Tag: mercy

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Tension between justice and mercy.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him. He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus. Mark‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I have written about the struggles with Jesus and the religious leaders before in other posts. The Jewish leaders, over centuries of silence from God, just continued to add layers of laws to God’s 10 and the additional societal/health codes God commanded the Israelites to live by to keep them safe and prosperous.

The Sabbath seemed to be one of the favorite laws to drill down on in a policy/procedure kind of way. Chabad.org list three categories: Basic Rules, Muktzeh Rules (forbidden objects to move), and Carrying Rules. There’s even a handy little chart for their 39 Melachos list – https://bit.ly/melachos. These and many others, became more than just impossible to fulfill, but they missed or drifted from God’s intent. God intended that His people rest! God still intends for us to rest.

The clash became a serious religious offense in Jesus’ day. And in the perfectionistic pursuit of the keeping their interpretation of God’s Law, they chose policy over personhood. Jesus made it abundantly clear about God’s intent – Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. The Sabbath serves the need for rest, but in that rest, humans were never to be held to serving that law. In the process of finding more legal minutiae, they lost the heart of God and to some degree, the heart of the Law. Namely mercy.

The religious system became so litigious, so loophole-crazy that it only served to pile on MORE work instead of relieving it! The result; harsh treatment for everyone, especially the poor, sick and needy. Isn’t that the way it goes? The deeper the detail of additional laws and the responsibility of keeping them, the more the socioeconomic/sociopolitical the whole system becomes. The rich either pay their way out or find a loophole around the law itself! The poor do not have the resources, time or ability to create their own loophole so they just continue to be lawbreakers.

Jesus cut right through all the ridiculous, add-ons of the original law – GET REST, and healed the suffering man with a withered hand! And remember, Jesus did not violate the Sabbath Law at any point! He only irritated the religious police/lawyers who were committed to bust lawbreakers with no thought to God’s intent, and no longer able to access the mercy of God. You can hear the religious leader’s defense, “I don’t make the laws, I only keep them!” Sound familiar?

As humans, we still do the same thing that the Pharisees did. We look for breaches in the law, try to fix it with policy-patches and then feel justified in arresting or fining the lawbreaker. The tragedy is that these men, who supposedly worked for God, knew nothing about their boss’s true nature and intent. And they lived a life without mercy. Justice and mercy will always be in tension and God is the only one who can truly have both!

Prayer

Dad,
Where would I be without your mercy? I would collapse under the weight of my own sin, my own deterministic decisions. I deserve the consequences of my behaviors, yet you have provided the way of forgiveness and erased my debt. How can I not, in turn, see others through eyes of mercy, and forgive them as well? Thank you for a fresh deposit of your mercy each morning. Amen.

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Picking your own perfection.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat. But the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look, why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?” Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the house of God (during the days when Abiathar was high priest) and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his companions.” Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭2‬:‭23‬-‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It would be interesting to have a list of the stories where Jesus tangled with the Pharisees and religious leaders specifically over breaking the Old Testament Laws of God.

Way back before God gave Israel the Ten Commandments, God instructed Moses to appoint 70 elders. God told Moses, these guys were specifically given to “bear the burden of the people,” you know, the needs, questions and constant complaints that people bring to leaders. And, God promised to take some of the Spirit on Moses and give it to these elders, kind of a Spirit-share program (‭‭Numbers‬ ‭11‬:‭16‬-‭17‬). Fast forward all the way to the New Testament, where we find those 70 elders then made up what was called the Sanhedrin. I’m not sure the promised “Spirit-shared” part came with this group throughout history. Combine this with the fact that after Israel returned from Captivity, the spiritual leadership (elders and priests) had seriously fallen apart because of years of idolatry, abuse of kingly appointed power and a general deterioration of true spiritual living. Even the Prophets would cease to exist.

