Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

I’m Jemima L. Yeggs, a.k.a. Stinker.  Pink Lady Apple Yeggs, my landlady and my auntie, wants to read about how younger people, especially couples respond to what the Bible says.  And she wants to know how God is at work at Lily the Pink.

B.B. and I were in our “green room.”

B.B. said, “Stinker, do you hear God’s voice?”

I huffed, “Sure, but not audibly.  He whispers, but He repeats Himself.  Okay, if I was paying attention and responded the first time, He wouldn’t have to repeat Himself.  Why?  Are you and that crazy brain of yours hearing voices?”

B.B. replied, “In a way I am.  But like you said, not audibly.  There’s this idea that pops into my head.  It might be that I need to call someone on the phone.  And then when I call them, they are happy to hear from me because something happened recently and they needed to talk about it.  You keep saying that there are no coincidences unless it is a GMC, God-Made Coincidence.”

I asked, “I am so glad that you respond that way to the voice.  Now the voice that says to jump off a cliff…  Don’t listen to that one.”

B.B. snickered, “Stinker, you can make a joke out of anything.”

I shrugged, “No. I am being serious, just a bit absurd.  The Evil One will put ideas in your head.  You have to know that the idea is wrong and rebuke Satan.  It might be something silly like eating all the leftover Valentine’s Day chocolates in one sitting.”

B.B. waved a hand, “Don’t worry about that one.  That stuff has been gone for a couple of weeks.”

A familiar voice from the center stall, “And now we know her weakness.”

B.B. laughed, “Arabella, Valentine’s Day chocolates just seem to taste better.  You’ll understand when Michael gives you a heart-shaped box someday.”

The stall door opened and Arabella washed her hands, “Too late for that one, B.B.  He sold some cheese and got me a big box.  I let him have a couple of pieces.”

I snickered, “B.B., Fireball seems to have a weakness.  She doesn’t share very well.”

Arabella placed her arms akimbo, ”I will have you know that I am great at sharing.  I share my workload on the farm.  I let Michael take the lead on the kidding.  And anytime that Mom fixes spinach, Emmett and Sarah can have all of it for all I care.”

B.B. groaned, “Belle, you do a great job of sharing the things that are hard to do or the things that you don’t like.  Next time, share something that is your favorite thing.”

Arabella shrugged. “Nobody is kissing and hugging Michael except for me!”  With that, Belle was gone.

I said, “Okay, I will let her be a little selfish with that one.”

B.B. moaned, “Stinker, for a high school freshman, Michael is kind of cute.”

I said, “Did you skip breakfast again?  Michael is a lot younger.  You have some handsome arm candy all your own.  And you have a bun in the oven, and when he or she pops out, that’s the prettiest thing you have ever seen.  Don’t look dreamy-eyed at a teenager.  Remember when you were that age, and they won’t look so dreamy.”

B.B. replied, “Oh, I am not lusting after Michael Rowe Casey, but he is cute enough for me to kiss just to see the look on Arabella’s face.”

I leaned in close and whispered, “B.B., that sounds like a great plan, but we have to wait for just the right moment.”

She opened the door, and we went to the den, laughing.

Rev. Joseph led us in prayer.

Emmett had his band and choir.  They sang and played Word of God Speak.

I asked, “That was a good one.  Did you buy that just for us?”

Emmett said, “The church has a huge library.  But I had to write the harmony for this one.”

I asked, “I appreciate the work that all of you are doing.”

Samuel asked, “Where are we searching for Jesus today, Aunt Jemima?”

I nodded, “We are looking at the book of 1 Samuel.  We may hear God speak, and we might look at the Angel of God.  There is only one New Testament quote.  But in a way, a lot of the book is a foreshadowing rather than Messianic prophecies.  Arabella, do we need Mr. Dictionary?”

Arabella nodded eagerly, “Yeah, I understand the word Samuel, but why are two books named after him when he dies halfway through the first book?”

Easy smiled, “Samuel is the central character at the beginning of the first book.  He is the last of the judges.  He punctuates himself being the last judge in that he is the person who anointed both Saul and David.  This brings in the kingdom of Israel, and the time of the judges ends.  So, the two books include his entire life from before he was born through his death.  And then the books continue with the two kings that he anointed.  Solomon becoming king did not happen until 1 Kings 1.”

