Forgiveness

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together I perfect unity.”     Colossians 3:12-14

Every time we say the Lord’s prayer, we say, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”  But how does that play out?  Christ bore our punishment for our sins.  We are told over and over again in the Scriptures that God is faithful to forgive.  But we are also told that we, too, are to be forgiving.  Just as we have been forgiven, so, too, are we to forgive those who hurt us.  Why is that so hard for us?

The dictionary definition of forgiving is to cease to feel resentment, to pardon, to give up any claim for requital, to excuse.  Even when I’ve been wronged, when I have every reason to be resentful and bitter, I’m told to give that up.  I love the term “righteous indignation” because it gives me an excuse to hold onto my wrath.   But when we’re told to forgive, we’re not told to only forgive when it doesn’t really matter to us.  We’re supposed to forgive even when it matters greatly to us.  That doesn’t mean we condone bad acts; it doesn’t mean that we place ourselves in situations where someone can keep on hurting us.  It means that we don’t hang onto our grievances.  We let them go and move on from them.  

How can we do that?  It isn’t easy.  Holding onto a grudge seems to be a lot easier than letting it go.  It actually takes the rest of the Colossians passage.  To clothe yourself in compassion is equivalent to clothing yourself in the other person’s skin – bearing with them, feeling what they feel.  It’s trying your very best to be understanding of them, being kind, gentle and patient.  If you honestly try to understand someone, you begin to see why they might do the things that bug you, and it’s much easier to accept them.  Try to see them through God’s eyes.  He loves them, too, just as He loves you.  So “put on love.”  Even when they don’t “deserve” it, treat them with loving kindness.   And it’s o.k. to tell someone that he/she hurt you (and how), but that you care about him/her and forgive him/her.  If someone is feeling guilty, saying you forgive can be an act of kindness.

What about when we’re the ones who need forgiveness?  Well, we’re called upon to try to right whatever wrongs we’ve committed.  That includes apologizing and humbly asking for forgiveness.  We may not receive it, but we still should confess, apologize and ask.  Even if it’s not granted, at least we know we’ve done what we’re called to do in such circumstances.

Being forgiven can lift a weight off of our shoulders.  Being forgiving not only keeps our hearts from hardening, keeping God out, but actually helps us psychologically, spiritually and physically.  It has been said that holding onto bitterness is like taking poison and hoping the other guy dies; it eats you up, not him.  But we don’t forgive just so we’ll feel better about ourselves; we forgive because we love our heavenly Father, and he wants us to love one another.  Forgiving is an expression of that love.

So let’s clothe ourselves in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and, above all, love.

Prayer: Lord, we know we are to be forgiving people.  Help us be more loving, more accepting, more patient.  Help us to see others through your eyes, loving them as you love them.  Help us to move beyond our own selfish desires and to clothe ourselves in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and love.  And thank you, dearest Lord, for the forgiveness you grant us, for your unfailing love and patience with us.

Emily Montfort

6 things the LORD hates, 7 that are detestable

There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him,

Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who stirs up dissension in the community.                              Proverbs 6: 16-19

I think most of us believe we are better than what’s described here as hateful/detestable to God.

 However, when I look at the list carefully, I am convicted.  Have I shed innocent blood?  Not literally, but whose hearts have bled because of something I said, a time when I failed to speak up to defend them, something I failed to do on their behalf?  I can be honest to a fault, but if I pass on a bit of gossip, might I not prove to be a false witness?  If I fail to correct something I know to be false, isn’t that being a false witness?   Can a lying tongue be one where truth is not spoken, as much as where untruths are spoken?  I don’t rush into evil – oh no, not I.  But what about sitting and listening to gossip and doing nothing to stop it?  My feet may not be rushing, but I’m still deep in evil.  And then there are those haughty eyes.  What are haughty eyes?  I do try to treat people in a loving, kind way – but how often do I look down on someone for whatever reason?  How often do I elevate myself over another?  When do I displace God by standing in judgment over others?

Then there’s the break-down between six hateful things and seven detestable things.  Why did Solomon do that?  Why not just seven things that God hates?  Look at the seventh – a person who stirs up dissension in the community.  How many of us are guilty of that?  We disagree about something, dislike something, are told “no” when we want a “yes,” and we gather folks around us to complain to and convince to join us in our dissent.  I’ve know pastors driven from their churches by the machinations of a very few in their congregations.  These same few frequently do so over and over again.  They are known as pastor-killers.  But one has to wonder about the majority of the congregation who do nthing to stop them.  Where are their voices?  Where was my voice when I heard someone complaining, gossiping, and stirring up dissension?  What was Jesus’ prayer for his followers?  He prayed for unity.  He prayed they wouldn’t fall prey to that 7^th detestable thing.

