Has Won

won for himself the victory.

 - from Psalm 98

A thousand years before Christ, the Psalmist declares that God "has won for Himself the victory."

"Has" won? As in, already done? Twenty generations before Christ, a hundred generations before our time . . it was already done. The victory has been won . . . way before the Cross?

The victory? The victory? Isn't there only one victory in all of Scripture, between the two Testaments, that counts?
If you had to pick only ONE victory in all sixty-six books of the Bible, thus qualifying to be defined by the article "THE" wouldn't it have to be the Cross?

And yet the Psalmist says it's already been done?

Yes, because it had already been done. God sits in a throne above and beyond the timeline. He casts forth His will in a moment, dividing the ages from the eons. He speaks the word but once . . . and while in our timeline it takes millennia, yet to God it is already done. It is over. It is finished. 

We were saved before. We are saved now. We will be saved tomorrow.

God has already won the victory. In the Beginning was the Word. Everything. The whole thing. From beginning to end. That single Word from God. It was spoken and it's complete.

Faith's Essence

Declare and present your case; let them take counsel together!

 - From Isaiah 45

If only.

The answer to our modern terrifying problems . . . 

• The wrath of incompatible American factions, against one another
• The eternal Mideastern conflict
• Violence in the cities, and even in the country
• Divorce, broken homes, people without a family
• Insane violence coming from young men
• Threats from North Korea
• ...

... is contained in this simple plea from Almighty God.

God's refrain is very clear from Genesis to Revelation:

Let us take counsel. Let us reason. Present your case. 

Let's talk. And Listen.

People gotta talk. Don't be so sure you're so right, and The Other is so wrong. 

I believe it breaks God's heart. Yes, God can end the suffering. But he longs for us to end it, on our own. 

If we could meet, and discuss, and not demonize the other side. LISTEN!!! 

Look for the grain of truth. Seek for the perspective of the other, that you don't have - - - even if it sounds hateful to you. Your angry response pushes the other person away, and you need him and her to draw near. 

There's not a single problem we could not solve, if we treated everyone else with respect and dignity.

Without exception. 

That's the essence of Faith.

Unjust Gain

Incline my heart ... not to unjust gain.

 - From Psalm 119

My recent refrain: focusing on Scriptures that are in the face of modern Scripture-Deniers.

Unjust gain. Is that not The Theme of the late 2010s? Isn't that what "The Other 98%" is all about? Aren't it's adherents certain that they know who has gain justly, and who hasn't? Well, to them it's easy. Anybody that is rich gained it unjustly. 

So let's reverse the fortunes of everybody in society. And a couple people claiming to speak for "The Other 98%" will still blame the imbalance of wealth on some unfair advantage. 

Envy is an ugly, ugly concept. But in America in 2017, it has been repackaged as beautiful, noteworthy, laudable. But then again, every ugly human trait has been re-branded, because people hate feeling guilty. And if we can't tame our own conscience, perhaps we can pass some laws.

The Psalmist shares his key to how to avoid unjust gain:

* Focus on God's law

Wow.

If we align with the Creator, we will find balance and peace. But again, here is something that makes sense. Isn't the most ecological, environmental, and nature-savvy thing to do . . . to connect with the Creator of it all?

A surprise to Bible-Deniers: God does not honor people that get unjust gain. But He would rather not you, and I, be the ones to point out the guilty. The truly charitable do so anonymously. And it's hard to separate envy (an ugly trait) from any pure motive for pointing out The Other 98%. So, let God do it, and protect a healthy blood pressure for yourself. 

Winning Poor

...and adorns the poor with victory.

 - From Psalm 149

Everybody wants to win. 

But the Psalmist just said that God adorns the poor with victory. If you want to guarantee a win for yourself, then be poor. 

Am I missing the point? Does it really say to make it your goal, to be poor? Is it referring only to people that are poor, that had rather be rich? Is it for only the poor that hard and invested their own funds, just to lose it all and stay poor? Or is it for all poor - those that deserve poverty, and those that don't?

It doesn't say, and it is doesn't qualify the statement.

I think it's actually telling us, advising us, directing us, to be poor. Because I think that scriptural records says that the path of good deeds actually leads to poverty. But God does not leave His people starving. We can be poor, but we will still be fed. Is this what is meant by "victory"?

I do believe that even people that chose poverty, can live as wealthy even in this life. It's a good thing so many preachers, and so many teachers, can accept their modest lifestyles! But teachers, that stay with the career, end up wealthy (if they have not squandered what they have) and preachers pretty much do the same. When you can live in a parsonage where every repair is taken care of for you, you do not been too high of a salary.

I think it is is saying, too, that if you end up poor, don't worry about it. 

