Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death. – Isaiah 57:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 31, 2017): Isaiah 57

I remember some strange things. I remember my fourth birthday party. I received my first two wheel bike at my fourth birthday. It should have been a great day, but it really wasn’t. It was at my fourth birthday party that I realized how fast I was growing up. I only had one more year before I would have to give up my freedom and go to school – and as weird as it sounds now, that was a debilitating moment in my life. (The fear would repeat itself the summer between grade six and seven – I wasn’t sure that I was willing to give up recess and move on to Junior High School.) And now as I look back I remember my first two wheeled bike and the joy of that bike – and I remember the fear of growing up – all combined into my fourth birthday party.

I also remember the day I was walking through my house, before the fear set in on my fourth birthday, that I discovered this new thing called ‘peripheral’ vision. I remember the moment (probably at about the age of three) that I was standing in the living room of my house looking at the armchair, and I realized that I could see more than just the chair. It was a surprise to my three-year-old mind – I could see the chair, but I could also see the couch and the TV (that played my superhero cartoons that I loved to emulate). I could see the wall and that corner of the room without ever taking my eyes off of the chair. That was incredible.

I have used that peripheral vision a lot during my life. And I have to admit that at times it has been great, but often it has been more of a curse. Sometimes it is hard to focus when your peripheral vision is showing you so much other stuff on which you would really like to focus.

Focus is such a major part of life. What we are focusing on will often define the trajectory that our life takes. If we want to be poor and broke – then we will need to concentrate on spending everything that we get instead of saving for the future. But if we want something else, if we want to build a secure financial house, then we need to focus on something different – on ways to invest and save and build wealth. But the results we receive in life are often decided by what it is that steals away our focusing.

Isaiah looks at his people and encourages them not to let peripheral vision pull their focus off of God. For us, it would be ‘don’t lose sight of Jesus,’ because there is a peace available to us when we are willing to allow our focus to rest on God that isn’t available at any other time. Only God holds the answer for some of the tougher issues of life and death. And only a focus on God can take you down a path that will bring you toward that kind of mystical peace.

So don’t let your peripheral vision pull your focus away from God because you deserve the peace that he can bring to your life.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 58

This is what the LORD says: “Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed. – Isaiah 56:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 30, 2017): Isaiah 56

Sometimes I wish that life worked like some movies. I mean, in the Westerns when the going gets tough you know the cavalry is just over the next hill. Or maybe in a Science Fiction universe, the Captains can run their ship into an opposing craft that has been persecuting them only to find that the reset button has been pushed and everything has returned back to normal. Fiction gives us a way of making sure that everything turns out right – if that is what we want to do.

But life’s reset button is often hard to find. We wish that we could be assured that in the middle of our worst days that the reset button is at the ready. But our reality doesn’t allow for such dreaming. Our reality says that we need to do things that will get results. And often the only way we can do that is to cut some corners. So we do. We convince ourselves that it just needs to be that way. After all, we live in the real world – and not an ideal moral world that someone has dreamed up.

M*A*S*H’s Father Mulcahy summed up the feeling when he talked about learning to live with one foot in the real world and one foot on Plato’s ideal plain. We don’t want to lose the ideal – but we have to do what we have to do to survive in our real world.

Isaiah’s message is a little different. His message was to persist in what is good – persist on the ideal plain – trusting that the day would come when the ideal plain is all that will matter as God’s righteousness is revealed.

Do what is right, knowing that your salvation is at hand. After all, the cavalry is about to come over the hill.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 57

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. – Isaiah 55:6

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 29, 2017): Isaiah 55

On Sunday, December 15, 2013, Joan Fontaine died. But in the days following her death, the headlines did not talk about all of the great things that the actress had accomplished during her life. I did not see one headline that said “Oscar Winning Actress from ‘Suspicion” Dies.” Instead, the headlines chose instead to proclaim the end of a life-long feud between Fontaine and her older sister, Olivia de Havilland. And I couldn’t seem to help but feel sad about the headlines, and also to think that the headlines were wrong. The truth is that the feud between the two sisters didn’t stop because one of them died. In fact, the reverse is true. Because the dispute was never settled during the lives of the sisters, when Fontaine died it just cemented the feud as a permanent feature of history – forever. Death never solves a dispute – it actually does the exact reverse, death makes a feud unsolvable.

Isaiah’s tells his readers to seek the Lord while he may be found; we need to call on him while he is near. And sometimes the pushback is that ‘don’t we believe that God is always near and that he always wants to be found.’ And the answer is yes, but there are limitations on that belief, not because of God – because he is unlimited – but rather because of us – because we are limited. And one of the barriers for us is death. We cannot change the way life is lived after life is done. In many ways, everything that we have believed and the acts that we have committed ourselves to simply becomes permanent after death. Hitler is not remembered for his generous spirit, because at the moment that he died the cause that he had committed himself to was one of hate. And there is absolutely nothing that can be done now to change that. When you die, everything about you becomes permanent; none of it can be altered.

But there is another reality, and that is that sometimes we die early. No, it is not that we stop breathing and life ends – life goes on, but we are dead because we have become unchangeable. The Bible sometimes speaks of this as the “hardening of our hearts.” We come to believe so strongly that we are right in the various aspects of our lives that it is impossible to consider a change. I know people who are so wrapped up in hate; they have worked so hard at making that hate a part of their lives, that they no longer believe that there is any reason to change. For Fontaine and de Havilland, their feud was like that. Both sisters were right, and so it is entirely possible that change had become simply unattainable. Isaiah says that our spiritual lives are the same way. Yes, God is near, and he wants to be found, but we have convinced ourselves that that is not near and so we stop reaching out toward him – not because God is no longer there, but because we no longer believe that God is there.

