DAILY BYTE
As a newly married person, I’ve learned a few things. I’ve learned that different people have different ways of…washing their socks, using a knife, making the bed (or not)… People have different ways of arguing and some of those ways of doing things and ways of simply being – I have had to admit – are better than the ways that I have done them in the past….
Whew! I can’t believe I’ve written that on paper for the whole world to see...
But I have. Because the thing I have learned most about marriage so far, and suspect I will continue learning, is the need for ... humility.
It seems that when you’re married to someone, you cannot escape their truth. They have a knowledge of who you are – the good and the bad – that means that in their presence you cannot think of yourself more highly than you actually are...
My spouse’s knowledge of me humbles me. And this is a scary thing. It’s a vulnerable thing. It means that someone else can see that the face we often put on for the rest of the world is not always who we truly are – that sometimes other people are better at things. Other people know the answers that we do not. Other people are kinder and more intelligent and more gracious and more disciplined with their faith than we are.
In the passage from Luke 14 for this week, we see that Jesus is in the company of some people who are watching him very closely to see who he is.
These people are held in very high regard in the community. They are knowledgeable and extremely dedicated to their religious beliefs and practices. We might say the Pharisees are like ‘churchy’ people.
But Jesus seems totally unintimidated by their watchful eyes. So much so that he purposefully goes over to eat with one of their leaders. He walks straight into the den of lions – it seems – because he has something important to say to them – and to us.
Jesus has something important to teach both people being humbled and people with the power to do the humbling in our human relationships and in our relationship with God.
So stay tuned this week, as we keep focusing our eyes on Jesus.
FOCUS READING
Luke 14:1 (NRSV)
On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely.
Monday, 30 August 2010
Friday, 27 August 2010
The history of Israel – Part 2
DAILY BYTE
We consider our whistle-stop tour through the history of Israel. To recap what was covered yesterday, we looked at the following 5 periods in Israel’s history: 1. the time of the Patriarchs; 2. slavery in Egypt & the events of the Exodus; 3. Wilderness wanderings; 4. Settlement in the Promised Land; 5. the time of the Judges.
Let’s continue:
6. The Monarchy
In 1 Samuel 8 we read how the elders of Israel approached the prophet / judge Samuel and requested a king to rule over them, as the other nations around them had (1 Sam 8:5). There are different interpretations of this request – either as a rejection of the LORD as their king (1 Sam 8:7), or as part of the LORD’s provision for His people (1 Sam 9:16-17). The first kings anointed to rule over Israel were Saul, followed by David, followed by his son Solomon. (1 & 2 Samuel; 1 Kings; 1 & 2 Chronicles).
The most important events during this early period of the Monarchy was the establishment of Jerusalem as the David’s capital city, and then later during the reign of Solomon, the building of the Temple in Jerusalem, and the centralization of the sacrificial cult there.
However, with the institution of the Monarchy, there came the imposition of burdensome taxes as well as corvée (forced unpaid labour), especially under the reign of Solomon. Also, political power games entered the scene as will be seen in the next period.
7. The Divided Kingdom
The reign of Solomon and his oppressive policies had alienated the northern part of the Kingdom, and so after Solomon’s death in 922 BCE, the national structure erected by David fell apart, as the Kingdom divided into two rival states – Israel in the north and Judah in the south. These two kingdoms lived side by side, sometimes at war, sometimes in friendly alliance with one another, until the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians about 200 years later. (1 & 2 Kings; 2 Chronicles)
8. Assyrian conquest of Israel.
In 722 BCE the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians. The period leading up to this national calamity saw the emergence of what is known as the classical (or writing) prophets, Amos being the first. (2 Kings; Amos; Hosea; Micah; Isaiah 1-39; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah.)
9. The Babylonian Exile
In the period between the Assyrian destruction of Samaria, the capital of Israel (722 BC) and the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem (587 BC), the southern kingdom of Judah underwent two major religious reforms - those of Hezekiah (715 - 686 BC) and Josiah (640 - 609 BC). Other than these two kings, all the other kings of Judah “did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord”. According to the prophets of this time, these failings in righteousness and justice resulted in the experience of the exile, which was understood as the judgement of God.
The Babylonian exile designates the period from the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 587 BC to the rebuilding of Jerusalem under the Persians, beginning in 537 BC. During this period, the nobles, leaders, priests, aristocracy and skilled artisans of Judah were deported to Babylon.
The Exile represented a crisis of faith of unprecedented proportions. It also precipitated a flowering of religious thought and the proliferation of work on the sacred books and traditions of Israel. It seems quite likely that most of the historical books of the OT were collected and edited during the exile. The same is true in much of the prophetic literature, and two major prophetic works - Ezekiel and Isaiah 40-55 - were written during this period. It is also suggested that the codification of Hebrew law was at least begun during the exile. (2 Kings; 2 Chronicles; Isaiah 40-55; Jeremiah; Ezekiel.)
10. Restoration and Beyond.
In 537 BCE the exiles returned from Babylon, and about 20 years later completed the task of rebuilding the Temple. In the period following there were sweeping reforms instituted by the priest Ezra and further reconstruction work undertaken by a governor called Nehemiah. Greek influence arose with the rise of Hellenism under Alexander the Great, and there were times of religious persecution of the Jews, most notably under Antiochus Epiphanes. In 165 BCE there was armed resistance with the Maccabean Revolt, which marked a period of relative religious independence. The book of Daniel probably dates from this period of the Maccabeans, the latest of the Old Testament writings. (Ezra; Nehemiah; Ruth; Isaiah 56-66; Joel; Obadiah; Jonah; Haggai; Zechariah; Malachi; Daniel.)
PRAY AS YOU GO
Thank you Lord that through the changing contours of life, with its winding paths, detours, dead-ends, about-turns, peaks & valleys, you remain the same God – sovereign and unchanging in your faithfulness, goodness and grace. Thank you for your long-suffering love, seen so clearly in the long, winding road of Israel’s history. Thank you for the assurance this gives us that likewise you will never forsake us, but are always with us, in good times and bad. Thank you God! Amen
We consider our whistle-stop tour through the history of Israel. To recap what was covered yesterday, we looked at the following 5 periods in Israel’s history: 1. the time of the Patriarchs; 2. slavery in Egypt & the events of the Exodus; 3. Wilderness wanderings; 4. Settlement in the Promised Land; 5. the time of the Judges.
Let’s continue:
6. The Monarchy
In 1 Samuel 8 we read how the elders of Israel approached the prophet / judge Samuel and requested a king to rule over them, as the other nations around them had (1 Sam 8:5). There are different interpretations of this request – either as a rejection of the LORD as their king (1 Sam 8:7), or as part of the LORD’s provision for His people (1 Sam 9:16-17). The first kings anointed to rule over Israel were Saul, followed by David, followed by his son Solomon. (1 & 2 Samuel; 1 Kings; 1 & 2 Chronicles).
The most important events during this early period of the Monarchy was the establishment of Jerusalem as the David’s capital city, and then later during the reign of Solomon, the building of the Temple in Jerusalem, and the centralization of the sacrificial cult there.
However, with the institution of the Monarchy, there came the imposition of burdensome taxes as well as corvée (forced unpaid labour), especially under the reign of Solomon. Also, political power games entered the scene as will be seen in the next period.
7. The Divided Kingdom
The reign of Solomon and his oppressive policies had alienated the northern part of the Kingdom, and so after Solomon’s death in 922 BCE, the national structure erected by David fell apart, as the Kingdom divided into two rival states – Israel in the north and Judah in the south. These two kingdoms lived side by side, sometimes at war, sometimes in friendly alliance with one another, until the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians about 200 years later. (1 & 2 Kings; 2 Chronicles)
8. Assyrian conquest of Israel.
In 722 BCE the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrians. The period leading up to this national calamity saw the emergence of what is known as the classical (or writing) prophets, Amos being the first. (2 Kings; Amos; Hosea; Micah; Isaiah 1-39; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah.)
9. The Babylonian Exile
In the period between the Assyrian destruction of Samaria, the capital of Israel (722 BC) and the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem (587 BC), the southern kingdom of Judah underwent two major religious reforms - those of Hezekiah (715 - 686 BC) and Josiah (640 - 609 BC). Other than these two kings, all the other kings of Judah “did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord”. According to the prophets of this time, these failings in righteousness and justice resulted in the experience of the exile, which was understood as the judgement of God.
The Babylonian exile designates the period from the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 587 BC to the rebuilding of Jerusalem under the Persians, beginning in 537 BC. During this period, the nobles, leaders, priests, aristocracy and skilled artisans of Judah were deported to Babylon.
The Exile represented a crisis of faith of unprecedented proportions. It also precipitated a flowering of religious thought and the proliferation of work on the sacred books and traditions of Israel. It seems quite likely that most of the historical books of the OT were collected and edited during the exile. The same is true in much of the prophetic literature, and two major prophetic works - Ezekiel and Isaiah 40-55 - were written during this period. It is also suggested that the codification of Hebrew law was at least begun during the exile. (2 Kings; 2 Chronicles; Isaiah 40-55; Jeremiah; Ezekiel.)
