I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. – Psalm 118:17

Today's Scripture Reading (August 31, 2022): Psalms 118

John Wycliffe (1328-1384) was an early church reformer. Over a hundred years before Martin Luther began his reformation journey, Wycliffe was already asking some important questions. And as a result of his questions, he was also making some significant enemies. Wycliffe was not just an important reformer; he was also one of the first to attempt to translate the Bible into English, a translation of which the established church was not in favor. At the time, they were content to have the Bible in the possession of the religious elite. The Wycliffe Bible, a series of translations that were translated under the direction of John Wycliffe, began to appear between 1382, just before Wycliffe's death in 1384, and 1395.

One of Wycliffe's favorite verses was Psalm 118:17. "I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done." James Montgomery Boice tells a story of Wycliffe.

"John Wycliffe … fell sick at one point as the result of his incessant labors for the gospel. The friars heard that their enemy was dying and hastened to his bedside. Surely Wycliffe would be overcome with remorse for his Protestant heresies. Surely he would renounce his views and ask for God's forgiveness and the friars' blessing. A crowd of monks representing four major orders of the friars gathered around him. They began by wishing him health, then quickly changed their tune and urged him to make a full confession since he would soon have to give an accounting of himself to God. Wycliffe waited patiently until they had ended. Then, asking his servant to raise him a little so he could speak better, Wycliffe fixed his keen eyes on them and said in a commanding voice, 'I shall not die but live and proclaim…the evil deeds of the friars.'" (James Montgomery Boice)

The verse was not only precious to Wycliffe. Martin Luther also held this verse close to his heart. According to Johannes Mathesius (1504-1565), a disciple of Luther, Martin Luther had Psalm 118:17 written on the wall of his study.

And it has become the cry of the Christian Church. Even in the darkest moments of our experience, we know that we will not die but live. We exclaim with the assurance of Job that

I know that my redeemer lives,
    and that in the end he will stand on the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
    yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see him
    with my own eyes—I, and not another.
    How my heart yearns within me (Job 19:25-27)!

We will not die but live!

Today's Scripture Reading: Psalm 119:1-48

I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. – Psalm 116:1

Today's Scripture Reading (August 30, 2022): Psalms 116 & 117

As William Wilberforce fought against the practice of slavery in Britain, he tried to speak very plainly about what was happening in the name of Britain in the trade. Wilberforce talked about the pain and death that accompanied slavery, made worse by the callousness with which slave traffickers went about their business. He aimed to remove excuses from any of the people who listened to his words, including the British Parliament, which kept the laws in force that allowed slavery to exist legally. His response to Parliament was succinct. "You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know" (William Wilberforce).

Sometimes, being heard is enough. In customer relations training, one of the central instructions for dealing with an upset customer is to listen to and hear them. Don't try to interrupt with excuses; allow them to vent about their experience and let them feel that they have been heard. Once they have been heard, you can move on to attempt to solve the problem; usually, the customer will value the experience. All because we all have an innate need just to be heard.

But it also has to go beyond just listening; some remedial action is needed. And it is possible to let the customer lead even in this area. Let them tell you what they want before you begin negotiating what the company is willing to do. Especially if you want to keep the customer, each step is incredibly important.

At the time of the Exodus, God came to Moses and said,

I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:7-8).

The first thing God says is that he has seen and heard Israel. And because he has seen and listened to the people, he is concerned. It was the precise motive for Wilberforce's description of slavery to his colleagues in the government. I want you to hear the story and introduce you to an enslaved person so you will be moved to concern. And then, maybe, you will be ready to take action

The Psalmist exclaims that he loves God because he knows God has heard him. He hopes that God will become concerned about his plight after hearing him. And the Psalmist believes God has heard him; God has been moved by his cries because God has extended mercy to him in his time of need.

Today's Scripture Reading: Psalm 118

Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them. – Psalm 115:8

Today's Scripture Reading (August 29, 2022): Psalm 115

I have an interesting proposition. Is it possible that we become like the God or gods in whom we believe? As Christians, we dream that we will be remade in the image of Christ. But is it possible that the image of Christ that we envision influences the image in which we are being transformed? And unfortunately, we have proven to be able to be very subjective with our images of God. If we believe that we serve a righteous and just God, then that is what we will be as well, careful to walk the line and keep the rules. If he is a task driver, then we will be task drivers. Those who believe that God hates find it easy to hate others as well.

