The Lord is with us! Psalm 9 and 10 are very interesting psalms for a couple of scholarly reasons that I’d like to write a few words about before talking about some aspect of their spiritual meaning. Gary Judea Jerusalem The notes in my Zondervan Study Bible say that Psalm 9 is “predominately praise (by the king) for God’s deliverance from hostile nations…” Reading the first lines of the psalm (paired in couplet form where the second line expands on and enhances the message of the first) certainly supports this view: I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; I will be glad and rejoice in you; To lift our voices and our heart in praise of Gods is one of the things we were created to do. Not only is it a right acknowledgement of the nature of our relationship with God (we being the ones who praise and He being the one worthy of praise) but it is also an activity and attitude that forms us into the likeness of Christ. By praising I believe that something mystical happens within our souls that changes who we are and how we see the world in which we live. In praise, done as it is found in this psalm-focused on God and His power and His rulership, we move outside of ourselves and our self-centeredness. It is good for us in a very deep way to praise God because it encourages us to become bigger than our small set of concerns and interests. I must admit that I find some of the verses in this psalm difficult as I do with many psalms. David’s focus at times on asking God to hurt, damage or destroy his enemies seems to me to be at fundamental odds with the words of Jesus calling for His followers to love there enemies and to turn the other cheek when struck by them. While I can certainly “spiritualize” these passages and say that the psalm speaks to me and my situation in that I should be asking God to strike down my sins and those things within me that war against my desire to be with Him (which is an entirely valid way of reading these passages), I am still troubled by the vindictiveness of the words. In one sense it is hard to see this king of Israel And in that lies much of my hope. Grace and Peace. In Him, Chad 1 I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; 2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; 3 My enemies turn back; 4 For you have upheld my right and my cause, 5 You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; 6 Endless ruin has overtaken my enemies, 7 The LORD reigns forever; 8 He rules the world in righteousness 9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, 10 Those who know your name trust in you, 11 Sing the praises of the LORD, enthroned in Zion 12 For he who avenges blood remembers; 13 LORD, see how my enemies persecute me! 14 that I may declare your praises 15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; 16 The LORD is known by his acts of justice; 17 The wicked go down to the realm of the dead, 18 But God will never forget the needy; 19 Arise, LORD, do not let mortals triumph; 20 Strike them with terror, LORD;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.Psalm 9
For the director of music. To the tune of "The Death of the Son." A psalm of David.
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.
they stumble and perish before you.
sitting enthroned as the righteous judge.
you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.
you have uprooted their cities;
even the memory of them has perished.
he has established his throne for judgment.
and judges the peoples with equity.
a stronghold in times of trouble.
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
proclaim among the nations what he has done.
he does not ignore the cries of the afflicted.
Have mercy and lift me up from the gates of death,
in the gates of Daughter Zion,
and there rejoice in your salvation.
their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. [c]
all the nations that forget God.
the hope of the afflicted will never perish.
let the nations be judged in your presence.
let the nations know they are only mortals.
Gordon Christian Fellowship
Experience more... Gordon Christian Fellowship is an interdenominational ministry focusing on fellowship and discipleship. We serve Gordon College in Barnesville, Ga.
« April 2008 | Main | September 2008 »
August 2008
Aug 29, 2008
Daily Devotional - 08/29/2008
Posted by GCFLeader in Daily Devotions | Permalink | Comments (0)
Daily Devotional - 08/28/2008
Christ is in our Midst! Today is the feast of St. Moses the Black, or the Ethiopian, in the Orthodox Church (Moses’ title, “the Black,” is not of course meant to be a racist insult, but to distinguish him from other saints in the calendar whose name is Moses). So I will exercise a point of personal privilege to write today not about Psalm 9, but about the life of this remarkable man. Whatever your faith, or lack of same, I think the powerful example of this humble man and very great saint has much to offer all of us. Let me tell you about him. Moses was an African who lived in the 4th century. When we first meet him in his various hagiographies (ancient religious biographies that often stress the miraculous and sometimes scarcely credulous aspects of a saint’s life) we find an immensely powerful man who was a slave. Now Moses proved to be so violent and unruly a slave that his owner apparently said “good riddance” when the young man simply ran away. Fleeing to the edge of the Egyptian desert, Moses fell in with a gang of robbers, violent men. Yet even among these hardened criminals Moses “excelled”: brutally strong and toughened by his years of servitude, he quickly became the gang’s leader (one can easily imagine the “physicality” of his ascent to leadership!) Under Moses the gang became the most notorious in the area---with its leader the most infamous of the band. And by his own (later) admission, Moses led a debauched and dissolute life. He gave himself over to every