You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. – Ezekiel 28:15

Today's Scripture Reading (June 30, 2020): Ezekiel 28

There is a Latin phrase that states, "corruptio optima pessima" – "the corruption of the best is the worst." It is the central theme behind the movie "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice." The plot of the film explores a thought experiment on the part of Batman. Batman openly wonders if Superman operates with too much power and too little accountability. In the world of superheroes, that is actually a common theme. And the idea is drawn from some very mundane worldly examples. I do not live in a world where I am likely to meet a superhero on my way to the McDonalds drive-through, but there are segments of the population that sometimes seem to operate with little accountability.

One such mundane example is our police forces. I firmly believe that most of the people who police our streets are good, well-meaning officers trying to protect the peace. But, in a George Floyd world, the reality is that it doesn't take a lot of officers who believe that they can operate without significant oversight to cause a personal disaster. Only a few people are needed, and those few have the ability to tarnish all the good that is done by the many. Watching Derek Chauvin kneel on the neck of George Floyd is enough to make us all a little more careful, and fearful, whenever we are in the presence of those who have committed to protect and serve.

As a teenager working at McDonald's, I remember one such officer who frequented the fast-food restaurant expecting that his badge would gain him special privileges. While I did not see him maltreat anyone unnecessarily, his attitude of superiority over everyone else left a mark on me. In him at a young age, I experienced authority without accountability. And in the real world, that can be a scary proposition.

Corruption is always a bad thing, but the Latin phrase gets it right. Corruption of the good is always the worst. In the superhero world, the possible corruption of Superman is one of the worst things that we can imagine. And in the real world, the corruption of those who have sworn an oath to protect us can steal away our hope.

Inside of Christian circles, one of the ongoing discussions is about our creation. Are we, as the human race, fundamentally good or bad? Many theologians point to the Fall of the Human Race in the Garden of Eden and proclaim that we are hopelessly bent, unable to do what is right. And even the Apostle Paul supports that conclusion, declaring that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). But maybe it is Ezekiel that gets it right. Like Tyre, we were created blameless and good, until evil found its way into us. And in that moment, the best of what God created was swiftly transformed into the worst.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 29

Your domain was on the high seas; your builders brought your beauty to perfection. – Ezekiel 27:4

Today's Scripture Reading (June 29, 2020): Ezekiel 27

Once upon a time, walls were a significant defensive improvement for any city or population center. The idea was that a population could hide behind a wall when an enemy attacked. In many ways, a wall worked the same way that the shell of a turtle protects the animal hidden inside the hardened casing. When danger struck, the people moved behind the wall, and those who wanted to do them harm were stopped by the barrier. As long as there was food, water, and adequate sanitation, the defenders could stay behind their walls for extended periods; sometimes, even for years.

But the invention of air travel lessened the importance of the walls that had been built around the cities. When the attacker could quickly go over the top of the wall and attack from above, the wall's value significantly decreased. Today, walls and physical barriers play a role but are not nearly as crucial for the protection of the people as they once were. Changes in transportation and communication mean that we increasingly live in a global community where it is not only walls that have decreased in value, but also the importance of borders.

Tyre was a global city long before that was a common phenomenon among the cities of the Earth. The city was a merchant city, built on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, that became rich by trading and facilitating trade with the world. Ezekiel describes Tyre, not as a population center that exists by a substantial body of water but instead as a city that lives as a ship on the sea. Ezekiel goes on to reimagine the city as having masts, oars, and decks, like a ship that visits its harbor. And part of the importance of the Prophet's imagery was that it was easy for Tyre to believe that the city, because it was a global entity, trading with all of the nations of the world, was also protected from the mundane things about which other countries and cities had to worry. But Ezekiel needs Tyre to understand that that is not true. Babylon was a threat to the global merchant city of Tyre, just as it had been the Judean capital of Jerusalem, which was surrounded by land and who had only her walls to protect her.

Our problem might be the reverse. Just as Tyre could not rely on its status as a global city to save her, neither is it possible for us to retreat behind our walls and expect to somehow insulate ourselves from the interconnected world in which we live. Salvation for Tyre was available only in the presence of the God of this world, who walked with her on the oceans and existed with the people behind the walls. Any other source of hope was a delusion, and it was destined to fail.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 28

I will put an end to your noisy songs, and the music of your harps will be heard no more. – Ezekiel 26:13

Today's Scripture Reading (June 28, 2020): Ezekiel 26

William Shakespeare places the words in the mouth of his tragic hero, General Macbeth.

