Freedom through glorifying God
For the Lesson titled "Unreality" for April 1 - 7, 2013
In this week’s Christian Science Bible Lesson, titled “Unreality,” we are enjoined to choose a side in the war between good and evil, and to serve on the side of good. We cannot remain uninvolved bystanders. In the Responsive Reading, we have the reminder that “through thy [God’s] precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way” (Psalms 119:104 ). Hate is a strong word, but necessary here, because evil, or error, is not a mere annoyance or distraction. It is the temptation to believe that there is power outside of God, good, that we must overcome.
As a child, I was enamored with the idea of young, small David overcoming the older, gigantic warrior Goliath (see I Samuel 17, citation 4). It didn’t really occur to me to think about the fact that a young teenager was volunteering to fight to the death with a trained, adult soldier. It seems that David’s bravery and valor were being glorified. Taken literally, this is deeply troubling. As a metaphor, though, it has a powerful lesson to teach us about relying solely on God, not on human abilities. David’s complete trust in God’s present help secured protection not only for himself, but also for his people. David’s faith in God, not valor, is being glorified here.
Philistines are believed to have been sea-faring people from some Mediterranean islands in the Aegean Sea, owned by Greece today. They landed in what is today southern Israel/Palestine and warred with local residents to take possession of the land.
While overcoming evil—including the denial of God’s existence and power—is vitally important, the men and women God created are not and cannot be evil. They are beloved of God. Our takeaway today from the David and Goliath story could be that Goliath’s defiance of God was evil and David’s contrasting complete and humble faith in God prevailed and was good. We are encouraged to be unafraid of anything opposed to the power of God, including sin or sickness, and to overcome it. “The enslavement of man is not legitimate” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 228 , cit. 19). Rather, “The power of God brings deliverance to the captive” (p. 224 , cit. 26).
However, simply pushing aside or ignoring beliefs of sin and disease doesn’t deal with them. Mrs. Eddy speaks strongly about what’s required: “All must admit that Christ is ‘the way, the truth, and the life,’ and that omnipotent Truth certainly does destroy error” (Science and Health, p. 353 , cit. 23).
This week we can look for all the ways in which glorifying God’s goodness and power brings us expanded freedom. “Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Galatians 4:7 , cit. 16). We are not slaves to the unreal masters of sin, disease, or death, but we have the inheritance of God, as sons and daughters. “... be free! This is your divine right” (Science and Health, p. 227 , cit. 30).
