Friday, June 24, 2011

Jude

Hey Jude. There, I had to say it at least once, now it's out of the way. Jude is full book, even its short length, and a lot can be made if we broke it up into smaller chunks. But that's not what I'm going to do- because this article makes a pretty singular thrust. Aside from the fact that Jude quotes a book that is not considered to be Scripture by most Protestant traditions and talks about a story that does not show up in the Old Testament, Jude is pretty straightforward.

Evil exists. That we can accept. Evil exists within every human heart. That we can accept, although with some reluctance. God cares about dealing with evil. That we can accept, even though we see evil (practically) prevailing in many arenas.

So what do we do? Do we try to find the evil people and kick them out of our churches? Do we start some witch trials? Do we regard everyone with fear? Probably not. At least, not according to Jude.

Jude tells us to stay connected and to always grow. Teachability, or humility/meekness, is one of the most highly praised traits in the Bible. People who increasingly lean on God and God's ways are blessed. As I read the book of Jude, it encourages me to constantly grow. Some of Cain's ways and Korah's rebellion exist in my heart, and as I keep giving those areas to God for healing and transformation, I become more of who God designed me to be. So keep on the path.

To stay connected, Jude does not tell us to abandon people who go down the wrong path. Some could be toxic to us (especially if violent), and so some fear and discernment is required. But with many, mercy and compassion are enough. With others, intervention may be required. But in all things, resting on the power and wisdom of God is best.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Obadiah

Over the next few days, I'm going to go into some of the shorter books (one chapter books), and talk about their message a little. The reason for doing this is that it reminds us that books have a greater message- a beginning, middle and end. When we read Scripture in small chunks, we can forget this.

Today we begin with the Old Testament prophet of Obadiah. Here is a fire-and-brimstone kind of prophet. His message is that of anger toward the nation of Edom. First, a little background. Isaac, the son of Abraham, had two sons- Jacob and Esau. From Jacob came the nation of Israel, while from Esau came the nation of Edom. They were supposed to leave each other alone because of their close familial ties. However, when Israel came to be invaded by raiders, Edom took the command too literally and did not come to Israel's aid. In fact, they rejoiced in the destruction of the neighbors and may have actually enjoyed the spoils of battle. This, according to God (through Obadiah), is not okay.

The Edomites were a mountain people, living (literally) above the Israelites. And a mountain mindset can bring with it many attitudes, two of which are pretty unhealthy. One is pride. They were so heavily defended by the mountains that they felt invincible. "Who can bring me down?" they thought (verse 3). God's answer was that no one is outside the reach of God's justice (verse 4). Pride is deadly. What added to the pride, though, is detachment (the second unhealthy attitude). They could probably watch as the invaders came, but felt no compassion and no connection to the slaughter. They watched and said "thank goodness that's not me."

These two mountain problems followed humanity through, even to today. I, and probably you, live in a different kind of mountain. You are probably pretty safe from danger. Even when tragedy "strikes home," it doesn't impact you and I very deeply. In fact, you and I may actually benefit from tragedies around the world (sad to say, but I can guarantee that you and I benefit from tragedies around the world). Is it okay, then, to just look out for you and your family, to do what's right by them and not to others?

Obadiah would say no. Obadiah would remind us that God's kingdom is worldwide, and involves the people we so easily detach from. Obadiah would hold up the mirror of pride and ask if we are Edom or Israel in this case. So today I use this moment to pray for humility and a sense of connectedness to the world around me.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Psalm 150

