Thursday 23 August 2018

Consider the stars...

Last week we were on a camping holiday, and one night I was outside and noticed the amazing night sky. The amount of stars was incredible.  Have you ever been somewhere where the night sky is so visible and beautiful, and it seems the amount of stars are innumerable? 

It's a stunning sight and took my breath away a bit. A collection of stars is stunning, but the night sky is made up of each individual star, and each star is in fact a sun. Every star has powerful heat and light like our sun, they are just so far away that they seem tiny pinpricks of light. Don't you think that's amazing? 
Every star is a bright burning ball of light. I have no idea how many stars there are, I'm no astronomer, but they beauty of the night sky amazes me. The fact that these stunning stars are actually suns boggles my mind.

Then I remember, 'By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth' (Psalm 33:6). 
How incredible is that? 
The multitude of stars that we see were created by the breath of God. The complexity and beauty of the night sky were made in a moment. 

God is so powerful and creative that even his breath makes things! We breathe and our bodies keep going, God breathes and things are created! In the book of Genesis we can read about the creation of this world. God not only made the stars, but He spoke all things into being! His word, his breath can create the universe, isn't that incredible?! 


'When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
    and the son of man that you care for him?'

Psalm 8:3-4

Wednesday 1 August 2018

Abigail

This week, reading through 1 Samuel, I've encountered a woman called Abigail. 
We meet her after her husband has refused to honour David and his men for looking after his shepherds. The custom was that her husband, Nabal, should of given David and his company a gift - food and drink as a sign of appreciation/payment for their protection. 
Nabal refused. His servants know he's refused and are concerned about it, it's not like Nabal doesn't have plenty to spare, he just doesn't want to give David anything. The servants are worried, what's going to happen now? David is likely to be pretty angry, they are so concerned that one of them goes and tells Abigail. Why? What can she do? This servant goes, explains what happens and trusts her to do something. Abigail's character must of been one of strength and action. Otherwise the servant wouldn't of bothered her, but they knew Abigail was a woman to trust, a woman who does the right thing and has the power to do it.

Abigail gets going straightaway, she gets together a pretty impressive offering without her husband knowing about it (shows how rich he was not to miss amongst other things 200 cakes of figs!). She sends the offering off ahead of herself and follows along behind. She doesn't shy away, embarrassed of either her husband's actions, or trying to hide the fact that she's acted instead. She accompanies the gift she can give, she takes responsibility. She knows the decision of her husband, and she knows it wasn't right, so she does something about it. She doesn't confront him straight away, but she apologises straight away. She uses the authority she has to humbly apologise, not deflecting guilt, but taking it completely upon herself.

When Abigail meets David, she gets off her donkey and bows before him. This woman who has authority in herself, humbles herself into the dirt. 
Why? What for? For a man, her husband, Nabal. The kind of man who is described as a 'worthless man' by his servants, and known to live up to his name which means folly. Yet, Abigail, on his behalf, humbles herself. She acts as a noble wife. We can think of others around us as worthless and foolish at times, but how do we ourselves act? Do we take the responsibility we have and act in humility and justice as Abigail does? 
Abigail shows concern for David and his men and respect for Nabal. 
Abigail protects, fends for and takes upon herself the foolishness of her husband. She honours her husband and does her best to cover what would of been his shame, and accepts the guilt. She takes on the blame and intercedes for him. 

Abigail also honours David and his group, she takes what she can to give as a gift to them as a sign of appreciation. She approaches David with great humility, but also great strength. She bows in humility and yet speaks with authority. 

Abigail, she acknowledges who she is and who she isn't. This is what I admire about her - She knows the extent of her authority and doesn't overstep or under play it. She acknowledges both her worth and her weakness.