Thursday, March 31, 2011

Psalm 119 Samekh (113-120)

As I read this particular psalm, I am struck by the sharp distinction that the psalmist draws between wickedness (and those who indulge in it) and God's Word (and those who indulge in it). Normally, I am drawn away from such sharp us/them thinking, as anyone who will be in our worship service on Sunday will surmise. However, in this case, I think I am building a more nuanced view of what the psalmist is talking about. Part of following God does include the self-discipline to reject the things that keep us from God.

There are stories of crusader baptisms where the crusader would baptize everything but their sword arm. That way, they could commit sinful acts with the sword but still go into heaven one-armed. And I would bet that we sometimes do the same. We say, in essence to God, "You can have everything but this." It is a double-minded attitude, and hard to sustain. However, giving ourselves completely to following God offers a promise of divine sustenance (verses 116 and 117). Take this comfort with you as you try to live out the Kingdom in your life.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Psalm 119 Nun (105-112)

Does following God's Word ever get you in trouble? Probably not. While people can debate putting the Ten Commandments on public buildings and whether or not Under God is really on the new Pepsi can (both are non-issues in my mind, but have come to me in the form of e-mail forwards), chances are pretty solid that being a Christian will not get you in trouble. However, that's only part of the question. Will obeying the commands of Christ get you in trouble like the psalmist states in verse 109?

Probably. First of all, how do you safely love your enemies? Doing good for those who wish you harm seems unreasonable and unsafe, yet Luke 6:27 is clear to do both. Jesus' way offers a certain amount of risk- which in turn demands a certain amount of faith. The psalmist concurs, agreeing that faith and devotion to God's path (despite danger) is a better way. So allow me to encourage you today, wherever you may go and whatever risks you may take, to place your faith in the God who loves you and to walk a better way.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Psalm 119 Mem (97-104)

I have an... emotional... relationship with food. I don't use food to squash my emotions or anything, but I LOVE a good meal. It doesn't have to be fancy- I often find my greatest delight in a greasy hamburger or Meijer brand ice cream (good thing I live in Michigan, where we have ample supply of both). And I picture this psalm section much in the same way I picture my first bite into a North Peak Wasabi Salmon Sandwich or a Pegtown Omelet or Art's Tavern's biscuits and gravy. This feeling is called absolute delight. I even recently saw a TV show that was talking about the brain stimulation that occurs when we take our first bite of a tasty meal. But far from a bite of a Garlic Parmesan whitefish from the Cove in Leland, the psalmist here finds his/her delight in God's Word- the Law.

I'm not sure that I picture this psalm well. I don't see a person with a book on the table, giddy and laughing over every word. Perhaps this is how the psalmist reads and meditates on God's Word. However, what I do see is a person at the end of the day, satisfied. No regrets, no shame, no guilt, simply satisfaction in knowing that the psalmist has lived a day to the glory of God. After all, it isn't only reading and meditating, but obeying, that sets the psalmist apart from the others. Much like being satisfied at the end of a tasty meal, the end of a day lived to the glory of God brings good rest. Now, I don't hold myself to a standard of perfection, because that would always leave me unsatisfied and without delight. However, what if I find satisfaction in a milestone or find delight in what God has done in me over the past few years? I hope you find a similar satisfaction in reading, meditating on, obeying and living God's Word.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Psalm 119 Lamedh (89-96)

Today I am grieving a loss. My TV, medium of movies, Nintendo and the centerpiece of our living room, refuses to turn on. I inadvertently set the TV on it's own power cord and over time, it crushed the power cord, leaving the TV unable to get the power it needs to turn on. While that provides an interesting metaphor by itself, I think today of the fact that nothing lasts. One of these days, something would erode and happen to end the TV. All of our stuff will one day break down. Even P.K. Dick, science fiction author, envisioned a world surrounded by kippel, a slang term for broken down garbage that seems to reproduce itself. Everything breaks down.