          Out, out brief candle!

          Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player

          That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

          And then is heard no more:

          It is a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

          Signifying nothing.

Sometimes, life seems like a bad play, or maybe an okay play spoiled by a horrible final act. Or a good movie that is so filled with special effects and battle sequences that the plot suffers and, eventually, fails. Somehow, everything that matters about life is hidden from our eyes. There is a lot of noise present all around us, but it is absent of meaning.

It happens more often than we might want to admit. Our social media pages are filled with noise, that in the end, are often meaningless because we never understood the situation in the first place. Our words become noise, but while we desperately want them to convey meaning, the meaning is lost if it was ever there in the first place. They signify nothing.

Ezekiel has heard the songs of Tyre. They tell a story without understanding; they seek to convey meaning, but they do so without a purpose. The city has watched the destruction of Jerusalem and has mistakenly believed that they are immune to their enemy's fate. That Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian War machine would never turn their fury toward them. But they are mistaken. The Babylon war machine is already on its way, and the songs of the city are devoid of understanding; they are noise, and nothing more.

And so Ezekiel warns the city that they are not all that different from their neighbor, Jerusalem. The reality of the history of Tyre is that just after the fall of Jerusalem, the Babylonian army moved their focus to the Lebanese city. Tyre did not fall, but it was severely weakened, and the city was destroyed economically. It ended up paying a massive tribute to Babylon. The city's defeat made its former protestations nothing more than noise, without meaning and signifying nothing. No one was exempt from the Babylonian conquest, but that might have been an understanding that could only be gained in the presence of the defeat that turned the songs of the city into nothing more than noise.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 27

 

The elders are gone from the city gate; the young men have stopped their music. – Lamentations 5:14

Today's Scripture Reading (June 27, 2020): Lamentations 5

The scene plays out all over the society in which I live, but it is most evident in the food courts of the shopping malls, if you are paying attention. First, it is the groups of retired people sitting at the tables with their coffees in hand, talking about whatever it is that has piqued their attention. A group that I am welcomed at, but to which I admittedly rarely attend, chooses McDonald's as their meeting place. They talk about current events, political beliefs, and the activities of their children and grandchildren. They speak of their memories, the way things used to be, and how their memories of youth differ from their experiences at the other end of life. They mourn or celebrate the constant change and pace of life. Nothing is off-limits in their conversations, and there is little that they enjoy more than sitting and talking with their friends and associates at these coffee klatches.

But at the same food courts, there are other groups of people. Some of these groups live at the other end of the age spectrum. And maybe one of the standard features of this group is their ever-present headphones or earbuds, which is most often connected to their phones, and their music. There, in the food court, they gather with friends, share music, and a common way of looking at life. Their music actually forms part of their political discussion and part of their protest to a society that often seems to fail to understand them. There, in the food court, they share life with those who see it the way that they do and often receive disapproving looks from the coffee klatches that are essentially doing the same thing in the same place, but in a different way.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, maybe one of the disturbing features of the time was that, if you had the opportunity to visit a food court, both groups had disappeared from the tables scattered throughout the area. And their absence signaled the disaster that was playing out in the culture at large. These groups of people, existing as both ends of the age spectrum, became our "canaries in a coal mine," alerting us to the social reality that something was very wrong.

Apparently, it is an old phenomenon. In the aftermath of the destruction of Jerusalem, Jeremiah looks at the city. He laments the disappearance of the older men, who once held their meetings at the gates of the city, as well as mourning the absence of the young men, who once played their music on the city streets. These signs of normalcy were gone and would not return during Jeremiah's lifetime. They were likely something that Jeremiah had once taken for granted, maybe even joked about them as he made his way through the city. But now, he is struck by what their absence means. What was once common, had gone extinct. All the prophet could do was write his lament, and wish that the older men would return to their conversations to the gates of the city and that the young men would begin to play their music once more. But his wishes are met with silence. Normalcy refused to return.   

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 26

Personal Note: Happy 61^st Anniversary to my parents, Duane and Shirley.

