Test

Readings for today: Exodus 14-18

Life is full of tests. We test ourselves physically when we go to the gym. We test ourselves mentally when we learn something new. We test ourselves emotionally and psychologically when we address the recurring issues that hold us back. We test ourselves financially when we make a big purchase or start a new business. We stretch ourselves relationally when we meet a new friend or get married or have children. How do you respond to tests? Do you see them as necessary evils to endure? Interruptions to what is an otherwise comfortable life? Do you see them as opportunities to grow? A chance to become more well-rounded and whole as a person?

The people of Israel faced any number of tests on their journey to the Promised Land. And it’s easy to get frustrated with all their complaining. But we have to remember Israel had been enslaved for hundreds of years. Generations had been beaten down. Generations had been whipped and abused and mistreated. Generations suffered from “learned helplessness” and one doesn’t recover from such an experience overnight. Yes, they had thrown off the physical yoke of their oppressor but now God was going to address something much deeper. A slavery of the mind and heart. This is why God takes them to the edge again and again. He is trying to teach them of His sufficiency. His sovereignty. His supremacy. He wants them to know He is trustworthy and true. He wants them to know He is always faithful. He wants them to learn how to depend on Him and believe Him and obey Him.

So He takes them to the worst possible spot on the map. Pins them between the armies of Egypt and the Red Sea. Is this a military blunder on God’s part? Did He make a strategic mistake? Far from it. He uses this moment to teach His people about His omnipotent power. He is more powerful than the most powerful empire on earth. He protects them with a pillar of fire and cloud. His glory is literally their rearguard. He rules all of creation with His mighty hand. He can split the sea with a blast from His nostrils. He delivers them in a way that is undeniably miraculous and, in fact, will form their seminal, collective identity from this point forward. Even today, the nation of Israel draws her strength and national identity from the Exodus story. But God’s not done. He leads them through parched and thirsty lands and miraculously provides water. When they come to the end of their supplies, He provides manna from heaven and quail for meat. Over and over again, they grumble and complain. They fall back into old patterns of thinking and believing. They cry out to Moses, “Have you brought us out here to die?” And over and over again, God provides. God meets their needs. God passes their test.

Where have you put God to the test in your life? This month, my two youngest daughters traveled to the other side of the world. They traveled alone on international flights. They had to navigate airports and immigration. They arrived in a place they had never been to spend the next five or six months with people they had never met. It has not been easy. They’ve had good days and bad days. But they are learning to trust God. They have put Him to the test and He is showing Himself faithful. They are growing in their faith in amazing ways. Don’t be afraid of the tests when they come. Don’t be afraid of the trials you have to endure. Those are the very places where God shows up and shows out.

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 19-21

Hard

Readings for today: Exodus 10-13

Today we come face to face with one of the Bible’s great mysteries. The human heart. And before we begin, we have to lay some groundwork so we can actually understand what’s being communicated here. First of all, the Bible teaches we are all born with a “hardened” heart. A heart that is dead spiritually and therefore unable to respond to God. Second, the Bible teaches there is no such thing as a “free” will. Either our wills are enslaved to sin or they are enslaved to Christ. There is no middle ground. Third, the Bible teaches we are all born with a sinful human nature. A human nature irreparably broken by original sin. And we all act in accordance with our nature and therefore justly deserve the judgment of God.

So what if God chooses to save some and not others? What if God chooses to reinforce the already hardened nature of the human heart in some in order to deliver others? What if God chooses to make His glory known through His judgment as well as His grace? This is the essential truth being taught in the Exodus story. God makes Pharaoh and the Egyptian people “objects of wrath” in order to make Moses and the people of Israel “objects of mercy.” This is what the Apostle Paul argues in Romans 9 and he summarizes things with this statement, “So then, God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy and He hardens whom He wants to harden.” (Romans‬ ‭9‬:‭18‬ ‭CSB)

I know this runs counter to all we’ve been raised to believe. Those of us living in the United States have been raised on the fundamental principle of fairness. Everyone getting the same chance. Everyone getting an opportunity. God loving everyone equally. We believe these things are essential to principles like justice and righteousness. However, this is not a Biblical view. God’s Kingdom is not a democracy. God’s economy is not the free market. God’s covenant is not up for debate. God chooses to harden whom He wills and He chooses to redeem whom He wills and we simply do not have the standing nor the authority to object. Hopefully, this helps us embrace what God does to Pharaoh in our passage today.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may do these miraculous signs of mine among them…” (Exodus‬ ‭10‬:‭1‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

“But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart,  and he did not let the Israelites go.” (Exodus‬ ‭10‬:‭20‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

“But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart,  and he was unwilling to let them go.” (Exodus‬ ‭10‬:‭27‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

“Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his land.” (Exodus‬ ‭11‬:‭10‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

God is relentless with this man. He will not let him repent. He will not let him escape judgment. He will not let him give in until his nation lies in ruins. God will not let up until there is no doubt who is God and who is not. This is a different side to God that we aren’t used to. A God who reigns over the affairs of humanity. A God who rules over the universe with a firm hand. A God who is to be feared as much as loved. The point here is clear. God will make His name known. And He chooses to make His name known through “vessels of mercy” (His people) and “vessels of wrath” (not His people). 

So what does this mean for us? Does it mean we should be scared of God? Does it mean we are at the mercy of a God who is arbitrary and capricious? Not at all. In Jesus Christ, God has provided the perfect Passover Lamb! He Himself has become the sacrifice that saves! He blood delivers us from the angel of death! And because we have no idea whom God has chosen, we should go forth and gladly, even boldly, share this good news with the world! 

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 14-18

The Name

Readings for today: Exodus 5-9

Who is God? It’s a question that has haunted the human race from the beginning. Who is God? You see this question reflected in the deep cave paintings that represent some of the earliest records. They depict scenes of worship. You see this question asked over and over again by the patriarchs in Genesis and now Moses in Exodus. Who is God? Who is this God who keeps calling to us? It’s easy to forget that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob didn’t know much about God. They didn’t know His name. They didn’t know much about His character and nature. They just knew He had chosen them. He had blessed them. He would be with them. In this way, He was not all that different than the other tribal gods who surrounded them.

Perhaps this puts Pharaoh’s initial reaction to God’s demand in context. “Who is the Lord that I should obey him by letting Israel go?  I don’t know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.” (Exodus‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬ ‭CSB) The ancient Israelites and ancient Egyptians had no concept of an all-supreme Being. They believed the world was filled with gods and goddesses who demonstrated their power by raising up empires. The stronger the gods, the stronger their people. And among all the people in the ancient world, Egypt was by far the strongest. Therefore her gods must be the greatest. By comparison, Yahweh was the god of slaves. The god of a people who were barely a nation. The god of a group of people descended from a family of wandering Arameans. Why in the world would Pharaoh listen to such a god? Especially when Pharaoh believed himself to be a god?

