+ The “splendor of our strength” is the
Lord who is our King and our God – it is not “what we can make of ourselves in
the sight of the other nations.” It is not up to us – as God’s people – to
reinvent anything at all about ourselves – but rather to take the reality of
our lives, rejoice, thank God, and live them according to his dictates, not
telling him what he ought to be doing in our regard.
Now Israel demanded that
Samuel appoint for them a king – so they would be “like the other nations” –
thus, in essence, taking away God’s authority over them. This, of course, just
begs for God to bring “his kind of justice” later on, with yet another lesson
in humility and the need for reconciliation.
The scribes of Jesus’ day are
self-appointed “fashioners of God’s designs” – and they fail to win the respect
of others, least of all Jesus who has genuine authority – not only to heal the
ills of nature, but also those of super-nature – to forgive sins.
Yes, “the splendor of our
strength” is walking in the light of the Lord’s countenance – the light of the
Lord of the universe – the Light of Christ himself.
All we have to do in a
practical way is to show up where the Spirit leads us – and just “beam out” the
Light of Christ – by “doing nothing” and “letting God do everything for us! –
which is in effect “doing something” – to get out of the way so that God can
get to people using us, completely!
A
great prophet [a great light] has arisen in our midst and God has visited his
people! Hurray! Hurray!
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