Those killed by the sword are better off than those who die of famine; racked with hunger, they waste away for lack of food from the field. – Lamentations 4:9

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 26, 2020): Lamentations 4

Victor Hugo in “Les Misérables,” writes, “It is nothing to die. It is frightful not to live.” Or maybe we could phrase it this way; it is not the presence of death that scares us, it is the absence of life. That moment of death is one that we will all have to stare in the face at some point during our existence. It does not matter what you believe death will be; we know that it will come and demand something from us.

I think the question that I really want to ask is whether or not you have a way you would like to die. Do you want death to come fast, or would you rather that life linger, for at least a while, as you deal with the reality of what comes next? No one wants our death to be a long, drawn-out affair. Or even worse, as seems to happen to so many in our society, we do not wish that the absence of life would dawn long before the body is ready to die, but I think there is an attractive middle ground toward which we can aspire. When death finally comes knocking at our door, it would be good to have a little time to say what has been left unsaid to the ones who we are leaving behind.

The middle ground is not a place that occupies Jeremiah’s mind as he sheds his tears for the city of Jerusalem. He only sees two possibilities. The first is the death that comes quickly and unexpectedly in battle. It is death that is the result of a sword destroying what is vital for life in our bodies. According to the Prophet, these deaths come quickly and suddenly. There is no time to mourn the passing of life and no time to say our goodbyes. Death comes, and promptly life is over.

The second manner of death is the one that awaited the survivors of the war. Left behind in a land that has been destroyed by the enemy, life ebbs away as the survivors are unable to find enough to eat to sustain the strength and health of their bodies. Every day becomes a struggle and a battle to stay alive. And deep down, the survivors knew that the situation is hopeless. Survival is impossible. The absence of life is on its way, and there was nothing that anyone could do to stop its exit. But as life leaves, it creates no end of pain to the ones that were watching it go.

Given that choice, most of us would choose a death that comes quickly amid the battle. But then again, I am not convinced that, even after the fall of Jerusalem, the choice was really that stark. Given this choice, we would choose to die quickly. But in the back of our minds, we also understand that as long as life lingers, there is at least a possibility for a better tomorrow.     

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Lamentations 5

 

I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the LORD’s wrath. – Lamentations 3:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 25, 2020): Lamentations 3

Thirteenth-century Persian poet, Rumi, argued that “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” In the midst of our pain, it is good to recognize that it is sometimes only because we are broken, that we have the opportunity to understand what it is that in our strength we might miss. Watching George Floyd gasp out his last breaths as a police officer knelt on his neck, broke most of us who have watched the video. It wounded people of all color in a way that we needed to be hurt, and that pain gave us the opportunity to be agents of change in our society.

But we also have to admit that the wound that lets the light in is also profoundly personal. What breaks me might not break you. But I am also not responsible for your experience of hurt. I have to respond to mine. And if I am to grow, I have to be willing to face my pain and to let the light shine into my being during the times when I find myself cracked and broken.

Jeremiah begins his lamentations by speaking on behalf of the personified city of Jerusalem. But suddenly, his lament changes. Here, his expression of lament is not on behalf of the entire city, but rather it is a profoundly personal sadness and breaking that rings through the Prophet’s words. “I am the man who has seen the affliction.” Was he the only man who had seen the affliction? No. But Jeremiah understood that he was responsible for dealing with the pain that the fall of the city had caused in him. He had to let the light penetrate his hurt and shine into his soul.

It is also essential to recognize that Jeremiah acts in his lament as a bridge between the people and God. It is an excellent example of a principle that was outlined by the Prophet Joel. Joel argued, “Let the priests, who minister before the Lord, weep between the portico and the altar” (Joel 2:17a). Let those who intercede for the people weep with their hands outstretched to the porch, the place where the people have gathered, and the altar, the domain of God. Jeremiah laments with the people, he experiences their pain, and he cries with their tears, and yet he also can point to God’s purpose for their current time of suffering. The people are being broken so that the light that God intended for his children could shine in. Jeremiah was the one standing and weeping between the porch and the altar, understanding both the tears of the people and the pain of the God who wanted so much more for the ones whom he loved.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Lamentations 4

Look, LORD, and consider: Whom have you ever treated like this? Should women eat their offspring, the children they have cared for? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? – Lamentations 2:20

