The King, the King of kings, is called to bring justice, to make this world right.
If we are to be like our king, what kind of people ought we to be?
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to a king's son.
May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice.
May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.
May he live while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon,
throughout all generations.
May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth.
In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound,
until the moon is no more.
May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute,
may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts.
May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service.
For he delivers the needy when they call,
the poor and those who have no helper.
He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
From oppression and violence he redeems their life;
and precious is their blood in his sight.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Showing posts with label oppression. Show all posts
Showing posts with label oppression. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
A stranger in a strange land ...
Hear the word of God:
But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh
and settled in the land of Midian;
and he sat down by a well.
A prince of Egypt has become a stranger and pauper in a foreign land.
Moses is not a young man, but he is a troubled soul with family and social issues.
Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters;
and they came to draw water,
and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.
Then the shepherds came and drove them away,
but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
When they came to Reuel their father, he said,
"Why have you come back so soon today?"
Isn’t it odd that Reuel expects this chore to take longer?
Does he expect the girls to be harassed by the other shepherds?
Does he know that they would have to try more than once
to get the job done?
Or is this just an odd way to find a husband for one of his seven girls?
So they said, "An Egyptian delivered us
from the hand of the shepherds;
and what is more, he even drew the water for us
and watered the flock."
And he said to his daughters, "Where is he then?
Why is it that you have left the man behind?
Invite him to have something to eat."
It’s not just that Moses delivers the girls from their tormentors;
he also draws the water for them.
And since he doesn’t have anything else to do,
he waters the sheep while he’s at it.
So Reuel’s question is obvious:
“If a man would do this for you, where is he?”
In other words, where are your manners?
Where is your hospitality?
And Moses was willing to dwell with the man,
and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses.
Then she gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom,
for he said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land."
What does this episode tell us about the character of Moses?
Yes, he is strong and capable of both hard work and defense.
But there is something deeper than that.
Why was Moses by the well in the first place?
Isn’t it because, in a moment of passion, he did away with the life
Of a taskmaster who would oppress his people?
He won’t sit still and watch a crew of rowdy shepherds harass
Or oppress a covey of girls, either.
Moses has a deep-seated sense of social justice.
Moses hates oppression.
The shepherds ought to be thankful to get away alive.
Others have not. Others will not.
This virtue is why, I think, God picks this sojourner in a foreign land.
Moses understands what it is like to be the stranger,
what it is like to be powerless,
what it is like to be hurting,
what it is like to be an outcast.
How can our memories of belonging, and not,
Empower our ministry with children?
Blessings,
Ron
Exodus 2:15-22 - NASB
But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh
and settled in the land of Midian;
and he sat down by a well.
A prince of Egypt has become a stranger and pauper in a foreign land.
Moses is not a young man, but he is a troubled soul with family and social issues.
Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters;
and they came to draw water,
and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.
Then the shepherds came and drove them away,
but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
When they came to Reuel their father, he said,
"Why have you come back so soon today?"
Isn’t it odd that Reuel expects this chore to take longer?
Does he expect the girls to be harassed by the other shepherds?
Does he know that they would have to try more than once
to get the job done?
Or is this just an odd way to find a husband for one of his seven girls?
So they said, "An Egyptian delivered us
from the hand of the shepherds;
and what is more, he even drew the water for us
and watered the flock."
And he said to his daughters, "Where is he then?
Why is it that you have left the man behind?
Invite him to have something to eat."
It’s not just that Moses delivers the girls from their tormentors;
he also draws the water for them.
And since he doesn’t have anything else to do,
he waters the sheep while he’s at it.
So Reuel’s question is obvious:
“If a man would do this for you, where is he?”
In other words, where are your manners?
Where is your hospitality?
And Moses was willing to dwell with the man,
and he gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses.
Then she gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom,
for he said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land."
What does this episode tell us about the character of Moses?
Yes, he is strong and capable of both hard work and defense.
But there is something deeper than that.
Why was Moses by the well in the first place?