But, there are opposites to these detestable ways.  While there are seven things the LORD detests, there are also ten things that He loves.  May we continually strive to move away from the seven evils to the ten things He desires.

Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary?  Who may live on your holy mountain?

Those whose walk is blameless, who do what is righteous, who speak the truth from their hearts; who have no slander on their tongues, who do their neighbors no wrong, who cast no slur on others; who despise those whose ways are vile but honor whoever fears the LORD; who keep their oaths even when it hurts; who lend money to the poor without interest and do not accept bribes against the innocent.

Whoever does these things will never be shaken.                                              Psalm 15

Prayer:  Lord, help me to move away from those things you detest and help me to be as you would have me be, that I may do and radiate those things you love.

 Emily Montfort

Outward Appearances

When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD.”

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.  The LORD does not look at the things human beings look at.  People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”                1Samuel 16: 6-7

 God was sending Samuel to pick out a king to replace King Saul.   When Samuel arrived at Jesse’s place and saw his son Eliab, he assumed he was the one.  I would guess that Eliab was tall, looked confident and competent, and was probably good-looking.   He “looked the part” in Samuel’s mind.  But Samuel was wrong.

How often do we do the same thing?  How often do we judge (misjudge) others by appearances? 

When my boys were in middle school, I commented to their Sunday School teacher that I was glad he was their teacher that year because my older son was learning that he could relate to and like a nerd.  Now, that was said to my friend in a loving way, and he took it as such.  For one thing, he knew my boys and knew what I was talking about.  While he was teaching them about God and Christ, they were also learning to look past the “obvious” to see what was deeper.   They were thrust into a situation where they were learning to not judge quickly, but get to know someone before deciding whether or not they could relate.

While their judgments were based on what they saw as a negative, positive judgments can also be wrong, as was Samuel’s.  People who “speak our language” about religion, politics, race relations, values, sports, etc. are often perceived to be better than they might really be.  People put on the face they want you to see, speak the words they think you want to hear, behave in ways to bring themselves praise.   But that may all be a façade, with a rotting heart behind it.   Religious leaders, sports figures, movie/TV stars, others – we set them on pedestals and idolize them as if they are bigger than life.  Note the word “idol” in idolize.  Then we are stunned when they fall from grace.  Unlike God, we see their masks, not their true selves.  When judging others, either positively or negatively, we need to turn to God to help us see them as he sees them.

And what about ourselves?  How often do we put on a show for others?  How often do we behave one way in public and another at home?  How often do we say what we think others want to hear, rather than what we really believe or feel?  How often do we fail to speak up when faced with something we know in our hearts is wrong, rather than face ridicule or opposition?  How often, fearing ridicule or rejection, do we pretend to be what we are not? What facades do we put up?  

No matter how hard we try to appear to be better than we are, God sees our innermost being and knows the truth.  He knows us better than we know ourselves.  So, again, we need to turn to him, honestly asking him to show us how he sees us – both where we need to turn and change (i.e., repent) and where we judge ourselves too harshly and just need to keep on keeping on.   We need to work on removing our facades and being real.  But we can’t do that on our own.  We need God to help us see as he sees, whether we are looking at others or at ourselves, and to help us change accordingly.

Prayer: Abba, Father, please open my eyes to help me see others as you see them, and then to treat them as you would have them treated.  Open my eyes to see myself as you see me, then help me to change to be as you would have me be. 

Emily Montfort

Proverbs 3: 1-6

My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, and they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Proverbs 3:1-2

I was blessed with wonderful parents. Perfect, no, but wonderful, yes. They may not have approved of all I said or did, but I never for a moment doubted that they approved of me. I always knew I was loved. But just as important were the values they taught me, their continual attempts to keep me on the straight and narrow.

My father may well have been the most honorable man I’ve ever met. While he tried to teach me that there were various shades to any issue, the fact is that no one would ever have been able to talk him into doing anything he believed was wrong. While I certainly was not exempt from trouble, the fact is that I’d have gotten into a lot more trouble if the thought of him being disappointed in me wasn’t so much greater than any fear of punishment. And, though he has been gone for many years, I think I still view life and right vs. wrong through his eyes, as much from who he was as from anything he said.