manner of evil, indulging his lusts and living by violence: once, though by accident, in the midst of some robbery, he even killed a child. He was the “most wanted” criminal of his time; people trembled even at his name. Once Moses, seeking new targets for robbery, decided to “case” a monastery. Now the ancient monasteries of Egypt Moses had never met such a man, and had never felt such a sense of welcome and hospitality and yes, love. Moses decided to stay with the monks to find out what it was that made them so different from anyone else he had ever met. On the spot, we are told, he joined the monastery. Here Hollywood But real life is seldom so easy. Moses became a Christian. He became a simple monk---and then the hard part began. Moses was tormented for years, his biographers tell us, by the demon of lust. Again and again he confessed this overpowering temptation; again and again his confessor Isidore urged him to persevere---even to the point of keeping the all-night vigil in prayer to keep himself from temptation; once when Moses felt close to the breaking point, his confessor showed him a vision of the world around him: on one side were demons without number, all seeking to destroy Moses’ soul; but on the other side were even more angels, ready to do battle in Moses’ behalf, if only he would continue to resist the evil one. With his immense strength, Moses began to fetch and carry water for the elder monks, sometimes carrying the water for great distances. Six long years passed, and Moses at last gained victory over this temptation. In the meantime, however, a wondrous change had come over the former man of violence. Once when four members of his gang came to steal from the monastery, Moses ran them down, and we are told, tied them up and carried them over his shoulder back to the monastery, where, confronted by their former chief, they too, decided to join the monastery! In old age Moses was ordained a deacon; his fame was such that people came from the city to meet this holy man. Once when a city dweller came to the desert to meet Moses, the traveler came across a poorly dressed black man working at some menial task, and when the visitor asked where he might go to see the great Abba (Father) Moses, received the stunning reply that Moses wasn’t worth his time and trouble; that Moses was a great sinner that one should shun. Later, when the traveler came to the monastery, he initially horrified the monks with his story: who would say such terrible things about the man who had become the leader of the monks, revered for his holiness? The monks’ outrage turned to laughter, however, when the traveler described the man who had said such terrible things about the saint---he was, of course Moses himself. Once, when one of the monks had committed some serious fault, the monks gathered to decide what to do with him. Moses tried to avoid the meeting, but repeatedly summoned, he at last appeared carrying a heavy basket of sand on his back that had a hole in it; the sand was streaming out behind Moses as he walked. When his monks asked him what in the world he was doing, Moses replied that even though his own sins streamed out behind him, he was nonetheless coming to judge a brother. The monks immediately got the point: the meeting dissolved; the transgressor was forgiven. In extreme old age, Moses was granted a vision that told him that a fierce and powerful band of raiders was coming to attack the monastery. As leader of the monks, Moses urged his charges to leave and not expose themselves to certain death at the robbers’ hands. Moses himself however, decided to stay and meet these men. He had meditated for most of his life, he said, on the verse that said those who live by the sword will perish by it. He also still grieved, at least half a century later, for all the violent acts he had committed, and for the child he had accidentally killed. So Moses stayed behind, with seven other monks who refused to leave their abbot. The raiders came, and seven, including Moses himself, were all put to the sword. Only one monk, who had hidden himself, survived. He told of seeing seven crowns appear in the sky for the seven martyrs. In a world still afflicted by various forms of racism; in a world filled with violence and saturated with such lust that it seemingly requires greater quantities and even more outrageous forms to satisfy, St. Moses offers a stark and powerful alternative. Our Lord says that the kingdom of heaven suffers “violence, and men of violence take it by force!” (St. Matt. 11: 12) Moses reminds us of the effort (six years, remember, to conquer one sin alone) that we are often required to give if we really want to follow Christ. God will help us---every step of the way---but we nonetheless must try to keep the Way, and rise in repentance and resolution every time we fall. As we talk this semester about “the Revolution,” let me suggest that one “revolutionary” we might emulate is St. Moses the Black. Gary Feast of St.
Posted by GCFLeader in Daily Devotions | Permalink | Comments (0)
Aug 28, 2008
Daily Devotional - 08/27/2008
The Lord is with us!
Psalm 8 is first and foremost a psalm of praise. The words of the opening verse are perhaps familiar to you , as they are to me, from the opening stanzas of a praise chorus from several years ago;
"O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is Your name in all of the earth!"
As an astronomer I find the lines of the second half of verse one and verses three and four particularly meaningful given the number of long nights I have spent looking up at the sky and marveling at both the beauty and grandeur of the midnight sky adorned with the jewels of the stars and planets in their nightly dance.
"You have set your glory
above the heavens.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what are mere mortals that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?"
