Secu – Meditating on God’s Word

One of the greatest blessings I realized on this trip is connected to Secu.

Secu - Renewed by The Word at night

She is the mother of four little girls and a boy. In addition to her children, she has been caring for her father who has Cancer and is expected to die soon. Her father is not a believer in the salvation secured by Christ and Secu is deeply concerned about his soul. [UPDATE: I received word the Secu’s father passed away on Wednesday. I will update again if there is anything else.]  We had hoped that Secu would assist us by preparing to read our daily Psalms in some dramatic way to emphasize the various emotions, but she was unable to attend due to the drama occurring in her own home and in her own emotions.

Thursday night was the all-night event and Secu was encouraged by her husband to attend. Praise be to God and bravo for Secu’s husband because he took care of the little girls AND his father-in-law! [The local ladies wanted a sleep-over from the very first time but it took until last year for us to agree to do it. One of the issues is that they cannot bring their children and need a husband, neighbor, mother, or someone to be willing to take care of them – kind of unusual for this culture.] Secu came and enjoyed the hot dog roast and variety show.

In one of the lulls between acts, Secu went to the microphone and recited Psalm 51 from memory. I was so impressed and later I inquired of her how that had come to her. Secu said that it was hard knowing that her father was not saved and many nights she would wake up. Then, to keep her mind from worrying, she would recite Psalm 51 over and over all the while praying that her father would come to that great point of repentance like King David had.

Our very first lesson with the Cofradia ladies was an encouragement to them to let God enlarge their hearts and minds to learn and understand the poetry forms of the Psalms. Secu found a place to leave her anxiety in the darkness of night and God enlarged her heart with His words. She ministers to her father through the strength and counsel of her heavenly Father. Psalm 16:7 says, I bless the LORD who gives me counsel, in the night also my heart instructs me.

Secu fits Peter’s description of a proper adorning beauty: Do not let your adorning be external – the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear – but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gently and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. (1 Peter 3:3-4) I was blessed by her offering to share Psalm 51 from the hiding place of her lovely heart.

The Little Slave Girl – Messenger of God

2 Kings 5 begins with recognition of the importance of a Syrian army captain named Naaman, but (the all important ‘but’) Naaman was a leper. In verse 2, the opposite of Naaman is a captive “little girl from the land of Israel; and she waited on Naaman’s wife.” The story goes on and we learn that this little maid tells her mistress, “I wish that my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.” You know the end of this event. The good news this little girl gave to her master works its way through very important channels. Naaman finds Elisha, who sends him to the Jordan River to dunk seven times, and ‘his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean.” (5:14)

Consider:  What is the catalyst in this story? It’s the little slave girl!

I can easily imagine a little girl, perhaps while brushing her mistress’s hair, saying, “I wish that…” If we read wider we find out that this little girl did not know of any miraculous healings of lepers. Luke 4:27 records one of Jesus’ conversations with the religious leaders and he says, “There were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” Elisha had purified water with salt, made oil multiply for profitable sales, prophesied the birth of the Shunammite’s son and then resurrected him, but he had not healed a leper.

Why did this little slave girl think Naaman would be healed?

She knows a God of wonder and power and out of the mouth of this babe came the truth of God’s strength. Through Moses, God instructed His people, Israel, to “love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words… shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.” (Deut. 6:5-7) To this little girl, God was a very present help in time of trouble, integrated into her home life, and even though she was taken away as a captive, she knew that God was with her.

I think that she served not only her master and mistress but also her LORD. Jesus told parables about faithful slaves. In Matthew 25 two of the slaves are commended with, “You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” Colossians 3:23 applies the standard very broadly, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” The little slave girl’s faithfulness to her earthly master, Naaman, brought joy to her Lord God as she served. In addition, her faithfulness surely lent credibility to her words.

Enter the joy of your Master

Finally, this little slave girl had good news to share and just like most children they simply cannot keep quiet about a good thing! It always shows on their faces. Her zeal and affirmation about the prophet of God must have been quite something.  This little slave girl was not small or unseen by God. She was not a slave to Naaman but to her LORD who used her willing service at just the right time for God’s purpose. The good news she shared spilled out of a heart filled with God and His greatness.

My friends, we too have wonderful gospel good news to share with others. Those that are suffering from the disease and death of sin need to hear about the prophet of God who can heal them; a Prophet who foretold his own death, resurrection, and return to heaven; a Master who says, “Come unto Me”; the fountain of living water.

Job’s Daughters

Job is an unusual book of the Bible. In the first small section, it is as if the veil between the seen and the unseen is briefly pulled back and we are allowed a look into a long-running battle. Paul refers to this enemy in Ephesians 6 calling it a struggle against “world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” He goes on to exhort that we “take up the full armor of God” in order to resist and “stand firm.” I believe Job shows that he has the full armor of God. True, he did not know Who would bring his salvation or redemption, or how this would be brought about, but Job understands what he needs and trusts that God will provide.

The story of one man’s place in this battle ends with Job on his face, stripped of everything, broken in body and pride, humbled before a God who reveals a portion of His strength, mind, and absolute sovereignty. These revelations cause Job to praise God and to acknowledge that God’s works are “too wonderful for me.” (42:3)

Did you know that there is a lovely little ‘girl story’ at the end of Job?