Believe it or not, the main point of the Book of Exodus is not the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. It is the revelation of the divine name of God. It is the revelation of God’s supremacy over all the other gods and nations on the earth. It is the revelation that Israel’s God is not just one among many but One who rules over all. He is all-powerful and all-knowing. He claims every square inch of the earth as His own. He claims every person on earth as His own. And His plan is to make Himself known through a particular people. A people who have no hope and no future. The most oppressed and powerless people on earth. In this way, He will leave no doubt as to who truly is God and who is not. Listen again to God as He outlines His plan to Moses, “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but I was not known to them by my name ‘the Lord.’ I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land they lived in as aliens. Furthermore, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are forcing to work as slaves, and I have remembered  my covenant. Therefore tell the Israelites: I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from the forced labor of the Egyptians and rescue you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and great acts of judgment. I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from the forced labor of the Egyptians. I will bring you to the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.” (Exodus‬ ‭6‬:‭2‬-‭8‬ ‭CSB‬‬) This is powerful, heady stuff especially for a people group who had nothing to offer God in return. They were poor. They were powerless. They were weak. They were afraid. They had lived under the tyranny of the Egyptians for four hundred years. There was nothing redeemable about them except that God loved them and God had chosen them and God would make Himself known through them.

In an ancient cultural context, it would have been tempting for the people of Israel to claim God for themselves. To claim exclusive rights to His favor and blessing. This was what the other tribes and nations around them claimed. But as I said above, Yahweh is no tribal deity. When He chooses Israel to be His people, He is not limiting Himself in any way. In fact, the whole point of what’s about to unfold with the plagues and the conflict with Pharaoh is to make it clear to the Egyptians - and by extension, the entire world of the Middle East at the time - who is God and who is not. For God desires all to be saved, come to a knowledge of His truth, and worship His great Name. Every tribe. Every tongue. Every nation on earth. “The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand  against Egypt and bring out the Israelites from among them.” (Exodus‬ ‭7‬:‭5‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 10-13

Ordinary

Readings for today: Exodus 1-4

The Exodus story is one of the most powerful in human history. It is the great national narrative of the Jewish people. It brought hope to millions of African-Americans living under slavery and later, segregation in the Deep South. It inspired some of our greatest music, creating a whole new genre called “negro spirituals” that we continue to sing to this day. Artists, authors, and movie producers have all found it compelling. And it continues to galvanize those who suffer in captivity and bondage around the world.  

It’s easy as we dive in to focus on Moses. His miraculous deliverance at birth. His attempt to deliver his people by murdering an Egyptian. His flight from Egypt. His encounter with God at the burning bush. And then his return back to his people as he takes up the mantle of leadership. Often overlooked is the courageous faith of the ordinary women who make all this possible.   

First, the midwives. Shiphrah and Puah are two of the most underrated heroes in the Bible. Their faithfulness to God placed them in incredible danger and yet they refused to obey Pharaoh’s command. “The midwives, however, feared God  and did not do as the king of Egypt had told them;  they let the boys live.” (Exodus‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Their actions saved who knows how many children in Israel and God honored their faithfulness. “So God was good to the midwives,  and the people multiplied and became very numerous. Since the midwives feared God, he gave them families.” (‭‭Exodus‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Second, the older sister. When Moses was born, his mother hid him for three months. But eventually the time came where she had to let him go. She placed him in a little basket-boat on the Nile, probably with the hope that somehow, someway his life would be preserved. His older sister followed the boat as it floated down the river. When she saw Pharaoh’s daughter discover the basket, she immediately ran up to help. Again, this is an incredible act of courage. For all she knew Pharaoh’s daughter would drown her little brother right then and there and perhaps that is exactly what would have happened except for her swift actions. “Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Should I go and call a Hebrew woman who is nursing to nurse the boy for you? ” “Go,” Pharaoh’s daughter told her. So the girl went and called the boy’s mother. Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages.” So the woman took the boy and nursed him. When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses,  “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.” (Exodus‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬-‭10‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Not only does she save Moses but she is able to reunite him with his mother while he is being nursed! It’s an incredible act of faith for such a young girl! 

Third, Pharaoh’s daughter. I’ve always wondered why she rescued Moses from the river? What motivated her to lift him out of the little basket and adopt him as her own? Did she see the same thing in Moses that his mother saw? “The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son; and she saw that he was beautiful…” (Exodus‬ ‭2‬:‭2‬ ‭CSB) Or did she just take pity on a helpless baby? No matter her motivations, she too was acting courageously. Defying her father’s orders to save this Hebrew child. Though she did not know God, she still was used by God to play a specific role in His salvation plan for His people. 

It’s amazing to think about, isn’t it? The string of events that led to Moses appearing before God at the burning bush? It makes me think about my own life. What simple, yet courageous acts of faith am I being called to engage in that will further the Kingdom of God in this world?

Readings for tomorrow: No readings on Sundays

Weakness

Readings for today: Job 40:6-42, Psalms 29

I remember the first time we took my son to the beach. We had just moved to Mobile, AL. He was all of two years old. When we crested the dune and looked out over the Gulf of Mexico, he got so excited. He started to run as fast as his little legs would take him to the water. All of a sudden, it dawned on him that the water was moving. Wave after wave was crashing in. He stopped in his tracks. Put his little arms out and started yelling, “You stop! You stop!” And then he began to cry as he realized the wind and the waves wouldn’t listen. I chuckled as I picked him up. We went into the water together. But I’ve often reflected back on that moment. What my son experienced there was utter powerlessness. Especially in the face of something awesome like an ocean. I’ve felt similarly when I look up in the night sky and see the stars. When I’m standing on top of a fourteen thousand foot mountain in the Rockies. When I’m in a rural village in the middle of nowhere on the other side of the world. It’s those moments when I truly understand how small and weak and insignificant I am.

