Meditation
The Seventeenth Day of Lent calls us to obedience. The Psalmist gives a synopsis of Israel’s experience—starting with God’s essence as great and above all others, shifting to dealing with a grumbling people and yet loving them enough to give them what they asked for, and then becoming disappointed with the 40 years of wilderness and the disobedience despite God’s faithfulness.
The Exodus excerpt reiterates the simple instruction God gave about the Sabbath day. Collect a double portion of manna and quail on the sixth day, and it would not go bad on the seventh day, despite lack of refrigeration and storage. No manna or quail would be available for gathering on the seventh day. But, some people still went out and searched for manna and quail. Obedience. God asked for obedience. With all that God had done, was it too much to ask for? For some, yes, and they disobeyed.
God planned for a day of rest. People need a respite to regroup. Needing a day to meditate and renew the spirit was hard wired into people. God set it up to give us that, but we consistently ignore it. Down time. Self-help gurus preach it like it was a new idea, but God established it from the first. He provided the opportunity on the Sabbath for the Israelites, and yet some disobeyed.
The New Testament lesson in John touches lightly on the issues of obedience. God has asked for love, and the Pharisees are more concerned with counting numbers. John baptizes fewer people that your disciples. Statistics. There are always some people concerned with one-ups and stats. They didn’t celebrate the baptisms, but complained about who was baptizing more. As a result, Jesus left his ‘chosen people’ and wandered into the alien territory of Samaria, where the half-breeds lived.
More Israelites, who had disobeyed and married out of their culture producing impure heirs—called the Samaritans. The enmity between the Jews and Samaritans could be as testy as Jews and Egyptians/Arabs today. But Jesus—the one who already established a variation of expectations than what the leaders of the Pharisees believed to be correct—headed into Samaria and sat down at the well of Sychar around noon. Midday. The time no sensible person would be at the well. The water would evaporate in the heat of the day.
There is an expression in Arabic: “Go to Jericho” that translates to the rest of the world as “Go to hell.” That makes sense because Jericho is hotter than hell. Jericho is down the road a spell from Sychar (which is higher on the mountain), but the Mediterranean climate of Israel consistently has sunshine. Carrying water at noon would be considered less than sensible.
This is where our story leaves us—setting us up for the full encounter with the Samaritan woman for the Sunday lesson.
But the theme of obedience weaves through the Old and New Testament. Whom do we obey? How do we measure our obedience? Are we like the Pharisees –doing a statistical analysis? Or are we whining like the disobedient children who wandered the desert for 40 years? Or are we like the Psalmist calling attention to the greatness of God? Time for a little self-reflection. What am I doing that pleases God? How can I best show God my obedience?
Of course, we can remember the Epiphany season’s lessons that were pounded into us: Do good. Be fair. Be loving. Be generous. Be humble and please God.
Thanks be to God.
All Scriptures printed below are in King James Version for copyright purposes. However, clicking on the verse locations will take you to Biblegateway.com where the text is linked to more contemporary versions.







Prayer: Almighty God, Open my eyes that I might see. Open my mind that I might understand. Open my heart that I might make your words a part of me. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Amen






Season of Lent Bible Readings
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm 95;Exodus 16:9-21;Ephesians 2:11-22&version=KJV;ERV;GNT;NCV;NIV (multiple versions)

Seventeenth Day of Lent
Psalm 95
Exodus 16:27-35
John 4:1-6

Daily Bible Verses to Memorize for Meditating
The “Traveler’s Psalm” is worth memorizing in its whole, but at least verses 1 & 2.

Psalm 121
King James Version (KJV)
121 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.









Single Bible Study chapter to study


Psalm 95
King James Version (KJV)
95 O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.
5 The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,
8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:
11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

OBSERVE:

Take a moment and write three observations of the verses. What strikes you? An observation is an observable fact from the Word.
1.

2.

3.

INTERPRETATION:

What do you interpret these verses to mean for you today?




APPLY:

Today, I learned _____________________________________and apply it to my life.


Prayer of Encouragement

Dear God, Forgive us when we disobey. Help us to change our attitude and hunger to do good, be loving, kind, fair, generous and humble. In Jesus name. Amen.






Conclusion
The Seventeenth Day of Lent calls us to obedience. Let us be like the Psalmist and describe God’s greatness to all. Let us avoid being like the disobedient wanderers and whiners, who complained and received manna and quail, but couldn’t be faithful enough to obey the gracious God, who gave them sustenance. Jesus escaped the nitpicking Pharisees that focused on who was better at baptizing more and headed where they would never be—among the impure Samaritans. He sat down at a well, at a time when no one in their right mind would be there.
Where is our focus? How can we best obey the God, who loves us? How can we do what pleases Jesus? Are we going to be like the Psalmist? Or some of his disobedient ancestors? Like the Pharisees? Or like Jesus, who takes a bad situation and finds opportunity to do good?
Go out and be ready for God to do mighty things in your life.*
Thank you for visiting ChapLynne’s Daily Encouragement and Bible Study. God bless you.
*If you do not know the Lord as your personal Savior and you are seeking, please contact me. A genuine and simple prayer, asking God into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins will also do.