Through Ezra the Scribe, a school for scribes was established. This from Chabad.org, “Ezra was born in Babylon, like many of the other great leaders, patriots and sages which the Jewish community in exile had produced. By profession he was a scribe; he used to write scrolls of the Torah, which he knew so well. Ezra was also a priest, a member of the priestly family of Aaron.” The construct of these socio-spiritual-political leaders would form the basis of the New Testament leadership that had many confrontational episodes with Jesus.

But policing the law would be more difficult than anyone would imagine. The “law” had exponentially expanded well beyond anyone’s capacity to keep it. It went from 10 Laws to 613 rules concerning the details of how to behave towards God and others. The 613 are basically rules on what to do when things go right, but also when they go wrong – 248 Positive Commandments (do’s) and 365 Negative Commandments (do not’s). But wait, there’s MORE! To make sure they followed every possible exception to the rules, they ended up with thousands of rules to legislate the original rules. There are even hundreds of “fence laws,” called “Eruv,” all dictating how to “legally” break the Sabbath!

Suffice it to say, managing these rules upon rules took up a lot of time and resources. The sad part is that by the time of Jesus, these rules had become so complicated they clouded the original intent of God’s plan. The average person just gave up trying to figure out how to please God. In fact, there was no real way to keep all the laws, therefore, no one could make God happy!

Because Jesus had a growing number of people talking about him and following him when he and his disciples came into town, the religious police/leaders felt it was their duty to confront him on his not-so-orthodox approach to their interpretation of the law. They had people watching and waiting for him, so the religious authorities could catch him in the act.

Of course there were plenty of opportunities! The Sabbath was the lightning rod of sacred confrontations. The Sabbath would be the low-hanging fruit because it would take place weekly and it was very noticeable if individuals were not keeping the expansive interpretation of the original Exodus 20:8, “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” Modern orthodox Jews even consider switching on or off an electric light a violation of the Sabbath because it “kindles or extinguishes a fire.”

Jesus loved breaking the additional human traditions because it allowed him to speak to the nonsense of our constant, nonsensical need to add to God’s law, thus proving our holiness or worthiness. FYI, Jesus was technically NOT breaking the Sabbath law because there is a huge difference between “harvesting,” grain – ie: WORK and “picking” food for a snack.

I wonder how much “church hurt” has been caused by people extending and adding to God’s intent for good, healthy behaviors into something restrictive and legalistic? Just think about all the hat, hair, pants and tattoo conversations! As long as I have a solid list of “do’s and don’ts,” I can depend on them instead of the righteousness that can only come through believing and trusting in Christ’s perfection for me.

Prayer

Dad,
I don’t know how folks have time to observe or monitor everyone else’s “supposed” sins, when we have so many of our own! I can barely keep up with my own shortcomings and failures – let alone track someone else’s. Help us God! Help me to not just think more like Jesus, but behave like him towards others. I have no desire to be the religious police, shaking down other’s sins! Let your grace and mercy continue to push against my tendencies to judge others. And, thank you for your perfection when you see me through the righteousness of Jesus.

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God Math – 10 to 1.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going. So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. ‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭33‬-‭35‬ ‭NLT‬‬

John is the only apostle/journalist to write about Jesus’s foot-washing experience. Jesus, knowing the Father had given him authority over everything, grabbed a towel and started washing feet? Wow, such a powerful moment!

Peter complained about how awkward, no… backwards, this was. Jesus then tells him about the master model, when the teacher sets the expectation of how things are done, you do it. Jesus teaches his learners one more illustration – it’s God Math. Jesus told them, “I am giving you a new commandment.” Can Jesus add or subtract anything from God’s commandments?

When Jesus points out the ONE, he’s boiling down, simplifying and communicating what God asks of us. The 10 commandments were the law. Jesus, earlier on, talked about getting down to 2 commandments, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” And, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus even told them, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40). Ten laws simplified into two. Now Jesus does it again, ten to two to one. “Love one another. As I have loved you” (John 13:34). Many of the New Testament letters to the churches continue to quote Jesus words – 1 John 3:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; Galatians 6:2; 2 Peter 1:7.