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 24, 2020): Lamentations 2

On the evening of August 23, 1572, during the French Wars of Religion, a wave of Catholic mob violence was directed at the French Huguenots (Calvinist Protestants). Our contemporary understanding is that the violence was instigated by Queen Catherine de’ Medici, the mother of King Charles IX. Estimates vary about how many Huguenots died in what is remembered as the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre, but across France somewhere between 5,000 and 30,000 people died at the hands of the mob. Some of the surviving Protestants fled to Sancerre, a fortified hilltop city in the central region of France. There, the Protestant survivors attempted to escape the violence, only to be held hostage inside the city by France forces loyal to the Roman Catholic King, Charles IX. Inside the hilltop city, the inhabitants understood that they were greatly outnumbered, and each one of them feared that this would be the place where their lives would end. Yet, still, they taunted their attackers with cries of “We light here, we fight here; go and assassinate elsewhere.”

But inside Sancerre, conditions were deplorable. The population was left trying to feed itself by eating rats, leather, and even ground slate. There were also reports of cannibalism inside the fortified city. Another 500 people died during the siege, including most of the children. While the French forces were able to hem the people inside the city, any attempt to take the city was repulsed. But the Protestants trapped inside the city were far from safe, and definitely not comfortable.

The Siege of Sancerre was almost immediately compared to the Siege of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians. The unthinkable had happened in both cities; accusations persisted of cannibalism, and even that women had been driven to consume their own children in an effort to extend their lives. Cannibalism is unthinkable in our culture, regardless of the circumstances. But to devour the children that you raised increases the level of our horror present in the situation.

And on top of that, in Jerusalem, the priest and the prophet were killed in the sanctuary. Typically, the sanctuary is viewed as a place of safety and peace. But inside of Jerusalem during the Babylonian siege, there was no safe place and no action that was deemed to be unthinkable.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Lamentations 3

Jerusalem has sinned greatly and so has become unclean. All who honored her despise her, for they have all seen her naked; she herself groans and turns away. – Lamentations 1:8

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 23, 2020): Lamentations 1

On June 1, 2020, the Washington D.C. federal police officers, supported by the American military, violently cleared away peaceful protestors from Lafayette Square, a green space north of the Whitehouse, so that the President of the United States could walk to Saint John’s Episcopal Church for a photo op. The next morning, the Canadian Prime Minister was asked what he thought of the incident, and if the Prime Minister did not want to comment, what he believed his silence said to the world. The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, stood and stared silently into the camera for twenty-one seconds, seemingly at a loss for words. You could almost see the gears turning as he tried to figure a way to answer the question without commenting on the situation taking place inside the territory of his southern neighbor.

But finally, Trudeau did answer. And once again, he carefully avoided mentioning President Trump as he talked about racism in Canada. Essentially, Trudeau argued that racism in Canada is not dead, even though many of us wish that it were. And before we speak about the actions of President of the United States and the race problems in that country, Canadians needed to look inside of themselves and confront their own racial inequalities. The reality is that Canada can do nothing about racism in the United States, but Canadians can choose to do something about racism in Canada if the people have the political and ethical will to make the change.

Sometimes we get so used to the condemnations of the biblical Prophets that their message loses some of its impact. But as the walls of Jerusalem fall, Jeremiah begins his lament with tears over the loss of the city. And, as far as Jeremiah was concerned, the loss of Jerusalem was unnecessary. The city was supposed to be a light in the darkness. But instead, she became part of the night. Jeremiah knew that he couldn’t comment on the darkness in other places without pointing a finger at the city that he loved. Jerusalem had failed. She had allowed the darkness to overtake her and steal her light.

Justin Trudeau continued his message in front of the Canadian parliament less than an hour after his twenty-one seconds of silence. He said that “When it comes to being an ally, I have made serious mistakes in the past. I am not perfect, but not being perfect cannot be an excuse for not doing better.” None of us are perfect, and we can do better. But that begins, not with pointing out the failings of others, but rather with recognizing the problems inside of us.