10. Restoration and Beyond.
In 537 BCE the exiles returned from Babylon, and about 20 years later completed the task of rebuilding the Temple. In the period following there were sweeping reforms instituted by the priest Ezra and further reconstruction work undertaken by a governor called Nehemiah. Greek influence arose with the rise of Hellenism under Alexander the Great, and there were times of religious persecution of the Jews, most notably under Antiochus Epiphanes. In 165 BCE there was armed resistance with the Maccabean Revolt, which marked a period of relative religious independence. The book of Daniel probably dates from this period of the Maccabeans, the latest of the Old Testament writings. (Ezra; Nehemiah; Ruth; Isaiah 56-66; Joel; Obadiah; Jonah; Haggai; Zechariah; Malachi; Daniel.)
PRAY AS YOU GO
Thank you Lord that through the changing contours of life, with its winding paths, detours, dead-ends, about-turns, peaks & valleys, you remain the same God – sovereign and unchanging in your faithfulness, goodness and grace. Thank you for your long-suffering love, seen so clearly in the long, winding road of Israel’s history. Thank you for the assurance this gives us that likewise you will never forsake us, but are always with us, in good times and bad. Thank you God! Amen
Thursday, 26 August 2010
The history of Israel – Part 1
DAILY BYTE
We move now to the task of considering the broad sweep of Israel’s history, as the Bible records it. As was mentioned yesterday, the biblical record is not absolute historical fact, but rather a theological presentation and interpretation of historical events. Nevertheless, constructing a biblical history of Israel is possible and worthwhile, and can add great depth and substance to our reading of the Old Testament.
There are ten distinct periods that can be identified in Israel’s history. The biblical references where these periods are dealt with are included in parentheses at the end of each section:
PRAY AS YOU GO
Eternal God, you exist beyond time and space, and yet you show yourself to be the God who enters the particularities of history and geography as you get involved with the realities of human existence. This is so evident as we consider the history of the people of Israel. But we know that this is true of us too, for you are a God who is interested and intimately involved with every detail of our lives. Thank you! Help us, this day, to hold onto this good news. Amen
We move now to the task of considering the broad sweep of Israel’s history, as the Bible records it. As was mentioned yesterday, the biblical record is not absolute historical fact, but rather a theological presentation and interpretation of historical events. Nevertheless, constructing a biblical history of Israel is possible and worthwhile, and can add great depth and substance to our reading of the Old Testament.
There are ten distinct periods that can be identified in Israel’s history. The biblical references where these periods are dealt with are included in parentheses at the end of each section:
- The Patriarchal period – which refers to the colourful stories about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This period culminates with the stories of Joseph, through which the action is relocated to Egypt. (Genesis 12 – 50).
- Slavery in Egypt and the events of the Exodus. Moses is the key figure in this period, who confronts Pharaoh with a word from God who says, ‘Let my people go’ (Ex 5:1.)Through a series of plagues (God’s rolling mass action) culminating in the dreadful events of the night of Passover, the Israelites are led out of captivity and into the perilous uncertainty of freedom. (Exodus 1 – 15).
- The Wilderness Wanderings. Following the Israelites’ liberation from Egypt, which involved the dramatic crossing of the Red Sea, the Israelites spent forty years wandering in the wilderness. It was one thing getting the Israelites out of Egypt, but altogether another getting Egypt out of the Israelites. In the wilderness, that shift in mindset began as they entered into a covenantal relationship with God (when the 10 Commandments were given at Mount Sinai) and learnt what it meant to live in trusting obedience to God. In the wilderness they were fed daily with manna, and learnt the lessons of observing the Sabbath and the importance of keeping the law. (Exodus 16 – 40; Leviticus; Numbers; Deuteronomy).
- Settlement in the Promised Land. The mantel of leadership passed from Moses to Joshua, who led the people into the Promised Land of Canaan, once again involving a dramatic water crossing, this time the Jordan River. Taking possession of the land involved a programme of conquest to displace the inhabitants who were already occupying the land. The defeat of the city of Jericho is the best-known and most dramatic story, in which the walls of Jericho came crashing down by the people shouting and blowing their trumpets (or was it vuvuzelas?). The point of the story, of course, was that God was opening the way for the Israelites to take hold of the land. (Joshua).
- The period of the Judges. From time to time, charismatic leaders were raised up in times of crisis to unify and lead the Israelite tribes living in Canaan. These leaders are referred to as Judges. Some of the more well-known Judges would include Deborah, Gideon & Samson, but there were many others. (Judges).
PRAY AS YOU GO
Eternal God, you exist beyond time and space, and yet you show yourself to be the God who enters the particularities of history and geography as you get involved with the realities of human existence. This is so evident as we consider the history of the people of Israel. But we know that this is true of us too, for you are a God who is interested and intimately involved with every detail of our lives. Thank you! Help us, this day, to hold onto this good news. Amen
Wednesday, 25 August 2010
The Challenge of History
DAILY BYTE
When it comes to reading the Old Testament with greater insight and understanding, it is immensely helpful to have a clear picture in your mind of the broad sweep of Israel’s history. Having a sense of the chronological sequence of events can help to make the Old Testament less intimidating and can make the sense of a particular passage easier to grasp.
For example, if you’re reading about Gideon, it’s helpful to know that he lived in what is known as the time of the Judges, after Israel had settled in the Promised Land but before the institution of the monarchy and the arrival of Israel’s first king. If you’re reading about the prophet Elijah, it’s helpful to know that he lived in that period in Israel’s history known as the divided kingdom, where kings of the nations of Israel and Judah were coming and going, some being faithful to God, but many not. If you’re reading from the book of Jeremiah, it’s helpful to know that Jeremiah worked in Jerusalem right up to the time when Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians in 587 BCE. (The letters BCE stand for ‘Before the Common Era’ and are commonly preferred in biblical scholarship to replace the more traditional date designation of BC - ‘Before Christ’.)
However, before we jump into an overview of the history of Israel, it’s important to recognise that the history of Israel that is presented in the Bible is not absolute historical fact, but is a theological interpretation of historical events. Biblical historians have different approaches to the historical record found in the Old Testament. Some regard it as being mostly accurate in its account of the broad sweep of historical events, but less so in the finer details of what took place. Other scholars regard the biblical record of Israel’s history as being unreliable for reconstructing what actually happened. They describe it as a ‘revisionist’ history, in other words, the events of the past have been dramatically rewritten to suit a particular theological purpose. Such scholars rely more heavily on sources other than the biblical record for reconstructing Israel’s history, such as archaeological evidence or epigraphical evidence (that is, writings from other parts of the Ancient Near East, other than the Bible.)
We needn’t get too caught up in the finer nuances of these scholarly debates. But the essential point that I’m making is an important one – the ‘history’ in the Bible is not a uniform, objective, unbiased account of the events that happened long ago. In fact, there are many historical contradictions in the Bible that illustrate this point. (For example, compare Joshua 10:36-37 with Joshua 14:6-14, which provide contradictory accounts of what happened to the city of Hebron.) Some people find this a disturbing thought, as if it means that suddenly the Bible is no longer true. But that’s leaping to a false conclusion. We mustn’t force the Bible to be something that it isn’t. It isn’t a chronicle of history, it’s a story of faith. It uses history (yes, in a selective and even biased way) to tell the story of faith. We confuse the two at our peril.
Notwithstanding these words of caution, the Bible does paint a fairly detailed picture of the history of Israel, and knowing that history can be hugely helpful as we read the Old Testament. Over the next two days, we’ll look at the broad sweep of Israel’s history from the period of the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac & Jacob) to the time of Restoration following the Babylonian exile.
PRAY AS YOU GO
For today’s prayer you are encouraged to read through Psalm 136. It’s a psalm that describes the creating and redeeming work of God in history. You’ll notice that each verse has a refrain ‘His steadfast love endures forever.’ It’s a beautiful reminder that layered through every act of God’s creating and redeeming, there is the reality of God’s steadfast love. This was true not just for Israel so long ago, but is also true for your life and mine today!
When it comes to reading the Old Testament with greater insight and understanding, it is immensely helpful to have a clear picture in your mind of the broad sweep of Israel’s history. Having a sense of the chronological sequence of events can help to make the Old Testament less intimidating and can make the sense of a particular passage easier to grasp.
For example, if you’re reading about Gideon, it’s helpful to know that he lived in what is known as the time of the Judges, after Israel had settled in the Promised Land but before the institution of the monarchy and the arrival of Israel’s first king. If you’re reading about the prophet Elijah, it’s helpful to know that he lived in that period in Israel’s history known as the divided kingdom, where kings of the nations of Israel and Judah were coming and going, some being faithful to God, but many not. If you’re reading from the book of Jeremiah, it’s helpful to know that Jeremiah worked in Jerusalem right up to the time when Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians in 587 BCE. (The letters BCE stand for ‘Before the Common Era’ and are commonly preferred in biblical scholarship to replace the more traditional date designation of BC - ‘Before Christ’.)
However, before we jump into an overview of the history of Israel, it’s important to recognise that the history of Israel that is presented in the Bible is not absolute historical fact, but is a theological interpretation of historical events. Biblical historians have different approaches to the historical record found in the Old Testament. Some regard it as being mostly accurate in its account of the broad sweep of historical events, but less so in the finer details of what took place. Other scholars regard the biblical record of Israel’s history as being unreliable for reconstructing what actually happened. They describe it as a ‘revisionist’ history, in other words, the events of the past have been dramatically rewritten to suit a particular theological purpose. Such scholars rely more heavily on sources other than the biblical record for reconstructing Israel’s history, such as archaeological evidence or epigraphical evidence (that is, writings from other parts of the Ancient Near East, other than the Bible.)
