we see the potential God has given us, and offer the gifts God has given us to others, epic things can happen.  Last summer, in the city of Kiev, there was a 15 year old boy named Andrii who loved to fly drones.  He posted an online notice in his village saying that he knew how to fly a drone if that would be helpful.  A man from the local civil defense force reached out and asked Andrii for help.  He wanted Andrii to fly his drones over the Russian forces that were moving on the city.  

Andrii flew over the Russian forces, took videos to document what was approaching the city and provided them with exact coordinates.  The local civil defense sent those coordinates to the Ukraine artillery who sent missiles and took out the column within 10 minutes.  The local civil defense minister didn’t know that Andrii was a 15 year old boy.  A boy about the age of David used a drone to help take out a giant Russian column of tanks, fuel trucks and artillery.  

While Andrii was a boy going up against the giant of the Russian military, I don’t think he saw himself as an underdog.  He knew his potential and that if he offered what he had, it would make a difference.  I don’t think David saw himself as an underdog.  He knew he was going to bring Goliath down because he trusted God and he knew his own God given potential.  Maybe it’s time we stop looking at ourselves as underdogs and start seeing ourselves the way God does.  We have potential.  We have God given gifts that can make a difference.  If we are willing to offer those gifts right where we are, and if we are willing to trust that God is working through us, we can take down giants and make a difference in our world.  

 

Next Steps

Epic Stories - David and Goliath

Read the story of David’s anointing - 1 Samuel 16, and the story of David and Goliath - 1 Samuel 17.

God sees potential and possibility when the world doesn’t.

● When have you judged someone or something by outward appearance and been completely wrong? 

● When have you been judged by your outward appearance?  What potential and possibility were people not seeing in you?

Consider the times when Jesus did not judge by outward appearance. 

● What difference did it make when Jesus saw people’s God given potential?  

● Why was Jesus able to do that so well?  

● What can we learn from Jesus so that we will not judge by outward appearances but by God given potential?  

We can defeat the giants in our lives and in our land.

● What giants are you facing in your life today?  

● How can seeing yourself the way God sees you give you the strength and faith to face them?  

● What do you need to take them down?

The answer to these questions can help you begin to see yourself as a giant killer.  

● Who has God created me to be?

● What gifts has God given me?

● What passions and interests move and motivate me?

● Where is God opening a door in my life?

● Where do I see the potential to step out in faith and make a difference?  

Epic Tales - Daniel in the Lion's Den

 We are going to have some fun during the month of July by looking at some of the truly epic stories found in the Old Testament.  These are the well-known stories you always find in children's Bibles.  They are stories of faith and adventure that kids love to hear, and we love to tell.  Stories like Daniel in the Lion’s Den, David and Goliath, and Jonah and the Whale.  One of the problems with these great stories is that because they are so familiar, we forget that we have something to learn from them.  These are more than great stories for kids, these are stories that teach us about the power and presence of God.  Today we are going to look at the story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den. 

To understand this story, we need to understand its setting.  Israel had been a great nation during the reign of King David and then his son Solomon, but after that, things began to fall apart. Israel divided into 2 nations and each kingdom had a series of good and bad kings.  This period of kings lasted 400 years until the nation of Israel was finally defeated by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.  Once defeated, many Israelites were taken into captivity to live, serve, and work all through Babylonia.  Having the people spread out helped make sure that the nation would not be able to rebuild.   

One of the people who was led out of Israel and forced to live and work in Babylon was Daniel. This is where we pick up the story. 

Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility, young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.  The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.

Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.  Daniel 1:3-7

Nebuchadnezzar was trying to utterly demolish the nation of Israel by taking the best of their people and bringing them into his courts.  Here he could indoctrinate them into the culture of Babylon.  If the leaders of Israel could be turned from their culture, customs, history, and their God, then they would be integrated in the new nation.  Israel would be completely destroyed.  

So Daniel and his friends were educated in the ways of the Babylonians.  Everything that defined them as an Israelite was taken away from them, even their names.  While Daniel and his friends didn’t have a lot of choice in this, when they were told they could no longer eat the clean and kosher food God told them to eat, they said enough was enough.  This was the final straw.  They were not going to disobey God and defile themselves by eating the king’s food, so they made a compromise with the King’s officials.   

Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.

At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.  Daniel 1:8, 11-16

Even though Daniel and his friends were going through a dark and difficult time, they refused to forget who they were and who they belonged to.  They could be forced to live in a different country and be called by different names and learn another language, but no one could take from them their identity as children of God.  Their identity was tied into what they ate, so they trusted God to provide for them when they stepped out in faith to remain obedient to God.  

When we go through difficult and dark times, it is easy to forget who we are and who we belong to.  When things don’t go the way we thought they would, or when we face challenges that seem truly hopeless, it is easy to forget that we still belong to God and that as His children, God will never leave us nor forsake us.  No matter what we go through, we belong to God and God is with us.  

This is the first lesson from Daniel.  Remember who you are and who you belong to.  What we eat doesn’t define us today as God’s children; what does define us is how we live in a relationship with God, the people of God, and the world. When things get difficult, we need to hold on to the spiritual disciples that keep us in a strong relationship with God.  We need to pray, read scripture, and listen for God’s still small voice.  These are things no one can take away.

We also need to stay focused on our relationship with the people of God, the church.  Daniel had his friends.  He wasn’t alone.  In fact, they were in this together and that gave them the strength to take this bold step of faith.  We can’t stop meeting together in worship, study, fellowship, and prayer.  When things get tough, the tough don't get going, the tough stay together.  When we focus on staying faithful and connected to God and others, we find strength and power.  We grow stronger, and that is exactly what happened to Daniel and his friends, they grew stronger.  

To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.

At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service.  In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.  Daniel 1:17-20.