Reaching that point in our lives is tragic – the inability to repent and change is death before the end of life. Bitterness rages, and there is nothing available for us to try and tame it. So Isaiah’s instruction is this, if you are experiencing God now, make the most of this moment. Because if you don’t, you might find that you have trained yourself not to experience him in the next.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 56

On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. – Zechariah 14:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 28, 2017): Zechariah 14

Humorist Robert Benchley once commented that “There are two kinds of people in the world: those who divide the world into two kinds of people, and those who do not.” (If you didn’t smile at least a little when you read the quote, you might need to read it again.) Our reality is that while we want to be unified, there are so many things that threaten to divide us. Even Jesus admitted the presence of division as he commented “do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division” (Luke 12:51). Some divisions are unnecessary; others are a present reality. But no matter how strongly you might believe in unity, the truth is that we live in a world divided and have to work hard together to maintain any semblance of unity.

Zechariah begins to close his prophecy with his vision of the great day of the Lord. For some, this is an image of the second coming of Christ, when the returning King comes and divides the world. But that is not the only interpretation. (Yes, we can even divide ourselves over how we interpret this verse.) Others argue that Jesus has already been here. He spent a lot of time on the Mount of Olives during his ministry, and he ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives. So there is no need to move the fulfillment of this passage to a debate on the End Times. Jesus has already touched the Mount of Olives, and he has already divided his people there.

And division has already come to the Mountain. Today, the mountain is inhabited mostly by Muslims (At-Tur occupies the highest points on the Mount of Olives and is a majority Muslim neighborhood), although it is an important pilgrimage spot for Christians of all stripes and for Jews. It may not be a physical valley that has been torn into the Mountain, but it is a significant ideological divide that separates the people who frequent the Mountain. As well, the church that Jesus started has fractured into many pieces, but one of the more significant rifts in the church is an East-West divide that the prophecy seems to suggest. It is interesting that all directions are included in the division. Zechariah speaks of the East-West Divide, but also argues that the mountain will move North and South – that all of the world will be touched by what happens on the Mountain. And this is also true today.

James Burton Coffman makes this comment with regard to the prophecy. He argues that the ascension of Jesus “with all of its implications, is a sufficient fulfillment of the wonder foretold here. Of course, there was no physical earthquake; but the spiritual earthquake which occurred in that event was surpassingly great enough to qualify as the fulfillment.” Coffman’s “spiritual earthquake” continues to be a dividing force among us, the ascension forces us to choose Jesus or some other path, all in fulfillment of the prophecy of Zechariah.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Isaiah 55

On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. – Zechariah 12:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 27, 2017): Zechariah 12 & 13

The famous parking garage where Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein met with their informant regarding the Watergate break-ins is set to be demolished. Woodward and Bernstein met with their informant, who they had code-named “Deep Throat” after a 1970 pornographic movie, six times in following the 1972 break-ins. The meeting place was always the same – stall 32D within the otherwise unassuming parking complex in Arlington, Virginia. No one knew the true identity of “Deep Throat” except for Woodward and Bernstein until 2005. Woodward had repeatedly denied that the informant was in any way connected with the intelligence community, but in 2005 former FBI Assistant Director Mark Felt admitted that he was the mysterious source. Felt died in 2008.

Felt had seen all of the documents regarding the break-ins cross his desk in 1972 and believed that he had to do something. His revelations resulted in a scandal that eventually forced the resignation of the President of the United States – Richard Nixon. Nixon’s resignation and subsequent pardon saved him from criminal charges, but Watergate was an event that Richard Nixon never really recovered from – it was an immovable object that shaped the rest of Nixon’s life and the way that we remember both the man and the presidency - thus the title “scandal” is appropriately applied.

The word scandal literally means “a stone of stumbling.” Zechariah says that in that day, the Day of the Lord, Jerusalem will be like an immovable rock, a stone of stumbling, a scandal to the nations. No matter how they try, Israel will not be moved. And those who try to move it will only end up injuring themselves.

This passage is usually considered to be messianic in nature. Once again, we see the use of the imagery of stone. And it seems that this might be the image that Jesus was referring to as he describes the Kingdom of God in Matthew 21 –

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. ⁴⁴ Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed” (Matthew 21:42-44).

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Zechariah 14

And the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the LORD. – Zechariah 11:13

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 26, 2017): Zechariah 11

I am a bargain hunter. Okay, not really. I hate shopping (unless it is for books – it is dangerous to leave me in a used bookstore for very long.) I don’t hunt for bargains. Maybe I am just cheap. I don’t easily part with my money.

It is the tension of modern society. We want to pay the least for things that we consume while being paid the most for the jobs that we do. When you stop to think about that, it is counter intuitive. We can’t have it both ways. And if we are honest, we most often feel that the reverse is what is true in our lives. We pay the top price for the things that we buy while receiving only the least that someone can possibly give us as our wage for the things that we do. As a result, we never feel that we can ever get ahead financially.

There is sarcasm in this passage that we miss. The “handsome price” of thirty pieces of silver was the minimum price at which a human life could be valued. Zechariah is not proud of the price that was paid – it simply could not have been any lower. Thirty pieces of silver was the price of a slave. It was the least that could be paid for a human life. The phrase “thirty pieces of silver” catches our imaginations. As Christians, we see in this passage in Zechariah the story of Judas betrayal of Jesus. Jesus was sold for the minimum price. The God of the Heavens and the Earth was sold for the price of a slave.

The apostle Matthew appears to quote from this passage, except that he doesn’t name Zechariah, but instead says that it is from the prophet Jeremiah. “Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: ‘They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me’ (Matthew 27:9-10). Scholars have argued for three possible answers to the discrepancy. Maybe this is a copyist error, and at some point, someone who copied the original document of Matthew accidentally substituted Jeremiah for Zechariah. Or it is possible that Zechariah was quoting an unknown teaching of Jeremiah as he tells this story (Zechariah prophesied approximately sixty-five years after Jeremiah). But what makes the most sense is that the book of Zechariah was originally included in the scroll of Jeremiah. So Matthew essentially acknowledges the major author of the scroll on which the prophecy is found, even though the quote came from Zechariah.