It would be easy for me here to wax poetic about the creation and how amazing it is but I think that there's so much more to talk about in this psalm that's really deep and powerful. I find David's question at the end of verse four a very good one, "Who are we that the God that created all of the heavens and who has placed His glory above them would care about or for us?"
The answer to this can be found in the psalm itself. God has created us and we are His. He can no more not love us or care for us than He could stop receiving the praise of even children and infants. This is an amazing bit of theology right here. Most religions create Gods who are huge and powerful and who care little or nothing for the affairs of humans beyond what they can exploit from them, either in terms of sacrifice or in terms of illicit liaisons to produce various offspring. This God, David's God, cares for and loves human beings beyond that. This love is the dominant theme and recurrent strain throughout all of Scripture. God loves us and seeks relationship with us from the time of walking with Adam in the Garden to His choice of death on a cross to reconcile us to Him to bringing us together as a body and a New Jerusalem.
Look again at he first verse and recognize that the Lord's name, His essence, His being, is IN all the earth. He is to be seen in all that He has created; His stamp in on all of it. Yet, as verses five through eight tells us, He has placed us in a position of authority over it all. We are rulers of all the earth and all that is in it.
For many in our culture, this is viewed as a license to us our world as a means of personal profit and material gain. For them, the creation is something to be exploited to produce wealth and power and prestige. They see the extraction of various resources as a personal right and privilege regardless of the cost to the rest of creation. I've read many born-again evangelicals argue that God will eventually destroy the earth and make a new heaven and new earth and so there's no problem with us doing whatever we'd like to use this one up before we go.
Others in our world choose instead to deify the earth and deny that human beings have any special role, place or claim to the resources found on the earth. They argue that we should live in such a way to not impact the earth or the species that inhabit it in any way. We have no special rights over other animals so we shouldn't eat them, we have no special claim over the land so we should make as little impact as possible and, in extreme cases, there are those who say that we are so destructive as a species that we should reduce or eliminate our growth by taking significant population control measures up to and including the termination of the lives of unborn and elderly.
To be honest, I think both positions are deeply flawed and unbiblical.
I believe that this psalm argues for a position that both recognizes the authority God has given us over creation and the sacredness of the creation itself. We are given rulership over the earth and all that is in it but every piece of that creation has God's name in it. An awareness of that should affect how we as Christians enact our authority. Let me see if I can give you an example.
Let's pretend that God gave you a jar full of some wonderful substance that contained His love (and since God is love, it really contains Him) in some mystical and mysterious way and told you that you were the person with the authority to distribute the substance as you saw fit. The substance would have the power to heal brokenness, sustain the lost, bring peace and joy and end suffering but there's only a certain amount of it. What would you do with it? In your exuberance to share it would you use it up all at once? Would you say that no matter what God might have said you don't have the wisdom to best use the substance and so bury the jar in your back yard? Would you use the substance to get rich; selling it (and hence selling God) to the highest bidder in small amount making it available only to those who were already rich and powerful? Would you decide that the power was given to you and you alone and set yourself up as the only, ultimate authority?
When we see creation as something that is co-created with us and thus sacred and containing, in some mysterious way, His name it should change how we exercise our authority. Brian McLaren, in his book "A Generous Orthodoxy," suggests that we should view the earth as sort of "Sister Earth" to whom we are an older brother when we make decisions about how we think of it when making decisions that have global consequences and treat it when doing things that might affect the local environment. Such a view might suggest that we have a right to mine coal to heat our homes but that we should do so in such a way that recognizes that the ecosystem in which we do that was created by God and in some way bears His name and should be nurtured, protected and restored when damaged even if that means the coal costs more to mine and our electricity (which the coal is used to produce) costs more to buy. On a local level that might mean that we chose to buy products that create less waste in the packaging materials that end up in landfills or as environmentally destructive waste products.
I believe that it is in these sorts of decisions that we live out our spoken praise, "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!"
Peace and Grace.
In Him,
Chad
Psalm 8
For the director of music. According to gittith. A psalm of David.
LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.
Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what are mere mortals that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
You have made them a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under their feet:
all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
LORD, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Posted by GCFLeader in Daily Devotions | Permalink | Comments (0)
Aug 27, 2008
Daily Devotional - 08/26/2008
Christ is in our Midst! I may be totally wrong here (I am forced to confess it has happened once or twice before in my life) but I find in many of the psalms a real sense of irony that when I read or pray these ancient verses I need to grasp if I am really to understand the poem’s message---and more important, if I am to make that message my own. Take Psalm 7 as an example: [1] O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me: How am I to pray this psalm? My Orthodox Study Bible’s notes tell me that the psalm was a prayer of David in the midst of the rebellion of his own son Absalom. But what, it might be asked, has this “family feud” to do with me about three millennia later? In a general sense, I suppose, the psalm can be read as a plea for God to save us from our enemies. But truth to tell, I don’t think I have that many enemies; there are people I’m sure who don’t like me---sadly there are darn sure people I can’t seem to like: but enemies? I really don’t know of any---people who are actively working to deal me woe. So the first step in meditating on or praying this psalm, applying the Scripture to me and my own condition, requires me to think about who really are my enemies. The Fathers speak about the “unseen warfare” between humans and the devil and his legions, and here I think is the place to center my considerations of this psalm. I do have enemies, powerful spiritual enemies, who roam about the world, as St. Peter says, like a roaring lion. Only God can defend me from these.(vv. 1-2) But the psalm reminds me of my need to cooperate with God. And here I find the irony. David seems to be saying that if I have acted in the ways of the demons, I should suffer their punishment. David even says that he should be judged according to “his righteousness” (v. 8). In fairness to King David, he is probably referring here to the particular situation of his son’s rebellion: David is indeed the legitimate king; his son is clearly in the wrong in trying to seize his father’s throne. But can I, dare I, ask God to judge me in my righteousness? If God should actually do this, am I not lost? So as I read this psalm, one of the things I might reflect on is my own “unrighteousness,” my own inability to keep the commandments. O f course God knows that I am a sinner. But do I know? Certainly God realizes that I will fail over and over again in trying to live the life He has ordained for me---but do I realize that? Do I really understand how far I am from what God intended me to be? Do I fully and unflinchingly confess my sins? The very last thing I want or need is for the Lord to judge me in the light of my faithfulness. Rather I ought to pray: If You judge me according to my [lack of] righteousness, O Lord, I must perish. Judge me according to Your mercy, O Lord, not according to my deeds. David closes the psalm with words that predict the punishment of those who do evil. They bring down misery and destruction on themselves. God, David reminds, will ultimately triumph, and we should thank Him for victories over evil. Once again, the Psalmist reminds that God is indeed in charge; that in the midst of turmoils and terrors beyond number---sorrows and failures and partings and yes, my own death itself---God is there to sustain me. But unless I repeatedly apply myself to keeping the commandments, beginning anew each time I fall, I should expect only “justice” for my “righteousness.” Gary Feast of Ss. Natalie and Adrian, and 33 companions martyred in Nicomedia
[2] Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.
[3] O LORD my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands;
[4] If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:)
[5] Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.
[6] Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.
[7] So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about: for their sakes therefore return thou on high.
[8] The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according to mine integrity that is in me.
[9] Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.
[10] My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.
[11] God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
[12] If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.
[13] He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.
[14] Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.
[15] He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.
[16] His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.
[17] I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.
Posted by GCFLeader in Daily Devotions | Permalink | Comments (0)
Aug 25, 2008
Daily Devotional - 08/25/2008
The Lord is with us! Our culture today could, I think, be fairly characterized as a "culture of happy". We receive message and message that reinforces the idea that we either should be happy all the time or that, if we are so unfortunate as to not be happy, there is something we can buy or experience that will make us so. In fact, we are so insistent that we should all be happy that anyone who is not becomes an almost immediate candidate for medical intervention. It's a difficult place for a person to be; living in a society so fixated on making sure everyone is happy all the time. Now there's nothing wrong with wanting to be happy and when one legitimately suffers from depression or anxiety disorders medical intervention is certainly called for. But our culture has gone beyond that in my eyes. In our culture it is no longer acceptable to express grief. It's been a long held adage that "big boys don't cry" in America but more and more often we hear of instances where women in positions of power are considered weak if they show an emotion that's not "happy". This is a great variance with much of our religious tradition. In fact, one might argue that much of the Old and New Testaments are made up of people expressing their dissatisfaction with the way things are in their lives. Out loud. To God. In religious terms these sentiments are known as "laments" and they are found throughout the