In addition, I had a mother who was loving and giving (to a fault). I don’t think there were any acquaintances in her life – everyone she met became a friend. She had the ability to see good in everyone. While her tendency to say whatever popped into her mind could be embarrassing, her loving nature could never be doubted.

I have been blessed with contentment. Generally I am just about always contented with my lot in life. Granted, I do quote Tevya (“Would it spoil some great eternal plan if I were rich”) but I don’t dwell on what I lack and do appreciate what I do have. I am well aware that whatever I may lack materially is more than compensated for by the priceless things I do have. I think that, too, is a gift from my parents.

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.   Proverbs 3:3-4

As I passed through my teen years, I so frequently heard from friends about how much they wished their parents were more like mine. So many friends (of both me and my brothers) spent more time at our home than their own, because it was a place where they found the love, support, help and acceptance they hungered for and missed at home.

For those who weren’t blessed with parents like mine, the first two verses may not ring true. But they can still certainly claim and follow verses 3-4, even when loving feelings don’t seem to come naturally. Dr. Wayne Dyer said, “Loving people live in a loving world. Hostile people live in a hostile world. Same world.” So when you don’t feel loved or loving, read verses 3-4 and claim them as your own. Act as if things were different from how you feel, and before long you will find that they actually are different. The more that you act loved and loving, the more you’ll find that you really do live in a loving world.

Which brings us to the next two verses, which are far better known than those preceding them and are certainly true, no matter what sort of home you come from:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.   Proverbs 3:5-6

Emily Montfort

Honeycombs

Honeycombs

Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.  Prov. 16:24

The perverse stir up dissension, and gossips separate friends.  Prov. 16:28

The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.  Prov. 12:18

The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.  Prov. 15:4

Someone once asked me why it took me so long to convert.  My response was that I couldn’t accept Christianity until I could separate it from Christians.  What’s really sad about that is that It was true.  I found too many of them to be narrow-minded, hard-hearted, and judgmental.  Does that sound judgmental?  It was.  I was judging them as harshly as I found them to be judging others.  I heard talk about love, but I saw criticism, gossiping, stereotyping.  They were loving of their own, but excluded others.   When I read the New Testament, I found Jesus to be caring and inclusive.  He showed love and compassion to the unlovable, touched the untouchable, welcomed the outcasts.   I wondered why his followers weren’t more like him.  

When I was in college and debating religion with friends in my dorm, I caused a bit of a ruckus.  Most of these girls had never had anyone challenge their beliefs and didn’t know quite how to handle it.  So they frequently went to the chaplain to get answers to my questions and challenges.  When he and I finally met, he shared with me that one of the girls came to him with a real crisis of faith because of me.  She was a pastor’s kid and told him that she had always been told that I would go to hell because I didn’t accept Christ.  But, she told him, she found me to be more Christian in how I treated people, and the things I did for others, than most of her Christian friends.  And if God would deny heaven to me but open it to them, she wasn’t sure that was a God she wanted to worship.   Fortunately, he helped her over that bump in the road.  But she had a point.  All too often faith is professed better than it is lived.  And the outside world sees how we are more than what we say.  Sadly, though, it frequently is what we say and how we say it that causes the dichotomy between what we profess and how others see us.

I once did a study, looking at how many times sexual sin was mentioned in the Bible; then how many time the wagging or perverse tongue was mentioned.  It wasn’t even close.  Apparently God knew how much trouble we have with our tongues, because he sure kept pointing it out to us…throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament.   Put-downs, gossip, sarcasm, back-handed compliments, criticism, back-biting….so many ways we find to cut and crush and cause dissent.  And sadly, when we do this, we convince ourselves that we’re doing it to help the others improve.   I believe that hurtful words leave longer-lasting wounds and worse scarring than physical abuse.  I also believe it is a sin as much as adultery or sexual perversions, and God probably weeps along with the victims of our tongues.  But the opposite is also true.  We can lift others up, help them cope, strengthen them with our words.

Prayer:  Abba, Father, guide me and help me make honeycombs as I interact with those that I come into contact with, wherever and whoever that may be.  Help me be aware of my words and use them to build others up, not tear them down.  Make my words sweet to the soul, unifying and healing.

Emily Montfort

Thoughts for Mothers Day

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.  Prov. 31: 28-31

The book of Proverbs ends with this passage.  King Lemuel’s mother admonished him to lead a sober, clean, caring, upright life.  He honored her by describing the woman of noble character, the woman he saw her to be.  He describes a hard-working, diligent, caring, generous, strong, wise, dignified, capable woman.  Wow!

