I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. – Psalm 63:8

Today's Scripture Reading (November 5, 2025): Psalm 63

Actor Crispin Glover is known for playing eccentric characters on the big screen. If you listen to Michael J. Fox, who shared the screen with Glover in the classic film "Back to the Future," maybe that shouldn't be a surprise. Fox says Glover caused significant stress behind the scenes on the movie set due to his eccentric behavior. Glover seemed to have a fairly defined idea about what the character, in this case, Michael J. Fox's on-screen father, George McFly, should be doing. However, when it came to filming, Glover seemed unable to play a scene the same way twice. Every time Glover did a scene, he seemed to have a different approach to playing it.

As I read Fox's thoughts about Glover, I have to admit my immediate reaction was that I think I am a lot like Crispin Glover. If I am acting, or even playing guitar with a band, I think I evolve. I am not sure that I play a scene or a song the same way twice. I would call it a solid independent streak, but I am sure that it must be frustrating.

However, I admit I am better with a defined role than in real-life circumstances. If I have a role, I can understand how to play it, whereas in real life, I am not always so clear about what I am supposed to do. I remember volunteering with a youth organization early in my career. My first night with the group was a combined event with several other youth groups. As a result, I didn't know any of the teens or the leaders. On this night, my only responsibility was to interact with the teens. I wandered around the event, interacting with several of the youth in attendance. At least until one of the teens felt that I was clinging a little too close, she got angry and told me to get lost. Oops. So, I gave her a little more space and paid a little more attention to the kids who appreciated my presence. That night remains one of my most uncomfortable evenings as a youth worker.

David is in the wilderness, on the run. It is not a comfortable moment. David usually understands his role as King and protector of the nation. However, in this moment, he is not sure exactly what he is supposed to be doing. It was an unusual moment for Israel's Poet King. But David understands that when he doesn't understand how to meet his reality, he can cling to the hand of his God. There is no way that God would force his presence on David, but David could choose to run to him.

Whenever I come up against reality in my wilderness, I need to learn to cling to God's hand. The truth is, I should do it more often than I do, but I know God is always there. He was there for David, and he is present for any of us who want to swallow our pride and simply cling to his hand in the midst of our wildernesses.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 17

When David had gone a short distance beyond the summit, there was Ziba, the steward of Mephibosheth, waiting to meet him. He had a string of donkeys saddled and loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred cakes of raisins, a hundred cakes of figs and a skin of wine. – 2 Samuel 16:1

Today's Scripture Reading (November 4, 2025): 2 Samuel 16

I remember a few times when I was in need. And I remember the people who stepped up to make sure that this moment did not devastate me. I also remember those who stepped up and did what they could to make sure the moment overwhelmed me; those who did not want to see me survive it. Most of the ones who stood against me only stayed for the moment, but many of those who stood with me are still my friends. It is an interesting phenomenon, and one for which I am thankful.

David is in need. He has been kicked out of Jerusalem with his supporters while his son, Absalom, takes control of the nation. There was a time when David had everything that he needed—but that time had passed. Now, David is scrounging not just for the things he needs to survive, but also for the things his entourage needs to survive. Because all of them are in the same position, all of them have moved from plenty to poverty in a matter of moments.

It is into this situation that Ziba decides to step. Ziba served Mephibosheth, the grandson of Saul, who David had invited to eat daily at his table, but in this moment, he is undercutting the authority of his Master. We might wonder about the motivation or backstory behind Ziba's move, but those are questions David likely never asked. He needed Ziba's charity and gladly accepted the gift.

However, we know from the rest of the story that the gift came with strings attached. Ziba wanted David to understand that his Master had changed allegiance from David to Absalom. I will be honest: the excuse Ziba offered doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Ziba argues that Mephibosheth, the grandson of Saul, believes that "Today the Israelites will restore to me my grandfather's kingdom" (2 Samuel 16:3b). Maybe Mephibosheth thinks that the people will reject Absalom in favor of him. However, I can't see the logic in that argument, especially when David is still alive. It seems more likely that Mephibosheth, who is lame in both feet, cannot leave the city with David. So, Ziba has decided to exploit Mephibosheth's limitations to advance his own cause. But that is just my opinion.