Yet, the new isn’t a replacement of the old ten commands, or even the two commands (love God, love others). This new simple and easy to understand command doesn’t do away with the law or our obligations to God and each other. No, it’s new in terms of the best way to go about fulfilling the ten or the two – it’s new and improved, not new to substitute.

When we think of the best way to love others. When we think about how to resist judging others, thinking we are far better or superior in our faith. When we think about how much patience, kindness and mercy we will need to go the full measure of love towards someone. We should think about how God has done so to us, and in us.

God loved me so much that he forgives. God is extremely patient and merciful – time and time again. That’s exactly how we should love others! When I realize that I get frustrated when folks ignore my attempts to love them, keep failing my expectations or outright betray my love – my first thoughts could be. “Oh yeah, I’ve done that to God!” Yet, God still comes after me, forgives me. Loving others as God has loved me fulfills the law of Christ!

Prayer

Dad,
I can easily see how this works when I get frustrated or even judgey with others. I just need to remind myself of how I WAS or how I AM in my relationship with you. It’s easy to just admit, “I’m not perfect.” It’s much harder to remind myself that others aren’t either. If I can receive grace for myself, I should certainly extend it to others! Thank you for the simple way to help me love you and love others by just following your example.

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Change Orientation.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Once when John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, some people came to Jesus and asked, “Why don’t your disciples fast like John’s disciples and the Pharisees do? Mark‬ ‭2‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Mark records an interesting conversation with Jesus that seemed to start with an amazing spiritual discipline, like fasting and end with a couple of object lessons about change. First of all, the NLT (New Living Translation) makes it sound like the disciples of John and of the Pharisees are using the old avoidance phrase, “some people” say. The original language is not so loose. In the Greek, it’s just “they came.” Pastor’s hate these kind of scenarios when “some people” say… who is “some people” we ask?

Jesus answers the thinly veiled question, but then goes for the motivation behind the question. Who does this? How does Jesus do this? Are there always questions behind the question? Jesus then switches to two object lessons about mixing old with new. It never works!

Jesus gives a quick, two-verse illustration, about patches and wineskins. Don’t both object lessons serve the point that old and new cannot exist in the same space? And isn’t it also clear that the old will not allow the new to coexist, but in fact will destroy both? Is this about fasting at all? It seems that Jesus is having a completely different conversation with these disciples.

They aren’t really asking about fasting and Jesus doesn’t really want to talk about fasting, in this context, either. They are both talking about change. Jesus knows that massive change is coming and he also knows that “some folks” are not comfortable with it. Jesus is, in fact, introducing a whole new way of doing everything. He knows that the fulfillment of the Law and everything under the Law will look completely different under a new freedom, and a new perspective on grace and mercy. The entire Old Testament system will go through cataclysmic change now that God has become flesh and that God will fulfill his promises to redeem humanity!

Christianity is not a patchwork, nor an old-wine way of life. Christ did not come to patch up the Law to keep it limping along, forever failing to change our hearts. He also did not come to allow a flat, fervent-less wine to try to express the exuberant joy of walking with God. The Law was a temporary stop-gap, a burden! When we grab the ethos, thinking or application of the Old Testament Law into the new and better experience of Christ’s efficacy and efficiency for our salvation, we are trying to patch God’s plan. When we keep trying to introduce the effervescent, actively expanding grace and joy of new life into the forms and confines of the Old Covenant, it will blow up!

Jesus couldn’t wait to introduce the fresh air of living by the Spirit but folks wanted to keep living in the caves of the law, breathing staleness of dead air! No wonder people would give up everything to follow Him! Jesus brings life to the fullest, no longer dimmed or dinged by our sin! Who doesn’t want that? I’ll tell you who. Folks who desire the guardrails of the Law, because a life in the Spirit feels like a lack of control. And it is. It’s a surrendering of faith to the control of the Spirit. I’ll take the new clothes of Christ and the bubbly joy of the new wine thank you!