In our contemporary society, we need to recover the practice of lament, especially when it concerns our own behavior. We can do better, and we must do better. We need to be the light to the nations that we can be. But the change never begins somewhere else; it starts inside of me.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Lamentations 2

He made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. – Jeremiah 51:15

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 22, 2020): Jeremiah 51

Billy Graham once argued that “Nothing can alter the fact that God calls perversion sin.” And while I agree with Graham’s assessment, I also struggle mightily with it. The problem, as I see it, is that too often, the diagnosis of perversion lies in our hands, and not God’s. We don’t want to have the hard discussions about what God might consider sin. Perversion and sin always live in the house of the other. It is simply not our problem; it is theirs.

That is until we come into contact with people outside of the church. We often preach and talk against what I call the “big-ticket sins” and perversions. Sexual sin usually tops the list as does abortion. It is impressive that the same people who think that war is not a problem, are angered at the very thought of abortion. And yet, both entail the killing of innocent people. Why is it that one, at least under certain conditions, is fine, while the other is a sin so big that we think God is shaking the very foundations of the world because of its existence. The answer is that we are ones who have defined the perversion. What it is that makes us angry, makes God angry. And what it is that does not affect us also does not affect God.

I have constant conversations with people outside of the church, and it is sometimes interesting to hear their definition of sin. One writes, “In my opinion, the most entitled people on earth hangout in church doorways!” Or maybe this one, “I have always known that Christians are bullies. Yet, you have to choose your victims very carefully so that you don’t make everyone stop attending church!” Or maybe this one. “The true goal of Christianity is to establish a dictatorship, and then find someone to blame!” The problem with each of these statements from the outside is that they represent a significant perversion of the Christian message, and according to Billy Graham, God calls perversion sin. And the reality is that they also pose a more significant threat to Christianity than the problem of sexual immorality, abortion, or euthanasia. The former are things that we could do something about, messages against which we could immunize our churches against if we really wanted. But the people who carry these feelings are instead tossed out of our fellowships without a thought. And the horrible truth is that most of them, we don’t even miss.

Jeremiah reminds his readers that the earth belongs to God. They are part of his power, his understanding, his wisdom. And that is what is essential. Maybe instead of protesting against our big-ticket sins, we would be better served by trying to understand this world with the heart of God and recognize that the biggest perversion is not what we label as sin, but a church that is ruled by man’s belief rather than the love of God.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Lamentations 1

A nation from the north will attack her and lay waste her land. No one will live in it; both people and animals will flee away. – Jeremiah 50:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 21, 2020): Jeremiah 50

The City of Babylon has proved to be resilient during its long history. Repeatedly, the city seemed to be attacked and destroyed only to be rebuilt and inhabited once again. In ancient times, the city was important. Babylon was likely the first city to pass the 200,000 inhabitants mark.

But Babylon also seems to have lived in the imaginations of the rulers of the world. Many influential people have wanted to make Babylon great, including Alexander the Great of Macedonia. After the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 539 B.C.E to Cyrus the Great of Persia, control of Empire fell to the Persians for the next two centuries. But then Alexander defeated the Persians and took control of the city. His dream seemed to be to renew the greatness of Nebuchadnezzar’s prize. And during the rule of the Macedonian general, Babylon flourished. It became a center for learning and commerce in the area, becoming a cultural influence throughout the peoples of the Near East. But Alexander died suddenly in 323 B.C.E., and his death began a struggle for succession. During this struggle, Babylon was forgotten. The city quickly made the transition from being a major city to being a minor municipality, unimportant, and often forgotten.

The reality of Babylon is that it suffered a defeat that might have been worse than any loss that it had sustained throughout its long history. Forgotten, the inhabitants of the city simply got up and left. They were not driven out by an invading army; they just decided that they would move somewhere, and often anywhere else. It was a brutal reality for a city that had once been grander than them all.

After the people left, the city was returned to nature. It deteriorated into ruins, and the ruins joined the desert. Babylon still existed in the minds and the writings of the human race, but the physical city was gone. Jeremiah’s words had been fulfilled; both people and animals had fled from the area.

Yet, still, leaders dreamed of Babylon. Saddam Hussein believed that he was a descendant of the great Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon. And part of his dream was that he would rebuild the city of Babylon, making the ancient city the home of his palace.  Hussein placed a portrait of himself and Nebuchadnezzar at the entrance to the ruins, and inscribed his name on some of the bricks being used to rebuild the ruins with the words “This was built by Saddam Hussein, son of Nebuchadnezzar, to glorify Iraq.” But Saddam Hussein’s plans for the revitalization of the ruins of Babylon were stopped by the 2003 Invasion of Iraq.

