On the Turning Away

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Text:

14 Do not enter the path of the wicked,
    and do not walk in the way of the evil.
15 Avoid it; do not go on it;
    turn away from it and pass on.
16 For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
    they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness
    and drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
    which shines brighter and brighter until full day. (Pr 4:14-18)

Teaching: Solomon instructs his son in wisdom. The father teaches the son the ungliness of folly and the beauty of wisdom. Solomon provides the imagery of two different paths. One path is trod by the wicked. The wicked “walk in the way of evil” (v. 14b). And Solomon instructs his son plainly: “Avoid it [the path of the wicked]; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on” (v. 15). Walk the beautiful path, the path of wisdom.

Then Solomon describes the moral character of those who trod the path of evil. He tells his son that those who trod that path “cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble” (v. 16). There are some folks whose lives are restless; therefore, they meddle in other people’s lives. They stir the pot, we might say. They are nosy people. They insert themselves into our lives without invitation. They “eat the bread of wickedness,” (v. 17), Solomon writes.

That’s a pretty unsavory individual, the one who refuses to stay in his lane. He just cannot be content; therefore, he meddles. He intrudes. He is nosy. And he’s an irritant.

Encouragement: We’re to turn away from such people and walk the path of the righteous. Why? Because that path “shines brighter and brighter until full day” (v. 18b). We’re to keep our hearts “with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (v. 23).

Take a Knee

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Introduction: “Take a knee.” It’s a welcome phrase we hear sometimes as soldiers, especially when we’re physically exhausted, spent, and our gas tank is running on empty. (Yes, I’m hearing Jackson Browne’s song in my head, too, now.) Here’s the way Browne wrote about this feeling:

runnin’ on empty
(Runnin’ on) runnin’ blind
(Runnin’ on) runnin’ into the sun
But I’m runnin’ behind

Regardless of our stations in life, I would think all of us have experienced seasons when we knew that we were running on empty and that we needed to take a knee.

Connection to Scripture: In 1 Samuel 30, it’s a low time in the life of David. His wives had been captured by the wicked pagans, the Amalekites. Much of the territory had been reduced to scorched earth. The invaders had taken captives. And the word on the street got back to David that he was a wanted man (1 Samuel 30:5). David was running on empty. David very much needed to take a knee.

Text and Teaching: But listen to what Scripture records about this incident and learn what it has to teach all of us who have found ourselves running on empty and in need of taking a knee: “And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God” (1 Samuel 30:6).

Encouragement: First, David was self-aware. Second, because David was self-aware, he turned to God. David knew the situation was too much for human effort to conquer. He knew where he needed to look for strength, and he did it. He strengthened himself “in the LORD his God.” There’s much wisdom here, dear ones. Some battles are too big for us. If we think they’re not, that may be a sign of our hubris. Let us be self-aware and turn to the One whose strength is all-powerful and holy and not delude ourselves into webs of entrapment woven by human vanity.

Literary Encouragement from Tennyson

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I was grading some of my students’ work recently. I had a young man allude to some of the many famous lines from literature. My student wrongly attributed them to Dickens. Dickens is certainly a master, but in the prose form, not in the poetic one.

I gently corrected the student and redirected him to the actual author, Tennyson.

And from Tennyson’s “In Memoriam,” a poem about his dear but departed friend, here’s the last section of one of Tennyson’s masterpieces:

XXVII from “In Memoriam”:

I envy not in any moods

   The captive void of noble rage,

   The linnet born within the cage,

That never knew the summer woods:

I envy not the beast that takes

   His license in the field of time,

   Unfetter’d by the sense of crime,

To whom a conscience never wakes;

Nor, what may count itself as blest,

   The heart that never plighted troth

   But stagnates in the weeds of sloth;

Nor any want-begotten rest.

I hold it true, whate’er befall;

   I feel it, when I sorrow most;

   ‘Tis better to have loved and lost

Than never to have loved at all.

The Import/Significance of ‘If’

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It’s a small word but it is weighty, significant, and important: If.

Grammatically, it is a subordinating conjunction. Often it is used to introduce conditional clauses and statements. “If you do your chores, then you will receive your allowance,” for example. If signifies a hinge, so to speak. The condition pivots or hinges upon a duty or obligation being met.

Segue: Proverbs 2 serves as an example of what I mean regarding this crucial word if. Focus with me for a moment upon Solomon’s words below:

1 My son, if you receive my words
    and treasure up my commandments with you,
2 making your ear attentive to wisdom
    and inclining your heart to understanding;
3 yes, if you call out for insight
    and raise your voice for understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasures,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:1-5)

Question: Do you see how important and weighty the if is in three of those lines from Solomon’s pen?