We needn’t get too caught up in the finer nuances of these scholarly debates. But the essential point that I’m making is an important one – the ‘history’ in the Bible is not a uniform, objective, unbiased account of the events that happened long ago. In fact, there are many historical contradictions in the Bible that illustrate this point. (For example, compare Joshua 10:36-37 with Joshua 14:6-14, which provide contradictory accounts of what happened to the city of Hebron.) Some people find this a disturbing thought, as if it means that suddenly the Bible is no longer true. But that’s leaping to a false conclusion. We mustn’t force the Bible to be something that it isn’t. It isn’t a chronicle of history, it’s a story of faith. It uses history (yes, in a selective and even biased way) to tell the story of faith. We confuse the two at our peril.
Notwithstanding these words of caution, the Bible does paint a fairly detailed picture of the history of Israel, and knowing that history can be hugely helpful as we read the Old Testament. Over the next two days, we’ll look at the broad sweep of Israel’s history from the period of the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac & Jacob) to the time of Restoration following the Babylonian exile.
PRAY AS YOU GO
For today’s prayer you are encouraged to read through Psalm 136. It’s a psalm that describes the creating and redeeming work of God in history. You’ll notice that each verse has a refrain ‘His steadfast love endures forever.’ It’s a beautiful reminder that layered through every act of God’s creating and redeeming, there is the reality of God’s steadfast love. This was true not just for Israel so long ago, but is also true for your life and mine today!
Tuesday, 24 August 2010
Digging for Gold
DAILY BYTE
In our devotions this week we’re taking a closer look at the Old Testament. Yesterday the point was made that the Old Testament is largely ignored by many Christians, even though they regard it as part of the word of God.
Today we ask the question ‘Why?’ Why is the Old Testament neglected? Maybe you’d like to reflect on your own reasons why you don’t read the Old Testament more than you do.
Some of the reasons for this unfortunate state of affairs would include the following:
Clearly there are many challenges that confront us in the reading and interpreting of the Old Testament. And so, any serious attempt to read the Old Testament in a meaningful and legitimate way must take these challenges seriously. The encouraging news is that even though it may be demanding, the treasures for our faith that the Old Testament promises are abundant indeed. Much like digging for gold, those who are willing to sharpen the tools necessary to drill through the hard rock of history and cultural context as they dig deep in the diverse writings of the Old Testament, will be richly rewarded.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Dear Lord God, help me to be disciplined and serious about reading and studying your word. Remind me that even when I’m reading parts that I struggle to understand, your Spirit is available to help me in my weakness. Give to me an enquiring mind, a receptive heart and a persevering spirit as I dig for the gold that the Scriptures contain. Amen
SCRIPTURE READING
2 Timothy 3:16-17
‘All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.
In our devotions this week we’re taking a closer look at the Old Testament. Yesterday the point was made that the Old Testament is largely ignored by many Christians, even though they regard it as part of the word of God.
Today we ask the question ‘Why?’ Why is the Old Testament neglected? Maybe you’d like to reflect on your own reasons why you don’t read the Old Testament more than you do.
Some of the reasons for this unfortunate state of affairs would include the following:
- The Old Testament is often hard to understand. It is written in an historical & cultural context that is very distant from where we are today, which sometimes makes it hard to get into.
- It is regarded as ‘Old’ – that it has been superseded by the New Testament and so is largely irrelevant to people’s lives today. This is a misperception.
- The picture of God that is painted in the Old Testament seems to be at odds with what we see revealed in Jesus, especially in the violent & bloodthirsty parts. This is also a misperception that arises from a superficial reading of the text, but it nevertheless puts some people off the Old Testament altogether.
- Parts of the Old Testament are just plain boring – especially if you think of some of the lengthy lists, geneaologies and cultic regulations that you find in books like Leviticus and Numbers. (Of course, nothing is ever boring if you truly understand what it is about and what it’s pointing to.)
Clearly there are many challenges that confront us in the reading and interpreting of the Old Testament. And so, any serious attempt to read the Old Testament in a meaningful and legitimate way must take these challenges seriously. The encouraging news is that even though it may be demanding, the treasures for our faith that the Old Testament promises are abundant indeed. Much like digging for gold, those who are willing to sharpen the tools necessary to drill through the hard rock of history and cultural context as they dig deep in the diverse writings of the Old Testament, will be richly rewarded.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Dear Lord God, help me to be disciplined and serious about reading and studying your word. Remind me that even when I’m reading parts that I struggle to understand, your Spirit is available to help me in my weakness. Give to me an enquiring mind, a receptive heart and a persevering spirit as I dig for the gold that the Scriptures contain. Amen
SCRIPTURE READING
2 Timothy 3:16-17
‘All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.
Monday, 23 August 2010
Reading the Old Testament
DAILY BYTE
For Christians the Bible is an essential book that we read to discover more about God, the world, the purpose of life and how we should live out lives. Yet for many Christians, the largest part of the Bible – the Old Testament – remains largely unread. This neglect of the Old Testament is not just true of lay people, but even preachers and pastors are guilty of overlooking the richness that the Old Testament contains.
Listen to these sharply insightful words of Ellen Davis, Professor of Bible and Practical Theology at Duke Divinity School. She writes:
"...there is not a lot of Old Testament preaching done these days... And even when an Old Testament text is treated, often little is attempted with it – little, that is, of serious reckoning with the text itself. In most cases, there is a brief reference to a familiar biblical figure or story as illustrative of the sermon’s main point, which is somewhere outside the text and the biblical story.
In my hearing, at least, it is highly unusual for a preacher to linger over a passage and find it compelling of attention, not as an llustration, but as an indispensable source of knowledge about the things of God. How rare it is for a preacher to work deeply with the challenge found in a prophetic passage, or perhaps a narrative, expecting to find in the text itself some guidance for meeting that challenge. Rarer still for a Christian preacher to discover in the instructions and prayers of the Old Testament a substantial measure of “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Phil 4:7) – and then show specifically how these words offer comfort in affliction, companionship in grief, clear direction for our gratitude, and [the beginnings of] hope. In sum, it is a rare thing for a preacher to show an Old Testament text to be not just useful but truly astonishing.” (In ‘Wondrous Depth: Preaching the Old Testament’.)
If this is true of preachers who are theologically trained, how much more is this true of ordinary people of faith, for whom much of the Old Testament remains obscure and difficult to understand, and is therefore often ignored.
In our devotions this week we’ll be shining the light on the astonishing riches of the Old Testament. If the Old Testament is a section of the Bible that you’ve neglected in your reading and reflection, then hopefully this week you will be challenged and encouraged to go back to read more of its pages, trusting that you will hear a life-giving word from God for your life. The good news is that no matter how challenging or complex the Old Testament may seem, it too is part of the Divine Revelation of Holy Scripture, so be encouraged and strengthened as you read.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Thank you Gracious God for the wonderful gift of the Bible. Help us to take it seriously in the ways in which we approach, read and study all of it. Give us perseverance to grapple with your word, trusting that we will encounter you and your words of life for us, if we do. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING
Psalm 119:105
‘Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.’
For Christians the Bible is an essential book that we read to discover more about God, the world, the purpose of life and how we should live out lives. Yet for many Christians, the largest part of the Bible – the Old Testament – remains largely unread. This neglect of the Old Testament is not just true of lay people, but even preachers and pastors are guilty of overlooking the richness that the Old Testament contains.
Listen to these sharply insightful words of Ellen Davis, Professor of Bible and Practical Theology at Duke Divinity School. She writes:
"...there is not a lot of Old Testament preaching done these days... And even when an Old Testament text is treated, often little is attempted with it – little, that is, of serious reckoning with the text itself. In most cases, there is a brief reference to a familiar biblical figure or story as illustrative of the sermon’s main point, which is somewhere outside the text and the biblical story.
In my hearing, at least, it is highly unusual for a preacher to linger over a passage and find it compelling of attention, not as an llustration, but as an indispensable source of knowledge about the things of God. How rare it is for a preacher to work deeply with the challenge found in a prophetic passage, or perhaps a narrative, expecting to find in the text itself some guidance for meeting that challenge. Rarer still for a Christian preacher to discover in the instructions and prayers of the Old Testament a substantial measure of “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (Phil 4:7) – and then show specifically how these words offer comfort in affliction, companionship in grief, clear direction for our gratitude, and [the beginnings of] hope. In sum, it is a rare thing for a preacher to show an Old Testament text to be not just useful but truly astonishing.” (In ‘Wondrous Depth: Preaching the Old Testament’.)
If this is true of preachers who are theologically trained, how much more is this true of ordinary people of faith, for whom much of the Old Testament remains obscure and difficult to understand, and is therefore often ignored.
