Saul therefore said, “Come here, all you who are leaders of the army, and let us find out what sin has been committed today. As surely as the Lord who rescues Israel lives, even if the guilt lies with my son [the gift of God], he must die.” But not one of them said a word. … Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and [the gift of God] my son.” And [the gift of God] was taken. Then Saul said to [the gift of God], “Tell me what you have done.” So [the gift of God] told him, “I tasted a little honey with the end of my staff. And now I must die!” Saul said, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die, [gift of God].” But the men said to Saul, “Should [the gift of God] die—he who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Never! As surely as the Lord lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he did this today with God’s help.” So the men rescued [the gift of God], and he was not put to death. (1 Samuel 14:38-39, 42-45).

Our Father in heaven is the good gardener, but fruit can be hard to seen. 1 Samuel offers some lovely case studies to train our eyes for it.

The fruit born by Saul’s kingship is shown to be the fruit of death. The fruit of God’s kingship, however, is the gift of life and salvation. Jonathan embodies these “gifts of God” throughout the narrative. It’s what his name literally means, which is why I’ve read this meaning into every instance of his name in the text above.

This text brings the showdown between Saul’s ways and God’s. In the verses leading up to this moment, we have seen that Saul uses religious rituals and words devoid of faith, we have seen how he is willing to dehumanize his men and drag them nearer to sin, we have seen his rash oath-taking cut the men off from the promised land’s flow of honey, and now here another bad-faith oath places even his son and the very gift of God that brought salvation under the threat of death.

Jonathan’s story leading up to this moment is different though. Even without the rituals of Israel’s religion, Jonathan is able to hear from God. Jonathan is able to see and taste the honey of the land of God’s promise. Through nothing more than Jonathan’s faith, God begins defeating the enemy in battle—causing the Philistines to begin striking each other. God’s salvation, promises, and gifts are things that Jonathan can not only see and receive, but also participate in in ways that bring life and salvation to himself and the people.

Yet Saul has not understood that this great victory was a salvation-gift from God. As far as Saul can tell—it is he who has “avenged myself on my enemies” (1 Sam 14:24). Saul wants more. He wants to continue doing his work in his own strength, constraining his men in whatever dehumanizing ways he needs to in order to see it done. But a priest steps in and says: maybe we should inquire of the LORD. So Saul does. But he receives only silence. Saul assumes there must be some sin afoot, and is angered by the thought that some misdeed in the camp could be keeping him from his prize. So he declares that even if the fault lies with God’s most precious gift to him—his own son—Saul will kill that gift to get what he wants. It’s a devil’s bargain if ever there was one.

But God will not be manipulated, despite Saul’s oaths and religious rituals. Nor will the men. They have seen and judged for themselves what is good. They have seen God’s gifts: the ones they were kept from tasting—like the promised land flowing with milk and honey—but also the gift of God’s salvation come through God’s gift in Jonathan.

The men decide that they can no longer abide with the death-dealing fruit of Saul. They choose for God’s gift of life. Jonathan is saved. The men have judged these trees by their fruit and have chosen well. Our Gardener God’s kingship brings life and his gifts are good. May you have the eyes to see these gifts and make the same choice today.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (John 15:1-2).

On Tuesday, we reflected on Jesus as our spiritual food. As much as our bodies need care and nourishment, so do our souls. However, soul care is more complicated than physical care. We know how to care for our bodies, even, if do not do it very well. There are professionals we can turn to for advice.

But how do we care for our souls? What should we do to give our spirits the best chance to flourish? We know how a healthy body functions, but how does a healthy soul function? Are there professionals we can turn to? Yes. The church has always understood that one of the pastor’s primary tasks is that of soul care. Physicians and physical trainers tend to be directive; they tell us what we should do. However, pastors rarely do; they usually ask questions, probing questions. We cannot have the same expectations of pastors as we do of doctors and trainers.

If soul care seems daunting, then our text for today is encouraging. When it comes to soul care, God is the primary actor. He is the gardener. Our task is to abide in Jesus. We can ignore this or do things contrary to it. We do have a role to play in caring and nourishing our souls. BUT (all caps) God is the gardener. The Father shapes us, prunes. He does this for fruit production.

He will trim away attitudes and lifestyle choices that hinder spiritual fruit, such as, love, joy, patience, etc. God’s tools are his Word, His Spirit, his community. He will use things we experience, random people we encounter. He will till the soil of our lives, spread fertilizer. There will be times with lots of moisture and seasons of drought. Yes. It seems that God’s best gardening happens when we do not see or experience much on the surface. Underground, God is at work.