Psalms. When Jesus cries out to God over the grief He feels over being hung from the Cross and abandoned there, it is to the Psalms He will turn. For David, crying out to God was a natural as breathing and it is one of the characteristics that marked him as a "man after God's own heart." At one time, in one segment of our culture, the need to lament injustice and cruelty led to the musical form known as "the blues." Like the Biblical Psalms and other laments, they were a way to express one's grievances and, by doing to, move from despair to joy. Sadly, one could say that the blues have fallen on hard times here in America forgotten by many in the rush to happiness and replaced by others for music angrier and more cynical in it's need to cry out but that never delivers joy. Psalm 6 is the type of lament that combines both a crying out to the Lord with a petition for relief from illness. As you read the psalm below, hear David's words. Hear David cry out that he feels that he is dying, that he has angered God. Hear David beg to know how long he will have to suffer. Hear him plead with God to deliver him from his plight of illness and sin. Can you imagine such words from one of the "prosperity pastors" or from the "Christianity makes your life better" crowd? But this is as real as it gets. David here is down to "brass tacks" with God. Gone is all the flowery language and all the theological talk. David is begging for mercy and relief and forgiveness. He is faint and he is weak and he is filled with sorrow over the broken nature of his relationship with God. There is no triumphal "bow down to the King" language here nor is there songs of high praise. No, this is a lament and it has a place in our lives just like the other types of song. In fact, there are as many songs of petition, contrition and lament in the psalms as there are of any other type. The psalms as a work and this psalm specifically acknowledge that life is not always happy (especially on Mondays) and that that is to be expected. In fact, it is through these times that we experience an opportunity to grow closer to God. When David begins the psalm he is far away from God. Yet, at its conclusion, he has come close again. God has heard his prayer of lament and contrition and has accepted it. If David had focused on "being happy" do you think he would have found this place? I don't think so either. In our lives there will be times when we have the blues. We will sin, we will get hurt, we will be forgotten or forsaken or broken in some way. It's part of living in this fallen world. When we ignore those times and pretend like they never happened or that we are unaffected by them we deny God the chance to redeem them. Then they live inside of us and they fester like a sort of emotional or spiritual cancer. Take your hurts and sorrows to God. Take also your cries for forgiveness and redemption to Him. He's big enough (and by that I mean He's magnanimous enough) to handle the failings and brokenness of our lives. He came to be broken by His creation in order to allow us to do so. Trust that he'll hear your prayer and trust that he'll accept it too. And in that faith you'll possibly run across something so much better than mere happiness. In that moment, you just might find joy. Grace and Peace. In Him, Chad Psalm 6 For the director of music. With stringed instruments. According to sheminith. A psalm of David. LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Have mercy on me, LORD, for I am faint; heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How long, LORD, how long? Turn, LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love. Among the dead no one proclaims your name. Who praises you from the grave? I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes. Away from me, all you who do evil, for the LORD has heard my weeping. The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer. All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish; they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.
Posted by GCFLeader in Daily Devotions | Permalink | Comments (0)
Aug 22, 2008
Daily Devotional - 08/22/2008
The Lord is with us! In an election year, one of the “home and hearth” issues that is bound to be a part of any politician’s stump speech is that of crime and justice. Each of us seeks to live in a society in which we feel safe and secure which means that we want to hear our leaders assure us that evildoers will receive the appropriate consequence for their wrong actions and that we can live without fear of being accosted or injured by those who might seek to do us harm. In an election year it seems that each candidate seeks to outdo his or her opponent in trying to look tougher on crime and as being a stronger defender of justice. The reason they do this is because they understand that if they can convince a voter to look upon them as the one individual in the campaign that can deliver on the promise of justice and security, that voter is much more likely to work to see them elected to office. In Psalm 5 we see David, King of Isreal, enacting the part of the modern voter by imploring that justice be done. The interesting thing is how the definition of justice seems to change throughout the petition to the Lord of Hosts. Listen to my words, LORD, Hear my cry for help, In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; Here we have David in the first of the morning laying his lament and petition before the God in whom he trusts. Much can be written here regarding the attitude of prayer that David takes; he cries out to the Lord and yet he waits in expectation, he comes in the morning before the distractions of the day have had time to take his focus away from God, he acknowledges God’s rulership and deity in his life. But in the stanzas that follow we find the reason for David’s lament and cry to the Lord: For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; The arrogant cannot stand you destroy those who tell lies. David expresses that the Lord is a God without hospitality for those who are evildoers. God, in this picture, is a God who destroys those who tell lies and who hates those who do wrong. Those filled with pride will not be allowed in His presence. David’s words here reveal a God of ultimate human justice and a God in whom there is no room for the criminal or the wicked. For me to read these words is for me to struggle with despair because I can not stand in the light of such a God. But to tell you the truth, neither could David. This