Arabella smiled, “Thank you, Mr. Dictionary.”

Jochebed (1 Samuel 1:28, Louis Segond) “Aussi je veux le prêter à l’Éternel: il sera toute sa vie prêté à l’Éternel. Et ils se prosternèrent là devant l’Éternel.”

Clay Bell said, “And now in the English.”

Clay Bell (1 Samuel 1:28) “So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.”

Jochebed said, ”This speaks of Hannah being true to her word.  She promised to give her firstborn son to the Lord.  But God gave His firstborn Son, Jesus, so that He might save us from our sins.  It is not a prophecy as it is a foreshadow of what Jesus would represent for us during His time on earth.”

I said, “Yes, and we could go through all the things that happened to Samuel and find that parallel.”

Georges (1 Samuel 2:10) “those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. ‘He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.’ ”

Georges said, “This is from Hannah’s prayer.  It points to Jesus and how the Lord will judge over all the earth.  God the Father will give power to the king, meaning Jesus, but maybe in a limited sense to David, but then Saul was anointed king and David was anointed king three times.  Once by Samuel, then by the tribe of Judah and then by the elders of all the tribes.  But then, Jesus is the ultimate in anointed kings, being the King of kings.

Tina Bell (1 Samuel 2:35) “I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always.”

Tina asked, “This is talking about raising up a priest.  And this priestly house will minister to the anointed one.  Is Hannah still talking about Jesus?”

I smiled, “Yes, ‘Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.’ (Hebrews 3:1).  So, Jesus is our prophet, priest, and king.  ‘If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood—and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood—why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron? For when the priesthood is changed, the law must be changed also. He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. For it is declared: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.’ (Hebrews 7:11-19).  And since the author of Hebrews said this was prophesied, Sweetie, could you read Psalm 110:4.”

Easy (Psalm 110:4) “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.’”

Easy said, “Were you just checking to see if I was awake?”

I smiled, “Sweetie, I would never do that … in front of so many witnesses.”

Easy groaned, “I was up until early this morning.  The Design by Tensie gadget had gotten loose.  The rattling made noises that Fred could not explain.  And he would get this vibration in the steering wheel.  I’m going to have to contact the lawyer for Design by Tensie.  The design works great, but having a lot of weight and moving parts, it is going to need better bearings or six-month inspections.  I tightened up a few things, and it works fine.  Right, Fred?”

Wilma elbowed Fred.  Fred jerked awake and asked, “Stinker, can you repeat that chapter and verse?”

Dr. James said, “Fred, I will drive us to our staging point this afternoon.  You need to rest.  You have to be at your best tomorrow.”

Easy said, “See!  I was awake.”

I patted him on the arm, “Yes, dear, you were awake.  But let’s look at one more verse from 1 Samuel 2.”

Fred (1 Samuel 2:26) “And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people.”

Fred said, “This talks about Samuel growing up to be well respected.”

Wilma (Luke 2:52) “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”

Wilma asked, “Is this the one quotation from 1 Samuel in the New Testament?”

I sighed, “No, Wilma, who was the subject of Fred’s verse?”

Wilma nodded her head for emphasis, “Samuel.”

“And your verse?” I asked.

Wilma finally got the point. “Jesus!  It’s almost the same words.  So, even though this says nothing about foreshadowing or prophecy, it shows that Samuel and Jesus had that in common.  From birth they were dedicated to their mission in service to God.  And both God and the people they met showed them favor.”

I asked, “Did you stay up with Fred last night?”

Wilma looked at the floor, “Umm.  Maybe a little.  The repairs interrupted date night.”

Arabella (1 Samuel 3:10) ”The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’ ”

Each time she read ‘Samuel’, she shook Samuel Farquharson’s shoulder.

Samuel said, “I’m awake!  I’m awake!”

Menzie grumbled, “Shake your own boy toy.  This one is mine.  See!  He put a ring on it.”

I raised a hand.  “Let’s quit checking to see if the guys are awake.  If they are asleep, they will miss a good Bible lesson.  Now, Arabella, what does this verse sound like?”

Arabella laughed, “It sounds is the important thing.  I would think it would be a Christophany, but it was just a voice.  Doesn’t a Christophany have to be some kind of physical presence?”