It's true that pruning sounds painful. Often it is. Yet, that God is gardener is good news and its encouraging. Learning to love, to live with joy and patience is tricky. There is no manual for it. Often, we have the experience that we are not making progress. And we get such varied advice. One person does this, another does that. Churches have different programs, different kinds of Bible Studies. What do we do? Should we change our patterns, modify our spiritual discipline regimes?

Since the spiritual disciplines are so varied, it is good to know that God is constantly at work in our lives producing spiritual fruit. He is the gardener. He is tilling the soil of our lives. As we pray, read the scriptures and observe our lives, we should be asking God to show us how He is gardening. What is he up to? What kind of fruit does he want to grow in us? This is why in pastoral practice we pastors should be asking questions, more than giving direction. Its our task to help God’s people perceive what God is up to.

If you haven’t experienced growth or fruit lately, don’t get discouraged. God is the gardener. He will cause fruit to grow. Fruit is essential for his mission in this world. He needs people who are Christ-like. Bearing fruit brings him glory. It draws others to him, so that they too can share in the life of Christ. If we abide in Jesus, the fruit will come. Trust him. The Father is the gardener.

As you stay connected to the vine:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands. While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he [was afraid because] Saul had come out to take his life. And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.” The two of them made a covenant before the LORD. Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh. (1 Samuel 23:14-18)

This is the story that introduces the cat and mouse game of David evading Saul in the wilderness. It happens at “Horesh,” which is a word that can take two different meanings. It can refer to a sort of silence or to the work of human hands. In this set of verses, both meanings are in play.

David is faced here with God’s “silence” (horesh) and his own fear of Saul. The question is will he trust his fear and so rely on the “work of his own hands” (horesh) to solve it, as Saul does? Or will he trust in this God who is horesh, silent?

It is here in this wilderness that David must begin to learn a more mature fear of the Lord. This is not the battle of David and Goliath where the battle lines are clear, the army and King stand behind him and the Lord before him. No, now David is a fugitive from the State, driven from his home, searching in deserts and foreign countries for refuge, clinging to the promise of God while facing down God’s “horesh” silence.

It is not unlike so many wilderness moments in our own life. Something happens that unsettles us, leaves us feeling threatened. A medical scare, a financial jolt, a shifting landscape underfoot in the society or institutions we thought were secure—even the church. Faced with God’s relative silence and a threat looming overhead do we choose to fear the Lord or the threat?

It is at this moment that Saul’s son Jonathan suddenly appears. No one knew where David was. Yet somehow Jonathan finds him. His name means “gift of God.” “Nathan” being the Hebrew word for “gift,” and “Jo” being a prefix that refers to God.

The text says that God did not “nathan” (give) David into Saul’s hands. But God’s hand does offer a “Jo-nathan” (gift of God) to David in the form of a friend who appears in a silent, wilderness moment to help David re-find his strength in God. “Do not be afraid” Jonathan says. They then reaffirm their love and commitment to one another and Jonathan leaves. David remains in Horesh, this wilderness place of silence. But now, somehow, David is no longer quite so alone or afraid. God may be silent, but by his gifts of friendship, love, and encouragement, David can once again recognize God’s hand on the move.

As the story continues, Saul really does find out where David is and comes down in pursuit of him. However, we discover that David is no longer in the “horesh” place of silence and testing. Now he is in the Desert of “Maon,” a word which means “help” or “refuge.” Though “Saul and his forces were closing in on David to capture them,” God suddenly intervenes to force Saul to turn away. David and his men are saved, not by what their hands have done (horesh), but by the one in whom they have taken refuge (maon).

God remains our refuge and strength today, though at times he is also silent. The invitation is not to take matters into your own hands in those moments, but to trust him even if you can’t hear him. His gifts are usually not far away.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you.
May he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm.
May he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you.
May he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful” (John 15:1-2).

In John 15, Jesus offers us some keen insights into being His disciples. The Bible uses a variety of phrases to fill out our understanding of faith in God. In 2 Peter we had the phrase, “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Yesterday, we heard two Old Testament phrases, “the way of the righteous” (Psalm 1:6) and the challenge to Israel, “now choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Here, Jesus uses agricultural imagery to help us understand the Christian life. Today, I want to consider only this: we humans are both physical and spiritual beings. Its easy for us to understand our physicality: eating, sleeping, working, playing – all physical activities. Healthy eating and sleeping patterns lead to better health. Becoming hungry and tired and sore remind us that we are physical. Moreover, many of us have discovered the limitations of virtual relationships. Physical presence offers us something that virtual realities miss.

