But they soon forgot his works;
they did not wait for his counsel.
(Psalm 106:13)
1 Samuel 5:1-7-7:17
When the Philistines take the Ark, they suffer for it (the translation I'm using says tumors; Goldingay says hemorrhoids.). They give the ark back along with a guilt offering. Twenty years pass, a time when the Israelites themselves are showing allegiance to foreign gods. When they decide to return to the Lord, Samuel leads them in fasting and repentance.
About that time, the Philistines decide to attack again, but the Lord defeats them. Samuel sets up a stone, an Ebenezer, as a reminder of the help the Lord has provide for them.
John 6:1-21
The meal that Jesus provided, like that of the original Passover, was about more than food on one day. And it was about more than satisfying physical hunger.
The disciples were at sea because it was dark and Jesus had not yet come to them. What responses have we made to darkness and loneliness? How has Jesus come to us even when we were in some boat in the dark? And, did he get in the boat then or not?
Psalm 106:13-31
How do we forget God? What do we substitute for God in our attention, our loyalty, our trust? What do we expect God to do when we turn to other sources of protection and guidance? Who intervenes for us?
Then, turn all those questions to be about people around you who have not been showing that much loyalty to God? Does it occur to us to intervene on their behalf by asking God's forgiveness for them?
Proverbs 14:32-33
The wicked are overthrown by their evildoing,
but the righteous find a refuge in their integrity.
Wisdom is at home in the mind of one
who has understanding,
but it is not known in the heart of fools.
Prayer for Today: Choose a prayer from Joan Stott's website The Timeless Psalms.
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