Job has a similar moment when he encounters God. For almost forty chapters, he’s been crying for justice. Demanding God answer him and give an account for why everything has happened to him. He’s sat in sackcloth and ashes. He’s scraped his skin with broken pottery. His wife has cursed him. His friends have offered little consolation. He feels so alone. And then, amazingly, God does show up. But not to answer Job. Instead, God reminds him of his place in the world. His powerlessness. His helplessness. His finiteness. “Would you really challenge my justice? Would you declare me guilty to justify yourself? Do you have an arm like God’s? Can you thunder with a voice like his? Adorn yourself with majesty and splendor, and clothe yourself with honor and glory. Pour out your raging anger; look on every proud person and humiliate him. Look on every proud person and humble him; trample the wicked where they stand.  Hide them together in the dust; imprison them in the grave. Then I will confess to you that your own right hand can deliver you.” (Job‬ ‭40‬:‭8‬-‭14‬ ‭CSB‬‬) It’s a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. To be given a sober reminder of how little authority we actually have in this world. We are utterly unable to clothe ourselves with splendor and glory. Helpless to trample the wicked where they stand or humble the proud. Job wasn’t able to save his children. Job wasn’t able to exact retribution on those who killed his servants and stole his livestock. Job wasn’t able to heal himself from the disease that afflicted him. In short, Job had absolutely no power or authority to deliver himself much less challenge God.

The same is true for us. I think this is why the Psalmist declares, “The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned, King forever. The Lord gives his people strength; the Lord blesses his people with peace.” (Psalms‬ ‭29‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Everything we have comes from the Lord. It is God who works in us both to will and to work according to His good pleasure. It is only through Christ and His wisdom and strength that we can meet and overcome the challenges of our world. It is God who gives us a hope and a future as we follow His plan for our lives. It is God’s power that is made perfect in our weakness. So rather than grumble and complain all the time, we should be thankful. Thankful in the good times. Thankful in the hard times. Thankful when we have plenty. Thankful when we are struggling. Thankful for the Lord’s abiding and faithful presence in our lives.

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 1-4

Insignificance

Readings for today: Job 37-40:5, Psalms 19

It is good to acknowledge our insignificance. It is good to understand our place in society, our place in the world, our place in the universe, our place in God’s eternal plan. We are so very small. So very weak. So very ignorant. We don’t begin to see even the edges of God’s ways. We see barely a fraction of what He sees and we understand even less. We are so limited. So finite. We don’t even know how to think rationally or process our emotions in a healthy way or search the recesses of our own hearts much less grasp the mysteries of the universe. Who are we to judge God? Who are we to question His ways? Who are we to argue with Him over justice and righteousness and the affairs of the world and the meaning of human suffering? Even the fact that we think we have the standing to ask these questions of the Creator of the universe betrays our arrogance. We are foolish. We are ignorant. And deep down we all know it.

Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu have all had their turn. They’ve all taken their best shot to explain why Job is suffering so much. They’ve all tried to answer Job’s questions. They’ve all done their best to defend God. But God doesn’t need our defense. God doesn’t need us to speak for Him. God doesn’t need to explain Himself to us. He is God. We are not. And He reminds Job and his friends of this reality as He speaks to them from the whirlwind. “Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind. He said: Who is this who obscures my counsel with ignorant words? Get ready to answer me like a man; when I question you, you will inform me. Where were you when I established the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.”(Job‬ ‭38‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Right from the jump, God puts Job in his place. It’s tempting to read anger into God’s words. Frustration. But that would be a projection. There is nothing here to indicate God is speaking out of wrath. He simply is reminding Job of how little he knows and understands.

Thankfully, Job responds with humility. He acknowledges his foolishness. He places his hand over his mouth. He refuses to speak again. All his protestations have gone silent. All his demands fall to the wayside as he falls on his face before the Lord in worship. “The Lord answered Job: Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who argues with God give an answer. Then Job answered the Lord: I am so insignificant. How can I answer you? I place my hand over my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not reply; twice, but now I can add nothing.” (Job‬ ‭40‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Here we see Job’s heart. Here we see Job’s character revealed. Job has never wavered in his love for God. Never wavered in his fear of God. Though he cried out to God in the midst of his pain and suffering, he never sins. He never curses God. And when God finally answers. When God finally shows up on the scene to confront Job. Job does what he always does. Job does what he’s done his whole life. He worships.

At the end of the day, all of us have to decide if we can trust God. Do we trust His plan for our lives and for our world? Do we trust His goodness even when it doesn’t make sense? Do we trust His righteousness even when we don’t understand? Do we trust Him to be faithful even when we are suffering? Listen again to the words of the Psalmist and ask the Holy Spirit to give you the faith to believe even in those seasons when you might be experiencing unbelief or doubts or questions or fears. “The instruction of the Lord is perfect, renewing one’s life; the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making the inexperienced wise. The precepts of the Lord are right, making the heart glad; the command of the Lord is radiant, making the eyes light up. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are reliable and altogether righteous.” (Psalms‬ ‭19‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Readings for tomorrow: Job 40:6-42, Psalms 29

Chronological Snobbery

Readings for today: Job 33-36

Elihu is a strange figure in Job. He appears seemingly out of nowhere and disappears just as quickly. He is not mentioned at the end of the book when God judges Job’s three other friends and commands Job to pray and offer sacrifices for them. This leads some scholars to believe the Elihu discourse is a later addition to the text. However, I think Elihu is there to represent the folly of youth. The latent chronological snobbery that all of us engage in when we are young and think we have all the right answers. Elihu doesn’t add much to the equation except to repeat the tired old argument that suffering is the direct consequence of human sin. There must be something Job has done to deserve his fate. His words, though perhaps asserted with more certainty, ring just as hollow as the others who have come to “comfort” Job.

I have raised four great kids. Four great humans who are making a difference in our world. I am so proud of each of them but it’s not always been easy. There were seasons, especially when they were in high school, when I went from the smartest man they knew to the dumbest. Almost overnight. Everything was an argument. I could say black and they would say white. I could say night and they would say day. I could say the sky is blue and they would say it’s actually a “blueish purple” but we only perceive it as blue because of how the wavelengths are impacted by the Earth’s atmosphere. If you’ve ever been the parent of a teenager, I am sure you understand. I remember one conversation where my oldest daughter was trying to convince me of the virtues of communism as a political philosophy. I had to remind myself over and over again that she had never seen the Berlin Wall fall. She had never experienced the Cold War. She had not yet studied the history of the 20th century where millions lost their lives under Communist regimes. Eventually, I told her I could introduce her to someone who had experienced the “virtues” of communism firsthand. A friend of mine who is a survivor of the “Killing Fields” of Pol Pot in Cambodia. This sobered her up a bit and it reminded me yet again of the folly of youth.

