Be a Barzillai

Barzillai first appears in 2 Samuel 17:27-29. He was a Gileadite who lived at Rogelim.

King David and his supporters fled to Mahanaim on the east side of the Jordan River when his son Absolom seized the throne in a civil war. 

Barzillai and two of David's other loyal supporters, Shobi and Machir, took relief supplies to David and his company. They "brought beds, basins, earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans, lentils, honey, curds, sheep, and cheese, for they said,'The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness'." 

Barzillai seems to have been a wealthy man or perhaps a chief in Gilead. He was an old man but when he heard of David's humiliation he hurried to offer him sympathy along with substantial gifts for his exhausted followers. He may have been the one who spearheaded the relief effort as we hear no more of Shobi and Machir. At any rate, Barzillai seems to have been the most loyal as we find him again in 2 Samuel 19:31-37.

After Absolom was dead and his rebellion crushed, David returned to Jerusalem. Barzillai traveled about fifty miles (probably on foot) from Rogelim to escort David across the Jordan and welcome him home. He appears to have had a traveling companion, perhaps a relative, named Chimham.

David remembered Barzillai's kindness to him in exile. Before he crossed the river, he invited Barzillai to come with him and offered to care for him for the rest of his life. Barzillai turned down the offer for a life of ease and listed his reasons. He was eighty years old and wanted to die at home, not in a strange city. His failing health would prevent him from being an asset to the royal court. He would just be an added burden to the king, the royal slaves, and the tax payers. 

Barzillai suggested David bestow the honor on Chimham. David agreed and decreed that Chimham should cross over Jordan with him and receive all the benefits he would have given Barzillai. David again expressed his gratitude to Barzillai, promised to do  anything he would ask, kissed and blessed him before crossing the river with Chimham among his company.

David did not forget Barzillai. He appears again in 1 Kings 1:7.When David saw his end was nearing, he told his son Solomon to show kindness to the sons of Barzillai and let them eat from his table, or in our terms, give them a SNAP card. 

Three character traits make Barzillai an unforgettable person and an example to us:

1. Pity and compassion for the fallen 

Barzillai came to David with words and deeds of kindness during his time of bitter reverse and altered fortunes. We should never trample the fallen at the moment they most need help. In Matthew 25:41-46, Jesus told us what would happen to those who don't have a heart to minister to those in need.

2. Unselfish loyalty

Barzillai could have chosen to remain neutral and not gotten involved, staying quietly at home with his flocks and inheritance in the south. Or he could have gone with the popular side and joined Absolom. 

Befriending the outlawed king was a serious risk for an old man. Absolom and his army might cross the Jordan and conquer David's exhausted force. If that happened, Barzillai was a marked man for befriending David. Though the odds were against him, he determined to do what was right and leave the results to God. 

3. Humility 

Barzillai was offered the friendship of the greatest king of his time and a home in the palace. He would have riches and honor and be the envy of the other chieftains. Who would not covet that honor? But he was not interested in being rich and famous. He had not gone to David's aid to better his position or receive a reward. He had done it because it was the right thing to do.

There are needs all over the world today. Are you sitting quietly at home enjoying your good life and ignoring the needs of the exhausted and starving masses? Are you getting involved without thought of recognition or reward? 

Be a Barzillai.

Common Sense

This obituary was printed in the London Times.

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;

- Why the early bird gets the worm;

- Life isn't always fair;

- And maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. . . . 

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. . . .

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death

-by his parents, Truth and Trust,

-by his wife, Discretion,

-by his daughter, Responsibility,

-and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 5 stepbrothers;

- I Know My Rights

- I Want It Now

- Someone Else Is To Blame

- I'm A Victim

- Pay me for Doing Nothing

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. 

Morning Glories

This week I read a book which was a collection of stories and inspirational meditations written by parents of handicapped children. I was especially impressed with one of the meditations. Since the book is copyrighted I will summarize the meditation.

The author has a purple morning glory vine which climbs up the spindles on her porch. One day when she was sitting there she noticed the morning glory vines always climb up the spindles counterclockwise. As she looked more closely, she saw one that was climbing clockwise. There was no explanation why that one was different. As she watched it in the following days she saw that another vine was growing over it in the normal counterclockwise direction. The two vines formed an x at each place they crossed as they climbed. The abnormal vine created a beauty not found in all the vines that grew in the normal way.

Some children are born with mental or physical handicaps. They don't grow or develop in the normal way. But they still have value and the same emotional needs as the rest of the family. As their lives are intertwined with the rest of the "normal" family, a beauty develops that would otherwise be unknown. 

When you see a handicapped child, stop and talk to them even if they can't respond. They will feel valued to be recognized and it will make their day. Think of them as a purple morning glory climbing clockwise and blooming in spite of the abnormal growth pattern.

Ancient Persian Empire

   The first dynasty of the Persian Archemenid Empire was established by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC with the conquest of the Median, Lydian, and Babylonian empires. The Persian Empire covered much of the then-known Ancient world from India to Egypt and north to Greece. The Archemenid Empire lasted about 220 years, from 550-330 BC. The Persians allowed their subjects to maintain their own customs and religions. Freedom of religion was a new concept and worked in their favor. 

   Persepolis was the ceremonial capital of the Empire, located 37 miles northeast of the present-day city of Shiraz in Fars Province, Iran.The earliest remains of Persepolis date back to 515 BC. It is believed Cyrus chose the site of Persepolis, but Darius I built the terrace and the palaces. Inscriptions on these buildings support the belief that they were constructed by Darius I.  He ordered the construction of the Apadana and the Council Hall, as well as the main imperial Treasury and its surroundings. These were completed during the reign of his son, Xerxes I.

   Bible scholars will recognize the names of Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes I. Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. He sent with them the things the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple. Darius put Daniel in the lion's den. Xerxes I was the son of Darius. He is also called Ahasauerus in the book of Esther.

   Trouble was brewing during the reign of Xerxes I. He led a successful invasion of Greece and temporarily crushed their revolt. But the Greeks were not finished. They considered the Persians soft, feminine, and decadent for their love of luxury and feasting. Greeks valued philosophy and knowledge. The four virtues of Greek Stoicism are courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom.

   In 330 BC, Alexander the Great sent the main force of his Greek army to Persepolis and allowed his troops to loot and burn Persepolis. The Persian Archemenid Empire  was destroyed and the Greeks became the new world leaders. The great, magnificent Persepolis lay buried in ashes until the 1930s when a French archaeologist began to uncover the ruins.

   What can we learn from the Persian Archemenid Empire? Several things.

1. It is God who sets up and takes down kings to fulfill His purposes. The prophet Isaiah had written hundreds of years before Cyrus was born that he would serve God by allowing the Jews to return to Israel and rebuild the temple (Isaiah 44:28). He fulfilled that prophecy the year he became king. Also, it was God who led the Persian king to choose the Jewish Esther as his wife.

2. A nation whose priority is luxury and feasting will weaken and eventually be overtaken or crumble from within. Ezekiel 16:49 lists the causes for the sins of Sodom which led to it's destruction--pride, fullness of bread, abundance of idleness, and lack of compassion for the poor and needy.  

   The sins of Sodom are alive and well in our nation today. The things that have happened this year are a reminder that God is ultimately in control of men and nations. The enemy that destroyed our economy was too small to be seen but brought America down. May all American take this warning seriously and turn back to God.