I asked, “Does it?  Was the voice in Samuel’s head, like God speaks to me some of the time, or was it an audible voice, indicating at least a little more than a purely spiritual presence?”

Arabella grinned, “I don’t know.  I wasn’t there at the time.”

I turned to B.B., “Is everybody being a comedian today or am I taking this weirdness the wrong way?”

B.B. patted me on the arm, “As the Bible says, ‘This, too, shall pass.’”

I whispered back, “But that is not in the Bible.”

B.B. asked, “It’s not?”

I shook my head, “The concept of these things passing is that we desire things that are not helpful and sin against God, but we are to be careful.  For these things of this world will pass.  They are not eternal.  ‘So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!’ (1 Corinthians 10:11).  The Israelites were falling and falling.  These things of the world shall pass, but we should desire something better.”

B.B. asked, “I guess that cleanliness is next to godliness is not in the Bible.  You know I get obsessive.”

I simply shook my head.

Then, I turned back to Arabella.  “Fireball.  We do not have a clearcut Christophany.  We only get the voice.  It could have been an angel.  But Samuel follows Eli’s instructions.  Samuel calls the voice ‘Lord’ and the voice does not correct the little boy.”

Samuel (1 Samuel 3:21) ”The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.”

Samuel said, “Thank you, Aunt Jemima.  This would get a lawyer tied up in knots.  God appeared to Samuel.  That sounds like a Christophany.  Many Chistophanies because he continued to do that.  He revealed Himself.  Christophany, right?!  Then through His word.  God reveals Himself through the Bible, His Word to us.  So, was this physical and audible?  Or did God’s revelation come when Samuel read the Law and God gave him understanding, just the way He does with us?”

I smiled, “If that is what we learn from Christophanies or Theophanies or almost those things, then this class has been worth it.  God may not appear in the flesh, but someday He will.  Until then, He reveals Himself by putting us in strange circumstances and then having us read the Scriptures and say, ‘Now I know what God was trying to say.’  Let us continue to look for Christophanies.  We have a lot of the Old Testament left, but not much in the way of history books.  But let’s look at how God works in our lives and shows us who He really is.”

I shifted, “We need our quote.”

Sarah, letting the tablet speak, (1 Samuel 13:14) ”But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.’”

Sarah moved her lips.  Then she said, “That’s not right.”

I said, “No, you read the right verse.”

Clay giggled, “She says that when the tablet reads her lips wrong.”

Then Sarah’s tablet said, “Saul had done too many things wrong.  He gave sacrifices when he was not authorized to do so.  He ran into battle without asking God first.  Finally he stole cattle when he was supposed to kill everything.  So, Samuel said there was going to be a new king, a king after God’s own heart.”

Clay (Psalms 89:20) ” I have found David my servant; with my sacred oil I have anointed him.”

Clay said, “This says that the anointed person was David.”

Lancelot (Acts 13:22) ”After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’”

Lance said, “This is where Paul got the Jews in Antioch angry, the one in Asia, not the one in Syria.  But it says what Sarah and Clay said.”

I smiled, “Right, and we can say Pisidian Antioch.  We are not high school sophomores.”

Menzie asked, “Hey!  What’s wrong with high school sophomores?  Besides, I will be a junior in a few months.”

Arabella added, “And her fiancé who gave her the big ring is graduating in a few months.”

Menzie (1 Samuel 17:34-37) “But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”

Menzie said, “Did you have me read this to show how David was a man after God’s own heart?”

I smiled, “Yes and no.  This shows David’s faith in God.  The Psalms show David’s passion.  Next week, we will cover 2 Samuel and David went to God to see if God was with him.  He did that in 1 Samuel also.  And David admitting that he was wrong and begged God for forgiveness.  Lump all those together and do that for a lifetime, and you have a man or woman after God’s own heart.  David does not have to be the only one.  Just like John was not the only disciple Jesus loved.  And Jesus loves us too.”

Grannie Fannie (Galatians 6:18) “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.”

Lauren ran up to Grannie Fannie and hugged her.  “Are you ready to drive us?”

Brooke picked up Stormie as usual.  She talked to Stormie all the way.  Stormie laughed.

Credits

I start with a study guide by Marilyn Hickey called Seeing Jesus.  But she does not discuss Christophanies.  And I also did a search for prophecies and got a slightly different list.

Here is Word of God Speak sung by MercyMe

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.