It's going to be okay. 

Shall Surely

...you shall surely die.

 - From Ezekiel 33

Someone said once, probably a comedian, that there are only two sure things in life: Death and taxes.

There may be no more important truth in all of Scripture, than "You shall surely die." God declared it to Adam, which gave rise to the great lie in all of Scripture spoken by the Serpent of Eden: "You shall not surely die."

Thus was formulated the critical dichotomy that established our nature, our problem, and the solution.

God says we die. Satan says we don't.

Is there any other concept in all of Scripture, or all of history, that is so plainly divided: one is true, the other is not. And they cannot both be true. One is said by God. One is said by God's arch-enemy.

And the thing is . . . we know it to be true. Even Science can agree with this Scriptural statement, because we have all been to funerals and we know that we die. We all die. 

And so when God commanded Ezekiel to tell the Hebrews: "You will surely die," it comes out as nothing terribly earth-shattering, for we know that it is painfully true. 

The truth of God becomes something simple, something that we already knew. 

And yet, we need to be reminded of it, over and over again . . .because the lie is so enticing. 

Lamb

Your lamb shall be without blemish.

 - From Exodus 12

The Passover is both gory, and pure as snow, at the same time. The cleansing work of the Lord, in judgment, leaves not a trace of what was left before. No sin remains. 

It's like our current national affairs: this yearning to destroy vestiges of our past, to take down old monuments and statues of historical figures that have fallen out of favor with some Americans. The goal is, to remove all instance and even memory of the figure. It is treated as if there were nothing good at all, about remembering that person.

But it is not so with the Passover. There are good elements. It points us to purity, to remembrance of God's protection for us. He will deliver us.

A lamb without blemish is taken, and cooked over a fire. Fire is a dry process . . . the meat is prepared simply, to eat. No effort is made, to make it tasty. Cook it over a fire. A boiled meat would not be consumed. But a fired meat would.

The entire lamb is placed over the fire. As I read it, it is not even sheered. The meat is eaten. And what is left over is burned up. There is to be no trace that the family was there. No trace of the meat.

God burns up everything. 

But in the Passover, is a remembrance. The lamb is gone, completely. But it was a pure lamb. A lamb without blemish, representing moral purity for God's people. A lamb that should not have been destroyed. It could have won awards at a 4H fair. 

Humans want to destroy both the good with the bad. 

God makes sure to make a very positive and affirming point, while He goes about the destruction of sin, and the horrible means required, to save His people.

City

...to go to a city where they might dwell.

 - From Psalm 107

It occurred to me just now, that God's preference for us, is that we reside in a city. The New Jerusalem, which He has been building, with supernatural powers, for over two thousand years, is a city. It's a very large city and it's going to be populated by a lot of people.

This is proof that God wants us to be social. We were designed to be around other people.

Cities give us a level of safety and security not found in the country. First of all, there's always someone nearby to talk to. There should be plenty of work to do (in fact, there is . . . look at any modern city, at the extreme need for repair and clean-up work). You are close to services and emergency help.

Why is it that humans have messed up cities so much? 

Here's an idea - - - if everybody on earth were required to live in a city, on a lot and in a house roughly equivalent to everybody else's, would there be more crime, or less? I am inclined to think, less crime. The people that fled the city, for a country lifestyle, hurt the city when they left. Urban flight only solves the problems for the people that left. But it leaves bigger problems for their old neighbors.

Yet God prefers cities for us . . . and there must be some good reason why.

Today, Labor Day - - - And we have a passage talking about getting to safety: getting to a city. Cities and urban issues are closely linked to labor issues. Skilled labor needs a close market. It needs access to buyers and employers. Labor and the city go hand-in-hand. If you are skilled, and you live in a city, you will never go hungry.

I have recently visited the city of Detroit, a half dozen times. It is my first foray into this great urban area. And my traveling companion is a native and current resident of Detroit. I was struck as to how she felt more safe in Detroit, than she would feel in the country. 

There is a lot about the world we do not know . . . 

All People. ALL People.

...Yet they are not sought out for the council of the people.

 - From Sirach 38

The reflection for Labor Day includes this reading from the Apocrypha. It describes in detail the work of laborers and artisans. We depend on them. Civilization depends on them, and requires them to be skilled and nearly perfect in their execution.

Note that it affirms the truth that skilled people, the people that work with their hands, will not go hungry.

So the first lesson is . . . keep busy fulfilling some need. If civilization keeps automating everything with robots, there is still always going to be something needing to be done, that someone needs to step up and do. And notice . . .they will not go hungry.

Not - they will become rich.

God takes care of us. Let's have wealth and comfort in the next life. In this life, there is work to be done.

