One old man...

“...an old man in the days of Saul...” (1Sa 17:12)

I don't know why these passages about old men grab my attention more lately.

Jesse: grandson of Boaz and Ruth, father of eight sons, the youngest being David.

Old, but not useless. God still intends to bless Jesse; God still expects obedience from Jesse. Samuel calls him to a sacrifice... "oh, and bring your sons."

The anointing of David as the future king of Israel is an amazing moment. Jesse watches passively as each of the first seven sons comes forward, only to be rejected. The eighth son not being there was more an oversight. Who would have thought that the youngest would be chosen? They send for David. They don't even sit down to eat until he gets there. Samuel confirms that David is God's choice. Time to eat... time for David to get back to tending his sheep.

The narration is just as interesting for what doesn't happen. Jesse did not respond to Samuel like people respond to me when I ask them to sacrifice. What I get is, "sacrifice? me? what? how much? a child? in your dreams..." Or, more commonly, "ok, sure, what time?" And then they don't show up... and their cell phone is mysteriously not working.

Are we merely groups of feel-good, theoretical Christians with a really good handle on sound doctrine? What do we know about implicit obedience and sacrifice? No one asked Jesse if he minded giving up a son to God. No one asked him which of his eight sons he would prefer giving to God. Jesse grew up in a culture of: when God tells you to sacrifice, you sacrifice. If He takes your son, you say "thank you"... and you don't whine about it.

We live in a world like Jesse's world. So much savagery, violence, injustice, uncertainty, kings and king makers who don't give a hang what God's will might be. I don't pretend to know what the world of nations should do about the awful realities playing out in so many hot spots today.

But there are some things that I do know:

• I know that "there is no new thing under the sun. (Ec. 1:9)
• I know that there is not a single verse in the New Testament that politicizes the Christian movement. Our kingdom is not of this world and this world needs to hear the message of our kingdom. (Jn. 18:36)
• I know that nothing new has cropped up in God's agenda. (Ro 11:29)
• I know what God expects of His people today. He still wants our sons and daughters. Making sure they succeed in their careers, sports and social lives isn't good enough. He demands that we prepare them to live for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He intends to allow some of them to die trying. Ask a world full of persecuted Christians about this... present tense.

The Christian's first response to the bloody events playing out as I write this is not, "thank God, finally some military action". It is, "how do we get more Bibles and messengers into the fray?" The real efforts for Jesus today often appear to be coming from people already acquainted with persecution. These are not theoretical Christians.

Where are the "Jesse's" today? You may be over the hill, but your children aren't. Pray for the privilege of sacrificing them to God.

The world needs them now.

“14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Ro 10:14-15)

-------