The Genealogies of 1 Chronicles (Cont'd)
Whew, more genealogies (chaps 7-12). I notice that wedged in the midst of all the Chronicler's "begats" are little tidbits of life. Buried in the begats are all the little stories of people, like Jabez, who had to live as one named by his mother "pain in my neck!" In chap 7, in between some begats, is the story of a battle between the people of Gath and Ephraim's sons over some ... cattle. Ephraim's sons died. Not the first time someone died in a robbery as life plays out. So a father mourns his children. Lots of little tidbits about the lives of people who were a part of some bigger picture. Just a little bit of the life of ordinary people can be seen oozing through the lens of the big picture story. And in it all is God.

I volunteered at the George R. Brown Center yesterday. My job was hauling laundry and used bedding for evacuees who were "moving on up," mostly into their own apartments. I had a chance to talk with several evacuees of Hurricane Katrina and hear their stories. Two fathers , Edward and Alvin, had sent their families out of New Orleans ahead of the storm. Both endured a harrowing night of terror in their homes. Both came to Houston in search of their families. Alvin told me he didn't know where his family was. The George R. Brown was the first shelter he came to. Not knowing his family's whereabouts, he walked inside and starting calling his children's names. Suddenly, he heard, "Daddy!" Just a little bit of the life of ordinary people seen oozing through the lens of the big picture story. And God is in it.

A woman whose name I can't now remember worked at New Orleans Children's Hospital. I helped her pack up her brand "new" $1,500-car as she made her way to her newly assigned apartment. She was excited about beginning a new life in Houston. Just a little bit of the life of ordinary people can be seen oozing through the lens of the big picture story. And God is in it.

Edward had been waiting for days to receive his housing assignment. The call came as we sat and talked. "You're good luck, man!" he said to me. Just a little bit of the life of ordinary people can be seen oozing through the lens of the big picture story. And God is in it.

The Genealogies of 1 Chronicles (Yuck!)
Today we read 1 Chron. 1-6, which is part of the larger section of chaps. 1-9 which contain a long, very long (!), extended genealogy of Israel. It's always a challenge to extract some meaning out of all the "begats," whether here or in the Gospel According to Matthew. (Although the so-called "Prayer of Jabez" occurs in this section, 4:9-10.)

What purpose does all this "begat-remembering" serve? Most scholars believe the Chronicles (originally, one book) was written when Israel had returned from its exile in Babylon. The questions on everyone's mind were: Who are we? Are we still the people of God? What do God's promises to David and Solomon mean for us today? The genealogy section, long as it is, tries to establish the unity of Israel. Israel is one people, God's people, divided as they have become.

I read yesterday on CNN.com that a federal judge in San Francisco has once again ruled that the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional because of its inclusion of the phrase "under God." This, the court ruled, is an unconstitutional establishment of religion. (Read about it here: http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/09/14/pledge.ruling.ap/index.html.) In some ways, I wonder if we, the American people, are asking the same questions as Israel. Who are we? What do the beliefs of the American founding fathers (and mothers) have to do with us? (I recognize that the phrase" under God" was not part of the original pledge, but was added in the 1950's. But still, my questions stand.) Now that we are becoming a country with no majority culture, can we still be "e pluribus unum," out of many, one, as the Chronicler said of Israel?

The Chronicler attempted to answer Israel's questions by saying, "Yes, we ARE still the people of God. God's promises BACK THEN are STILL God's promises to us. We are linked to those promises through this genealogy."

Maybe we need a long American genealogy!

Thoughts on Psalm 146

In "Disciple IV," we have a Psalm that we spend the entire week of study with. This week, it is Psalm 146.

"Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! ...(God) executes justice for the oppressed; (God) gives food for the hungry... The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow... The LORD will reign forever... Praise the LORD!"

It's hard NOT to read this week's material on Ruth, and this Psalm, in light of the events in the storm-stricken areas and in light of what's happening here in Houston. Reading these same passages at other times in life, I get different thoughts. But I guess that's part of the beauty of reading Scripture -- it seems to speak into all of life.

I was really troubled the other day to hear of a very serious fight that broke out between New Orleans high school students and local students at an HISD school. Apparently, the fight was bad enough to put 3 in the hospital. I have no clue what it was about. Some sort of gang turf thing? Simple teenage rivalry? Who knows!

As I read this Psalm, I hear that God works to lift up those who are bowed down. God watches over the stranger. But the way of the wicked, God will bring to ruin. What a contrast to that news story. I am dismayed when I hear stories like that. How does God react?

A Tainted Genealogy
The story of Ruth ends with the birth of baby Obed, who, we're told, will become the grandfather of King David. The genealogy looks forward to the birth of David and backward to Perez and -- remarkably -- shows that neither of Obed's parents has an impeccable line of descent! Ruth is a foreigner, a Moabite, whose ancestry is traced back to an incestuous relationship between Lot and one of his daughters (Gen. 19). Boaz is descended from an illicit union between Judah and his Canaanite daughter-in-law, Tamar (Gen. 38). In Matthew, we learn that Boaz' mother was Rahab, the harlot from Jericho (Josh. 2:1-21).The point of all this is not to discredit David but to emphasize the grace of God that is offered before any human action or worthiness. God chooses to use those who seem unqualified according to human standards of judgment to accomplish God's purposes in the world.We human beings get ourselves into all sorts of bad situations because of our inability to control sexual desire. Witness President Clinton as a recent historical example. And it happens closer to home all the time. My tendency is to want to shun these people because they have shunned God's holiness. "Be ye holy as I am holy." I feel like I'm defending God's ways when I do this. Yet, incredibly, here is the story of God working God's way IN SPITE of all this illicit begatting going on!! God chooses to use those who seem unqualified according to human standards of judgment to accomplish God's purposes in the world. Maybe God doesn't need my defending!

As it happened...
Naomi is bitter. She feels the Lord has dealt harshly with her. She went away full, but came back empty. She is bitter.

And she has reason to be. She left Bethlehem (house of bread) in a famine. Left house and property. She lost her husband. She lost her two babies. Life has been harsh to Naomi.

But imbedded deeply in the harshness are signs of Emmanuel, "God with us." First, there were her two daughters-in-law, especially Ruth, who is loyal beyond reason. When the two women return to Bethlehem, Naomi in her bitterness, the author hints that no matter how bitter the circumstances, there is always hope: "They came to Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest." (1:22) Harvest time is always a time of hope, and barley was the first crop harvested. Things are about to get better.

The signs of hope get better for Naomi the bitter. Ruth goes out to glean in the fields. The scripture reports, almost tongue-in-cheek, "As it happened, she came to the part of the field belonging to Boaz..." Co-incidence? Just dumb luck? Must be, for Naomi has it in her head that God is out for her. But I find God in that phrase. "As it happened..."

I've had so many "as it happened..." incidents in my life. String enough of them together, and the hand of God becomes visible. And our bitterness turns sweet. I suppose that is the point!

When was your last "as it happened..." moment with God?