I was much the same way at her age. Convinced of my own righteousness. Utterly certain of my own thoughts and ideas. I engaged in all kinds of chronological snobbery as I dismissed the wisdom of those who came before me. Thankfully, life taught me some hard lessons. I’ve been humbled in any number of ways. I’ve learned to value the wisdom of those who’ve come before me and listen to their words. I’ve learned to not take myself too seriously or falsely assume I bring anything new to the table. I don’t. A wise man once said, “There’s nothing new under the sun.” I agree. Humanity seems forever locked in a cycle of “wash, rinse, repeat.” Our addiction to sin can only broken by the power of the gospel. What Elihu and Job’s other friends need is a fresh encounter with God and a reminder that no one speaks for God except God Himself.

Readings for tomorrow: Job 37-40:5, Psalms 19

Final Appeal

Readings for today: Job 29-32

Today we come to Job’s final appeal. He has come to the end of himself. He has nothing left. Nowhere else to go. No one else to turn to. He has hit rock bottom. He looks back with longing for the days when things were good. When he walked closely with God. When he was respected in the community. When he was able to be generous to others. When he had the energy and the resources to help others. He was sure this was how his days would end. He was sure his future was secure. But then calamity struck. His fortunes took a turn for the worse. His reputation in the community suffered a mortal blow. Now the very same people who used to love and respect him, mock him. The very same people he helped and served along the way now rise up against him. His life has been poured out. His energy and resources utterly depleted. His expectations of a long and fruitful life dashed. He’s tried crying out to God but to no avail. There seems to be no answer. Heaven is closed. He is alone. The walls have closed in all around him. There is no one to give him any comfort or any relief.

Have you ever hit rock bottom? Have you ever found yourself in a place where you feel like the walls are closing in? No one is left to help you? No one is left to comfort you? Not even God? In the summer of 2009 and into the fall, I found myself in such a place. The ministry I was leading had imploded, costing me several relationships. It was the most painful experience of my life. Members of my board threatened me. Those I considered friends abandoned me. My relationships at home with my wife and children were strained at best. I was not handling it well. I made so many mistakes during that time. I tried as hard as I could to redeem the situation in my own strength. But the harder I tried, the worse things got. I too cried out to God but to no avail. There seemingly was no answer. Heaven felt closed to me. My prayers bounced off the ceiling. Finally, after months of spending hours in prayer in the night, long after my family had gone to bed, I broke down. I wept. I told God I had nothing left. I finally surrendered. And I discovered God had been there all along. I just couldn’t sense Him in my pain and brokenness and sin.

“The words of Job are concluded.” (Job 31:40) This is a good thing. It’s always good to exhaust our words so we can begin listening for God’s Word. It’s always good to shut our mouths so we can open our ears. It’s always good to come to the end of ourselves so we can find a new beginning with God. Over the course of my life, I have found God does His best work in the empty spaces of my life when I have nothing left to give. So make your final appeal. Cry out to God with all you’ve got. Exhaust yourself and your energy and your resources assailing the heavens. Know that God is with you even as you do and when you are finished, He will speak. He will comfort. He will guide.

Readings for tomorrow: Job 33-36

Self Worth

Readings for today: Job 25-28

I have known people like Bildad. People who believe human beings are worms. Maggots. Vile, wretched creatures unworthy of God’s attention. Unfortunately, there are theological traditions in the Christian faith that promote such beliefs. In their zeal to underscore the vast chasm that exists between human beings and God, they lift up verses like the one from Job 25 today. “How can a human be justified before God? How can one born of woman be pure? If even the moon does not shine and the stars are not pure in his sight, how much less a human, who is a maggot, a son of man, who is a worm!” (‭‭Job‬ ‭25‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭CSB‬‬) On some level, they are right but they are also only telling half the story. And half a truth is no truth at all. Yes, when compared to God, we are impure. We are unrighteous. We are unholy. This is why it is impossible to justify ourselves before Him. At the same time, we’ve been made a little lower than the angels. God loved us so much, He gave His only Son for us. God predestined us in love before the foundations of the world to be His children. Adopted into His family. Given all the rights and privileges therein. This is the beauty and the glory of the gospel. God sees our sin. He sees it all. There is nothing hidden from Him. Nothing to justify us in His sight. So He does for us what we cannot. He justifies us through His Son. He clothes us in His own righteousness. He sanctifies us by His own Spirit.

The gospel is the wisdom of God. It is the foolishness of God that confounds the wise. It is the weakness of God that overcomes the strong. It is the death of God that offers eternal life to the world. This is why it is impossible for us to find such wisdom on our own. It is antithetical to our nature. It cuts against the grain of our human experience. It requires us to find our self-worth in self-denial. It requires us to base our self-esteem on serving others. It requires us to give in order to receive. To love rather than seek to be loved. It crosses all boundaries. It breaks down all barriers. It tears down all the dividing walls of hostility that separate us from God and from one another. The history of humanity is a history of violence and suffering and pain. Much of it self-inflicted. As a species, we are naturally greedy and jealous and violent and angry and selfish. This maps out in how we choose to spend our time and energy and resources and who we choose to spend it with. It’s why tribalism is so rampant across the globe. But God offers us a different way. A narrow way. A way that leads to true joy, true peace, true love, and true fulfillment. This is the way Job is seeking amidst all he has suffered. Listen to his words again as things are starting to become more clear to him. “He said to humankind, “The fear of the Lord that is wisdom. And to turn from evil is understanding.” (Job‬ ‭28‬:‭28‬ ‭CSB)

How are you living in the fear of the Lord today? How are you walking in the way of Jesus today? Are you living according to divine wisdom or your own wisdom? Are you living empowered by divine strength or your own strength? Are you seeking to turn from evil and sin in your life or are you trusting what feels good and seems good to you? The only way to discover your true worth is to find it in Christ.

Readings for tomorrow: Job 29-32

The Absence of God

Readings for today: Job 22-24

There is nothing more terrifying than the feeling of existential loneliness. The belief that I am all alone in the universe. A cosmic accident. A product of random, impersonal forces. A collection of atoms. No divine purpose. No human dignity. No moral center. Recently a friend of mine challenged me with this question, “When was the last time you knew Jesus was real and this wasn’t all just a bunch of b**sh**t?” Such a great question. One that deserves a thoughtful answer. I told him about a time three years ago when I was in a rural area in the Horn of Africa. Suffering from jet lag. Lying awake on a hard bed praying for someone I loved dearly who was fighting an incredible battle. After exhausting all my words, I finally gave up and cried out to God, “Jesus, I just don’t have any more words to pray.” In that moment, I experienced the Holy Spirit coming over me in a powerful way. He began to pray for me according to His promise in Romans 8:26. I was overwhelmed. Unable to move for about an hour. At the end of that time, I found myself weeping in relief at the palpable presence of God in my life.

