Readings: Psalm 86 (NRSV, The Message); 1 Samuel 15:10-31 (NRSV, The Message); Acts 5:1-11 (NRSV, The Message)
Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, and Samuel was told, ‘Saul went to Carmel, where he set up a monument for himself… 1 Samuel 15:12 (NRSV)
Peter responded, “What’s going on here that you connived to conspire against the Spirit of the Master? The men who buried your husband are at the door, and you’re next.” No sooner were the words out of his mouth than she also fell down, dead. When the young men returned they found her body. They carried her out and buried her beside her husband. By this time the whole church and, in fact, everyone who heard of these things had a healthy respect for God. They knew God was not to be trifled with. Acts 5:9-11 (The Message)
Any story that begins with the protagonist building a monument to himself cannot end well!
In the passage from Samuel, Saul has been told by God to completely destroy another people and keep no spoils. Everything is to be destroyed. Saul, however, keeps some prime livestock to sacrifice to God. God tells Saul, through Samuel, that because he disobeyed God, he will no longer be king of Israel.
In the passage from Acts, Ananias sells a piece of property and gives a part of it to the movement, but “secretly” keeping a portion for themselves. Ananias is struck dead, his wife comes in, sticking to the story they came up with, and she is struck dead as well. My sense of humor may be morbid, but the picture in my head of this scene is comical.
Here’s the thing. The God described in these passages don’t square with the God I have come to experience. If this is what God was like, I would be dead many times over by now. So what are these passages saying to me? What I hear God reminding me about is the importance of integrity and single-mindedness. As much as possible I need to adhere to what God is calling me to do and how God is calling me to do it. I must follow my convictions.
How do these passages speak to you? How do you handle passages such as this which are a bit shocking in nature?