I think of illnesses, injuries and the effects of aging, and realize that I am breaking down too. My cells are reproducing near-perfectly, but the little imperfections are a ticking clock toward my body ceasing to function. Reading the persecution and suffering that the psalmist has experienced, we know that things are temporary. So if the things of our age are temporary, what do we focus on?

One classical answer would be to ignore the things of the world and dwell instead on an immortal, imperishable spirit/soul that will escape the material world. This, however, will not do. Frankly, it's not a Biblical response. To save the world, God did not provide an escape from it, God entered into it through His Son Jesus. Ultimately, focusing on our soul apart from the body is a self-centered exercise. In the face of wickedness and decay, the psalmist directs us toward God.

The psalmist focuses on the only truly eternal Person as the source of salvation from decay. "Save me, for I am yours," is the cry. God's promise to fix our problem (sin/death) is one that goes far beyond the psalmist's life- this psalmist doesn't know the promise of resurrection.

But you do. The promise of resurrection is born in Jesus Christ and continues even to this day. One day, we will not decay. The future of God's world is not kippel but imperishable. For that day, I hope and I hope again.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Psalm 119 Kaph (81-88)

Scripture often speaks to us in tension. As soon as a person has it all figured out, they read a passage that seems to flip everything upside-down and re-introduces the tension. One aspect of God's story which creates the tension is salvation. Is salvation now, or later, or a little bit of both? This psalm leads me to the bookhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif of Hebrews, where a list of faithful witnesses is given, all of whom died before knowing the salvation of Jesus Christ. Generation after generation went by waiting for the coming of the Messiah. And now generation after generation waits for the consummation of all things in Jesus Christ.

Here is the tension. For some, salvation has a very "here-and-now" kind of way. Click this link to see the story of one who found Jesus Christ while being delivered from slavery. Or perhaps ask a person freed from addiction by God what deliverance means. For final salvation, though, we wait.

We wait. The book of Revelation calls for patient endurance more than anything else. The psalm we look at today is littered with patient endurance. That's why the Bible says that the joy of the Lord is our strength- it has little to do with your present circumstances. May you find your delight in God alone today, delight that will give you patient endurance in the challenges of everyday life.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Psalm 119 Yodh (73-80)

Do I depend on God? A theologically sound but emotionally empty answer would be "of course, everything that has breath depends on God." And I recognize that in my mind, yet my actions often betray a dependence on myself. But that's not the person I want to be, so what kind of person do I want to be?

I want to be the person God made me to be- the person God has formed me to be. I want my hope to be in God, I want my life to be marked with life-giving compassion that can only come from God. In this hope I live today.

Who do you want to be?

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Psalm 119 Teth (65-72)

Around 600 AD, quite a few Christians abandoned the trappings of power offered by the Roman Empire and went out to the wilderness. The desert fathers and mothers attracted pilgrims with their wisdom and devotion. One such hermit had a visitor who had become very sick, and wanted a spiritual giant to pray for their healing. And I'm sure that the hermit did eventually pray for the person. However, what stuck with the sick visitor was what the hermit said about sickness- that it offered a chance (similar to fasting) for growth. I'm not a person who wishes affliction or illness on anyone, but if God wishes for me to grow through an affliction, I pray that I am ready.

In Psalm 119 Teth, we are told about an unknown affliction in the life of the psalmist. And nobody wants to go through an affliction, whether that be a depression, an illness or something else. On the other side of this affliction, though, the psalmist finds a new strength and devotion to obedience.

Whatever you may be going through today, I pray that God brings you strength to face it and even to grow in the face of your affliction.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Psalm 119 Heth (57-64)

The psalmist has made a vow to God- to follow all of God's commands. And the psalmist recognizes that there are no excuses to following God's commands. There is a great scene in the Crusader movie "Kingdom of Heaven," where the main character (a knight) is playing chess with his king. And the King of Jerusalem tells him that people play and move other people, but, "Remember that howsoever you are played or by whom, your soul is in your keeping alone, even though those who presume to play you be kings or men of power. When you stand before God, you cannot say, 'But I was told by others to do thus,' or that virtue was not convenient at the time. This will not suffice. Remember that." I have always been struck by those words. When virtue is convenient and commendable, it is easy to pick the virtuous path. Jesus tells us that anyone will do good for those who do good in return. But the difficult path is when you are in chains (as the psalm says) or when virtue is inconvenient. What will we do then?

