Ring Out

. . . let the hills ring out with joy before the Lord, when he comes to judge the earth. 

 - From Psalm 98

We have to get out of these jitters so many of us have, about Judgment Day. 

Here's the Psalmist, David, I think, writing many lines of text declaring the joy that he feels, just contemplating God taking charge of things, one day; He will make it all right. He will put us on a solid, secure path, for eternity.

He will make sure we're safe.

Except, in this case, the word "safe" is not just a clever tactical maneuver to get people emotionally inclined to vote a certain way. When God makes us "safe," he makes us Safe. And it has nothing to do with some dopey human politician wanting us to feel good. 

He will bring us joy. We will be elated. The good feelings that we will feel, on the day God makes it all right, are not the same as the "shiver down the leg" that should characterize almost all of our good feelings in this age. God's Good Feelings are permanent. They are not emotional. They are logical and totally confident. You're feeling "good," but that's because you have been made Good. 

And in the Psalm, it is all wrapped up with a reference to Judgment Day. More often than not, my image of Judgment Day has veered toward the fearful and frightening aspect of it. When it is preached, it's always done so with dread and fire.

Are you ready?

But, as we look at the world today, on November 9, the day after "the most important election in American history," an election that would bring an apocalyptic tidal wave of change to our society . . . and see that it is all a disappointing dud, perhaps that's a good thing. The newscasts and politicians had been playing up Election Day 2022, as if it were the Second Coming of Christ.

It's not. But as we contemplate God's final judgment upon humanity, let's keep it positive. All the nonsense swirling about; the ridiculous antics by children in adult bodies that we call our "leaders." All the fear-mongering and divisive rhetoric. All the relentless daily developments of a narrative that has nothing to do with God's establishment of peace, safety, security, equity, and justice - but that claims to be all that and more . . . 

It's all tossed in the flaming incinerator of History, never to be heard from again. And that is something to rejoice over. 

Arrogant?

See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble.

 - From Malachi 4

Now, I know a lot of arrogant people. I might be a little arrogant, myself. I've probably caught everyone I know in an arrogant moment, or two. And so have you, the reader. 

Maybe we're all arrogant from time to time. But just like telling a lie, once, does not make you a liar (or does it?) we may be able to make the claim stick - you may stumble and say or do something arrogant, once in a while. But that does not make you an arrogant person, especially you people known to be quite humble and gentle!

We get our fill of arrogance after a while. When someone is called "arrogant," it is never meant as a compliment. It's an insult. We don't want to be thought of as "arrogant."

• I tell it like it is.
• I am who I am and I'll never change.
• I don't suffer fools.
• I get what I want.
• I get results.
• I don't care what people think of me.

Famous last words of a fool. 

But Malachi writes, inspired by Holy Spirit, that all the arrogant will be stubble, i.e., burned up.

Does one act of arrogance make you arrogant? Perhaps we should reconsider that. And perhaps we should reflect every now and then, on whether or not we could easily be caught making any of the statements in the bullet list above. 

The arrogant are placed in the same context as evildoers. The notion that we are to become as children, humble, servants, weak in the world (but strong in Christ) merits that we constantly hold ourselves up to God's standard. Perhaps we have not fully arrived yet . . . but we can make progress. 

Equity

In righteousness shall he judge the world and the peoples with equity.

 - From Psalm 98

Long before Early 21st Century mockers started using the word "equity," as the ultimate virtue-signal, God had long ago established its relevance to The Plan for the Ages. 

Equality wasn't enough for the Age of Cynics. They never did like it (acting as children), when people that they love to oppose ended up using their words. For a time, they believed that equality was their word, and no one else could claim it. Their opposition would counter with such phrases as "Free men are not equal. Equal men are not free." And, when logic and honest reflection prevail, such statements are, in fact, true. The Equality crowd has always believed that freedom is the best method to gain the best outcomes for the most people. 

But finally, all people came around to a generalized understanding and agreement of the value and necessity of equality. The Left no longer had sole claim on the equality movement. It meant that we were all on the same page, using the same vocabulary. We were headed toward consensus. The Left had won that battle. In the 1990s, we were poised for rapid forward movement. 

But that was not acceptable to a splinter group on the Left, which later dominated our politics and authored the narrative. In fact, they do not like persuading others to their own side - they seem, actually, to hate agreement. They want so much to be different, and will do anything (it seems) to make of themselves the new Greatest Generation. But that requires they have some epic evil to vanquish. And where Hitlers do not exist, Hitlers must be created. 

They rediscovered the ancient word from the Lord: equity, and ran with it. Equity means that the outcomes are equal. And if outcomes can not be had via organic means, then artificial (fake) means must be created. Where the Right always desired that very thing: Equity in outcomes, they insisted that their methods were the fastest, most legitimate, and most sustainable way to attain it. But for the moment, the Left set themselves as virtue superiors, in their exclusive appropriation of the word equity.

But the problem for them, is . . . when God uses the word "equity," He also uses the word "righteousness." You cannot have one without the other. 

The Generation of Malcontents will always fall short of its goals. For, it will seek equity without righteousness. It will attempt national holiness, via unethical, Machiavellian, cynical means. It will always say one good-sounding thing, while actually doing what gets them noticed, what gets them celebrity . . . what gets them power. 

And that's not equitable at all. 

The Lord Adorns

For the Lord . . . adorns the poor with victory. 

 - From Psalm 149

I don't know why statements like this are not emphasized more, in these times. 

The corrupt political order is putting people at each other's throats, dividing us every which way, most notably, by socio-economic class. Greed (the vice of the rich) and envy (the vice of the poor) are driving our decisions, from where to eat, to how to vote. 

But the Bible is very clear, God has not held back the truth . . . that the poor have got it made. 