At the same time, I have also had moments where I experienced God’s absence. Much like Job, I didn’t know where to find Him. I couldn’t perceive Him. My prayers felt like they were bouncing off the ceiling. Perhaps that’s why I resonate so deeply with the words we read today, “If only I knew how to find him, so that I could go to his throne. I would plead my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments…If I go east, he is not there, and if I go west, I cannot perceive him. When he is at work to the north, I cannot see him; when he turns south, I cannot find him. Yet he knows the way I have taken; when he has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold.” (Job‬ ‭23‬:‭3‬-‭4‬, ‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Historically, these moments are called the “dark night of the soul.” Moments in a person’s life where they find themselves wandering in deep darkness. Hopeless. Helpless. Despairing. They can last for days, months, or even years. And, as I said above, there is nothing more terrifying than feeling like you’ve been abandoned by God. It’s why Jesus’ cry from the cross is so horrible. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The experience of God-forsakenness is a taste of hell on earth. It’s not something I would wish on anybody, not even my worst enemy. But it is the experience of Job. And what makes Job such a profound example of faith is that He is somehow able to hold onto God even when he cannot find Him. He is able to follow God even when he cannot see Him. He is able to trust God even when he cannot feel Him. It’s why he says at the end of his own cry of dereliction, “Yet He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold.” What a testimony of faith!

Every Christian I have ever known has suffered a dark night of the soul. Every Christian I have ever known has walked through the valley of the shadow of death. Every Christian I have ever known has experienced the absence of God in certain seasons of life. The key in those moments is to trust God even when we cannot see Him or sense Him or feel Him or perceive Him. Our faith must transcend beyond our five senses. We must believe in the midst of our doubts and questions and fears. We must remain convinced that God will fulfill His promises though it may not be according to our time or according to our plan. This is the essence of true saving faith.

Readings for tomorrow: No readings on Sundays

Vindication

Readings for today: Job 18-21

In the midst of his terrible suffering, Job holds fast to three fundamental convictions...

1. God is sovereign.

2. God is good and just.

3. Job is faithful.  

These convictions give him the strength to resist his friends when they offer their simplistic, superficial, and ultimately heretical explanations for his suffering. They also give him the courage to stand before the judgment seat of God, trusting the Lord for vindication. We see this reflected in what are perhaps the most famous verses in the Book of Job, “But I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the end he will stand on the dust. Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet I will see God in my flesh. I will see him myself; my eyes will look at him, and not as a stranger. My heart longs within me.” (Job‬ ‭19‬:‭25‬-‭27‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Job, of course, has no idea who Jesus is. The life, death, and resurrection of the Son of God will not be revealed for many centuries. But Job does have faith. He looks forward, as do all the Old Testament saints, to a future yet to be revealed, trusting in a God who will make all things right and all things new. 

Job’s suffering resists all logic. It resists any and all attempts to make sense out of it. It resists the formulaic notions we have about cause and effect. Blessing and curse. Health and wealth. It forces us to grapple with the hard truth that the righteous do suffer. The unrighteous do prosper. Bad things happen to good people. Good things happen to evil people. There is no rhyme or reason to these things. Time and chance happen to us all as the writer of Ecclesiastes once wrote. The world we live in is broken. Utterly. Completely. It is a world enslaved to the power of Sin. A world ruled by the tyrannical fear of Death. If things happen to go well for us in this world, it is not because we are good or because we earned it. It is far more likely that it is random chance. This is why we cannot set our hearts on the things of this earth but on things above.  

A friend of mine recently watched a show where the Book of Job was featured. The conclusion of the character who was wrestling with the text was that ultimately all Job received in the end was new children and a case of PTSD. That’s actually a common interpretation of the text both in our culture today and in many churches. Like Job’s friends, it’s a far too simplistic approach to the text. It betrays our unwillingness to really sit and take the time to “hear” Job. To marvel at his courageous faith. To wonder at his steadfast, some may call it stubborn, refusal to let go of the goodness and justice and sovereignty of God. Why doesn’t Job ever throw in the towel? Why doesn’t Job do what his wife suggested at the beginning? Why doesn’t Job curse God and die like so many have throughout the centuries and like so many do today? Because Job believes. Job has faith. He knows his Redeemer lives. He knows he will meet God face to face after he dies and he trusts God to be faithful. Though it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God, Job ultimately trusts God for his vindication. 

Readings for tomorrow: Job 22-24

Slow to Talk

Readings for today: Job 14-17

When I was young, someone told me I had two ears and one mouth for a reason. I should listen at least twice as much as I speak. Unfortunately, I have been known to violate that principle over the years. When I first became a pastor, I thought I needed to offer a lot of theological wisdom. Especially when people were hurting or suffering or dealing with end of life issues. I thought I was being helpful by trying to answer their questions. Explain the “why” behind the “what.” I could not have been more wrong. I could not have been more foolish. What they needed was someone to listen. Someone to sit with them in the ashes and weep with them. Someone to simply be present.

Job’s friends started off so well. They came to Job in his pain. They sat with him for days in silence. They brought the comfort through their presence. Eventually Job started to give words to what he was feeling. He was raw. He was angry. He was full of despair. It had to be hard to listen to. I know because I’ve been there. It’s so tempting in those moments to try to offer answers. But Job’s not really looking for answers. Sadly, Job’s friends can’t resist. They feel the need to explain to Job why he finds himself in such a terrible state. They begin to argue with Job which only compounds his pain. Things get so bad, Job lashes out. “I have heard many things like these. You are all miserable comforters. Is there no end to your empty words? What provokes you that you continue testifying?” (Job‬ ‭16‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭CSB‬)

Empty words. I have offered them far too much over the years. I had the best of intentions. I truly wanted to offer comfort and peace. But that’s not mine to offer. Only God can grant comfort to those who are hurting and suffering. Only God can bring peace to those who find themselves struggling so much. Only God can fill the emptiness those who are grieving often feel in their hearts. It’s much better to sit in silence than to speak. To say “I don’t know” rather than speculate on why something happened. The next time you feel tempted to speak into someone else’s pain, remember these words, “Does a wise man answer with empty counsel or fill himself with the hot east wind? Should he argue with useless talk or with words that serve no good purpose?” (Job‬ ‭15‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Readings for tomorrow: Job 18-21

Darkness

Readings for today: Job 10-13

The darkness in the valley of the shadow is deep. It descends like a thick shroud, clouding the view. It feels impenetrable, leading to depression and despair, hopelessness and helplessness. I have walked through this valley so many times over the years. I have had seasons in my own life where I struggled to find my way back to the light. I have walked with friends and loved ones as they traveled the road. Sometimes it was mental health issues. Sometimes it was terminal disease. Sometimes it was deep grief. Sometimes it was death itself. I remember praying at the bedside of a dear friend a few years ago. He was an alcoholic. He struggled with all kinds of health complications as a result. He was an extremely successful businessman who had sacrificed his family along the way. He lived with a tremendous amount of guilt and shame. As he lay there dying, I could feel the darkness closing in. For a few moments, I felt hopeless and helpless and all alone.