Take heart, for the psalmist reminds us of three (there are more) places for encouragement as we try to live out the virtues. One is in God- the Lord is your portion. The second is in others- friends who fear the Lord. The third is in creation- the world is filled with the love of God. May we have eyes and ears to sense God's encouragement in these places.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Psalm 119 Zayin (49-56)

Zayin is a psalm about memory. This makes sense, as the predominant letter in this section is a "z" sound and memory is Zakar in Hebrew. Memory is an important element to Old Testament spirituality (as well as contemporary spirituality- the Lord's Supper is a feast of remembrance as well as communion and hope). Memory is about holding someone in your mind and in your heart, it's about integrity to promises you have made. The psalmist thinks of memory in two ways- one that wouldn't surprise us and one that might. The one that wouldn't surprise us is that the psalmist commits to remembering God and God's commandments. This goes beyond simple recall, this is about lifestyle. This is about obedience.

There is also the plea from the psalmist for God to remember God's people. This may sound surprising for us, since we may respond "God is all-knowing, God can't forget you." What may sound odd to us today is actually a statement of faith. God makes very particular promises to act in very particular ways. All the psalmist says is "please do what you said you would do." I wish we as human beings always did what we say we will do. Fortunately, when we call God to remember God's promises, we know we have a God who has never let a promise lapse. May that hope hold you today.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Psalm 119 Vav (41-48)

The Word of God is empowering. It is the Word of God that for centuries, millenia, been speaking truth (and Truth) to power. Nobodies like Amos, Elijah and Moses are filled with God and in turn are able to "speak statutes before kings and not be put to shame." When we rely on God's Word, we are not put to shame.

Agendas happen, though. Agendas come in and hijack the story of God for its own purpose. The devil tried to use the Word of God to hijack Jesus' agenda and manipulate truth into falsehood. And all around us, we see unfamiliarity with God's Word being manipulated. This is nothing new. However, what is new is that with the increased access to the Word has come the unintended consequence of decreased hunger for the Word. Psalm 119 is foreign to us in many ways because the psalmist is so excited about the Word, and we have to discipline ourselves just to get through a chapter a day.

This is not meant for guilt or shame, but rather as reason to pray for Psalm 119 hunger for God's Word. Let's pray that together.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Psalm 119 He (33-40)

Today, rather than comments, I'll bring only questions:

1) What are the "worthless things" (verse 37) that your eyes are fixed on?

2) What Scripture verse is one you would like to keep fresh in your mind today?

3) Pray that God would replace the worthless things of the day with the light of God's Word.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Psalm 119 Daleth (25-32)

Here we find another way God uses the Word in our lives. The psalmist has been talking about the sharpening/strengthening aspects of the Word, and has been desiring the transformational power of God's Law. Now, the psalmist finds himself or herself in the lowest of situations. Life has come and dragged the psalmist down. The hunger for God's Word remains, but the hunger has changed. Now, the psalmist isn't looking for growth and renewed obedience. The psalmist is looking just to survive the day.

In the season of Lent, it can be easy to paint a picture of God that is merely the judge of right and wrong. Certainly, God is the only truly righteous judge and always does what is right. However, to limit God only to that role would be to strip the meaning from this passage. God is not only interested in judging the activities of people on earth. God also is the One who gives strength to our weariness. Even the tune "Jesus loves me" reminds me that God is strong when I am weak. In our efforts to renew our obedience to God, let's not forget that God is also near to us in our struggles, and helps us survive, even thrive, to the next day.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Psalm 119 Gimel (17-24)

Way too often we allow the emotions of other people to control our lives. Way too often we allow ourselves to spend all our time and energy reacting to others rather than doing what we know is right.