But we are also spiritual beings. This is more difficult. For many decades, western culture has promoted the idea that we are only bodies. When we die, there is nothing left – finito. We are born, then we die, living a brief time in between; what we do with our time between birth and death doesn’t matter much. But Christians believe it does.

Spirituality is subtle. It has to do with our morality, discerning between right and wrong; it deals with attitudes and priorities. It also speaks to what happens when we die. As Christians, we believe that after death our bodies decompose while our souls go to be with God. But in the end, when Christ returns, our bodies will be resurrected to be reunited with our souls. They belong together.

As our bodies need food, drink and sleep, so our souls need nourishment. This is what Jesus addresses in John 15:1, “I am the true vine…” Here is one of those places where the Bible keeps Christianity very simple. To be a Christian is to be connected to the Christian vine: Jesus.

Jesus is the only soul food for Christians. He echoed Moses, “We do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). And then he added, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:48). If we want spiritual life, food for our souls, we must feed on Jesus. Feeding on Jesus leads us in the way of the righteous, it is choosing life, it enables us to discern between good and evil, it causes us to grow in grace and knowledge.

As you prepare for summer, here are some questions to ponder: How does being spiritual affect me? Do I care for both my body and my soul? We cannot truly separate these two. If we neglect our bodies, our souls tend to shrink. If we neglect our souls, we will either neglect our bodies or make them into idols.

How do I stay connected to the true vine? Bible reading, prayer, worship, etc. Reflect on how you best engage with these practices. Do I connect more with Jesus ‘in the prayer closet’ or ‘when I pray with others’? Do I enjoy reading the Bible by myself or does it come alive when I get to discuss it with others?

As you stay connected to the vine:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. (Psalm 1)

Today we enter into summer rhythms of our Wilderness Wanderings. A good place to start is right where we ended in Peter’s letter last week: with the theme of vaccines against lawless ways and growth in God’s good ways.

Psalm 1 also draws a contrast between two ways of life, as Peter did. There is the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. It is reminiscent of Moses and Joshua setting two ways before the people in days of old—the way of life and the way of death—with the injunction: “now choose life!”

This question is set before us all throughout the Psalter as the wicked are contemplated and the righteous too. What separates them? Why do the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer? What does God mean by the “way of life” and “fruitfulness,” even and especially in times of hardship, sorrow, evil and enemies? In the Psalter we are confronted even with dark and painful expressions of faith in lament, like Psalm 88, that makes no turn back to God at all and yet somehow remains on the faithful path of the righteous.

The psalm paints fruitful trees by waters on the one hand, and chaff without substance or life on the other. Mind you—this is not always or even often the way that things look. As noted above, the Psalms often speak of the prosperity of the wicked and the hardship of the righteous. So this Psalm does not describe our experience in the way it appears, but does describe reality as it really is—a reality that can only be seen and experienced through the eyes of faith by the one who meditates on the scriptures.

The wicked gain much as they transgress boundaries of Sabbath, speed, and relationship. But don’t be fooled: they aren’t putting down roots, nor is their life bearing the kind fruit that generates stability or life in the kingdom of God. They are only as good as the next economic cycle or the fortunes of a particular political regime. Chaff in the wind. Substance, rootedness, generativity, and life are found only in God: a meditation on his way, an exclusive use of his means, a keeping of his boundaries.

The picture is that of a fruit tree planted by an irrigation ditch—this is the literal meaning of the phrase “streams of water” in Hebrew. Even though most of the holy land is pretty dry and arid most of the time and its streams intermittent with the rains—a tree with access to an irrigation canal receives refreshing waters consistently, in all seasons, regardless of the storms and droughts of life.

So: Blessed is that one who is nourished upon and lives the law of the Lord: there is a rhythm to their lives like the seasonal rhythm of a cultivated, well cared-for tree. Rooted in God, we find the nutrients that enable us to live fruitfully, rhythmically, and fully this life we’ve been given. Drinking from His waters of life build the muscles of our mind, heart, body, and soul to react in the attentive ways of righteousness and love, rather than in the greedy, lustful, cruel, prideful, self-righteous, or escapist ways that can otherwise become easily our default.

To that end, our devotional life is better thought of as a life devoted. It’s not only Bible reading and prayer—it is a life devoted to the love of the Lord and His ways. Blessed is that one who devotes all their life and living to him.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you : wherever he may send you.
May he guide you through the wilderness : protect you through the storm.
May he bring you home rejoicing : at the wonders he has shown you.
May he bring you home rejoicing : once again into our doors.

An extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The texts come from Matthew 6:16-18, from the New International Version of the Bible. To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. (2 Peter 3:17-18)

It would be fair to say that the book of 2 Peter is a vaccine. Vaccines are there to inform our immune system, catalogue new threats for it to respond to, and simply reinforce good, healthy immune responses.

As Peter describes his purposes for writing across the letter—it is for things like reminding, recalling, and now here he adds reasons like forewarning and raising a defensive guard against more harmful strains of teaching that float about in the church environment—whether they be spread maliciously or develop within us naturally when we’re worn down and drowsy.

Peter declares that the believers already are “looking forward,” already are standing firm in a “secure position.” But given enough time of inactivity—our immune system, like our muscles will atrophy. Given enough boredom and monotony from the day-in, day-out dailyness of life’s routines, our eyes will begin to wander and we will get distracted from the path.

So Peter gives us a jab in the arm. Wake up! Remember what you already know! Be on your guard against these “errors of the lawless,” even as you fix your eyes forward to the very thing they say isn’t coming: Jesus’ return to judge—to repair all wrongs and heal all hurts.

But it would be wrong to think this letter is just a vaccine against threats and a reminder to stand firm where we are. Peter also invites a movement forward. “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,” he says. We’re right back to the virtues of chapter 1. Remember them? Peter writes so that you will. There’s no better way to end our consideration of this letter, than by going back and hearing that beginning again for ourselves. Starting in chapter 1, verse 2:

“Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:2-8)

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

Grace and peace to you many times over as you deepen in your experience with God and Jesus, our Master. Grow in the grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ. Glory to the Master, now and forever! Amen! (2 Peter 1:2; 3:18 MSG).

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. (2 Peter 3:14-16)

Our faculties of perception need to be trained. I’ve been reminded of this over the past few years as I’ve attempted to teach our boys how to ride their bikes. Sure enough, my own driving instructor back when I was 15 said the same thing I find myself saying now. “Your hands will go where your head goes.” In driving, of course, you need to learn to cut this connection so that you can check your blind spots without running someone off the road. But for teaching kids to bike it is enough simply to say: “keep looking forward! Keep your eyes on the path!”

Peter used the word for this phrase “looking forward” twice in yesterday’s passage and again in the beginning of today’s. From what Peter has earlier said about false teachers—it seems that not everyone was “looking forward” to Jesus coming again. Instead, they were looking around with greed and lust at all the material satisfactions they could enjoy in this life. Jesus didn’t seem to be coming anytime soon, so they contented themselves with living in the moment, rather than keeping eyes fixed on the Christ who stood ever before them.

This remains an easy distraction for us all. Jesus didn’t come during our parent’s lifetime, after all. Nor in that of our grandparents nor any of the hundreds of years before them. It is easy therefore to lose sight of the path—the direction that history flows. It is easy to believe that the world we see is all there is. And if that’s the case—then we need to secure our own lives and resources, our own pleasures and purposes. If there is nothing beyond this world then the meaning of this life has to be something we forge in the fires of our own authentic refinements. Many people—Christian and otherwise—do exactly this. But are they looking forward? Are we?

Peter has spent his letter addressing, accusing, and correcting this at times malicious diversion. He has thumped the same theme over and over. The scriptures are reliable. Jesus is coming again. And judgement comes with him: setting things right, making things whole, and ensuring justice and righteousness flow. Remember, remember, remember and do not forget. Keep looking forward! Keep your eyes on the path!

Finally here at the end now, Peter begins to assume that we’ve heard him. “Since you are looking forward” he says, “peddle toward the prize.” At the beginning of the letter, we heard about the “everything” gifts God had given to equip us for the journey of living out his calling. We were told then to add virtues to our faith. Now Peter wraps it up with the encouragement to reconcile the living of our lives with the one who stands before us. That “author and perfector of our faith” that the writer of Hebrews tells us to “fix our eyes on.” “Since you are looking forward,” Peter writes, “make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him,” that is—with the one we’re looking to.

So where are your eyes? Where your eyes go, your hands and energies in this life will go too. Keep looking forward, and let the vision of Jesus shape your living.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

Grace and peace to you many times over as you deepen in your experience with God and Jesus, our Master. Grow in the grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ. Glory to the Master, now and forever! Amen! (2 Peter 1:2; 3:18 MSG).