Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. – Psalm 68:19

Today's Scripture Reading (August 30, 2025): Psalm 68

I recently taught on what might be the most challenging passage in Paul's Letter to the Thessalonians. It is a familiar passage, but to be honest, I think most of us ignore what Paul says in hopes that maybe the passage will go away. At the very least, I think we treat this passage as one that is simply impossible to follow in our complicated contemporary world. What is this strange passage? "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). I mean, surely this is an exaggeration. How can we ever be thankful for every circumstance in our lives? I believe that life is a gift, but I also know that every life comes with its own challenges and difficulties. How could even God expect us to be thankful in our times of struggle?

Yet, I don't think that this passage is an exaggeration. In my teaching, I went back to five months when I went through a time of extreme stress, which included friends who were sentenced to prison for a significant period, the death of a friend due to misadventure, and the attempted suicide of another friend. The five-month period ended with the kidnapping of my roommate and then me being held at gunpoint in my apartment.

It was a harrowing story to tell, and not everyone received the story well. For some, it was just too much. As I taught, I felt the angry looks coming at me from some of the people in the room. However, now I get to look at this time in my life from a different perspective. When I was going through this time of trial, any possible purpose seemed impossible. Yet now, I can see the positives that emerged from this time of extreme stress. And one of them is that as a direct result of this time, the following year, I decided to go to a school that was 1500 kilometers away from where I had spent my first year of post-secondary education. When I was teaching, I had just celebrated forty-four years of marriage with my wife, and I knew that if it weren't for this troubling season of my life, I would never have met her. It might have been a trying time, but out of it grew some of the most important relationships in my life.

David writes, "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens" (Psalm 68:19). I love the way that David Guzik translates this passage, "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits." It isn't far from Paul's instructions to the Thessalonians: "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18a). Every day God blesses us, even in our times of trial. We may not see it immediately, but I believe that God blesses us. And we need to thank God for even these temporarily unseen blessings. We need to accept by faith something else that Paul wrote, this time to the Romans. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). Every day, God really does load us with benefits that come directly from his hand.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 69

Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! We are filled with the good things of your house, of your holy temple. – Psalm 65:4

Today's Scripture Reading (August 29, 2025): Psalm 65

Several years ago, I attended a service at a local synagogue. It was a thought-provoking experience. The service itself was over three hours long, which was much longer than the hour to hour and half service to which I am accustomed. Of course, before I could enter the sanctuary, I had to stop at a box in the foyer of the synagogue that was filled with kippahs, often referred to as yarmulkes. The kippahs in the box were of varying designs. Some were quite plain, while others displayed intricate designs. Some were made of a dark fabric, while others were constructed out of a bright fabric. I actually own a kippah; it has no design on it and is made out of a light blue fabric, but on this day, I wanted to wear one that I had borrowed. Once I had placed the kippah on my head, we were invited into the next step of our visit. We entered the synagogue's sanctuary. As we entered the large room filled with pews, I was reminded that while I was invited to sit anywhere, every pew in the synagogue was owned by a family of the synagogue. Not all of them would attend on any one Sabbath, but if they did, they would likely want to sit in their pew, and my wife and I would be asked to move.

We sat down in a pew located near the back, and then began to participate in the service. When the scrolls were taken from their cupboard at the front and paraded around the room, I did reach out with my prayer book to touch the scroll, as many of the worshippers did who were in reach of the scroll. But there were several moments when it was pretty clear that we were visitors; we did not belong in this place.

David writes that those whom God brings near are blessed. Some experts have thought that David was speaking of the priests who came and ministered at the Tabernacle on a regular rotation. They might not be at the Tabernacle every week of the year, but this was a place that they came to regularly, and they were welcome at the Tabernacle, unlike the average person.

This interpretation of the passage might be accurate, but it is interesting that David uses the word "courts." The outermost court of the Tabernacle and Temple was called the court of the Gentiles. It is the one place where anyone could come, regardless of race, to worship God. I may not have belonged in the local synagogue, but there was a place at the Temple where even I could say that I belonged.

As Jesus died on the cross, the curtain was torn between the court of the priests and the holy of holies. The image was of a place where no one was welcome except for the High Priest on the Day of Atonement, where now everyone was welcome. But there has always been, within the Tabernacle and Temple, a place where we all could go. The only thing that holds us back is us. You are invited to come close, and as James reminds us, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you" (James 4:7-8a). 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 68

View from the Left - Right

This is a bit of a break from what you might find normally on this blog, but my only defense is that sometimes I get triggered. I saw half of the following diagram, the "View from the Left" on Social Media. Even though I would describe myself as a Conservative, or maybe better, a Fiscal Conservative, the diagram felt incomplete. And so I added the "View from the Right." However, the bottom line is that as long as we are willing to villainize each other. There are no solutions. 

So, enjoy with the sarcasm that is intended to go along with this chart.