Isn’t it because, in a moment of passion, he did away with the life
Of a taskmaster who would oppress his people?
He won’t sit still and watch a crew of rowdy shepherds harass
Or oppress a covey of girls, either.
Moses has a deep-seated sense of social justice.
Moses hates oppression.
The shepherds ought to be thankful to get away alive.
Others have not. Others will not.
This virtue is why, I think, God picks this sojourner in a foreign land.
Moses understands what it is like to be the stranger,
what it is like to be powerless,
what it is like to be hurting,
what it is like to be an outcast.
How can our memories of belonging, and not,
Empower our ministry with children?
Blessings,
Ron
Exodus 2:15-22 - NASB
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
I will rescue ...
The restless wind is cold and merciless as it blows over the land. It stirs the blanket of snow covering the landscape without moving or melting it. The snow would be beautiful if it were new and if it had not been there for a long time, a time which seemed to approach forever in the memories of the inhabitants of the land. The snow, beautiful once, has now become hateful and oppressive. Even with that snow, the land has become cloudy and dark.
If not for the hardiness of its citizens, the land of Narnia would appear to be near death, the last of its life oozing away as it writhes in the talons of the witch. Yet something remains that cold, brutality, wickedness, and oppression cannot seem to destroy: Hope. Hope stirs the hearts of the faithful, and it gives them the strength to go on as if the oppression were only temporary, as if the world might be different somehow, as if it made sense to live counter-cultural lives.
What stirs these hearts? What moves as a threat to this wasteland of white? What keeps this hope alive? Three little words. Three little words that are the beginning of a narrative subversive to the hate and the oppression and the waste holding the land and its population captive. The words? Aslan is coming. People who do not even know who Aslan might be are moved by these words. The way that the words are spoken, you know that Aslan must be a savior or king. It seems obvious that Aslan is bringing something vital: rescue, light, and life. Three words bring all of this good news and more. Aslan is coming.
Since C. S. Lewis writes this story for children, he does not conceal too carefully the metaphoric connection between Aslan and Jesus. One does not need a PhD in Composition and Rhetoric to see that feelings experienced in the anticipation of Aslan are parallel to the emotions stirred at the coming of Christ. But his story does make us think. It makes us think about how things were just before Jesus.
It makes us think
of the many failed efforts at human government.
It reminds us about
humanity’s struggle with faithfulness before a faithful God.
It brings to mind
the tendency for people with power to abuse power,
turning it to their own purposes
instead of those of God or his people.
Misgovernment, unfaithfulness, and abuse of power
always lead to poverty, despair, and oppression.
But God will not leave us there.
For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.
Ezekiel 34:11-13 – NRSV
Yet for God’s people in captivity, a short sentence reveals the belief that Yahweh is not about judgment, but about salvation. His Torah was not meant to bring condemnation but peace. His Word is intended to bring the opposite of despair; it stirs hope. The Messiah is coming. Have we become callous to the power of that brief sentence? Surely we still see the need? Surely the cold winds of life have not snuffed out this hope in our heart?
Yes, Jesus came to us nearly 2,000 years ago. But the people of this planet are still looking for him. If we are truly the body of Christ, if each of us can enact our part within that body, he will come here today, too. His presence in his people can still save, can still heal, can still comfort. But we have to believe. We have to remember to believe, and behave as if we really do believe. Faith. Hope. Love. Faith will stir hope, and hope will empower love. That kind of love is more than wishful thinking; it is hopeful living.
Learn to do good;
seek justice,
rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan,
plead for the widow.
Isaiah 1:17 – NRSV
Grace and peace,
Ron
*C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Chronicles of Narnia
If not for the hardiness of its citizens, the land of Narnia would appear to be near death, the last of its life oozing away as it writhes in the talons of the witch. Yet something remains that cold, brutality, wickedness, and oppression cannot seem to destroy: Hope. Hope stirs the hearts of the faithful, and it gives them the strength to go on as if the oppression were only temporary, as if the world might be different somehow, as if it made sense to live counter-cultural lives.