I may be critical of Ziba's argument, but David accepts it. The reality is that even at the end of the story, we, along with David, don't know the truth. It becomes a he-said, he-said situation. But whether Ziba is honestly supporting David or just a guy trying to take advantage of a terrible situation, David needs the help. And for that help, he is very thankful.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 63

 

Then Absalom sent secret messengers throughout the tribes of Israel to say, "As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpets, then say, 'Absalom is king in Hebron.'" – 2 Samuel 15:10

Today's Scripture Reading (November 3, 2025): 2 Samuel 15

Saul was dead. He had been killed in battle against the Philistines. And now, a new King reigned over Israel. His name was Ish-Bosheth (I know, you thought I was going to say David|), and Ish-Bosheth was the son of Saul. At the time, David had a conversation with God. David was still in hiding from Saul outside Israel, and after Saul's death, his immediate struggle was what to do next. Should he return home, or stay in hiding? He inquired of God, and God told him to go back to Judah, his own tribal people. The next question was, where? We associate David with Jerusalem, but it is important to note that, at this moment, Jerusalem belonged to the Jebusites, not to Israel. Jerusalem had been taken by Israel a couple of times, but neither of those victories had lasted.

David asked the question, and God had answered. David was to go to the Judean town of Hebron. And there, the people made David King over Judah. It began a time of divided rule in the history of Israel. Ish-Bosheth ruled over most of Israel, but David ruled over Judah from Hebron.

The story of Ish-Bosheth has a tragic ending. While the enemy had killed Saul, Ish-Bosheth was killed by two men whom he trusted. Rechab and Baanah were two of Ish-Bosheth's captains. After Ish-Bosheth surrendered to David's forces at the conclusion of a two-year civil war, these two captains assassinated Ish-Bosheth, expecting that David would reward them. But David didn't see it that way, judged the two men guilty of high treason, and had them executed. David was now King over all of Israel, and for another five years he would reign from the Judean city of Hebron.

Absalom leaves Jerusalem under false pretenses so that he can attempt to take control of Israel. And he decided that his revolution would start in the same place that David had been first crowned King over Judah, and then had first ruled as King over all of Israel. Maybe he believed that being crowned King in Hebron would lend legitimacy to his reign. He hoped that the people would just accept his rule as the natural extension of his Father's; Absalom was the oldest surviving son of David, the natural heir to the throne, and being crowned in the historical place where David had been made King, Absalom hoped, would drive that image home.

So, Absalom sent friends throughout the Kingdom with a message. In a day without universal media, this would be the closest thing possible to something going viral on our social media pages. At one point, these friends of Absalom would declare that Absalom had been made King in Hebron, and they hoped the people would accept the change in leadership as just the next step in the nation's development.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 16

Hushai the Arkite was the king's confidant. – 1 Chronicles 27:33b

Today's Scripture Reading (November 2, 2025): 1 Chronicles 27

Delay in military strategy is often a disaster in waiting. A while back, I considered some possible events that might have caused World War II to end differently (I sometimes like to play "what-if" games in conversation with like-minded friends). And there were several incidents during the war that cost Hitler dearly. One of them was his hapless ally, Benito Mussolini. Mussolini suffered from illusions of grandeur. If Italy had remained neutral as Spain had, Hitler might have been better off than with his overconfident ally. But instead, Hitler and Mussolini became allies. In 1940, the great Mussolini had dreams of rebuilding the Roman Empire. In an effort to rebuild the Empire, he attacked Greece and Egypt. His army was large but inept, and it was far outmatched by the eventual presence of the United States in Africa. As a result, the war went badly for Mussolini. Mussolini's misstep forced Hitler to commit forces that were desperately needed elsewhere to the task of freeing Italy from its troubles. The result was a delay in Germany's attack on Russia (a front that was a mistake anyway, but an earlier attack might have benefited Hitler). Instead, the delay meant that Russia and Britain had time to come up with a plan. In the end, Hitler really lost World War II in Russia; to overcome his disaster there, he needed a miracle that never materialized.

Hushai the Arkite was a good friend of David. It was a relationship that likely began organically. However, as the friendship grew, it became an essential part of David's strategy, and Hushai was provided with an official position in the government. When Absalom tried to take his father's throne, David was forced out of Jerusalem for a time. However, the King convinced his friend, Hushai,  to stay in the city to act as an agent of David. 

