Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity. Do not spare them or shield them.

• Deuteronomy 13:6-8

No Ammonite or Moabite or any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, not even in the tenth generation. For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim to pronounce a curse on you. However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them as long as you live.

• Deuteronomy 23:3-6

“My father,” she replied, “you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised, now that the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites. But grant me this one request,” she said. “Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry.”
“You may go,” he said. And he let her go for two months. She and her friends went into the hills and wept because she would never marry. After the two months, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin.
From this comes the Israelite tradition that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

• Judges 11:36-40

Meanwhile Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer he had mentioned came along. Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down.
Boaz took ten of the elders of the town and said, “Sit here,” and they did so. Then he said to the guardian-redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from Moab, is selling the piece of land that belonged to our relative Elimelek. I thought I should bring the matter to your attention and suggest that you buy it in the presence of these seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, do so. But if you will not, tell me, so I will know. For no one has the right to do it except you, and I am next in line.”
“I will redeem it,” he said.
Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the land from Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the dead man’s widow, in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property.”
At this, the guardian-redeemer said, “Then I cannot redeem it because I might endanger my own estate. You redeem it yourself. I cannot do it.”

• Ruth 4:1-6

Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.’” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.

• 1 Samuel 20:42

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.

• John 15:13-17

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friendof tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”

• Matthew 11:19

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

• Luke 11:5-8

The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.

• Acts 10:24

Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.
Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.
Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test.
Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus.
Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew.
Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.
Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord.
Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.
Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.

• Romans 16:8-13

Boilerplate

I’m Harold Dykstra.  I’m retired, but I go to food bank distributions all over Tracy and talk to people that need someone who will listen to their story.  My time is well spent.  A police lieutenant suggested that I write down the conversations that I had with an angel.  I did not know she was an angel at the time.  The angel, for a little over a year, indwelled a life-sized posable action figure my children bought me, so that I would not be perceived as travelling alone.  And in a way, she was training me for what I do while talking to the needy.  She probed my heart to find out what I believed and how I express love for others.  She changed my life.  Since she was a doll that had come to life, we came up with the term ‘other living.’  She was not a human, an animal, or even a plant, but she was definitely living, and very vibrant.  Oh, excuse me, angels have no gender, but the angel indwelled a doll named Bountiful Babs.  After seeing the angel in that form for over a year, I cannot see her in my mind in any other form.

This Week’s Question

In the last episode, Babs was concerned that I was being lazy, or her favorite, a lazybones, because she had a hard time waking me up when we had volunteered to help at a food bank across the street from the hotel.

This week Babs has decided to introduce me to a new friend.  She thinks that I need some friends. In fact, she warned me that the new friend wanted to sit in on our Bible study.  I did not know if I liked that idea.

We met in the lobby after a very good sales call.  Babs introduced me to John Downing.  She said he was an entrepreneur.  That meant nothing to me.  Some people use the term because they have no real job, but some could be filthy rich.  He did not say which kind he was or to what extent he might be somewhere in between.  I made a note to be close to my wallet at all times.  We went out for supper together, and the conversation was rather pleasant, and very general, leaving more questions than answers.  Babs had been very trusting and naïve when she first became ‘other living’, but she had been getting smarter at reading people since then.  He pulled out cash to pay for our meal, and he almost doubled the price of the meal with the tip.  This was the only hint that he was toward the stinking rich end of the scale.

But with three of us, our usual corner of the hotel room would not work very well.  John asked the front desk if the conference room was free for the evening, and they said they would be in to set up refreshments.  John also asked them for a Gideon Bible, and they gave him one that had probably never been opened before.

We went into the conference room, a rather small one.  I had set up training sessions for the company’s training manager in hotel conference rooms, but this was maybe half the size necessary to teach a class.  More than enough for the three of us.

As I was getting used to Babs giving me Bible verses, I asked what the topic was.

Babs giggled, “I wanted you two to become friends, so I think we will look at Bible verses about friends.  My first suggestion is Deuteronomy 13:6-8.”

I flipped to it.  It did not resonate with Scriptures that I had studied carefully in the past.  I snickered.  “Okay, you want me to be friends with someone that I know so little, but the first Scripture is about how God warns the people of Israel to not associate with people who would entice the people of Israel away from God, especially to worship false gods.  Are you that type of friend, John?”

John laughed, “No, no, I don’t think so.  I recently turned down an opportunity to buy your company.  If you stayed in the office more, you might pick up on the rumors, but I went a different direction,”

I asked, “But, John, you are not an engineer.  Why would you wish to buy an engineering company?”

John smiled, “I have my fingers in a lot of pies.  I have something new that people in the industry that your company supports are excited about.  The only way to invent something that will revolutionize the industry would be with good engineers who can create something from nothing, so to speak.”