My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; the one whose walk is blameless will to me. - Psalm 64:1

Today's Scripture Reading (August 28, 2025): Psalm 64

"Writing is like talking to yourself, just in a way that makes it look like you're not crazy!" I am not sure who said it, but I love the quote. Whoever it was that wrote these words was right. I am one of those people who talk to themselves. What makes my form of talking to myself even crazier is that I also answer myself. Maybe this is why I often like to spend some time alone; when I am alone, no other voices can disturb the conversation I am having with myself, and there are no people around to accuse me of being crazy.

I also admit that there are times when I talk to my television, although that practice seems to have diminished over the past several years. I used to talk to my television when I was watching sports, questioning what the teams were doing on the screen, like the 2015 failure in the Super Bowl of the Seattle Seahawks to run the ball from the half-yard line on a second-and-goal. Instead, they passed, the pass was intercepted, and the Seahawks lost the biggest game of their year, 28-24. "What are you doing?" That one was a bit embarrassing because I was in a public place at the time, and it wasn't a bar or a place where everyone was watching the game and asking the same question. I hope the television and the people in the airport have forgiven me for the frustration that I vented on it in that moment.

Another television target is religious programming. I love to argue with TV preachers. Yes, I know they can't hear me, but I talk anyway. I freely question the theology or absurdity of their comments and the strange beliefs of those who speak to me through the screen in my office or family room. A while back, I was listening to one of these television prophets talking about prayer, and he made this comment: When you pray, you speak out loud to God. We have a different name for silent prayer; we call it thinking. If you pray, you verbalize your request before God.

I am not convinced that is true. David writes this about his understanding of God.

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely (Psalm 139:1-4).

David seems to understand that God heard his prayer when he spoke, but also knew the silent requests of the King when he was "just thinking." It is a concept that is not just found in the poetry of David; it is also in the prophecy of Jeremiah.

"I the Lord search the heart
    and examine the mind,
to reward each person according to their conduct,
    according to what their deeds deserve" (Jeremiah 17:10).

Again, Jeremiah seems to understand that God knows both his thoughts and his deeds, and that he would be judged according to both.

In the New Testament, it again seems to indicate that Jesus knew the thoughts of those around him. "Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts" (Matthew 9:4).

I believe that God hears your silent prayers, even if some want to demote such prayers to "just thinking." However, there are times when we need to verbalize our prayers before God. Here, David says that he voices his complaint; he states it out loud. I think one reason to lend our voice to our prayers is that sometimes when we hear our request coming out of our mouths, we have a greater sense of reality, and understand the truth of what God wants from and for us, and how foolish some of the things we say and pray for really are.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 65

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. – Psalm 62:5

Today's Scripture Reading (August 27, 2025): Psalm 62

American poet Langston Hughes writes, "Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die life is a broken-winged bird, that cannot fly." We all have moments of darkness when the walls seem to be closing in on our lives. In those moments, it is only the presence of hope that can help us to find the passage out. If it were not for our dreams, we would sit in the darkness and believe that this is the way life has to be. We probably know several people for whom this is the reality of their lives. There is no hope, only darkness. Their dreams have disappeared, and passage out of the night is well hidden. The situation is hopeless, and they are convinced that they will never return to life.

As David writes this Psalm, this is precisely the place that he finds himself. David was a celebrated and much remembered Poet-King. He was a great military strategist. He found himself at the center of a nation that was shaping the world around him, and yet he often seems to find himself in places where he experiences a lack of hope. The darkness often seems to surround him, and the dreams that should show him the way out of his dark night have all disappeared. For David, life often seems to be "a broken-winged bird that cannot fly."

It is in those moments that he turns his focus toward God. For as strong and as militarily proficient as David was, even he was not strong enough to meet all of the trials of life. He needed God. And if David needed God, then so do we.

Charles Spurgeon remarks that "Here the psalmist steps off the sand, and puts his foot on the rock. Happy is the man who can say to the Lord, 'My hope comes from him.'" God is the creator of our dreams and the author of our way out of the dark times of life. And even when everything seems lost, he is the commander of the cavalry that is hiding just on the other side of the hill. He is not merely the author of our hope; he is our hope. And without him, life really is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 64

See also Psalm 39:7

For you, God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. – Psalm 61:5

Today's Scripture Reading (August 26, 2025): Psalm 61

Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96. Her reign was 70 years, 214 days, the longest reign of any British monarch and the longest reign for any Queen anywhere on the planet. The only longevity mark that Elizabeth II did not beat was that of Louis XIV of France, who ruled for almost two years longer than Elizabeth II, but he also ascended to the throne of France at the age of four. In contrast, Elizabeth was 25 years of age with a three-year-old son, Charles III, and a sixteen-month-old daughter, Anne, when she became Queen. 

The Sunday following the Queen's death was September 11, 2022, a day that was already full of meaning for people who live on my side of the pond. But on that Sunday, I decided to do something a little unusual. On significant days, I have been known to throw in the national anthem to sing in the worship service, even though I believe that my allegiance to the Kingdom of Heaven takes precedence over the nation in which I live and am a citizen. However, on September 11, 2022, the national anthem I chose to use to open the service was the anthem of the United Kingdom, a song entitled "God Save the King." The title of this anthem changes with the gender of the monarch. On September 11, 2022, I remarked that while I have sung the song "God Save the Queen" several times in my life, even though I have never been to Britain, this would be the first time I would sing "God Save the King." But first, in memory of over seventy years on the British throne, we sang "God Save the Queen," followed by "God Save the King."