This psalm is a language student's dream. There are so many great words in this psalm. I would like to isolate three: in, for, with.
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In: I love the word in. It gives me a place to think about. In this case, the place is in God's sanctuary and God's mighty heavens. It would be easy for me to read this psalm and think that my prayers make it to God's sanctuary, nestled in the mighty heavens. But that's not what I read. I read that I am in God's sanctuary. This is what is depicted on the dome ceiling of a Greek Orthodox Church. (Here's an example: click here.) And there's only one way into the highest heaven, where God dwells- invitation. This psalm implies that we are invited into God's home. And this was 1000 years before Paul would write that we have a home in heaven (2 Corinthians 5:1). I love the word in, it tells me that God has opened His home to me.
For: Another way to say it would be "because." Worship does not happen in a vacuum, nor is it an attempt to bribe the gods (a common belief at the time of this psalm). God does not require it, it is actually our response to the good that God has done. I don't need to re-hash my belief that worship comes out of the story of God, but it is nice to mention it here.
With: My favorite word of the psalm, in tight competition with "in." With is a great word. With implies how we do it. Consider how we embrace this rhythm of praise - movement and instruments. Words aren't even mentioned. I want words to be mentioned, because I love words (seen by my daily blog participation), but they aren't. This worship is embodied. It involves creation (via instruments and "everything that has breath") and my body. I usually stand still in worship. One day, apparently, this will not be so. Does this mean I will dance this coming Sunday? Maybe, although probably not. Does this mean I will involve my body in worship? Absolutely. It probably feels left out.

Well, there you go. Three words, the last psalm. Let's see tomorrow where we end up next!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Psalm 149

This is not the kind of praise song I am going to encourage for use on Sunday mornings. I thought, since we are nearing the end of the psalms, that the next ones would be easy praise and declarations of God's goodness. What I get instead, is a crusader psalm akin to "Praise God and pass the ammunition." My mind, remembering Jesus' words of "love your enemies," resists Psalm 149.

On the one hand, I could just say that this is a psalm celebrating obedience. After all, the glory of the saints is not the bloodshed, but the fact that they are carrying out that which God has sentenced (verse 9). But the problem is that, on the other hand, the sentence is vengeance, punishment and bloodshed! It's this kind of passage that dissuades many people that the God of the Bible is the God of love.

I don't have an easy answer. I can't square my belief system with the commands for complete destruction. I don't think Jesus, who rebuked Peter for using the sword to defend Him, would have us regularly live this way.

Then again, we can't box God up, and so I have to live in the mystery of this psalm. Let's not bring our swords to church on Sunday, and be reminded of this quote about mystery (from Bishop William Willimon):

"That's why He's so mysterious with (us). He wants more than mere obedience. His master plan is to win from them the free, unforced recognition of His love, and the free, unforced response to it."

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Psalm 148

If you're reading this, I bet you're inside looking at a screen.

If you've read Psalm 148 and you haven't run outside to look at the wondrous creation before you, go ahead, do it. There's nothing I could say that would illuminate this passage more than taking an opportunity to enjoy God's creation.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Psalm 147

Part of the power of a psalm is that it takes the human perspective and lifts it to God. Another part of the power of a psalm is that it takes God's perspective and puts it before people. This psalm is the latter.

Many things we take for granted today- weather is one of them. With all of our complicated understanding of weather, we assume that weather is a delicate machine that works because there are laws governing it and influences that have more or less effect. This psalm understands weather as having its source in God.

We all have worldviews that guide (if not control) our belief systems in the world. Your political affiliation, whether you wear a bike helmet or what you call a "relaxing day" all come from your worldview. Now let's be honest about those worldviews- that most of them could exist without the God of the Bible.

Most of us depend on God for moral authority. In fact, I recently read an article that made the (I believe incorrect) claim that if we don't depend on God for moral authority, the world will collapse. But that's as far as it goes. The rest of the world is a machine- and a fairly decent one at that. It may have been created and set into motion by God, but that's where it goes. History is also in God's control, but God mostly lets the (economic and political) rules take over.

Read Psalm 147 again and let it explode your view of God's participation in the world (or the world's participation in God, whichever works). God is the one who directs the weather, who sustains and throws down, who sends His commands to the ground. Now let's consider our participation with God- pray for the humble, for the weather, for sustenance. Give us, and all, each day our daily bread.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Psalm 146

People love celebrities.

Let me rephrase- individualistic cultures love celebrities. In community-based cultures, there are no celebrities and stars because they have an understanding that "stars" only truly exist because of the people around him or her. The phrase "I am because we are" (ubuntu) eliminates celebrities.

