March 25, 2012
Scripture:
Hymn 350 – I will make you fishers of men
Prayer
Last week, we finished 2 Samuel, so let’s go on to the book of 1 Kings.
Israel needed a new king, because David was getting old and would soon die. Normally, the king would choose one of his sons to be the next king before he dies.
1 King 1:1, 5, 32 - 35, & 39
Adonijah, one of David’s sons, noticed that David was getting old. He saw this as his chance to usurp the kingdom and appoint himself as king. So, Adonijah got together some of the influential men of Israel to help him.
When Nathan the prophet heard about this, he told Bathsheba, David’s wife. You see, Bathsheba’s son Solomon was supposed to be king next. Together, they went and told David. When David heard, he gave instructions on how to anoint Solomon. When Solomon was anointed, a trumpet was sounded. At this time, outside the gates of Jerusalem, Adonijah and his men were gathered to anoint Adonijah king. When they heard the trumpet sound, they were startled. A man came and told them that David had anointed Solomon king. From then on Adonijah feared Solomon.
1 Kings 2: 1 - 4
David was old: he has been through a lot. He had killed a lion, a bear, and Goliath; then, for part of his life he ran away from Saul. David knew the blessings of walking with the Lord, and he wanted Solomon, who was about to become king, to know them too. Becoming a king was not an easy thing: you have to make rules and keep everyone happy. David wanted Solomon to go in the path of blessing with the Lord. Reading David’s advice to Solomon reminded me of Psalm 1. David was trying to encourage Solomon in the things of the Lord. We can be thankful when parents teach their children the ways of the Lord and then those children teach their children to do the same.
Psalm 1
In this psalm, there is a tree and this tree was planted by a river: it has a constant supply of water. During a drought, this tree would stay alive. David compared this tree to someone who enjoys reading the word of God. David was telling Solomon that this was the most important part of his life. May we each be encouraged to be like this tree and read the Word each day.
This was the end of David’s life and Solomon then took over the throne.
Luke 10:38-42
There are some commentators who would say that there should be a division in the Gospel of Luke at this point. However, the story of Mary and Martha fits well with the story of the Good Samaritan, because the two pence at the end of that parable refer to the word of God and prayer, and we get the word of God in this story. Those two pence were given to the innkeeper, a type of the Holy Spirit because He guides the assembly (the inn). All three of these topics - the word of God, prayer, and the Holy Spirit - are spoken of almost immediately after the parable.
Our Lord came to Bethany, and He stayed at Mary and Martha’s house. We know that He loved to go to their house, and it’s precious to have a home where the Lord loves to come. Of course, the Lord loved both sisters; but their characters are contrasted in this story. We find that in order to serve the Lord, we must first learn at His feet. Did Mary ever serve the Lord? Mark 14:3-6. That was service. Mary was the only one - that we’re told of - that understood what the Lord was going to do. The disciples didn’t understand that the Lord was going to die, but Mary felt it. She did the right thing, at the right time, in the right way. Her service - just as our service should - flowed from a learning attitude and place.
Martha, on the other hand, was troubled, cumbered, and careful (full of care). She was worried about many things, but Mary only concentrated on one thing. When Mary was criticized for doing right, the Lord told the disciples, “She hath done what she could.” That would be a good thing to hear once we get to heaven, “You did what you could.” Maybe we can’t do much, but we must do what we can.
The Lord got just as much joy and refreshment out of Mary’s listening as He did out of Martha’s serving. Song of Solomon 2:3 says, “As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.” That was Mary’s portion. She listened to the words of Jesus, and delighted in them.
We, too, need to sit at Jesus’ feet and hear His word. Some of us read the word every day and get a portion from it; but we need communion, we need to meditate on the word to get God’s thoughts for our lives. Service is important, but where does it flow from?
The illustration of the tree by the water is usually taken from Psalm 1, but it is also in Jeremiah 17:7-8. It’s that unseen part—the spreading out of the roots—that is the most important. Spreadeth is an action word; the roots are reaching for the water. Do we have an unseen part of our life that is reaching out for refreshment? If a tree in drought gets some water, it will use that water to stay alive. If it gets more than enough water to stay alive, it will grow. And if it gets more than enough water to stay alive and grow, it will produce fruit. How far out are we reaching? When you cut down a tree and see growth rings, a bigger ring means that there was more moisture that year. How big are our growth rings?
Whenever Mary was with the Lord, she was at His feet. She couldn’t be with Him all the time, but we can. John 15 tells us to abide in Him. Our mind is a battlefield. The enemy has many ways to occupy and distract them, so it’s precious to see Mary sitting at the Lord’s feet, being occupied with Him. Sitting is a position of rest; she was just drinking it all in, in no hurry to go anywhere. The apple tree in the Song of Solomon provided shade from the sun—protection from the elements of the world. It wasn’t the only tree to do this, but it was the only one to provide fruit—satisfaction.
Sitting and learning from the Lord is needful. We might be cumbered about many things, but it is the one necessary thing and we must choose to make it part of our life.
We need to serve, but that service must flow out of communion. Mary’s spiritual intelligence came from sitting at Jesus’ feet. This gave her the ability to serve. Consequently, she was the only woman to anoint the Lord’s body for burial. The others were just too late.
Hymn 221 - I am thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice
Prayer