What stirs these hearts? What moves as a threat to this wasteland of white? What keeps this hope alive? Three little words. Three little words that are the beginning of a narrative subversive to the hate and the oppression and the waste holding the land and its population captive. The words? Aslan is coming. People who do not even know who Aslan might be are moved by these words. The way that the words are spoken, you know that Aslan must be a savior or king. It seems obvious that Aslan is bringing something vital: rescue, light, and life. Three words bring all of this good news and more. Aslan is coming.
Since C. S. Lewis writes this story for children, he does not conceal too carefully the metaphoric connection between Aslan and Jesus. One does not need a PhD in Composition and Rhetoric to see that feelings experienced in the anticipation of Aslan are parallel to the emotions stirred at the coming of Christ. But his story does make us think. It makes us think about how things were just before Jesus.
It makes us think
of the many failed efforts at human government.
It reminds us about
humanity’s struggle with faithfulness before a faithful God.
It brings to mind
the tendency for people with power to abuse power,
turning it to their own purposes
instead of those of God or his people.
Misgovernment, unfaithfulness, and abuse of power
always lead to poverty, despair, and oppression.
But God will not leave us there.
For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.
Ezekiel 34:11-13 – NRSV
Yet for God’s people in captivity, a short sentence reveals the belief that Yahweh is not about judgment, but about salvation. His Torah was not meant to bring condemnation but peace. His Word is intended to bring the opposite of despair; it stirs hope. The Messiah is coming. Have we become callous to the power of that brief sentence? Surely we still see the need? Surely the cold winds of life have not snuffed out this hope in our heart?
Yes, Jesus came to us nearly 2,000 years ago. But the people of this planet are still looking for him. If we are truly the body of Christ, if each of us can enact our part within that body, he will come here today, too. His presence in his people can still save, can still heal, can still comfort. But we have to believe. We have to remember to believe, and behave as if we really do believe. Faith. Hope. Love. Faith will stir hope, and hope will empower love. That kind of love is more than wishful thinking; it is hopeful living.
Learn to do good;
seek justice,
rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan,
plead for the widow.
Isaiah 1:17 – NRSV
Grace and peace,
Ron
*C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, The Chronicles of Narnia
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Something less than the big dog ...
Here is your third dose of Country Boy Wisdom.
"If you can't run with the big dogs, stay on the porch!" I don't like this saying because it was said to me many times while playing football in Arkansas. Being the susceptible person that I was, it really hit home to me that maybe I wasn't good enough, or maybe I don't belong with everyone else. At times, it could have been used for motivation to help, but instead it was used to berate and tear down.
I was watching the History Channel the other day and came across a show on the Inquisition. The people who originally thought of this idea were probably devout God fearing people. Problem was, they became the elite, the best, the only. They were killing people in their "righteous cause". Problem was, they didn't realize how off they were and how far reaching this oppression would reach. When Rachel and I were in Scotland doing some mission work, we encountered priests and others who said that a large percentage of the people there were very distrustful of religion of any kind due to the old history of how oppressed people were by the "Cosmic Cop" God.
The most well know verse in the Bible is probably John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
God said "the world", because he means "the world". He wants all to come and know Him and what he has. We don't have to be a big dog or part of the elite group. We have to be us and follow what He has for us to do. God offers everything we will ever need and we can share it with all the other people in "the world". So that everyone will come to know him and the "pack of dogs" can all run together and chase after God.
May you be blessed today with everything you need. And may you have peace, too.
Jeremy
"If you can't run with the big dogs, stay on the porch!" I don't like this saying because it was said to me many times while playing football in Arkansas. Being the susceptible person that I was, it really hit home to me that maybe I wasn't good enough, or maybe I don't belong with everyone else. At times, it could have been used for motivation to help, but instead it was used to berate and tear down.
I was watching the History Channel the other day and came across a show on the Inquisition. The people who originally thought of this idea were probably devout God fearing people. Problem was, they became the elite, the best, the only. They were killing people in their "righteous cause". Problem was, they didn't realize how off they were and how far reaching this oppression would reach. When Rachel and I were in Scotland doing some mission work, we encountered priests and others who said that a large percentage of the people there were very distrustful of religion of any kind due to the old history of how oppressed people were by the "Cosmic Cop" God.