In our devotions this week we’ll be shining the light on the astonishing riches of the Old Testament. If the Old Testament is a section of the Bible that you’ve neglected in your reading and reflection, then hopefully this week you will be challenged and encouraged to go back to read more of its pages, trusting that you will hear a life-giving word from God for your life. The good news is that no matter how challenging or complex the Old Testament may seem, it too is part of the Divine Revelation of Holy Scripture, so be encouraged and strengthened as you read.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Thank you Gracious God for the wonderful gift of the Bible. Help us to take it seriously in the ways in which we approach, read and study all of it. Give us perseverance to grapple with your word, trusting that we will encounter you and your words of life for us, if we do. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING
Psalm 119:105
‘Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.’
Friday, 20 August 2010
Power Predicaments - Part 5
DAILY BYTE
Yesterday, we discussed how keeping Jesus as our constant example in all things (through worship) would help us to remember to pursue love rather than power.
The second suggestion I would like to make is really practical. In the area of relationships, instead of trying to take a step up, help others up. Serve each other!
Remember what Jesus said: ‘Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be a slave of all.’
We defeat our tendencies towards power and pride as a way of life by serving one another! When we reach out to our fellow human beings with acts of compassionate giving, we actively BEAT BACK selfishness and the innate admiration of power that our society has taught us.
We can serve each other in many different ways, but primarily when we refuse to rank each other in any way whatsoever, and instead learn to treat one another equally – as brothers and sisters.
Not only that, but because acts of real servant hood remove selfishness from the soul, we are then more clearly able to hear and obey God. There’s less of us getting in the way and so conversely there’s more of God.
The gaining of power is sometimes unavoidable – we defeat power not necessarily by avoiding it or resigning from positions of authority but rather by letting go of the temptation to use our positions to benefit only ourselves. Instead, we should seek to use any power and influence to EMPOWER others. We should seek to lift others up rather than using them as stepping stones.
On Monday we noted that untold misery has been caused by individuals seeking God-like power (remember the temptation of Adam and Eve to ‘be like God’). Yet through Jesus – the human face of God – we learn that God isn’t actually into power for power’s sake at all.
God is the most powerful being in the universe and yet values love to the point he gave up all his power.
Therefore, as strange as it may seem to you, as upside down & inside out a thought it may be, we are never more LIKE God ... God-like ... LIKE God, than when we humbly learn to serve each other.
PRAY AS YOU GO
O Lord, help us to understand what it really means to be God-like. Help us to learn to actively serve one another. In the name of the servant King Jesus. Amen.
FOCUS READING
Philippians 2:5-11 (NIV)
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Yesterday, we discussed how keeping Jesus as our constant example in all things (through worship) would help us to remember to pursue love rather than power.
The second suggestion I would like to make is really practical. In the area of relationships, instead of trying to take a step up, help others up. Serve each other!
Remember what Jesus said: ‘Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be a slave of all.’
We defeat our tendencies towards power and pride as a way of life by serving one another! When we reach out to our fellow human beings with acts of compassionate giving, we actively BEAT BACK selfishness and the innate admiration of power that our society has taught us.
We can serve each other in many different ways, but primarily when we refuse to rank each other in any way whatsoever, and instead learn to treat one another equally – as brothers and sisters.
Not only that, but because acts of real servant hood remove selfishness from the soul, we are then more clearly able to hear and obey God. There’s less of us getting in the way and so conversely there’s more of God.
The gaining of power is sometimes unavoidable – we defeat power not necessarily by avoiding it or resigning from positions of authority but rather by letting go of the temptation to use our positions to benefit only ourselves. Instead, we should seek to use any power and influence to EMPOWER others. We should seek to lift others up rather than using them as stepping stones.
On Monday we noted that untold misery has been caused by individuals seeking God-like power (remember the temptation of Adam and Eve to ‘be like God’). Yet through Jesus – the human face of God – we learn that God isn’t actually into power for power’s sake at all.
God is the most powerful being in the universe and yet values love to the point he gave up all his power.
Therefore, as strange as it may seem to you, as upside down & inside out a thought it may be, we are never more LIKE God ... God-like ... LIKE God, than when we humbly learn to serve each other.
PRAY AS YOU GO
O Lord, help us to understand what it really means to be God-like. Help us to learn to actively serve one another. In the name of the servant King Jesus. Amen.
FOCUS READING
Philippians 2:5-11 (NIV)
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Thursday, 19 August 2010
Power Predicaments - Part 4
DAILY BYTE
The way of Jesus leads us in totally different, upside-down directions when it comes to power. For Jesus calls us to follow him in the way of the cross – which is a way of downward mobility, a way of servanthood and love, a journey where we become less and God becomes more.
Jesus calls us to move away from a love of power and into the power of love.
Jesus’ response to the power plays of James and John in Mark 10 sums it up perfectly: "Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be a slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
So how then? How do we follow Jesus in his upside-down way? How do we take a stand against power and its subtle yet profoundly dangerous effects on our hearts and our relationships?
Well Jesus’ words, give us a number of suggestions. The first is this – "For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
These words challenge us to keep Jesus – the human face of God – as our constant example and inspiration. One of the most effective ways we can do so is through worship.
This is because worship is a continual reminder to us of who the power really is … and that it isn’t us!
Worship reminds us that no one has more power than God – creator and saviour of all - and yet God chose to lay down his power and become vulnerable for the sake of love.
Through Jesus, God became vulnerable enough so that nails could be driven through his flesh. This is God’s way – ‘for even the Son Man not come to be served, but to serve’ – and this is the way we been created to live as well.
Furthermore, worship should give us humility enough to confess our weaknesses when comes to issues like power. For when we look at how the greatest power of all chose a humble way of love for our sakes, then how can respond any differently?
PRAY AS YOU GO
Lord God, we pray that you would help us to move from the love of power to the power of love. Amen.
FOCUS READING
Mark 10:43b-45 (NIV)
Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
The way of Jesus leads us in totally different, upside-down directions when it comes to power. For Jesus calls us to follow him in the way of the cross – which is a way of downward mobility, a way of servanthood and love, a journey where we become less and God becomes more.
Jesus calls us to move away from a love of power and into the power of love.
Jesus’ response to the power plays of James and John in Mark 10 sums it up perfectly: "Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be a slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
So how then? How do we follow Jesus in his upside-down way? How do we take a stand against power and its subtle yet profoundly dangerous effects on our hearts and our relationships?
Well Jesus’ words, give us a number of suggestions. The first is this – "For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
These words challenge us to keep Jesus – the human face of God – as our constant example and inspiration. One of the most effective ways we can do so is through worship.
This is because worship is a continual reminder to us of who the power really is … and that it isn’t us!
Worship reminds us that no one has more power than God – creator and saviour of all - and yet God chose to lay down his power and become vulnerable for the sake of love.
Through Jesus, God became vulnerable enough so that nails could be driven through his flesh. This is God’s way – ‘for even the Son Man not come to be served, but to serve’ – and this is the way we been created to live as well.
Furthermore, worship should give us humility enough to confess our weaknesses when comes to issues like power. For when we look at how the greatest power of all chose a humble way of love for our sakes, then how can respond any differently?
PRAY AS YOU GO
Lord God, we pray that you would help us to move from the love of power to the power of love. Amen.
FOCUS READING
Mark 10:43b-45 (NIV)
Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
Power Predicaments - Part 3
DAILY BYTE
But as I have already mentioned, the temptations of power do not affect just politicians and world leaders, but all of us in some way.
In fact the temptations of power are a lot more subtle than we are often aware of, and can effect us in a variety of ways. Perhaps most profoundly, as we see in the Mark 10 passage with the power-play and resulting dissension, is that the problem of power affects us most in our relationships.
Hear these thoughts from Richard Foster: “If money hits us in the pocketbook, and sex hits us in the bedroom, the power hits us in our relationships. Power profoundly impacts our interpersonal relationships, our social relationships, and our relationship with God. Nothing touches us more profoundly for good or for ill than power.”
I would like to offer you a few examples of how this can happen in everyday life.
We abuse power when we intentionally MANIPULATE others. When we use someone else’s love or respect for us to get our own way at their expense; when we prey on their emotional or spiritual weaknesses to gain some sort of relational advantage for ourselves. It sounds totally horrible doesn’t it – but I am sure we have all done it at least once in our lives because we learn how manipulate others from a really young age.
Another example would be how we sometimes use people as stepping stones to other relationships. We are only friendly to someone because of what we can get out of the situation. That is an abuse of power and it is never ok even if it does help our business or social lives in some way.
Another way we abuse power is if we treat someone extremely well because they are popular, wealthy or good-looking; but treat others less well because they are none of those things.
As I said, these are just some examples, and you could probably think of many more. Power may not be your ‘kryptonite’ (your greatest weakness), but as these examples show it can very subtly affect us all in some way or another.
But of course when it comes to relationships and power, this is not the Jesus way. Jesus taught a totally different way of being in relationship with others – a teaching which we will investigate more closely over the next two days.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Holy and Loving God, we confess to you the times that we have abused power: When we manipulated someone’s love for us to get our own way at their expense; when we have used others as stepping stones to get ahead; and for when we have showed favouritism to the wealthy, powerful and good-looking. Help us to clearly identify how power may subtly or not-so-subtly affect us and teach us to live the Jesus way in this regard. Gracious God, hear our prayers. Amen.
FOCUS VERSE
Mark 10:38-43a (NIV)
"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"
"We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared."
When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you.
But as I have already mentioned, the temptations of power do not affect just politicians and world leaders, but all of us in some way.