But whatever the reason for the discrepancy, we are left with the uncomfortable truth that the price that was paid for Jesus was the absolute minimum. We struck a bargain – and it is a bargain of which I hope that we are not proud.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Zechariah 12 & 13

My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the LORD Almighty will care for his flock, the people of Judah, and make them like a proud horse in battle. – Zechariah 10:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 25, 2017): Zechariah 10

On May 22, 896, Steven VI rose to the Papacy. The events surrounding his election are unclear, but it is likely that Steven’s election had more to do with knowing the right people than it did with his accomplishments as a priest. Steven VI reign as pope lasted just a little more than a year, but it would be a year that would catch the imagination of all historians. It is likely that Steven’s political friends placed him in the papacy for a reason. They had had a disagreement with one of Steven’s predecessors, and they had decided to make an example of him. In one of the strangest trials in history, Steven VI exhumed the body of Pope Formosus, a pope that had died just over a month before Steven had taken office. (However, there was a Pope that ruled between Formosus and Steven VI. Pope Boniface VI reigned for sixteen days in April 896 before dying under mysterious circumstances. Officially the cause of death was gout, but it is thought that he may have been killed to make room for Steven as Pope.) Steven dressed the body of the dead Formosus in the robes of the papacy and then put the corpse on trial. Formosus was found guilty, the garments of the papacy were removed from Formosus along with three of his fingers – the fingers used to pronounce the blessing - and then the body of the former Pope was thrown into the Tiber River. The trial has become known as the “Cadaver Trial.”

Zechariah’s prophecy stood against those who ruled over the nations. He likens the kings and rulers of his day to shepherds who are responsible for the sheep under their care. But, instead, those that ruled seemed to simply want to use the people that they ruled over to make their own lives more comfortable. But that was not their purpose. Leaders who rose to power were supposed to take care of the people in the jurisdictions. In the words of Zechariah, the rulers were the shepherds, and the people were the sheep whose care had been entrusted to them. It was a sacred trust, and the kings and rulers had failed at the task. 

But some have seen another prophecy in Zechariah words – an extension of the prophecy into a different time. For them, the words of Zechariah are not limited to just the kings of Zechariah’s day. They extend to leaders of the Christian Church who have failed at their task – to Pope’s who have seemed to be more interested in the intrigue of the palace and the politics of the office than in their responsibility for the people. All of these leaders qualify as the shepherds against whom the anger of God burns.

The trial of Formosus caused quite a stir. While Formosus was not a loved Pope, the Cadaver Trial seemed to stretch the bounds of incredulity. Steven, evidently having served his purpose, was imprisoned and then strangled in August of 896. Steven VI had been Pope for just over a year – in the end, he was just another shepherd who had failed his sheep.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Zechariah 11

As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit. – Zechariah 9:11

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 24, 2017): Zechariah 9

When I was a kid, I remember playing a game of hockey in which I didn’t have the correct Jersey to wear. All of the players on the team had jerseys with a number and a name on the back of it. I was a late addition to the team, so my Jersey had the wrong name on it. I remember the first game I played in was an away game and one player was getting on the fans nerves. For some reason, they really didn’t like this guy. My problem was that I didn’t recognize the name of the person they were upset with as a person that played for our team until – yeah – I took my Jersey off at the end of the game and found the name at which everyone was screaming. After the game, I received the message that I hadn’t understood during the heat of the play.

One of the stumbling blocks to the Christian faith is the crucifixion of Jesus. We don’t understand the crucifixion on a few levels – but one is how a father could sacrifice his own son. It is a good question. And it probably doesn’t have a good answer, but …

Zechariah is right. The signature on the first covenant between God and man was signed in blood – the blood of animals. God promised to do as he said he would as long as the recipients were ethically responsible – that is, as long as they reflected the character and image of God in the world in which he had placed us. In a fallen world, that was a daunting task, so the blood of animals sacrificed stressed both the importance of the covenant and man’s inability to reflect God’s character without God’s help. One of the major weaknesses was that it required a functioning temple. If the temple was ever destroyed (as it has been), then the sacrifices could no longer be offered.

So God was about to change the covenant. Just before the second temple was destroyed – God signed a new covenant with the blood of his son. In doing so, he wrote his name on our Jerseys. As we move through our days, it is his name that people see. And the question that they are asking is “does this Jesus, whose name you bear, really make a difference in your life?” And when I hear people speak against Christ, the truth is that it is not because somehow Christ has failed, but we who bear his name have failed. We have not been the force for good, for peace, for the release of the prisoners, that Christ’s presence in our lives should have made us. Instead, we are judgmental and have worked to keep those who disagree with us in their prisons. We have failed; I have failed, not Christ.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Zechariah 10

This is what the LORD Almighty says: “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’” – Zechariah 8:23

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 23, 2017): Zechariah 8

I hate to admit how much of my Jewish history and theology I have learned through the music of bands like “The Maccabeats” (even if a friend of mine decries their accents when they sing in Hebrew.) But music has always been a great way for me to learn something new. One of my favorite “Maccabeat” songs is “Minyan Man.” But as a Christian, the song was also my introduction into the term minyan. A minyan is essentially ten Jewish men over the age of 13 that are required for traditional Jewish worship. In some more progressive congregations, it is ten men or women. In some circumstances, a double minyan made up of ten men and ten women is required. “Minyan Man,” tells the story of a Jewish congregation in which one person had died, leaving only nine. The song says it this way –

            We walked down Winston Avenue a block then two more

            And went into a shop that read closed on the door

There was a minyan at the back of a hardware store

Nine men waiting for one more.

The nine men were incomplete. A minyan required ten.

