Psalm 100

“For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” vs. 5

There are some religious folks in our time who are claiming that God hates evil and rejoices in the annihilation of our enemies. They base their tirades on passages from the Hebrew scriptures that describe the invasion of Canaan by the Hebrew tribes, where God is said to have ordered the deaths of all inhabitants, including women and children. Those verses are in the bible. The question is: are they an accurate description of God, especially when compared to the teachings of Jesus, who we believe is the incarnate Word of God?

Jesus was familiar with the Hebrew scriptures. They formed the blueprint for his life and mission. And he taught what this psalmist believed, that the Lord is good, and his steadfast love endures for ever. That’s why he taught that his followers should love their enemies, and do good to those who hated them! He could not have been more clear. In his estimation the greatest commandment of the law was to love God and neighbor. It’s unclear how anyone purporting to be a follower of Jesus could not have gotten that message.

And yet leaders of our country launch missiles and drop bombs, killing thousands of people–and say that they are doing this in the name of Jesus Christ! As they watch the explosions in real time, they pray for maximum lethality!

Their claims are stunning to true followers of Jesus. 

Thought for the Day: Why do good people rejoice in the death of enemies?

Exodus 19:5-8a

“The people all answered as one: ‘Everything that the Lord has spoken we will do.’” vs. 8a

Moses had reported to the gathered crowd of Israelites the words that the Lord had given him on the mountain. They would indeed be God’s treasured possession and a holy nation but there was a condition: they would need to obey God’s voice and keep God’s covenant. And the people are supremely confident, answering as one: “Everything that the Lord has spoken we will do.” 

And since we know what happened, we’re almost inclined to giggle at their response. Did they deliberately lie or did they just not know how difficult obedience would be? Based on our own experiences with obedience, the latter is most likely true. We know the story well. Probably every one of us has confidently assured others of our intention to do the right thing. We do it in the affirmation of our baptisms. We  do it in our marriage vows. We break promises to our children, our spouses, and our friends. Sometimes it seems only a little thing, but often our untruths can end relationships. 

We really do want to be good, holy, and righteous people, and we make promises with great sincerity and conviction. But like the Israelites we have a dickens of a time pulling it off. 

The good news is that we have a God who knows our every weakness, and when our good intentions fall short there is forgiveness! And all of us get mulligans!

Thought for the Day: A time I’ve not kept a promise!

Exodus 19:2-4

“You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.” vs. 4

When the Israelites had made their way through the wilderness to the foot of Mount Sinai, Moses went up the mountain to consult with the Lord. When he returned to the people he reported that God had raised them up on eagles’ wings and brought them out of Egypt so that they might be a holy nation. It’s a beautiful image, and for thousands of years the Jewish people have clung to this special designation through every twist and turn of history. In their estimation this is what makes them distinct. They are a nation set aside for holiness.

Of course things didn’t always go well for Israel. Instead of being a kingdom of priests they had turned out to be like every other nation. They loved to battle their enemies and spent hundreds of years trying to gain an advantage over the countries around them. Ultimately they were dispersed all around the world and found refuge wherever they could. But they did cling to their faith and their identity as God’s chosen people. It’s how they survived even the most vicious persecutions. 

And now they are a nation once more, and since 1947 they’ve continued to battle for their survival. It’s an amazing story, but some are wondering what the future holds for Israel. Is holiness even part of the picture anymore?

Thought for the Day: Is it possible to be critical of Israel without being anti-semitic?

Matthew 9:18-26

“Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, ‘Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.’ And instantly the woman was made well.” vs. 22

As Jesus had traveled through Galilee’s villages and towns in the course of his ministry he had developed a reputation as a healer. When word went out that he was in the area large crowds gathered, often to hear him speak, but also for the ill to receive his healing touch. And when that happened Jesus regularly reminded folks that their own faith had made them well. 

Jesus knew well that healing was a complicated business. Yes, there is a power that comes from God, the touch of a healing hand for instance, but there is also a power that comes from faith, and often that’s the crucial element. Those who work with the sick and the injured often testify to the mysterious combination of these two factors in the healing process. Even though there have been many advances in medicine, and doctors do have amazing skills, faith still has enormous significance. 

This doesn’t mean that every person with faith is going to receive healing. There are often folks who are firmly convinced that they are going to defeat their illness who don’t recover. But people who trust in Jesus are not discouraged by the victory of their disease–and even in the imminent presence of death they find confidence in the hope of continuing life. And that’s probably the greatest miracle of all!

Thought for the Day: What part does faith play in my health?

Matthew 9:9-13

“As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.”    vs. 9 

There is a painting in the Contarelli Chapel in Rome by the Italian master, Caravaggio, called “The Calling of St Matthew.” It shows Jesus, having entered a room, standing and pointing with an outstretched arm at one of five shadowy figures sitting at a table counting money. The man, startled, his face lit by a shaft of light, is staring back at Jesus with his finger pointed at himself, as if to ask the question, “Me?”

It’s a powerful portrayal of that moment when Jesus broke every standard of Jewish pietistic behavior by choosing one labelled as unclean to be one of his closest disciples. And the outrage didn’t end there. The immediate consequence of the call occurred when a whole crowd of tax-collectors and sinners then joined Jesus for dinner, presumably at Matthew’s house. All of the religious people in town were outraged.

That kind of hypocrisy continues to haunt those who walk in the way of Jesus. Religious people are watching our associations carefully, and if we hang out with those labelled as being unclean we could be called out as being a “friend of sinners.” Of course those who are serious about their call to be a disciple will consider such charges as being a badge of honor. That’s exactly what was said about Jesus and is a reminder that he loved those whom his culture despised.