I have been told that I am a rule keeper, and that is very true. However, I also know that I tend to rebel against the rules that others make. And I have admitted in this blog that I have never liked bullies. Maybe all of this makes my Jesus one who does some of the very same things. Jesus rebelled against the Pharisees, who appeared to be the bullies of Jesus's world. And while being a rule keeper, he also knew when the moment had arrived to break the rules. And the question that I struggle with is this; am I being transformed into that kind of a person because that is the image of God that I have in my life, or because that really is how Christ was when he walked on the earth?

It is one reason I try to discipline myself to read the Bible in different ways. I try to see the Bible through the eyes of those who believe differently. A few weeks ago, someone mentioned, at the time it seemed almost accusingly, that my scripture interpretive key is "Go in love." Over the past few weeks, that phrase has never been far from my mind as I have read my Bible, wondering if there is another interpretive key I should adopt. But my problem, if you can call it that, is that I can't get away from the idea that God really is love. And anyone who is being remade in the image of Christ will be remade in that image of love.

The Psalmist talks about those who serve false gods. They worship idols with mouths that cannot speak, eyes that cannot see, ears that cannot hear, noses that cannot smell, hands that cannot feel, feet that cannot walk, and throats that are silent. And yet, somehow, the followers of these blind and mute gods believe that these handicapped gods can come to their defense.

But the real outcome of following these gods is that their creators and those who choose to follow them will become just like their gods. They will be blind, unfeeling, and silent. It is a curse that rests on all who follow false gods.

I still think I serve a God of love. And until the day that someone convinces me differently, that is the image of God that I want to reflect to the world around me.

Today's Scripture Reading: Psalms 116 & 117

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of his people. – Psalm 113:7-8

Today's Scripture Reading (August 28, 2022): Psalms 113 & 114

The split between rich and poor is steadily widening. Many fear that we are quickly arriving at a situation in Western Culture where this income gap will result in a class war. But what we sometimes underestimate in this widening financial gap is that we also have much less contact with people of different economic statuses. Those who live paycheck to paycheck don't get a chance to sit down with millionaires; therefore, we don't get to learn some of the secrets and problems that often accompany wealth. And there is a good reason for that. The rich are afraid of those who might make demands on their wealth, the continual carousel of people who want them to give their wealth away. It is easier to only associate with those who have money. And so, the financial gap widens socially as much as it does economically.

And even among the rich and the very rich, there is a gap. I have an acquaintance who plays professional hockey, but he fulfills a journeyman role on his hockey team and is not one of the superstars. And he tells stories about how extremely rich superstars differentiate themselves from the lower-paid role players. They are all millionaires, but the super-rich tend to distinguish themselves from the merely rich socially.

One of the biblical expectations is that the day is coming when the social divisions between the economic classes will disappear. The poor will sit with the rich. And maybe even more importantly, the value of people will no longer depend on money but on other more important characteristics.

This Psalm is not the only mention of this process in the Bible. Psalm 113 is often viewed as an ancestor to Paul's thoughts written to the Church at Ephesus.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-7).

As far as Paul was concerned, the presence of grace, available to all, was a social equalizer. Grace was why the early church was successful at mingling economic groups. The rich and powerful worshipped in the same space as enslaved people because they understood that both were recipients of God's much-needed grace.

But sometimes, we overlook that is almost exactly what Hannah says in 1 Samuel. "He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor" (1 Samuel 2:8). The length and breadth of the Bible speak of a time that is coming when the class system will be thrown away. We will all be valued as the precious children of God that we are. And we should all look forward to that day.

Today's Scripture Reading: Psalm 115

Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. – Psalm 112:6

Today's Scripture Reading (August 27, 2022): Psalms 111 & 112

I attended Sir John A. MacDonald Junior High School. (We referred to the school as SJAM.) Maybe it was a different age, long before what has come to be known as "Cancel Culture." It was an age when we were more forgiving of our cultural heroes. The significance of MacDonald for Canadians was that he was the first Prime Minister of Canada, fulfilling the cultural relevance to Canadians that George Washington fulfills for the United States. But also, like George Washington, his image has become a little more tarnished in recent years. George Washington and other founding fathers have been re-examined because of their ownership of enslaved people. Washington declared his support for abolition but continued to enslave people throughout his life. It was an act that we are not sure deserves our forgiveness.