People on the modern Left will take great comfort in this passage. It praises working people. And they feel that they are unsurpassed in their appreciation for working people. But I have seen wealthy liberals in private and their language there does not necessarily match what they want their politicians saying.

Scripture is effective when it makes people uncomfortable. We need to squirm a little. But when Liberals read this passage, it is hoped that they will squirm some and think about their own lack of appreciation for others. We all have people we prefer, and people we would marginalize. And we need to not marginalize anybody. So, if you're a loving, liberal altruist, where might you possibly be missing the target?

I would suggest that the first goal would be for liberals to drop their adherence to partisanship. How can you be someone that talks about peace and love all the time, and yet be so married to the idea of partisanship? How can a uniter be so assertive about division?

The skilled workers, that keep the city alive, are not invited into the city's council chambers, for their advice. I take it to mean that nobody should be excluded. And today we have a President that the Liberals hate . . . but it all started when they left too many of the wrong people out of their special society. 

All people are invited in. All people.

Is that clear? 

All people.

When we fail to do that, not only do we miss some seeds of creativity that can solve our problems, but we also might end up with a frustrated, angry sect within the populace, that is ready to vote in anybody, just to get your attention.

Innocence

I will wash my hands in innocence.

 - From Psalm 26

I'm about to go negative here, in just a moment. I am going to lift words straight from Scripture . . . words that are avoided by decent modern seeker-friendly churches. Words that make us squirm, that feel like we're being "guilted." Judgmental words. Words that haters use. 

I'm going to go there. 

But let's start with something positive, which is why I took this specific phrase for the reference.

We all like "innocence," right? Don't we all honor innocence? Don't we regard it favorably? Isn't it a universally admired virtue?

Yes, I believe it is. 

Granted, it gets mocked by the sophisticates among us. It strikes the intelligentsia as something for the immature, the unworldly. Children are innocent. And we only like innocence because we like children. 

Most people would love to return to childhood. Those that would not, probably had unhappy childhoods . . . so we will not use that as a paradigm for our purposes today. We will go for the ideal. And happy childhoods are about as ideal as life gets.

So let's start with innocence. And let's assume that we would give up all those perks of adulthood (which are defined as anything with the concept of "adult-themed" associated with it), if we could be a child again. When innocence is lost, good things are lost. Yes, those that have lost their innocence may be more knowledgeable. They have street smarts. They have savvy. But they've still lost something good.

Innocence is closer to God. Innocence is good, and it is desirable. The Psalmist had dirty hands. He had done some bad things, and thought wrong thoughts. Yet he sought for innocence and washed his hands with it. He could re-honor it, and make it right again. Baptism is a full immersion in innocence. This is why it works.

So with our focus on innocence, let's look at some words in today's reading, that are, by their context, considered as the opposites of innocence:

• Worthless
• Deceitful
• Evildoers
• Wicked

The Psalmist talks about having nothing to do with the non-innocent. Apparently, he is reaching for closeness with God. Evidently, he believes that such an attainment is a desirable thing. He equates this purity, and closeness to God, as being akin to immortality and the experience of great joy, happiness, and peace.

So, when a person comes across as judgmental, and even, hateful, just because they talk about things like innocence and purity; and if they seem standoffish to you, just consider the possibility that they have found the quest to be a very good thing, a happy and peaceful thing. 

And rather than concluding that they hate you. Consider the proposition that they would gladly show you the steps that they have found to be essential, in reaching that place of ultimate happiness.

The Good Stuff

If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless . . .

 - From Jeremiah 15

Love.
Peace.
Justice.
Healing.
Mercy.
Life.
Joy.

Why do people hate these words so much? These are the threads running through the Word of God . . . in Scripture . . . in the Bible. 

Yes, yes. We know that God comes across as an angry, vengeful, violent bringer of doom. We know that. We study our Bibles. We get it.

But there's an understanding of it that comes from faith. Your faith opens your eyes. You begin to see the harmony, the logic, and even, the Science. But you have to be willing to receive. You have to be able to handle the hard stuff, the harsh material, in order to get past it and see the overwhelming flood of good stuff: everlasting life. Peace. Joy.

But if you sit around and mock Christians, you'll miss the good stuff. 

Right?

All skeptics, from all cultures and all backgrounds . . . they always miss the Good Stuff.

In Jeremiah 15, God says that His word is precious. He equated worthless speech with what comes out of the mouths of "merrymakers." We know what this is talking about.

Partiers, people engaged in idle talk and activities. People just surviving, only to make themselves drunk in fake happiness; their speech is worthless. And we know it is. 

But when we look through Scripture and see the Good Stuff God has in store for us. 

Why . . . why . . . do people mock it?