Prayer

Dad,
I love your Law as instruction and to know you better. But I also love living by Your Spirit! The fresh, exhilarating wind of hope, mercy and grace is intoxicating. I will gladly give up control of my will to accomplish Yours. I will gladly walk in the Spirit, rather than my own flesh. Getting my way not only brings death it means crushing disappointment! It’s Your way now. Thank you for freedom to do what is right, and not just anything I want to do.

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Lord, help!

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. Psalms‬ ‭107‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬


The psalmist bursts into a crescendo of praise in this chapter. Yet, it follows with several circumstances of how we get ourselves into deep trouble. Still, the Lord comes and rescues us. It’s a pattern of us trying to get away from him, finding ourselves broken and alone, then God comes and saves us, bringing us back to himself. Is this how we are? Is this our cyclical way of trying to have our own way, and finding out that it does not workout well? The next several paragraphs all start with this word, “some.”

Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died.

Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery. They rebelled against the words of God, scorning the counsel of the Most High.

Some were fools; they rebelled and suffered for their sins. They couldn’t stand the thought of food, and they were knocking on death’s door.

Some went off to sea in ships, plying the trade routes of the world. They, too, observed the Lord’s power in action, his impressive works on the deepest seas. He spoke, and the winds rose, stirring up the waves. Their ships were tossed to the heavens and plunged again to the depths; the sailors cringed in terror. They reeled and staggered like drunkards and were at their wits’ end.

Each one of these scenarios are ways we try to distance ourselves from God! Some wander, some sink into despair, some rebel, some run – it all seems good until life collapses around us and we find ourselves away from God’s presence. Each one of these examples have us leaving and God pursuing. We go looking for better and find nothing but loss and misery. When will we learn?

What’s out there or over there seems so seductive, so alluring, but it’s a mirage. Even still, God comes after the wanderer, searcher, rebellious and runner. He comes for us. In every one of these attempts to get away from God, and finding pain, all it takes is this phrase that is repeated in every scene – “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.

There is no wilderness where God cannot find us. No chains God cannot break. No depression God cannot lift. And, no depth at sea where God cannot rescue our soul. There is no place on earth where God will not hear our cries for help and save us from our constraints, our stress and distress. This is why we can declare, give thanks for God is good, His faithful love endures forever!

Prayer

Dad,
Why would we run? Yet, for so many reasons, we do! After we’ve wandered, explored, rebelled or sought some far off adventure, we find ourselves in trouble. It is then we discover – we’ve got ourselves LOST. My hope is that I am quick to not just realize my sin, but I am very quick to cry out to you for help! Help Lord! What a marvelous prayer. What a humble prayer. Because you are good and your mercies endure my foolishness, you will find me and rescue me. Thank you Lord! Amen.

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Is wisdom enough?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment. If you prize wisdom, she will make you great. Embrace her, and she will honor you. She will place a lovely wreath on your head; she will present you with a beautiful crown. Proverbs‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Solomon, was the key person initiating this book of proverbs. And, most likely, Solomon was the principal of the school of wisdom for young men being trained with these truths using it as curriculum.

However, when one compares proverbs to how Solomon actually lived his life, something is askew, it doesn’t add up. And, coupled with reading Solomon’s other book, Ecclesiastes, you end up asking a difficult question, “if Solomon was so wise why did he disobey God?” (Do an internet search on that question). Why did he intermarry with thousands of wives from foreign countries? Why did he allow idolatry to flourish in his own palace and throughout the nation of Israel.

I have utmost respect for Proverbs! It was the first book I tried to pattern my own life after, learning discipline and obedience to God. So, I am not bashing the book, nor the wisdom it provides. The other book, that was most helpful to me was Psalms. Again, amazing book and so helpful. All about learning how to walk with God, to pray, to listen, to be completely honest in my conversations with God. But, David’s real life has some difficult, disturbing tragedies as well!

