31 July 2010
Psalm 75, 76; Judges 5:19-31; Acts 2:22-36; Matt. 28:11-20
The song continues and calls out other nations and venerates Jael for her actions in killing Sisera. We tend to think of taunting a defeated foe as bad sportsmanship and certainly the ending of the song is a taunt of the mother of Sisera, but we in the United States have no concept of what it would be like to live under foreign domination. Not only that, but we are not intimately connected with God through the land itself. Foreign rule was also either an indictment of the god of the country or an indictment of the people’s faithlessness by its god. Victory would have been particularly sweet over the Moabites given the history of the countries and the animosity they shared for one another.
The chief priests paid off the guard of the tomb in order that they not tell what truly happened to Jesus’ body. Why could they not simply come to faith when they heard of the resurrection and why would the guards accept this bribe rather than believe? Even here, however, with Jesus on the mountain, we see that some doubted. The word here is only used twice in the Bible and it means something more like hesitated and perhaps indicates that they wanted to believe but were continuing to find it difficult. Paired with the first paragraph of the reading, it is easy to understand why. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is a difficult thing to believe and if there is another story out there like the one the chief priests concocted, that is actually more believable, one could see the reason to hesitate in belief. We must, however, believe if we are to grow in faith and grace.
When we see Peter here expounding upon the events of the past seven weeks, boldly proclaiming Jesus crucified and resurrected, we see a new creation. Gone is the old Peter who denied Jesus in the courtyard of the high priest and newly emerged is a man with the boldness he always thought he possessed. Simon had indeed become Peter, the rock. Something happened to change this man, and that something was twofold, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. What he had seen he now proclaimed. He knew that there was indeed nothing to fear from the world, God truly had power over the body and soul. His boldness was intimately connected with his sure and certain hope of his own resurrection from the dead. It was one thing to witness Jesus’ resurrection among other disciples, quite another to do so here and in the coming days.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
30 July 2010
Psalm 69; Judges 5:1-18; Acts 2:1-21; Matt. 28:1-10
The song of Deborah is a song of victory but also a song that gives pause. It extols the mighty work of God in the defeat of the Moabites but it also raises questions about some of the tribes of Israel who did not participate in the battle. The poem itself is a wonderful ode to God and to His people who rose to the occasion. The only tribes not mentioned in the song are Judah and Simeon, the southernmost tribes. All the heroes of the victory are singled out for praise, Deborah, Barak and Jael, and those tribes who “rushed” to be there and provide warriors. Victory over the Moabite oppressors who have introduced foreign gods to Israel was indeed a sweet moment.
The morning of resurrection comes and there are not male witnesses to the event other than the guards who become as though dead. The two Marys arrive and as they do, a great earthquake rolls away the stone and the angel tells them the glorious good news that Jesus is alive! As they are leaving as apostles, those sent with a particular message, they become not only the first witnesses to the empty tomb, but also to the fact that Jesus is indeed alive. They have believed the word of the angel and now they have seen for themselves and they are again sent to the disciples with the same message. That the first witnesses were women is interesting in that women in the culture were not allowed to give testimony in court, they were not thought to be reliable. It is also interesting in light of Genesis when God first spoke His word to the man and the woman then was instructed by him. Their faithfulness to Jesus in going to the tomb as soon as they could after the Sabbath is rewarded.
Peter stands and delivers on the day of Pentecost. Jews were gathered from all over to celebrate the harvest festival and the giving of the Law at Sinai. The disciples were gathered as well and suddenly everything changed with the sound of the wind and then the sound of the disciples speaking in all these other languages so that all could understand. The signs all pointed to a work of God but no one had ever seen or heard such things. Of course there were scoffers, there are always skeptics. Peter, however rises to the occasion and provides context for all that is happening. Clearly the Holy Spirit is working in and through him in this hour as he references this passage in Joel’s prophecy to explain what is happening and what it will mean going forward, a new day has dawned in the outpouring of the Spirit, Moses’ desire that all God’s people will be prophets has been realized. This event will give the mission a head start in all the places these pilgrims live when they return after the festival.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength* of my heart and my portion for ever.
For me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
to tell of all your works.
Psalm 69; Judges 5:1-18; Acts 2:1-21; Matt. 28:1-10
The song of Deborah is a song of victory but also a song that gives pause. It extols the mighty work of God in the defeat of the Moabites but it also raises questions about some of the tribes of Israel who did not participate in the battle. The poem itself is a wonderful ode to God and to His people who rose to the occasion. The only tribes not mentioned in the song are Judah and Simeon, the southernmost tribes. All the heroes of the victory are singled out for praise, Deborah, Barak and Jael, and those tribes who “rushed” to be there and provide warriors. Victory over the Moabite oppressors who have introduced foreign gods to Israel was indeed a sweet moment.
The morning of resurrection comes and there are not male witnesses to the event other than the guards who become as though dead. The two Marys arrive and as they do, a great earthquake rolls away the stone and the angel tells them the glorious good news that Jesus is alive! As they are leaving as apostles, those sent with a particular message, they become not only the first witnesses to the empty tomb, but also to the fact that Jesus is indeed alive. They have believed the word of the angel and now they have seen for themselves and they are again sent to the disciples with the same message. That the first witnesses were women is interesting in that women in the culture were not allowed to give testimony in court, they were not thought to be reliable. It is also interesting in light of Genesis when God first spoke His word to the man and the woman then was instructed by him. Their faithfulness to Jesus in going to the tomb as soon as they could after the Sabbath is rewarded.
Peter stands and delivers on the day of Pentecost. Jews were gathered from all over to celebrate the harvest festival and the giving of the Law at Sinai. The disciples were gathered as well and suddenly everything changed with the sound of the wind and then the sound of the disciples speaking in all these other languages so that all could understand. The signs all pointed to a work of God but no one had ever seen or heard such things. Of course there were scoffers, there are always skeptics. Peter, however rises to the occasion and provides context for all that is happening. Clearly the Holy Spirit is working in and through him in this hour as he references this passage in Joel’s prophecy to explain what is happening and what it will mean going forward, a new day has dawned in the outpouring of the Spirit, Moses’ desire that all God’s people will be prophets has been realized. This event will give the mission a head start in all the places these pilgrims live when they return after the festival.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength* of my heart and my portion for ever.
For me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
to tell of all your works.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
29 July 2010
Psalm 71; Judges 4:4-23; Acts 1:15-26; Matt. 27:55-66
Women in leadership over the nation, who would have imagined it! Deborah was judge over Israel and here we see that Barak was afraid to take troops against the Canaanites without Deborah’s presence and his fear disqualified him for the glory that would have been his in ridding the land of the wicked king Sisera and gave that honor to a woman who happened to be in the right place at the right time because her husband had separated himself from his clan and tribe and moved apart from them. Jael seized the moment that God gave her to dispatch, in a most gruesome way, the king who sought refuge in her tent. He had no reason to know or believe that she was an Israelite out in this place apart. God’s providence had her where she needed to be.
Matthew gives us the details about Joseph of Arimathea and the new tomb and the information that when he left the tomb that evening he rolled a great stone across the door of the tomb and left the two Marys who had witnessed the crucifixion there at the tomb. Matthew also supplies information regarding the motivation for keeping guards fixed on the tomb, that the disciples might steal the body to put in motion a myth of resurrection. The Pharisees urged Pilate to post guards to ensure no one stole the body. Pilate acquiesced to their suggestion and therefore there were guards and finally the tomb was sealed to prevent any foul play.
The disciples/apostles decide that someone needs to take Judas’ place and they have some quite specific qualifications. The person must have been with them since the beginning, from the time of Jesus’ baptism until the Ascension. The requirement, then, is an eyewitness to all the significant events of Jesus’ life with a particular focus on the resurrection. They are thinking forensically, to be a witness you need to have been there. It seems that Paul was God’s choice to fill out the apostolic complement of twelve and he was not there to witness these things but was a most powerful witness to these things. I feel certain Matthias was a good man and if he saw all these things he was most assuredly a blessed man, but this is the last we read of him. Paul sets the standard for all those who would come after him in Christian leadership, his willingness and zeal to testify about Jesus are the requirements that should matter to us in the church.
My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praises to you;
my soul also, which you have rescued.
Psalm 71; Judges 4:4-23; Acts 1:15-26; Matt. 27:55-66
Women in leadership over the nation, who would have imagined it! Deborah was judge over Israel and here we see that Barak was afraid to take troops against the Canaanites without Deborah’s presence and his fear disqualified him for the glory that would have been his in ridding the land of the wicked king Sisera and gave that honor to a woman who happened to be in the right place at the right time because her husband had separated himself from his clan and tribe and moved apart from them. Jael seized the moment that God gave her to dispatch, in a most gruesome way, the king who sought refuge in her tent. He had no reason to know or believe that she was an Israelite out in this place apart. God’s providence had her where she needed to be.
Matthew gives us the details about Joseph of Arimathea and the new tomb and the information that when he left the tomb that evening he rolled a great stone across the door of the tomb and left the two Marys who had witnessed the crucifixion there at the tomb. Matthew also supplies information regarding the motivation for keeping guards fixed on the tomb, that the disciples might steal the body to put in motion a myth of resurrection. The Pharisees urged Pilate to post guards to ensure no one stole the body. Pilate acquiesced to their suggestion and therefore there were guards and finally the tomb was sealed to prevent any foul play.
The disciples/apostles decide that someone needs to take Judas’ place and they have some quite specific qualifications. The person must have been with them since the beginning, from the time of Jesus’ baptism until the Ascension. The requirement, then, is an eyewitness to all the significant events of Jesus’ life with a particular focus on the resurrection. They are thinking forensically, to be a witness you need to have been there. It seems that Paul was God’s choice to fill out the apostolic complement of twelve and he was not there to witness these things but was a most powerful witness to these things. I feel certain Matthias was a good man and if he saw all these things he was most assuredly a blessed man, but this is the last we read of him. Paul sets the standard for all those who would come after him in Christian leadership, his willingness and zeal to testify about Jesus are the requirements that should matter to us in the church.
My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praises to you;
my soul also, which you have rescued.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
28 July 2010
Psalm 72; Judges 3:12-30; Acts 1:1-14; Matt. 27:45-54
The Moabites were a hated race, a people whose origins were in the incestuous relations Lot’s daughter had with her father after getting him drunk, their morals shaped by Sodom. It would be a bitter pill to swallow to be subjected to Moabite rule for 18 years. The left-handed Ehud would have been able to pull off this ruse for murder as no one would have expected him to be a southpaw. Left-handed people were not trusted and certainly not with an important mission like this one. It is a strange bias to us today but for centuries in some cultures left-handed people were thought to be of the devil in some way. (Google “left handed and the Bible” for more) If you look at the references in the Bible you will see a clear preference for the right hand. Here, what was normally a handicap became an advantage as no one would have checked the right thigh for a weapon. After this time, the land had an eighty year rest from foreign domination.
The final moments of Jesus’ earthly life are poignant and full of signs. The cry of dereliction, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” begs an answer from heaven and the answer is for our sake Jesus is forsaken on the cross. At that moment all God could see was our sin and He turned away without pity, only judgment. The depth of Jesus’ identification was complete and the curse of Leviticus was enacted and fulfilled on Him for us. The cry is from Psalm 22 which we read on Good Friday in our liturgy in order to get the full implication of Jesus’ words. The curtain of the temple being torn asunder signifies that the veil between heaven and earth has been rent, we all have unmediated access to God, otherwise the wrath of God would have broken out at the tearing of the curtain. The saints being raised signify to us what will be when He comes in glory. The words of the centurion are the truth, more than the inscription on the cross, and they come from the pagan culture who had dominion over the land.
The disciples are given instructions and a promise. They don’t understand the promise and believe that this is the time when Jesus will restore the kingdom to Israel. They are still looking for an earthly kingdom, even after all they have seen. They must have wondered during those forty days why Jesus was revealing Himself only to the disciples and other believers and not to the world by coming to the throne. For whatever their reasons, they are obedient to Jesus’ command to remain in Jerusalem even though they are “men of Galilee” and would likely otherwise have gotten out of town for the next festival, Pentecost after what happened the last time they were all there. In all three of our lessons today we see that God used the things that others looked down on in order to accomplish His will, the left-handed Ehud, Jesus who was cursed under the law for us and these men of Galilee who were suspect to those who were purer through their association with Jerusalem. How is God showing us today that He can use and redeem anything to accomplish His purposes? What is it in your own life that you hide that God could use for His glory?
The Lord exists for ever;
your word is firmly fixed in heaven.
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
you have established the earth, and it stands fast.
By your appointment they stand today,
for all things are your servants.
Psalm 72; Judges 3:12-30; Acts 1:1-14; Matt. 27:45-54
The Moabites were a hated race, a people whose origins were in the incestuous relations Lot’s daughter had with her father after getting him drunk, their morals shaped by Sodom. It would be a bitter pill to swallow to be subjected to Moabite rule for 18 years. The left-handed Ehud would have been able to pull off this ruse for murder as no one would have expected him to be a southpaw. Left-handed people were not trusted and certainly not with an important mission like this one. It is a strange bias to us today but for centuries in some cultures left-handed people were thought to be of the devil in some way. (Google “left handed and the Bible” for more) If you look at the references in the Bible you will see a clear preference for the right hand. Here, what was normally a handicap became an advantage as no one would have checked the right thigh for a weapon. After this time, the land had an eighty year rest from foreign domination.
The final moments of Jesus’ earthly life are poignant and full of signs. The cry of dereliction, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” begs an answer from heaven and the answer is for our sake Jesus is forsaken on the cross. At that moment all God could see was our sin and He turned away without pity, only judgment. The depth of Jesus’ identification was complete and the curse of Leviticus was enacted and fulfilled on Him for us. The cry is from Psalm 22 which we read on Good Friday in our liturgy in order to get the full implication of Jesus’ words. The curtain of the temple being torn asunder signifies that the veil between heaven and earth has been rent, we all have unmediated access to God, otherwise the wrath of God would have broken out at the tearing of the curtain. The saints being raised signify to us what will be when He comes in glory. The words of the centurion are the truth, more than the inscription on the cross, and they come from the pagan culture who had dominion over the land.
The disciples are given instructions and a promise. They don’t understand the promise and believe that this is the time when Jesus will restore the kingdom to Israel. They are still looking for an earthly kingdom, even after all they have seen. They must have wondered during those forty days why Jesus was revealing Himself only to the disciples and other believers and not to the world by coming to the throne. For whatever their reasons, they are obedient to Jesus’ command to remain in Jerusalem even though they are “men of Galilee” and would likely otherwise have gotten out of town for the next festival, Pentecost after what happened the last time they were all there. In all three of our lessons today we see that God used the things that others looked down on in order to accomplish His will, the left-handed Ehud, Jesus who was cursed under the law for us and these men of Galilee who were suspect to those who were purer through their association with Jerusalem. How is God showing us today that He can use and redeem anything to accomplish His purposes? What is it in your own life that you hide that God could use for His glory?
The Lord exists for ever;
your word is firmly fixed in heaven.
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
you have established the earth, and it stands fast.
