Rock and a Hard Place

Around the 850s BC, one of Israel's enemies laid siege to Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. After a while the siege caused a famine and things became so desperate that people in the city resorted to cannabilism (2 Kgs 6.26ff). 

But not all the Israelites were stuck inside the city. Four guys with leprosy sat outside the city wall, outcast because of their disease (Lev 13.46). Without the traffic in and out of the city though, they found themselves starving as well. 

So they said to themselves, "If we enter the city, we die. If we sit here we die. If we go to the enemy's camp, they may spare us, and if they kill us, well, we were gonna die anyway!"

So they get up and go to the enemy's camp and find it completely deserted. The story tells us that God had convinced the enemy that the Israelites had hired two of the most powerful nations in the world to fight with them. Fearing their now guaranteed demise, the enemy left their camp and fled for their lives. 

The four guys end up saving the entire city by delivering the news that the enemy is gone and there is food in their camp. 

The thing I like most about the story is the desperation of the four guys. They picked the best of three rotten options and committed. There may be some application here for those of us who find ourselves between a rock and a hard place, barely hanging on. 

We weigh our options, pick the best of them, and commit. The important thing is taking action. Coming up with a plan and being willing to see it through.

Things Change

The Ten Commandments, which are literally the "Ten Words," are a list of laws that epitomize all the other laws in Torah. All of them are fascinating, but the fourth "word" is particularly interesting. 

It includes the charge to set aside one day a week to do no work. God actually told his people to "keep it holy," which means to set it apart, make it different. 

In including this command, God set in place a principle that served to protect the entire world from overdoing it: from overworking, over-producing, and over-consuming. 

The Ten Words appear in two places in the Bible: the first is in Exodus 20, after the Israelites have been delivered out of slavery. The second is in Deuteronomy 5, forty years later, as the Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land.

The reason God gives for obeying the "word" is different in the two versions. Exodus tells us to follow the example of God found in the creation poem of Genesis. There God worked for six days creating, and on the seventh he rested. We are to do the same. 

But in Deuteronomy things had changed and so the law was re-contextualized. This time God's saving act in the Exodus is cited as the reason to stop working one day a week. 

God acted in history and people's lives were changed on a personal level, and while the command stayed the same, the reason for following it changed.

This might be how a relationship with God works. At first we are presented with principles that seem abstract, but as God shows up in our lives, the reason for listening to what he has to say changes. It is the relationship that becomes the motivation for change.

Mercy Is Underrated

The thought did cross my mind

A while back my wife and I flew to Europe and as we were taking our seats, we noticed an adorable little girl around the age of four. 

She was being doted on by the stewardess. You know the type, absolutely precious. 

I had recently listened to a medical lecture on child abuse and so I said to my wife, "How could anyone even think of hurting someone like her?"

Well let me tell you, by the end the flight I had my answer. This precious little girl, who sat directly behind us, and despite her mom's feeble attempts to stop her, kicked our chairs for the entire flight! 

And I am not talking about the gentle, "I'm fascinated by this strange thing in front of me" foot tap, I am talking about repeated MMA roundhouse kicks for 11 hours straight!

I tried my best to remain kind as I repeatedly asked the child to cease and desist, but neither the child nor her incompetent mother took any meaningful action to end the assault.  

It was everything in me not to handle the situation myself, as thoughts of delivering a roundhouse kick of my own to the pint sized monster floated through my head.

It's moments like those that remind me of this annoying line Jesus has, where he urges us to, "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." No thanks. I'm not interested. I would rather be critical and bitterly frustrated.

But I know that's not the better way. I know that all judgment is really self judgment and the faults I so easily see in others, are those with which I am all too familiar. 

As you start a new week, maybe take time to think on whether or not mercy permeates your life. And if it doesn't, should it? 

Would You Stop?

Would you go to a free concert if one of the world's most talented musicians was playing? What if he was playing a famous violin valued at $3.5 million? Most of us with a taste for such music would say, "Yes."

But what if you took the musician out of the concert hall and placed him in a D.C. subway station, would you stop and listen?

The Washington Post staged the above experiment, where Joshua Bell played for 45 minutes. In that time, only seven people stopped to take in the performance for more than a minute. Twenty-seven gave money for a total of $32. The other 1,070 people hurried by, oblivious, with few even turning to look.