Using Solomon’s words as a foundation and an amazing teaching tool is fabulous. However, when the layers of his own life are laid over the truths in Proverbs, like a plastic transparency, we find that wisdom cannot be separated from God. Wisdom must be carefully and humbly integrated into a deep and abiding walk with God, following and obeying Him instead of allowing our hearts to be seduced by our own desires or carried away with these concepts of the “good life!”

Can wisdom be decoupled from God? Can a human being obtain the intelligence, creativity, knowledge and even wisdom apart from God? Absolutely. Case in point, some of the most famous, incredibly smart and capable humans ended up trying to disprove, even oppose God! Folks like Charles Darwin. What a mind. What a passionate drive to study and love the flora and fauna of God’s creation. Yet, he was used to build an entirely new and wickedly designed lie using God’s wisdom – the religion of evolution!

As much as I love wisdom and am thankful for every bit of help it gives me, because I am so socially and emotionally broken – I love God MORE! I love God’s ways, his law, his boundaries and even his correction. I am determined to keep wisdom deeply connected to my relationship with God. And that is not as easy as it sounds.

Prayer

​Dad,
Is wisdom enough? No, it is not. I need to constantly be giving you more of myself. Surrendering, confessing, repenting, seeking and being utterly satisfied with you and what you’ve given to me. Gratefulness must replace my hunger for more. Thankfulness must conquer my thoughts, aspirations and comparisons. You are the giver of life and everything that’s good in me! You are enough. Amen.

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Elegant clarity of God’s Law.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19‬:‭7‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

King David, one of the favorite patriarchs and most beloved leaders of Israel writes this extraordinary Psalm. David’s personal life was filled with drama, trauma, failures and beauty. David was a prolific songwriter and psalmist. His humble beginnings, heroic acts, desperate evasions running from Saul, rise to power, despicable behavior as the highest authority in the land and highly dysfunctional household all make for an honest story to tell in the book of Psalms.

This psalm was inserted at the end of David’s life, so there is no real way to determine when it was written. Maybe when David was young and hungry for nothing but God’s presence. Or, maybe looking back at God’s faithfulness, even though David’s life may appear to be a disaster. Either way, this psalm captures the elegant clarity and resilience of God’s Law.

These words like perfect, trustworthy, joyous, clear, pure, true and fair are abundantly descriptive of God Himself and reflected in God’s Law. These words immediately make me feel defensive of God when He is wrongly blamed for being evil, blind, slow, unjust or unmerciful! Since God is perfect, it surprises me that we, as warped, broken human beings can’t see that maybe, just maybe, all the atrocities we blame God for are actually not from Him at all. I know that causes us to scream, then “why does God allow evil to prevail?”

Let me ask another question that is much more complex, “why does God let us choose anything?” “Why does God give us free will?” For God to rid the world of evil, wouldn’t that also mean ridding the world of YOU, or ME… and our choices! We are really addicted, obsessed and fixated on our own free will. We love our choices to do what we want, when we want and do not want anyone telling us differently. Anyone ever think that evil and awful atrocities have something to do with US and not God? We are quick to say, “they shouldn’t be allowed to __.” But we think twice about someone stopping us from doing what we want. Choices! We have them and we do whatever like. Why doesn’t God just stop the really bad things from happening? Hmmm, what would those “really bad” things be? Murder? Mayhem? War? Infanticide? Genocide? Cruelty? Racism? The list goes on.

At some point we should see the problem with eliminating some choices, but allowing others. And that’s just with humanity alone. This doesn’t even account for a real, living entity called Satan, the rebellious angel that hates humans and wants to destroy every single one of us! What about that? What about Satan’s free choices? Should he be allowed to do whatever he wants?

Back to God’s law and His perfection. Looking at God’s way, His rules, my hope is that we can see that God is good and His love for us is good as well. When I can’t see the “why” behind a tragedy, a diagnosis, or an atrocity – I can still trust that God is good and absolutely knows the person, circumstances and struggles behind each situation. God is eternal, and wise – our perspective is so limited and our understanding of all things is bound by those limitations. My trust in Him is resolute, no matter what I see or feel.