By your appointment they stand today,
for all things are your servants.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
27 July 2010
Psalm 61, 62; Judges 2:1-5,11-23; Rom. 16:17-27; Matt. 27:32-44
The book of Joshua closes with the statement that in the lives of those elders who outlived Joshua the people kept covenant with the Lord. The book of Judges begins in chapter 1 with details of the further conquest of the land and the reality that some failed to complete the conquest. In this chapter, the proper opening of the story of the time of the Judges, we find the people have not kept covenant and that they are now following after the Baals. Because of their unfaithfulness the Lord has given them over to their enemies to plunder them. The story of the Judges seems to be that of following leaders. When a good judge was in place, a godly person, the nation was one nation under God but when there was no identifiable leader or when the judge was not a godly person, they would lapse into national apostasy. The people of God have always needed an individual, a representative of God to them and them to God. We have that in Jesus, the Word became flesh who dwelt among us and now has taken our humanity into heaven as our representative before the throne.
The crucifixion. All those present, the soldiers, the passers-by and those who came to watch the spectacle, even those being crucified with Him, hurl insults and taunts at Jesus, mocking Him and the claims He made. The reality is that He could have come down from that cross in anger and all would have been undone, it was love, for even these, which kept Him there on the cross in agony until the work was finished. Here we see the depth of God’s love for us and at the same time, the strength of a human will given over to God’s purpose, not allowing human desire to overcome the desire to please the Father, no matter the cost. It embarrasses me in the extreme to see how quickly I am willing to walk away rather than suffer pain on His behalf.
Lately there has been talk in some parts of the church that heresy is preferable to schism. Paul’s words here to the Romans absolutely give the lie to that idea. It is not simply dissensions that are condemned, it is dissensions caused by teaching in opposition to the Gospel that is condemned and Paul links that teaching with human appetite. Some things never change. Most of the teaching causing dissension in the church today is centered around the fulfillment of some human appetite or desire, just as it has always been. Nearly all heresy is rooted in human wish fulfillment, whether for special knowledge as in Gnosticism, the desire to see ourselves as greater than we are as in Pelagianism, or the sexual fulfillment of our own day that drives the church to condone what Scripture condemns. Where is it that our own desires overwhelm us?
Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds
his name is the Lord—
be exultant before him.
Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation.
Psalm 61, 62; Judges 2:1-5,11-23; Rom. 16:17-27; Matt. 27:32-44
The book of Joshua closes with the statement that in the lives of those elders who outlived Joshua the people kept covenant with the Lord. The book of Judges begins in chapter 1 with details of the further conquest of the land and the reality that some failed to complete the conquest. In this chapter, the proper opening of the story of the time of the Judges, we find the people have not kept covenant and that they are now following after the Baals. Because of their unfaithfulness the Lord has given them over to their enemies to plunder them. The story of the Judges seems to be that of following leaders. When a good judge was in place, a godly person, the nation was one nation under God but when there was no identifiable leader or when the judge was not a godly person, they would lapse into national apostasy. The people of God have always needed an individual, a representative of God to them and them to God. We have that in Jesus, the Word became flesh who dwelt among us and now has taken our humanity into heaven as our representative before the throne.
The crucifixion. All those present, the soldiers, the passers-by and those who came to watch the spectacle, even those being crucified with Him, hurl insults and taunts at Jesus, mocking Him and the claims He made. The reality is that He could have come down from that cross in anger and all would have been undone, it was love, for even these, which kept Him there on the cross in agony until the work was finished. Here we see the depth of God’s love for us and at the same time, the strength of a human will given over to God’s purpose, not allowing human desire to overcome the desire to please the Father, no matter the cost. It embarrasses me in the extreme to see how quickly I am willing to walk away rather than suffer pain on His behalf.
Lately there has been talk in some parts of the church that heresy is preferable to schism. Paul’s words here to the Romans absolutely give the lie to that idea. It is not simply dissensions that are condemned, it is dissensions caused by teaching in opposition to the Gospel that is condemned and Paul links that teaching with human appetite. Some things never change. Most of the teaching causing dissension in the church today is centered around the fulfillment of some human appetite or desire, just as it has always been. Nearly all heresy is rooted in human wish fulfillment, whether for special knowledge as in Gnosticism, the desire to see ourselves as greater than we are as in Pelagianism, or the sexual fulfillment of our own day that drives the church to condone what Scripture condemns. Where is it that our own desires overwhelm us?
Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds
his name is the Lord—
be exultant before him.
Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation.
Monday, July 26, 2010
26 July 2010
Psalm 56, 57; Joshua 24:16-33; Rom. 16:1-16; Matt. 27:24-31
The response to Joshua’s challenge is that they know that the Lord is responsible for all that they have and all that they are, how could they possibly follow another god or gods? Joshua doesn’t believe they will be able to do it after all the years he has spent in leadership with Moses and then as he led the people and then calls on them to forsake the foreign gods they have among them already. It was important to renew the covenant, just as they had done at Jericho after they crossed the river but before they occupied the land, and to erect a monument as a reminder that here they promised to follow the Lord. Joshua understood his role as leader as in line with Moses’ role and work, to continually point away from himself to God and to call the people always to the covenant relationship, in the knowledge that God was eternal while human leadership was not. We must always remember that all our praise is due to God alone.
Pilate does his best to separate himself from this kangaroo court but simply washing his hands rather than doing justice won’t cut it. We are called to do justice when we have power over a situation and here Pilate didn’t lead, he allowed himself to be led by the mob. His releasing Barabbas and handing Jesus over to the soldiers ensured he was not innocent of this man’s blood. All that follows is due to Pilate error. (bad pun) The soldiers mock Jesus in what surely had been going through their minds since they saw the triumphal procession of Palm Sunday. Their mockery and savagery come naturally to them. I wonder if the Jews knew that it wasn’t simply Jesus being mocked, He was representative of them to these soldiers and their actions speak of their true attitude towards not just Jesus but them as well.
It is amazing how many people Paul speaks of by name in this closing to the letter to the Romans. He has relationships it seems with many people in the Lord. He urges the Christians at Rome to provide greeting, hospitality and service to all these, particularly Phoebe who has herself done much for others. Paul, due to the times and his own circumstances, knew the value of Christian community when it could either be found or created. At the time Christians were in a distinct minority and were often looked down on and persecuted for their faith and therefore fellowship with one another was a precious commodity and Paul never treated it as anything less than that. He always valued the community and the one, Jesus, who had created the community by His sacrifice. Jesus’ aloneness in His final work had made possible the existence of a community of those whom He is not loathe to call brothers and sisters.
O you who answer prayer!
To you all flesh shall come.
When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
you forgive our transgressions.
Happy are those whom you choose and bring near
to live in your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
your holy temple.
Psalm 56, 57; Joshua 24:16-33; Rom. 16:1-16; Matt. 27:24-31
The response to Joshua’s challenge is that they know that the Lord is responsible for all that they have and all that they are, how could they possibly follow another god or gods? Joshua doesn’t believe they will be able to do it after all the years he has spent in leadership with Moses and then as he led the people and then calls on them to forsake the foreign gods they have among them already. It was important to renew the covenant, just as they had done at Jericho after they crossed the river but before they occupied the land, and to erect a monument as a reminder that here they promised to follow the Lord. Joshua understood his role as leader as in line with Moses’ role and work, to continually point away from himself to God and to call the people always to the covenant relationship, in the knowledge that God was eternal while human leadership was not. We must always remember that all our praise is due to God alone.
Pilate does his best to separate himself from this kangaroo court but simply washing his hands rather than doing justice won’t cut it. We are called to do justice when we have power over a situation and here Pilate didn’t lead, he allowed himself to be led by the mob. His releasing Barabbas and handing Jesus over to the soldiers ensured he was not innocent of this man’s blood. All that follows is due to Pilate error. (bad pun) The soldiers mock Jesus in what surely had been going through their minds since they saw the triumphal procession of Palm Sunday. Their mockery and savagery come naturally to them. I wonder if the Jews knew that it wasn’t simply Jesus being mocked, He was representative of them to these soldiers and their actions speak of their true attitude towards not just Jesus but them as well.
It is amazing how many people Paul speaks of by name in this closing to the letter to the Romans. He has relationships it seems with many people in the Lord. He urges the Christians at Rome to provide greeting, hospitality and service to all these, particularly Phoebe who has herself done much for others. Paul, due to the times and his own circumstances, knew the value of Christian community when it could either be found or created. At the time Christians were in a distinct minority and were often looked down on and persecuted for their faith and therefore fellowship with one another was a precious commodity and Paul never treated it as anything less than that. He always valued the community and the one, Jesus, who had created the community by His sacrifice. Jesus’ aloneness in His final work had made possible the existence of a community of those whom He is not loathe to call brothers and sisters.
O you who answer prayer!
To you all flesh shall come.
When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
you forgive our transgressions.
Happy are those whom you choose and bring near
to live in your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
your holy temple.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
25 July 2010
Psalm 24, 29; Joshua 24:1-15; Acts 28:23-31; Mark 2:23-28
It is important for us as Christians, as communities of Christians and as individual Christians to recount from time to time what the Lord has done for us. In our worship we recall the work Christ has done on our behalf in our Eucharistic prayers, the work that enables us to be children of God. In our communities or churches we need to remember what He has done that has enabled us to serve Him and to survive all that threatens to destroy us so that we can celebrate His faithfulness to us. All churches have faced challenges to survival and have also seen incredible things the Lord has done among us and we need to celebrate Him. As individuals we should regularly recall what He has done for us lest we allow ourselves to be in the mire of the present. Joshua recounts all the Lord has done to get this nation here safely and then calls upon them to either follow the God who has done all this or to follow after the gods of those who have been displaced. It is important to regularly renew our covenant relationship with Him and one another.
It would be interesting to know what the Pharisees thought of Jesus’ answer to their objection to the disciples plucking grain on the Sabbath. The argument that if David could eat the showbread then certainly people should be allowed to simply pull the grain off the stalk and separate the edible portion from the inedible if they are hungry is sensible to them but there is a greater principle at stake. Jesus makes a direct comparison to Himself and the disciples and David and then calls Himself the Son of Man. Even if they resigned themselves to the argument they would have not been able to go along with the comparison to the great hero and king without accusing Jesus of presumption.
Paul’s argument with the Jews regarding Jesus relies on His place in their redemptive history. Paul did his best to scripturally insert Jesus into that history and to show that the Jewish Scriptures themselves testify to Jesus and his life, death and resurrection but they rejected his argument. His quotation from Isaiah is from chapter 6, just after Isaiah has seen the glory of the Lord filling the temple and just as he volunteers to be the Lord’s messenger. Isaiah volunteered for the mission before he was told that no one would listen to his message and that it would not bear fruit because of the hardness of the hearts of the people. Paul claims now to be in line with Isaiah and the people to be the true ancestors of those people. Have we found our place in God’s story of redemption?
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?
O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Psalm 24, 29; Joshua 24:1-15; Acts 28:23-31; Mark 2:23-28
It is important for us as Christians, as communities of Christians and as individual Christians to recount from time to time what the Lord has done for us. In our worship we recall the work Christ has done on our behalf in our Eucharistic prayers, the work that enables us to be children of God. In our communities or churches we need to remember what He has done that has enabled us to serve Him and to survive all that threatens to destroy us so that we can celebrate His faithfulness to us. All churches have faced challenges to survival and have also seen incredible things the Lord has done among us and we need to celebrate Him. As individuals we should regularly recall what He has done for us lest we allow ourselves to be in the mire of the present. Joshua recounts all the Lord has done to get this nation here safely and then calls upon them to either follow the God who has done all this or to follow after the gods of those who have been displaced. It is important to regularly renew our covenant relationship with Him and one another.
It would be interesting to know what the Pharisees thought of Jesus’ answer to their objection to the disciples plucking grain on the Sabbath. The argument that if David could eat the showbread then certainly people should be allowed to simply pull the grain off the stalk and separate the edible portion from the inedible if they are hungry is sensible to them but there is a greater principle at stake. Jesus makes a direct comparison to Himself and the disciples and David and then calls Himself the Son of Man. Even if they resigned themselves to the argument they would have not been able to go along with the comparison to the great hero and king without accusing Jesus of presumption.
Paul’s argument with the Jews regarding Jesus relies on His place in their redemptive history. Paul did his best to scripturally insert Jesus into that history and to show that the Jewish Scriptures themselves testify to Jesus and his life, death and resurrection but they rejected his argument. His quotation from Isaiah is from chapter 6, just after Isaiah has seen the glory of the Lord filling the temple and just as he volunteers to be the Lord’s messenger. Isaiah volunteered for the mission before he was told that no one would listen to his message and that it would not bear fruit because of the hardness of the hearts of the people. Paul claims now to be in line with Isaiah and the people to be the true ancestors of those people. Have we found our place in God’s story of redemption?
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?
O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
24 July 2010
Psalm 55; Joshua 23:1-16; Rom. 15:25-33; Matt. 27:11-23
The community is to be a witness to the Lord and if they intermarry and intermingle with the others around them, who worship other gods, they will ultimately begin to add to their own beliefs. Inevitably, they will have other gods before Yahweh and they will be led astray. Joshua reminds them of all the Lord has done for them and the promise of all that He will do in the future, the work is not yet complete. It is not they who have conquered the Land, the Lord has given it to them and has made them all that they are today. If we remember always that all that we have and all that we are comes from Him, maybe, just maybe, we can learn to have one God and to worship Him alone.
Pilate is amazed at this man before him who is unwilling to speak in his own defense. What sort of man will not defend himself against the charges that are brought when he knows that this man, the governor, has the power of life or death if he will only speak and provide him with the basis for setting him free? His wife, however, has had a dream or vision about this man and is troubled enough to make intercession for Him, that Jesus is an innocent man and Pilate should have nothing to do with Him. He works hard to find a way to release Jesus even though he cannot try him without a defense, the charges stand if not rebutted. A solution presents itself in the form of the tradition of letting someone free during the festival as a show of good will and, amazingly, the people choose Barabbas, an insurrectionist, to be set free rather than this Jesus who has healed them and taught them and been acclaimed by them up until this day.
Paul’s plan is to go first to Jerusalem and then go to Rome by way of Spain. The plan gets ruined in Jerusalem with Paul’s arrest. He will go to Rome but not in freedom, he will go there for trial and death. There is a true irony in his words, “I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.” He will indeed do so, but it will be in chains. Paul understood the blessing of Christ to be something independent of his material circumstance, do we share that understanding? He knows that what Christ has done for him transcends earthly bounds and circumstances and will not allow his joy to be taken away by anything or anyone.
Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.
If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light around me become night’,
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
Psalm 55; Joshua 23:1-16; Rom. 15:25-33; Matt. 27:11-23
The community is to be a witness to the Lord and if they intermarry and intermingle with the others around them, who worship other gods, they will ultimately begin to add to their own beliefs. Inevitably, they will have other gods before Yahweh and they will be led astray. Joshua reminds them of all the Lord has done for them and the promise of all that He will do in the future, the work is not yet complete. It is not they who have conquered the Land, the Lord has given it to them and has made them all that they are today. If we remember always that all that we have and all that we are comes from Him, maybe, just maybe, we can learn to have one God and to worship Him alone.
