Stewardship (ick) Solomon (sick)

Lately, I have been discovering stewardship in my daily life. But first, I have to tell you, I hate (and I say ‘hate’ fully knowing that Christians frown on the word ‘hate’) — I hate the word ‘stewardship’. The word ‘stewardship’ is supposed to mean ‘personal responsibility for something you don’t own’. However, my only exposure to this word is when churches want money and make the request with a dose of guilt. That’s the ‘Stewardship Drive’. We all know it. Am I right?

I attend a lot of churches in my quest to worship with other Christians. And I could be at the hippest, most edgy church service, with a rock band and candle light, interpretive dance, the creation of an oil painting of Jesus during the message, denim pants and t-shirts, grunge and Sobe; and still they toss in the word ‘stewardship’ within all this cool street vernacular…like people won’t notice it and stiffen their backs at the utterance. Because in church, that word means: “we need your money, and you’re a lousy Christian if you don’t give 10% of your annual income”. When I hear that word it makes me feel like my church’s only agenda is to get my money…not help me in my relationship with God… and not like I’m a connected part of a whole body of believers.

It makes me feel like this even though I know it’s not true. Here’s what I know is true: I know that God cares. He cares about me and He cares about the people who manage His church. I know it takes money to run the church. And I know that church leaders are not the bad-guy-money-mongers that the old stodgy term ‘stewardship’ lays on them. I know that church leaders are caring, loving, deep, intelligent, thoughtful people. And mostly I know I need them. I know that they are a part of me. I know that we are all a part of the same body.

The other day I prayed that I be shown more ways in which my husband and I could be more responsible for all that God has given us: our faith, our church, our marriage, our kids, their education, our home, our finances, our jobs, and our gifts…it’s all God’s. About the same time I was just getting into Solomon’s story (1 Kings) and I couldn’t help but notice how organized he was with all his resources. He set up his kingdom in a way that all the workers provided for each other as well as for Solomon. He formed alliances with surrounding kingdoms in order to make the temple and the palace using their resources in trade for his. His plans in building the temple were so well thought out and particularly detailed. I can tell he didn’t just waive a hand and expect the work to be done…he was a very involved mastermind and leader. It seems like he left no detail unattended. I thought, “Wow, what a great lesson in responsibility. Solomon is a great example because he was given so much wealth, and so much wisdom, and so much everything, and yet he carefully kept track of every last detail; and put all of it to good use...no waste.”

My husband, Bryan, after recovering from seeing the power bill, got a meter that measures exactly how much energy is used by each appliance in order that he better understand why the bill is so high. He quietly went about the house carefully plugging in every appliance, doing calculations, then declaring how much could be saved each month if we were more responsible with our usage. For example, unplugging the TV when it’s not being watched would save $15 per month. We immediately began turning off all unnecessary lights, unplugging all un-used appliances, taking out all those plug-in air fresheners (hey, $5 per month for each!), and we just got, well, smarter about prudently using our abundant energy. It may sound like Bryan’s a miser to you, but to me, I know that God is showing us small and subtle ways to be more responsible with what we don’t own…better stewards of His wealth. We have started to make all our choices through a filter of being more responsible and resourceful with everything.

Andy Stanley was telling his congregation to read Nehemiah because someday they might meet him— hopefully — and they wouldn’t want to be caught looking like fools for not knowing who Nehemiah was, and what great things he did. At hearing this it occurred to me that years ago when I first read about Solomon, it was so painfully boring: page after page of boring details about the size of the temple, the amount of gold used, the number of stones in the foundation, ad nausea. Everything about the kingdom and how it worked is spelled-out in 1 Kings in painstaking detail.

Contrast this with my current reading of the same book. Now, I read it and am amazed at Solomon’s care and attention, and keeping track of things. He is so SICK! - Which means SUPER COOL. I can’t wait to meet him because he is reaching into the future and helping in the here-and-now with one of my greatest weaknesses: stewardship (ICK). I feel like God is re-introducing me to the greatest teacher for my greatest need, and in the process is showing me small detailed ways in which to become more responsible for the kingdom he has entrusted to Bryan and me. And the best thing of all is that the prayer was answered so immediately and so subtly.

Typically THAT'S something I would not have kept track of. :)

A Major Miss for NPR

• At least 20 million Bibles are currently sold each year in the U.S. in addition to tens of millions that are distributed free. In 1956, that number was about 8 million in the U.S.
• The American Bible Society advises that they distributed 60.2 million Bibles last year in the U.S.
• The American Bible Society advises that since their inception in 1816, they have distributed over 7 billion Bibles worldwide in conjunction with the United Bible Societies. – That’s 1 Bible for every person on earth.
• More Bible Facts

Last week National Public Radio ran a story about Mike Huckabee’s use of language while campaigning. The reporter said that Huckabee was using his own “separate dialect”, stressing the fact that no one knew what Huckabee was talking about. The reporter went to great lengths to make it sound like Huckabee was talking in code…a mystery…and that he is isolating himself in the process.