I used to have a poem from a mother to her son that included a line to the effect that the world would judge her by how he was.  I love that.  I’ve often said that, whatever mistakes I’ve made in life, my sons are not among them.  They’ve grown to be capable, loving, honorable men…men I’d want to know even if they weren’t my sons.  They both are terrific dads and that’s reflected in how their children are, too.  So, apparently, I did o.k. in raising them.  Their lives do honor me.

But what about the rest of my life?  Is that praiseworthy?  I want God to smile when we’re face to face and say “well done.”  I want to live the kind of life He has called me to live.

King Lemuel says of the noble woman that “She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hand to the needy.”  31:20 And, “She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.” 31:28 

That’s the kind of woman I want to be.  I want the lives that my life touches to be better for that touch.  I want to help bring peace, not discord; comfort in times of grief; God’s truth and values in a land where both are diminishing.

When we open our hearts to others and our eyes to see them as He sees them, we truly are able to reflect Him to all we meet.

Prayer: Lord, my children are grown.  But I want to offer all I meet the accepting love and support of a loving mother.  With Your help, beloved Lord, I want to be a woman of noble character, a woman who brings a smile to Your face.

Emily Montfort

Fear Not

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.    Isaiah 4:10

As for those who come to me and hear my words and put them into practice, I will show you what they are like.  They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house, and could not shake it, because it was well built. But those who hear my words and do not put them into practice are like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation.  The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete    Luke 6: 47-49

When I lived in White Plains, a tornado struck our neighborhood.  Fortunately, we were not in its path and only a few houses were damaged.  What struck me, though, as I walked through the neighborhood to assess the damage, were the trees.  Huge trees, strewn every which way, plucked up from the ground and dropped back down.  The spread of their roots was enormous, but apparently their depth in the earth was shallow.  However, during another wind storm, we had a tree in our yard snap and break.  The break was over 6 feet above the ground.  But the bottom of the tree remained rooted in the ground, for its root system obviously ran deep.

The same holds true for us.  God tells us not to fear or be dismayed.  But for that to really work in our lives, we need to build a foundation that’s solid…our roots must run deep.  Otherwise, when the slings and arrows of life strike us, we’ll succumb to them; we won’t claim the promise. Our faith will at best falter; may well disappear completely, and we will sink.

I read about two incidents with much in common, but with important aspects not in common.   In the first case, one brother fell from a fishing boat in the ocean.  His brother, seeing him go over, rushed to the side and saw him clutching the side of the boat, struggling to hang on.  He ran and got a pole and lowered it to his brother calling to him to grab the pole so he could pull him up.  But his brother was afraid to let go, wouldn’t grab the pole, eventually lost his grip, dropped down into the ocean, and was lost.  In the other incident, one brother slipped off the trail while .  hiking in the mountains, but managed to grab some roots that kept him from plunging to his death.  His brother rushed to the edge, lay down and extended his arms towards his brother, calling to him to grab hold so he could pull him up.  At first the brother hesitated, then he lunged for his brother’s arms, caught hold and hung on while his brother slowly pulled back and brought him up the hill to a point where he could climb up.  One trusted and lived; the other didn’t and died.

We may never face such a life/death situation.  But we will face problems, disease, broken relationships, etc.  How we respond to those situations will depend on our faith.  If we truly believe that God is holding us up, we’ll hang on and weather the storm, leaning on him for support as we go through it.  But in order to claim that promise and hang on to it, we have to have built that strong foundation first….based on how well we know him.  And how well we know him will be based on learning about him through his Word, through seeing his hand in experiences we, or others, go through, through prayers answered.  Our foundations are based on how well we experience him day after day.

Prayer:  Abba, Father, Lord God Almighty.  I thank you for your loving care, both when I recognize it and when I don’t.  Help me to grow ever closer in knowledge of and relationship with you, so that when the torrents strike, my strong foundation will not crumble and I will be able to hang onto your supporting hand.

Emily Montfort

Blind Guides

Leave them. They are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, they both will fall into a pit   Matthew 15:14  

Jesus’ remark about blind guides was referring to the Pharisees.  These were the religious leaders, the teachers.  Yet Jesus calls them blind guides, and indicates that their followers were blind, too.

So how does that have any meaning for us today?  Well, though the years, some of the best “Christian” orators have also proven to be blind guides.  They are charismatic personalities, dynamic speakers.  But at times the “truth” that they speak is their own, not God’s.  And people hear their words, listen without discrimination or putting their words to the test, and blindly follow them down corrupt paths. 