Pilate is amazed at this man before him who is unwilling to speak in his own defense. What sort of man will not defend himself against the charges that are brought when he knows that this man, the governor, has the power of life or death if he will only speak and provide him with the basis for setting him free? His wife, however, has had a dream or vision about this man and is troubled enough to make intercession for Him, that Jesus is an innocent man and Pilate should have nothing to do with Him. He works hard to find a way to release Jesus even though he cannot try him without a defense, the charges stand if not rebutted. A solution presents itself in the form of the tradition of letting someone free during the festival as a show of good will and, amazingly, the people choose Barabbas, an insurrectionist, to be set free rather than this Jesus who has healed them and taught them and been acclaimed by them up until this day.
Paul’s plan is to go first to Jerusalem and then go to Rome by way of Spain. The plan gets ruined in Jerusalem with Paul’s arrest. He will go to Rome but not in freedom, he will go there for trial and death. There is a true irony in his words, “I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.” He will indeed do so, but it will be in chains. Paul understood the blessing of Christ to be something independent of his material circumstance, do we share that understanding? He knows that what Christ has done for him transcends earthly bounds and circumstances and will not allow his joy to be taken away by anything or anyone.
Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.
If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light around me become night’,
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
Friday, July 23, 2010
23 July 2010
Psalm 40, 54; Joshua 9:22-10:15; Rom. 15:14-24; Matt. 27:1-10
The treaty is tested when the kings of five nations gather against Gibeon to destroy it. Will Joshua and the Israelites honor the treaty when there is a cost to do so? The potential exists that Israel could be defeated here because they have been disobedient to the command of God concerning their relations with the people of the land. On the way, the Lord speaks to Joshua and gives him comfort concerning the success of this mission. Assured of that success, Joshua hastens to get to Gibeon and then routs the enemies. His prayer that the sun stand still in the sky is answered in order that the victory be completed and in addition the Lord sends hailstones to destroy the enemies. One of the plagues of Egypt, the plague of hail, is re-visited.
Even in death Jesus was fulfilling the prophetic words spoken long before with the money given to Judas being used exactly as Jeremiah had seen. Judas, seeing Jesus condemned, repented of what he had done. He knows it is too late to do anything to stop the process and yet the guilt he felt overwhelmed him and he tried to get the blood of Jesus off his hands by returning the money. The Jewish leaders refuse to take his money back, the guilt for what he had done remained on him, not them. The ones who paid the blood money now wish to absolve themselves of guilt by refusing to place it into the treasury, how quaint a notion. Do they believe they have no guilt in having paid blood money? They have all made their deal with the devil.
Paul has one aim and one message, the work of Christ. That is who we are to be as the church but we have allowed ourselves to be distracted by a great many things like politics, financial gain, and nearly countless other issues. We can bring the Gospel to issues like peace, justice, abortion, parenting, finances, and show the world that there is a genuinely Christian way of thinking about them but they cannot usurp the mission of the church to proclaim Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth and the Life. Ultimately the things of this world will pass away and we must ensure that we have done all we can to prepare people to receive that new kingdom with anticipation and joy while doing all we can to restore it in the present. We acknowledge that because of sin we cannot truly hope to see the establishment of God’s kingdom without a new creation, this one is beyond repair, but we can show the world a better way through the fellowship and work of the church.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
Psalm 40, 54; Joshua 9:22-10:15; Rom. 15:14-24; Matt. 27:1-10
The treaty is tested when the kings of five nations gather against Gibeon to destroy it. Will Joshua and the Israelites honor the treaty when there is a cost to do so? The potential exists that Israel could be defeated here because they have been disobedient to the command of God concerning their relations with the people of the land. On the way, the Lord speaks to Joshua and gives him comfort concerning the success of this mission. Assured of that success, Joshua hastens to get to Gibeon and then routs the enemies. His prayer that the sun stand still in the sky is answered in order that the victory be completed and in addition the Lord sends hailstones to destroy the enemies. One of the plagues of Egypt, the plague of hail, is re-visited.
Even in death Jesus was fulfilling the prophetic words spoken long before with the money given to Judas being used exactly as Jeremiah had seen. Judas, seeing Jesus condemned, repented of what he had done. He knows it is too late to do anything to stop the process and yet the guilt he felt overwhelmed him and he tried to get the blood of Jesus off his hands by returning the money. The Jewish leaders refuse to take his money back, the guilt for what he had done remained on him, not them. The ones who paid the blood money now wish to absolve themselves of guilt by refusing to place it into the treasury, how quaint a notion. Do they believe they have no guilt in having paid blood money? They have all made their deal with the devil.
Paul has one aim and one message, the work of Christ. That is who we are to be as the church but we have allowed ourselves to be distracted by a great many things like politics, financial gain, and nearly countless other issues. We can bring the Gospel to issues like peace, justice, abortion, parenting, finances, and show the world that there is a genuinely Christian way of thinking about them but they cannot usurp the mission of the church to proclaim Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth and the Life. Ultimately the things of this world will pass away and we must ensure that we have done all we can to prepare people to receive that new kingdom with anticipation and joy while doing all we can to restore it in the present. We acknowledge that because of sin we cannot truly hope to see the establishment of God’s kingdom without a new creation, this one is beyond repair, but we can show the world a better way through the fellowship and work of the church.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
22 July 2010
Psalm 50; Joshua 9:3-21; Rom. 15:1-13; Matt. 26:69-75
Joshua and the leaders make a foolish decision because they did not inquire of the Lord. They were not to make treaties with any of the peoples of the land but here they do exactly that due to the deception of the people of Gibeon. Joshua is learning as a leader that when he doesn’t ask the Lord for wisdom in a matter he makes mistakes that are costly. The people of Gibeon claim to have knowledge of all the Lord did in Egypt and also seem to be counting upon the Israelites to be more ethical than they are willing to be. Why should the Israelites honor an oath or treaty which was entered into in this way? The law concerning oaths would have demanded that they keep faith even with those who have dealt dishonestly with them. This treaty means that a portion of the land will not be theirs and yet the leaders allow the treaty to stand with the caveat that the people will be limited to hewing wood and drawing water.
Peter’s horrible moment of shame and failure. How awful that sound must have been of the cock crowing when it reached Peter’s ears. Peter was afraid. He didn’t know what they would do to anyone who had been a follower of Jesus. Jesus was accused of leading the people astray into apostasy and if Peter were a follower he might also be accused and found guilty of the same. The punishment was death and Peter knew this. He couldn’t, on this night, bear the thought of facing his death for Jesus’ sake and so he denied knowing Him. There would come a time, however, when Peter would not deny Jesus and he would redeem Himself for his failure this night.
The work of Jesus was to make Himself a “servant to the circumcised.” He constantly said that His mission was to Israel and he submitted completely to them, unto death. Paul sees that in the work of Jesus the Gentiles have seen God. The way in which He revealed the Father is the work of those who are called. We are to reveal the Father in our lives as well, we are a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, just as the Israelites were. The purpose of the church, according to Lesslie Newbiggin is:
The church is the bearer to all the nations of a gospel that announces the kingdom, the reign, and the sovereignty of God. It calls men and women to repent of their false loyalty to other powers, to become believers in the one true sovereignty, and so to become corporately a sign, instrument, and foretasteof that sovereignty of the one true and living God over all nature, all nations, and all human lives. It is not meant to call men and women out of the world into a safe religious enclave but to call them out in order to send them back as agents of God’s kingship.
How are we doing with that? We are called to not be compromised by the world and not to be fooled by the world into making treaties and compromises and yet we fail to ask God for wisdom and discernment. Are we denying Jesus in the process or are we insisting on the scandal of particularity?
I will sing of your might;
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been a fortress for me
and a refuge on the day of my distress.
O my strength, I will sing praises to you,
for you, O God, are my fortress,
the God who shows me steadfast love.
Psalm 50; Joshua 9:3-21; Rom. 15:1-13; Matt. 26:69-75
Joshua and the leaders make a foolish decision because they did not inquire of the Lord. They were not to make treaties with any of the peoples of the land but here they do exactly that due to the deception of the people of Gibeon. Joshua is learning as a leader that when he doesn’t ask the Lord for wisdom in a matter he makes mistakes that are costly. The people of Gibeon claim to have knowledge of all the Lord did in Egypt and also seem to be counting upon the Israelites to be more ethical than they are willing to be. Why should the Israelites honor an oath or treaty which was entered into in this way? The law concerning oaths would have demanded that they keep faith even with those who have dealt dishonestly with them. This treaty means that a portion of the land will not be theirs and yet the leaders allow the treaty to stand with the caveat that the people will be limited to hewing wood and drawing water.
Peter’s horrible moment of shame and failure. How awful that sound must have been of the cock crowing when it reached Peter’s ears. Peter was afraid. He didn’t know what they would do to anyone who had been a follower of Jesus. Jesus was accused of leading the people astray into apostasy and if Peter were a follower he might also be accused and found guilty of the same. The punishment was death and Peter knew this. He couldn’t, on this night, bear the thought of facing his death for Jesus’ sake and so he denied knowing Him. There would come a time, however, when Peter would not deny Jesus and he would redeem Himself for his failure this night.
The work of Jesus was to make Himself a “servant to the circumcised.” He constantly said that His mission was to Israel and he submitted completely to them, unto death. Paul sees that in the work of Jesus the Gentiles have seen God. The way in which He revealed the Father is the work of those who are called. We are to reveal the Father in our lives as well, we are a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, just as the Israelites were. The purpose of the church, according to Lesslie Newbiggin is:
The church is the bearer to all the nations of a gospel that announces the kingdom, the reign, and the sovereignty of God. It calls men and women to repent of their false loyalty to other powers, to become believers in the one true sovereignty, and so to become corporately a sign, instrument, and foretasteof that sovereignty of the one true and living God over all nature, all nations, and all human lives. It is not meant to call men and women out of the world into a safe religious enclave but to call them out in order to send them back as agents of God’s kingship.
How are we doing with that? We are called to not be compromised by the world and not to be fooled by the world into making treaties and compromises and yet we fail to ask God for wisdom and discernment. Are we denying Jesus in the process or are we insisting on the scandal of particularity?
I will sing of your might;
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been a fortress for me
and a refuge on the day of my distress.
O my strength, I will sing praises to you,
for you, O God, are my fortress,
the God who shows me steadfast love.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
21 July 2010
Psalm 119:49-72; Joshua 8:30-35; Rom. 14:13-23; Matt. 26:57-68
Now that they are in the land and have possession of some of it the time has come to worship the Lord who has been faithful and given them the land. They build an altar on Mt Ebal in obedience to the command to do so that had been given through Moses in Deuteronomy 27-28. They re-enacted the ceremony of reading blessings and curses that had been done in that same time in order to say that the law and the covenant are binding on us in this place, the earlier scene was essentially dress rehearsal for this moment when we begin living into the covenant. As the Lord has been faithful, so they remember that He has promised blessing for faithfulness and curses for disobedience. There is no unconditional promise of blessing and they agree to live into their covenant obligations.
Did the high priest have to put Jesus under oath to tell the truth? Is the point that if He swears under oath they will believe Him or have they already decided that He isn’t and the only point to the ceremony is to use this to convict Him? Clearly they have already determined that they evidence they have against Him won’t stand scrutiny and they know the Romans are going to demand something more than that Jesus said He could rebuild the temple in three days if they tear it down. That is hardly an offense for which the Romans will allow crucifixion. They immediately seize upon Jesus’ answer as blasphemy without attempting to discern whether it is true or not, that was already decided.
Sometimes people send me ridiculous false-equivalency emails comparing laws like two fabrics in a garment and food restrictions with homosexuality simply because we believe this conduct to be sinful. Their point is that we don’t enforce these others so why this one. Paul, in this epistle, makes clear that there is a distinction between these types of laws. In Romans 1 he lays out the rationale for why homosexuality matters and here he says why dietary laws do not, they are different categories of laws and thought. Jesus has already said that it isn’t what goes into a person that pollutes but what comes out of the heart. Food, likewise does not pervert a natural order or defile the image of God. Similarly, love isn’t the issue, sex is the issue. One is emotion and one is conduct. We are, however, even in respect to food and other things to keep in mind the conscience of the other and to not give offense. Does that mean that the “weaker” one determines what is acceptable for all? Not at all, it does, however, have an implication for us when we dine with the one who believes differently, we need to respect that belief so as not to cause them to stumble by our freedom.
Remember your word to your servant,
in which you have made me hope.
This is my comfort in my distress,
that your promise gives me life.
Psalm 119:49-72; Joshua 8:30-35; Rom. 14:13-23; Matt. 26:57-68
Now that they are in the land and have possession of some of it the time has come to worship the Lord who has been faithful and given them the land. They build an altar on Mt Ebal in obedience to the command to do so that had been given through Moses in Deuteronomy 27-28. They re-enacted the ceremony of reading blessings and curses that had been done in that same time in order to say that the law and the covenant are binding on us in this place, the earlier scene was essentially dress rehearsal for this moment when we begin living into the covenant. As the Lord has been faithful, so they remember that He has promised blessing for faithfulness and curses for disobedience. There is no unconditional promise of blessing and they agree to live into their covenant obligations.
Did the high priest have to put Jesus under oath to tell the truth? Is the point that if He swears under oath they will believe Him or have they already decided that He isn’t and the only point to the ceremony is to use this to convict Him? Clearly they have already determined that they evidence they have against Him won’t stand scrutiny and they know the Romans are going to demand something more than that Jesus said He could rebuild the temple in three days if they tear it down. That is hardly an offense for which the Romans will allow crucifixion. They immediately seize upon Jesus’ answer as blasphemy without attempting to discern whether it is true or not, that was already decided.
Sometimes people send me ridiculous false-equivalency emails comparing laws like two fabrics in a garment and food restrictions with homosexuality simply because we believe this conduct to be sinful. Their point is that we don’t enforce these others so why this one. Paul, in this epistle, makes clear that there is a distinction between these types of laws. In Romans 1 he lays out the rationale for why homosexuality matters and here he says why dietary laws do not, they are different categories of laws and thought. Jesus has already said that it isn’t what goes into a person that pollutes but what comes out of the heart. Food, likewise does not pervert a natural order or defile the image of God. Similarly, love isn’t the issue, sex is the issue. One is emotion and one is conduct. We are, however, even in respect to food and other things to keep in mind the conscience of the other and to not give offense. Does that mean that the “weaker” one determines what is acceptable for all? Not at all, it does, however, have an implication for us when we dine with the one who believes differently, we need to respect that belief so as not to cause them to stumble by our freedom.
Remember your word to your servant,
in which you have made me hope.
This is my comfort in my distress,
that your promise gives me life.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
20 July 2010
Psalm 45; Joshua 8:1-22; Rom. 14:1-12; Matt. 26:47-56
Remember that the people don’t have a military history. They were slaves in Egypt and then they were in the wilderness for forty years, military strategy isn’t their forte. That Joshua sets an ambush behind the city and pulls off this ruse against Ai is simply explained that the battle, including the plan for battle, belongs to the Lord. The added benefit to the strategy is that they are doing exactly what they did the first time, fleeing, but the flight has a purpose, to make the men of Ai overconfident and let down their defenses. Now, the surrounding peoples will not know for certain whether the original flight was tactic or fear.