Prayer

​Dad,
I am so limited on what I know, see and feel. My trust in you, however, secure. I have seen your work and will among us for much of my life and I am convinced that you are exactly what this broken king David said you are – perfect. And your law, rules and ways are perfect as well. Thank you for continued mercy and patience with me and all of us who wait for sin to be no more and justice to prevail over all things.

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The human experiment.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

This truth was given to me in secret, as though whispered in my ear. It came to me in a disturbing vision at night, when people are in a deep sleep. Fear gripped me, and my bones trembled. A spirit swept past my face, and my hair stood on end. The spirit stopped, but I couldn’t see its shape. There was a form before my eyes. In the silence I heard a voice say, ‘Can a mortal be innocent before God? Can anyone be pure before the Creator?’ ‭‭Job‬ ‭4‬:‭12‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Job, the oldest book written in the Bible is full of mystery and presents moral, theological dilemmas that are still wrestled with, even in modern times. Job was written 400 years before the Torah, the first five books of the Law. Job predates the law, and mentions nothing about the eventual covenant with God, the laws of God nor the sacrificial system that God directs Israel to live by.

It is interesting that the first verses in Job chapter one set the stage for us to know that Job was a good guy, a righteous guy. He even offered sacrifices to God for his children, “just in case they sinned against God.” He feared God, loved God and lived a good life! Then, seemingly out nowhere there is a meeting, a checkin with the angels. What follows is a conversation with God and the fallen angel, called the adversary.

God asks Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth.“ Satan replies, yeah, he’s only good because God has blessed him and protected him. Satan challenges God by saying, “take away his stuff and he’ll curse you.” God takes Satan up on the challenge and allows Satan to take Job’s “belongings” away from him. Belongings include his family! The scene repeats, but this time Satan challenges God by asking for permission to make Job’s physical life miserable – horrible diseases, but not allowing to take his life. Job knows nothing about the test, nor God’s faith in him to endure suffering without blaming God.

Job’s friends heard about Job’s suffering and made their way to him. At first the friends do the right thing by Job, they just sit with him and say nothing! “Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.“ But soon, they just could not take. Not understanding WHY this is happening to Job, they offer their advice.

Eliphaz, possibly the eldest in the group, appears as the representative of the wisdom of the Edomites. Trying to be helpful, he shares about a vision he had. And from this vision, he concludes that there is a good and godly reason for Job’s suffering. Job has obviously sinned! Here’s the creepy part. Eliphaz gives his advice, his wisdom from a “whispering spirit,” that gave him chills in the night asking an accusatory question! Just a well placed question created a logical conclusion for this wise man. The question, “Can a mortal be innocent before God?” I don’t know about you, but this whole “truth” given in “secret” coming in a vision in the night sounds just like SATAN! Whispers, secrets and accusations? Come on. Eliphaz isn’t getting his answers from God, nor whatever experience he has had by walking with God on this fallen planet. His advice has been supplanted in his heart by the sneaky spirit of the dark!

All three of Job’s friends want to help Job, want to console him, and comfort him, but they all go down the same thought- path. Obviously Job has sinned and must repent. Obviously God is judging him and swift justice comes to those who do wrong. In their minds there is no other reason for a human being to suffer! Job’s friends seem unaware that as humans we live on a fallen planet, Satan’s domain.

Let’s answer the spirit-whispered accusation presented to Eliphaz. Can we be innocent before God? No, we’ve sinned, we are not innocent. But does that mean that we face the immediate judgement, the wrath and justice of God by being stripped of all possessions and daily physically tortured for our sin? No, we do not. Who is the one who brought the calamity and destruction into Job’s life? Satan! The good suffer, the bad succeed. The good succeed, the bad suffer. We cannot determine judgement nor eternity based on our comparison of possessions, position or power! Satan challenged God’s wisdom by trying to prove that humans are only capable of loving God back because of blessing! The experiment, give humans free will, a choice, give them autonomy and self determination – they will not choose God, they will always choose evil. The ancient challenge was that humans would not be able to love God in a world filled with evil and the ability to chase after their own lusts and desires leading to their demise and eventual destruction.

