Reflection on 1 Samuel 21:1-15

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Scripture

Since there was no other food available, the priest gave him the holy bread –  the Bread of the Presence that was placed before the Lord in the Tabernacle. it had just been replaced that day with fresh bread.

Observation

 David goes to the town of Nob to see the priest Ahimelech. David asks him for food. As there is no other food available, Ahimelech gives him the holy bread, the Bread of the Lord’s Presence.

David then asks him for a weapon. Ahimelech give him the sword that David had used to cut off Goliath’s head.

Then David moves on to Gath, but the King of Gath doesn’t want him there.

Application

 The holy bread was not supposed to be eaten by anyone other than the priests. Yet David was allowed to do this, something that Jesus later alluded to.

It is good to have principles and practices, but there are times when we have to move beyond the rules and see what God really wants us to do.

Jesus had many arguments with men who were locked into a legalistic way of thinking. He healed on the Sabbath because God is more interested in compassion then rule keeping .

We have to let the love of God guide us in every situation .

Prayer

Lord, you fed David in an unorthodox way, and you allowed the priest to do this. Please help me to understand your will in every encounter. Amen. 

Andrew Thorburn Vindicated For Faith Position

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Andrew Thorburn, who was briefly CEO of Essendon AFL Club in October before being sacked for belonging to a church, has settled with the club over the affair.

The original issue was big news, but you have to go digging through the news sites to find the latest development. Typical of the spineless media.

Thorburn has at all times acted with integrity and in a Christ-like attitude, and it is good to see him being vindicated.

As one commentator noted this morning, there is a fair level of legal protection of religious beliefs in Australia, even though most corporations just bow to the woke mob on these issues. Hopefully there will be more recognition of the concept of freedom of religion in the public sphere.

Recently re-elected Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews also needs to make an apology to Thorburn for his slanderous and vicious comments in October, but I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for that.

From the ABC on MSN:

Essendon Football Club apologises to Andrew Thorburn over handling of his short stint as CEO

 
 
 

The Essendon Football Club has apologised to former CEO Andrew Thorburn over the way it handled the events leading to his departure after just one day in the role.

Mr Thorburn was appointed as the Bombers CEO in October, but resigned a day later after public commentary over his involvement in a church which had shared controversial views about homosexuality and abortion.

Mr Thorburn said at the time it was clear to him that his personal Christian faith was “not tolerated or permitted in the public square”, despite his leadership record.

In a joint statement released on Tuesday, the two parties said they had resolved the dispute over the matter and would work to “enable a wider community conversation on the importance of freedom of conscience, religion and belief”.

Essendon Football Club said it acknowledged “that the events of October should have been handled better and apologises for the impact it had on Mr Thorburn, his family and others”.

“Both parties consider that elements of the public commentary at the time were extreme and wrong and counter-productive to the respectful community dialogue they agree is critical,” the statement said.

 

“Mr Thorburn remains welcome at the Club. The Club reiterates that he is a person of integrity who treats others, whether at work or elsewhere, with dignity and respect.

“He has a strong track record of leadership including with respect to diversity and inclusion of LGBTIQ and other minority groups.”

The statement noted genuine diversity should include people of faith and “everyone should be able to openly express their personal position, in a respectful way, without fear and still feel that they belong”.

As part of the dispute resolution, the Essendon Football Club will make a donation to an ethics institute to prepare a paper on how sporting organisations can build “inclusive communities recognising freedoms including those relating to race, religion and sexuality”.

The statement did not specify which institute would be funded to prepare the paper.

 
 

Reflection on 1 Samuel 20:1-41

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Scripture

Jonathan made David reaffirm his of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.

Observation

David flees from Saul and meets up with Jonathon. He is afraid for his life as Saul has repeatedly threatened to kill David .

Jonathan does not believe this to be true. The next few days are the New Moon Festival, so Jonathan tests Saul during this time. When he mentions David’s name, Saul flies into a rage, throwing a spear at Jonathan.

Through a prearranged signal, Jonathan gives David the message to flee from Saul. David and Jonathan reaffirm their love for one another. David goes into hiding.

Application

Some people in the homosexual lobby try to claim the relationship between David and Jonathan as a sign that God is in favour of homosexuality. This is complete nonsense because two people can have deep affection and love for one another without any hint of sexual attraction. To treat this passage in this way is to completely misunderstand the meaning of the word love.

It must have really torn Jonathan to be at the centre if this rift between his father the king and David the anointed successor.

When we are in this position, the Lord can sometimes use us to reconcile people. At other times, all we can do is try to remain faithful in the midst of opposing forces.

It takes discernment and determination to stay firm in the Lord at these times

Prayer

Lord, please give me your wisdom when I am caught up in other people’s conflicts. May I be a sign of your presence. Amen.

Strange Fish Behaviour

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I have several fish called Chromises in my aquarium. The photo above looks quite dull, but they are very colourful blue-green fish that like to school. A school of chromises looks quite fantastic.

While I was feeding the fish on Saturday, one of these guys swam rapidly to the surface (they do feeding frenzy really well) then shot to the bottom of the tank, hitting a piece of rock on the way. Then it lay flat on the sand at the bottom, not moving for some time.

I always expect the worst, and I thought the impact must have killed it. However, an hour or so later, the fish was missing from its previous resting place and was happily swimming around.

What was weird was that there was now something like a clear plastic ring around its mouth. You could see that it was able to open and close its mouth OK, but there was this strange thing right on the front of its face. Had it picked up some plastic refuse from my tank?

The next morning the fish was back to normal appearance. I think that it must have given itself the fishy equivalent of a fat lip in its strange accident.

A few days later and it is still right as rain. The incident is something of a mystery.