Today, the rebuilt ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But existing in a war-torn country, the site remains devoid of many visitors.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 51

Concerning Edom: This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Is there no longer wisdom in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom decayed?” – Jeremiah 49:7

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 20, 2020): Jeremiah 49

Don’t read too much into this question, but how do you feel about your political leaders? Okay, it is a loaded question, and I really don’t expect an answer. But I can make a guess. Your answer depends on whether or not the leader matches your political affiliation. For me, it is actually one of the more frustrating realities of life. We don’t seem to be able to evaluate our leaders according to their actions. We just support or reject policies mindlessly, usually based on their and our political stripe, without seriously considering whether or not the plans are worthy of our support. Believe it or not, conservative and liberal politicians, those from the right and the left, are all capable of making wise policy decisions. And both sides also can be total idiots.

Paul, in his letter to the Romans, commands us to “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God” (Romans 13:1). It is a controversial piece of advice that many Christians question. Guns have been declared necessary in case there is a reason to overthrow our governments. But there is another pertinent part of the equation. God gives us the leadership that he desires for us to have. In other words, he provides us with the guidance that he feels that we deserve.

So, Jeremiah asks, “Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?” The significance of the question is that Teman was the birthplace of Eliphaz, one of Job’s counselors. In the story of Job, Eliphaz is at least attempting to display wisdom in the tragedy of Job’s life. But Jeremiah asks where that wisdom is now. Wisdom seems to be lacking, even in Teman, the home of Eliphaz.

But on the other side of the coin, Jeremiah is also making an observation. Part of God’s judgment on the nation of Edom was that he has brought to the people foolish and incompetent leadership. And that leadership was leading the country into folly. And the solution was not that they needed better guidance, but that the people would honor God and become worthy of better leadership. If that happens, then, according to Paul, God will provide.

And this is still one way that God disciplines a nation. The answer remains in us. If we have foolish leaders, we need to take a look inside of us and ask, “are we worthy of wise leaders?” We need to evaluate behavior and policies with God’s understanding and with great wisdom. We need to give credit to politicians from all ends of the political spectrum when they do what is right, and we need to show our displeasure when politicians of all political stripes say foolish things. This is part of our wisdom. And above all, we need to live our lives with wisdom, and then, I know that God will grace us with the wise leadership that we deserve.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 50

A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the LORD's work! A curse on anyone who keeps their sword from bloodshed! – Jeremiah 48:10

Today's Scripture Reading (June 19, 2020): Jeremiah 48

The famed detective, Hercule Poirot, finds himself on a train. And while on the train, a man is murdered and it is up to Poirot to find the killer. After an extensive investigation, he discovers two solutions to the crime. One is that a stranger boarded the train and committed the murder. The second solution, and the correct one, is the plot twist. Of course, the story belongs to Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express." If you haven't read the book or watched one of the movies, you might not want to read the answer to the mystery (I moved it to the end of the post). The point is that, if you didn't know the story, it is a solution that you probably were not expecting until Poirot reveals the results of his investigation.

Jeremiah includes a plot twist here in his prophecy. I can almost hear an old-time preacher hammering on the pulpit and claiming the first part of the statement. A curse on anyone who is lazy in doing God's work. A curse on you if you refuse to proclaim God's word to the people. A curse on you if you go against God's justice. A curse on you when you declare an inequality of any kind about the human race. A curse on you if you refuse to love your neighbor with even part of the love that God has given to you. A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the Lord's work!

But that is not what Jeremiah is saying. His message isn't even directed at the people of God. The great plot twist is that Jeremiah speaks his words to the Babylonian army. They have become God's instrument, bringing justice to the nations. Judah and Jerusalem did not experience the sword of the Babylonians; they experienced the sword of God. And soon, the neighboring countries would feel the same sword. Now was not the time to mock the God of Israel. Now was the time to fall on your knees and beg for his mercy.

In Jeremiah's mind, Babylon could only extend their reign of terror with the permission of God. And it was quickly becoming evident that it was only the will of God who could stop that sword. Until God stopped it, Jeremiah believed that the violence must continue.