According to the article, "Bell noted, 'At a music hall, I'll get upset if someone coughs or if someone's cellphone goes off. But here, my expectations quickly diminished. I started to appreciate any acknowledgment, even a slight glance up. I was oddly grateful when someone threw in a dollar instead of change.' This is from a man whose talents can command $1,000 a minute."

What are we missing on a daily basis that is equally, if not more special than this? Maybe it's an extra moment embracing a loved one before work? Or taking time to watch your children perform? Or pulling over to watch a sunset? Or actually listening to people when they talk to us instead of checking our cell phones?

Beauty comes to us in all shapes and sizes - the question is, are we taking the time to see it?

Rhyming Thought

Vineyard, better than a cucumber field!

Hebrew poetry is different than English poetry. Where English poetry often rhymes sound, Hebrew poetry rhymes thought. 

It does this in three different ways. Using parallel lines, Hebrew poetry either: communicates the same thought, opposes a thought, or builds on a thought. 

Take these examples from Isaiah chapter 1. First the same thought:

             

                                    The ox knows its owner, 

                                    and the donkey its master's crib; v.3

Same idea in both lines, animals know where their source of life comes from.

Now opposing:

                                   but Israel does not know,
                                   my people do not understand. v.3

On their own these lines convey the same idea, Israel doesn't get it. But they stand in opposition to the first two lines of verse 3, where the ox and donkey do get it.

The most striking examples of this last style are found in Proverbs, where the wise and the foolish are contrasted over and over again. 

Finally building:

                                   And daughter Zion is left

                                   like a booth in a vineyard,
                                   like a shelter in a cucumber field,
                                   like a besieged city. v.8

Each line gives new info, building on the last: Jerusalem (Zion) is as vulnerable as a hut in the middle of a vineyard. No it's worse! A cucumber field, where even less of the shelter is hidden. She is surrounded and her fall is immanent.

It's good to have an idea of how Hebrew poetry works as 2/3 of the Bible is filled with it! 

Next time you encounter the parallel lines of poetry, don't just race through it like it's prose. Dwell on each line and ask what the author is trying to say. You'll be amazed at how much you can squeeze out of a couple lines!

Catching Thoughts

What are you thinking? There is a great line in Paul's letter to the community in Corinth, where he notes that, "we take every thought captive to obey Christ" 2 Cor 10.5. 

The Greek word for thought, noema, means "facility of reasoning," and the one for captive, aichmalotizo, means "to get control of." 

So another way of saying it would be, "get control of your thought process."

How many of us are burdened by thoughts of self-doubt and insecurity? Of lies that we have been told about our bodies or our talents (or lack thereof)? 

How many of us entertain thoughts that objectify other human beings, dehumanizing them to feed lust? 

How many of us are constantly thinking about how much more important we are than everyone else?

How many of us give free reign to thoughts of anger and bitterness? 

How many of us spend far too much time trying to be someone we are not because somewhere along the way we were told we weren't good enough?

We all know the thoughts that tear us down and rob us of life, or build us up and rob us of life. Maybe a passage like this could become our mantra. 

Seizing the destructive thoughts that run through our minds is key to experiencing the life we are meant to live. And in the end, we all know we are so much better without them (Jn 8.32).

How Long God?

How long O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

These are the opening words of Psalm 13, a desperate prayer for help, to a God that doesn't seem to be there. 

The psalmist is undergoing intense pain and sorrow and has come to the end of the road. We are not given the source of the author's trials, but it is the silence that is the most devastating.

So the psalmist cries out, "Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!" daring to believe that God has a personal interest in his or her plight, begging God to answer before it's too late; before his or her "eyes sleep the sleep of death...and the enemy prevails."

The psalmist in the end turns to Yahweh's hesed, his steadfast love, promising praise in recognition of God's deliverance.

But this Psalm is not formulaic, and does not promise that if we start at one end of the prayer and come out at the other, all doubt and pain will be replaced by trust and joy.

That is not the intention of the prayer, nor the reality of life. The Psalm is a voice for our deepest fears and our most painful moments and breaks us from the illusion that faith solves all of our problems.

It gives us permission to exist in the "in between," allowing us to embrace the tension of speaking to God both in language of lament and praise, of being abandoned and delivered, of hope and despair. 

For a scholarly treatment of Ps 13 see, Mays, J.L. Interpretation, 34 no 3 Jl 1980, 279-83.