This stemmed from Huckabee's comparing himself to David by saying, "sometimes it only takes a smooth stone and a sling-shot," from the OT story of David and Goliath. He also made a comparison to the woman portrayed in the New Testament who humbly offered only a coin when giving to the Temple offering. References such as these stories evidently mystified some of the listeners of Huckabee's speeches.

The “story” the reporter revealed was that Huckabee uses allegories and references to Bible stories in order to make a point. Unfortunately, that limited, myopic, view was it. That was the entire revelation of the story.

So, heads-up, Barbara Bradley Hagerty: the real story is the revelation that with so many Bibles in distribution in the United States it’s even possible that Huckabee can be misunderstood. The real “story” is that people who have the Book in their possession are obviously not reading it. The real story is that Mike Huckabee is exposing the great horrible truth about most Christians and Jews: we don’t walk our talk. We buy the Bible or Talmud (which is basically the source of the OT), and don’t read it.

The stories that Huckabee is quoting are, statistically, common to every human being on earth. We all have the text. By virtue of this fact, we must all at some level believe the Bible is at least important enough to have in our homes. What other text in the history of Humankind can say that?

Mike Huckabee (who I do NOT endorse, by the way) is not a separatist in quoting a text that we all have in our hands. He’s a separatist in showing us that he actually reads a book that we all share in common.

What's In Your Bag?

For some reason, I can’t stop thinking about the relationship between David and Saul; especially the agreement they made for David to marry, Michal, Saul’s younger daughter and become the King’s son-in-law: 100 foreskins from Philistine men…in a bag no less.

Saul was the first king of Israel. Before him, Israel was ruled by, well, rules. The rules were kept and upheld by Judges. Since the judges were appointed by God the system was kind of a combination of theocracy and democracy; rather than a monarchy. But Israelites wanted to be like their surrounding neighbors and demanded to switch to a monarchy. God reluctantly agreed and then raised Saul to be the first king. But Saul got Israel started on the wrong foot. He turned out to be nasty and self-centered. God was disappointed from the start and immediately said, in so many words, (through the last judge, Samuel), “Saul’s a loser. I have already decided who the next king will be…Jesse’s son, David.”

The thing about David is that he was hired by Saul as entertainment. He was a young, creative, musical, passionate kid who played the harp. Saul hired David to play the harp whenever Saul got stressed out. The music calmed Saul, and David became Saul’s arm-bearer. He was like a son. Then David killed Goliath in that famous battle. After that, it seems like Saul began to despise David, yet at the same time, gave him more responsibility in battles. In fact, it seems like the more Saul hated David, the more he, conversely, gave David more responsibility/credibility. And this is what I wonder about. Does this relate to your life at all? I feel like it relates to mine, but I just can’t put my finger on a specific event just yet.

Saul plotted different ways to kill David, but then offered to make him his son-in-law. It’s like Saul gives the ultimate meaning to the phrase, “keep your friends close, and keep your enemies even closer.” But the strange and complicated thing is that David was devoted to Saul…even though he knew Saul was plotting to destroy him. This is like a great Greek tragedy. Even Shakespeare couldn’t have written the complexities better.

So, right when he wants David dead the most, Saul offers his first daughter to David in marriage. But David says he can’t because he is too poor to be a king’s son…he can’t marry that far up…and for those days, he was right. This is so Foucault. David is relying on the socially accepted sphere of rules that dictate economic class limitations on personal boundaries. Saul has no regard for the social sphere. He is operating by his own rules of conduct. But he must understand why David turns down the marriage, because Saul gives his daughter away to someone else, hence, recognizing David’s point…but defeated in the process (more reason to increase despising David and increase the desire to draw him closer).

Then Saul figures out another form of wealth David occupies: bravery. Saul figures out how he can offer his second daughter to David in marriage using bravery as the currency to pay his way in marrying up. He makes the price of the marriage to be 100 Philistine foreskins. You can understand the depth of this request. Saul knows forced circumcision of 100 Philistine warriors would be a no-win situation for David. He figures David would most definitely get killed in the process. There it is again: offering a position of closeness to David while securing his death at the same time. And David understands this currency of heroism, and knows he is well-off enough (in terms of being a hero) to jump up a few casts. So he is pleased to accept Saul’s challenge. What’s more, accomplishes the task. David comes back with not 100, but 200 Philistine’s foreskins.

I have no lesson here. I make no great insight into my own life after reading this passage. But instead of feeling like reading it was a waste of time, I do feel like someday, I will call on this story to maybe help me or someone else grapple with a problem. And this is the thing about the Bible. I know that one day a light bulb will go off in my head that marks the personal intersection of this story and my life. But for now, all I can think about is that bag full of 200 curled up, bloody, fleshy, soft, pieces of skin.