The most well know verse in the Bible is probably John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
God said "the world", because he means "the world". He wants all to come and know Him and what he has. We don't have to be a big dog or part of the elite group. We have to be us and follow what He has for us to do. God offers everything we will ever need and we can share it with all the other people in "the world". So that everyone will come to know him and the "pack of dogs" can all run together and chase after God.
May you be blessed today with everything you need. And may you have peace, too.
Jeremy
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Whose help, whose hope?
Our meditations in the Psalms continue with Psalm 146:
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
Surely the Lord is the center of the psalmist’s praise! This praise is not lip service, nor is it merely mental assent – this praise comes from the very soul of the worshiper. The feelings of the singer are so strong that twice the psalmist assures us that his or her praises will rise up to God for a lifetime. This ought to beg the question from us, “Why is God worthy of such praise from this person?”
Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortals, in whom there is no help.
When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
on that very day their plans perish.
One of the first ways that we come to understand the praiseworthiness of God is to understand the difference between his divinity and our humanity. Interestingly, the psalmist leads us to this place by making half of the comparison and trusting that we will imagine the implied counterpart. The psalmist describes the unreliability of even those who are perceived to be the best, the noblest, of humankind: royalty. Even princes are not very helpful; after all, they have so many people who ask them for so many things. Yet even if one were to work one’s way into their policies, how could anyone be sure that these nobles would focus long enough, or live long enough, to carry out all of these plans?
The nature of God is an implied contrast. Humans are one thing; God is another – the Other. God is reliable. God is worthy of our trust. God will give us help. His breath will never depart because his breath is eternal. God’s breath spoke the words that called this universe into existence and his breath will call the new heavens and earth into eternal existence. Yet, surely this God is not merely worthy of praise for who he is, but for what he has done.
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
Our God is most worthy of praise because of his mighty acts. Look at what he did for Jacob! Surely he will give happiness to us if we make him our Lord as did Jacob. This God created the heaven and earth and established the laws of physics that hold the universe together. The chaotic sea he made, and calmed, and filled with life. All of these things God faithfully maintains and empowers, even toward eternity.
But the laws of physics, chemistry, and biology are not the end of his governance of creation. God also established laws of justice to govern the behavior of those he made in his image. Because God is a relational being, he made humans into relational beings. And the creator of people and power and possessions calls us to use power and wealth as he does: to care for the weak, the powerless, the outcast and even the oppressed. In a creation this fruitful, who should go hungry?
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
Here are the words of salvation for those whom we serve. Yes, children have been imprisoned, not just in lockup but perhaps even worse – in bondage to the false gods of this world. God offers freedom. Yes, some children are blind and many of them spiritually so. God offers vision of a sort that they can hardly imagine. Yes, too many children are bowed down with the burdens of this world, and with bad habits that will become sin as they become accountable. Yet God offers his love for those who will accept his righteousness by enacting his justice. Those who do not uphold the powerless will find themselves powerless. That is the other side of his justice.
The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!
Surely neither this God’s plans, nor his life, will ever fail; he will be God to us, to our children, and to our children’s children. Surely that kind of a God is praiseworthy!
Grace and peace,
Ron
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
Surely the Lord is the center of the psalmist’s praise! This praise is not lip service, nor is it merely mental assent – this praise comes from the very soul of the worshiper. The feelings of the singer are so strong that twice the psalmist assures us that his or her praises will rise up to God for a lifetime. This ought to beg the question from us, “Why is God worthy of such praise from this person?”
Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortals, in whom there is no help.
When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
on that very day their plans perish.