We, however, do not live in an ubuntu world. And so we love celebrities. I have my dream celebrities- people I would love to meet. And why would I love to meet them? So that I could say "(some celebrity) had a part in my life, and I had a part in theirs." And so, if I found out that Denzel Washington or someone was in Traverse City, I would be in my car.

The same principle existed in ancient Israel to some extent. The powerful people were the celebrities, and people followed the powerful people.

The problem is that a kind of fantasy sprung up around celebrities (then and now). So people became the saviors, rather than God. This psalm is meant to correct that. The celebrity in this psalm is not the powerful prince, but anyone who puts their trust in the LORD and who places their hope in God's salvation. They, and you, are the true celebrities. While the pathway of money, fame and power will bring ruin (to the celebrity and others), God rescues, liberates and heals.

In other words, God is incredibly concerned with empowering other people. Celebrity tends to motivate people to hoard power and compete on internet polls and iTunes downloads. God's kind of celebrity is all about passing off our power to others. And that's what I hope we are all about today.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Psalm 145

I can't believe I did it. I have a guinea pig named Kosher, and he is one of the most care-free pets in the world. I feed him twice, take him out of his cage to run around every once and a while, and clean the cage out once a week.

And yet, two weeks ago, I did it. I forgot to feed Kosher during one of his feedings. PETA would be very upset. It was 11:00 at night before I gave him his 4:30-5:00 feeding. Now, I am sure that Kosher went through a roller coaster of emotions before being fed. There was probably some anger and resentment. However, when I got there, all I saw was Kosher climbing up the side of his cage (as he always does) waiting for his food. You see, while Kosher has a pretty good idea of the time he gets fed, what really triggers his "I'm gonna get food!" response is me coming home. His time, his schedule, his world revolves around me (or Heather) getting his food.

In this psalm, we are introduced to a new way of orienting our lives. This kind of life is oriented around God and God's promises. And it's not a bad way to go- after all, God never forgets to feed us, or forgets to rescue us. While sometimes we need to wait for God's perfectly-timed response, we never have to wait wondering if God really heard us or really cares.

Therefore, praise is our response. Praise is for our benefit, not God's. God does not require praise to boost the divine ego, nor does God need praise to charge any divine batteries. God enjoys our worship, but it's really a way for us to express the meaning that God and God's actions have had in our lives and our life together. So, sometime today, try to lift up some praise to the one who has fed you.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Psalm 144

David is staring at a completely different if-then system than he was in Psalm 143. In the last psalm, David was focusing on his "ifs" and God's "thens." In this psalm, the overall structure is that of God's "ifs" and David's "thens." If God provides the victory, then the response will be praise to God and peace to God's people. And the psalm ends with a blessing.

Let's take a look at this psalm with a Jesus-shaped magnifying glass. David wonders why God would care about the insignificant human beings, when there is a swirling creation that seems to last longer. This question is even more valid when one considers what we know about the universe now compared to then. God never really answers this question, as the love of God is beyond our comprehension; we just know that God loves us out of God's very character. What God might respond with is "I love the world this way- I sent my one and only Son, so that whoever may believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life." Maybe.

And that leads to the next part of the psalm- David asks for God to appear and to slay his opponents. In a Jesus-shaped answer to this psalm, Jesus does precisely that. Jesus rides in a donkey and goes toe-to-toe with death, conquering it in resurrection. The victory is ours!

And now what about the response? Now the responsibility is back on God's people- i.e. us.

Is my life a lifestyle of worship? Do I declare with my thoughts, words and actions that God's love shown best in Jesus won? Is the theme of my life story that our deliverer has come and is coming? Maybe, sometimes, but I'm getting there.

Also, is my life a reflection of peace that comes with victory? Does my life reflect the kind of peace that God is all about? My life is comfortable. The buzzing AC unit, the comfy chair, the iPhone, the new clothes, all reek of comfort. And they can all be put to good use, too- I am not anti-stuff (completely). However, am I willing to risk comfort for the greater peace of knowing that I am doing God's work? Sometimes, maybe, but I'm getting there.