is the David who took another man’s wife (some scholars suggest that David may have raped her), conspired to cover up his sin and then arranged murder to clean up the problem when the cover up failed. None of us could ever stand in the presence of such a God as the one David has described in the above lines. But then David gives us another picture of a God of justice that offers us hope: But I, by your great love, Lead me, LORD, in your righteousness Here we see the scandal of grace. The God who is perfect and sinless allows, by His great love, the sinner to come into His house and to worship in His temple. Not only will this righteous God allow worship but He will come into relationship with the worshipper to lead them along the straight way. To me this is the life lived in the shadow of the Cross of Christ. We don’t enter into His house because we’ve said some prayer to “enlarge our lands” or because we’ve lived a life that is less sinful that someone else or because we’ve done enough good deeds. Our faith isn’t one of “karma” where when we do good things, we get good things from God. We come into God’s house because of His great love for us expressed through the incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is through these events that God views all history; past, present and future, and it is through these events that those who trust in Him can bow down in the temple of His love and grace. Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; Declare them guilty, O God! And in this trust, David can let go of his desire to enact vengeance and punishment on those who have done him wrong. He can leave the issues of justice up to God instead of relying on the “honeyed tongues” of deceitful politicians or court advisors whose advice leads only to death. Instead, David takes refuge inside the grace and justice of God: But let all who take refuge in you be glad; Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; Notice that there is no mention of fear here? As is said in later psalms, David has nothing to fear because he rests in God’s love and His provision. David knows that bad things may happen (he need only look to the story of Job for that) but he knows that whatever takes place, God’s provision will carry him through and restore him. It is in this understanding of God’s protection over him that he can exhort the congregation to be glad and to sing of joy. So what of us? Do we seek protection in the promises of politicians? Do we live in the fear that the candidates might be lying or, more likely, ineffectual? Do we place our trust in human agency to remove all threat of harm and wrong and evil and accord that human agency power we should give only to our God and our King? Or do we live our lives in light of the Cross? Do we understand that because “God so loved the world…”, we have only to seek Him with our hearts, minds, souls and strength to come into relationship with Him? Do we trust that God’s idea of justice is to redeem all things to Himself? Do we realize that we serve a God who will rush out across the field in foolish abandon to welcome even one, even one such as me, who was lost but has somehow returned? In a world filled with fear, can we live with and in the scandal of grace? Grace and Peace. In Him, ChadPsalm 5
For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David.
consider my lament.
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly.
with you, evil people are not welcome.
in your presence.
You hate all who do wrong;
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
you, LORD, detest.
can come into your house;
in reverence I bow down
toward your holy temple.
because of my enemies—
make your way straight before me.
their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongues they tell lies.
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
Posted by GCFLeader in Daily Devotions | Permalink | Comments (0)
Aug 21, 2008
Daily Devotional - 08/21/2008
Christ is in our Midst!
As ever, the Psalms, like all the rest of Scripture, need to be read in the “context of me” and my own spiritual life: that is, all the psalms, like all the Scriptures, address my spiritual condition, my faults, my sins. As soon as I read a passage from the Holy Bible in self-satisfaction, as soon as I become convinced about my own self-righteousness, as soon as I see Scripture as a “club” to beat up other people, then clearly I’ve missed the point. Scripture was written to convict me, not the people I detest, dislike, or disagree with.
A continuing theme of the psalms is the contrast between those who follow the Lord and those who love the world and thus pursue its ways. Over and over again the psalmist reminds us of the great contrast that marks, or at least ought to mark, the attitudes and actions of believers from those who do not believe. It is seductive, but spiritually harmful, to see this theme as addressed to the people around me. Rather, such assurances ought to trigger in me the real question: can it really be said that I follow the Lord?
Psalm 4, a song “unto the end,” as my Psalter describes it, illustrates the difference between those who are the true followers of God, and those whose hearts and minds are mired in worldly things.
“Thou hast heard me when I called, O God of my righteousness; Thou has enlarged me when I was in distress. Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.”
The writer (the Septuagint Psalter attributes this psalm to David) is clearly a man of faith. He believes in God’s abiding care. Do I really share this faith of David?
“O ye sons of men, how long will ye be heavy of heart? Why do ye love vanity, and seek after lying?”
Rather than exult in the notion that this verse suggests that those I don’t like are on the wrong path---perhaps I should address its questions to me! Isn’t my heart often “heavy,” just like the “sons of men?” In how many ways do I actually love vanity? When I exalt myself, when I contrast my “holiness” with the unbelief of those around me, am I not indulging in vanity? Am I not lying?
“But know that the Lord has made His Holy One marvelous; the Lord will hear me when I cry unto Him.”
Again, David shows his faith---and from a Christian perspective, speaks prophetically as well. For Who is the Lord’s “Holy One” if not His “Anointed,” the Christ. David believes that the same God Who begot the Word will all also hear the prayers of a sinner. Do I really have such faith?
“Be ye angry and sin not; be sorry upon your beds for what ye say in your hearts.”