We all enjoy powerful speakers.  So how can we tell what’s true?  Obviously, putting what they say to the test…getting into the Bible and looking to see what it really says, gathering with others to debate and chew on what may be difficult to understand.  That’s what Jesus’ disciples did.  They discussed among themselves and, when they were having difficulty understanding, they went back to the source.

That’s what we should be doing, too.  Those who say they don’t need small groups or don’t have time for them are wrong on both counts.  We do need to gather together, to learn together, to struggle together, to help one another better draw closer to God, better able to reflect him to others.  We need more than a “best friend” because we need varying views to sharpen us.  Sunday morning is for worship.  But if we are to grow, we need to be gathering to uphold one another, to teach one another, to challenge one another…and that best occurs in a small group where you can go deeper in relationships and learning.

As for time, I know we are all busy.  I know it’s hard to face another night out.  However, God has asked us for first fruits.  I don’t grow crops or livestock to bring to the temple (which isn’t there any longer, even if I could) and, while I do believe in giving my offering to God first, rather than offering him whatever I have left after I spend on myself, I think he means it to be for more than my money.  I think he means it for all of my life…and that includes my time.  He means it for your life, too…He wants you to offer him your first fruits in all you have and in all you do.  Personally, I would find it hard to tell God I don’t have time for him.  The Bible tells us that as we give, so shall we receive.  I don’t want God to decide he doesn’t have time for me; I need Him too much.  So I need to obediently give him the first fruits of my time, too, in addition to my money.

Jesus said that wherever 2 or 3 are gathered in his name, there he is, too.  If you don’t know of a small group that might nurture you and help you grow, form one of your own.  Just as a knife can’t sharpen itself, we too are unable to sharpen ourselves on our own.  I need to be sharpened by my brothers and sisters in faith…and you do, too.  Don’t just give God your leftovers; give him your first fruits of all you have, all you are, all you do.  And see how much your blessings grow and overflow.

Prayer:  Lord, thank you for all the blessings you have lavished on me.  Thank you for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, for friends and mentors who help me grow, for each and every person whose life touches mine in a positive way.  Help me to manage my time.  Help me to remain mindful that you get my first fruits in all I have and all I do.  Use me to sharpen others as you use them to sharpen me.  Open my eyes that I may not be led astray by blind guides and guide my steps that I may never be shown to be a blind guide myself.  Enable me to discern your truth.

-Emily Montfort-

No Condemnation In Spite of Myself

“In those days, and at that time, declares the LORD, search will be made for Israel’s guilt, and there will be none; and for the sins of Judah , but none will be found,: for I will forgive the remnant I spare” (Jeremiah 50:20).

 

Wow!  How encouraging a passage is this?  God is promising a couple of things here.  What jumps out is obviously forgiveness.  In spite of being sinful nations, God says he will forgive Israel and Judah for their sins.  But there is also that promise of the remnant.  Jeremiah lived in tough times.  The sins of the people were being paid for.  But God has Jeremiah tell the people that those who oppressed them will pay.  He also lets them know there will be a remnant…always a remnant that is spared to rebuild the people.  Even someone like Adolf Hitler couldn’t prevent that surviving remnant.  God’s will shall certainly prevail, and that is quite encouraging in these times, as it was then.

 

What I find most encouraging, though, is that this is more than just forgiving and sparing a remnant.  I consider myself a forgiving person, but I don’t come close to God’s forgiveness….not even as a flea compares to a whale. 

 

Satan accuses constantly.  We accuse each other and accuse ourselves.  Satan encourages us to withhold forgiveness.  He suggests “righteous indignation” (a misnomer if there ever was one).  We all too readily grab hold of that and withhold reconciliation and forgiveness.  We accept in part that God forgives us, but we keep beating ourselves up for our mistakes.  Rather than taking responsibility for our own reactions, feelings and attitudes, we blame others for our anger, our resentments.  Then we blithely repeat “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those…..” 

 

As I said, I consider myself a forgiving person.  Yet I have to work at it; it doesn’t come naturally. I’m as capable as the next guy to rationalize my feelings, to justify my hurt, my anger.  Frequently I have to pray long and hard, asking God to help me have a forgiving heart….and he does.  And I do forgive, sometimes again and again.  But I still fall short of his forgiveness, because he does more than just forgive. 

 

Look at what he said here…”search will be made for Israel’s guilt….and for the sins of Judah.”   Israel and Judah were sinful nations.  Yet God says “none will be found.” 