Maybe the logical question is why ten. As a Christian, Jesus seemed to counter the idea of a minyan when he said: “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20). But there was something special in Jewish thought about the number ten, the number that made up a minyan. There are Ten Commandments, when he created us he gave us ten fingers, and mathematically ten is an arithmetic base number (although I know that my math friends will argue that that is not necessarily true.) Ten carries some distinction in our thoughts. It is a number that seems to indicate completeness.

And so Zechariah says that at some point in the future, ten people from all languages and nations will take hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe for no other reason than that they had heard that God was with him. Ten people; a minyan; a complete congregation.

As Christians, we read these words and recognize that the minyan that Zechariah was speaking of was us. We, a complete congregation, have taken hold of Jesus, one Jew, for no other reason than that we know that God is with him. And we desire that God is with us. That he will draw all nations to himself, and in the process that we will be a blessing on all the Minyans of the earth.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Zechariah 9

This is what the LORD Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’ – Zechariah 7:9-10

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 22, 2017): Zechariah 7

Mother Teresa once commented, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” It is a strange comment to modern ears. Our feeling is that our highest duty is to ourselves. I am responsible for me. But as much as Mother Teresa’s comment that we “belong to each other” might be foreign to us, our concept of individuality would be foreign to people of ancient times. We live in community, and community only happens as we give ourselves to it. And part of our responsibility as part of community is the defense of those who are weakest among us. Justice, in its most basic form, is the assurance that the most vulnerable are treated by law the same as those with resources. Compassion is the extent to which as a society we are willing to lift up those who are struggling among us. And both justice and compassion are required if we are to truly belong to each other.

It is also a fundamental teaching of the Bible. There is never a time when taking advantage of the weak, or the poor who exist within our societies is an appropriate response. And in Jewish understanding, this protection extends even to the foreigners who walk among us. I believe strongly that this has been a part of the terrorist problem that we face within our contemporary society. We have created a form of second-class citizens among the foreigners who walk in our midst. Within these groups, we create a situation where there is a lack of hope, and it is this lack of hope that becomes the fertile growing place for the violence that we are currently experiencing. And maybe some of this could be prevented by the simple act of not oppressing the foreigner.

All of this is part of the idea that we “belong to each other” or maybe better stated that “we are responsible for each other.” Mother Teresa is right; this is the foundation of peace. Unless we are willing to belong to each other, we will have no peace. In community, this means belonging to each other in spite of our differences. As a society, we will be judged by how we treat “the least of these.” And we should not somehow believe that justice and compassion are optional. They can’t be because Mother Teresa is right – we belong to each other.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Zechariah 8

Those who are far away will come and help to build the temple of the LORD, and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. This will happen if you diligently obey the LORD your God.” – Zechariah 6:15

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 21, 2017): Zechariah 6

In 1644, Beijing fell to the Jurchen Aisin Gioro clan of North Eastern China. The Jurchen were inhabitants of an area that has traditionally been known as Manchuria.  The result of the Jurchen overthrow of Beijing was the beginning of the last imperial dynasty of China – the Qing dynasty – which ruled over China for almost three centuries (1644-1911). What is significant about the Qing Dynasty was that it was governed by the minority. Manchurian Chinese are a smaller group when compared with the much more populous Han people. As a result, there was always the problem that, over time, the Manchurian people would be utterly absorbed by the Han people.

But such an absorption was not deemed to be acceptable to the Qing leadership. And as a result, the Qing made a series of laws that were intended to segregate the Manchurian people from the Hans. One of the steps was that intermarriage between the Manchurians and Hans was made illegal by Chinese law. But a more physical change that was included in the segregation attempt was that a series of ditches and embankments into which Willow trees were planted known as the Willow Palisade. The sole purpose of the Palisade was to make it harder for movement in and out of Manchuria and therefore limit the contact of the Manchurian people with other ethnic people groups.  

The Jewish people seemed to major on segregation. According to Jewish tradition, there were only two people groups on the earth – the Jews (very much a minority group when compared to the rest of the people on the earth) and everybody else (known as the Gentiles.) Those who dared to marry outside of the Jewish race were ostracized. But maybe even more apparent was the effect that segregation had on the Temple. The Temple area was divided into courts. The outermost court was the court of the Gentiles. Unless you were a Jew or had converted to Judaism, you could go no further. In a male dominated culture, even Jewish woman could get closer to the Temple than a Gentile male or female could. And then in the innermost area was the Court of Israel – and Jewish men only need apply for admittance.

But Zechariah speaks of another time. In this period, those who are far off – or those who are not allowed to come close to the temple – will help build the temple. The allusion is to a day when the Gentile would help to build a spiritual temple side by side with the Jews. Taken with the rest of Zechariah, we get a picture of a day when the Jews who refuse to fear God would be removed, and the Gentiles who fear God would be invited to take their place. The Apostle Paul would describe it this way – There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:28-29).

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Zechariah 7

“Where are they taking the basket?” I asked the angel who was speaking to me. He replied, “To the country of Babylonia to build a house for it. When the house is ready, the basket will be set there in its place.” - Zechariah 5:10-11

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 20, 2017): Zechariah 5

On October 24, 1963, UN Ambassador Adlai Stevenson II made his way to Dallas, Texas to celebrate “UN Day.” But outside Dallas Memorial Auditorium, protesters bar his entrance into the building. With security all around him, Stevenson pauses to try to speak to the protestors, but the protestors refuse to listen to the Ambassador, increasing their noise to drown out the voice of the ambassador. Inside the auditorium, Stevenson attempts to give a prepared speech, but once again gets shouted down by protestors. One man screams that “Kennedy (meaning President John F. Kennedy) will get his reward in hell and Stevenson is going to die.” After the speech, and after several supporters gave messages of apology insisting to the UN Ambassador that most of the citizens of Dallas did not share the opinions of the protestors, police once again surround Stevenson to try to move him out of the building. But once again the Ambassador is surrounded by protestors. One woman is screaming at Stevenson, and Stevenson runs out from his police protection to try to have a conversation with her. The woman turns and instead of speaking with the Ambassador hits him over the head with her protest sign.