The human experience on the dark planet would seem to be a doomed experiment. Job was not perfect. Yet, without knowing anything about the test he was participating in, he passed. He did not blame God nor curse God for his suffering! God believes in us. God risks that love, mercy, grace and forgiveness will save our lives. God’s plan of redemption from our sin through the sacrifice of His own Son proves that we can and will be capable of loving Him in spite of an adversary and accuser. That we are able to love Him in spite of our brokenness and disordered desires. Our faith, like Job’s, like Abraham’s, is counted as righteousness! We are saved by grace, not of our works. We love because we know God’s goodness. We fear God out of honor and respect, not just because He can obliterate us back to the dust from which we came.

Prayer

Dad,
We were created out of dust, and to dust our bodies will return. But you infused Your Spirit within us. It is that spirit that will choose to love you. That spirit that will live forever. Thank you for loving us first. Thank you for this amazing life in this beautiful world. It is filled with wonder and wickedness, yet I know your plans for me and they are good. I choose you because you first chose me.

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Doeg must die.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

O Lord, oppose those who oppose me. Fight those who fight against me. Psalms‬ ‭35‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David writes this Psalm while reflecting on the horrific slaughter of innocent men, women and children in the ancient city of nob. David himself, a shepherd turned warrior, is in the unique position to understand when a man breaks from reality, from a sense of morality, and a code of honor even in times of war – it is devastating.

Doeg also went from a being a shepherd, to being Saul’s chief shepherd. Then suddenly in a moment, with little warning, he gets caught up in Saul’s obsessive rage to pursue David at any cost, and Doeg becomes a mass murderer. The story is all in 1 Samuel 21 & 22. David finds refuge, some food and the famous Goliath sword at the tabernacle in Nob, where Ahimilech served as priest. Doeg also happened to be at the tabernacle at the same time as David and his men. Doeg immediately reported the incident to King Saul. Saul then summoned Ahimilech and his family to the palace to hold him accountable for what he considered to be treason. When Saul asked Ahimilech why he harbored and abetted a criminal of the crown, Ahimilech told him the truth – he said, You mean David? “Who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, and captain over your bodyguard, and honored in your house?” Ahimilech was openly declaring his innocence.

Saul became enraged and ordered the palace guard to immediately kill the priests of the LORD – all of them, while standing there in the court. But the guard refused the King’s direct order! Saul then turned to Doeg and ordered him, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod.”

But Doeg wasn’t done.

For some reason, he didn’t stop with slaughtering innocent priests. Doeg then rode off, back to Nob, the city of the priests, and killed every man, woman, child and baby. He even killed the city’s animals, the oxen, donkeys and sheep. Whoa. Doeg, like his King went full on demonically mental to become a mass murderer.

David, feeling remorse and responsibility for their deaths, writes this Psalm, pleading with God to bury Doeg. Doeg became known as the “priest slayer.” Jewish legend says that David himself took Doeg’s life.

The backstory to the Psalms are so full of triumph and tragedy. They are all reflections of the good, bad and ugly of our human nature and the beauty of God’s mercy and justice. Only God is perfectly capable of wielding both. When we don’t understand the why behind the stories we see or hear about, there is often a backstory. God knows what He is doing!

Prayer

Dad,
The Old Testament is filled with such raw voracity, a hunger for evil. It reveals the true nature of what sin can do to the human heart – anyone could be a Doeg! I hear about the rampant evil currently accelerating in our cities and I think, “Dear God, we need you!” We need you to pour out your Spirit, confronting the anarchy, corruption, suffering and brokenness in our dark hearts. Help us Oh Lord! Answer our cries for peace in our communities and countries. We repent of our self-determined wills that rise up against you. We repent of our lusts for more. Hear our prayers today God. Have mercy to soften and turn our hearts towards you once again. We don’t want to be a Doeg. Amen.

