Today’s Scripture Reading (December
5, 2019): 2 Chronicles 20
Woody Allen said “I'm not afraid of
death; I just don't want to be there when it happens.” I understand what he
means. Sometimes, at least within religious circles, a fear of death is often
associated with a lack of faith. But that is not quite true. Fear is always a complex
emotion. It is very seldom that a simple cause generates fear. The fear of
death for a believer does not simply mean that we are afraid of the unknown
that awaits us on the other side, although that might be part of it. The fear
of death is tied up with the unknown of heaven, our own ties and enjoyment of
our current condition, and the responsibility that we may feel we have to
people who are on this journey with us. All of this, and probably a lot more,
is tied up in our fear of death. Suicide, a reality in the lives of a few
within my circle of acquaintances, is made possible when any or all of these
fears are reduced. The suicides that have taken place close to me during my
life happened because pain in this life has exceeded the pleasure that life
gives, because whatever might be waiting on the other side of the curtain of
death is deemed to be better than the current reality, and because our
responsibilities to others in our lives have been minimized. And a significant
change in any of these circumstances, depending on direction, makes suicide
either more or less possible.
King
Jehoshaphat was told that armies were gathering at the border of Judah. That
single fact would probably drive fear into many of our hearts. But the fear is
complex. It is about life and death, quality of existence in an occupied
territory, loss of wealth and position, and the fear of being judged for making
the wrong decision in a time of crisis. But the King’s fear is magnified
because Jehoshaphat has already been here and has made the wrong decision.
Jehoshaphat, at the last time of national crisis, had allied himself with Ahab,
and in the aftermath of that crisis he had been reprimanded for the decision.
Everything had seemed right about that alliance except that God was not in
favor.
And so
as crisis returns to Judah, Jehoshaphat endeavors to do what he had failed to
do in his association with Ahab. He inquires of God. And because he understands
the communal benefit and guilt of the nation when it comes to God, he declares
that the people should fast and pray with him. Because it was not just
Jehoshaphat’s fate that was at risk, and as it appears that Jehoshaphat once
believed. It was the nation’s risk. And the fear inside of Jehoshaphat was due
to the army gathering at his border, and a profound respect for the God that he
served.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2
Chronicles 21
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