Teaching: Look at the benefits that result from obeying the if conditions:

  • Understanding (v. 5)
  • Knowledge (v. 5)
  • Protection/a “shield” (v. 7)
  • Discretion and deliverance from evil (vv. 11-12)

Encouragement: If we hear and learn and obey God’s words to us from Solomon here, then we receive blessing from the kindness of God. But it all hinges upon satisfying the import, significance, and weight of meeting the conditions carried by this little (but not little) if.

Will They Learn?

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Will they learn?

The lessons about leadership from 1 Samuel are inescapable for people with discernment. Samuel was God’s prophet, leader, and judge for Israel. Despite his godly leadership, teaching, and life, Israel remained spiritually blind, recalcitrant, and self-centered.

1 Samuel 8 is one of the most important and instructive chapters in the entire canon of Scripture. The spiritually blind people demanded “a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5).

And just so we wouldn’t miss the point, God tells his servant Samuel not to take it personally. It was not about Samuel; it was about Israel’s persistent self-centeredness: “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them” (1 Samuel 8:7).

How clear is that? Crystal.

And in the very next paragraph, God tells them what Saul, the wicked king who’d serve as the means of Israel’s disasters, would do. He will make everything about himself:

  • “He will take . . .” (1 Samuel 8:11)
  • “He will appoint for himself . . .” (1 Samuel 8:12)
  • “He will take . . .” (1 Samuel 8:13)
  • “He will take . . .” (1 Samuel 8:14)
  • “He will take . . .” (1 Samuel 8:15)
  • “He will take . . .” (1 Samuel 8:16)
  • “He will take . . .” (1 Samuel 8:17)

Saul was in it to take. He didn’t care about the people. He cared only for self.

And in verses 17-18, God does a mic drop: “He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day” (1 Samuel 8:17-18).

Will they learn? That’s a question you should ask. Because the pattern of choosing unwise, unregenerate, ungodly leaders is obvious: wreckage.

Encouragement: These historical narratives are written for our instruction, dear ones. We’re to learn how important it is to have wise, godly leaders.

Some Reflections on the Use of AI in Literature

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For many years now, I have taught literature. It is part of who I am, I suppose. I discovered a passion for reading when a teenager and that passion is unabated. I do not truck with much popular-level reading, like that which you’ll find in airport kiosks or on the tables at your town’s chain bookstores. I love the classics–most of them anyway. There are a few books considered classics that I just cannot seem to enjoy. There are some Austen books that put me to sleep. Give me Dickens and Hardy over Austen, any day.

But this is about Artificial Intelligence, not about my literary interests. Here are a few questions I’m thinking through:

  • Is AI to be welcomed in when it comes to literary analysis?
  • That is, is ‘close reading’ even possible if AI becomes the de facto medium for students’ literary analyses?
  • What happens to students’ intellectual development if and when they rely on AI to ‘do the reading’ for them?
  • Is it possible to inculcate critical thinking skills when AI is prevalent?

I was grading papers today and, after reading six or seven essays from my college kids, I discovered a pattern–almost the exact same lingo, quotes from short stories, and conclusions. Some overlap is understandable, of course. But when the pattern repeats again and again, “Houston, we have a problem.”

I concede that we should aim to learn the history of the best commentaries on the classics. I mean, if one’s reading is so ‘out there’ that it’s unhitched from the wisdom of the past, there may be good reason to be suspicious.

But what I’m seeing is just the opposite in today’s culture of AI, especially when it comes to my lane of the classics. The responses to questions I pose to students in literature classes grow more and more similar. It’s likely due to their almost complete reliance upon AI engines of their choice.

For those of us who love great literature, this is a dark cloud. It portends ominously over lands that should ideally be filled with critical thinkers. But when auto-generated responses, divorced from close personal reading, are the medium students rely upon, I cannot be confident that much learning at all is actually occurring. Just my thoughts.

Not Title but Character

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Not title but character.

Introduction: I am currently reading through some of my favorite books of the Bible. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel are about the necessity of having God as king. They are simultaneously about what happens to people when hirelings and false shepherds are at the helm. When there are godless leaders at the top of any organization, spiritual scorched earth will be the result.