Our anger, our energy ought to be self-directed. Until I remove the beam in my own eye, Our Lord would exhort a thousand years after this passage was written, I ought not be so worried about the speck in yours. “Beds” here stands I think for intimacy and the most profound self-knowledge. In my deepest, most secret self, on my bed in the darkest recesses of the night, I need to repent for what I say “in my heart,” and what I “say,” obviously, is revealed by what I do. If I don’t at least try to “walk the walk,” it’s beyond useless to “talk the talk.”
“Offer the sacrifice of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord. There be many that say, Who will show us good things? The light of Thy countenance is signed upon us O Lord.”
The psalmist urges me here to “walk the walk.” Do what God asks, and trust that He will keep His promises. In the face of skepticism from those around me---and sometimes, I must admit, from inside my own soul---I must have faith that God will care for me. My faith, David reminds, ought to be bolstered by the many times the “light” of God’s countenance has “signed” me. How many blessings do I count? Am I still reluctant to believe?
“Thou hast put gladness in my heart; from the fruit of their corn, and wine and oil are they increased.”
David reflects on the many times God has brought him gladness. He reminds that God will nourish and sustain His people with the things they need---necessities like corn, wine, and oil.
“I will both lay me down in peace and sleep; for Thou, Lord, only hast made me to dwell in hope.”
Each night’ sleep is a rehearsal of death. David prepares for sleep, but he also meditates on death. Even in sleep, even in the sleep of death, David lives and dies in hope, because of his faith in God. Do I have David’s hope? If I don’t, doesn’t it suggest that my faith may not be as powerful and important as I so often assert?
In this way, Psalm 4, like all of Scripture, can and ought to be read “selfishly”: it really is “all about me,” as I so often think in the secret places of the deep heart.
O Lord I believe! Help Thou my unbelief!
Gary
Afterfeast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary; feast of the Apostle Thaddeus; feast of the Martyr Bassa and her children.
Psalm 4
Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing?
Selah.
But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him.
Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.
Selah.
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.
There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
Posted by GCFLeader in Daily Devotions | Permalink | Comments (0)
Aug 20, 2008
Daily Devotional - 08/20/2008
The Lord is with us! As I wrote on Monday, the book of Psalms is very likely the most diverse collection of writings in the Bible; the themes of the songs and prayers that make up the book (traditionally called the Psalter) range from praise to petition to lament to contrition. Every emotion is expressed and every condition is touched upon somewhere and each and every one of these pieces of poetry is to be considered an authentic communication with the God who formed us. Perhaps more than any other part of Scripture, the Psalms are a guide to coming into relationship with God regardless of whether you are a King or a shepherd, a saint or a sinner (or more accurately, both), a soccer mom or a college student. No book was more relevant when it was written and no book is more relevant to our lives now. The third psalm is a poem or prayer of petition to God. As you read it, consider whether you’ve ever had occasion to lift up your voice to God in this way. Not in praise (thought there are elements of that to be found here) and not in worship but in the anguish of feeling overwhelmed by the things and people in your life that threaten you. LORD, how many are my foes! Many are saying of me, Tell me you haven’t felt this way at some time. Now think of standing up in the middle of church, with tens or hundreds of others, and singing these words out loud to your God. No really. Think about it. In today’s climate of so many pastors telling their churches that God wants to bless them materially and that the Bible is the best “how-to” manual for living a good life can you imagine your congregation getting up and singing these words to God? The Psalms where written to be sung; out loud and in community. Maybe you can’t do that last one but you can sing or chant them. Or if you don’t know how to chant (like me) and are bashful about singing in public you can recite them. There is something about the spoken word and hearing it that changes our interaction with God and enriches our relationship in Him. But you, LORD, are a shield around me, I call out to the LORD, I lie down and sleep; Here David calls out to the Lord. Can you hear his words? Can you hear the trust; the faith? No? Say them yourself, out loud. Yes, right now. Can you hear them now (do I sound like the guy from the Verizon commercials)? I think you have to say them to really hear them. I notice David’s trust in the “provision” of God. He trusts that God will provide for him what he needs. This isn’t a blind, “God will make it all better” theology or a “this is all in God’s plan” sort of fatalism. This is a belief that God is there with Him in his time of trouble and that while bad things may happen; God can redeem those things for good. When David wrote this psalm he was on the run in the desert. He had lost his throne and his own son, Absalom (does this name mean “No Peace”?), was trying to kill him. Things are not good for David or the nation of Israel I will not fear though tens of thousands Arise, LORD! From the LORD comes deliverance. Today, in the time that you take to pray, think of the things that scare you. Think of the things that seem overwhelming and difficult. Thank of all that threatens to come crashing in. Then speak the words of this psalm into those things. Not just pray the words silently but speak them. When the Trinity created the world God didn’t think about illumination, He said, “Light!” and saw that it was good. When God knew that it was time to redeem us from our sin and to conquer death, He didn’t just think good thoughts or abolish sin and death with a wave of His hand. He spoke His Word and “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” (John 1:14). So speak. Speak God’s word (and Word) into your life. Speak knowing that even though God may not brush away your troubles, He will be there to carry you through them. Speak knowing that whatever is lost will be redeemed and made new by God in time. Speak knowing that the words you speak and the God who inhabits them will sustain you through whatever may come your way. Speak and hold your head up high. Grace and Peace, In Him, ChadPsalm 3
A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.