In fact the temptations of power are a lot more subtle than we are often aware of, and can effect us in a variety of ways. Perhaps most profoundly, as we see in the Mark 10 passage with the power-play and resulting dissension, is that the problem of power affects us most in our relationships.
Hear these thoughts from Richard Foster: “If money hits us in the pocketbook, and sex hits us in the bedroom, the power hits us in our relationships. Power profoundly impacts our interpersonal relationships, our social relationships, and our relationship with God. Nothing touches us more profoundly for good or for ill than power.”
I would like to offer you a few examples of how this can happen in everyday life.
We abuse power when we intentionally MANIPULATE others. When we use someone else’s love or respect for us to get our own way at their expense; when we prey on their emotional or spiritual weaknesses to gain some sort of relational advantage for ourselves. It sounds totally horrible doesn’t it – but I am sure we have all done it at least once in our lives because we learn how manipulate others from a really young age.
Another example would be how we sometimes use people as stepping stones to other relationships. We are only friendly to someone because of what we can get out of the situation. That is an abuse of power and it is never ok even if it does help our business or social lives in some way.
Another way we abuse power is if we treat someone extremely well because they are popular, wealthy or good-looking; but treat others less well because they are none of those things.
As I said, these are just some examples, and you could probably think of many more. Power may not be your ‘kryptonite’ (your greatest weakness), but as these examples show it can very subtly affect us all in some way or another.
But of course when it comes to relationships and power, this is not the Jesus way. Jesus taught a totally different way of being in relationship with others – a teaching which we will investigate more closely over the next two days.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Holy and Loving God, we confess to you the times that we have abused power: When we manipulated someone’s love for us to get our own way at their expense; when we have used others as stepping stones to get ahead; and for when we have showed favouritism to the wealthy, powerful and good-looking. Help us to clearly identify how power may subtly or not-so-subtly affect us and teach us to live the Jesus way in this regard. Gracious God, hear our prayers. Amen.
FOCUS VERSE
Mark 10:38-43a (NIV)
"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"
"We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared."
When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you.
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Power Predicaments - Part 2
DAILY BYTE
So, the relationship with power is one of humanity’s deepest struggles. As Abraham Lincoln once said: ‘Nearly all people can stand adversity, but if you want to test their character, give them power.’
The Bible tells us it is an age-old problem rooted in the soul of every human being. Remember the clincher used by the serpent to tempt Adam and Eve was ‘when you eat of the tree of good & evil, your eyes will be opened, and you will be LIKE God, knowing good & evil.’
Henri Nouwen says that ever since that moment we have been tempted to replace love with power. We set up hierarchies for ourselves in our societies that we are for ever trying to scale in our never-ceasing efforts to become more than we were before and more than others are.
We greatly desire to be LIKE God or God-like.
Throughout history we have many examples of one person getting to the top of a hierarchy, of gaining ultimate ‘God-like’ power, and then finding they are unable to wield that power with integrity and so cause untold misery to their fellow human beings.
I will share just one example of this for you. Frederick Nietsche was a European philosopher who was obsessed with the idea of power. He believed that personal happiness could only be found in achieving power.
Nietsche hated the idea of Jesus, a humble God who gave up power for love. Nietsche wanted nothing at all to do with that kind of God. So instead he proposed his idea of ubermensch, or ‘supermen’, which is the idea that certain of us are inherently superior to others and should therefore rule. His ideas were seized upon by Hitler and even further perverted, resulting in WW2 and the obliteration of millions of lives, including 6 million Jews.
The abuse of power has caused great misery throughout history and unfortunately it is no different today. Keep that thought in mind as you pray the following prayer.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Gracious God, we want to pray for every person affected adversely because of power abuse. We pray for abused women and children; for the poor and those who find themselves on the wrong side of economic systems; for the politically oppressed; and for all those living in situations of war and violence. We pray that you may bring peace and healing and wholeness to all those situations. Amen.
FOCUS VERSE
Genesis 3:2-5 (NIV)
The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
So, the relationship with power is one of humanity’s deepest struggles. As Abraham Lincoln once said: ‘Nearly all people can stand adversity, but if you want to test their character, give them power.’
The Bible tells us it is an age-old problem rooted in the soul of every human being. Remember the clincher used by the serpent to tempt Adam and Eve was ‘when you eat of the tree of good & evil, your eyes will be opened, and you will be LIKE God, knowing good & evil.’
Henri Nouwen says that ever since that moment we have been tempted to replace love with power. We set up hierarchies for ourselves in our societies that we are for ever trying to scale in our never-ceasing efforts to become more than we were before and more than others are.
We greatly desire to be LIKE God or God-like.
Throughout history we have many examples of one person getting to the top of a hierarchy, of gaining ultimate ‘God-like’ power, and then finding they are unable to wield that power with integrity and so cause untold misery to their fellow human beings.
I will share just one example of this for you. Frederick Nietsche was a European philosopher who was obsessed with the idea of power. He believed that personal happiness could only be found in achieving power.
Nietsche hated the idea of Jesus, a humble God who gave up power for love. Nietsche wanted nothing at all to do with that kind of God. So instead he proposed his idea of ubermensch, or ‘supermen’, which is the idea that certain of us are inherently superior to others and should therefore rule. His ideas were seized upon by Hitler and even further perverted, resulting in WW2 and the obliteration of millions of lives, including 6 million Jews.
The abuse of power has caused great misery throughout history and unfortunately it is no different today. Keep that thought in mind as you pray the following prayer.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Gracious God, we want to pray for every person affected adversely because of power abuse. We pray for abused women and children; for the poor and those who find themselves on the wrong side of economic systems; for the politically oppressed; and for all those living in situations of war and violence. We pray that you may bring peace and healing and wholeness to all those situations. Amen.
FOCUS VERSE
Genesis 3:2-5 (NIV)
The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
Monday, 16 August 2010
Power Predicaments
DAILY BYTE
(This week's BDC was written by Rev Gareth Killeen)
I don’t know about you, but whenever I think about power and its abuse, my mind immediately gravitates towards politicians.
Recently, I read a wonderful story about a politician who because it was election time, decided to visit the people in a far-flung rural area that he had not seen since the last election.
The people gathered in a field outside the village to hear his speech. This particular politician prided himself on his public speaking, and had worked himself up into a rousing finale. The crowd got more and more excited and started to loudly shout ‘Hoya! Hoya! Hoya!’ in response to his every point.
He was a bit puzzled by this word, (being a city boy he had never heard it before), but was encouraged by their enthusiasm.
‘And I promise improvements to the roads so as to generate more tourism into this area,’ he cried out.
‘Hoya! Hoya!’ came the crowd’s response.
‘Also I promise more social reforms and job opportunities for all!’
The crowd had now reached fever pitch – ‘Hoya! Hoya! Hoya!’
After his speech, and feeling very pleased with himself, the politician asked to go on a tour of the area. He saw a huge herd of cattle in a neighbouring field and asked the local Chief if he could cross the field to take a closer look.
‘Sure thing,’ the Chief answered, ‘just be careful not to step in any hoya!’
Of course, it’s not just politicians who have problems with power, for the Bible informs us that its a problem rooted in every human soul. This is illustrated by today’s focus reading which relates the story of two disciples requesting the privilege of sitting at Jesus’ right and left hand side in glory.
This started all sorts of ‘hoya’ between the rest of the disciples, presumably because they were upset they didn’t think to make this request first.
But we shouldn’t be too surprised at James and John, because their request to ‘grant us a share in the glory Lord’ is a prayer almost all of us utter at one stage or the other.
We pretend we don’t want any acknowledgement but secretly get angry if we don’t get the praise or recognition we think we deserve.
The problem with power is that its effect on us is incredibly subtle and difficult to recognise. (However, we generally have no difficulty at all in recognising it in others!)
This is why we will spend the rest of the week discussing this topic, and I would request that you do so with an open and humble heart.
Power may not be your main weakness but it can potentially be devastating in the area of interpersonal relationships, so it is worth considering the role it does play in your life.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Holy God, we worship you as a God who came to serve others and who espoused tremendous power in order to do so. Help us through the course of this week to recognise the potential effect that power may have on our spirituality and relationships. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
FOCUS READING
Mark 10:35-41 (NIV)
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."
"What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.
They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."
"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"
"We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared."
When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.
(This week's BDC was written by Rev Gareth Killeen)
I don’t know about you, but whenever I think about power and its abuse, my mind immediately gravitates towards politicians.
Recently, I read a wonderful story about a politician who because it was election time, decided to visit the people in a far-flung rural area that he had not seen since the last election.
The people gathered in a field outside the village to hear his speech. This particular politician prided himself on his public speaking, and had worked himself up into a rousing finale. The crowd got more and more excited and started to loudly shout ‘Hoya! Hoya! Hoya!’ in response to his every point.
He was a bit puzzled by this word, (being a city boy he had never heard it before), but was encouraged by their enthusiasm.
‘And I promise improvements to the roads so as to generate more tourism into this area,’ he cried out.
‘Hoya! Hoya!’ came the crowd’s response.
‘Also I promise more social reforms and job opportunities for all!’
The crowd had now reached fever pitch – ‘Hoya! Hoya! Hoya!’
After his speech, and feeling very pleased with himself, the politician asked to go on a tour of the area. He saw a huge herd of cattle in a neighbouring field and asked the local Chief if he could cross the field to take a closer look.