For Sir John A. MacDonald, his relationship with indigenous populations has brought extra scrutiny to his legacy. One crime that has been specifically under attack is his support for Louis Riel's execution. Riel had been the political leader of the Metis people, and he had led a revolt against the Government of Canada because of the government's failure to live up to their treaty obligations early in 1885. He was found guilty at trial, but the jury had recommended mercy. No mercy was given. Riel was executed on November 16, 1885, and some blamed the Prime Minister for the execution.

I get it. People like Sir John A MacDonald and even George Washington didn't get everything right. Actually, there was much that they got wrong. But I don't believe in trying to cleanse history. We can learn from the good, the bad, and the ugly of those who have gone before us. In Canada, a movement has demanded that statues of MacDonald be removed, websites deleted, and even schools named after the Prime Minister be stripped of the MacDonald name and renamed after a more acceptable historical people. But I resist the move. As the first Prime Minister, MacDonald did many things right, and we have many reasons why we should remember him. We don't have to cleanse our history of the negative. We should be able to honor our predecessors as well as evaluate all the ways that they went wrong. There is no contradiction in this concept, but rather a recognition that all of us are actually a combination of the good and the bad.

The Psalmist says that the righteous will never be shaken, and they will be remembered forever. The promise is that those who follow the demands of God will find that they never have anything for which culture will want to cancel them. It is true, but few of us have reached that exalted state. In the Bible, I can only think of two; Jesus and Joseph, Jacob's son, both lived God-anchored lives. All others had times when they failed God. They are remembered as a mixture of good and bad. What a tragedy it would be if someday someone decided that they should be canceled and their stories erased so that we can no longer learn from the good and bad present in their lives.

Today's Scripture Reading: Psalms 113 & 114

 

Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. They saw the works of the LORD, his wonderful deeds in the deep. – Psalm 107:23-24

Today's Scripture Reading (August 26, 2022): Psalm 107

"There are no atheists in foxholes." No one knows where the saying originated. It has been attributed to various military chaplains or other military officers. President Dwight Eisenhower quoted the words in his remarks from the White House as part of an American Legion Program on February 7, 1954. But the quote didn't originate with the President. It had been published with slightly different wording as early as late in the First World War; the War to End All Wars.

The quote is real, but that doesn't mean the sentiment is true. I am sure there are "foxhole conversions," moments under extreme duress when people commit to God. But it is often a commitment that swiftly evaporates as soon as the moment of stress has disappeared. But there are others that I am sure meet that moment of stress without any thought given to God. I know a man who had been an atheist all of his life, and when that final moment of life came, it was his pride that kept him from accepting God with his last breaths. He wanted nothing more than to die as he had lived.

In ancient times it wasn't just war that caused some people to make "foxhole conversions." Danger was present with some very common tasks of life, especially if you happened to be a sailor or someone who spent your time on the open seas. Water came to symbolize chaos because the action of the water seemed so unpredictable. Anyone who spent time on the water had run into an unexpected storm. In ancient times, material and life loss on the water was more common than anyone wanted to admit. And those that lived through the storm often began thanking some god for their deliverance. In those circumstances, it was only divine intervention that made any sense.

The Psalmist makes the most of these "foxhole conversions." He argues that those who have gone out onto the mighty waters know the power and majesty of God. They have seen what happens on the waves and have watched the water's majesty and power. They have experienced the frightful storms that seem to appear at a moment's notice and just as quickly disappear.

So, the Psalmist asks this question; how can anyone who has seen that kind of majesty not believe in God? We have become so jaded with our knowledge that we seldom bother to ask those questions. And yet we should. We should be able to look at the world with the wonder of someone who does not have that kind of knowledge and, at that moment, see our God's majesty anew once more.