 

Some years ago, when I worked for the Jewish Federation, we had a rabbi on staff with a vision problem.  He always had his secretary type his notes in red because he could more readily read them in red than in black.   One day she called me in a panic, because he had asked her for a paper and when she opened the file, all of her work had disappeared.  She needed to get it to him quickly, didn’t have time (or the ability) to rewrite it, and didn’t know what to do.  I went down to see if I could somehow retrieve it without having to go through the back-up tapes in the computer room.  Well, the rabbi’s words were all there, even if none were to be found (just as our sins are all there, even if none are to be found).  Knowing that he saw red easily, she had made the background red….red type on a red background makes for a red page with no words to be found.  So, while his words were there, they couldn’t be found (until I changed things so that they once again stood out).

 

Well, that’s what God does for those of us who are his.  He takes our scarlet letters (whatever sins they may indicate) and paints them with the blood of Christ and they disappear.  He no longer sees them.  I forgive, but I don’t forget.  But to God, there is no sin there any longer….it is gone.

 

Prayer:  Lord, words can’t do justice to how much I appreciate your promised forgiveness.  I know I all too often fall short, but you are so faithful to forgive, to blot out my iniquities.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  And I ask, Lord, that you help me to better reflect you, by helping me see others as you do, helping me to love others without setting limits, helping me to truly have a forgiving heart.

 

Emily Montfort

Ebenezer

They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.”  1Samuel 7:8 …. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen.  He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far has the LORD helped us.”  1Samuel 7:12

A name identifies a person.  When you say someone’s name, you automatically assign to it the character of the person who has the name. When I was pregnant there were names I wouldn’t consider for my child because they had belonged to people I didn’t much like.  Likewise, there were names I loved, because people I knew who had those names were wonderful, and I would gladly have given my child any of those names.

God changed Abram (father) to Abraham (father of many).  Isaac (the name of Abraham’s son and my father) means “he laughed.”  Hoshea, the son of Nun, or as he was called by Moses, Joshua (also the Hebrew form of Jesus), means “God saves.”  Throughout the Torah, names are given that have meanings that describe, including many names for God.  Hagar’s name for him translates “the God who sees me.”  Other names translate to “healer”, “Lord”, “Almighty God” and others; there are about a dozen different names for God the father, each describing a characteristic of God, as well as many descriptive names for Jesus in the New Testament.  When Moses asked God his name, God’s response was, “Tell them I Am sent you.”  By identifying himself as I Am, God was telling them about both his existence and his active presence.

When I was a young teenager my father bought a new Dodge Royal Lancer Custom.  It came out in the middle of the model year, and was the first model with tail fins, which, unlike the large tail fin fenders on several car models the following year, were smaller chrome fins attached to the rear fenders.  The car had a black top and a body in white and shocking pink, with matching pink fender skirts.  I loved that car.  Dad drove it for several years before giving it to me, and I drove it for the rest of its life.   I named her Lady Elizabeth because I thought she was so classy.  I still think she was the prettiest car I’ve ever owned.

In college I was a member of University Theater, where I built sets, worked with props, and ran the traveler during shows.  I named the saber saw I used when building sets “Jerome,” and it was known as Jerome by all those working with me, including the professor who sponsored us.  For some reason I thought of a Jerome as someone who was steady, responsible and trustworthy…and that’s how I felt about my saw.

Interestingly, I don’t make a habit out of naming inanimate items, and that car and that saw are the only ones I assigned names to.  However, I do remember them both fondly.

After God drove the Philistines back, Samuel set up a stone and named it Ebenezer, which means “stone that helps.”  He was setting up a visual symbol to commemorate their victory over the Philistines, and gave it a name identifying the one who gave them that victory.

Today, when we hear the name Ebenezer, we think of Scrooge, hard-hearted, selfish, miserly, mean. Similarly, I suspect that when people sing the line in that old song, “I lift mine Ebenezer,” they have no idea what that means.  Yet, after the visits by the ghosts, Scrooge truly did change and then did fulfill his name; he did become someone who helps.  And the great I Am continues to be our Rock, continues to help, he continues to be our Ebenezer.

Prayer:  Lord God Almighty, the Rock of Ages, let us remain mindful of your many descriptive names, and let us, like Samuel, lift our Ebenezer and remember that you are our rock, you are our helper, and we can always rest in the sure knowledge that you exist, you are solid, and you remain our faithful helper, our Ebenezer.

- Emily Montfort -