‘Sure thing,’ the Chief answered, ‘just be careful not to step in any hoya!’
Of course, it’s not just politicians who have problems with power, for the Bible informs us that its a problem rooted in every human soul. This is illustrated by today’s focus reading which relates the story of two disciples requesting the privilege of sitting at Jesus’ right and left hand side in glory.
This started all sorts of ‘hoya’ between the rest of the disciples, presumably because they were upset they didn’t think to make this request first.
But we shouldn’t be too surprised at James and John, because their request to ‘grant us a share in the glory Lord’ is a prayer almost all of us utter at one stage or the other.
We pretend we don’t want any acknowledgement but secretly get angry if we don’t get the praise or recognition we think we deserve.
The problem with power is that its effect on us is incredibly subtle and difficult to recognise. (However, we generally have no difficulty at all in recognising it in others!)
This is why we will spend the rest of the week discussing this topic, and I would request that you do so with an open and humble heart.
Power may not be your main weakness but it can potentially be devastating in the area of interpersonal relationships, so it is worth considering the role it does play in your life.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Holy God, we worship you as a God who came to serve others and who espoused tremendous power in order to do so. Help us through the course of this week to recognise the potential effect that power may have on our spirituality and relationships. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
FOCUS READING
Mark 10:35-41 (NIV)
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask."
"What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.
They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory."
"You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"
"We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared."
When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John.
Friday, 13 August 2010
Break Our Hearts
DAILY BYTE
It’s time for us to live the songs we sing
And turn our good intentions into action
To bring the kind of worship You desire
And move beyond our self-absorbed distractions
The mountains are shaking, could this be a great awakening?
Break our hears with the things that break Yours,
Wake us up to see through Your eyes
Break our hearts with the things that break Yours
And send us out to shine in the darkness
It’s time to move outside our comfort zones,
To see beyond our churches and our homes
To change the way we think and how we spend,
Until we look like Jesus again
Break our hears with the things that break Yours,
Wake us up to see through Your eyes
Break our hearts with the things that break Yours
And send us out to shine in the darkness
Here I am, send me to be your hands and feet
Here I am, send me I will go.
(by Vicky Beeching)
GPS POINTS TO PONDER
What does this song say about God?
It’s time for us to live the songs we sing
And turn our good intentions into action
To bring the kind of worship You desire
And move beyond our self-absorbed distractions
The mountains are shaking, could this be a great awakening?
Break our hears with the things that break Yours,
Wake us up to see through Your eyes
Break our hearts with the things that break Yours
And send us out to shine in the darkness
It’s time to move outside our comfort zones,
To see beyond our churches and our homes
To change the way we think and how we spend,
Until we look like Jesus again
Break our hears with the things that break Yours,
Wake us up to see through Your eyes
Break our hearts with the things that break Yours
And send us out to shine in the darkness
Here I am, send me to be your hands and feet
Here I am, send me I will go.
(by Vicky Beeching)
GPS POINTS TO PONDER
What does this song say about God?
- Do you see God as a God of deep compassion and ever-outstreached hand?
- Try to see others through His eyes - family, friends, the community you live in, community you’d rather pass by... How does this change your relationships with them?
- Are you waiting to be “ready” to be sent? If so, realise that you will never feel ready as God equips us “on the job”. What does this mean for you today? Are you afraid to have your heart break as God’s does?
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Hide Me Now
DAILY BYTE
Hide me now
Under Your wings
Cover me
Within Your mighty hand
When the oceans rise
and thunders roar
I will soar with You
Above the storm
Father, You are king
Over the flood
I will be still
Know You are God
Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know His power
In quietness and trust
When the oceans rise
and thunders roar
I will soar with You
Above the storm
Father, You are king
Over the flood
I will be still
Know You are God
GPS POINTS TO PONDER
What does this song say about God?
Hide me now
Under Your wings
Cover me
Within Your mighty hand
When the oceans rise
and thunders roar
I will soar with You
Above the storm
Father, You are king
Over the flood
I will be still
Know You are God
Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know His power
In quietness and trust
When the oceans rise
and thunders roar
I will soar with You
Above the storm
Father, You are king
Over the flood
I will be still
Know You are God
GPS POINTS TO PONDER
What does this song say about God?
- About his protection? About his control over nature?
- What can you do to help others experience God’s power in quietness and trust?
- Do you have difficulty in being still before God? Why?
Wednesday, 11 August 2010
Blessing and Honour
DAILY BYTE
The air is filled with angels who speak and shout Your name
The atmosphere is changing as eternity invades
And suddenly above us the floor of heaven breaks
As Your Spirit falls down we will say...
Blessing and honour, glory and power
Be to Your name, be to Your name
All of the praises throughout the ages
Be to Your name, be to Your name forever more.
One day we will see You shining like the sun
Face to face with beauty, eye to eye with Love.
Standing with the elders, we will throw our crowns
At the feet of Jesus as we shout...
Blessing and honour, glory and power
Be to Your name, be to Your name
All of the praises throughout the ages
Be to Your name, be to Your name forever more.
You’re the Alpha, the Omega
The Creator and Sustainer of all
Yes, You are, Yes You are.
(words & music by Vicky Beeching)
GPS POINTS TO PONDER:
What does this song say about God?
What does this song say about People?
What is the challenge of the song for you (Self) today?
The air is filled with angels who speak and shout Your name
The atmosphere is changing as eternity invades
And suddenly above us the floor of heaven breaks
As Your Spirit falls down we will say...
Blessing and honour, glory and power
Be to Your name, be to Your name
All of the praises throughout the ages
Be to Your name, be to Your name forever more.
One day we will see You shining like the sun
Face to face with beauty, eye to eye with Love.
Standing with the elders, we will throw our crowns
At the feet of Jesus as we shout...
Blessing and honour, glory and power
Be to Your name, be to Your name
All of the praises throughout the ages
Be to Your name, be to Your name forever more.
You’re the Alpha, the Omega
The Creator and Sustainer of all
Yes, You are, Yes You are.
(words & music by Vicky Beeching)
GPS POINTS TO PONDER:
What does this song say about God?
- Try and picture what it would be like “eye to eye with Love”.
What does this song say about People?
- Give thanks for those who have gone before us and with whom we will one day be “throwing our crowns”.
What is the challenge of the song for you (Self) today?
- What crowns can you offer to God today?
Tuesday, 10 August 2010
All Heaven Declares
DAILY BYTE
This week’s BDC will comprise of a number of songs sung at Manning Road Methodist Church. Use them to meditate and using our GPS principles consider the questions following the song.
All heaven declares the glory of the risen Lord,
Who can compare with the beauty of the Lord?
Forever He will be
The Lamb upon the throne,
I gladly bow the knee
And worship Him alone.
I will proclaim the glory of the Risen Lord,
Who once was slain to reconcile us to God.
Forever He will be
The Lamb upon the throne,
I gladly bow the knee
And worship Him alone.
GPS POINTS TO PONDER
What does this song say about God?
This week’s BDC will comprise of a number of songs sung at Manning Road Methodist Church. Use them to meditate and using our GPS principles consider the questions following the song.
All heaven declares the glory of the risen Lord,
Who can compare with the beauty of the Lord?
Forever He will be
The Lamb upon the throne,
I gladly bow the knee
And worship Him alone.
I will proclaim the glory of the Risen Lord,
Who once was slain to reconcile us to God.
Forever He will be
The Lamb upon the throne,
I gladly bow the knee
And worship Him alone.
GPS POINTS TO PONDER
What does this song say about God?
- About His beauty and the fact that all heaven declares it.
- Substitute the “I” in the song with “we”. What changes can you make in your life to assist others to “bow the knee”?
- Do you always “gladly bow the knee”? What in your life could be interfering with “worshiping Him alone”.
Friday, 6 August 2010
Renew your minds
DAILY BYTE
So what do we do now, in the in-between-times, as we wait for God’s reign of peace? Like Isaiah, as Christians we have, perhaps foolishly, accepted the charge to speak about God’s peace during a time of war. Isaiah never saw God’s peaceable kingdom on earth, and though we proclaim that Christ already reigns, we may never see the culmination of that reign during our lifetime.
Sometimes speaking and living God’s good news will be easy, and sometimes we will minister in what seems to be hell on earth. But Christ has called us to not believe what our eyes have seen or our ears heard. The moment we put our faith in Christ our lives were transformed. Reality has been turned upside down. Everything is backwards. The entire paradigm has shifted; the rules of the game have changed. God is with us! When we witness and experience desperate pain and suffering we don’t just have to cope. We have the far more arduous task of believing that pain will eventually be transformed, that bodies and minds broken by addiction and disease will be healed, even if, like Isaiah, we won’t see it in our lifetimes. It is the belief that death was truly defeated that allows us to work for affordable housing and good preschools, even when we don’t see the results. We don’t know when and we don’t know how and we don’t know why change takes so long. Perhaps the hardest thing we will ever have to do is to watch a lion devour a lamb and to keep the hope alive that God is still with us, that God’s heart is breaking, that what God desires is different, and that peace will come.
In the aftermath of WWII, a scrap of paper was found in the Warsaw Ghetto with these words written on it by an unknown Jew,
“I believe I believe I believe with a perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah; in the coming of the Messiah I believe. And even though he tarry, I nevertheless believe. Even though he tarry, Yet, I believe in him, I believe I believe I believe.”