In the days following David's retreat, Ahithophel, Absalom's adviser, tells Absalom to attack his father immediately. At that time, Hushai advised caution and delay. Of course, what Absalom does not know is that Ahithophel might be Absalom's ally, but Hushai was actually a spy for David. As Hushai makes the case for caution, he is really just trying to delay the attack and give David and his generals time to set up their defenses. He knew he couldn't stop the attack, but maybe delaying it would be good enough.

It is also interesting to note that Hushai does not totally contradict Ahithophel. Unlike political leaders today, Hushai does not enter into a discussion of Ahithophel's military incompetence, nor does he argue that Ahithophel is always wrong. Hushai simply cautions that, this time, Ahithophel's advice might be premature. Absalom needed to gather the tribes together before he attacked his father. After all, David had experienced fighters with him. In the fight for Israel, strength would be key.

The advice of Hushai turned out to be instrumental for David, as the delay gave him what he needed to win the conflict. Nothing Hushai said was wrong, but the delay was all that David needed to gain the advantage in the battle that was yet to come.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 15

See also 2 Samuel 17:7

 

As for the Hebronites, Jeriah was their chief according to the genealogical records of their families. In the fortieth year of David’s reign a search was made in the records, and capable men among the Hebronites were found at Jazer in Gilead. – 1 Chronicles 26:31

Today's Scripture Reading (November 1, 2025): 1 Chronicles 26

Are you up for a joke? How about this one?

A guy in a bar leans over to the guy next to him and says, “Want to hear an accountant joke?”

The guy next to him replies, “Well, before you tell that joke, you should know that I’m 6 feet tall, 200 pounds, and I’m an accountant. And the guy sitting next to me is 6’2″ tall, 225 pounds, and he’s an accountant. Now, do you still want to tell that joke?”

The first guy says, “No, I don’t want to have to explain it two times.”

Or maybe this one.

A woman was told she only had 6 months to live.

“Oh my God!” said the woman. “What shall I do?”

“Marry an accountant,” suggested the doctor.

“Why?” asked the woman. “Will that make me live longer?”

“No,” replied the doctor. “But it will SEEM longer.”

Can I give you one more?

An accountant is having a hard time sleeping and goes to see his doctor.

“Doctor, I just can’t get to sleep at night,” he says.

“Have you tried counting sheep?” inquires the doctor.

And the accountant replies, “That’s the problem — I make a mistake and then spend three hours trying to find it.”

The last one hits home. For a period, early in my adult years, I performed an administrative function. I worked both in the automotive and pharmaceutical industries, mostly performing administrative tasks. It is something that I can do, but I am not as good at administration as I probably should be. And I remember a lot of nights going through the books, chasing down a mistake or two, or three.

When I became a pastor, for a while, I had the luxury of an outstanding administrator who took care of all of the things that I didn’t want to care for. But now, the administrative hat is once again one that I frequently have to place on my head. And I still perform the task with mediocrity.

The Hebronites were essentially assigned to administrative roles in the Temple. Their task was to oversee the treasury and the items that were dedicated for use in the Temple. It was a task that was required for the smooth operation of the Tabernacle and the Temple. It might not have been an exciting job, but it was a task that needed people who could be trusted to do the work and keep good records. And that described the Hebronites, and their leader, Jeriah. Without them, and without the many administrators in our world, nothing functions as it should.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 27

Along with their relatives—all of them trained and skilled in music for the LORD—they numbered 288. – 1 Chronicles 25:7

Today's Scripture Reading (October 31, 2025): 1 Chronicles 25

“All good is hard. All evil is easy. Dying, losing, cheating and mediocrity is easy. Stay away from easy.” The quote is from author and psychiatrist Scott Alexander, and I am convinced that he is right. There has been no human endeavor worth achieving that has not been the result of hard work. There have been some accidents, but even the accidental discoveries have resulted from the hard work of someone in an associated area. The results may not have been what the researcher was looking for, but they had been diligently working to discover the nature of something, and without that effort, the “accident” would never have occurred. Nothing good comes without hard work. If it is easy, it is evil. We all need to stay away from easy.

