Reflection Day Seventy Eight National Lockdown Saturday 13 June 2020

1Kings 19:19-21       Psalm 16:1-7      Matthew 5:33-37

Good day dear friends, 

The call of Elisha is not like other prophetic call storylines in the Old Testament. It lacks the vivid visualisations of Ezekiel, the holy angels of Isaiah, the burning bush of Moses or the encouraging word of God to Jeremiah. In fact, Elisha’s call does not involve any direct meeting with God at all; it is the prophet Elijah who starts Elisha’s change in calling. The first stage of Elisha’s new call is to be a follower and servant, a disciple of Elijah. 1 Kings 19:19-21 ends with Elisha ministering to Elijah, not prophesying with him and only later after Elijah’s departure did he, Elisha begin to exhibit prophetic powers. At first he was called to discipleship.

The moment of Elisha’s “anointing” happens not with a pouring of oil, but rather with the throwing of Elijah’s cloak. Elijah’s mantle will continue to provide a powerful symbol of prophetic vocation and prophetic succession throughout the Elijah-Elisha chronicles. When Elijah is later taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire, Elisha picks up Elijah’s fallen mantle, invokes the name of the LORD, and is able to perform the same miracles. When Elisha slaughters the oxen that had previously provided his livelihood, he makes a powerful statement of vocational commitment. There is no going back to his former way of life. What claim does this call make on his life? What ties must he leave behind?

Elisha’s call description will rightly prompt many sermons about vocation and discipleship. How do we recognize God’s call in our lives? What signs of our talents and gifts have we seen in the past, and what must we give up to embrace the future God is making for us? How have we seen God’s work demonstrated in mentors, friends, or strangers? Have we apprenticed ourselves to shortage and fear or to plenty and hope?

We know that the prophetic call can be full of danger, loneliness, and despair. The prophet stands against the most powerful men in the land, the kings and opposes their status quo. All four Gospel accounts describe Jesus addressing the soon-to-be disciples with the call, “Follow me.” With no hesitation, they put down their old work and take up this new vocation. It can seem silly in its hastiness. Where is the risk assessment? Where is the accounting of their savings or their retirement portfolios? A commitment to discipleship requires an about-turn, a total turn away from the world’s values and toward God’s. I am reminded of the words to a very popular chorus titled “I have decided to follow Jesus,” which sums up commitment to discipleship in baldly touching terms: “The world behind me, the cross before me, no turning back, no turning back.” 

Psalm 16 opens with a verse that expresses its main theme: “Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge”. The plea to God to “protect me” is common and is elsewhere translated “keep”. In the second half of verse 1, the psalmist gives the reasoning for the opening petition. He / she has sought “refuge” in God, is a rich symbol that draws on the image of hiding out for safety. What is clear is that “to take refuge” in the Lord really means to rely on God for safety and security.  In verse 2 the psalmist says to the Lord, “you are my Lord”, a common word for a superior and thus the psalmist here proclaims that the Lord is the authority in his / her life, the one who gives direction and purpose.

Although verses 3 and 4 are difficult to interpret, it seems to fit the rest of the psalm in its claim that the only true source of life is the one God in whom the psalmist trusts.

When verse 5 refers to God as “my cup” it uses language drawn from ideas in Old Testament scriptures like, “portion” and “lot” to refer to the method of apportioning the land.

Verse 6 suggests that the margin of inherited land is generous. But the psalmist makes the point that the Lord is “the inheritance, the portion, the share” in the promise. Verses 7 and 8 speak of the real results of having the Lord as an inheritance and of seeking refuge and trusting in God.

Psalm 16 testifies to a life that finds its final rest in God’s protective presence. It speaks against the view that security and satisfaction come from material wealth or human actions. It claims all that is good and all that is needed are found in the presence of God, the refuge. It recognises God as one who creates, supports, and protects life for all who trust in him. 

When Jesus quotes his Bible as prohibiting false vows and other oaths, he undoubtedly also has in view the Ten Commandments.  In this case he makes reference to the third commandment: a false oath “misuses” or takes in vain God’s name, since oaths by definition called on a deity to witness them. Breaking an oath was dangerous, for in all societies oaths contained curses that deity would revenge if the person who swore by them broke the oath. The Bible’s point in prohibiting false oaths, however, was that one should tell the truth and keeps one’s promises. The Hebrew Bible sanctioned some oaths and vows, but Jesus again summons us beyond the law’s letter to its intention. His own point is not so much that oaths are evil as that the motivation for engaging in them is; one should simply tell the truth.

Although some Jewish teachers warned against customary oath-taking, nearly all accepted oath-taking as valid. The point of this passage is integrity. Jesus observes that since God witnesses every word we say anyway, we should be able to tell the truth without having to call God to witness by a formal oath. He is addressing a popular abuse of oaths in his day. Jesus teaches that all oaths petition God’s witness equally. Just as heaven, earth and Jerusalem belong to God, so do the hairs on our heads; although we can dye our hair, we have no control over its aging. All oaths indirectly call God to witness, because everything that exists was made by him. For Jesus, no aspect of life except sin is purely secular.

When we lie to cover our own wrong motives from those we think would disregard us, we forget that one day God will expose all the secrets of our hearts anyway. Oaths that invite penalties on one for violating them (“cross my heart and hope to die”) are unnecessary for people of truth. 

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus Christ, you call us to follow you as disciples, help us to respond wholeheartedly without counting the cost. Teach us to be faithful evangelists in word and action. Show us how to share our gifts with others, and inspire us always to follow your example of generous self-giving. Teach us to give with a joyous and grateful heart that we may provide hope, consolation, and pastoral care to your people and thus give glory and honour to your holy name.

AMEN