We who believe hope for things yet unseen. We believe that the Messiah has come and we long for his return. We might be hoping and waiting for a long time. We come together as the body of Christ and remember that this mess isn’t the whole story. Addiction and disease and death have not won. The righteous King has come, and He will return.
So let’s renew our minds and our imaginations. Let’s remember that there was a birth that changed everything. The birth that signals that God’s kingdom has come, that death no longer reigns. The birth that is our reality. This is a time of hope! God is with us.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Lord, open our eyes to your kingdom on earth. Fill us with peace and hope and thanksgiving for your Son Jesus Christ’s birth, life, and death.
SCRIPTURE
Isaiah 11:9-10
9They will not hurt or destroy on my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 10On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
So what do we do now, in the in-between-times, as we wait for God’s reign of peace? Like Isaiah, as Christians we have, perhaps foolishly, accepted the charge to speak about God’s peace during a time of war. Isaiah never saw God’s peaceable kingdom on earth, and though we proclaim that Christ already reigns, we may never see the culmination of that reign during our lifetime.
Sometimes speaking and living God’s good news will be easy, and sometimes we will minister in what seems to be hell on earth. But Christ has called us to not believe what our eyes have seen or our ears heard. The moment we put our faith in Christ our lives were transformed. Reality has been turned upside down. Everything is backwards. The entire paradigm has shifted; the rules of the game have changed. God is with us! When we witness and experience desperate pain and suffering we don’t just have to cope. We have the far more arduous task of believing that pain will eventually be transformed, that bodies and minds broken by addiction and disease will be healed, even if, like Isaiah, we won’t see it in our lifetimes. It is the belief that death was truly defeated that allows us to work for affordable housing and good preschools, even when we don’t see the results. We don’t know when and we don’t know how and we don’t know why change takes so long. Perhaps the hardest thing we will ever have to do is to watch a lion devour a lamb and to keep the hope alive that God is still with us, that God’s heart is breaking, that what God desires is different, and that peace will come.
In the aftermath of WWII, a scrap of paper was found in the Warsaw Ghetto with these words written on it by an unknown Jew,
“I believe I believe I believe with a perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah; in the coming of the Messiah I believe. And even though he tarry, I nevertheless believe. Even though he tarry, Yet, I believe in him, I believe I believe I believe.”
We who believe hope for things yet unseen. We believe that the Messiah has come and we long for his return. We might be hoping and waiting for a long time. We come together as the body of Christ and remember that this mess isn’t the whole story. Addiction and disease and death have not won. The righteous King has come, and He will return.
So let’s renew our minds and our imaginations. Let’s remember that there was a birth that changed everything. The birth that signals that God’s kingdom has come, that death no longer reigns. The birth that is our reality. This is a time of hope! God is with us.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Lord, open our eyes to your kingdom on earth. Fill us with peace and hope and thanksgiving for your Son Jesus Christ’s birth, life, and death.
SCRIPTURE
Isaiah 11:9-10
9They will not hurt or destroy on my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 10On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
Thursday, 5 August 2010
On the Mount
Daily Byte
My trip up Table Mountain in Cape Town was STUNNING - what a beautiful view. We were lucky enough to have a perfectly clear day and we could see for miles and miles. Table Mountain is the “face” of South Africa for many people. Foreigners may not necessarily recognize the Durban beachfront (unfortunately) but a lot of them will recognize Table Mountain.
The Lord’s Holy Mount, though it often seems as elusive as Table Mountain in the winter, is right here among us. Isaiah prophesied that a king would emerge from Jesse’s family and would “stand as signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.” In Romans 15:7-13, Paul explains that Jesus, the ‘stump of Jesse’, is truly that signal of life and hope for all peoples. Early Christians understood that the crucified man Jesus was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Jesus invited all people into the covenant that existed between God and Israel.
Through his life, death and resurrection, Jesus Christ has already fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy. He has called all nations to God. With righteousness he judged the poor and with equity he decided for the meek.
Isaiah’s words have been fulfilled; we know that on the cross Jesus conquered death once and for all. Through that act, we can have faith that the Holy Mount, where there is no hurt or destruction, is our reality. While we wait for the complete renewal of the heavens and the earth we are charged to live life as a signal and a witness of what the Lord has done.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Romans 15:13: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
SCRIPTURE
Isaiah 11:7-8
The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
My trip up Table Mountain in Cape Town was STUNNING - what a beautiful view. We were lucky enough to have a perfectly clear day and we could see for miles and miles. Table Mountain is the “face” of South Africa for many people. Foreigners may not necessarily recognize the Durban beachfront (unfortunately) but a lot of them will recognize Table Mountain.
The Lord’s Holy Mount, though it often seems as elusive as Table Mountain in the winter, is right here among us. Isaiah prophesied that a king would emerge from Jesse’s family and would “stand as signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.” In Romans 15:7-13, Paul explains that Jesus, the ‘stump of Jesse’, is truly that signal of life and hope for all peoples. Early Christians understood that the crucified man Jesus was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Jesus invited all people into the covenant that existed between God and Israel.
Through his life, death and resurrection, Jesus Christ has already fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy. He has called all nations to God. With righteousness he judged the poor and with equity he decided for the meek.
Isaiah’s words have been fulfilled; we know that on the cross Jesus conquered death once and for all. Through that act, we can have faith that the Holy Mount, where there is no hurt or destruction, is our reality. While we wait for the complete renewal of the heavens and the earth we are charged to live life as a signal and a witness of what the Lord has done.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Romans 15:13: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
SCRIPTURE
Isaiah 11:7-8
The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
Wednesday, 4 August 2010
A Backwards Day
Daily Byte
As kids, my brother and I used to have “backwards” day. We would wear our clothes backwards, walk backwards, sit backwards in the car, try to talk backwards... you can imagine how much this pleased our parents...
Backwardness is what Christians are called to. Plain and simple. God chose the weak to shame the strong. God chose the stupid to shame the wise. We have the ultimate example of backwardness in Christ, who, in the face of temptation said no to comfort, security, and power (Matthew 4).
The vision offered by Isaiah is a vision of backwardness. In the midst of war and injustice Isaiah shows the Israelites what God plans for God’s people - a glorious and peaceful future. The order that we think is simply ‘natural’ (fill in what “natural” means for you : predator eats prey, rich are smarter than poor, God helps those who help themselves, etc.) is totally disrupted. On this beautiful, holy mount there is a totally new order. The leopard and the lamb live together in harmony. The lion becomes a vegetarian. Any of us who have been to a game reserve know the backwardness - the absurdity - of that! Life, creation, the world, is what it is- why try to change it? But, Isaiah tells us that this - life as we know - isn’t God’s plan for us.
Isaiah tells us that in God’s plan creation itself will be re-ordered. Everything will be backward. The wolf and lamb will lie down in harmony. There will be no more hunger, no more war, no more hurt. And a little child will lead us all. In chapter 65, Isaiah tells Israel that God will create a new heaven and new earth, where even the most vulnerable - children and helpless animals - will be safe. How very backward.
What would a backwards day look like for you? Would you be on top of the world? Would someone else?
PRAY AS YOU GO
Jesus, help us to see the world and our neighbors as you see them. Thank you for the care you take of the most vulnerable. Teach to share your care and respect.
SCRIPTURE
Isaiah 11:5-6
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.
As kids, my brother and I used to have “backwards” day. We would wear our clothes backwards, walk backwards, sit backwards in the car, try to talk backwards... you can imagine how much this pleased our parents...
Backwardness is what Christians are called to. Plain and simple. God chose the weak to shame the strong. God chose the stupid to shame the wise. We have the ultimate example of backwardness in Christ, who, in the face of temptation said no to comfort, security, and power (Matthew 4).
The vision offered by Isaiah is a vision of backwardness. In the midst of war and injustice Isaiah shows the Israelites what God plans for God’s people - a glorious and peaceful future. The order that we think is simply ‘natural’ (fill in what “natural” means for you : predator eats prey, rich are smarter than poor, God helps those who help themselves, etc.) is totally disrupted. On this beautiful, holy mount there is a totally new order. The leopard and the lamb live together in harmony. The lion becomes a vegetarian. Any of us who have been to a game reserve know the backwardness - the absurdity - of that! Life, creation, the world, is what it is- why try to change it? But, Isaiah tells us that this - life as we know - isn’t God’s plan for us.
Isaiah tells us that in God’s plan creation itself will be re-ordered. Everything will be backward. The wolf and lamb will lie down in harmony. There will be no more hunger, no more war, no more hurt. And a little child will lead us all. In chapter 65, Isaiah tells Israel that God will create a new heaven and new earth, where even the most vulnerable - children and helpless animals - will be safe. How very backward.
What would a backwards day look like for you? Would you be on top of the world? Would someone else?
PRAY AS YOU GO
Jesus, help us to see the world and our neighbors as you see them. Thank you for the care you take of the most vulnerable. Teach to share your care and respect.