MLK Jr.'s How Long

I found this in my research for today's post:

Bring Back My Donkey

Torah scroll

When you come upon your enemy's (Hb. ayav) ox or donkey going astray, you shall bring it back. Ex 23.4

Bummer. I really wanted to keep it. Oxen and donkeys were extremely valuable in the Ancient Near East. 

One could use them for transportation, to plow, haul goods, and at least with the oxen, for hides and food. In this way, they would have a value similar to a car or truck today.

The laws of the Hebrew Scriptures sometimes seem very strange to us, but it is important to keep in mind that these laws helped an ancient, extremely superstitious people, grow confident in what they did and didn't need to do, to please their God. 

The laws made them less vulnerable to marginalization by the elites, who commonly used laws sent down from the gods to extort people. The laws also showed that Yahweh was concerned about even the most intricate details of daily living.

But how does a verse like this relate to us? The letter of law is tough to apply, as most of us don't daily encounter stray donkeys, but the spirit behind it is certainly transferable:

How many of us go out of our way to help people with whom we are at odds? How many of us, if we see misfortune befalling people we don't like, spend time justifying why we shouldn't help, instead of actually helping?

Take a read through the laws of Torah sometime, attempting to first see how they applied to the ancient Israelites, and then ask how they might apply to you today.

Be Moved

I find this trailer incredibly compelling, especially the line at the 0:37 mark. The line is from Norman Foster, whose work is the subject of the film:

Architecture works in terms of all the senses....and if you like, the spiritual dimension, which is rooted in all of the senses, and which you can't measure, but you know it's there. It moves you. It moves your spirit.

We are co-creators with God (Gen 1.28); made with intention, and when we participate in the things that move us, that move our spirit, we are tapping into what it means to be most fully human. 

The trailer led me to ask myself: Am I participating in things that move me? In things that envelop more than just my senses, but my soul as well? 

When we are doing those things, we are in harmony with both the Creator and creation, and those are the moments when the world is the most beautiful.

God Changes His Mind

Yesterday's post introduced the story of Exodus 32, where the Israelites infuriate God by turning to idols. Today we will highlight God's role in the story.

God saw what they were doing and said to Moses, "Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have acted perversely!....Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation."

Moses responds, imploring God to be merciful, "O Yahweh, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?...turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind (Hb. nahem) and do not bring disaster on your people." 

Embracing tension

What Moses said worked: "And Yahweh changed his mind (nahem) about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people." 

Does God change his mind? It would certainly appear that way from passages like this, and others such as Amos 7.3, 6 (cf. Gen 6.6, 7).

But what about 1 Sam 15.29 "Moreover the Glory of Israel will not recant or change his mind (nahem); for he is not a mortal, that he should change his mind (nahem)?"

People fight to harmonize these passages in all sorts of ways. What may be most important though, is to hold them in tension.

The text says that we serve a God that changes his mind, and we should respect that.  God is genuinely affected by our actions, he is not fixed and stale (cf. Jer 18.8; Gen 18.22ff). It should also be pointed out, that he always changes his mind toward mercy, never the other way around.

But he also stands outside of space and time, and is "the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb 13.8), and "does not change" (Mal 3:6). These texts are intended to comfort us by highlighting God's reliability. He remains faithful even when we are not (2 Tim 2.13).

Holding these passages in tension is very difficult, but necessary for honest Biblical interpretation, as well as honest life interpretation. If the Bible doesn't teach you that life is messy, and tension is necessary, life certainly will.

Fan the Flame

Exodus 32 records one of the most fascinating stories in the Bible. Moses was meeting with God, receiving guidelines on how God wanted his people to live, now that they were no longer slaves in Egypt.

But his meeting was taking too long. The people had been disconnected from God for longer than was healthy, and so they grew impatient and built an idol: an image that falsely represented God.

The idol the Israelites fashioned was a calf or young bull, which symbolized strength and fertility and brought with it illicit sexual practices (32.6). 

This act infuriated Yahweh. How could the people he had just delivered from bondage, so quickly turn their backs on him and return to the enslaving practices they knew in Egypt? 

Being made in the image of God, we each have a spark in us, that when fanned by connection with God, lights up our entire lives. This is where we experience the most substance and life.