It seems clear to me from today’s reading that Job too has walked this road. He knows every twist and turn in the valley of the shadow of death. Listen to how he describes his experience, “It is a land of blackness like the deepest darkness, gloomy and chaotic, where even the light is like the darkness.” (Job‬ ‭10‬:‭22‬ ‭CSB‬) That sounds about right. It certainly squares with my experience. A land of blackness. A land of deepest darkness. A land that is gloomy and chaotic. A land where even the light cannot escape. It’s like a black hole emotionally, spiritually, and physically. But even here we can turn to God. Even here we can hold onto faith. Listen to Job again, “Be quiet, and I will speak. Let whatever comes happen to me. I will put myself at risk and take my life in my own hands. Even if he kills me, I will hope in him. I will still defend my ways before him. Yes, this will result in my deliverance, for no godless person can appear before him.” (Job‬ ‭13‬:‭13‬-‭16‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Everything has been stripped away from Job. His life has been taken down to the studs. And when Job finds himself sitting in the ruins of his life, who does he find there sitting with him? God. God is all Job has left and even if he loses his life, he will still trust in Him. Still hope in Him.

Thankfully, my friend gave his life to Christ right before he died. In that moment, I felt the darkness lift though death was near. Hope and peace flooded my friend’s soul as he realized he had been forgiven. It was one of the more powerful moments in my life. I will never forget it. It serves as a great reminder when I am walking through my own valley. I need fear no evil or darkness or chaos or despair for God is with me. He is there to comfort and guide me. He is there to prepare a celebration for me even in the face of all my enemies.

Readings for tomorrow: Job 14-17

Grief

Readings for today: Job 6-9

I had breakfast with my mom yesterday morning. We’ve been having breakfast once a month since right before my father died. We talk about a lot of things. We talk about her friends. We talk about her activities. We talk about our extended family. Most of all, we talk about grief. We talk about the challenges of learning to live alone. Things like starting a fire in the fireplace on a cold evening. Taking the dog on a walk. Fixing little stuff around the house. Things my father always did. We talk about the challenges of cleaning out the house. Letting go of things that remind her of dad. Going through boxes and processing all the memories. Giving away clothes and tools and other things that she no longer has a use for. It’s not easy. There is a weight to it all.

I love how Job talks about his grief. “If only my grief could be weighed and my devastation placed with it on the scales. ” (Job‬ ‭6‬:‭2‬ ‭CSB) It’s one of the most powerful descriptions I ever seen. It fits what I know about grief. It’s an emotion I am well-acquainted with because of the work I do. I am a pastor. As such, I am often invited to share the grief of those I serve. It may be grief over the passing of a loved one. Grief over the death of a dream. Grief over the loss of a friendship. Grief over the end of a season. Sometimes the grief feels bittersweet like when someone we love dies after living a long and full life. Sometimes the grief feels overwhelming and hard as in the case of a tragedy. I have sat at so many bedsides over the years, gone to many homes, and spent countless hours listening as people processed what they were feeling. All of it a sacred privilege even though the grief is often heavy. Job’s experienced unimaginable grief. The suddenness of it came upon him like a storm. The enormity of it hit him like a ton of bricks. I think that’s why so many appreciate this book. It is raw. It is real. And it resonates deeply with those who have walked a similar road.

Why? It’s a question I hear often in the midst of grief. Why did this happen? Why did this happen now? Why did this happen to this particular person? Why did this happen in this particular way? I hear echoes of these questions throughout the Book of Job as he tries to process his pain. Though Job never does get an answer, he keeps coming back to faith. He keeps drawing on the well that has sustained his life. It’s a powerful reminder that true faith invites the deepest of questions. True faith is not afraid to express doubt or fear. True faith understands that it is our questions, doubts, and fears that ultimately lead us back to God. Listen again to our brother Job, “God is wise and all-powerful. Who has opposed him and come out unharmed? He removes mountains without their knowledge, overturning them in his anger. He shakes the earth from its place so that its pillars tremble. He commands the sun not to shine and seals off the stars. He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. He makes the stars: the Bear, Orion, the Pleiades, and the constellations  of the southern sky. He does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.” (Job‬ ‭9‬:‭4‬-‭10‬ ‭CSB)‬‬

Readings for tomorrow: Job 10-13

Integrity

Readings for today: Job 1-5

Job was a man of complete integrity. I have long pondered what this might mean. Does it mean Job is perfect? Free from sin? Clearly not. The Bible declares that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and this would include a man like Job. Does it mean Job never makes mistakes? Never gets things wrong? Never loses heart? Again, clearly not. The rest of the book show Job at his most honest and raw and real. He grieves. He laments. He argues. He fights back. He questions God. So what does it mean that Job was a man of complete integrity? A man who feared God and turned away from evil? A man who retains his integrity even in the middle of incredible tragedy? A man who accepts both good and adversity from God? A man who understands God gives and takes away?

The Hebrew word that is translated “complete integrity” or “blameless and upright” depending on which version you are reading, literally means to walk a straight path. It means there is no swerving to the left or the right. No crookedness along the way. It is the Bible’s way of picturing a person of honesty. A person who lives transparently before the Lord and before others. A person who has nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of and nothing to fear but God. Such a person sets their mind and heart on God. They seek to honor God in all their ways. They seek to obey God in everything they do. They bring God into the equation in all their decision-making. They trust God with the outcomes of life. They do not expect anything from God. They do not demand anything from God. They walk in humility before Him. They believe God is more than enough.