Thought for the Day: Who are the “unclean” of our day?

Romans 4:18-25

“It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.” vss. 24-25

For Paul, Abraham and Sarah’s faith experience wasn’t just a bit of Israel’s history, it actually demonstrated the nature of God’s gracious love. Paul told the Romans that the old story was for them too, and that it showed the blessings that came with faith. For a people caught up in the confusion and turmoil of first century Rome, this was good news. Trusting that Jesus had been raised from the dead not only meant that they had hope for the future, but that they also had forgiveness of sins. It was a full package!

A lot of time has passed since Paul wrote these words, but they still have the ring of truth. Many things have changed, new ideas have expanded human knowledge, but humans still struggle with brokenness and worry about the future. We still need a faith that addresses both our past and our future.

Now there are multitudes of belief systems that aspire to bring the healing we crave. Answers to our deepest needs abound! But even now there’s something precious about the simplicity of Paul’s declaration. Not only is it rooted in history, it has stood the test of time. And most important of all, it works! Those who trust that in Jesus there is life and salvation have persistent and life-long serenity. And who could want for anything more?

Thought for the Day: How persistent is my serenity?

Romans 4:13-17

“For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith.” vs. 13

Paul loved the story of Abraham and Sarah, the two old folks who had been promised an impossible son. In his understanding this tale turned the message of the Torah upside down and opened the way for a revolutionary understanding of God’s grace. Humanity’s relationship to God was not dependent on the Law or our obedience to it. Instead, all of salvation rested on God’s mercy and steadfast love. 

Abraham and Sarah had done nothing to deserve the inheritance that was given them. All they had done was grow old, and they hadn’t even done that in any particularly admirable fashion. But they did believe in God’s promise, and in the end it was their faith that bore fruit.

It’s that same promise that sustains us in our lifelong faithfulness to the good news of God that has come to us through Jesus. While most of us at least make some attempt at living an exemplary life, we are well aware that we will likely fall woefully short. But faith is something we can hang on to through thick and thin–it can even survive times of doubt and inaction. And when crunch time comes, and we turn again to that persistent trust, it will be there to give us the peace that surpasses all understanding! Praise God!

Thought for the Day: How has my faith ebbed and flowed?

Psalms 50:7-15

“Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you and you shall honour me.” vs. 15

This psalmist, like a prophet, has a word from the Lord for the people of Israel. They had believed that their sacrifices and burnt offerings would make their needs known to the Lord, that the rituals were the key to their divine relationship. But the psalmist tells them that since all things already belong to God, the Lord has no need of what they offered.

 In fact, the psalmist assures them, all God wants is their thanksgiving and a promise to be faithful. They too belonged to God; they were God’s people, and in the day of trouble they should be sure to ask for help. God would not be deaf to their pleas and would deliver them, no questions asked!

It’s this kind of relationship to the Divine that Joseph Scriven was thinking of in the second verse of his poem, Pray without Ceasing, familiar to us as the hymn, What a Friend We Have in Jesus: “Have we trials and temptations, is there trouble anywhere, we should never be discouraged, take to the Lord in prayer. O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer.” 

This psalmist would surely agree with Scriven. God is our greatest help in the day of trouble.

Thought for the Day: When has prayer given me peace?

Hosea 6:4-6

“What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early…For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice…” vss. 4, 6a

According to Hosea these two puny countries, constantly at war and caught up in foreign intrigues, have driven the Lord as far as the Lord could be pushed. They claim to love God but their love is a charade, a morning cloud that dissipates before noon. They take great pains to offer proper sacrifices but the Lord has no interest in burnt offerings. What the Lord wants is steadfast love.

About the same time Hosea’s fellow prophet, Micah, voiced the same concern in addressing the nation: “And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” It doesn’t take much imagination to figure out what either of these prophets would have to say to us. Sometimes we imagine that God doesn’t much care what countries do, that all God cares about is the individual and personal morality. Nothing is further from the truth. 

Jesus made that clear in Matthew 25 with his parable regarding the least of these, and what we should do for them. In that story it’s the nations that are being addressed by the king. It’s the nations who are called out to care for the hungry and the naked. And it’s in our caring that we too will show steadfast love to God!

Thought for the Day: How does our nation show steadfast love?

Hosea 5:15-6:3

“Come, let us return to the Lord; for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us; he has struck down, and he will bind us up.” vs. 1 

Hosea was a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the 8th century B.C.E. It was a time of turmoil and intrigue, with Israel having allied itself with Syria against Judah. While both Israel and Judah claimed a connection to the Lord, neither seems to have taken that relationship seriously. Both countries dabbled in the worship of Baal, one of the favorite idols of that region.

At this point Israel, having experienced defeat in battle, expresses an interest in returning to the Lord, presumably because the Lord would bring healing and reconciliation. For Hosea this was a problem because the people had never expressed any remorse or guilt for their actions.They didn’t seem to realize that the Lord required repentance before there could be healing.

It’s not uncommon for a nation to turn to God when times are difficult. We see this in our own country as our foundations seem to be cracking and on the verge of collapse. We would like very much for God to make us whole, but we’re not as willing to acknowledge those areas in which we’ve gone astray. Even though we will confess that there is a need for repentance, we’re more likely to think that it’s others who need to do the changing. And if Hosea is right, without honest confession, there is little likelihood of healing!

Thought for the Day: How can our country be healed?