But we are also capable of letting the spark grow dim, allowing darkness to enter our lives and rob us of the life we should be living.

This element of the story is a great reminder of the dangers of disconnecting from God. Tomorrow we'll use this passage to ask: "Does God change his mind?"

Messiahs Don't Die

An empty tomb

There was tremendous messianic expectation in Israel during the time of Jesus. The Jews had been living under foreign rule for the better part of five hundred years, and they were ready for deliverance. 

Their Temple, an institution designed to protect the oppressed, was now the chief proponent of oppression.

Those who scoured the pages of the Hebrew Scriptures, put together a list of attributes they expected the messiah to have, and for all intensive purposes, Jesus didn't fulfill any of them.

Sure he healed some people and had a couple picnics where he fed some large crowds,  but he didn't do one very important thing: expel the Romans and restore the kingdom of Israel.

To make matters worse, he was killed, in a brutal and shameful public execution, by the very people he was supposed to magnificently overthrow. The tragedy at this point for his followers, was that once he died, he ceased being the messiah altogether (Lk 24.21).

New creation

But that's not where the story ends: Jesus resurrects, not just coming back to life, but coming back to new life (2 Cor 5.17).

Almost all Jews in Jesus' day believed in an event at the end of time, where all who had died would be resurrected and judged, and God would start a new creation (Jn 11.24).

But no one expected it would happen in the middle of history.

But it did, inaugurating an age where God's saving rule became the new reality, providing an opportunity for all people to partner with him as he reclaims, restores, and renews all of creation. 

Fully Participating

A video from N.T. Wright, who argues for the full participation of women in church ministry.

People still are quite divided on this issue. No matter where you stand, it's always important to hear both sides of the argument.

Please leave your comments below.

Change Your Diet

What feeds your self-esteem? We live in a culture that prizes excelling in sports, business, art, music, money, and most of us eat up this value system like candy.

We have "Plays of the Year," "Albums and Artists of the Year," even "Sexiest Man or Woman Alive," - we must stop and ask ourselves: How does being taught that these are the things that matter most in life affect us?

There is nothing wrong with competition, we all need to strive to fulfill our potential, but the question is in what areas? If we listen to the lie of our culture, we strive to be faster, stronger, more intelligent, more attractive, wealthier. 

But if we use those categories to determine our sense of self-worth, we will never be satisfied.

Rather our focus should be on the value of gaining life by losing it (Mt 16.25). In leaving a legacy of love as we invest in others. Valuing things like kindness, generosity, patience, mercy, and looking out for the vulnerable.

Contrary to what our culture says, you were not made to be the most beautiful, or talented, or wealthiest, you were made to love and be loved fully, and a mental diet that focuses on those values, and lives them out, will fill you like nothing else.

Are You There?

Technology has allowed us to fill our lives with more and more. Social media, for instance, allows us to connect with hundreds of people per day.  

One of the dangers of such technology though,  is the risk of sacrificing connection with those with whom we are physically present.

Yesterday I went climbing with my wife and during the climb was taking pictures and uploading them to Facebook. Was I giving my wife my full attention? Was I present with her? 

This issue becomes especially important on a day like today: Saturday. Most are off work, spending time with family or significant others. Are we bringing our work home? 

There is a reason God promises numerous times in the Bible to "be with you" (Ex 3.12; Josh 1.5; Mt 28.20); we are communal beings, in need of connection. But the connection needs to be substantive for it to be healthy.

It might be a good time to ask yourself: am I being present with the people I am physically with? Am I investing in them, listening to them, showing them that they are worth my full attention? 

The consequences of not asking these questions may be the degeneration of the relationships that mean the most to us.

E la Nave Va

E la nave va

This image has always inspired me. I love the sheer absurdity of a man rowing a boat across the open ocean, accompanied by a rhino. 

The title of the image, E la nave va, means "and the ship goes," and for me represents overcoming insurmountable odds. When I look at it, I feel I can do anything.

An image from Revelation 5 evokes a similar emotion in me. There, the author paints a picture of a scene in heaven, where the continuation of history is dependent upon finding someone worthy enough to open a certain book. 

But no one is found, and so the author begins to cry. Just then someone encourages him, saying, "Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the book." 

The Lion of Judah (Gen 49.9) and the root of David (Isaiah 11.1, 10) are titles for the Messiah; Jesus is the one who can open the book. But where is he?