The hour has come. Jesus knew what Judas was doing. He had gone out from the meal with the instructions to do quickly what he was going to do and now he shows up in the night to do what no one dared do in the daytime. The leaders knew that the people would never have sat still for the arrest of Jesus as He taught among them and healed those who needed it. Under cover of night, however, they could move against Him. At least one of those with Him was prepared to do battle for Him but when He told them to put away their weapons they fled. With weapons drawn they felt safe and believed that the battle could be theirs and yet without them all their courage evaporated. What a moment this must have been for Jesus to see in the flesh what the eyes of His Spirit had already seen, the disciples completely abandoning Him in this hour. These men knew what forgiveness looked like after the resurrection. They knew that none of them deserved forgiveness or a place in the kingdom.
There are secondary things about which Christians may disagree like eating certain foods and whether or not we observe certain “days” as important. If we know that the other is convicted about these things and keeps them in accord with conscience and unto the Lord, who are we to judge? In our tradition we keep days such as Christmas, Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost, the Transfiguration and others to various “saints.” We do these things to build a rhythm into our lives that is based on remembering all the work Jesus did for us and the good examples of those who have gone before. We know that these “saints” were flawed and sinful men and women but we know that they were dedicated to their Lord and serving Him in their lives and we do well to recall their lives as inspiration to us to aspire to lives lived for Him as they have done. We do this in keeping with the idea of Hebrews 11. I believe it is important for us to follow the good examples of those who have gone before but in order to do that we must also know those examples.
Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the king of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm.
Psalm 45; Joshua 8:1-22; Rom. 14:1-12; Matt. 26:47-56
Remember that the people don’t have a military history. They were slaves in Egypt and then they were in the wilderness for forty years, military strategy isn’t their forte. That Joshua sets an ambush behind the city and pulls off this ruse against Ai is simply explained that the battle, including the plan for battle, belongs to the Lord. The added benefit to the strategy is that they are doing exactly what they did the first time, fleeing, but the flight has a purpose, to make the men of Ai overconfident and let down their defenses. Now, the surrounding peoples will not know for certain whether the original flight was tactic or fear.
The hour has come. Jesus knew what Judas was doing. He had gone out from the meal with the instructions to do quickly what he was going to do and now he shows up in the night to do what no one dared do in the daytime. The leaders knew that the people would never have sat still for the arrest of Jesus as He taught among them and healed those who needed it. Under cover of night, however, they could move against Him. At least one of those with Him was prepared to do battle for Him but when He told them to put away their weapons they fled. With weapons drawn they felt safe and believed that the battle could be theirs and yet without them all their courage evaporated. What a moment this must have been for Jesus to see in the flesh what the eyes of His Spirit had already seen, the disciples completely abandoning Him in this hour. These men knew what forgiveness looked like after the resurrection. They knew that none of them deserved forgiveness or a place in the kingdom.
There are secondary things about which Christians may disagree like eating certain foods and whether or not we observe certain “days” as important. If we know that the other is convicted about these things and keeps them in accord with conscience and unto the Lord, who are we to judge? In our tradition we keep days such as Christmas, Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost, the Transfiguration and others to various “saints.” We do these things to build a rhythm into our lives that is based on remembering all the work Jesus did for us and the good examples of those who have gone before. We know that these “saints” were flawed and sinful men and women but we know that they were dedicated to their Lord and serving Him in their lives and we do well to recall their lives as inspiration to us to aspire to lives lived for Him as they have done. We do this in keeping with the idea of Hebrews 11. I believe it is important for us to follow the good examples of those who have gone before but in order to do that we must also know those examples.
Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the king of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm.
Monday, July 19, 2010
19 July 2010
Psalm 41, 52; Joshua 7:1-13; Rom. 13:8-14; Matt. 26:36-46
Joshua comes to a wrong conclusion. He sent men to spy out the land of Ai but didn’t ask the Lord for a battle plan or if the time was right to move against the city. Even though he had spent many years as Moses’ aide-de-camp he had to learn for himself how to lead the Lord’s people in the Lord’s way. We must take our plans to the Lord for His approval and guidance before setting out. Joshua concludes that the failure of the war party is a failure of God to go with them and believes that the Lord has failed to keep His promise. In his prayer we see that during those years in the wilderness he has also imbibed the ethos of the people. The prayer sounds very much like their grumbling about why the Lord brought them out of Egypt to kill them here. The reason for their failure is simple, they disobeyed concerning the devoted things and the Lord cannot move forward without dealing with the sin.
As Jesus agonizes over what is to come, the disciples rest, unaware of the looming danger. They have not truly believed that Jesus’ words are to come to pass so soon. This scene makes an interesting contrast with the scene with the disciples in the boat and Jesus sleeping on the cushion. There, the disciples are panicked over the storm on the sea of Galilee and they awaken Jesus to help them, believing He doesn’t care about the situation and here we see the opposite situation, Jesus in agony and the disciples asleep. They, however, can do nothing about what comes next, only the Father can change His destiny.
Paul gives ethical advice re how to love one another and includes that we should not owe one another anything. This could perhaps be better translated to let no debt remain outstanding except the debt to love one another which is never completed fulfilled. Jesus has enjoined us in Matthew 5 not to turn away anyone who seeks to borrow from us and it seems likely that Paul follows the teachings of Jesus rather than the teaching of Ben Franklin to be neither a borrower nor a lender. As Jesus has encouraged the disciples to remain awake with Him in His hour of need, so Paul calls the Roman church to wake up for their hour is near. We are to live as those eagerly awaiting the return of the Lord and reminded that we don’t know when that hour will be but we want to be found prepared to receive Him with joy, not go into hiding as Adam and Eve did at His approach.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
for ever and ever.
I will thank you for ever,
because of what you have done.
In the presence of the faithful
I will proclaim your name, for it is good.
Psalm 41, 52; Joshua 7:1-13; Rom. 13:8-14; Matt. 26:36-46
Joshua comes to a wrong conclusion. He sent men to spy out the land of Ai but didn’t ask the Lord for a battle plan or if the time was right to move against the city. Even though he had spent many years as Moses’ aide-de-camp he had to learn for himself how to lead the Lord’s people in the Lord’s way. We must take our plans to the Lord for His approval and guidance before setting out. Joshua concludes that the failure of the war party is a failure of God to go with them and believes that the Lord has failed to keep His promise. In his prayer we see that during those years in the wilderness he has also imbibed the ethos of the people. The prayer sounds very much like their grumbling about why the Lord brought them out of Egypt to kill them here. The reason for their failure is simple, they disobeyed concerning the devoted things and the Lord cannot move forward without dealing with the sin.
As Jesus agonizes over what is to come, the disciples rest, unaware of the looming danger. They have not truly believed that Jesus’ words are to come to pass so soon. This scene makes an interesting contrast with the scene with the disciples in the boat and Jesus sleeping on the cushion. There, the disciples are panicked over the storm on the sea of Galilee and they awaken Jesus to help them, believing He doesn’t care about the situation and here we see the opposite situation, Jesus in agony and the disciples asleep. They, however, can do nothing about what comes next, only the Father can change His destiny.
Paul gives ethical advice re how to love one another and includes that we should not owe one another anything. This could perhaps be better translated to let no debt remain outstanding except the debt to love one another which is never completed fulfilled. Jesus has enjoined us in Matthew 5 not to turn away anyone who seeks to borrow from us and it seems likely that Paul follows the teachings of Jesus rather than the teaching of Ben Franklin to be neither a borrower nor a lender. As Jesus has encouraged the disciples to remain awake with Him in His hour of need, so Paul calls the Roman church to wake up for their hour is near. We are to live as those eagerly awaiting the return of the Lord and reminded that we don’t know when that hour will be but we want to be found prepared to receive Him with joy, not go into hiding as Adam and Eve did at His approach.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
for ever and ever.
I will thank you for ever,
because of what you have done.
In the presence of the faithful
I will proclaim your name, for it is good.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
18 July 2010
Psalm 63, 98; Joshua 6:15-27; Acts 22:30-23:11; Mark 2:1-12
The first step to taking possession of the land is the conquest of Jericho. From the beginning it has to be the work of the Lord so the unique battle plan that requires only shouting from the warriors is successful. Everything must be destroyed, it has all been corrupted by the sin of the people. Joshua tells the people to keep away from the things devoted to destruction so as not to covet. He knew that we are tempted by those thing we cannot have and that coveting them is, itself, sinful. Certainly after all the years in the wilderness when nothing was bought or sold, no wealth accumulated, no new things brought into the lives of the people, it would have been very tempting to the people to have claimed some of the possessions of the conquest. The ban was complete with the exception of Rahab with whom Joshua kept faith as she had kept her end of the bargain.
Jesus’ fame is spreading in Capernaum to the extent that everyone who needs to be healed is coming to Him, overwhelming Him. A group of men bring their friend, a paralytic, and can’t get to Jesus for the crowds so they go onto the roof of the house and cut a hole to let him down before Jesus. I don’t believe Jesus pronounced absolution of the man’s sins simply to get a rise out of the religious folks there. I believe that the sickness was connected to sin and that the first and most important thing was for Jesus to proclaim that the sins had been forgiven. Clearly the harder thing to do is to enable a man to walk again, but Jesus does just that.
Paul’s trial by the Sanhedrin is reminiscent of Jesus’ own and yet the result is quite different. Paul is actively involved in his own defense, perfectly willing to speak truth to power in the form of Ananais. For whatever reason, Paul did not recognize this wicked man who was hated for his brutality and spoke in anger, unlike Jesus, but was quick to acknowledge his sin in speaking to a leader in anger. Paul sized up the situation and used his knowledge of the division between Pharisees and Sadducees to drive a wedge between the parties and divert their attention to this long-running and bitter feud over belief in the resurrection of the dead. The strategy worked and yet the leaders never lost sight of their purpose, dealing with Paul and have him imprisoned. In Jesus’ trial He made no defense and yet He told the disciples that the Spirit would give them words to say when they were before the tribunal. Here, as in the “trials” of John and Peter earlier in Acts we see Jesus’ promise realized.
O God, you are my God, I seek you,
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
Psalm 63, 98; Joshua 6:15-27; Acts 22:30-23:11; Mark 2:1-12
The first step to taking possession of the land is the conquest of Jericho. From the beginning it has to be the work of the Lord so the unique battle plan that requires only shouting from the warriors is successful. Everything must be destroyed, it has all been corrupted by the sin of the people. Joshua tells the people to keep away from the things devoted to destruction so as not to covet. He knew that we are tempted by those thing we cannot have and that coveting them is, itself, sinful. Certainly after all the years in the wilderness when nothing was bought or sold, no wealth accumulated, no new things brought into the lives of the people, it would have been very tempting to the people to have claimed some of the possessions of the conquest. The ban was complete with the exception of Rahab with whom Joshua kept faith as she had kept her end of the bargain.
Jesus’ fame is spreading in Capernaum to the extent that everyone who needs to be healed is coming to Him, overwhelming Him. A group of men bring their friend, a paralytic, and can’t get to Jesus for the crowds so they go onto the roof of the house and cut a hole to let him down before Jesus. I don’t believe Jesus pronounced absolution of the man’s sins simply to get a rise out of the religious folks there. I believe that the sickness was connected to sin and that the first and most important thing was for Jesus to proclaim that the sins had been forgiven. Clearly the harder thing to do is to enable a man to walk again, but Jesus does just that.
Paul’s trial by the Sanhedrin is reminiscent of Jesus’ own and yet the result is quite different. Paul is actively involved in his own defense, perfectly willing to speak truth to power in the form of Ananais. For whatever reason, Paul did not recognize this wicked man who was hated for his brutality and spoke in anger, unlike Jesus, but was quick to acknowledge his sin in speaking to a leader in anger. Paul sized up the situation and used his knowledge of the division between Pharisees and Sadducees to drive a wedge between the parties and divert their attention to this long-running and bitter feud over belief in the resurrection of the dead. The strategy worked and yet the leaders never lost sight of their purpose, dealing with Paul and have him imprisoned. In Jesus’ trial He made no defense and yet He told the disciples that the Spirit would give them words to say when they were before the tribunal. Here, as in the “trials” of John and Peter earlier in Acts we see Jesus’ promise realized.
O God, you are my God, I seek you,
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
17 July 2010
Psalm 30, 32; Joshua 6:1-14; Rom. 13:1-7; Matt. 26:26-35
Can’t you just imagine Joshua waiting for the battle plan, hearing from the Lord and then his reaction to the plan? You want us to do what? March around the city for six days and blow the trumpets and then on the seventh day blow the trumpets seven times and then we all shout and the walls will fall down. I am certain he was a bit reluctant to tell his warriors and the people that this was the plan. The people inside the city must surely have wondered what was up for those first six days as the people marched around without saying anything. It would have been a curious procession to say the least.
Jesus re-interprets the symbols of the Passover and Exodus in light of what will come in these next hours. His body will be given as the lamb’s body was given on the night of Passover and His blood will be our sign that we belong to the Lord. When they drank the cup they could never have known what this meant, what it symbolized, how horrible these next days would be for them. It must have been utterly shocking to them to hear Jesus say that they would all soon desert Him. Peter immediately responds that he will never fail Jesus, even if these others do. To his credit he follows longer than most, but not to the end.
Paul’s reasoning here presupposes authority and laws that are not wrong for Christians, presumes that the prevailing authority is moral. He tells the Romans to do good but Christians must know good. If the authority prescribes evil then what are we to do? If the laws of the land said to kill your neighbor if he is Jewish or to turn your neighbor in to the authorities for that reason, would a Christian be compelled to comply under this passage? No, there is that higher law we must obey. The church began in part by Peter and John defying the authority of the Sanhedrin regarding the preaching in the name of Jesus. We do have a primary obligation but to the extent that the civil law does not prescribe conduct in conflict with God’s law, we have an obligation to be good citizens.
You have turned my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
so that my soul* may praise you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you for ever.
Psalm 30, 32; Joshua 6:1-14; Rom. 13:1-7; Matt. 26:26-35
Can’t you just imagine Joshua waiting for the battle plan, hearing from the Lord and then his reaction to the plan? You want us to do what? March around the city for six days and blow the trumpets and then on the seventh day blow the trumpets seven times and then we all shout and the walls will fall down. I am certain he was a bit reluctant to tell his warriors and the people that this was the plan. The people inside the city must surely have wondered what was up for those first six days as the people marched around without saying anything. It would have been a curious procession to say the least.
Jesus re-interprets the symbols of the Passover and Exodus in light of what will come in these next hours. His body will be given as the lamb’s body was given on the night of Passover and His blood will be our sign that we belong to the Lord. When they drank the cup they could never have known what this meant, what it symbolized, how horrible these next days would be for them. It must have been utterly shocking to them to hear Jesus say that they would all soon desert Him. Peter immediately responds that he will never fail Jesus, even if these others do. To his credit he follows longer than most, but not to the end.
Paul’s reasoning here presupposes authority and laws that are not wrong for Christians, presumes that the prevailing authority is moral. He tells the Romans to do good but Christians must know good. If the authority prescribes evil then what are we to do? If the laws of the land said to kill your neighbor if he is Jewish or to turn your neighbor in to the authorities for that reason, would a Christian be compelled to comply under this passage? No, there is that higher law we must obey. The church began in part by Peter and John defying the authority of the Sanhedrin regarding the preaching in the name of Jesus. We do have a primary obligation but to the extent that the civil law does not prescribe conduct in conflict with God’s law, we have an obligation to be good citizens.
