Monday Yr B Sunday between Jul 17-23
2 Samuel 7:18-29; Hebrews 13:17-25; Psalm 61
2 Samuel 7:18-29 (New International Version)
David’s Prayer
18 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said:
“Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19 And as if this were not enough in your sight, O Sovereign LORD, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant. Is this your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign LORD ?
20 “What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Sovereign LORD. 21 For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.
22 “How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. 23 And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? [a] 24 You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God.
25 “And now, LORD God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, 26 so that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, ‘The LORD Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established before you.
27 “O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to offer you this prayer. 28 O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. 29 Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”
Hebrews 13:17-25 (New International Version)
17Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.
18Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. 19I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.
20May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
22Brothers, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written you only a short letter.
23I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you.
24Greet all your leaders and all God’s people. Those from Italy send you their greetings.
25Grace be with you all.
Psalm 61 (New International Version)
Psalm 61
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Of David.
1 Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.
2 From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3 For you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the foe.
4 I long to dwell in your tent forever
and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
Selah
5 For you have heard my vows, O God;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
6 Increase the days of the king’s life,
his years for many generations.
7 May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever;
appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.
8 Then will I ever sing praise to your name
and fulfill my vows day after day.
Obedience to the Rulers over Us
Some years, politics creates animosities: one side or the other dislikes the policies and laws being voted into action—sometimes both sides. It can be quite nasty. Christians are told to be quite different than that. The apostle who wrote the letter to the Hebrews said, “17Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” So, if we don’t agree with whomever is in charge of our nation, we must accept that God has asked us to be obedient and work for them as if it were a joy. Some may feel sick at that, but the real crux of the matter is, whether anyone is going to Trust God in everything.
Trust God. In God we trust. These phrases are integral to the founding of this country. Whether on the side in power or not, God expects our behavior to remain constant. Trust God. Obey those in authority and give them joy. If only every Christian were to follow that rule, the governments across the world would change overnight.
When people work for those in authority over them so it is a joy for the one in power, a change can happen in the one in power. They don’t need to be distrustful of their employees or supporters or enemies. Work so that it will be a joy for them is a phrase most pastors don’t talk about. Too hard to do. See the following story.
Emmy was running for president of her senior class. Jess was the competition. Both were smart, attractive and opposite in their ideas of how things should be run.
“If I am elected, you can count on me to listen to you and do what is right. I’ll take your ideas to council.” Emmy called out.
“Don’t vote for my opponent. I am not a wimpy Christian. I make up my own mind. Rules don’t need to bend to religion.” Jess spoke through a megaphone. “You can count on me to get things done. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
The courtyard filled up with students who chatted over the chants by supporters wanting to call attention to their candidate.
The debate between Emmy and Jess challenged positions and rebutted forcefully. Jess indicated that Emmy couldn’t be trusted to take the real interests of teens to heart because of her beliefs.
She rebutted that with “I am a Christian. I am also a teenager with the same kinds of hopes and dreams as the next. I am a person of integrity.”
When the voting day revealed that Jess had won by a small majority, Emmy’s supporters were devastated. Emmy stood and conceded with poise, shaking Jess’ hand in congratulations.
Her speech surprised people, “We have fought a hard fight, but now is the time to come together and work as a united student body for the better of Union High School.”
She surprised the student council by offering to work in the council offices as a volunteer for Jess.
She began working the next week helping with general office tasks, doing the grunt work, making copies and cleaning up the offices. Her smile was always on her face, even though Jess was often heard telling jokes at her expense. Her temperament didn’t change. She accepted every job without complaint.
The weeks and months passed and Emmy continued to work, often doing the least favorite jobs and her face showing her joy in each activity. Jess found he could not disparage her. No one considered her a wimp. She had endured too much with an even spirit. Even Jess had stopped berating her at every turn, appreciating the selfless work that she had performed for months.
“Why have you been so nice?” Jess asked Emmy, one day.
“I read in the Bible that we are supposed to obey those in authority giving them joy in our work, so that is what I tried to do.”
“You are one tough person. I’m impressed.” Jess smiled and Emmy praised God for the chance to change the attitude of one who had been so against Christians.
Daily prayer: Almighty God, you have put us on this earth to serve you and the authorities over us. Help us to trust you as we ought and do our very best every day. May we honor and please you in everything we say and do. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Memorize: Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