We know what Jeremiah likely did not know. Through the ministry of Daniel, we understand that God was hard at work in the Babylonian capital, just as God was hard at work in Israel and the nations that surrounded her. And one day soon, the Babylonian swords would fall silent because of the nation's continued rebellion. God would stop them.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 49

 

 

 

 

The plot twist in "Murder on the Orient Express" is that they all, with the exception of Hercule Poirot, of course, did it. As for why, I will let you either watch the movie or read the book.

How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land? – Psalm 137:4

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 18, 2020): Psalm 137

I am one of many fans who has been entertained by impromptu performances, made on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic; performances made by some of the musicians that have influenced my life. A big thank you is extended to musicians like Burton Cummings (The Guess Who) and Tommy Shaw (Styx). Shaw’s performance was especially edifying, watching him struggle with the complex arrangement he was trying to reproduce somehow made him more human and the performance so much better. Both Cummings and Styx are on permanent rotation on my phone; I often listen to their music when I am out on a walk, or driving in a car. I have also enjoyed performances from people like Elton John. Somehow, during our time of isolation, they have made the experience a little more livable.

Psalm 137 is one of my favorite Psalms. The Psalm was made famous in the late ’70s by Euro-Caribbean vocal group “Boney M.” Rivers of Babylon asked the question “how can we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land,” and did so with a beat and tune that is hard not to dance to and sing along with. And so, sing we did.

Music has always been important to me, both in good and bad times. But there might be a difference between singing a song,  one that emerges out of our shared pain and being asked to sing out our personal pain in front of people who are not suffering. Part of what is incredibly encouraging about hearing Cummings, Shaw, and John sing, is the sure knowledge that they too were singing from their captivity, and lifting their voices from their places of COVID-19 forced exile into mine. They were experiencing their pain and, at the same time, validating the discomfort of everyone else caught in our self-imposed isolations. And so, we thank them for the song.

But, by the rivers of Babylon, the story was different. The song that was being demanded was not being shared within a community of sufferers. Those who had caused the pain were demanding a song from those who were in pain. The songs were not requested so that the prisoners could find a balm of healing in the music. Instead, the songs sung by the captives were required so that the captors, the ones who had caused the pain, could be entertained.

And the exiles were in no mood to but on a brave face and smile for the audience as they sang out their torment. They would save that for the times when they were alone, laying out their hearts for the ones that were suffering just like them. And then, maybe, they could find the healing that the song often brings, amid a pain that no words could express.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 48

May the groans of the prisoners come before you; with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die. – Psalm 79:11

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 17, 2020): Psalm 79

At the beginning of history, after the events of pre-history, the stories of creation, the flood, and the lives of the patriarchs, Israel’s story starts with a nation of slaves. For the past four centuries, Israel had bided their time in Egypt. At first, they existed as welcomed guests. But that was back in pre-history, at the end of the times of patriarchs. But what started as a good thing, ended up being a terrible situation.

The people of Israel lived in fear and pain. And they called out to their God, hoping for an answer. Exodus reminds us that God heard the prayers of his people.

The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them (Exodus 2:23b-25).

The Israelites groaned, and God heard their groaning.

The Psalmist, writing in the aftermath of the destruction of Jerusalem, picks up the same language in his prayer, “May the groans of the prisoners come before you” once more. We remember when Israel was imprisoned as slaves in Egypt, and now they have become prisoners in Babylon. Lord God, hear their groans and our prayers.

But, more importantly, just as it was back in the days of our slavery in Egypt, some people were not going to live through the current situation. The phrase here is actually “the sons of death,” which brings to my mind the sons of King Zedekiah. As Psalm 79 was composed, Zedekiah’s son’s executions were either in the process or they had recently been executed. Zedekiah would live, but the Babylonian gift of life was intended to be worse than if the King had died. Zedekiah’s eyes would be gouged out after the execution of his sons so that the last sight the King would remember was the death of his sons. Zedekiah would live, but he probably wished that his life had ended with the lives of his sons and officials, making the phrase “sons of death” eerily appropriate.