So, my question is this: why does the church often seem to want to take the easy path? I mean, we even have a verse that happens to come from the very mouth of Jesus. He said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it” (Matthew 7:13). We apply this verse to our theology and the concept of salvation, but we miss it in almost all of the other things that we do. It is as if our theology stands alone and does not affect how we live our lives and how we conduct the business of the church.

One example of this might be in our music. I grew up in a church that had a thing called “Special Music.” I am not trying to be mean. From my childhood, I had been included in the church’s “Special Music,” but often, there was very little that was special about the music in the church. The people who failed at karaoke frequently seemed to be the ones who came to the church to sing the special music. The rule for the church was participation. Anyone who wanted to participate – could, no matter what their skill level might have been. I remember one lady who got up in church to sing, and often, the song was described as something that “God had given to her.” My reaction was admittedly not very charitable. It was something like “Please don’t blame God for this.”

Chronicles says that those who led worship and sang before the people were “trained and skilled.” Let me translate that: they worked hard at their craft and had the ability to play the music of the day. Not everyone could apply. It had been hard, but they were ready to reap the results. I know the pushback. Not every church has trained musicians. But the problem is that we have developed a culture where we believe the church is the place for those who cannot sing to come without preparation and perform for us. Our mantra is often that the music is good enough for the church. But the reality is that it isn’t. It is the easy path. And easy is evil.

We can’t all have the top musicians in our churches. But we need to raise the bar regarding our expectations. At the very least, we need to have people who desire to work on developing the musical talent inside them. Our sacrifice of worship needs to be just that, something that has cost us something. The first time I led worship, a pastor handed me a list of songs and told me that I was going to be the evening’s worship leader. I was pretty sure he was wrong, but he was insistent. The only thing I could do was work hard to try to figure this music thing out. It was not easy. But anything worth doing seldom is. And I still believe we need to stay away from easy.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 26

This was their appointed order of ministering when they entered the temple of the LORD, according to the regulations prescribed for them by their ancestor Aaron, as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded him. – 1 Chronicles 24:19

Today's Scripture Reading (October 30, 2025): 1 Chronicles 24

Unemployment. It is the scourge of modern society. If only we had jobs for every non-disabled (my computer tells me able-bodied is a non-inclusive term; I am still learning) worker, maybe we could cure some of the ills of our society. As I write this, the local jobless rate is 7.8 per cent. It has changed little from a year ago, when the unemployment rate was 7.5 percent. At this moment, the unemployment rate is one of the highest in the nation. Part of the problem is that this area is also one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation, and evidently, jobs have not been able to keep up with the increasing population.

But if we are going to compare unemployment rates, I am much happier with the 7.8 percent local unemployment rate than with the jobless rate in places like South Africa, which currently sits at 33.2 percent. In South Africa, one in three people seeking employment can't find it.

Of course, unemployment rates are also problematic because they don't count people who want to work, but have given up on the hope of finding employment. Unemployment is also different across various industries in the area. One sector might have a surplus of workers while another is desperate for people with a particular skillset or education. All of this makes unemployment a complicated problem to tame.

In the time of Aaron, the tribe of Levi had been set aside to work in the Tabernacle. There was a particular number of people, and a set number of jobs. For instance, there were some workers whose job it was to tear down, move, and set up the Tabernacle. However, in the time of David, the Tabernacle seldom moved. And soon, David had plans for a permanent Temple in Jerusalem, and that building would never be moved. There had also been a considerable increase in the number of people from the Tribe of Levi who had been set aside for work in the Temple. So, the choice was to give the lucky few work in the Temple or to spread out the various tasks among all the Levites.

David decided to do the latter. He decided to divide the Levites into twenty-four groups, with each group serving in the Temple for one week, twice a year. Later, these groups of Levites would be attached to the forty-eight-week Lunar Calendar. Of course, it also had to be flexible, with some groups losing members while others grew and had too many. At the time of the first return after the Babylonian exile, only enough Levites chose to return to have four groups ministering at the destroyed Temple. A decade later, that number had increased to twenty-two groups of Levites, but half of them were new creations and not the original groups that David had organized. However, the system allowed all of the Levites who wanted to be involved to serve in the manner that had been imagined back in the days of David, as well as in the era of Moses and Aaron.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 25