One of the first ways that we come to understand the praiseworthiness of God is to understand the difference between his divinity and our humanity. Interestingly, the psalmist leads us to this place by making half of the comparison and trusting that we will imagine the implied counterpart. The psalmist describes the unreliability of even those who are perceived to be the best, the noblest, of humankind: royalty. Even princes are not very helpful; after all, they have so many people who ask them for so many things. Yet even if one were to work one’s way into their policies, how could anyone be sure that these nobles would focus long enough, or live long enough, to carry out all of these plans?
The nature of God is an implied contrast. Humans are one thing; God is another – the Other. God is reliable. God is worthy of our trust. God will give us help. His breath will never depart because his breath is eternal. God’s breath spoke the words that called this universe into existence and his breath will call the new heavens and earth into eternal existence. Yet, surely this God is not merely worthy of praise for who he is, but for what he has done.
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;
who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
Our God is most worthy of praise because of his mighty acts. Look at what he did for Jacob! Surely he will give happiness to us if we make him our Lord as did Jacob. This God created the heaven and earth and established the laws of physics that hold the universe together. The chaotic sea he made, and calmed, and filled with life. All of these things God faithfully maintains and empowers, even toward eternity.
But the laws of physics, chemistry, and biology are not the end of his governance of creation. God also established laws of justice to govern the behavior of those he made in his image. Because God is a relational being, he made humans into relational beings. And the creator of people and power and possessions calls us to use power and wealth as he does: to care for the weak, the powerless, the outcast and even the oppressed. In a creation this fruitful, who should go hungry?
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
Here are the words of salvation for those whom we serve. Yes, children have been imprisoned, not just in lockup but perhaps even worse – in bondage to the false gods of this world. God offers freedom. Yes, some children are blind and many of them spiritually so. God offers vision of a sort that they can hardly imagine. Yes, too many children are bowed down with the burdens of this world, and with bad habits that will become sin as they become accountable. Yet God offers his love for those who will accept his righteousness by enacting his justice. Those who do not uphold the powerless will find themselves powerless. That is the other side of his justice.
The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!
Surely neither this God’s plans, nor his life, will ever fail; he will be God to us, to our children, and to our children’s children. Surely that kind of a God is praiseworthy!
Grace and peace,
Ron
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Is there any gentleness in the God of Joshua?
David Keck has noted that "it seems a somewhat strange combination of the book of Joshua with being kind, humble, patient, compassionate, and gentle. But I remember the words of James Cail from way back: 'people tend to behave the way they believe their God would'."
I agree with David; at first Joshua's story seems disconnected from kindness, but a look at the larger story reveals God's kindness. When the Israelites were in Egypt, there were the haves and the have nots. The Egyptians had; the Israelites had not. Oppression was the rule of the day. But an ancient proverb reveals the heart and the behavior of God:
"He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,
but whoever is kind to the needy honors God." Prov 14:31 (NIV)
So after God removes his people from oppression, he creates a nation patterned after his values. He creates the "gentler and kinder" country of its day: Israel. How is this so?
Chapters 13-21 of Joshua reveal that God's plan was for the land to be divided by tribes and by family. When you couple this with the knowledge that the laws for ownership of land and indebtedness specified in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy (i.e., Lev 27.14-25; Num 36.5-9; Deut 15) did not, in theory, allow any family to permanently lose their land, you see the kind hand of God protecting people from falling permanently into poverty and need. Oppression was against the law. Instead, there is the Levitical imperative (19.18) to "love your neighbor as yourself." In this nation, blessings were to be found in behaving kindly (as God would), and curses come to those who are unkind or oppressive. How does that connect with Joshua?
According to Josh 8.30-35, The Israelites stood on Mount Gerazim and Mount Ebal and did what "Moses had commanded." What was that? The people recited the blessings and curses listed in Deut 27.12-26, half speaking the curses, half speaking the blessings. Read them and see the curses for those who are unkind, who are oppressive. Here is effectively their "Declaration of Dependence" on God and his kindness, and their agreement to be kind themselves or else face the consequences. It is the covenant to be a different and "kinder" nation than the world had yet known.
If people "tend to behave the way they believe their God would," God would have us (and Cail would, too) see God and his behavior as it truly is: kind.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)