Back in Washington, Adlai Stevenson warns Kennedy speechwriter Arthur Schlesinger that President Kennedy should not go to Texas, or at the minimum he should avoid the Dallas area. “There was something very ugly and frightening about the atmosphere,” Stephenson told Schlesinger. The warning was never given to President Kennedy, and even if the message had been passed on, it is doubtful that John F. Kennedy would have chosen to skip his visit to Dallas.

The vision of the woman in the basket was a warning that God was giving to Zechariah. The time had come for all of Israel to return home. Evil was coming to Babylon (actually called Shinar by the prophet, indicating that this was after the final disassembling of the mighty Babylonian Empire, and it would be enthroned, and evil would make its home in the city. If the people of Judah wanted to escape the evil that was to come, that could only be accomplished if they left the area and came back home. The time had come, and there was no time left to waste. But the choice was theirs. The people could leave or stay, but if they remained, they would be no match for the evil that was about to be released on the city.

Warnings are strange things. Often we are left wondering if things will really be as bad as those who warn us think that it will be. Maybe we can be the difference that is needed when the time of trial comes. Of course, then there is the thought – what if the prophet is wrong and I miss a significant opportunity out of fear? Courage and the need to look sharp often make us bluster through the moments of warning. Some of the exiles would hear the warning of Zechariah; more would ignore it and stay in the place where they had built their lives. For most, Babylon or Shinar was the only real home that they had ever known.  

President John F. Kennedy went to Dallas and was assassinated on November 22, 1963 – less than a month after Adlai Stevenson’s visit to the city. Stevenson was right, Dallas should have been crossed off the President’s itinerary. But in the end, Stevenson’s message of Dallas was just another warning that was ignored.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Zechariah 6

So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.” – Zechariah 4:6

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 19, 2017): Zechariah 4

Aristotle once wrote that “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” He seemed to understand that there is a mystery about this world that cannot be discovered by taking it apart. There is simply something magical about life. And the truth is that the more we understand about life, the more we find that we don’t know. Maybe that is why life seems to be so hard to emulate. And it is also the reason why life can be so unpredictable.

Zechariah makes it clear that the words he is about to speak to Zerubbabel are not his, that these words proceed from the mouth of God. And the words of God is that Zerubbabel is not to rely on the things that he has at his disposal. The victory was not going to come because of the size of the army that Zerubbabel could raise, nor was victory going to come because of the alliances that Zerubbabel could make. Zerubbabel’s success was going to come only at the hands of God that Zerubbabel served.

This was a lesson that the kings of Judah had refused to learn. Rather than depending on God, they had routinely placed their faith in their political and secular assets. And it was because of this refusal of faith that Judah found itself exactly where it was, a nation in exile. The repeated message of God was that the fate of Israel and Judah did not have to end up this way - if only the kings of Israel and Judah had learned to trust. And if anything was going to change, it had to change at the top. Zerubbabel had to learn to trust in God instead of the things that he could see – and the assets that he had under his control.

This verse has repeatedly been called one of the great texts of the Hebrew Bible. When God is involved in any endeavor, it is God that decides the outcome. In life, the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts, but that effect becomes even more prominent when God is involved in our situations. With God, nothing is impossible – and he has the tendency to multiply the sum of our parts.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Zechariah 5

The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” – Zechariah 3:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 18, 2017): Zechariah 3

Eeyore (Winnie the Pooh) probably sums up the way that we often feel when he says “It's not much of a tail, but I'm sort of attached to it.” There are a lot of things in our lives that we may not like, but the truth is that we are kind of attached to them. And because we are attached to them, they must be important, at least to us.

I believe that there is a serious disconnect between what the world seems to think is important and the truth of what is important. We appear to put a lot of emphasis on what has happened – on our tails. We want to emphasize what we have done in the past. What experience it is that we possess. Somehow we believe that what has happened in the past is a good indicator of what will occur in the future. And sometimes we are right. But the problem is that the emphasis assumes that we live in a static world and that we don’t grow or learn – and that change is impossible.

But the truth is that we don’t live in a static world – and we change. Often our failures are more important than our successes – because our failures become the best teachers that life has to offer. As a result, those that have struggled in the past are sometimes better equipped to meet the future than those that have found easy success. And in the end – what is crucial is what happens tomorrow.

That is a principal that is not lost on God. What is important is not what has happened – we have all struggled and failed and stand in filthy clothes and in need of forgiveness. What is important is what we will do next – what actions we are brave enough to take as we move forward. And sometimes those who have struggled in the past make the best foray into the future if they are willing to learn from what has happened in the past and allow God to move them into the future.

God has never wanted your past to define you – he always looks to your future for the definition of your life. And that is why we always need to stand in of repentance – in need of saying to each other and to God that we refuse to let the past define us. But we will learn from the places we have been and the mistakes that we have made. We agree with God that our lives are about the future. We all have a tail trailing behind us that we are attached to, but it does not have to define the future toward which we are moving – although if we have learned the lesson of the tail, we will be stronger as we move forward. We agree with God that our lives are about tomorrow. God has already taken away our sin – and absolutely nothing else matters.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Zechariah 4

“Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the LORD. – Zechariah 2:10

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 17, 2017): Zechariah 2

On June 10, 2017, Adam West died. I have to admit that it was a sad moment for me. I never met Mr. West, although I would have loved to have had the privilege of shaking his hand. But back when I was too young to be able to tell time correctly, I had a weekly date with him. I would situate myself in front of the family’s black and white television set and get ready to watch “Batman.” For me, Adam West was and always will be “Batman.” Others have come and have played the role of the “Caped Crusader,” and I have enjoyed every performance, but whenever I think of Batman, it is Adam West that comes to mind. He was first, and no one will ever be able to quite measure up to the way that he wore the cowl.