You have turned my mourning into dancing;
you have taken off my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy,
so that my soul* may praise you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you for ever.
Friday, July 16, 2010
16 July 2010
Psalm 31; Joshua 4:19-5:1,10-15; Rom. 12:9-21; Matt. 26:17-25
The kings and peoples who are in the land promised to the Israelites hear of the crossing of the Jordan and their hearts fail within them for they acknowledge that the Lord has done a great thing. Rahab told the spies that when her people heard of the drying up of the Red Sea they had become fearful of the people. After forty years in the wilderness, they have come into the land and on Passover they enjoy the fruit of the land for the first time and the manna is no more, it was daily bread for the journey, never intended to sustain them lo these many years. Joshua meets the commander of the Lord’s army who instructs him that, just as at Mount Sinai, this is holy ground, the Lord is here.
This meal in the upper room is the last of the old Passover celebrations and the first of the new Passover celebrations. Jesus is doing a work that is greater than the first night of Passover when the Israelites were spared the plague of the firstborn. God’s first and only Son would die on behalf of all who would believe God, just as the Israelites would live through faith in the blood of the lamb on the doorpost. The betrayal of Judas is prophesied and Judas knows that Jesus knows. The beginning of the end is at hand.
After 11 chapters of theology, Paul moves through doxology into practical theology, putting into motion what you believe. Paul believed and practiced that the Christian faith was transformational, the way we think about life should play itself out in particular ways. Some of those changes don’t look remarkably different from the rest of the world we inhabit but that is partly due to the influence the Gospel has already had on our world to make these things normative. Things like not thinking too highly of yourself and associating with those who occupy a lower worldly status were not part of Paul’s culture. Many of the things Paul speaks about here remain difficult for us and outside of cultural expectations such as blessing those who persecute you and leaving vengeance to the Lord. All these reflect ways of living and being that Paul would expect from Christians whose worldview had been transformed to a Christian worldview.
Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.
Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord.
Psalm 31; Joshua 4:19-5:1,10-15; Rom. 12:9-21; Matt. 26:17-25
The kings and peoples who are in the land promised to the Israelites hear of the crossing of the Jordan and their hearts fail within them for they acknowledge that the Lord has done a great thing. Rahab told the spies that when her people heard of the drying up of the Red Sea they had become fearful of the people. After forty years in the wilderness, they have come into the land and on Passover they enjoy the fruit of the land for the first time and the manna is no more, it was daily bread for the journey, never intended to sustain them lo these many years. Joshua meets the commander of the Lord’s army who instructs him that, just as at Mount Sinai, this is holy ground, the Lord is here.
This meal in the upper room is the last of the old Passover celebrations and the first of the new Passover celebrations. Jesus is doing a work that is greater than the first night of Passover when the Israelites were spared the plague of the firstborn. God’s first and only Son would die on behalf of all who would believe God, just as the Israelites would live through faith in the blood of the lamb on the doorpost. The betrayal of Judas is prophesied and Judas knows that Jesus knows. The beginning of the end is at hand.
After 11 chapters of theology, Paul moves through doxology into practical theology, putting into motion what you believe. Paul believed and practiced that the Christian faith was transformational, the way we think about life should play itself out in particular ways. Some of those changes don’t look remarkably different from the rest of the world we inhabit but that is partly due to the influence the Gospel has already had on our world to make these things normative. Things like not thinking too highly of yourself and associating with those who occupy a lower worldly status were not part of Paul’s culture. Many of the things Paul speaks about here remain difficult for us and outside of cultural expectations such as blessing those who persecute you and leaving vengeance to the Lord. All these reflect ways of living and being that Paul would expect from Christians whose worldview had been transformed to a Christian worldview.
Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.
Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
15 July 2010
Psalm 37:1-18; Joshua 3:14-4:7; Rom. 12:1-8; Matt. 26:1-16
The crossing of the Jordan is as simple yet miraculous as the Lord promised. When they had crossed the Red Sea they sang their first worship song to commemorate the Lord’s action on their behalf. Here, the Lord tells Joshua to raise a memorial to this crossing. This is to be a sign to them in a way that made no sense in the wilderness, they weren’t going back there so why erect a monument no one will see. Here, however, they are in the land, their land, the land the Lord is giving them, and if you leave the land you will see the memorial of this day when your people entered the land. Moses was given the commandments regarding keeping the Passover feast and it included the statement that when your child asks what this means you are to tell them what the Lord has done. Joshua here is given similar instructions regarding this memorial.
This unknown woman who anoints Jesus will be remembered forever, whenever and wherever this Gospel is proclaimed. Her service to Him is, for the disciples, a marker on the road to Calvary. They remembered her prophetic action and His prophetic words concerning her action, she was preparing Him for burial when none of them knew it was coming so soon. They saw a wasteful extravagance and Jesus saw the purity of her love for Him. Judas couldn’t bear it any longer, that Jesus was continuing to do and say things that cut against his beliefs and now he took action that will also be remembered whenever the Gospel is preached. The contrast between the woman’s act of love and Judas’ act of betrayal is stark and sets the stage for all that will follow. If it were a drama the curtain would come down as Judas speaks to the chief priests and the final act would begin as Jesus enters the city for the last time.
Paul’s appeal to the Romans has a “therefore” to it. Because of all the things he has just taught them about the mercy of God in election and call, because they have seen the Jews on the outside looking in after they had enjoyed the promise of God for so long, they are called to be transformed, beginning with the renewal of their minds. They are to understand that all this should cause them to think differently about everything. The disciples had to change their way of thinking, the Israelites took forty years to change their thinking and be willing to take the first step into the Jordan in order to see God act. If we are to understand the will of God, we must begin to think like Him not like other people. He then moves to how we think of ourselves and others, appreciating the diversity and design of God in ourselves and in others, knowing our need of one another if we are to do the work that has been given us to do.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
Psalm 37:1-18; Joshua 3:14-4:7; Rom. 12:1-8; Matt. 26:1-16
The crossing of the Jordan is as simple yet miraculous as the Lord promised. When they had crossed the Red Sea they sang their first worship song to commemorate the Lord’s action on their behalf. Here, the Lord tells Joshua to raise a memorial to this crossing. This is to be a sign to them in a way that made no sense in the wilderness, they weren’t going back there so why erect a monument no one will see. Here, however, they are in the land, their land, the land the Lord is giving them, and if you leave the land you will see the memorial of this day when your people entered the land. Moses was given the commandments regarding keeping the Passover feast and it included the statement that when your child asks what this means you are to tell them what the Lord has done. Joshua here is given similar instructions regarding this memorial.
This unknown woman who anoints Jesus will be remembered forever, whenever and wherever this Gospel is proclaimed. Her service to Him is, for the disciples, a marker on the road to Calvary. They remembered her prophetic action and His prophetic words concerning her action, she was preparing Him for burial when none of them knew it was coming so soon. They saw a wasteful extravagance and Jesus saw the purity of her love for Him. Judas couldn’t bear it any longer, that Jesus was continuing to do and say things that cut against his beliefs and now he took action that will also be remembered whenever the Gospel is preached. The contrast between the woman’s act of love and Judas’ act of betrayal is stark and sets the stage for all that will follow. If it were a drama the curtain would come down as Judas speaks to the chief priests and the final act would begin as Jesus enters the city for the last time.
Paul’s appeal to the Romans has a “therefore” to it. Because of all the things he has just taught them about the mercy of God in election and call, because they have seen the Jews on the outside looking in after they had enjoyed the promise of God for so long, they are called to be transformed, beginning with the renewal of their minds. They are to understand that all this should cause them to think differently about everything. The disciples had to change their way of thinking, the Israelites took forty years to change their thinking and be willing to take the first step into the Jordan in order to see God act. If we are to understand the will of God, we must begin to think like Him not like other people. He then moves to how we think of ourselves and others, appreciating the diversity and design of God in ourselves and in others, knowing our need of one another if we are to do the work that has been given us to do.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
14 July 2010
Psalm 38; Joshua 3:1-13; Rom. 11:25-36; Matt. 25:31-46
The conquest of the land is to begin. It would be difficult to imagine the anticipation of the people after forty years in the wilderness as they stand on the edge of the fulfillment of the promise of God. The ark will go first, the presence of God among them will lead them as He has led them with the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire all these years in the wilderness. The people are told to consecrate themselves, observe the law and make offerings for sin in order that the Lord can indeed move among them and do mighty things on their behalf. As they stand at the Jordan River and hear that the waters will be heaped up, they were surely remembering that their exit from Egypt was accompanied by a similar event at the Red Sea. This time there is no army behind them, everything lies in front of them.
Jesus speaks of a day of judgment. The standard He sets has to do with what we do for the least of those among us, those in need. The standard here is no different from that of the Good Samaritan who did not know the man who had been beaten but provided for his needs, anyone who needs what we have to give has a claim on us in the name of Jesus. Jesus uses the word, righteous, here to speak of those who will receive eternal life. Paul, James and John all agree that what we believe and what we do are tied to one another. We cannot say we love someone without acting on their behalf, we cannot claim to love the Lord and not join Him in loving the world and that requires us to act not simply express a sentiment. Righteous people are those whose beliefs and actions are in concert with one another.
Paul says that the gift of election is irrevocable, the Jews have not been rejected by the one who called and elected them. He sees this rejection of the Gospel and blessing of the Gentiles as similar to times of old when men like Cyrus, the Persian king were used by God against His people in order to bring them back to Himself, a time of exile meant to win their hearts through jealousy. What he sees though is that just as the call of the Jews is irrevocable, so now the call to all flesh is irrevocable, it isn’t just for the sake of getting the people to return to Him, it is also the same mercy shown them in the original election now being shown to the world. At the end of what we know as eleven chapters of theology, knowledge of God, Paul breaks into doxology, praise of God. He realizes that his all of this is wonderful, not simply logic or deduction on his part.
Do not forsake me, O Lord;
O my God, do not be far from me;
make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation.
Psalm 38; Joshua 3:1-13; Rom. 11:25-36; Matt. 25:31-46
The conquest of the land is to begin. It would be difficult to imagine the anticipation of the people after forty years in the wilderness as they stand on the edge of the fulfillment of the promise of God. The ark will go first, the presence of God among them will lead them as He has led them with the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire all these years in the wilderness. The people are told to consecrate themselves, observe the law and make offerings for sin in order that the Lord can indeed move among them and do mighty things on their behalf. As they stand at the Jordan River and hear that the waters will be heaped up, they were surely remembering that their exit from Egypt was accompanied by a similar event at the Red Sea. This time there is no army behind them, everything lies in front of them.
Jesus speaks of a day of judgment. The standard He sets has to do with what we do for the least of those among us, those in need. The standard here is no different from that of the Good Samaritan who did not know the man who had been beaten but provided for his needs, anyone who needs what we have to give has a claim on us in the name of Jesus. Jesus uses the word, righteous, here to speak of those who will receive eternal life. Paul, James and John all agree that what we believe and what we do are tied to one another. We cannot say we love someone without acting on their behalf, we cannot claim to love the Lord and not join Him in loving the world and that requires us to act not simply express a sentiment. Righteous people are those whose beliefs and actions are in concert with one another.
Paul says that the gift of election is irrevocable, the Jews have not been rejected by the one who called and elected them. He sees this rejection of the Gospel and blessing of the Gentiles as similar to times of old when men like Cyrus, the Persian king were used by God against His people in order to bring them back to Himself, a time of exile meant to win their hearts through jealousy. What he sees though is that just as the call of the Jews is irrevocable, so now the call to all flesh is irrevocable, it isn’t just for the sake of getting the people to return to Him, it is also the same mercy shown them in the original election now being shown to the world. At the end of what we know as eleven chapters of theology, knowledge of God, Paul breaks into doxology, praise of God. He realizes that his all of this is wonderful, not simply logic or deduction on his part.
Do not forsake me, O Lord;
O my God, do not be far from me;
make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
13 July 2010
Psalm 26, 28; Joshua 2:15-24; Rom. 11:13-24; Matt. 25:14-30
Rahab helps the spies to escape and draws from them a promise that she and her family will live if she keeps faith with them. Rahab has heard about the God of these Hebrews and is willing to change allegiance based on what she has heard. She is throwing over her people at least partly in order to save herself from death but in the process she is taking great risks. If she is wrong here she is likely to be found out and to die. This time when the spies return they give a simple and encouraging report based on this one interview, “the inhabitants of the land melt in fear before us.”
The parable of the talents is one that should haunt us in the west. We have been given many assets that churches in other places do not have and what return are we offering? We have been given the freedom to worship and proclaim Christ, we have been given tax benefits, we have the Bible in as common language as is possible, we have the ability to use all media outlets, the public square, an almost endless list of advantages, and yet the church in real terms is not larger today than it was fifty years ago. If we as individuals were asked to give an accounting of our stewardship of the Good News how would we fare? If we had a retirement account that we invested in years ago and now were prepared to retire and our investment manager showed us the returns and they looked like our return on God’s investment in us would we be pleased?
In the doctrine of election there is no room for pride, only humility. God reveals Himself to whom He chooses, not for our merits but in His sovereignty. He makes Himself known through the prevenient grace of a move of the Holy Spirit in our lives, not through our natural goodness, there is no such thing. As with Paul, our eyes cannot see nor our hearts and minds comprehend Him, we require His Spirit in order to see and understand. Even faith itself is a gift from God to us. Given all those things, how can we not praise Him to the highest heavens and follow wherever He leads?
Blessed be the Lord,
for he has heard the sound of my pleadings.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts;
so I am helped, and my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.
Psalm 26, 28; Joshua 2:15-24; Rom. 11:13-24; Matt. 25:14-30
Rahab helps the spies to escape and draws from them a promise that she and her family will live if she keeps faith with them. Rahab has heard about the God of these Hebrews and is willing to change allegiance based on what she has heard. She is throwing over her people at least partly in order to save herself from death but in the process she is taking great risks. If she is wrong here she is likely to be found out and to die. This time when the spies return they give a simple and encouraging report based on this one interview, “the inhabitants of the land melt in fear before us.”
The parable of the talents is one that should haunt us in the west. We have been given many assets that churches in other places do not have and what return are we offering? We have been given the freedom to worship and proclaim Christ, we have been given tax benefits, we have the Bible in as common language as is possible, we have the ability to use all media outlets, the public square, an almost endless list of advantages, and yet the church in real terms is not larger today than it was fifty years ago. If we as individuals were asked to give an accounting of our stewardship of the Good News how would we fare? If we had a retirement account that we invested in years ago and now were prepared to retire and our investment manager showed us the returns and they looked like our return on God’s investment in us would we be pleased?
In the doctrine of election there is no room for pride, only humility. God reveals Himself to whom He chooses, not for our merits but in His sovereignty. He makes Himself known through the prevenient grace of a move of the Holy Spirit in our lives, not through our natural goodness, there is no such thing. As with Paul, our eyes cannot see nor our hearts and minds comprehend Him, we require His Spirit in order to see and understand. Even faith itself is a gift from God to us. Given all those things, how can we not praise Him to the highest heavens and follow wherever He leads?