Decades ago, I was in a Bible study on the Book of Job and the teacher challenged us with some hard questions. If you never received anything from God, would He still be worthy of your worship? If you never received a single blessing from God, would He still be worthy of your devotion? Do you love God simply because He’s God or do you love God for the blessings He brings to your life? How would you answer? I know I had to sit with them a while myself. I wasn’t at a stage where I was ready to accept what Job had to teach me. I was still very young in my faith. But as I’ve grown over the years and experienced a whole lot of life along the way, I have learned to embrace the truth of what Job teaches us. God is enough. God is more than enough. He is worthy of my worship and devotion simply because He is God. He does not owe me. I have no right to expect anything from Him. Everything I receive from Him is a gift. It is grace. It is undeserved and unexpected and unearned. It is mine to steward not to own. He gives and takes away according to His perfect will for me. In all things and in every season, I bless the name of the Lord.

Readings for tomorrow: Job 6-9

Pilgrimage

Readings for today: Genesis 47-50

Life is a pilgrimage. It’s a journey from birth to death and beyond. Like any pilgrimage, it is filled with highs and lows. Ups and downs. We love. We hate. We rejoice. We grieve. We hurt. We heal. We learn. We forget. We grow strong. We grow weak. Through it all, we are not alone. God is on the journey with us. From the moment, humanity was exiled from the Garden, God went into exile as well. He left His home to come to be with us. To come to dwell with us. To come on the pilgrimage with us. That’s the main message of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. It’s the story - in Abraham Heschel’s majestic words - of “God in search of man.” He seeks us out. He will not allow us to remain lost. He will not allow us to wander aimlessly forever. He reveals Himself in the glory of creation, creating a hunger in the hearts of all people for eternity. He reveals Himself in His Word, leading all people everywhere to salvation. And He promises to take all the experiences of our pilgrimage - good, bad, or otherwise - and use them to shape and form and fashion us into the image of Christ and draw us to Himself.

This is what God did for Jacob. The years of Jacob’s pilgrimage were hard. They were filled with all kinds of deception, conflict, grief, pain, heartbreak, and suffering. Jacob wrestled with God, not just down by a river one day but throughout his life. I can identify with him in that wrestling. I too have wrestled with God. I’ve wrestled with God over many things in my life. The days of my pilgrimage have not always been easy. I’ve lived in poverty. I’ve lived with an addict. I’ve lived with shame and guilt over decisions I’ve made or things I’ve done. I’ve had to fight and battle to get to where I am today. My body hurts every day. I live in fear that the neurological diseases in my family tree will one day catch up to me. My emotions are locked down deep and hard to access. But God has been with me every step of the way. He was with me even when I didn’t know Him or couldn’t see Him. He radically changed the course of my life in college. He has filled me and sustained me and strengthened me along the way. He has preserved me and provided for me and healed me and comforted me and blessed me. He has led me and guided me and used me to advance His Kingdom in the world in more ways than I can possibly count. As I look back, I am thankful. As I look forward, I am excited. As I think about where I am today, my heart is filled with gratitude.

How do you feel about your pilgrimage? Are you like Jacob? Are you disappointed as you look back? “My years have been few and hard and they have not reached the years of my ancestors during their pilgrimages.” (Genesis 47:9 CSB) Is that your assessment? You don’t measure up to those who came before you? Your life hasn’t been good? Your years have been few and hard and are passing too quickly? Or do you take a different view? Think about all God did for Jacob and yet not one word from him about any of it when he stood before Pharaoh. Think about all the promises God made Jacob and all the blessings He poured into his life and yet Jacob’s despair clouded his view and he couldn’t see it. Not here. Not at the end of his life. Don’t let despair cloud your view, friends! Spend time today reflecting on God’s love for you. God’s faithfulness to you. God’s promises to you and how He has fulfilled them in your life. Most of all, trust Him with what’s left of your pilgrimage.

Readings for tomorrow: No readings on Sundays

Forgiveness

Readings for today: Genesis 44-46

What is forgiveness? It’s a question I get a lot along with “how do I forgive?” Some believe forgiving means forgetting. Some believe forgiveness means giving people a pass. Some believe forgiveness is weak and foolish and naive and only enables people to walk all over you. Some believe forgiveness is impossible. Some believe forgiveness means the resolution of all feelings. Some believe forgiveness is the same as reconciliation. None of these is true. Forgiveness, biblically defined, is the decision to let go of all anger and resentment against a person or persons who have hurt you and no longer hold their actions against them. We see this modeled so well in the life of Joseph.

“Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please, come near me,” and they came near. “I am Joseph, your brother,” he said, “the one you sold into Egypt.  And now don’t be grieved or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because God sent me ahead of you to preserve life.  For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. God sent me ahead of you to establish you as a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.  Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, Lord of his entire household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.” (Genesis‬ ‭45‬:‭4‬-‭8‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Note that Joseph is clear and honest about what happened. “You sold me into slavery in Egypt.” There is no hiding from the truth. There is no attempt to skip over the truth. There is no pretending the truth of what happened has been forgotten. At the same time, Joseph has clearly made the decision to not hold the truth of what happened all those years ago against his brothers. “Do not be grieved or angry with yourselves for selling me here.” Joseph releases them from their guilt. He refuses to hold what happened against them. He had let go of any anger or bitterness years before. And how did Joseph do that? He looked to God. He trusted God’s sovereign plan for his life. He knew God was able to work all things for his good and the good of His people. “God sent me ahead of you to preserve life.” Joseph’s life. The lives of the Egyptians. The lives of Jacob and Joseph’s brothers and the rest of his family. Joseph believed God had a plan. In fact, he saw what happened as the fulfillment of the prophetic dreams he had had years before. He knew God was at work the very first time his brothers showed up. And because of that, he could forgive. He could release his rightful claim to justice and instead offer them grace.

Now let’s get practical. How can you practice forgiveness in your own life? Start with honesty. Start with honestly acknowledging the truth of what happened. Don’t shy away from it. Don’t back down from it. Just don’t hold onto it and allow it to morph into bitterness. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Ask Him to show you how what happened is part of His overall plan for your life. Think about how God revealed Himself to you in the midst of your pain and suffering and heartbreak. Let His Spirit release you from your need for vengeance. Extend grace. Let the other person or persons know you trust God’s plan. You trust what they may have meant for evil, God turned to good. Not just your good but their good as well.