How many rise up against me!
"God will not deliver him."
my glory, the one who lifts my head high.
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
assail me on every side.
Deliver me, my God!
Strike all my enemies on the jaw;
break the teeth of the wicked.
May your blessing be on your people.
Posted by GCFLeader in Daily Devotions | Permalink | Comments (0)
Aug 19, 2008
Daily Devotional - 08/19/2008
Why was the Psalter so important?
Chad provided an excellent description yesterday of the universal themes found in the psalms. Another important reason was---as the New Testament makes clear---Jesus Himself knew the psalms and prayed them; these ancient songs were literally the Lord’s prayerbook. For early Christians, however, perhaps the crucial consensus that insured the psalms’ importance was their belief that Jesus Christ appeared in almost every psalm. If, as the Orthodox priest and theologian Father Thomas articulates, the entire Old Testament ought to be read by Christians as about Christ---“all the words,” Father Tom counsels, “are about the Word”---then in the psalms above all we can see the figure of Our Lord. He is the great High Priest; He is the victim; He is the Righteous One; He is Judge, King, and above all the “Man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly.” (Psalm 1)
Now this is not to say that the psalms can’t (or shouldn’t) be read at other “levels”: they are certainly about us and our experience of trying to live the Faith. But from the very beginning the Church saw in these inspired and mystical prayers a description of the Lord Himself. Even the famous “penitential psalms” apply to Christ. For while He was sinless, we profess that He took upon Himself the full weight of our sins in His Passion and Death. So over and over again in my scribblings in the coming year, I will return to the theme of the Lord’s presence in the Psalms.
Psalm 2 is a classic example---a “royal, Messianic” passage that like most of the psalms can be read and interpreted at multiple levels. To each of us the psalmist reminds that despite all our efforts, God is in charge. Although “the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and His Anointed…,” (v. 2) “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh, the Lord shall hold them in derision.” (v. 4) Whatever our efforts, no matter how much we may consciously or unconsciously work at cross purposes to God, He is sovereign. If the kings of the earth---those among us most rich and powerful---are helpless ultimately to thwart God’s will, how futile are my own misbegotten efforts to derail the Divine economy? The advice of the psalmist is clear: “Be wise now therefore, O ye kings; be instructed ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.” (vv. 10-11) Again, if kings and judges---meaning the most powerful and important people---are to be “instructed” by this, then each of us would do well to follow this advice as well.
So where is Christ in this, you might well ask? Well to begin with, the psalm talks of the Lord and “His Anointed”; in many translations the original Greek word is used here---the Lord and “His Christ.” Even more telling are verses 6 and 7, “But I was established king by Him upon His holy mountain of Zion, declaring the decree of the Lord. The Lord hath said unto Me, ‘Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee.’”
Jesus, the Church has always proclaimed, is the only-begotten Son of the Father. So when the psalmist, about a thousand years before Christ’s birth, speaks of the “Lord’s Son,” for Christians the meaning is clear. The psalm mystically “points” to the Christ; the author mystically provides us Christ’s own words. “I” was established king; “the Lord said unto Me Thou art My Son….” It is the Lord’s Christ Who reigns over all creation, a lordship He shares with His Father and the Holy Spirit.
O Most Holy Trinity our God glory to Thee!
Gary
Afterfeast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary; feast of the Martyr Andrew the Commander, and 2,593 soldiers martyred with him, in
Armenia (AD 289).
Psalm 2
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.
Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
Posted by GCFLeader in Daily Devotions | Permalink | Comments (1)
Aug 18, 2008
Happenings for Aug. 2008-May 2009
4-1-1 Dinner and a Bible Study is moving to Tuesdays! We'll start dinner at 6:00pm and begin the study at 6:45pm. We will do our best to be finished by 8:00, but, of course there is always dessert and fellowship after that, so you are welcome to stick around. The Fall semester discussions will be on Jesus: The True Revolutionary. Viva la Revolution!
Posted by GCFLeader in Main Events & Officers | Permalink | Comments (0)