SCRIPTURE
Isaiah 11:5-6
Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
Knowing what’s best
DAILY BYTE
Sometimes we know exactly what’s best for us. For instance, I was certain that seminary was the wrong - absolutely, unequivocally wrong - choice for me about one week after I began classes. But a good dose of stubbornness and an unwillingness to lose already paid tuition made me hang in there. And, ill-fitting though it sometimes seems, the discomfort has turned out to be exactly what I needed.
Have you ever tried to tell someone what was best for them? It’s the worst when you can really see that they are going to make a bad choice. It can be such a frustrating situation.
The prophet Isaiah understood our plight. Most of us know the song, “Here I am, Lord”. It’s a beautiful song relating Isaiah’s response to God’s call. Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And Isaiah said, “Here am I; send me!” What a courageous response! Isaiah, like all of the other prophets in the Hebrew Bible, had a hard job ahead of him. In chapter 6, God instructs Isaiah to prophesy to a people who’s ears would be stopped and who’s eyes would be shut — they wouldn’t know where salvation was if it was standing right in front of them. God’s people would be deaf and blind until their cities were wasted and their land completely desolate. Talk about preaching to a tough crowd!
At the time Isaiah was prophesying, the Assyrian invasion had devastated Israel, destroying everything but Jerusalem. Israel had pestered God for a king so that they might feel safe and be like the other nations, but with a king they found themselves dominated by one foreign power after another. The glory days of David were over and there was no wise Solomon to be found. The poor and needy were the most vulnerable. Isaiah chapter 10 tells us that the ruling elite were issuing iniquitous decrees, writing oppressive statutes, denying the needy justice, robbing the poor and taking advantage of the widows and orphans. Resources were in the hands of a few and housing and medical care were not available to those that most needed it. Sound familiar?
The poem we looked at yesterday about the peaceable kingdom might have been composed around the time of King Hezekiah’s coronation. Many of the visions promise domestic bliss -things that we all hope will come to our country, and which we often have renewed hopes for when a new leader is inaugurated. Israel was just like any other people. They wanted a good king who would have their best interests in mind.
This king, however, was different... Israel thought they knew what was best when they demanded safety through power and military force. God, who really knows what’s best, promised them safety through a king who feared the Lord and protected the meek and lowly.
How might our legitimate and good desires get in the way of what God has in store for us? How might our ears and eyes be shut to the salvation that is being offered?
PRAY AS YOU GO:
Lord, help us to be open to Your will and Your desires for us. Grant us the ability to see your blessing in the places we least except them. Help us not to get in the way of Your good work.
SCRIPTURE
Isaiah 11:3-4
His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Sometimes we know exactly what’s best for us. For instance, I was certain that seminary was the wrong - absolutely, unequivocally wrong - choice for me about one week after I began classes. But a good dose of stubbornness and an unwillingness to lose already paid tuition made me hang in there. And, ill-fitting though it sometimes seems, the discomfort has turned out to be exactly what I needed.
Have you ever tried to tell someone what was best for them? It’s the worst when you can really see that they are going to make a bad choice. It can be such a frustrating situation.
The prophet Isaiah understood our plight. Most of us know the song, “Here I am, Lord”. It’s a beautiful song relating Isaiah’s response to God’s call. Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And Isaiah said, “Here am I; send me!” What a courageous response! Isaiah, like all of the other prophets in the Hebrew Bible, had a hard job ahead of him. In chapter 6, God instructs Isaiah to prophesy to a people who’s ears would be stopped and who’s eyes would be shut — they wouldn’t know where salvation was if it was standing right in front of them. God’s people would be deaf and blind until their cities were wasted and their land completely desolate. Talk about preaching to a tough crowd!
At the time Isaiah was prophesying, the Assyrian invasion had devastated Israel, destroying everything but Jerusalem. Israel had pestered God for a king so that they might feel safe and be like the other nations, but with a king they found themselves dominated by one foreign power after another. The glory days of David were over and there was no wise Solomon to be found. The poor and needy were the most vulnerable. Isaiah chapter 10 tells us that the ruling elite were issuing iniquitous decrees, writing oppressive statutes, denying the needy justice, robbing the poor and taking advantage of the widows and orphans. Resources were in the hands of a few and housing and medical care were not available to those that most needed it. Sound familiar?
The poem we looked at yesterday about the peaceable kingdom might have been composed around the time of King Hezekiah’s coronation. Many of the visions promise domestic bliss -things that we all hope will come to our country, and which we often have renewed hopes for when a new leader is inaugurated. Israel was just like any other people. They wanted a good king who would have their best interests in mind.
This king, however, was different... Israel thought they knew what was best when they demanded safety through power and military force. God, who really knows what’s best, promised them safety through a king who feared the Lord and protected the meek and lowly.
How might our legitimate and good desires get in the way of what God has in store for us? How might our ears and eyes be shut to the salvation that is being offered?
PRAY AS YOU GO:
Lord, help us to be open to Your will and Your desires for us. Grant us the ability to see your blessing in the places we least except them. Help us not to get in the way of Your good work.
SCRIPTURE
Isaiah 11:3-4
His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
Monday, 2 August 2010
Say what?
DAILY BYTE
This week’s devotions have been written by Anne Wagoner, an American seminary student who has also trained as a social worker. Anne spent 2 months in South Africa working for a local church during the refugee crisis.
Isaiah 11:1-10
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
The first time I read this passage I thought, WHAT? The wolf will live with the lamb! The lion will lie down with the calf and it will eat straw like the ox! Little children, not even weaned, will play around a cobra’s nest and not be harmed! There will be no more hurting, no more destruction. How wonderful! How lovely! How very far from any reality I’ve ever seen! Where is this Holy Mount?
One of the first things that I learned working as a social worker was that we live in a world absolutely full of hurt and destruction. Our world is a place where human lions do sometimes lie down with human lambs, but forcibly; and where little children do sometimes play around cobra nests, but that’s because they live in sub-standard housing and they are more often than not devastatingly harmed. Do you ever get to the point where you don’t even want to open your newspaper in the morning because you don’t want to see more bad news? Or when you want to limit your children’s freedom and adventure so that you can be sure they are safe? I watched someone be severely beaten over a 25 dollar debt. Two weeks later I watched a police officer physically assault a homeless man. Isaiah’s Holy Mount doesn’t appear to be anywhere nearby. Peace and safety is not our reality. Or is it?
I recently toured the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. I marveled at the sheer tenacity and - dare I say - foolishness of the opponents of apartheid that were determined to resist non-violently. What kind of hope in peace and God must have existed in those hearts and minds for them to persevere with a mantra of equality and love? To preach love, forgiveness and reconciliation in the face of blind discrimination is either an act of sheer will power or tremendous God-given grace. How do you look at the reality of poverty, abuse, etc, and believe in love?
Christians are called to do just that. We are called apart; to a new way and to a new life. We are called to be in the world but not of it. Like the strong branch that Isaiah tells us rose from the stump of Jesse, we are to judge not as our eyes see or as our ears hear, but to judge and decide with righteousness and equity. God asks us to act with righteousness in a deeply unrighteous world. As Christians, imitators of Christ, we are called to live into a reality that we might not yet see or hear.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Lord, we know that Christ’s resurrection and triumph over death is our true reality. Through your tremendous grace, teach us to live into that reality even as we live in a deeply broken world.
This week’s devotions have been written by Anne Wagoner, an American seminary student who has also trained as a social worker. Anne spent 2 months in South Africa working for a local church during the refugee crisis.
Isaiah 11:1-10
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
The first time I read this passage I thought, WHAT? The wolf will live with the lamb! The lion will lie down with the calf and it will eat straw like the ox! Little children, not even weaned, will play around a cobra’s nest and not be harmed! There will be no more hurting, no more destruction. How wonderful! How lovely! How very far from any reality I’ve ever seen! Where is this Holy Mount?
One of the first things that I learned working as a social worker was that we live in a world absolutely full of hurt and destruction. Our world is a place where human lions do sometimes lie down with human lambs, but forcibly; and where little children do sometimes play around cobra nests, but that’s because they live in sub-standard housing and they are more often than not devastatingly harmed. Do you ever get to the point where you don’t even want to open your newspaper in the morning because you don’t want to see more bad news? Or when you want to limit your children’s freedom and adventure so that you can be sure they are safe? I watched someone be severely beaten over a 25 dollar debt. Two weeks later I watched a police officer physically assault a homeless man. Isaiah’s Holy Mount doesn’t appear to be anywhere nearby. Peace and safety is not our reality. Or is it?
I recently toured the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. I marveled at the sheer tenacity and - dare I say - foolishness of the opponents of apartheid that were determined to resist non-violently. What kind of hope in peace and God must have existed in those hearts and minds for them to persevere with a mantra of equality and love? To preach love, forgiveness and reconciliation in the face of blind discrimination is either an act of sheer will power or tremendous God-given grace. How do you look at the reality of poverty, abuse, etc, and believe in love?
Christians are called to do just that. We are called apart; to a new way and to a new life. We are called to be in the world but not of it. Like the strong branch that Isaiah tells us rose from the stump of Jesse, we are to judge not as our eyes see or as our ears hear, but to judge and decide with righteousness and equity. God asks us to act with righteousness in a deeply unrighteous world. As Christians, imitators of Christ, we are called to live into a reality that we might not yet see or hear.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Lord, we know that Christ’s resurrection and triumph over death is our true reality. Through your tremendous grace, teach us to live into that reality even as we live in a deeply broken world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)