Yes, yes I know. Not now. Not in this life. But we know with almost perfect certainty, that the wealthy are as Kris Kristofferson described them: weak. 

And if beggars can't be choosers, til they're weak and wealthy men.

I would have people in a congregation turn and look at each other. Turn and look around. Find someone that has less wealth than you do. God has placed them ahead of you. 

Coarse? Maybe. But isn't that what the Psalmist does over and over again?

We should prepare the poor right now. We should treat them as the royalty that they are. Now.

Come to think of it . . . that practice alone would solve a whole bunch of our most dangerous social problems, instantly!

Abstain

. . . but we should write to them to abstain only from . . .  

 - From Acts 15

The Gospel of Christ was Good News. There is a lot of it that's Good: Happiness now; freedom regardless of our circumstances; healing; wisdom; protection and sustenance; a direct link to the Father; Eternal Life. 

But He even provided something for the worldly-minded. This whole idea of The Law, a set of rules and routines that you must do, with regularity, in order to maintain your right standing with God; these were burdensome, and in the end, impossible to follow faithfully, or enough to merit eternal favor in God's eyes. 

(That's why we had the law. Because it is in human nature to want a "king." To have someone to take care of us; feed us; protect us; create economic opportunities for us; keep us safe. And we have a preference for rules. Just tell me what to do, and I will do it. Give me lots of activities. Keep me busy. Give me rituals. At least that way my mind is temporarily divorced from my horrible anxieties).

But rituals do not save us, not eternally. We want real happiness, real freedom, and real eternal life - - - and life, abundantly. That's the Gospel. 

So the restrictions and the parameters of The Law were cut way back. Some day The Law was completely obliterated so that we would not have to do any of it. All we had to do was trust Christ.

But James, the Lord's brother, reminded us that there were still some practices from which we should abstain. There are certain human acts which are so selfish and carnal in nature, that they do, in fact, get in the way of growth in Christ, and of making pure hearts for ourselves. James quoted the prophets, in listing these things to avoid. 

Now, it's not a ritual that must be practiced. It isn't a regular, weekly fast from something that normally is good for us. James says we should not do these things. Because they are selfish, and are not in line with Christ's purity. 

And the reader is left to dig the list out, at his or her leisure. 

Shame

And my people shall never again be put to shame.

  - From Joel 2

Do you hesitate to share your innermost, precious thoughts, to others? Even when it's your closest and most long-term friends and family members - do you hold back? Does it create nervousness, anxiety, and even sadness, for you not to just share your hopes, fears, frustrations, concerns, and dreams? 

Is the reason that you refrain from expressing your viewpoints because you have been made to feel shame for having them in the first place? Have you become what the Bible calls a wanderer, an alien in your own land and country, and among your own people?

Has the frustration compounded, so that now you are a like a pressure-cooker that needs a valve released, to prevent a dangerous explosion?

This is not the way our culture should be. Nobody advises troubled marriages to bottle up their deepest emotions. No one thinks it's a good idea for corporate teams to divide themselves into warring tribes. No expert actually believes it was a bad idea for the American experiment not to have freedom of conscience and speech as the centerpiece of a historic reform movement. 

The phrase "shut up" is now verboten in our culture. It is considered rude and insulting. But the thing most objectionable about it, and everybody knows it, is the idea that one person can tell another person what to say, and what not to say. "Shut up" is almost as bad as the "f word." We frown upon its use. 

But in practice, we are telling people to "shut up" all the time, in our cancel culture and codified political correctness.

The anti-freedom of speech crowd - the true tyrants themselves - have apparently succeeded in making people feel shame, simply for having thoughts and perspectives that, frankly, they have little control over. As Matt Hook has said: "You can outlaw certain behaviors and call it hate. But you can never make a person not hate another." 

It is all accomplished via the use of shame. 

Hundreds of years before Christ, the prophet told about a time when we will no longer be ashamed. 

You know . . . that future day when you can have your own thoughts. Express your own views. Be yourself, your real self! 

And no one will shame you. They won't guilt you. And they won't even want to. 

Anointed

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. 

 - From Luke 4

I marvel at the childish way people screw up the message of the Gospel. And I am not talking about believers. At least they're trying to understand it. They may be willfully stubborn, in maintaining their biases. They're human. But they put themselves in a position to hear the Gospel regularly, and that is good. 

No, rather, I am referring to doubters in our culture, and the ostensible believers that align with them. 

Like the Adversary tempting Christ, or the Serpent in the Garden tempting Eve; doubters try to quote Scripture. They love the references to caring about immigrants, replete throughout the Old Testament. And they're right to remind us of that. But it is the only thing they talk about, because they just want to score debate points. They don't care about becoming better people, themselves. They're just contrary. 

One of my favorites is the classic "why would a loving God . . . ?", especially when regurgitated by everyone from doubters, to scoffers, to agnostics, to atheists (and to their curious allies within the Church). It's not a direct quote of Scripture, per se - - - but it is a direct inference to the Biblical dictum that God is Love. And, if I may, so many of the corps of doubters fall easily within the Left end of the political spectrum. 

Of course, we would first need to run a thirteen week seminar on the true definition of Love, but for now we can just settle on Christ's own words, describing the point of His ministry. Look at his priorities:

• The poor
• Captives
• The blind
• The oppressed

This is right out of the Left's playbook! No, I take that back. It is not out of their playbook. It's out of their talking points. If they really cared about the truly needy, they would find an organization that has been chartered around caring for others (the Church), and work together! They would NOT waste so much time picking at faults and making judgments. 

To people on the Left that love to stick your finger in the eyes of Christians: Leave them alone. They're doing the best they can (just as you are). Focus on their Founder and Leader, Jesus Christ, and follow HIS teachings. He was talking about the things that you claim most concern you, two thousand years before you were born!