With that premise, I read the striving of the psalmist as an attempt to be driven by what is right rather than other considerations. The psalmist yearns for God's Word to be the one steering force in his or her actions, and yet realizes that the deck of life is stacked unfavorably. Rulers, powers, the throngs of the wicked, and probably others devise schemes and strategies to distract the psalmist from right action.

I have no doubt that the deck is stacked against you, too (at least sometimes). We live in a broken world that yearns for eternity but gets caught up in decay. And in our broken world, our relationships can just as easily deter us from God as encourage us in God.

As we enter into Lent, many of us sacrifice something that distracts us from a fuller, richer life in God. These decisions are often deeply personal and private. Let us also make decisions in our relationships to be encouraging and supportive of one another. And let us ask the Holy Spirit for a heart that yearns for God's Word.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Psalm 119 Beth (9-16)

If yesterday's section was about a commitment to a life of transformation and following God, today's section is the natural question that would follow... "How in the world do I do that?"

The answer, according to the psalmist, is simple- God's Word. Often we read the Bible as a riddle that needs an answer, or a mine where gold is carefully concealed or an instruction booklet (usually that other people need to learn from). However, reading the Bible as God's Story is something entirely different, and perhaps is how the psalmist would have us read.

After all, the Bible is not simply Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth, as has been noted by some famous speakers. It is a mysterious and complex journey into the heart of God and God's vision for the world. Meditating on the Word of God is not about making sure we drill something into our minds, but hiding something in our hearts. In other words, learning the story is all about internalizing who God is. And when we begin to put the Word of God into our lives, it is bound to come out in a transformed life. After all, this is why I started this blog in the first place. Hopefully you have been finding growth as you have been reading the Bible with me. May God show you signs of change today.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Psalm 119 Aleph (1-8)

Welcome to Psalm 119, the longest psalm in the Bible. Because of its length, and the variety of its subject matter, we are going to take this psalm in chunks. Something that's kinda neat with this psalm is that every section is marked by a letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The reason it's marked with a letter is because every line in that section begins with that letter. For that reason, Psalm 119 is one of the literary masterpieces of the Bible. Anyway, on to the content of section Aleph...

Here is a common cycle that people can fall into. We recognize that God is holy and acts holy all the time. God's character is consistent from Genesis to Revelation. When we gaze too long at the mirror of God's integrity, we see a poor reflection of our own integrity. When we see fulfilled promises of God, we see broken promises on our end, and so on. However, the Holy Spirit within us gives us a gift. Whereas we might sink into shame and never change from our habits, the Spirit gives us grace and life and the capacity to change. Therefore, like the psalmist, we too can commit ourselves to new obedience. May today be a day of new obedience for us all.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Psalm 118

Here is a very important psalm, not only for the Old Testament saints, but also for the New Testament. In a few places, verse 22 is recited and is applied to Jesus. It would seem an odd place to go, since the psalmist talks pretty explicitly about foreign powers surrounding Israel and yet Israel wins. But a foreign power surrounded Jesus, and they won. They put Jesus on the cross. That means they win, right?

The book of Colossians seems to delight in taking our quaint ideas and flipping them on their heads. Colossians 2:15 tells us that our vision of victory, with the waving flag and the conquering hero is not God's vision of victory. Jesus, who had the big power over all authorities, did not "win" that way. In fact, it was while hanging on the cross, being mocked by passing strangers, that God was making a spectacle of power. On the third day, Jesus rose again. Literally, human powers did their worst. They surrounded Jesus, they beat Jesus, they killed Jesus. And yet Jesus rose again. Resurrection is the ultimate promise that the powers we face today cannot have the final word.

Unfortunately, we are still held captive to the old vision of victory. And when I watch the Super Bowl, it's okay to have that vision of victory. No one will win the Super Bowl by having the most injured players, but by having the most points. However, when we exit the games, there is a wide world out there where the old vision of victory is destroying lives and nations. Even after the War to End All Wars, every generation in the US has known war. The New Testament says that we should not be surprised by wars and rumors of war.

However, we look forward to something else. We look forward to a re-creation, a new heavens and new earth. We look forward to a city of peace that will have no end. May the hope of the resurrection encourage you today.