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Does God have a sense of humor?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

….So Balak, king of Moab, sent messengers to call Balaam son of Beor, who was living in his native land of Pethor near the Euphrates River. His message said: “Look, a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt. They cover the face of the earth and are threatening me. Please come and curse these people for me because they are too powerful for me. Then perhaps I will be able to conquer them and drive them from the land. I know that blessings fall on any people you bless, and curses fall on people you curse. ‭‭Numbers‬ ‭22‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

These feudal, tribal, clan-clashing are all throughout the Old Testament. Yet, at each inflection point there is always a person, or persons (in this case) that God uses to tell His story. Here we have the major characters, Balak, king of Moab, Balaam, a wicked prophet (Balaam was a pagan prophet who practiced divination and other magic arts, led Israel into apostasy, and was identified as a greedy, unscrupulous man by Peter and Jude ( 2 Peter 2:15 -16; Jude 1:11)) – oh and a donkey, Balaam’s ride.

Oh Moab, the nation that came out of Lot’s grandson via an incestuous relationship with Lot’s daughter, who remained unnamed. Moab’s king, Balak, thought it would be helpful to get a prophet, known for being a spokesperson for God, to CURSE Israel because he thought they were a threat to his kingdom. Balaam’s reputation must have been well known. Balaam turns down the offer to be paid to “basically” make up a curse from God. Balaam knew God would not curse his own people and told Balak it wouldn’t work.

Balaam seeks God and God answers, “don’t curse my people.” But king Balak is persistent and keeps upping the bribe money. God finally releases Balaam to go with the entourage from Balak, but forbid him to actually curse Israel. Balaam leaves for his journey but in-route an angel of the Lord blocks the path of the donkey. Balaam can’t see the angel, but his donkey can. God told Balaam he could go with the Moabite men, but God must have known that Balaam was toying with the idea of pronouncing this curse. This happens three times and each time, Balaam beats the animal for stopping and for embarrassing him.

After the third time God grants the donkey the ability to speak! The donkey talks! Come on – this is hilarious. The donkey and Balaam have a brief conversation on the trail! The donkey says, “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam. “You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!” “But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?” “No,” Balaam admitted.”

This donkey-talk scene has captured so much attention as one of the most unusual but humorous parts of the Bible. Every kid going to Sunday School in the past would have heard about Balaam’s donkey! Feel free to insert your own donkey/ass jokes here. God commits three whole chapters in the book of Numbers to tell this story. And in this story, you’ll find a Messiah reference, an “easter egg” discovery of a mysterious mention of the future Messiah – Jesus (Num 24:17).

Sadly, even though Balaam does not curse Israel, in fact, he blesses them three times – Balaam does figure out how to trap Israel with their own lust and desires. Balaam advised the Moabites on how to entice the people MEN of Israel with prostitutes and idolatry. And, it worked. See it in Numbers 25:1-3. The men of Israel took the bait, believed the lie and gave into to their disordered desires. The results – God judge them and 24,000 people died from a plague.

The talking donkey was funny, but our sin and desires, causing us to disobey God is no joke. As a youth hearing this story, I was so focused on the donkey that I completely missed the fact that there is more than one way to curse people. The direct curse is one way, but the subtle manipulation of luring us away from God and towards the shiny object of desire is the other. The last one seems enormously more effective.

Prayer

Dad,
I really do appreciate the humor in this story. I even like the fact that the villain is forced to do what is right, for the short term. Oh, but I hate seeing a mirror reflection of our own desires, imagination and dark thoughts eventually wearing us down and winning far too often. That’s embarrassing to know that we can falter from our own curse within. I am still in awe and wonder your grace and mercy offered to us! Thank you once again. Amen.