I laughed, “John, that proves you are not an engineer.  Engineers know that you cannot get anything from nothing.”  We both laughed, but Babs growled.  She told us to behave and gave me Deuteronomy 23:1-6 as the next choice of Scripture.

I nodded, “Babs, that is another warning to not be friends, which is strange because you are introducing me to someone that you want me to be friends with.  The Moabite king Balak saw what Israel had done to the Amorites and he wanted no part of it.  This reference includes the Ammonites, because the Moabites stem from one daughter of Lot and the Ammonites stem from the other daughter of Lot.  Balak hired Balaam to curse the Israelites, but Balaam, could not do it.  He would open his mouth and blessings came out.”

John asked, “Isn’t that when his ass talked to him?”

I groaned, “Thanks for the KJV wording.  The domestic ass is a donkey, so donkey is probably the more correct term here, but yes.  The donkey saw the angel in the road and veered off the road.  Balaam beat the donkey repeatedly, and finally the donkey’s mouth was opened, and the donkey told Balaam what was going on.  This was something supernatural.  It was a miracle.  I do not know if you believe in such things.”

John shrugged, “That is why I jumped at the invitation Babs gave me.  I want to talk to someone like you, Harold.  She told me it was ‘Harold’ or I could find a new friend.”  We both smiled at each other.  ‘Well played, John.’ I thought.

Babs smiled, “Now, there is a different sense of friends in Judges 11, and it ties into the Ammonites.”

I nodded, “Jephthah made a rash vow before he attacked and defeated the Ammonites.  He said that he would offer whatever came out of his house first as a sacrifice to God if God would deliver the Ammonites into his hand.  When you make a vow to God, you better keep it.  The Bible does not say, but Jephthah probably had animals living in his house and whenever he came into the yard, a lamb or goat would run out before a person would do so.  But on this occasion, his only child, a daughter came out.  The reference to ‘friends’ comes in when Jephthah explains to his daughter what the vow was.  She asks to have some time to mourn with her friends.  And this tradition was carried forward among the young girls after that incident, but then his daughter surrendered herself to her father to complete the vow.  Some experts say that he donated his daughter to God’s service instead of killing her, but I think she may have lost her life.”

John said, “That’s kind of harsh.”

I shrugged, “God is the God of the universe.  He created everything.  When you make a vow to God, you should never do so lightly.  If you do not believe in God, that makes no difference.  God holds you accountable for such things, unless you surrender your own life to God.  Then God forgives you of all your sins.”

John did not say anything, but he leaned back and smiled.

Babs then asked, “I am a bit confused here about Ruth 4:1-6.”

I asked, “In what way, Babs?”

Babs said, ‘Well, Deuteronomy 23 talks about not making friends with the Moabites, and then Boaz wants to marry Ruth, a Moabite woman.  But there is a kinsman-redeemer that is between him and Naomi.  So, he has to get his relative to publicly decline the offer.  Where the word ‘friend’ comes in is that Boaz calls his relative ‘friend’.  So, why the sudden change regarding Ruth? And why say ‘friend’ when it is a ‘cousin’ or an ‘uncle’?”

I snickered, “Well, God is a God of mercy and grace.  He could show both mercy and grace toward Ruth, but remember that Ruth makes a vow, back to our vows again, and Ruth tells Naomi that Naomi’s God will be her God and Naomi’s people will be her people.  Boaz may not have known that Ruth made such a vow, but God did, and that made Ruth a little less like a Moabite and a little more like Naomi’s only living relative, someone eligible to be redeemed.  And thus, Ruth becomes a part of the bloodline of King David, and thus Jesus.  It was all in God’s plan, and Ruth used her own free will, but it fit perfectly in what God had planned.  It is interesting that Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus mentions several women, none of them being Jews.  God is teaching us through that genealogy that Jesus was for all people, not just the Jews, and that God can forgive anyone.  God is a God of mercy and grace.”

Babs scrunched her nose.  “And then, I found 1 Samuel 20.”

I chuckled, “I was wondering when you would get around to David and Jonathan.”

John asked, “Weren’t they gay?”

I shook my head.  “There is nothing to suggest anything more than faithful friends.  It says they kiss, but the kiss is a greeting that was acceptable in those days.  Even in the first century, Paul says to greet one another with a holy kiss.  In other words, a kiss that carries no romance with it, just friendship.  Jonathan went against his father’s wishes by having this friendship, but Jonathan knew his father was spiritually troubled and David had done nothing wrong.  Conflict seems to bond friendships even tighter.  Jonathan was torn.  He had to honor his father, but he had to save the life of a friend.  Jonathan, in a way, is a reflection of Jesus, willing to take great risks for a friend.”