I know that West was horribly hurt for at least part of his life that the role that he played for three short years on T.V. would dominate the rest of his life. How could “Batman” play a judge on “Law and Order?” And the problem was people like me who would see him and exclaim, almost uncontrollably, “Batman!” Finally, he made his peace with the troubled crime fighter, and was even able to laugh at his alter ego on shows like “The Big Bang Theory.” But I think the problem is that we needed “Batman.” And he gave us our hero in a campy, straight-faced way.

Part of the allure of “Batman” is that he was always there – he was never farther than a bat signal away. Commissioner Gordon would send someone to the roof to send up the signal or pick up the batphone that sat on his desk, and in no time, Batman would come. We all need to have a “Batman” on speed dial, even little kids sitting on the living room floor in their pajama’s looking up at a black and white T.V. and watching all of the “Pow’s” and “Bam's.”

Zechariah tells Israel to shout and be glad because God is on his way. He has seen the signal, and he is coming to live with them. He would be, and actually always was, the presence that is never more than a call away. His presence will make a difference. “Batman” may be a fictional character stolen from the D.C. Comic universe, but God really comes when we call his name. His presence is and always will be with us. Sometimes we need to be reminded of that.

Thank you, Adam West, for allowing your life to be hijacked by the cowled crime fighter. You made a difference to every kid who needed a hero, and every adult who needed to laugh. And maybe you even reminded us that there is a God who is only a “Bat” signal away – one who has come to live among us.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Zechariah 3

Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,’ declares the LORD Almighty. – Zechariah 1:16

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 16, 2017): Zechariah 1

On Saturday, September 4, 2010, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake rocked New Zealand’s third largest populated urban area – Christchurch. Little did the inhabitants of the city realize that it was merely the beginning of what would end up being a cluster of earthquakes in the region. In a two-year period beginning on September 4, 2010, Christchurch was hit with 4,423 earthquakes above the 3.0 magnitude level. The result of the earthquake cluster was a city that had been destroyed. Years later, there were still a number of questions that need to be answered about the rebuilding of the city. And maybe the first question is what kind of a city is it that needs to be rebuilt. With the extensive damage in the city as a result of the movement of the earth, the city could be simply rebuilt reflecting the character of the old city, or it could be completely and radically redesigned, or a multitude of choices in between the two extremes. Because of the earthquake cluster, options and opportunities abound for the designers of the new city.

Jerusalem, the spiritual and emotional center of Israel, had been destroyed be the Babylonians. Zechariah begins his prophecy with a significant promise from God that his house would be rebuilt. But scholars have argued over what that “rebuilding” really meant. For some, the meaning is obvious, and the construction of Zerubbabel’s Temple was the fulfillment of the promise. God’s house indicated the physical temple in Jerusalem. For others, the meaning is still the rebuilding of a physical temple, but the promise is not fulfilled by the building of Zerubbabel’s Temple. And the argument is that God never seems to fully accept the inferior temple that was built by the returning exiles. The fulfillment of the promise must, therefore, lie in the building of the mysterious third temple of Ezekiel’s dreams. While Zerubbabel’s Temple was a step back for the people of Jerusalem, Ezekiel’s Temple would have been a significant step forward. While Ezekiel reflected many of the design elements that existed in the temple that Solomon had built, Ezekiel’s dream temple was bigger with added features and improvements over that of the destroyed Temple built by Solomon. So the question is - if God was going to build his house, at least from our perspective, is it not more likely that God would build a house more in keeping with the one Ezekiel dreamed of than the one built during the reign of Zerubbabel?

But for the Christian, there is a third option. And it is more in keeping with the complete and radical redesign model. God is not limited to a building that is filled with altars and places of sacrifice along with tools to carry out that sacrifice. It is possible that God could dream beyond a temple that contained a closed off section at one end called the Holy of Holies – the place where God lived and sat on his throne. The radical redesign model simply argues that what God was speaking of as the rebuilding of his house was the same temple that Jesus would later tell the leaders in Jerusalem that they could destroy, but that God would restore in three days. The only temple that really fulfills the prophecy of Zechariah was the temple that was Jesus. And because God’s Temple was Jesus, even when the Romans pulled down Zerubbabel’s temple it was not that big deal – because God’s temple still remained.    

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Zechariah 2

But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the LORD. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the LORD, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the LORD Almighty. – Haggai 2:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 15, 2017): Haggai 2

They are rightly called pretenders; Kings and Queens without a throne, crown or country. They are not imposters, making a claim to a throne to which they have no right. These men and women are of a royal line but either someone else, an imposter, sits on their throne or the position has been abolished. And there are some familiar names on the list of pretenders. One is Charles, Prince Napoleon.

As the name implies, Charles is a descendant of Napoleon I of France. A DNA test in 2011 left little doubt that Charles is a direct descendant of Napoleon Bonaparte who reigned as Emperor of France, with a brief interruption in 1814-1815, from May 18, 1804, until June 22, 1815. Of course, the Throne of France belongs to the descendants of the House of Bourbon, and there are two prominent pretenders to that throne; Louis Alphonse who would reign as Louis XX, and Henri, d’Orleans who would reign as Henry VII. But Charles is the pretender to the Throne of Westphalia, and he is the great-great-grandson of King Jerome Bonaparte who reigned on that throne until 1813 when the monarchy was abolished. But pretenders hold on to what might have been, and the sure knowledge that they are royalty.  

Zerubbabel was a pretender. He had a legitimate claim to the Throne of Judah. He was the grandson of the penultimate King of Judah, Jeconiah, who was the son of Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim reigned for 11 years as a puppet for Babylon. Jeconiah’s reign lasted only three months and ten days. And even in that short period, he aroused the ire of the Prophet Jeremiah who said that Jeconiah would be thrown down from his throne. “Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah” (Jeremiah 22:30).

