Before sharing today's devotion from six months ago to the day, l thank you again for your responses yesterday.
In responding to my note that the Daily Bible is taking a few days to teach on the writings between the Old and New Testaments, more than one of you pointed to "The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition with Notes".
Here's an endorsement for that book: "Scripture in Jesus' Judaism and in the Early Church included more documents than those found in the Protestant canon. Some of these works, called 'Apocrypha' by Protestants and 'Deuteron-canonical Works' by Roman Catholics are expertly and attractively collected in 'The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition with Notes'. In these writings you will find a deep expression of the need for God's forgiveness (the Prayer of Manasseh) and a vision of the future with the coming of the Messiah (2 Esdras or Ezra Apocalypse = 4 Ezra). The introductions are superbly well written and engaging. One can see how the Apocrypha...bridges the "Old" Testament with the "New" Testament. Highly recommended, as Athanasius said in 367 "for instruction in the word of godliness."
—James H. Charlesworth
Director and Editor, Princeton Dead Sea Scrolls Project
George L. Collord Professor of New Testament Language and Literature
Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
Now here's the Tuesday, April 17 "Day of Praise" to which many of you responded.
"David said, 'Of these, twenty-four thousand are to be in charge of the work of the temple of the LORD and six thousand are to be officials and judges. Four thousand are to be gatekeepers and four thousand are to praise the LORD with the musical instruments I have provided for that purpose.'" - 1 Chronicles 23:4-5
Have you ever felt like the statue?
Surely, y'all have heard the saying, "Some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue."
C'mon, I hope you're smiling just a little. Life is hard enough without a little sense of humor.
For some people, it's real hard. Some people feel like the statue all the time.
Take the gatekeepers, for example, in today's verse.
King David makes a bunch of people "in charge;" they get to tell it like it is. Others get to be "officials and judges;" they get to sit on the high seats. Some get assigned to "praise the LORD;" they get to be happy, happy, happy.
And then David makes some to be gatekeepers; they're not in charge or on high seats or assigned to be happy, happy, happy. The gatekeepers are kinda like greeters at Walmart; they have to be happy while dealing with the public. Have you ever dealt with the public? Look around. The public ain't too happy. So the gatekeepers have to put on their happy face for people who ain't happy. And then the poor gatekeepers have to ask those unhappy people what they're bringing into the city. Ya know, so they can put a yellow Walmart smiley face sticker on it. Just watch sometime when you go to Walmart. Kids like stickers. Generally speaking, the public does not.
Poor gatekeepers; everyday is a statue day. They never get to be the pigeon. Cuz, of course, if a gatekeeper acts like a pigeon you'd be quite sure to lose your job!
But take heart, all you gatekeepers. Be encouraged, all you statues. Hang in there, all of you who get, uh, shall we say, splatted on everyday by all the pigeons, dumped on by those who are in charge and sit on the high seats.
God has a word for you, gatekeepers, statues, and greeters at Walmart.
In Psalm 84:10, God speaks through the Psalmist, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked."
I know, I know. Technically "doorkeepers" and "gatekeepers" aren't exactly the same. But both of them deal with an unhappy public. Both of them are statues most days, if not all. Both of them are like most of you, dealing with the "stuff" that "falls your way" and "splats" square on your head.
Take heart; the LORD is with you! And where the LORD is present, one day as a statue is better than a thousand as a pigeon. So, keep your chin up in spite of the pigeons, and have a marvelous day with the LORD!
Praise God!
Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson
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