They brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God. – 1 Chronicles 16:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (April 20, 2019): 1 Chronicles 16

Health care. It is likely that wherever you live, this is the topic that is at the center of the public consciousness in your area. At a moment in time when there are medical solutions for a majority of the diseases that plague us, access to health care is restricted mainly to people who live in the right area and/or can afford the appropriate treatment. Bono, the lead singer of the rock band “U2,” brought this issue into the center of the public spotlight with his activism in support of Africa. While there is a disparity in the ability to access health care in developed countries, the problem is even larger in the Majority World Countries, like many in Africa. More than a decade ago, Bono brought the issue of stupid poverty into the center of our public discussion, defining “stupid poverty” as poverty that resulted in the death of children because of the lack of a “two-dollar pill.”

As David began his reign, the center of the public discussion was likely issues like putting food on the tables of the nation and finding a national security solution to save them from the enemies of Israel like “the Philistines.” But David wanted to add to that list the worship of the God of Israel. And it is that desire that drove David to overcome any difficulties and return the Ark to Jerusalem, the capital city. He wanted the Ark and God to be at the center of the conversation because he believed that the solution to poverty, starvation, and national security was found in God.

And it still is. The problem of our time is that the power of the church and God has been effectively sidelined. We don’t look to God for the answer to the issues like injustice and poverty. But we should because that is the issue that the Bible repeatedly returns to as the solution to these issues. Consider these words from Isaiah:

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I (Isaiah 58:6-9).

David strongly believed that God was the answer to the hard issues of his day. He brought the Ark to Jerusalem with much pageantry so that the people would be talking about the Ark and God at their supper tables. And if we are going to be doing the job that God has placed in front of us, then he needs to be at the center of our discussion as well. For those who call on the name of God, then the issues of injustice and poverty, and even healthcare must be important to us because they are important to him.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 95 & 96