Today's Scripture Reading (December 1, 2025): 1 Kings 8
I used to like to play basketball. My problem wasn't that I didn't
play the game very well. Actually, I can get even more specific. My problem with
basketball is not that I can't shoot or pass; it is just that I play a little
too physical (in other words, I foul a lot). In a pick-up game playing
schoolyard rules where anything goes, I play okay. But in an organized game, I
am a liability because I tend to foul out early. Of course, I may not like the
foul call, but that is the responsibility of a referee; it is what they are
supposed to do. They are the ones who get to translate the rules written on
paper into the actions taking place on the court. The ref's job is to call
fouls or penalties whenever the rules have been violated. The referee gives
order to the game.
The best games are always the ones where the players play by the
rules and the refs are wise enough just to let them play. There is nothing
worse than watching your team score and have the points taken off the board
because of an offensive charging foul, or, in American Football, watching that
long runback after a punt or kickoff called back because of a hold or an
illegal block. But the rules for our sports are there for a reason, and those
rules need someone whose job is not to cheer for a given team, but rather to
make sure the game is played according to the rules. In sports, that unenviable
job goes to our referees.
In religion, we have the same need. We have our holy books, but
most of them need someone to interpret what they contain. In ancient Israel,
that job went to the priests and the prophets, the experts in the law. They
were the ones given the job of interpreting the writings and translating them
into actions in the real world, the world where people live every day of their
lives. But the reality is that we crave those times when God simply speaks and
no one has to interpret His words. Those moments might be rare, but they do
happen, and when they do, we know it.
As Solomon's Temple is finished and the Ark of the Covenant is
moved into its new home, God's glory descends on the temple. The author of
Chronicles writes that because the cloud of the Lord filled the temple, the
priests could not perform their duties. But the reality might be a little
different: the priests were just not needed; the presence of God was tangibly
evident in that holy place.
I hope that there are times in all of our lives when the
presence of God is simply present; a time when all of us who are priests and
pastors are not required. My prayer every time I step up to speak or to lead in
the music portion of a service is that I can somehow disappear, leaving nothing
but God's presence in that place. On the other side of the equation, I hope, as
teachers and worship leaders, we have enough integrity to recognize a move of
God, and, as we recognize God's move, be willing to simply get out of His way.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading:
1 Kings 9
See also 2 Chronicles 5:14
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