...observations and ramblings from a learner and traveler...

18 August 2013

Scripture arrangement related to previous post

14 Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
he has cleared away your enemies.

And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?” Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.”The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.

The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall never again fear evil.
16 On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Fear not, O Zion;
let not your hands grow weak.
17 The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

 And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.”And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.” And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”

19 Behold, at that time I will deal
with all your oppressors.
And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
and renown in all the earth.
20 At that time I will bring you in,
at the time when I gather you together;
for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes,” says the Lord
18 I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival,
so that you will no longer suffer reproach.

Then the king called Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master's grandson. 10 And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master's grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master's grandson shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David's table, like one of the king's sons. 

(2 Samuel 9:1-11 & Zephaniah 3:14-20, ESV; emphasis mine)

Zephaniah, Sultan Suleiman, and Mephibosheth

  As I've continued to meditate on Zephaniah, yesterday I was struck by one of the most beautiful images of salvation I've seen.  First in 3:14, God calls His people to sing and rejoice and exalt.  Why? They've been cleared of being criminals, and He has removed their enemies.  (Incidentally, their greatest crime which was removed was against God Himself.)  There is no longer any need for them to fear or feel guilt!  They have been saved by the Mighty One who rescues with rejoicing.  The Lord now lives among them!  Indeed, He calls all of them to a great festival.  At this festival, the crippled and the 'black sheep' are honored guests due to His salvation: they are released from oppression and isolation into love and unity.  Furthermore, their forfeited fortunes are restored to them.  Amazing!  
  
  As I pondered this, I wished for a parable or allegory to understand it better, what would it look like for a mighty king to throw a feast for crippled enemies and restore their fortunes, for life... and I got about that far and was reminded of David's treatment of Mephibosheth.  As I read the story again in 2 Samuel 9, I was blown away by the magnitude of the kindness of God as modeled by David.  See, Bethany and I are watching a show about the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman as part of our Turkish learning, and it's completely unthinkable that even such a good and wise sovereign would allow a rival to live, much less bring him to a feast.  Typically, even brothers and stepbrothers might be killed to gain and keep the throne; Suleiman had both his best friend and his oldest son killed when he thought they were threats.  

  So, think of the overwhelming grace of David, the king of Israel, who suddenly has the idea to honor the previous king's family, particularly the line of the previous crown prince!  So, David searches for a potential claimant to his throne in order to 'show the kindness of God to him'!  And yes! that is what he does, he finds Mephibosheth, a crippled grandson of the former King Saul, son of Crown Prince Jonathan.  He tells him to fear nothing and to come eat always at the king's table.  Then, he restores the family fortune to him, a crippled rival who had expected death.  Indeed, that is the kindess of God, a magnificent display of the gospel of the Mighty One's salvation of broken cripple rebels.  


  May our wondering, thankful response to our Sovereign be that of Mephibosheth to his king: And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”  


Scripture arrangement of the related passages: 2 Samuel 9:1-11 & Zephaniah 3:14-20

10 August 2013

Aşkı Bulacaksın - an oldies Turkish love song

  I heard this catchy song in a friend's car a couple weeks ago, so once I figured out how to find it, I wanted to figure out the words.  So, here's my translation of "Aşkı Bulacaksın" which I only completed so I could give it to my wife.  Hopefully, I can improve the translation as my understanding of Turkish idioms improves!  A version of the song performed by Tanju Okan is embedded between my English translation and the Turkish words. 

You will find the prettiest love
Some twilight when you meet her
You’ll find true love, with her
As you come face to face and blush.

Instantly your heart will be ablaze;
Your hand, your foot will dance around.
You will find the prettiest of loves
When the sun sets right as you meet her

You’ll find true love  
You’ll be so tongue-tied
  that you can’t say a word
Everywhere will be brilliant
And those eyes of yours will be dazzled

Don’t ask me what sort
  of issue this is
If you’re in such a state, look at yourself
Don’t whine or complain
  about this sort of love
In the world you've no other joy.

Look! I’ll tell you something.
  Don’t lose your senses.
This is the most beautiful thing in life.
Take care not to forget
  to give ear to your friend,
In the world you've no other joy.

You will find the prettiest of loves…

Instantly your heart will be ablaze;
Your hand, your foot will dance around.
You will find the prettiest love
When the sun sets right as you meet her

You’ll find true love…

 (This song apparently has a completely different meaning than when directly translated from the French original by Dalida “Gigi L'amoroso.”)


En güzel aşkı bulacaksın 
Bir akşamüstü onunla karşılınca 
Aşkı bulacaksın onunla
Göz göze gelip yüzün kızarınca 


Bir anda kalbin tutuşacak 
Elin ayağın dolaşacak 
En güzel aşkı bulacaksın 
Güneş batarken onunla karşılanca 

Aşkı bulacaksın 
Birşeyler söylemek için
  dilin tutulunca
Her taraf aydınlık olacak 

Ve o gözlerin kamaşacak

Bu ne biçim iştir
  diye bana sorma 
Her ne halin varsa kendin gör 
Bu ne biçim aşktır
sızlanıp yakınma 
Dünyada senden mutlusu yok

Bak haberin olsun
aklını kaçırma 
En güzel şey bu hayatında 
Ve sakın unutma
kulak ver dostuna 
Dünyada senden mutlusu yok.

En güzel aşkı bulacaksın... 
Bir anda kalbin tutuşacak 
Elin ayağın dolaşacak 
En güzel aşkı bulacaksın 
Güneş batarken onunla karşılanca 

Aşkı bulacaksın...

*Söz (lyrics): Mehmet Teoman

08 August 2013

My Life, a river

My Life, a river

If my life is like a river, why does it forget the Source?
If my river flows toward the Ocean, shall I select its wanderings?

Shall the burbling spring become a stagnant marsh?
Shall the flowing, living life become a dry creek bed?

Will the river follow grace's path or meander in its own?
Will it plunge and change as waterfall, or pool into a lake?

May it reach the ocean Source in mingled, roaring joy.
Returned: no pantheistic swirl, just Source-exalting thrill.
Purified: never again a cesspool or brackish puddle. 
Energized: receiving, sharing, outpouring Sourced life.