Today's Scripture Reading (July 5, 2022): Psalm 36
My grandfather loved to
drive. He was one of those who loved the tradition of a Sunday afternoon drive. And he was also willing to veer off the well-worn path to see some places where people didn't normally go. I remember one such drive when I was a child
that led us into the heart of a First Nations reservation area. As a child,
probably younger than ten, I can still remember the questioning eyes of the
First Nations residents as they watched this fairly new car with a strange
white family traveling through their territory. I was a kid who had watched way too many westerns, usually with my Dad, and I can still remember just wanting to get back to the
main road before the inhabitants of the reservation decided to confront us. We all survived that experience, and
that drive left me with an important memory.
One of my grandfather's favorite spots was up on the side of a mountain. The road wound up the side of the mountain,
and often there was wildlife available for viewing at the side of the road. But further up the mountain, there was also a great parking spot which led to a
wonderful viewpoint. The top of the mountain still stood just above you, but the outlook gave you an excellent view of an alpine meadow,
sometimes fully equipped with wildlife, and far below was a mountain town with
a railroad running through it. It was a good place just to sit and watch the world pass by.
It is not hard to imagine
David sitting at such a viewpoint as he writes this Psalm. Above him stood the
grandeur of the mountain tops. And David imagines the mountains that he sees
mirror God's righteousness, standing tall about the plain of
men. And then, he looks into the deep valley and pictures that the valley is God's justice, delving deep into the ways of the human
race. Together, the mountains and valley symbolized the ways of God as he dealt
with his
creation.
And in
this process, David saw how God cared for his creation. For God, every aspect of his
creation is incredibly important and worthy of his attention. And David
understands that God is concerned with all of his creation. The mountains and
valleys of God, symbolizing God's righteousness and justice, are important to
care for both the people of the towns and the animals that stood alongside the
roadways and inhabited the Alpine plain.
One of my favorite verses in
the story of Jonah is the last one, one that is not about a man being swallowed
by a big fish. In the aftermath of the repentance of Nineveh, God tries to
reason with a pouting Jonah. And God finishes the story of Jonah by asking
this question.
But the Lord said, "You have been concerned about this plant,
though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died
overnight. And should I
not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are
more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand
from their left—and also many animals" (Jonah 4:10-11)?
God cares for all of his creation, his righteousness and justice are
for all of the created beings on the earth, and that includes the animals of the field.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading:
Psalm 38
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