Blessed be the Lord,
for he has heard the sound of my pleadings.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts;
so I am helped, and my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.
Monday, July 12, 2010
12 July 2010
Psalm 25; Joshua 2:1-14; Rom. 11:1-12; Matt. 25:1-13
Joshua sends out spies just as Moses had done years before but with a very different result. The spies stayed with a prostitute who was becoming a God –fearer based on what she had heard, and she acted faithfully and righteously with the spies, providing not only hospitality but also protection. After all these years in the wilderness because they had been afraid of the inhabitants of the land it must have been incredibly ironic to hear from Rahab how fearful the people of the land were concerning the Israelites. “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt in fear before you.” What they had heard was about the Red Sea. They had known, even at that time, that the Lord was with them and had been expecting them for forty years! What a wonderful opportunity for Rahab that these men had come to her by divine appointment, she who had come to believe in the Lord as God of heaven and earth. She got her chance for a new start in life and she made the most of it.
The bridesmaids here are unprepared for the delay in the coming of the groom. They would be the party who processed with the groom to the wedding banquet and other festivities and all were expected to carry a torch. Those who accompanied the party and who were not carrying torches would be presumed to be party crashers and turned away. Both the wise and foolish slept during the delay but the wise ones had brought oil enough for the delay while the foolish were unprepared and as the procession got to the banquet these foolish ones were nowhere to be seen and therefore were not in time to join in. We must always be prepared for the coming of the Lord.
Paul assures the readers that God has not rejected the Israelites, that the same door of faith in Jesus is open to all. Grace is required to enter that door, however, and it is the only door. Paul recognizes himself in the passages he cites, that God gave them eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear. He knows that unless the Lord opens our eyes we cannot see and unless he unstops the ears we are deaf to Him. Grace is the key to the door, the grace of God poured out in our lives enabling us to come to faith in His Son. Preparation for the coming of Jesus is anxiously waiting for Him in prayer and all such good works as He has prepared for us to walk in.
Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.
Psalm 25; Joshua 2:1-14; Rom. 11:1-12; Matt. 25:1-13
Joshua sends out spies just as Moses had done years before but with a very different result. The spies stayed with a prostitute who was becoming a God –fearer based on what she had heard, and she acted faithfully and righteously with the spies, providing not only hospitality but also protection. After all these years in the wilderness because they had been afraid of the inhabitants of the land it must have been incredibly ironic to hear from Rahab how fearful the people of the land were concerning the Israelites. “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt in fear before you.” What they had heard was about the Red Sea. They had known, even at that time, that the Lord was with them and had been expecting them for forty years! What a wonderful opportunity for Rahab that these men had come to her by divine appointment, she who had come to believe in the Lord as God of heaven and earth. She got her chance for a new start in life and she made the most of it.
The bridesmaids here are unprepared for the delay in the coming of the groom. They would be the party who processed with the groom to the wedding banquet and other festivities and all were expected to carry a torch. Those who accompanied the party and who were not carrying torches would be presumed to be party crashers and turned away. Both the wise and foolish slept during the delay but the wise ones had brought oil enough for the delay while the foolish were unprepared and as the procession got to the banquet these foolish ones were nowhere to be seen and therefore were not in time to join in. We must always be prepared for the coming of the Lord.
Paul assures the readers that God has not rejected the Israelites, that the same door of faith in Jesus is open to all. Grace is required to enter that door, however, and it is the only door. Paul recognizes himself in the passages he cites, that God gave them eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear. He knows that unless the Lord opens our eyes we cannot see and unless he unstops the ears we are deaf to Him. Grace is the key to the door, the grace of God poured out in our lives enabling us to come to faith in His Son. Preparation for the coming of Jesus is anxiously waiting for Him in prayer and all such good works as He has prepared for us to walk in.
Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
11 July 2010
Psalm 148, 149, 150; Joshua 1:1-18; Acts 21:3-15; Mark 1:21-27
Joshua is now the leader. It is easier to be in the second seat than in the seat of leadership. While he was prepared to take the promised land forty years before, the risks for a leader are greater than for the number two person. It takes more courage for the leader to make those hard decisions. The Lord tells him multiple times to be strong and courageous, just as Moses had told him in Deuteronomy 31 when he told him it was his turn to lead. Joshua first must call those tribes who have already settled on the other side of the Jordan and hold them accountable for their promise to lead the people into the land that they will not occupy. They agree willingly to go and then they too call for Joshua to be strong and courageous. A leader needs to hear it often.
The authority with which Jesus taught was the authority of one who truly knew the intent of the law and how it was to be interpreted both in words and in life. Teachers, rabbis, scribes, taught with a derived authority, quoting the teachers who had taught them, “Rabbi so-and-so taught…” Clearly Jesus did not teach that way, He taught with an authority that comes from being the law-giver and knowing the true interpretation. The people responded to His teaching. A demon presented itself in the assembly and Jesus spoke to it with the same authority with which He taught, as one who had authority over the demon. His authority is the authority of the Son. We, as adopted children, filled with His Spirit, have a similar authority.
Everyone seems to have known what was going to happen if Paul went to Jerusalem. Then, as now, people want to prevent pain and suffering, and all attempt to persuade Paul not to go to Jerusalem. The disciples did their best to prevent Jesus from going as well. Paul will not be dissuaded, he is prepared to meet his destiny. He received the words of prophecy but refuses to accept their interpretation of what it means for him. Paul was convinced that if this was to be the case, it was the Lord’s will. How many of us would have the courage to do as Paul did here? Would most of us not be glad for the chance to avoid arrest and imprisonment? Paul was strong and courageous, just as Joshua was, and it is for that strength and courage that he is admired.
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty firmament!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his surpassing greatness!
Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 148, 149, 150; Joshua 1:1-18; Acts 21:3-15; Mark 1:21-27
Joshua is now the leader. It is easier to be in the second seat than in the seat of leadership. While he was prepared to take the promised land forty years before, the risks for a leader are greater than for the number two person. It takes more courage for the leader to make those hard decisions. The Lord tells him multiple times to be strong and courageous, just as Moses had told him in Deuteronomy 31 when he told him it was his turn to lead. Joshua first must call those tribes who have already settled on the other side of the Jordan and hold them accountable for their promise to lead the people into the land that they will not occupy. They agree willingly to go and then they too call for Joshua to be strong and courageous. A leader needs to hear it often.
The authority with which Jesus taught was the authority of one who truly knew the intent of the law and how it was to be interpreted both in words and in life. Teachers, rabbis, scribes, taught with a derived authority, quoting the teachers who had taught them, “Rabbi so-and-so taught…” Clearly Jesus did not teach that way, He taught with an authority that comes from being the law-giver and knowing the true interpretation. The people responded to His teaching. A demon presented itself in the assembly and Jesus spoke to it with the same authority with which He taught, as one who had authority over the demon. His authority is the authority of the Son. We, as adopted children, filled with His Spirit, have a similar authority.
Everyone seems to have known what was going to happen if Paul went to Jerusalem. Then, as now, people want to prevent pain and suffering, and all attempt to persuade Paul not to go to Jerusalem. The disciples did their best to prevent Jesus from going as well. Paul will not be dissuaded, he is prepared to meet his destiny. He received the words of prophecy but refuses to accept their interpretation of what it means for him. Paul was convinced that if this was to be the case, it was the Lord’s will. How many of us would have the courage to do as Paul did here? Would most of us not be glad for the chance to avoid arrest and imprisonment? Paul was strong and courageous, just as Joshua was, and it is for that strength and courage that he is admired.
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty firmament!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his surpassing greatness!
Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
10 July 2010
Psalm 20, 21; Deut. 34:1-12; Rom. 10:14-21; Matt. 24:32-51
Can you imagine what must have been going through Moses’ mind on Mount Pisgah? He had led these people for forty years and now he stands looking into the land knowing that they will soon begin to occupy it and he will not enjoy the fruit of the land and the joy of entering with them. Sin is sin and there is a price for sin. He will always be a tragic figure and not the deliverer/savior of the people. They will wait for another Messiah who will submit to Yahweh completely, not seeking His own glory in any way and doing all things according to plan. We are told in Numbers 12 that Moses was the most humble man on earth and yet even that level of humility was not enough, he took upon himself some level of credit for the work of God in providing water from the rock, and in that one moment of failing to give glory to God he disqualified himself from taking the next steps into the Promised Land. Moses never gets bitter about that and submits to the judgment of God in the matter. The people wept and mourned and then it was time to move on under the leadership of Joshua.
We know that He is coming at an unexpected hour and every generation since His ascension has believed itself to be in the last days but the world is not a bit better for that belief. Sin abounds in our day as like none other before it for all the speculation and all the sales of apocalyptic literature. How many Left Behind series books were sold and yet there is little to no evidence that they produced any increase in righteousness or even a desire for more righteousness. We are simply curious. We are called to be those who are prepared no matter how long the delay in His coming. Are we?
We can proclaim the end times or we can proclaim Christ. If no one goes and proclaims Him there will be no harvest. It is important for us to heed the call to go and make disciples and teach those whom we would baptize to obey all that Jesus has commanded, but we do so knowing the reality is that all will not believe and all who believe will not obey. We are called to be faithful and the fruit is up to Him by the power of His Spirit. Just as Moses was commanded to speak to the rock but it was the work of God to bring forth water, so we are commanded to preach the Gospel to all creatures and give glory to Him for any fruit born of that labor. Can we say that we as a people and we as individuals are being faithful to the commission we have been given?
Now I know that the Lord will help his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with mighty victories by his right hand.
Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses,
but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.
Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength!
We will sing and praise your power.
Psalm 20, 21; Deut. 34:1-12; Rom. 10:14-21; Matt. 24:32-51
Can you imagine what must have been going through Moses’ mind on Mount Pisgah? He had led these people for forty years and now he stands looking into the land knowing that they will soon begin to occupy it and he will not enjoy the fruit of the land and the joy of entering with them. Sin is sin and there is a price for sin. He will always be a tragic figure and not the deliverer/savior of the people. They will wait for another Messiah who will submit to Yahweh completely, not seeking His own glory in any way and doing all things according to plan. We are told in Numbers 12 that Moses was the most humble man on earth and yet even that level of humility was not enough, he took upon himself some level of credit for the work of God in providing water from the rock, and in that one moment of failing to give glory to God he disqualified himself from taking the next steps into the Promised Land. Moses never gets bitter about that and submits to the judgment of God in the matter. The people wept and mourned and then it was time to move on under the leadership of Joshua.
We know that He is coming at an unexpected hour and every generation since His ascension has believed itself to be in the last days but the world is not a bit better for that belief. Sin abounds in our day as like none other before it for all the speculation and all the sales of apocalyptic literature. How many Left Behind series books were sold and yet there is little to no evidence that they produced any increase in righteousness or even a desire for more righteousness. We are simply curious. We are called to be those who are prepared no matter how long the delay in His coming. Are we?
We can proclaim the end times or we can proclaim Christ. If no one goes and proclaims Him there will be no harvest. It is important for us to heed the call to go and make disciples and teach those whom we would baptize to obey all that Jesus has commanded, but we do so knowing the reality is that all will not believe and all who believe will not obey. We are called to be faithful and the fruit is up to Him by the power of His Spirit. Just as Moses was commanded to speak to the rock but it was the work of God to bring forth water, so we are commanded to preach the Gospel to all creatures and give glory to Him for any fruit born of that labor. Can we say that we as a people and we as individuals are being faithful to the commission we have been given?
Now I know that the Lord will help his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with mighty victories by his right hand.
Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses,
but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.
Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength!
We will sing and praise your power.
Friday, July 9, 2010
9 July 2010
Psalm 16, 17; Deut. 31:7-13,24-32:4; Rom 10:1-13; Matt. 24:15-31
Moses completes the writing of the Law and commands the people that every seven years all the Law is to be read to the people so that they may have no excuse for knowing the will of God for their lives. In the book of Nehemiah we see a people who have forgotten the law, they have not kept this command and when it is read and the sense is given to them they begin to weep for their sinfulness and have to be encouraged to eat as the day is the Lord’s. Do we have an adequate sense of sin that we should “acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness” and is “the remembrance of them grievous unto us.” Those are the words of the confession of sin in Rite I, and I often have to pause and ask myself if I truly understand sin and righteousness enough to see how horrible a thing sin is in order that I might more fully appreciate the great love of God in Jesus’ taking on those sins. I am a great sinner and in need of a great savior.
Jesus continues to tell his disciples how horrible will be those days before His coming again. These same things are written in the book of the Revelation given to John at Patmos, the end is horrifying and yet there are those who will not turn to the Lord to save them. The fallenness of humanity is so great that even in these things we cannot or will not see the Lord. Jesus’ promise is that He will come in the heavens, just as He ascended before the eyes of the disciples.
For Paul it was a great grief to see his brothers and sisters in Judaism refusing to see the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. He knew that it took a work of God to open his own eyes so that he was able to see and receive that salvation. He formerly thought of himself as righteous, deserving of special note by God but in that encounter on the road to Damascus he saw both Jesus and himself clearly and realized the effects of sin in his life were such that without God’s grace in opening his eyes by blinding him he could never have been saved. It is simply the recognition of belief and the confession of the lips of Jesus Christ that allows us to enter eternal life. How can we not celebrate and praise Him to the highest heavens? How can we keep our lips sealed in front of the world if we know the greatness of God?
I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I keep the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
my body also rests secure.
You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.
Psalm 16, 17; Deut. 31:7-13,24-32:4; Rom 10:1-13; Matt. 24:15-31
Moses completes the writing of the Law and commands the people that every seven years all the Law is to be read to the people so that they may have no excuse for knowing the will of God for their lives. In the book of Nehemiah we see a people who have forgotten the law, they have not kept this command and when it is read and the sense is given to them they begin to weep for their sinfulness and have to be encouraged to eat as the day is the Lord’s. Do we have an adequate sense of sin that we should “acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness” and is “the remembrance of them grievous unto us.” Those are the words of the confession of sin in Rite I, and I often have to pause and ask myself if I truly understand sin and righteousness enough to see how horrible a thing sin is in order that I might more fully appreciate the great love of God in Jesus’ taking on those sins. I am a great sinner and in need of a great savior.
Jesus continues to tell his disciples how horrible will be those days before His coming again. These same things are written in the book of the Revelation given to John at Patmos, the end is horrifying and yet there are those who will not turn to the Lord to save them. The fallenness of humanity is so great that even in these things we cannot or will not see the Lord. Jesus’ promise is that He will come in the heavens, just as He ascended before the eyes of the disciples.
For Paul it was a great grief to see his brothers and sisters in Judaism refusing to see the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. He knew that it took a work of God to open his own eyes so that he was able to see and receive that salvation. He formerly thought of himself as righteous, deserving of special note by God but in that encounter on the road to Damascus he saw both Jesus and himself clearly and realized the effects of sin in his life were such that without God’s grace in opening his eyes by blinding him he could never have been saved. It is simply the recognition of belief and the confession of the lips of Jesus Christ that allows us to enter eternal life. How can we not celebrate and praise Him to the highest heavens? How can we keep our lips sealed in front of the world if we know the greatness of God?
I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I keep the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
my body also rests secure.