Yet, even the pretender had a job to do, and a duty to fulfill. This would-be King led the first of the exiles back and laid the foundation for the Temple that would bear his name – the Second Temple in Jerusalem or Zerubbabel’s Temple. And the job that he had to accomplish could only be done if Zerubbabel was willing to be strong and allow God to lead him.

Zerubbabel was never more than a pretender to the throne of Judah. But as for Jeremiah’s prophecy, it remains technically correct – no descendant of ‘Coniah, including Zerubbabel, ever occupied the throne of Judah again. However, Zerubbabel did lead his people as their governor, but not king, and a child of Zerubbabel would sit on the throne of David. His name was Jesus, and he ruled his people as Prophet, Priest, and King – forever occupying and bringing honor to the throne of his father, and Zerubbabel’s father, David.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Zechariah 1

“You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. – Haggai 1:9

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 14, 2017): Haggai 1

Welcome to the “Spin Room.” Okay, maybe not. But sometimes this world just seems to be so subjective. I love politics, but I freely admit that often politics is really just the art of arranging the facts. The political left and right deal with the same facts, but they present them differently. There have been jobs created under the current political leader, but the beginnings of the programs that have resulted in the jobs have been set up by the previous political leader. Who gets the credit? Job growth, while present, has slowed. Who gets the blame? Both sides grab hold of the facts and “spin” them differently; they tell a story out of the facts that best support their political bent and what they desire to happen.

And this is not just a political phenomenon; it goes well beyond politics spilling into other areas of our lives. I recently spoke a series of messages about the LGBTQ Community and the Christian Church. And regardless of your conclusion as to whether or not sin is present within the community, your take will probably be a result of your own personal “Spin Room.” The question that keeps me awake at night is how in the world did a behavior pattern mentioned a total of seven times in the Bible ever get to be the explosive issue it is in our world – and in the church. The answer? Because we have given the issue the “spin” it needs to become important. The Bible seems to take a much stronger stand against greed and gossip and is strongly in favor of loving those around us even if we disagree with them. But, if we are honest, condemning homosexuality is more exciting than condemning gossip. (Or as one person told me, “Everybody gossips. Get over it. Any attempt to make gossip a sin, in spite of what the Bible says about the behavior, is bound to fail. Just give in and let us gossip.”) I am not sure that I understand the paradigm at work here. (Or, more likely, I don’t want to understand.)

Personally, I have to admit that I struggle with Haggai the Prophet. I have admitted that I am not sure that I believe that God ever desired for Solomon to build a Temple to his name. He had commanded the community of God to build the Tabernacle, a tent of meeting. And that seemed to be enough. But David, using almost the exact same argument as Haggai, had argued that the Temple needed to be built. How could the king live in his grand mansion while the God of Heaven and Earth dwelled in a tent? God’s response was that David’s son would build the Temple. David thought that God meant Solomon, although I am pretty sure God had Jesus in mind.

But, in the end, God accepted Solomon’s Temple, and his glory rested on it. Babylon destroys the Temple, and now Haggai enters the scene and encourages another son of David, Zerubbabel, to become the new Solomon and rebuild the Temple. He places into the mouth of God the rejected argument of David – how can you live in beautiful houses while God’s house was in ruins. It just doesn’t seem to be an argument that God, who taught that “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be” (Isaiah 66:1)?

I love Daphne Rademaker’s response to the question of God in Isaiah.

            Here Oh Lord, have I prepared for you a home

Long have I desired for you to dwell

Here Oh Lord, have I prepared a resting place

Hear Oh Lord; I wait for you aloneHere oh Lord have I prepared for You a home
Long have I desired for You to dwell
Here oh Lord have I prepared a resting place
Here oh Lord I wait for You aloneHere oh Lord have I prepared for You a home
Long have I desired for You to dwell
Here oh Lord have I prepared a resting place
Here oh Lord I wait for You aloneHere oh Lord have I prepared for You a home
Long have I desired for You to dwell
Here oh Lord have I prepared a resting place
Here oh Lord I wait for You alone Here oh Lord have I prepared for You a home
Long have I desired for You to dwell
Here oh Lord have I prepared a resting place
Here oh Lord I wait for You alone

God’s intention has always been to live in the midst of his people, wherever they might be, the presence of an earthly Temple notwithstanding. Here oh Lord have I prepared for You a home
Long have I desired for You to dwell
Here oh Lord have I prepared a resting place
Here oh Lord I wait for You alone

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Haggai 2

May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem. I Darius have decreed it. Let it be carried out with diligence. – Ezra 6:12

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 13, 2017): Ezra 6

“With great power there must also come – great responsibility.” Uncle Ben’s words (through the pen of Stan Lee) continue to carry significant meaning for the world in which I live. I recently read an article on “things we never saw coming twenty years ago” and among the tidbits of information was the idea that China would be a world leader in the technology and practice of guarding the climate of this planet which we all share. China. How did that happen? And not only that but the Pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, would one day be telling his followers that “climate change is real” and while you’re at it “stop hassling the gays.” All this on the heels of climate change enthusiast Stephen Hawking’s prediction that the United States’s refusal to live up to the Paris Accord agreement may have doomed our garden planet into become an inferior copy of Venus with super high temperatures (Venus, and not Mercury, is the hottest planet in our Solar System because of the runaway greenhouse effect in place in its atmosphere) and sulphuric rains that will end all life, intelligent and not, on our planet. Sometimes it feels like I have stepped through some kind of door into “The Twilight Zone.”