Today's Scripture Reading: Psalms 111 & 112

He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. – Psalm 104:19

Today's Scripture Reading (August 25, 2022): Psalm 104

Eleanor Farjeon was an English poet and children's author. One day she was asked to write a poem that would fit a traditional Scottish tune that could be sung at the beginning of the day. It needed to be a song of thanksgiving for the new day that had been given to the people. The song was first published in 1931. A second variation of the song was published in 1957, also written by Eleanor Farjeon. This song was entitled "A Morning Song (For the First Day of Spring)." But regardless of the title, most of us know the song after hearing just the first few notes of the Scottish tune.

Morning has broken like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird
Praise for the singing
Praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the world

Colloquially, our understanding of the new day often comes with the rising of the sun. If I stay up into the wee hours of the morning, which happens fewer times now than it did when I was younger, I will often say I went to bed late last night, even though night had already expired and morning had begun. The only time we seem to pay attention to the changing of the day is on New Year's Eve. At that moment, we count down the seconds until midnight and that moment when we will flip the calendar over to a new year. On New Year's Eve, we welcome the new day and year that comes to us one second after midnight.

But the day beginning at one second after midnight or with the rising of the sun is not how everyone looks at the beginning of the day. The Psalmist argues that the moon marks the season and that the sun knows when to go down. Some have wondered about the order. Why talk about the moon first? There is a reason. The Psalmist has described his understanding of a new day. Hebrew people believed that the day began not with the sun's rising but rather with the sun's setting. The moon dominated the first portion of the new day as it marked the seasons, and the day continued until the sun's setting and the moon's rising marked the next day. So, as the sun sets, we give thanks for the day that has ended and offer prayers of petition for the day that begins with the rising of the moon.

Today's Scripture Reading: Psalm 107

 

For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers. – Psalm 102:3

Today's Scripture Reading (August 24, 2022): Psalm 102

After graduating from grade six, I realized that I did not want to go into grade seven. Going to grade seven meant a change of schools. I was used to the small elementary school I had attended since I entered grade three. Thorncliffe Elementary School was only a couple of houses away from my home. Sir John A. McDonald Junior High School, the place where I was slated to start Grade seven, was about a mile away. It was bigger and filled with unknowns. I had never really liked school, but as I walked home from my elementary school on that hot June afternoon, all I could think of was how much I didn't want to go to that Junior High School in September, just a couple of months in the future.

Even as a child, I understood one reality. The summer months were fleeting. The days of summer fun would disappear before I knew it. And that meant that, before I knew it, I would be making that mile-long walk to grade seven, and I didn't want to go.

So, I came up with a plan. I was going to ban all fun from my life for the summer. I was going to sit in a chair and not even allow myself to watch T.V. I would make my summer drag on and on. I planned to make the summer days as long as possible. Maybe, somehow, I could delay that moment of grade seven into the mists of the future and never attend.

Of course, my plan failed. I don't think I even made it through the first day of summer vacation just sitting in a chair. Eventually, fun called, and I gave in to its demands. And so did grade seven, which actually wasn't near as bad as I had imagined it might be. One of the things that I feared about Junior High School was the lack of "recess," one of the few things about Elementary School that I enjoyed. But I was almost a month into my Junior High career before I realized I hadn't missed it. And that might have been the biggest surprise about my entrance into grade seven.

The Psalmist is sick and likely in pain. And from the context of the Psalm, he fears that his life is coming to an end. And with that knowledge, he looks back at his life and marvels at how swiftly time has disappeared. It is an emotion with which we are all familiar. Life seems to disappear from our grasp faster than my grade six summer. Like the Psalmist, the time will come when we will look back and know that almost all of our life now lies behind us. At that time, we will again marvel at how swiftly time has passed by us.

But it is not only that time disappeared from the Psalmist; illness lays heavy on him. There is pain deep inside the Psalmist, so much so that his bones feel burning. There is nothing the Psalmist can do but offer this lament to God. It is a practice found all through the pages of the Bible. And what is amazing is that the same God that receives our praise is also honored by our lament. God refuses to be there for us just when things are going well; he is also a God who stands with us through the bad moments of life. When it feels like time is running out and all we have left in this world are bones that burn with sickness, God has promised to be with us and carry us through the fire to the end of our world.

Today's Scripture Reading: Psalm 104