The last time Revelation saw Jesus he was pictured as the intimidating transcendent ruler of the cosmos, one who holds the stars in his hand and whose face is as bright as the noon day sun.

That is the Jesus the reader expects to show up, but what happens next is astonishing.

The author sees a baby lamb, "looking as if it had been slaughtered," who comes and opens the book and history continues moving forward. 

For readers of Revelation, this image is paramount: it is not military strength that conquers, it is the slaughtered baby lamb. Christianity is based on the claim that life comes through surrender and giving of life, and not by taking it.

The imagery serves to express the reality that although it may not look like God is winning the battle against the forces of evil, the battle has already been won.

And not by a mighty army, but by the death and resurrection of God, that conquered all that death and the powers of evil could throw at him.

Trading God

Nebuchadnezzar

The prophet Jeremiah spoke at a desperate time in Israel's history. The Babylonian Empire, motivated after conquering the Assyrian capital of Ninevah in 612 B.C., moved west to assume control of Assyria's former holdings. 

The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar (ruled 605-562), set his sights on Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel at this time, which had not fallen under Assyrian control.  

Word spread quickly among the Israelites that Nebuchanezzar was on his way, and everyone wondered what to do: do we trust Yahweh to deliver us? Is it too late (Jeremiah 27.6)? Should we seek help from Egypt (2.36ff)?

The Israelites had a long history of attempting to solve their problems by looking for a more accessible "god experience." This led them to trade Yahweh, the living redeemer god, for works of their own hands:

Has a nation changed its gods, even though there are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for something that does not profit. 2.11

Story of Kemosh

All nations of the ancient world had patron gods - these deities were inextricably tied to the peoples' national identity. The Moabites for instance, were known as the people of Kemosh; while the Philistines were associated with Dagon.

The unprecedented nature of Israel's rejection of Yahweh, leads Jeremiah to pen these words: Be appalled, O heavens, at this, be shocked, be utterly desolate! 2.12                                    

                                       

In the end, Yahweh would use the coming destruction to show his people the natural progression of their destructive decision making. It was an attempt to get them to trust fully in him.

This story should get us thinking about where we might be trading God for things that do not profit, and if we are, begs us to turn from paths of destruction, to paths of life.

A Story Worth Living

Mark has a story to tell and he wants to tell it quickly. The gospel attributed to Mark is the shortest of the four gospels and almost has a rushed sense to it. 

This is helped by Mark's use of a phrase that is often omitted in translation for more natural reading: "and immediately" (Gk. kai euthus):  

"and immediately Jesus went into the wilderness....and immediately they leave their nets and follow him....and immediately his fame spread" and on and on. 

The frantic pace of gospel leads to such an abrupt ending, that the early church felt the need to add to it, attempting to bring the work to a more satisfactory completion.  Two attempts were made at this, but the most natural ending is the original in 16.8.

The original ending leaves the reader on the edge of their seat, waiting for the next act to unfold. But the next act is not to be read, it is to be experienced. The reader is to live out the next act. 

Nero

Many feel the tempo of Mark reflects the situation of his readers, who were more than likely Roman Christians who had experienced persecution under Nero.

The themes within the gospel of conflict, and failure to side with Jesus during trials, also give credence to this theory.

Mark is a perfect gospel for the overly busy individual who doesn't have time to read the Bible. But if one were to make time, the best way to read Mark is straight through.

That is where the humor, irony, tension, and passion, come together most potently, all in an attempt to convince the reader that this story is worth telling. And even more, that this story is worth living.

Words Create Worlds

Words have the power to create worlds, but they can also destroy them. The Bible introduces us to the power of words, when it tells us God spoke the world into existence. 

The book of Proverbs recognizes the potency of words, writing: 

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver" (25.11) and

"To make an apt answer is a joy to anyone, and a word in season, how good it is!" (15.23).

The NT picks up on this wisdom trend, charging us to "not let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen" (Eph 4.29).

We can all draw on moments when words have either helped us flourish or severely torn us down. 

It may be a good time to ask yourself, as the year is still young, do my words create or destroy worlds? Through my words, am I leaving a legacy of love, encouragement, and truth or one of shame, belittling, and discouragement? 

If you haven't found a New Year's Resolution yet, try Ephesians 4.29. It may be the most challenging, but also the most rewarding one you attempt.