God restores the fortunes of Job and his family with additional children, seven sons and three daughters. Scripture then records, not the names of the sons but, the names of the daughters! “He named the first Jemimah, and the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. In all the land no women were found so fair as Job’s daughters; and their father gave them inheritance among their brothers.” (42:14-15)

Peace

Stop to think about this: the daughters’ names mean peace, fragrance, and beauty. Job endures suffering in loss and destruction, false accusations and assaults on his character, and the wasting of his body in sickness and disease. Paul writes in Romans 5, “we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (5:3-5) Job proved this to be his testimony when he named his daughters Peace, Fragrance, and Beauty.

Where did Job’s strength to persevere come from? Where did he get his armor? Job is not a book to pull ‘proof texts’ out of because unless you go into the text, you do not know who is speaking. This is important as Job’s friends exhibit a limited understanding of who God is and what He does. Reading the book as a whole shows us that Job’s friends discuss God amongst themselves and speak from their limited understanding, but Job is the one who speaks to and questions God directly. When Job hears from God, he shuts his mouth and seeks God’s instruction. I think there is something to ponder about that.

Beauty

Throughout Job, he is granted amazing insights into the future God has established for the victory over darkness and evil. Job knows that his sins are sealed up by God (14:17); he has a Witness and an Advocate before God (16:19); his Redeemer lives and he will someday see God in a resurrected body (19:25-27). At one point he asks, “Lay down, now, a pledge for me with yourself, who is there that will be my guarantor?” (17:3) We know that God had this already planned. Paul writes, “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)

Fragrance

For those who believe in Christ, that He is our witness, advocate, redeemer, sacrifice, God is Father. Job gave his daughters the names of

Peace, Fragrance, and Beauty, and provided shares of the inheritance. Our Father God gives us peace, fragrance, and beauty. We have a guarantee sealed in our hearts that assures us of victory over darkness and evil – a total future victory and a hope for daily walk in victory over sin.

Father God, please bring Peace, Fragrance and Beauty out of my life today. Thank you for my inheritance, now and forever. Amen.

Achsah – A Woman of Substance

There are many wonderful ‘girl stories’ in the Bible. I don’t think we hear these stories often enough and sometimes we simply become lazy or familiar in the stories we reference in our daily living. Studying these stories allows insight into the lives of women who overcame because they believed God. This faith shines through their actions and encourages us to walk the same path.

My personal Bible heroine is named Achsah. Her story is told twice, once in Joshua 15 and then again in Judges 1. She is one of a group of women inserted in Judges at critical points of time. Her story opens the Book of Judges and she is an example of a victorious child of God, literally living on His promise. Judges chronicles Israel’s cycles of living as God’s people, becoming entangled with the land’s inhabitants and their practices, falling away, and needing rescue. Beginning with Achsah, a woman who claimed her own piece of the Promised Land and asked for blessings to make it fruitful, Judges concludes with a bizarre set of stories that vividly show how far man will fall into sin when “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25)

Achsah is introduced as the daughter of Caleb who offers her as a war prize. Caleb was given a specific inheritance in the land of Canaan for his own because he had first walked that land as a spy and reported with confidence that God would indeed give it to them (Joshua 14:6-15). Now it was time to drive the Canaanites out and Caleb inspired the men with his daughter, Achsah. Othniel accomplishes the charge and is given her as his wife. The commentaries I consulted are not in agreement as to the specifics, but as part of the marriage negotiations Achsah and Othniel receive a field in the Negeb out of Caleb’s inheritance. This field is in a dry land, so Achsah asks for a blessing – springs of water. Caleb gives her both upper and lower springs.

Why do I admire Achsah?

She claimed a piece of the land as her inheritance. I must speculate here, but she must have heard many fireside stories of the wonderful land and the marvel of its produce. Caleb must have told how the people refused to go in and take it even though they had God’s promise and had seen His works. How often is this true for us? We see only the difficulties instead of the assurance of God’s promise. Achsah learned to claim that promise as her own.

This woman was not done with just owning some dirt. God’s intent was that the people live in the land and be fruitful. The land she received was a dry land and so she asked for a blessing – some springs to water the land. Sometimes we can claim God’s promises with a dry, grim, determination to see it through, while His storehouse of blessings is full of treasures for us to receive. Why do we think that when God gives us a gift and then asks us to do something, the good use of it is only up to us? It’s not! Achsah was aware of the dryness of her land and asked for what she needed to make it fruitful. The blessing was so much more that what she needed.

I think the foundation for Achsah’s boldness was that she knew her father. He had faith in God when only one other man stood with him. When the time came, Caleb stepped forward and asked for what had been promised to him, and Achsah followed his example. Caleb didn’t give away his girl as a prize so much as secure for her a warrior who fought the enemy. When I study these ‘girl stories’, I don’t want to concentrate on the characters in the story so much as understand the character of God that they found and trusted. I can trust my Father God – the more I know Him the more I will trust Him. Jesus prayed that God will protect all who have been given into his hand (John 17) and he fought and conquered the enemy in his temptations and on the cross. God’s storehouse of blessings is open by asking in Jesus’ name.

This is why Achsah is my hero!