When 1 Samuel opens, it begins by introducing several characters that embody the apostasy of some spiritual leaders. Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were two of those men. They had the title of priests (1 Samuel 1:3). But they were wicked to the core. And God would deal with them in short order. They had the titles of spiritual leaders, but their character was wanting. God put it plainly: “Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the LORD” (1 Samuel 1:12).

Is that unclear? They were godless priests. They were unsaved men. They hated God. They just wanted the benefits of being priests, but their hearts were not in it. They were hirelings. And God was using them as examples of corruption to teach the people that we get the leadership we deserve. If we are a wicked people, we should not be surprised that many spiritual leaders are not any different.

And yet God still had his people. Amidst all the evil, noble people emerged. Hannah is one example. Samuel is another. And on and on it goes.

Hophni and Phinehas were killed when the Philistines defeated Israel: “And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died” (1 Samuel 4:10b-11).

Encouragement: Titles don’t make the man, dear ones. What’s down in the well comes up in the bucket. Therefore, drink from wells of righteousness, and drink deeply. It’s not about titles but about character.

From Bitter to Sweet

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Questions:

  • Should we expect only good (and good things) from God?
  • If not, why do many people complain?
  • What does it reveal about a person’s theology when he/she says, “Why doesn’t God do something about ________?”

Text:

19So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” 20 She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi;[a] call me Mara,[b] for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?” (Ruth 1:19-21)

Context, Context, Context: Noami was returning from Moab to Bethlehem in Judah c. 1000 B.C. Naomi’s husband and two sons-in-law had died. Her other daughter-in-law chose to remain in Moab. But Ruth had clung to Naomi. Ruth believed in her mother-in-law and in the Lord. And her behavior demonstrated that. She was making her theology visible.

Yet Naomi felt like God was against her (Naomi). How could a good God allow all this suffering? Wasn’t God supposed to be good? Should she not expect blessing rather than hardship?

Naomi even told the women, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth 1:20). Naomi means “pleasant,”but Mara means “bitter.”

Encouragement: But God. God was not finished with Naomi. And God was not finished with Ruth. God was still very much in the midst and working his plan for their good and his glory. God was about to introduce Boaz, a kinsman-redeemer into the plans he had for Naomi and Ruth. And Ruth would indeed “find favor” in his eyes. Ruth, a Moabitess, was finding favor in the eyes of the kinsman-redeemer. Those outside the camp, you see, were being brought inside. Why? Because the gospel is to go out to all—Jew and Gentile, male and female, native and foreigner—”red, yellow, black and white; they are precious in his sight.”

But God. God was using Naomi’s sufferings to reveal his grace and providence at the right time. The pilgrimage we are on necessitates trusting God. Why? For “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

But Ruth Clung . . .

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It was the time of the judges (c. 1000s B.C.). Israel had succumbed once again to apostasy. God’s hand of judgment was upon them for their sin. There was “a famine in the land” (Ruth 1:1). Because of the famine, Elimelech and his wife Naomi, and their two sons leave Judah and walk to Moab. Then, to make matters worse, the patriarch of the family, Elimelech, dies. Now only Naomi and her two sons-in-law, and Naomi’s two daughters-in-law (Orpah and Ruth). Then the two sons-in-law die. It’s bleak for Naomi. She is now a widow in a foreign land and she’s left with two Moabitess daughters-in-law.

Questions:

  • Why would God allow this?
  • Does God not care for the widow?
  • Is God unmoved by human suffering?
  • Will God abandon his people?

Finally the famine back in Judah abated and Naomi vowed to return to the place of her roots. But what would her two daughters-in-law do? Would it not be wise for them to remain in Moab in hopes of remarrying?

Naomi urges the two girls to remain in Moab: “Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and bear sons, would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughter, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me” (Ruth 1:12-13).

Ruth, a Portrait of Faith: Orpah remained in Moab but Ruth trusted the Lord and Naomi: “Then they [Orpah and Ruth] lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her” (Ruth 1:14). Ruth clung. Ruth held on. She gripped onto Naomi. She trusted God.

Ruth uttered some of the most moving words in all of Scripture: “For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall by my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1:16).

Encouragement: Why did God allow all of this? To show what true faith in God looks like. Does God care for the widow? Absolutely. Naomi’s story is not finished yet. You must read on. I’ll write about this in the next installment. Is God unmoved by human suffering? No, God forbid! He brings blessing and sweetness out of persecution and bitterness. Does God abandon his people? Absolutely not! He never leaves them or forsakes them. Let us learn from Ruth in this masterful historical narrative. When trials come, cling to the Lord, and see the deliverance he brings.