Part of President Obama’s rationale for taking such a strong lead in the Paris climate accord was the recognition of the fact that the United States, along with the country that is now becoming the world leader in renewable energy technologies, China, were the biggest climate offenders on the planet. Together, China and the United States led the world in the pollution that threatened the planet, and while there was no way that they could fix the problem alone, they needed to take the lead in fixing the problem that they were creating. After all, Uncle Ben and Stan Lee were right. “With great power there must also come – great responsibility.”

On the surface, the unthinkable has happened. China has apparently decided to step into the vacuum left by the United States by their resignation from the Paris Accord. But under that reality, I have to agree with former President Obama. Even without the United States presence in the Paris Climate Accord, American business will continue to work toward leading the world in this area. Business will succeed where politicians have failed.

Apparently, the idea of great power requiring great responsibility is an old one. As Darius ponders the situation in Jerusalem, the Elephant speaks to the mice. In this case, it has been found to be true that the Cyrus decreed for the Temple to be rebuilt. And Darius has decided that he will defend that policy. Unlike many other rulers in history, Darius has decided that his power is worthless without the responsibility that comes with that power. In this case, it is the responsibility to fulfill a promise, even though he wasn’t the one who made it.

If we could only all see our world commitments that clearly.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Haggai 1

This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates, the officials of Trans-Euphrates, sent to King Darius. – Ezra 5:6

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 12, 2017): Ezra 5

Living next door to a Super Power is never easy, just ask the Ukraine or any of the Eastern European nations. As a Canadian, I would like to thank the United States for not invading us over the past 205 years. We recognize that we are the mouse living next to the elephant. We would like to politely ask you to watch where it is that you put for feet. The ugly truth is that while you get angry every time we speak of your political situation, after all, it is your business and not ours, every decision that the elephant makes has a huge effect on the mouse.

Take, for instance, your Revolutionary War. I know it was over 200 years ago, but much of who we are was decided because of you. Let’s start with our make-up. During your war, yes you attempted to invade Canada (which you did again in 1812, the last time you made that decision. We apologize for burning down your White House that conflict) and you sent tens of thousands of refugees into Canada. By the way, you probably already know this, but it is happening again.

But invasion and a massive influx of refugees were not the only things that affected us. Even the decisions of France about Canada were all because of you. France decided to allow Canada to remain a British colony, rather than invading us and making us a French one – which some of us expected - because it wanted to make sure that the mouse (somewhat smaller then) remained a thorn or a frightening experience for the elephant (a great deal smaller then) inducing the United States to keep their promises with France. Again, not that we are complaining. Life as a British Colony has not been all that bad. You might have even enjoyed it.

The point of all this is just a small reminder of how you have an effect on us. Again, we are not complaining. For the last 205 years, our relationship hasn’t been terrible. But you fought a Revolutionary War because you didn’t want to be influenced by Britain. Yes, it was tax without representation, which made a good excuse but try to understand the way that the mice that surround you feel. You influence us. You also tax us in the goods and services that we purchase. Our entertainment is by and large yours. We get it, we are the mouse, and you are the elephant, we need to watch carefully where it is you poop. We just ask that you would watch for us too, and realize the tremendous difference that your political decisions play inside of our borders. We try to be polite in our discussions with you. We would appreciate it if you would return the favor. After all, empires crash, and someday it might be you writing this letter to China or Mexico – I know that sounds impossible – asking them to be careful where they step.

What does all of this have to do with Tattenai’s letter? Here it is. There was a very similar situation playing out in the ancient world. Generally, Tattenai had very good relationships with the Jews. But there is no doubt that he was the mouse and Darius was the elephant. And he needed to know where it was that the elephant was about to step.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ezra 6

Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over the whole of Trans-Euphrates, and taxes, tribute and duty were paid to them. – Ezra 4:20

Today’s Scripture Reading (July 11, 2017): Ezra 4

In 1919, British Economist John Maynard Keynes published his book entitled “The Economic Consequences of the Peace.” The book evaluated what Keynes believed to be the cost of the “Treaty of Versailles” between Germany and the Allied powers of France, Britain and the United States at the close of the First World War. Keynes had attended the Versailles Conference as a member of the British Treasury. Keynes himself had argued for a much more generous peace than the treaty had provided. He blamed France for the Treaty as it was presented, but he also understood the problem. France had suffered the most during the war – both in the amount of damage inflicted on the country as well as the suffering the heaviest human losses. French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau best described Frances position – “America is far away, protected by the ocean. Not even Napoleon himself could touch England. You are both sheltered; we are not.” France needed the Treaty to be their protection from Germany.

So France demanded steep reparations and military restriction to be placed on the German people. It was the opposite of what Keynes had thought should happen. Keynes had suggested no or minimal reparations, a forgiveness of war debts, and for the United States to launch a broad credit program aimed at the restoration of the European economy. But Keynes lost the argument, and as a result, Germany was severely restricted economically and militarily. The hope was that the Treaty would remove Germany’s ability ever to wage another World War.

As the complaints came in about Jerusalem, the charge was that Judah had been a rebellious nation. The charge was based on Israel’s dominance of the known world during the reigns of David and Solomon. They were the ones who had ruled over the Middle East, and at one point in time, the taxes that were now being paid to Persia had been given to Israel. And the fear that was raised was that if Jerusalem was allowed to rebuild, that they would rule once again and the taxes that were now being paid to Persia would be diverted to the restored State of Israel.

It should be noted that the while the Temple had most likely not been completed at this point, this complaint was more about the restoration of the walls of Jerusalem than anything else. And Persia understood the fear, and at least for a time stopped the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem. The hoped for result was that the limits placed on Israel would keep Judah in a subservient position.

Unfortunately for France and the known world, the historical evaluation of the Treaty of Versailles was that it was a failure. In fact, rather than stopping Germany from being able to wage war again, the Treaty provided the fertile ground from which Hitler and the Nazi party could once again grow – and the rebellion against the Treaty would once again allow the world to spiral into war.   

 Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ezra 5