Listen, my people, and I will speak; I will testify against you, Israel: I am God, your God. – Psalm 50:7

Today's Scripture Reading (August 6, 2022): Psalm 50

Over the past few years, we seem to have seen the rise of the "nor my President" movement. Not that it wasn't there before, but it just didn't seem as prevalent as it has been recently. At least in my mind, it seemed to start with the Donald Trump Presidency. Trump won the race for the office of President in 2016 while losing the race for the popular vote. And again, that is nothing new. In fact, it is a more common reality than we might think. But this reality came to a head because of Donald Trump's controversial leadership style. As a result, those who voted for Hillary Clinton became more vocal than usual, reminding the political leadership that more citizens voted against Trump than voted for him. Donald Trump was "not their President." The movement spread to other nations, where we were reminded that many leaders were not the leaders of the majority. It is a common experience in Canada which has multiple political parties. It is fairly routine for someone to win the office of the nation's Prime Minister with around 40% voter support, meaning that 60% of the people of the country can point at the Prime Minister and say, "He's not my Prime Minister." Except that is not true in the United States or Canada. He is my President/Prime Minister because he is the one who won the most electoral college votes (United States) or House of Common seats (Canada) than any other potential nominee. And therefore, he speaks for the nation, whether we like it or not.

God reminds Israel that he has the authority to speak against the nation because he is God. It reflected God's response to Moses when the Law Giver asked God for his name. God told Moses God said to Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I am has sent me to you'" (Exodus 3:14). Moses, all you need to know is that I am, I exist. I am the God that exists. That should be enough for you.

But God doesn't stop there. He says I am God, the God who exists, the "Great I Am," but I am also your God. Unfortunately, that was something that Israel seemed to forget often. They chased after other gods, often relegating the "Great I Am" to just one occupant of a diverse pantheon of gods worshipped by the people. But God reminds Israel that he is their God. Charles Spurgeon reminds us that;

The law began with, 'I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt,' and now the session of their judgment opens with the same reminder of their singular position, privilege, and responsibility. It is not only that Jehovah is God, but thy God, O Israel (Charles Spurgeon).

Today's Scripture Reading: Psalm 73