Of course, there would be many more who would die. The walk was long and hard to Babylon, and their guides were less than compassionate. And so, the Psalmist lifts up those who were suffering in the wake of Jerusalem’s destruction, and asking God, one more time, to hear the groans of the people and respond with concern for his children.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 137

Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins, all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary. – Psalm 74:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 16, 2020): Psalm 74

In our contemporary society, the “Tenth of Tevet” is mostly an overlooked fast in Judaism, and a fast that is almost totally unknown outside of the Jewish faith. There are a couple of reasons for our lack of observance of this Jewish fast. First, it is overshadowed by Hanukkah, which ends, depending on the year, only seven or eight days before the single-day fast held on the “Tenth of Tevet.” But maybe even more importantly, it’s focus is almost the complete opposite of Hanukkah. Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of Zerubbabel’s Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire. It remembers a time of celebration as the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes, who had reversed the policies of the Greek Kings who had preceded him, Kings who had respected Jewish culture and protected Jewish Institutions, was ended. After the desecrations of Antiochus, the Temple was restored, cleaned, and rededicated. And Hanukkah celebrated this significant moment in Jewish history.

The “Tenth of Tevet” mourns the destruction of Solomon’s Temple, the Temple that Zerubbabel’s Temple replaced. So, Hanukkah celebrates a rededication, and the “Tenth of Tevet” mourns a significant loss. One celebrates God’s protection of Israel, while the other mourns his absence during a time of struggle, an absence that was as a direct result of the rebellion of the people. From a human point of view, a celebration is more attractive than a time of mourning.

The Psalmist turns to the newly destroyed Temple and speaks to the heart of the mourning that is found in the fast of the “Tenth of Tevet.” God, turn your steps back to your people. Run to these ruins and the devastating situation that has been brought onto us by the Babylonians. Our rebellion caused this destruction, but only you can fix it.

Nothing has really changed. We are still hurt by our own rebellion, and the only answer to our situations is found in God. And while we are attracted to our times of celebration, it is sometimes our times of mourning that bring more healing. We need our own personal “Tenth of Tevet.” We need times that we can pray the prayer of the Psalmist. Run to us, Oh God. Find us in our devastation, because you are the only answer.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 79

It was because of the LORD’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust them from his presence. Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. – Jeremiah 52:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (June 15, 2020): Jeremiah 52

Folk wisdom argues that how a man treats his mother will be reflected in how he treats his wife. Experts aren’t so sure. There is no doubt that our relationships with our parents have a significant influence on how we relate to each other. It is also true that opposite sex parent-child relationships are critical. A woman being brought home to meet a man’s mother is probably only succeeded in importance, and terror, by a woman taking a man home to meet her father. But it is doubtful that a man who has a strained relationship with his mother is destined to bad relationships in his romantic entanglements. It might be accurate, but we can overcome our upbringing.

But there is truth in a more general principle. How we react in one situation is likely to be the same in another. If we learn to lie in our business interactions, we will likely be untruthful with our social associations. People of character respond the same in good times and bad times, and they respond the same when they face minor struggles as they do when they face more significant difficulties.

And if we have a problem with authority in one area, we will likely struggle with authority in all circumstances. Zedekiah’s rule was marked by a difficulty with authority. He struggled with the priests who opposed him. He was opposed, most notably, by Jeremiah, and his struggle with Jeremiah was legendary. Zedekiah was a man who liked to be in control.

But there is also some evidence that Zedekiah was a man who was swayed by the people around him. He liked to be the one in control. Zedekiah believed that he had the right to have his opinions validated, but there were times when he didn’t want to be the one who made the decisions. At times, speaking with Zedekiah must have felt like you were talking to the last person that he had spoken with; the king was easily swayed by the arguments of people who supported him, as long as they deferred to him and allowed him to be king.

Since this is the way that Zedekiah led the nation, and this was the nature of his rebellion, not just against the prophets and priests, but against God, it is not surprising that eventually, Zedekiah would rebel against Nebuchadnezzar II and Babylon. Zedekiah could not be trusted by his God to follow his dictates and laws, so there was no way that Nebuchadnezzar could trust the King of Judah to do as he wished. Nebuchadnezzar probably realized that at some point, Zedekiah would rebel. And when that happened, Babylon would be ready to respond. And so, Zedekiah’s expected rebellion forced Babylon to make a move to defeat the nation of the Jews entirely.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Psalm 74