Notes and references from 2/4/01
The ordinary + prayer = the extraordinaryThere were two stories in this week’s lesson that are new to us. One is the story of Gideon threshing wheat behind the winepress, hiding from the Midianites. The second is the story of the Shunammite woman whose son was healed by Elisha and whom Elisha sent to the land of the Philistines during a famine.
In researching these stories I found two lessons that are taught by both. First read the stories. I have underlined the key points to the story for you. Then lets look at the research.
Judg 6:11-22
And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again. And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it. And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight. And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face.
II Kings 8:1-6
Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the Lord hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years. And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. And it came to pass at the seven years' end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land. And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done. And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.
Now here is some research: First the story of Gideon
“One can sometimes sense the magnitude of a figure by the use subsequent generations make of his name. The Gideons are known to all that travel because there are few hotel rooms in the US that do not possess a Bible placed there by the Gideon Society. …an angel comes to Gideon in extravagant terms, prophetic of the role he is to fill-You mighty man of valor. Gideon’s response was not unlike many of us when we are reminded of God and His support. Why hasn’t he helped us long before this?, asks Gideon. And, the idea that he should deliver Israel for the nomadic Midianites seemed nothing short of fantastic. This clan was insignificant among the others and he was the least of his clan. At the very moment he was threshing wheat, semihidden by a wine press instead of out in the open threshing floor. If the Midianites saw him they would seize this fragment of harvest loot. …Two kinds of power are clashing in our world; against a confidence in the purely human there is a concept of a new power made by the fusion of man’s strength with God’s, giving the capacity to do what man cannot accomplish. Man, with God, can save the world even as Gideon, with God, could overcome Midian and set Israel free.” (Interpreter’s Bible Vol. 2, pages 732-734)
Now some research on the story of the Shunammite woman:
“The story contains two lessons of importance to us. In the first place we are reminded of the presence of famines in the holy lands. One only has to contrast the history of ancient peoples who lived in freedom from want with the history of God’s people, who were never free from it to understand the connection between adversity and character. Social workers have often remarked that the moral diseases, which afflict and degrade our social order, stem largely from the idle rich. Famine and faith are closely joined in the Bible. It was famine which caused the prodigal son come to himself and return to his father.
“The other lesson deriving from this incident is taught us by the act of Elisha remembering this Shunammite woman. The woman did not come to Elisha for help. Instead he thought of her. Elisha was not so preoccupied with great affairs of public importance that he overlooked the personal welfare of one individual and household. Here lies the weakness of humanitarianism today. It is not focused on a particular individual. But genuine affection can always point to a “certain man” and thus always holds us to concrete and definite forms of service to individuals.”
Now let’s apply these two lessons to our practice of Christian Science. First, as ordinary individuals, we can do extraordinary things when we listen to “the angel of the Lord” (god’s thoughts passing to man, i.e.: inspiration and enlightenment.) When we are faced with a difficult situation we have a choice. We can whine and complain that “God certainly is not very helpful or else I would not be in this mess”, or we can see the situation as an opportunity to pray, and through that prayer, see the presence of God and His rescue from our dilemma. Grand and noble lives are the result of “noble sacrifices and grand achievements”. (See article on LOVE below). Here Mrs. Eddy is most helpful. Look at My 149:31
Remember, thou canst be brought into no condition, be it ever so severe, where Love has not been before thee and where its tender lesson is not awaiting thee. Therefore despair not nor murmur, for that which seeketh to save, to heal, and to deliver, will guide thee, if thou seekest this guidance.
And S&H 22:13:
Wait for your reward, and "be not weary in well doing." If your endeavors are beset by fearful odds, and you receive no present reward, go not back to error, nor become a sluggard in the race.
The second lesson for us is to realize that we can individualize God’s power. Our work in Christian Science must not be general. This is not a feel good religion but and active demonstrable way of life. It requires specificity of prayer and not broad brush platitudes that “God is Love”. Look what she says in My 160:5
To live so as to keep human consciousness in constant relation with the divine, the spiritual, and the eternal, is to individualize infinite power; and this is Christian Science.
Finally lets bring these lesson to the subject of this week’s Bible lesson on LOVE and read Mrs. Eddy’s article by the same title in Miscellaneous Writings: Mis 249:27-29 np. See if you can find the need to do something extraordinary and to individualize your work.
LOVE
What a word! I am in awe before it. Over what worlds on worlds it hath range and is sovereign! the underived, the incomparable, the infinite All of good, the alone God, is Love.
By what strange perversity is the best become the most abused, — either as a quality or as an entity? Mortals misrepresent and miscall affection; they make it what it is not, and doubt what it is. The so-called affection pursuing its victim is a butcher fattening the lamb to slay it. What the lower propensities express, should be repressed by the sentiments. No word is more misconstrued; no sentiment less understood. The divine significance of Love is distorted into human qualities, which in their human abandon become jealousy and hate.
Love is not something put upon a shelf, to be taken down on rare occasions with sugar-tongs and laid on a rose-leaf. I make strong demands on love, call for active witnesses to prove it, and noble sacrifices and grand achievements as its results. Unless these appear, I cast aside the word as a sham and counterfeit, having no ring of the true metal. Love cannot be a mere abstraction, or goodness without activity and power. As a human quality, the glorious significance of affection is more than words: it is the tender, unselfish deed done in secret; the silent, ceaseless prayer; the self-forgetful heart that overflows; the veiled form stealing on an errand of mercy, out of a side door; the little feet tripping along the sidewalk; the gentle hand opening the door that turns toward want and woe, sickness and sorrow, and thus lighting the dark places of earth.
Note: When you open the Lesson this week on Spirit look at the last page. It contains our 13 daily duties. We will talk about these in future weeks.