You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
8 July 2010
Psalm 18:1-20; Deut. 3:18-28; Rom. 9:19-33; Matt. 24:1-14
Moses recounts how he lost the right to enter the Land. It is surely with deep regret that this man who has so ably and patiently led this people must now die before possessing the promise, but his disobedience cost him that blessing. He does have some final things to say to the people by way of instruction for how they are to live in the land. He begins by reminding the tribes who chose to have the land on the other side of the Jordan that they have a promise to keep to all the others to assist them in gaining their own land and by reminding all the people that the Lord has done great things for them. It is at this time that we learn that Joshua will be the new leader. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone given his position next to Moses for lo these many years, but it is now official.
Jesus prepares His disciples for their own experience of life without Him physically present. It sounds remarkably less happy an existence than was promised to the Israelites on entering the Land. There is nothing pleasant about Jesus’ prophecy. He is telling them the world is only going to get worse and there will be many who come claiming to be Messiah and some will be led astray. Perseverance is the order of the day. Somehow we have come to a place and time when popular preachers promise only good things for Christians. I wonder if these have ever actually read anything of Jesus’ prophetic words concerning the time between His going to the Father and His coming again.
God’s will is inscrutable, it is not to be known by us. That does not mean that God has chosen to hide from us, it means that due to our sin we have hidden from Him and now we are so marred by sin and by our creaturliness that we are unable to know. In Jesus we know of His love for us as His children and that is likewise a great mystery as we know ourselves to be unlovable, it is simply His choice. Paul sees that faith is the key to salvation, not attempts at righteousness. Election is a doctrine of the church that should again drive us to our knees and praise Him for amazing grace.
I love you, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
so I shall be saved from my enemies.
Psalm 18:1-20; Deut. 3:18-28; Rom. 9:19-33; Matt. 24:1-14
Moses recounts how he lost the right to enter the Land. It is surely with deep regret that this man who has so ably and patiently led this people must now die before possessing the promise, but his disobedience cost him that blessing. He does have some final things to say to the people by way of instruction for how they are to live in the land. He begins by reminding the tribes who chose to have the land on the other side of the Jordan that they have a promise to keep to all the others to assist them in gaining their own land and by reminding all the people that the Lord has done great things for them. It is at this time that we learn that Joshua will be the new leader. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone given his position next to Moses for lo these many years, but it is now official.
Jesus prepares His disciples for their own experience of life without Him physically present. It sounds remarkably less happy an existence than was promised to the Israelites on entering the Land. There is nothing pleasant about Jesus’ prophecy. He is telling them the world is only going to get worse and there will be many who come claiming to be Messiah and some will be led astray. Perseverance is the order of the day. Somehow we have come to a place and time when popular preachers promise only good things for Christians. I wonder if these have ever actually read anything of Jesus’ prophetic words concerning the time between His going to the Father and His coming again.
God’s will is inscrutable, it is not to be known by us. That does not mean that God has chosen to hide from us, it means that due to our sin we have hidden from Him and now we are so marred by sin and by our creaturliness that we are unable to know. In Jesus we know of His love for us as His children and that is likewise a great mystery as we know ourselves to be unlovable, it is simply His choice. Paul sees that faith is the key to salvation, not attempts at righteousness. Election is a doctrine of the church that should again drive us to our knees and praise Him for amazing grace.
I love you, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
so I shall be saved from my enemies.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
7 July 2010
Psalm 119:1-24; Deut. 1:1-18; Rom. 9:1-18; Matt. 23:27-39
Verse 2 may be the saddest verse in the Pentateuch: “By the way of Mount Seir it takes eleven days to reach Kadesh-barnea from Horeb.” Eleven days or forty years, take your pick. Moses recounts his attitude towards this horde and uses the words of the promise to Abraham, they are as numerous as the stars in heaven. He begins his valedictory address by remembering before them what they have done and how he has led them in righteousness, according to God’s plan. They are to remember who they are and whose they are and to recall that these forty years need not have been.
Jesus speaks plainly and directly to the spiritual leaders of the nation, calling them whitewashed tombs and murderers of the prophets of God. Jesus exposes them for who they are and that in their quest for righteousness they have forgotten what real righteousness means. Righteousness is an inside-out issue, the motivation for the action matters. As Paul will say to the Corinthians if love isn’t there then what we do is clanging cymbals and sounding brass. Jesus also connects these leaders with the leaders of old who led the people astray and into exile, ever believing that they were right, even in the face of prophetic words to the contrary. A greater prophet now speaks, one John says came directly from the Father’s side, and here He prophesies that they will do as their forefathers did to the prophets of old. He closes with a tender image of a hen gathering her chicks and says that the blame is all on them, they would not come to Him.
Is God fickle? Paul’s argument here is that election is God’s sovereign will at work and it seems that He chooses whom He favors without apparent cause. Part of the omniscience of God requires us to understand that He knows the future in the present, and His choice is based on knowledge we don’t have at the time. Time is a construct of creation, a function of the movement of the planet on which we live, and God lives outside of that creation. We are limited by the reality of our created-ness in ways that He is not. We can either rail against that or rest in it in peace and trust in the One who created us to be wise and loving.
Deal bountifully with your servant,
so that I may live and observe your word.
Open my eyes, so that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law.
Psalm 119:1-24; Deut. 1:1-18; Rom. 9:1-18; Matt. 23:27-39
Verse 2 may be the saddest verse in the Pentateuch: “By the way of Mount Seir it takes eleven days to reach Kadesh-barnea from Horeb.” Eleven days or forty years, take your pick. Moses recounts his attitude towards this horde and uses the words of the promise to Abraham, they are as numerous as the stars in heaven. He begins his valedictory address by remembering before them what they have done and how he has led them in righteousness, according to God’s plan. They are to remember who they are and whose they are and to recall that these forty years need not have been.
Jesus speaks plainly and directly to the spiritual leaders of the nation, calling them whitewashed tombs and murderers of the prophets of God. Jesus exposes them for who they are and that in their quest for righteousness they have forgotten what real righteousness means. Righteousness is an inside-out issue, the motivation for the action matters. As Paul will say to the Corinthians if love isn’t there then what we do is clanging cymbals and sounding brass. Jesus also connects these leaders with the leaders of old who led the people astray and into exile, ever believing that they were right, even in the face of prophetic words to the contrary. A greater prophet now speaks, one John says came directly from the Father’s side, and here He prophesies that they will do as their forefathers did to the prophets of old. He closes with a tender image of a hen gathering her chicks and says that the blame is all on them, they would not come to Him.
Is God fickle? Paul’s argument here is that election is God’s sovereign will at work and it seems that He chooses whom He favors without apparent cause. Part of the omniscience of God requires us to understand that He knows the future in the present, and His choice is based on knowledge we don’t have at the time. Time is a construct of creation, a function of the movement of the planet on which we live, and God lives outside of that creation. We are limited by the reality of our created-ness in ways that He is not. We can either rail against that or rest in it in peace and trust in the One who created us to be wise and loving.
Deal bountifully with your servant,
so that I may live and observe your word.
Open my eyes, so that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
6 July 2010
Psalm 5, 6; Num. 35:1-3,9-15,30-34; Rom. 8:31-39; Matt. 23:13-26
Provision is to be made for the Levites in the land. They have no inheritance as a tribe, but they are to be within the land of each tribe as a tithe of the people to the Lord. As they are dispersed among the tribes, they will require land to be set aside in order that they might enjoy the fruit of the land as well. The other provision is for a murder who did not intend to commit murder. There are to be six cities of refuge for such people, places they can go and be safe from the avenger who has the right to slay them to avenge the death of a kinsman. The one who has killed another is able to seek refuge in these cities until trial. Murder is a capital offense and the one who commits murder is to be put to death himself. We are created in the image of God and one who has no respect for the image of God cannot be allowed to live. The penalty is an absolute one, no ransom is possible. Human life is sacrosanct to the Lord. We see just how precious we are in the incarnation and the death of Jesus on the cross so that our humanity might be saved for eternity.
Jesus is clear about the scribes and Pharisees lack of true understanding. They don’t understand the principle of the temple itself. In its construction according to God’s design it was easy to see what was most precious as the materials for the sections indicate. The closer you get to the presence of God in the holy of holies the more precious and pure the materials themselves must be. They have made the scrupulous tithing of everything in the possession of the people the important thing when mercy, justice and faith are actually the important matters. How could anyone miss that? If we took the time to sort out what we talk about and complain about within the church we would see that we focus on the wrong things as well. Finally, they are lectured about washing, a subject near and dear to their hearts, and Jesus uses it as a metaphor for their lives. It is cleaning the inside that matters and if that is right then our behavior will be right.
We are murderers. We are those who shout, “Crucify Him.” Our sins made His death necessary. We have seen true righteousness and have determined that we are against it and in fact hate it. The one who has the right to avenge that murder is the one who has redeemed us in love. Paul understood that reality. The one who could condemn us, the one without sin who can cast the first stone has died for us in love and is for us, not against us. None other has the right to speak against us because we are all guilty and yet the one who can instead speaks on our behalf for acquittal. Therefore, nothing can separate us from the love of God unless we allow it.
I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
will enter your house,
I will bow down towards your holy temple
in awe of you.
Let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
so that those who love your name may exult in you.
Psalm 5, 6; Num. 35:1-3,9-15,30-34; Rom. 8:31-39; Matt. 23:13-26
Provision is to be made for the Levites in the land. They have no inheritance as a tribe, but they are to be within the land of each tribe as a tithe of the people to the Lord. As they are dispersed among the tribes, they will require land to be set aside in order that they might enjoy the fruit of the land as well. The other provision is for a murder who did not intend to commit murder. There are to be six cities of refuge for such people, places they can go and be safe from the avenger who has the right to slay them to avenge the death of a kinsman. The one who has killed another is able to seek refuge in these cities until trial. Murder is a capital offense and the one who commits murder is to be put to death himself. We are created in the image of God and one who has no respect for the image of God cannot be allowed to live. The penalty is an absolute one, no ransom is possible. Human life is sacrosanct to the Lord. We see just how precious we are in the incarnation and the death of Jesus on the cross so that our humanity might be saved for eternity.
Jesus is clear about the scribes and Pharisees lack of true understanding. They don’t understand the principle of the temple itself. In its construction according to God’s design it was easy to see what was most precious as the materials for the sections indicate. The closer you get to the presence of God in the holy of holies the more precious and pure the materials themselves must be. They have made the scrupulous tithing of everything in the possession of the people the important thing when mercy, justice and faith are actually the important matters. How could anyone miss that? If we took the time to sort out what we talk about and complain about within the church we would see that we focus on the wrong things as well. Finally, they are lectured about washing, a subject near and dear to their hearts, and Jesus uses it as a metaphor for their lives. It is cleaning the inside that matters and if that is right then our behavior will be right.
We are murderers. We are those who shout, “Crucify Him.” Our sins made His death necessary. We have seen true righteousness and have determined that we are against it and in fact hate it. The one who has the right to avenge that murder is the one who has redeemed us in love. Paul understood that reality. The one who could condemn us, the one without sin who can cast the first stone has died for us in love and is for us, not against us. None other has the right to speak against us because we are all guilty and yet the one who can instead speaks on our behalf for acquittal. Therefore, nothing can separate us from the love of God unless we allow it.
I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
will enter your house,
I will bow down towards your holy temple
in awe of you.
Let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
so that those who love your name may exult in you.
Monday, July 5, 2010
5 July 2010
Psalm 1, 2, 3; Num. 32:1-6,16-27; Rom. 8:26-30; Matt. 23:1-12
The Reubenites and the Gadites find good grazing land before they come into the land. They aren’t going to join their brothers in the Promised Land, the first division of the people. The land was a conquest and therefore a gift of God to the people but it was not within the boundaries of the Promised Land. There doesn’t seem to be any particular condemnation attached to the request and Moses grants it with the provision that they must go up with their brothers into the Land and take part in the conquest. They are not allowed to remain behind and force the other tribes to fight “short-handed” in order to gain their own portions. This they willingly do.
Jesus affirms that the scribes and Pharisees are the inheritors of the “seat of Moses.” In that role, they judge according to the law between the people but the problem is that they have made the law a great burden to the people and are doing nothing to help with the burden. They love the recognition and honor that comes with their position but they do not use their position rightly in the service of the people and of God. Jesus says that in the kingdom to come there will be a different order of ministry, exalting those who serve rather than those who would be served. He hints at the reality of the presence of the Spirit in the church with the sayings about their lack of need for instructors in a way that would surely have been confusing.
Paul speaks of the intercession of the Spirit in our prayer lives. To see the fruit of this promise we need to persevere in prayer rather than hurriedly rushing through our time with the Lord. Generally we come before Him, pour out the things that are on our hearts and then a quick, “In the Name of Jesus, Amen” and off we go to the next thing. Taking time to be present to the Lord, waiting upon Him and being still before Him are important to us and to Him. Paul goes on to the promise that all things are working together for those who are called according to His purpose. It is important that Paul remind both his readers and us of this reality as many times it looks as though God isn’t in charge and the path of our lives isn’t headed in the right direction. Paul reassures us that in spite of outward appearances God is sovereign and that His will is being done. Just as the cross looks for all the world as though God’s will was not being done, so sometimes in our lives we judge by what we would prefer rather than what God would have.
Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
Psalm 1, 2, 3; Num. 32:1-6,16-27; Rom. 8:26-30; Matt. 23:1-12
The Reubenites and the Gadites find good grazing land before they come into the land. They aren’t going to join their brothers in the Promised Land, the first division of the people. The land was a conquest and therefore a gift of God to the people but it was not within the boundaries of the Promised Land. There doesn’t seem to be any particular condemnation attached to the request and Moses grants it with the provision that they must go up with their brothers into the Land and take part in the conquest. They are not allowed to remain behind and force the other tribes to fight “short-handed” in order to gain their own portions. This they willingly do.
Jesus affirms that the scribes and Pharisees are the inheritors of the “seat of Moses.” In that role, they judge according to the law between the people but the problem is that they have made the law a great burden to the people and are doing nothing to help with the burden. They love the recognition and honor that comes with their position but they do not use their position rightly in the service of the people and of God. Jesus says that in the kingdom to come there will be a different order of ministry, exalting those who serve rather than those who would be served. He hints at the reality of the presence of the Spirit in the church with the sayings about their lack of need for instructors in a way that would surely have been confusing.
Paul speaks of the intercession of the Spirit in our prayer lives. To see the fruit of this promise we need to persevere in prayer rather than hurriedly rushing through our time with the Lord. Generally we come before Him, pour out the things that are on our hearts and then a quick, “In the Name of Jesus, Amen” and off we go to the next thing. Taking time to be present to the Lord, waiting upon Him and being still before Him are important to us and to Him. Paul goes on to the promise that all things are working together for those who are called according to His purpose. It is important that Paul remind both his readers and us of this reality as many times it looks as though God isn’t in charge and the path of our lives isn’t headed in the right direction. Paul reassures us that in spite of outward appearances God is sovereign and that His will is being done. Just as the cross looks for all the world as though God’s will was not being done, so sometimes in our lives we judge by what we would prefer rather than what God would have.
Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
4 July 2010
Psalm 146, 147; Num. 27:12-23; Acts 19:11-20; Mark 1:14-20
Moses’ life is at an end and Joshua is to be anointed to replace him. There is, however, a difference in their leadership. Joshua is not going to have the authority Moses had, nor will he have the relationship with the Lord that Moses had. There will be an intermediary. Eleazar the priest will be the one through whom the Lord will speak via the Urim that were in the breastplate of the high priest. The leadership will be one step removed from that of Moses. The Lord had given Aaron to Moses as a concession to Moses’ protests and it was clear that over time Moses stepped into the leadership role alone and Aaron performed his functions as high priest. Joshua will not have that same relationship and the Lord must have had a reason for that, but in the end it points to what an extraordinary man Moses was.
Jesus’ proclamation was that John’s message was being fulfilled. His message was that the time had come, the kingdom was here. Jesus calls the fishermen, Peter and Andrew, James and John to follow and these men respond willingly and completely, leaving all behind to answer the call. Do we understand Jesus’ call to discipleship as these men understood it? We were not called simply to add Jesus to our lives but to allow Him to fill them after emptying them of all else. Follow me is the call to all, not go to church on Sunday. Are we willing to respond as these men did?
The seven sons of Sceva understood the name of Jesus to be an incantation that they could appropriate to do their magic. What they learned was that if they did not know Jesus they had no power at all, the power comes from abiding in Him and His abiding in us by the Holy Spirit. If we simply take the name of Jesus as the name we need to toss in at the end to have our prayers heard and believe that since we pray in His Name we will receive, we have taken the name in vain or for the sake of vanity. We must commit our way to Him and allow Him to direct the steps of our lives if we are to enjoy His blessings. It doesn’t mean that you will never have difficulties in life, it simply means that this is where God is taking you and therefore He is with you in those difficulties.
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
Psalm 146, 147; Num. 27:12-23; Acts 19:11-20; Mark 1:14-20
Moses’ life is at an end and Joshua is to be anointed to replace him. There is, however, a difference in their leadership. Joshua is not going to have the authority Moses had, nor will he have the relationship with the Lord that Moses had. There will be an intermediary. Eleazar the priest will be the one through whom the Lord will speak via the Urim that were in the breastplate of the high priest. The leadership will be one step removed from that of Moses. The Lord had given Aaron to Moses as a concession to Moses’ protests and it was clear that over time Moses stepped into the leadership role alone and Aaron performed his functions as high priest. Joshua will not have that same relationship and the Lord must have had a reason for that, but in the end it points to what an extraordinary man Moses was.
Jesus’ proclamation was that John’s message was being fulfilled. His message was that the time had come, the kingdom was here. Jesus calls the fishermen, Peter and Andrew, James and John to follow and these men respond willingly and completely, leaving all behind to answer the call. Do we understand Jesus’ call to discipleship as these men understood it? We were not called simply to add Jesus to our lives but to allow Him to fill them after emptying them of all else. Follow me is the call to all, not go to church on Sunday. Are we willing to respond as these men did?
The seven sons of Sceva understood the name of Jesus to be an incantation that they could appropriate to do their magic. What they learned was that if they did not know Jesus they had no power at all, the power comes from abiding in Him and His abiding in us by the Holy Spirit. If we simply take the name of Jesus as the name we need to toss in at the end to have our prayers heard and believe that since we pray in His Name we will receive, we have taken the name in vain or for the sake of vanity. We must commit our way to Him and allow Him to direct the steps of our lives if we are to enjoy His blessings. It doesn’t mean that you will never have difficulties in life, it simply means that this is where God is taking you and therefore He is with you in those difficulties.
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
3 July 2010
Psalm 137, 144; Num. 24:12-25; Rom. 8:18-25; Matt. 22:23-40
Balaam leaves with a parting oracle for the future of the nations, you will be overthrown by the God of these Israelites. Our lectionary will skip it next week but this Balaam was actually hated by the Israelites because of advice he gave to the Moabites to intermarry with the Israelites in the hope that they would follow after the gods of the Moabite women. The incident in question is detailed in the 25th chapter of Numbers and Baalam is associated with it in the 31st chapter which tells that he was killed by the Israelites. How could a man used by God, who met with Him and had these encounters with Him turn away from Him?
The ridiculous questions continue. They are trying to trap Jesus in some way and the Sadducees believe themselves to be more clever than anyone else so their ploy concerns the resurrection in which they don’t believe. Their logical system makes resurrection seem ridiculous but Jesus turns their logic on its head, essentially informing them that He knows what the resurrection looks like and they have no idea so their logic won’t work in the resurrection. They base their knowledge of heavenly things on what they know of earthly things without recognizing that sin is the great variable in our equation that changes everything. Why the Pharisees put a legal expert to this last question about the greatest commandment is a bit uncertain. The rabbis liked to have summary statements and liked to differentiate between laws as to great and small. Jesus’ summary of the law is succinct and perfect. Perhaps He knew the law a bit better than they did.
What we know is the suffering of the present age and here Paul says that he believes this suffering will pale in comparison to the glory of the coming age. We live in a world that is subject to the bondage of sin in all respects. We are only aware of this world, broken and marred by sin, and have no direct knowledge of what it should be or would be without sin. It is by the Spirit leading us to see that better country of which we hear in Hebrews that we long for what might be and what will be. Though we have not seen it we long for it by the Spirit within us. It is the hope of glory to come that impels us onward. Having tasted by the Spirit can we not persevere in our faith?
Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle;
my rock and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge.
Psalm 137, 144; Num. 24:12-25; Rom. 8:18-25; Matt. 22:23-40
Balaam leaves with a parting oracle for the future of the nations, you will be overthrown by the God of these Israelites. Our lectionary will skip it next week but this Balaam was actually hated by the Israelites because of advice he gave to the Moabites to intermarry with the Israelites in the hope that they would follow after the gods of the Moabite women. The incident in question is detailed in the 25th chapter of Numbers and Baalam is associated with it in the 31st chapter which tells that he was killed by the Israelites. How could a man used by God, who met with Him and had these encounters with Him turn away from Him?
The ridiculous questions continue. They are trying to trap Jesus in some way and the Sadducees believe themselves to be more clever than anyone else so their ploy concerns the resurrection in which they don’t believe. Their logical system makes resurrection seem ridiculous but Jesus turns their logic on its head, essentially informing them that He knows what the resurrection looks like and they have no idea so their logic won’t work in the resurrection. They base their knowledge of heavenly things on what they know of earthly things without recognizing that sin is the great variable in our equation that changes everything. Why the Pharisees put a legal expert to this last question about the greatest commandment is a bit uncertain. The rabbis liked to have summary statements and liked to differentiate between laws as to great and small. Jesus’ summary of the law is succinct and perfect. Perhaps He knew the law a bit better than they did.
What we know is the suffering of the present age and here Paul says that he believes this suffering will pale in comparison to the glory of the coming age. We live in a world that is subject to the bondage of sin in all respects. We are only aware of this world, broken and marred by sin, and have no direct knowledge of what it should be or would be without sin. It is by the Spirit leading us to see that better country of which we hear in Hebrews that we long for what might be and what will be. Though we have not seen it we long for it by the Spirit within us. It is the hope of glory to come that impels us onward. Having tasted by the Spirit can we not persevere in our faith?
Blessed be the Lord, my rock,
who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle;
my rock and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield, in whom I take refuge.
Friday, July 2, 2010
2 July 2010
Psalm 140, 142; Num. 24:1-13; Rom. 8:12-17; Matt. 22:15-22
The first two times Balaam was asked to prophesy he went back to his own way of doing things, offering sacrifices and “reading” the organs of the animals sacrificed in order to discern the truth or the future. This third time he abandons his ways and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. His word is interesting because he confesses that now he sees clearly and who hears the words of God, his prophecy is not based on his own skill. Balak’s anger is now complete and he sends the prophet away without the prophet’s reward because he failed to do as commanded or asked. Balaam has recognized, at least for the time being, a greater king and a greater reward, he has met with God and lived.
The partnership of Pharisees and Herodians is an interesting one and shows how desperate they are to discredit Jesus. The Herodians would have been “sell-outs” in the minds of the Pharisees. They were those who had accommodated themselves to Roman rule and who had become Roman in many ways. The question of taxes to the emperor would have been one on which they would have had some disagreement with one another. This was a legitimate question within Judaism at this time but it was designed here to align Jesus with one or the other and divide His support. His answer is ingenious to say that what is Caesar’s should be rendered to Caesar. That the coin has the likeness or image of Caesar on it is the basis for the answer but the second part of the answer points to the people, who are created in God’s image or likeness and their lives are owed to the one whose image they bear. Do we see it this plainly?
Are we led by the Spirit or the flesh? Balaam tried twice to be led by the flesh, some way other than the Spirit of God, and finally gave in and no longer bothered with the old ways. The Pharisees and the Herodians are thinking in fleshly terms about things like taxes and Jesus, as He did with Nicodemus, is thinking in terms of spiritual things. How much of what consumes our time is fleshly? We have lives and jobs that require us to live and work so that we can’t be too heavenly minded to be any earthly good but I don’t often meet people who are in danger of that in their lives, including me. Clock your time outside the office and see where you invest your thoughts and heart some time for one week. Pay attention to your web surfing, television habits and conversation and see how little we live in the Spirit versus the flesh.
Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning,
for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
Psalm 140, 142; Num. 24:1-13; Rom. 8:12-17; Matt. 22:15-22
The first two times Balaam was asked to prophesy he went back to his own way of doing things, offering sacrifices and “reading” the organs of the animals sacrificed in order to discern the truth or the future. This third time he abandons his ways and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. His word is interesting because he confesses that now he sees clearly and who hears the words of God, his prophecy is not based on his own skill. Balak’s anger is now complete and he sends the prophet away without the prophet’s reward because he failed to do as commanded or asked. Balaam has recognized, at least for the time being, a greater king and a greater reward, he has met with God and lived.
The partnership of Pharisees and Herodians is an interesting one and shows how desperate they are to discredit Jesus. The Herodians would have been “sell-outs” in the minds of the Pharisees. They were those who had accommodated themselves to Roman rule and who had become Roman in many ways. The question of taxes to the emperor would have been one on which they would have had some disagreement with one another. This was a legitimate question within Judaism at this time but it was designed here to align Jesus with one or the other and divide His support. His answer is ingenious to say that what is Caesar’s should be rendered to Caesar. That the coin has the likeness or image of Caesar on it is the basis for the answer but the second part of the answer points to the people, who are created in God’s image or likeness and their lives are owed to the one whose image they bear. Do we see it this plainly?
Are we led by the Spirit or the flesh? Balaam tried twice to be led by the flesh, some way other than the Spirit of God, and finally gave in and no longer bothered with the old ways. The Pharisees and the Herodians are thinking in fleshly terms about things like taxes and Jesus, as He did with Nicodemus, is thinking in terms of spiritual things. How much of what consumes our time is fleshly? We have lives and jobs that require us to live and work so that we can’t be too heavenly minded to be any earthly good but I don’t often meet people who are in danger of that in their lives, including me. Clock your time outside the office and see where you invest your thoughts and heart some time for one week. Pay attention to your web surfing, television habits and conversation and see how little we live in the Spirit versus the flesh.
Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning,
for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
1 July 2010
Psalm 131, 132; Num. 23:11-26; Rom. 8:1-11; Matt. 22:1-14
This isn’t going the way Balak had planned. He tries to limit Balaam’s field of vision so that he won’t see what he himself had seen, the reason he had sent for Balaam, the horde of Israelites. Perhaps, he thinks, if Balaam only sees a part of their number he will no longer feel the fear that surely is the reason he spoke highly of them. The reality is that Balaam is a man under compulsion to speak according to the word of the Lord, he has no choice but to say what the Lord puts into his mouth. He has become like the donkey, knowing the Lord’s strength and is acting as the donkey to Balak but Balak, like Balaam before, cannot see. If he could, he would be striking Balaam as Balaam had struck the donkey. The words spoken by the prophet actually could keep Balak from a great mistake and save his life if he will but hear them.
The parable for today of the wedding of the king’s son is similarly plain to all those who hear it. To have ignored the king’s invitation to a banquet in honor of his son would have been unthinkable and yet that is what some do, they make light of it, go back home and some mistreat the servants who deliver the invitation. Not surprisingly, the king is angry and destroys his own chosen ones and then sends the servants out to invite the rabble because those who were invited were unworthy to partake of his hospitality and largesse. The final part of the parable concerns how we come to the party. Guests were provided with clean robes to wear at the feast and one guest has apparently spurned this clean robe and chosen to come as he is. That is unacceptable and he is thrown into outer darkness, bound hand and foot. We have a choice to make, come according to God’s plan, putting on the righteousness of Jesus, or share in this man’s punishment. God’s way is through Jesus, period, end of sentence.
The first verse of the Romans passage agrees with the Gospel, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Paul doesn’t offer some other way in, only through Jesus. If God has made a way and made that way plain, why do we look for other ways? We have been given the Spirit in order to help us to live according to God’s will and purpose, to allow our flesh to come into agreement with our hearts and minds and live as new creation. Paul is not speaking of dualism here, the soul and body as separate entities. Righteousness is the agreement of body and soul, living in concert with our beliefs. Right action ensues from living from the Spirit.
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up,
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvellous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.
Psalm 131, 132; Num. 23:11-26; Rom. 8:1-11; Matt. 22:1-14
This isn’t going the way Balak had planned. He tries to limit Balaam’s field of vision so that he won’t see what he himself had seen, the reason he had sent for Balaam, the horde of Israelites. Perhaps, he thinks, if Balaam only sees a part of their number he will no longer feel the fear that surely is the reason he spoke highly of them. The reality is that Balaam is a man under compulsion to speak according to the word of the Lord, he has no choice but to say what the Lord puts into his mouth. He has become like the donkey, knowing the Lord’s strength and is acting as the donkey to Balak but Balak, like Balaam before, cannot see. If he could, he would be striking Balaam as Balaam had struck the donkey. The words spoken by the prophet actually could keep Balak from a great mistake and save his life if he will but hear them.
The parable for today of the wedding of the king’s son is similarly plain to all those who hear it. To have ignored the king’s invitation to a banquet in honor of his son would have been unthinkable and yet that is what some do, they make light of it, go back home and some mistreat the servants who deliver the invitation. Not surprisingly, the king is angry and destroys his own chosen ones and then sends the servants out to invite the rabble because those who were invited were unworthy to partake of his hospitality and largesse. The final part of the parable concerns how we come to the party. Guests were provided with clean robes to wear at the feast and one guest has apparently spurned this clean robe and chosen to come as he is. That is unacceptable and he is thrown into outer darkness, bound hand and foot. We have a choice to make, come according to God’s plan, putting on the righteousness of Jesus, or share in this man’s punishment. God’s way is through Jesus, period, end of sentence.
The first verse of the Romans passage agrees with the Gospel, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Paul doesn’t offer some other way in, only through Jesus. If God has made a way and made that way plain, why do we look for other ways? We have been given the Spirit in order to help us to live according to God’s will and purpose, to allow our flesh to come into agreement with our hearts and minds and live as new creation. Paul is not speaking of dualism here, the soul and body as separate entities. Righteousness is the agreement of body and soul, living in concert with our beliefs. Right action ensues from living from the Spirit.
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up,
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvellous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.
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