Babs gave me her pouty face, “You jumped ahead of me.  Okay, we can go to John 15, where Jesus says that there is no greater love than when a person lays down his life for a friend.  In that same passage of Scripture, Jesus says that his disciples would now be friends.  And Jesus gives the command to love one another.  Sure, Harold, your wife died over a year ago, and you may not be thinking about a romance, but having a friend is not a bad idea.  Jesus had friends and you always say that you want to be more like Jesus.”

I snickered, “Babs, I don’t know if that was a low blow or not, but you do know that people claimed Jesus was a friend of sinners, because He came, eating and drinking.”

Babs giggled, “But the verse in Matthew 11 just before that is when Jesus said that John came, not eating or drinking, and they called him a demon, so, don’t worry what others say.  You need a friend for personal growth.  Who knows, you might need to borrow some bread at midnight.”

I asked, “Are you referring to the parable Jesus told about a man having a visitor arrive at midnight and he goes to the neighbor to ask for bread?”

Babs smiled and winked, “Maybe, that story fits.  And what about Cornelius?  He sees an angel.  He is told to get Peter.  So, he sends off a group of people to get Peter to visit him, but then, since he has some time, he invites his friends.  If Cornelius is going to receive the man of God into his home, arranged by an angel, this was going to be something good, so why not share it?  Harold, I want you to have someone to share that moment with.  Sure, Jesus is in your heart, but when you go to food banks, you have no problem in talking to people.  Look at Paul, he was always greeting a large number of friends.”

I shook my head, “No, Babs, I spend a lot of time in prayer over talking to people at food banks.  It is hard.  I see their pain and I feel their pain.  Now, you have brought a stranger into our midst, and he does not have the financial issues that those people in the food bank have.  So, can I connect?  I do not know.”

Babs sighed, “Harold, you messed it up!  1, 2, 3.”  And then we sang “I don’t know” to the tune of my doorbell.

John said, “There has to be a story behind that little bit of music, but Harold, I have learned a lot.  Babs caught me in the breakfast area this morning and she said that she saw something inside me that was empty.  She said that I needed to talk to you.  You needed a friend, and I needed to fill that emptiness with something.  The strange thing was that I did not feel empty.  I have a lot of friends, but I have sat in my hotel room here, reading the Bible in the room, something I had not done in years.  I was suddenly in contact with the emptiness in my life.  Yes, I have many friends, but they like my money, not me.  And that money keeps me busy making more money.  In the end, it is simply a vicious cycle.  I need something concrete, something that does not care whether I have a spare dime or not.  You sit here laughing and talking Scripture with Babs like you live it.  Can you show me how to accept Jesus into my life?”

I led him in the salvation prayer.  He admitted that he was a sinner.  He admitted he was helpless in ridding himself of that sin and he acknowledged that Jesus was the only answer for his loneliness, his sin-filled life, and his purpose in life.  He was broken and deserved separation from God, but in surrendering his will to God, he opens the door to his heart and accepts Jesus.

And then Babs started singing the Hallelujah chorus, softly.  Somehow, I did not think this was a chance meeting at all.  I exchanged phone numbers with John.  The next morning, we met for breakfast.  He was headed south, and I was headed west, back toward the big city of Tracy.  And somehow, I knew our paths would cross again.

Credits

All these conversations remind me of my conversations with my wife.  We would talk about anything and everything.  And most of the time, it sounded like a discussion in a Sunday school class.

My wife made friends everywhere we went, even if it was for two or three days.  On one trip to Indiana, she got to know all the Transportation Patrol inspectors – the police who pull over the large trucks to use a scale to determine if they are over the weight limitations.  We happened to be at a hotel convenient to the Indiana Turnpike and a few interstate highways.  On another occasion, she got very friendly with a reality television production crew, but sadly the guys they were following did not work out well as reality stars and they suddenly packed up and left one morning without warning.  My wife was the only one who even knew the reason for the quick departure.  The front desk thought they were going to be there for months to come.

And then there was one of her friends from grade school through high school who showed up unexpectedly at our apartment in Germany.  For eight-nine months, he would return often to have “Mom” do his laundry for him.  He was only a couple of years younger.  In between visits, he would sleep on the train, using a Eurail pass to see as much of Europe as he could manage.  When the pass expired, he made sure his last stop would be Karlsruhe, until he took the train to Frankfurt with the Middle East as his next destination.  We finally got a postcard from India.

And she lamented that after I left Texas, I never had a circle of friends where I had a chance to just have some friends to talk to.  When we first got married, I had golfing friends and for one summer, the engineering group of which I was a part played basketball once each week – only rule was “no blood, no fowl.”  Then we went to Dairy Queen across the street to replace some of the calories we had just lost.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.