Good morning,
On Sunday I announced that the elders and I have been in extended conversations with a young man named Thomas Derr to become our youth director/pastor. It has been a pleasure getting to know Thomas and his wife LeAnn over the past couple of months. Thomas graduated from LBC last May with a degree in Pastoral Ministry. He and LeAnn are both from the area and are moving to Strasburg in late July/early August.
I am excited about the possibility of Thomas coming to work with our youth! As you know, hiring for a ministry position is a bit longer of a process than for most jobs. That’s how it should be, as we give God time to speak and make sure that the “fit” is there. To that end, the Derrs will be visiting the Bridge on Sunday for an opportunity to get to know us a little bit better. Please give them that classic Andrews Bridge welcome!
We hope to have them come back on May 5th for what would be more of a “candidating” Sunday. On that morning we’ll have Thomas share his testimony and bit about his vision for youth ministry during the worship service. Then after the service all of the youth and their parents are invited to stay after for lunch and an opportunity to get to know Thomas and LeAnn more. If you are able, please bring a hot and a cold dish to share for lunch. We’ll wrap things up around 1 pm.
On Sunday we will be looking at the famous story of David and Goliath. It is, without a doubt, one of the most well-known stories of the Bible. The story ends, however, with an odd interaction between Saul and the commander of the army (1 Samuel 17:55):
As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is that young man?”
Abner replied, “As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don’t know.”
1 Samuel 16 ends with the account of how David ended up serving as an armor bearer and harpist in Saul’s royal court. Yet when we come to the end of chapter 17 it sure seems like Saul doesn’t know who David is. What’s up with that? It may seem like a little thing, but this part of the David story is cited by some as a major error by the author of 1 Samuel. And if it is an error, then it casts doubt on the rest of Scripture.
So what’s going on here? Three possibilities have been suggested:
- Some folks have suggested that the events of chapters 16 and 17 are written out of order intentionally by the author for theological purposes. While it is certainly true that the ancient authors did not value having material arranged chronologically like we do today, this “solution” raises more questions than it answers. I guess it’s possible, but it seems very unlikely to me.
- It has also been suggested that this is simply a case of a preoccupied king not taking the time to learn the names of his servants. It is certainly true that as king Saul would have had many servants in his court, and it wouldn’t seem out of character for him to not bother with learning their names (or recognizing their faces). This one seems possible to me.
- The third solution to this interpretive issue is the one that makes the most sense to me – Saul isn’t asking who David is, he’s asking who David’s father is. Although Saul has met David before, there is nowhere in the text where we see him meet Jesse. The correspondence between Saul and Jesse found at the end of chapter 16 was certainly done by one of Saul’s aides, not the king himself.
So why would Saul ask about David’s father? Well, one of the rewards that Saul had made for whoever killed Goliath was a tax exemption for the man’s family. Saul would certainly want to know which family he was going to give the exemption to! After David’s victory he is brought before Saul, and Saul asks him the same question – “Whose son are you, young man?” And David gives him the answer – “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”
As always, the Bible is the inspired, authoritative and inerrant Word of God.
Here’s what’s happening:
- Due to the Derrs’ visit with us this week, the Senior High Youth will NOT meet after the worship service. We will plan to meet next Sunday 4/21 in the evening at 6:30 pm.
- There will be a drive-in movie night at the church on Friday 4/19, starting at 7:45 pm. Rain date is 4/26. Refreshments provided! Movie is “Facing the Giants.”
- Men’s Breakfast is on Saturday 4/27 at 8 am at Hometown Kitchen. This will be the last breakfast for the spring. We will start the breakfasts again in September.
- It’s that time of year when we update the mailboxes. If you do not have a mailbox and would like one, please fill out the form near the mailboxes and put it in Tracy Alexander’s box.
- It’s also “spring cleaning” time for our church email list. If you receive these emails and no longer wish to, please let me know.
- Save The Date: May 19 – We are organizing a combined youth trip to the “White Cliffs of Conoy” after the worship service. More information coming soon.
I am looking forward to our time together on Sunday as we look at this famous battle and discover what the giant’s greatest weapon actually was and why it is still used today!
Scott