Hello! Hope you’re well. Here’s the lastest:
The Exodus in the Ozarks
Holy Ghost Stories Live: The Exodus happened Sunday night in Northwest Arkansas. Putting words to the experience is difficult, but here’s a quick attempt.
Gathering in this chapel was as extraordinary as I hoped it would be. I intentionally scheduled the show so that folks would be able to see it in the daylight before the sun set.
But then its beauty wasn’t exactly diminished at night:
Kendall’s cello filled the space in an angelic alto, the story of the Exodus carried our hearts toward Yahweh, and my daughter Eve gave voice to the wonder in our hearts through songs that brough tears to our eyes.
What a thing it was to immerse ourselves in the glory and goodness of our God, laughing and crying together and leaving that place just… afloat.
And then to get to meet so many of you! That was such a privilege.
To all of you who came, all of you who prayed, and all who simply expressed enthusiasm and offered encouraging words, thank you. And to all of you who share HGS with your people, thank you. Most of the people who encountered Yahweh in this room on Sunday did not hear about Holy Ghost Stories from me; they heard about it from people like you.
Thank you for helping to put these stories in the world, and for helping to make sure people hear them. You guys are incredible.
Join Me For The Christmas Show
If you’d like to experience Holy Ghost Stories live and in person, you should join us in Nashville! There are still tickets available, and I’d love to have you encounter Yahweh in this incredible space:
If you’d like to attend and cost is an issue, I have two tickets provided by a generous donor—first person to reply to this email gets them.
Can’t wait to see all of you who are coming—only two more weeks!
Say Hello to The Mysterious Man of God From Judah
I have to be honest: initially, I was mostly confused by the story in this week’s episode of Holy Ghost Stories. It’s a pretty obscure tale, and the dynamics driving the characters’ actions aren’t immediately apparent. But after praying about and meditating on this one for a while, the story began to snap into focus.
The overarching theme has to do with the voices we heed, but there are other themes as well: grace-by-association, the inability of God’s word to contradict itself, the generational consequences of sin, etc.
This one was a challenge to put together, but it was a really rich experience for me. I hope listening blesses you. I’ve called this one “The Truth, the Messenger, and the Parasite.”
BITS AND BOBS
Historical Setting — The story takes place during the earliest days of the divided kingdom. As August Konkel says in the NIV Application Commentary on 1 Kings, “The kingdom of David disintegrates under Solomon, divides under Rehoboam, and soon comes into open civil war between north and south.” 1 Kings 13 places us toward the end of that summary.
Nameless — Notably, the Biblical text refuses to name either of the main characters in this story. I also find it interesting that the Judean prophet is exclusively referred to as “the man of God from Judah”—not even “the prophet” or some similar appelation. That’s interesting to me because of his failure to act as a man of God—the plot point on which much of the story hinges. Perhaps we’re being intentiaonlly pointed toward the contrast between his calling and his behavior? Anyway, I’m not sure why neither man is named—I’d love to know if you have thoughts or insights.
Under the Oak Tree — More than a few significant events happen in the Bible beneath the branches of an oak tree:
Rebekah’s nurse, Deborah, is buried under an oak outside of Bethel (is it the one from this story?) [Gen 35]
Joshua erects a stone commemorating the Israelites’ affirmation of the covenant under an oak in Shechem [Josh 24]
The angel of Yahweh appears to Gideon under an oak tree in Orphah [Judges 6]
Absalom gets entagled and dies at the hands of Joab [2 Sam 18]
The man of God from Judah encounters the old prophet under an oak tree not far from Bethel [1 Kings 13]
No Contradiction - Galatians 1:9 captures one of the pivotal themes of this story: “As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”
A Byword - Sadly, King Jeroboam’s name becomes the centerpiece of an oft-repeated chorus in the Old Testament.
King Bashaa is told, “you followed the ways of Jeroboam and caused my people Israel to sin and to arouse my anger by their sins.” (1 Kings 16:2).
Of King Zimri: He did “evil in the eyes of the Lord and following the ways of Jeroboam” (1 Kings 16:19).
King Omri: “Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord and sinned more than all those before him. He followed completely the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat” (1 Kings 16:26).
King Ahab: He “considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat” (1 Kings 16:31).
King Ahaziah: “He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, because he followed the ways of his father and mother and of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin” (1 Kings 22:52).
King Joram: “he clung to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat” (2 Kings 3:3).
King Jehu: “he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat” (2 Kings 10:28).
King Jehoahaz: “He did evil in the eyes of the Lord by following the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat” (2 Kings 13:2).
I could keep going, but we’ll stop here. It’s a heartbreaking refrain and a sobering reminder of the importance of stewarding your influence well.
The Final Chapter - Here’s the passage where our two protagonists’ storylines pick back up, 300 years after the events of 1 Kings 13:
2 Kings 23:
15 Furthermore, the altar that was at Bethel and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, even that altar and the high place he tore down. Then he demolished its stones, ground them to dust, and burned the Asherah. 16 Then Josiah turned, and he saw the graves that were there on the mountain, and he sent and took the bones from the graves and burned them on the altar and defiled it according to the word of Yahweh which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these things. 17 Then he said, “What is this monument that I see?” And the men of the city told him, “It is the grave of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel.” 18 And he said, “Let him alone; let no one move his bones.” So they left his bones undisturbed with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.
“Escape By Association” - I use this phrase three times in this episode, moving from a cynical/derisive tone in the first instance to a warmly incredulous one at the end. My intent is to highlight the complexity of this concept. On the one hand, ‘escape by association’ is a cheap out—a tactic employed (or stumbled upon) by those undeserving of the way they get to dodge consequences. On the other hand, it’s exactly the mechanism of our salvation.
(The concept of a “parasite” is similarly layered, and that’s why I chose that word for this episode’s title and address the layers in the introduction.)
The Shrewd Manager - Remembering Jesus’ parable of the shrewd manager parable in Luke 16 helped me understand some of the dynamics at work in this story and have a bit of empathy for the old prophet.
Fast Donkey - If you find yourselve trying to picture someone riding fast on a donkey as you listen to this episode, I’ve got you covered. Apparently, donkey’s don’t really gallop under rein, but they will canter (a quick 3-beat equine gait)—here’s a video for you:
GIVE IT A LISTEN
I hope this one blesses you! Leave a quick rating/review if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, would you? Thanks so much.
3 Cool Things
A Poingant Moment From Gonzo - I haven’t seen the movie, but this song is really touching and seems to me a really beautiful expression of the deep longing for Home and Him baked by Yahweh into the human soul.
From Scratch (actually) - This site is fun and reminds me of what it’s like for us to “do” anything when we’re actually being enabled at every step by divinely given headstarts and helps.
Nashville Calling - Seriously, though—time is running out to grab your tickets to the Christmas show! Save your seat now.
That’s the latest! I hope “The Truth, the Messenger, and the Parasite” blesses (or blessed) you, and thanks again to all of you who came to Arkansas this past weekend!
Gratefully,
Justin