Day 146

1 Samuel 17:38-18:30, John 16:5-17:5, Psalms 68:1-6

David and Saul’s relationship was a bit of a rollercoaster.  Saul was really impressed and then really jealous and this topsy turvy relationship continued. At the end of the day, if you are the king and you can’t beat the opposition, you are going to feel a little bit upset when some little upstart picks up a stone and plants it deep within the enemy’s  head.

The last couple of days have given some good examples of how we can examine the books as literature as well as scripture. You may have noticed within the two readings from yesterday and today, that twice Saul asked who this boy was, and one one occasion Saul wants to keep David with him and then David is back with the sheep. If the stories were written exactly like books are today, passage after passage after passage, in order,  then we may find this a bit odd, the author seemingly contradicting themselves. What we see though is the fact that these books are built up, some of it is oral tradition as the stories are told over time and then eventually written down. These are two important stories about the relationship between the king and the future king and so they both make it into the final edit. The scripture that we have today has been built up over the centuries, what is important though is the way that God continues to speak today.

For the disciples the message of the Gospel is very real at this point. Jesus is talking of his departure and the promise of the Spirit. In hindsight  we know the wonder and the power of the Holy Spirit, we know what joy and power it can bring, For the disciples though they would have just wanted Jesus, not this counsellor that was to follow. And then Jesus prays, one of the longest of Jesus prayers, this will take us into tomorrow. In the midst of him preparing them for his death and then ascension to heaven he prays, teaching that prayer should be at the heart of all his disciples do.

Where is prayer for us? Prayer that helps us understand his word and get nearer to him.