Daniel and his friends were now strong and respected leaders.  In the book of Daniel, the story shifts to the three friends and another epic tale about their faithfulness in worshiping God which lands them in a fiery furnace.  Daniel, however, continued to serve in the court of the king and excelled at being able to interpret dreams.  The last dream he interpreted for the king predicted the fall of Babylon to the Medes and Persians and that is what happened.  

Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.  It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. Daniel 5:30-6:3

Daniel was now ruling over ⅓ of the Pesian empire, and the king wanted to place him over the whole kingdom.  His faithfulness to God during difficult times brought him to a place of authority and influence.  As a leader, Daniel remained faithful to God.  He continued to worship God and pray to God.  It wasn’t long, however, until the other leaders got jealous.  They didn’t want a foreigner ruling over them so they set a trap to destroy him.  

They knew that the only way to get rid of Daniel was to force him to stop worshiping his God.  So they had the king issue a decree that everyone had to worship and pray to the King for 30 days.   

When Daniel heard this, he didn’t hide his faith, he didn’t go far away from everyone and pray in secret, he went into his upper room and in full view of the people, bowed down and prayed to God.  When he was faced with a difficult and dangerous situation, Daniel prayed.  Even when the laws prohibited him from praying - Daniel prayed.  He knew God so well, and trusted God so completely, that he knew his prayers would be honored and answered according to God’s will.  

This is the second lesson for us to learn.  We need to Pray.  When everything seems to be against us, when it seems like we have no hope, and when everyone around us might be telling us that prayer won’t do us any good - we need to pray.  Not only can prayer change things, but prayer can give us the strength to stand strong in face of all the powers that try to keep us from God.  

I’ve heard people lament the fact that prayer was taken out of school, but the truth is prayer was never and can never be taken out of school as long as we teach children to pray.  Nothing is stopping them from praying before a test, before a meal, and when they are in distress. When children or teachers aren’t sure what to do or which way to go, prayer can help them.  In a world that often wants to deny the relevance and power of our faith, we need to be willing to stand up and pray, or kneel down and pray, or sit and pray.  Just pray and cling to God who said, I will never let you down.  

Daniel prayed and his enemies reported it to the king.  The king now was in a bind because he loved Daniel and didn’t want to lose him as a leader, but he also didn’t want to lose face among his people by changing his decree.  He could have changed it.  He was the king and he could have done anything he wanted to, but to save face among his people, the king didn’t change his decree.  He held to the power he found in this world and his pride and threw Daniel to the lions.  

So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”

A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.

At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”

Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.” Daniel 6:16-21

Daniel had been faithful to God and now God was faithful to Daniel.  To the people of God living in exile, forced into situations where they were told to forget and turn from God, Daniel's faith gave them hope and confidence.  It told them to hold fast.  It told them that God was more powerful than the powers of this world and that if they remained faithful, God would rescue them.   

This is the third lesson for us today.  God is stronger than any power we see in this world.  When all around us people are clinging to political ideologies and social principles that define them, we need to stand firm in our faith and allow our relationship with God to define us.  Even if it means that we stand alone in faith or kneel alone in prayer, if we are faithful, God will rescue us and redeem us.  

During the time of Daniel, when the people were living in captivity, there were prophets who encouraged them with God’s hopeful message.  One of them came from Isaiah who said this. 

But now, this is what the Lord says, he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.   When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Do not be afraid, for I am with you,  I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.

Isaiah 43:1-3a, 5

God walked with Daniel’s three friends through the fire and they were not burned.  God sat with Daniel in a lion’s den and he was not eaten.  God was not only with His people during this time, but He was going to rescue them and gather them together from the east and west.  God actually started the process of restoring His people just a few years later when Darius allowed God’s people to return to Jerusalem and start to rebuild the Temple.  

The story of Daniel in the lion’s den isn’t just an epic tale of God’s protection, it is a story that invites us to stand strong in every situation because God’s love will be there to strengthen us and save us.  In Jesus, all the powers and authorities of this world have been defeated.  Death itself has been defeated and we can stand victorious in Christ.  

In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39

The story of Daniel is an epic tale of God’s power revealed thousands of years ago, but it has a powerful message for us today.  When we face difficult times, don’t forget who you are in Christ Jesus.  Don't forget that you belong to God now and forever.  And when everything seems hopeless and you see no way out, pray.  Pray for the strength to stand firm and be assured that God’s power is greater than any and all powers in this world.  There is nothing, not one thing, in all of creation, that can separate you from Christ Jesus our Lord, so stand firm and know that Jesus stands with you.   

Next Steps

Epic Stories - Daniel in the Lion’s Den

Read the Story of Daniel.  Daniel 1-2 & 4-7

1. How did Daniel and his friends hold on to their identity as children of God?  What defines you as a follower of Jesus?  

● What are the essential things you need to do to retain that identity?

● What is the importance of meeting with others in keeping this identity?  

● Ask God to hold you to these essential disciplines.

2. Why did Daniel continue to pray when the law forbade it?  

When have you felt prayer was not worth it nor effective?  

● How can you remind yourself that prayer is effective?  

● Sign up for the prayer workshop July 16th.  

3. God rescued Daniel from the lion’s den.  

● How would this story be an encouragement to the people of Israel living scattered throughout Babylon?  

● How is this story an encouragement for you today?  

● What power or authority feels too strong for you to overcome? 

● Stand firm in prayer.

Read Isaiah 43:1-7

● How does this message go hand in hand with the story of Daniel and his friends?  

● How would this encourage God’s people?  

● How does it encourage you today?  

Read Romans 8:31-38

● How does this message go hand in hand with the story of Daniel and his friends?  

● How can it encourage you today?

● Consider memorizing Romans 8:38-39