Let's get there together.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Psalm 143

David, in this psalm, deals with a lot of cause and effect. Verses 7-10 are a litany of "because I did this, you do that." When I read those statements, I get a little on edge. I don't believe that God's action is dependent on ours. In fact, if this were not a biblical psalm, I would probably have called out the author on bad theology. Fortunately, I didn't do that and I am spared the embarrassment of calling out the Bible on bad theology. I'm still uncomfortable with the if-thens, but the greater context of the psalm gives me some ease.

These are things that God has promised. David does not root his petitions in misplaced entitlement (I worked hard, thus I deserve to succeed), David roots his petitions in God's faithfulness. We don't get to decide what God is faithful to, God does. And God made promises to David, as well as all of God's people, that we can count on.

What are some of the promises that we are offered as God's people?

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Psalm 142

In David's life, there were many moments of giving up. I want to direct your attention to 1 Samuel 21. I referenced this time in David's life yesterday in my comments on Psalm 141. David has just grabbed the sword of Goliath and fled to Gath, Goliath's hometown. He went to meet with the King of Gath for protection, but he was afraid, so he acted insane to get out of the meeting. Rejected, David returned to Israel to find that no one was on his side anymore. While David was away, Saul found out that the priests were on David's side, and had them all murdered by Doeg the Edomite. David was alone, and without allies. It is from this point, hiding in a cave, that David uttered these words.

Has your spirit ever grown faint? Have you ever had that feeling of lost-ness, or every been afraid that you could lose everything? This psalm may be your heart-psalm.

In these moments, God is all we have left. And God is a safe refuge. Indeed, ihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giff we are honest with ourselves, God is all whttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gife ever have. Everything else is temporary. This psalm could be our heart-psalm any day.

What's amazing is that right after this psalm was uttered, God did something amazing. Read Psalm 142:7, then read 1 Samuel 22. No, really, take a moment.

Yes, when David was seeking God, God was already answering David's prayer. When he was done praying, his family and a rough band of debtors and people fed up with Saul's increasingly evil rule surround David and become his army. It's very Robin Hood-esque. David's brothers, the ones who told him he was foolish to face Goliath, now surround him as a king. It reminds me of what Jesus said- seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things (the things we worry about) will be added as well (Matthew 6:33). When our hearts are focused on God, who knows what God will do?

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Psalm 141

This psalm, in theme, follows closely behind yesterday's psalm (140). David continues his diatribe against evil forces, but there is a level of self-reflection here that is absent in other psalms. David is afraid of becoming that which he despises.

This makes sense, if you look at the full Goliath story. "Everybody" knows the David and Goliath story. David, as a shepherd boy, uses a sling to take down the most fearsome (and technologically advanced) soldier of his day. David decapitates the enemy Goliath and puts his sword and armor in the Tabernacle as a sign of victory (1 Samuel 17). But the story does not end there.

In 1 Samuel 21, David is on the run from Saul and stops by the Tabernacle to meet with the priest and get supplies. One of the things he needs is a sword, still in the mind to fight. The only sword left is Goliath's- the most advanced sword in the world. David knows it is a powerful weapon, there is no sword like it. But you can't help but see in the story, as David picks up the sword (ready to go to Gath- Goliath's hometown), that he is becoming the man he defeated.

And so when David prays, he prays that God would protect him from the man he is becoming. He prays against a weary heart that would succumb to temptation, against a loose tongue that can cause damage, and that his voice would be used for prayer. David does not even want to enjoy the spoils of wickedness, as they might tempt him further.

And so what is David's prayer request? Accountability. David accepts the rebuke (and even the slap) of a righteous man, even embracing the power of accountability. David's request is answered in Nathan, who is the only person to confront David about his affair with Bathsheba.

I have a Nathan in my life- a few of them, actually, people who save me from the person I am becoming and help shape a path to become someone different. We all need accountability in our lives, people who will give us the rebuke we need. I hope that today you find that.