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 47-50

The Power of Guilt

Readings for today: Genesis 41-43

Guilty conscience. We’ve all experienced it. In my work as a pastor, I have had hundreds, if not thousands, of conversations with people to help them process their guilt. Some are crippled by it. Some try to dismiss it. Others fall somewhere in between. Our experience of guilt often depends on our personality. Some are simply more conscientious than others. They tend to dwell on their mistakes. They struggle to forgive themselves or let go of the ways they’ve failed. Others find it easier to move on. They are not as self-aware. They often don’t realize or take seriously the impact they have on others. Still others have a relatively healthy relationship with guilt. They feel it when they blow it but they are more than willing to ask for forgiveness. They are attuned to how their words or actions impact others and try to be sensitive to those around them. Then there are those few who don’t experience guilt at all. This is actually a sign of a sociopathic or psychotic personality disorder. Guilt is not a bad thing. In fact, it’s a good thing. It’s a reminder to us that our words and actions matter. The impact of what we say and do follows us. When we fail to resolve hurt or pain or self-destructive choices, we will find ourselves haunted by guilt. This is God’s way of reminding us and pushing us towards forgiveness and reconciliation.

Joseph’s brothers were haunted by their guilt. I have always found it fascinating that their first response to being falsely accused is to trace it back to how they treated Joseph. Clearly, their actions had been haunting them for years. Perhaps it’s because their father refused to resolve his grief. Perhaps it’s because Reuben wouldn’t let them forget it. Whatever the reason, they clearly suffered from a guilty conscience and it had a ripple effect across their family system. It created all kinds of brokenness and division among them. It fostered an environment of fear and shame. They return home and Jacob blames them for the loss of his sons. Reuben offers his own sons as a sacrifice. Does he seriously think Jacob will kill his own grandsons in his grief? Finally, Jacob threatens them with his own potential death. The whole scene is heartbreaking and a clear example of the impact of our sinful choices.

There is only one way to heal a guilty conscience. Forgiveness. Repentance. Reconciliation. This is the only way to be set free from the mistakes of our past. It’s the only way to move beyond our failures. It’s the only way to find peace with God, with others, and most importantly, ourselves. Spend some time today reflecting on your life. Are there memories that haunt you? Recurring nightmares that cause you anxiety? Relational brokenness you know you need to resolve? Are there choices you’re making right now that you know are sinful? Where do you need to repent and return back to God in your life? God wants you to live a life of freedom. But freedom only comes when we follow His ways.

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 44-46

God is All You Need

Readings for today: Genesis 38-40

The Lord was with Joseph. We hear that refrain over and over again in our reading today. The Lord was with Joseph so he found favor in the household of Potiphar. The Lord was with Joseph so everyone and everything in Potiphar’s house prospered. The Lord was with Joseph so he was given more and more authority even though he was a Hebrew slave. The Lord was with Joseph and he gained favor with the prison warden. The Lord was with Joseph so he was put in a place of authority even as an inmate. The Lord was with Joseph so all he did was successful. The Lord was with Joseph.

At the same time, Joseph didn’t have an easy life. He was enslaved. He was betrayed by his master’s wife. He was false accused. He was imprisoned for holding fast to his integrity. He was a victim of gross injustice. He was forgotten by his fellow inmates even after he helped them by interpreting their dreams. Still he walked by faith. Still he trusted the Lord. One never gets the sense that Joseph is down or depressed or throws himself a pity party. He knew the Lord was with him and that was more than enough.

Do you believe God is all you need? Take a moment and reflect on the question. Don’t rush to give the “right” answer. Pray over this question. Ask the Holy Spirit to probe your heart and reveal to you the truth of where you stand. If you believe God is all you need, then you can endure just about anything. You can make it through every difficult situation. You can persevere through tremendous suffering. You can find joy even in the midst of the deepest grief. You can lay your life down for those you love and those you live among. You can pour yourself out over and over again because you know God will be there to fill you back up. But if you don’t believe God is all you need. If you aren’t sure God is all you need. If there are things in your life that you simply cannot live without then you are in trouble. All it will take is one of those things to go away or be taken away and you will find yourself experiencing crushing disappointment.

So how does one get to a place in life where God truly is all they need? It’s a process. It takes time. It takes intentionality. Presenting yourself daily before the Lord. Spending time with Him in His presence. Listening to Him speak through His Word. Asking Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit. Trusting Him to lead and guide you in every decision and in every situation. Do this day after day after day over the course of your life and you will find yourself believing God truly is all you need.

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 41-43

Sin of Revenge

Readings for today: Genesis 34-37

The desire for revenge can be strong. I think of a friend of mine whose father was murdered in cold blood. The killer was sent to prison for life without parole. For years, my friend brooded on his fate. He longed to avenge his father by taking this man’s life. He would often fantasize about what he would do to him if he ever got the chance to meet him. Then he became a Christian. He realized his desire for revenge was a sin. “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.” He came to the conviction that only God has the right to take a life. Only God is just enough and righteous enough to exact vengeance for the wrongs that have been done. My friend eventually made an appointment to meet his father’s killer in prison. Sat across the bullet proof glass from him. Picked up the phone and told the man he forgave him. Immediately the Holy Spirit came over him and he felt more freedom than he’d felt in years. He was released from bondage to his sin.

There is an ancient legal principle called “Lex Talionis” or the “law of retaliation.” It originated in ancient Babylonian law and was eventually incorporated into Roman law and then into the legal systems of the West. It is also found in the ancient Code of Hammurabi and the Law of Moses as well. Essentially, it outlaws revenge. It makes justice proportional. Colloquially, it means “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” Punishment is meted out in a way that corresponds to the original harm. I think of Don Corleone in the first Godfather movie who, when asked to murder the men who beat another man’s daughter, refuses on the principle that she didn’t die. He was employing “lex talionis.”

One can see why such a law is necessary from our reading today. Left unrestrained, human beings will always seek revenge for the wrongs done to them or those they love. They will avenge their family name. They will defend their family honor. So when Dinah is raped, Simeon and Levi refuse to compromise. They want revenge and massacre an entire city in response. Not only that but they plundered the city, leaving nothing behind but an empty shell. It was brutal. It was swift. It was overwhelming. And now they have to deal with the fallout. What would happen if the survivors sought revenge on them? What about the relatives of the people they killed who lived in other cities and communities throughout the land? A vicious cycle could have been created that would threaten the promise of God should Jacob and his family suffer a similar fate. So now they have to move. Now they are on the run. And God protects them from their enemies in order to preserve their line and fulfill His promise to Abraham and Sarah.

Revenge is a sin because it creates a never-ending, always escalating cycle of violence. A harsh word is met by harsh actions. A painful experience is compounded by more pain and suffering. An attack is met by an even stronger attack. Eventually, it all leads to death. It could be the death of relationships. It could be the death of a community. It could be actual, physical death in some cases. This is why God makes an exclusive claim to the right for vengeance. He knows we cannot restrain ourselves and will lead to our destruction.

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 38-40