Some severely criticized me for my decision. We have long memories, and the evils of rulers and their houses often dominate our memories. Why would I choose to sing that song, knowing all of the evil that the monarchs of the United Kingdom have perpetuated throughout history? Murder, slavery, false imprisonment, the sins of colonization in the New World, were just some of the sins for which the former Queen and the new King could be blamed.

My reaction was that I have a shorter memory, and blaming any of us for what our ancestors might have done doesn't make much sense to me. Elizabeth and Charles could be blamed for the sins that they have committed, but at the same time, so could we. And there comes a moment when what we need is to forgive each other. And so we sang.

God save our gracious King.
Long live our noble King,
God save The King:
Send him victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us:
God save The King.

David prays that "you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name." It is a phrase that speaks of his reign as King, but it also speaks of those who went before and those who would follow him. The words carry a similar meaning to the one we would find in "God Save the King." God, you have heard my vows, and even when I have failed you, I know that my reign and that of those who follow me will be in your hands. Therefore, you remain the one who deserves all of our praise.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 62

No, in your heart you devise injustice, and your hands mete out violence on the earth. – Psalm 58:2

Today's Scripture Reading (August 25, 2025): Psalm 58

Gerrymandering. You have probably heard the term and even know basically what it means, but do you know where the name came from? The name originates from one of the founding fathers of the United States, Elbridge Gerry. Gerry was the Governor of Massachusetts in 1812, and he signed the bill that created the first gerrymandered district. The idea behind gerrymandering is that it is sometimes possible to draw electoral districts in such a way that it benefits one party or the other. The idea is to create one or a few Districts with a high percentage of supporters for one party, and then several moderate districts that favor the other party. The result is that one party can receive most of the seats of an area, without most of the votes. And if they have a majority of votes, they can have an overwhelming majority of seats or, possibly, even all of the seats that are allocated to the region.

Someone noticed that the first artificially manipulated electoral district looked like a salamander, and so a name was born, Gerry from the Governor of Massachusetts, and "mander" from the salamander-like shape the new electoral area resembled; a name was born, gerrymander. That first manipulated district benefited the Democratic-Republican party.

With the use of computers, we have taken gerrymandering to a new height. Political parties can ensure their survival, not with better ideas and policies, but with manipulated borders for electoral districts within any region. It is possible that, in the future, the one who controls the electoral borders is the one who will control the election.

I know my district has been gerrymandered. The district borders seem to be in almost continual flux. The location of my house has bounced between different electoral districts a few times over the years.

Gerrymandering electoral districts is just one of the pieces of evidence that, in the depths of who we are, we like to devise injustice. No one gerrymanders the borders so that an election is fairer. The grand purpose of gerrymandering is to give one party an advantage over another and to devalue each individual vote. It is what makes some believe that the electoral system is inherently unfair. Shouldn't the one who has the most votes win an election? If there are ten house seats involved and the vote is a 60-40 split, then 60% of the ones seated would be from the party with 60% of the vote; in this example, it would mean that the winning party would get six of the ten available seats. The perceived problem with such a system is that it would make the opinions of rural voters have less impact.

Maybe there isn't an easy solution to the problem. However, the real problem begins within us. Our willingness to be involved in efforts like gerrymandering is a result of our desire for injustice over justice, especially if the injustice serves our beliefs, plans, and hopes.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 61

Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on God. – Psalm 53:4

Today's Scripture Reading (August 24, 2025): Psalm 53

I read an interesting response on social media this week. The post was dressed up as a Christian Post, but it really wasn't, and someone decided to respond to the post by saying, "I don't know anyone who cares about what the Bible says." The things that Christians have led the world to believe are in the Bible, but are actually debatable or outright false, are numerous. We often seem to want to make our opinions biblical. And then we speak with disdain when someone disagrees with us. In the process, what is actually in the Bible is often overlooked.

About a year ago, I had a conversation with a friend about what I believe is the central thrust of the Bible. The central thrust is not righteousness; it is love. And the response from my friend was honest, and I think he echoed the belief of many people. His response was, "Isn't there a list of commandments that we have to fulfill, and after that is done, then we love?" That is the way we live, and it is sometimes precisely what we teach. But it is also false. Listen to the words of Jesus.

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:34-40).

Jesus's teaching is not to keep the commandments, and when you have done that, then learn to love. It is the reverse; Jesus says, "If you love, then you will have kept all of the commandments and all the instructions of the Prophets throughout history." If a prophet is preaching hate, then he is not a prophet. I have been struggling with this passage and have concluded that every law and every commandment that we find in the Bible finds its origin and its basis in the law of love. Or from the other side of the coin, the violation of every commandment is somehow a violation of love.

David seems to conclude that evildoers lack knowledge. Sometimes that might be true. But often I think the real problem is not that we don't know that we should love, but that we have decided that love isn't as important as something else. I also believe that if the church lived biblical love, then there would be many more people who would care about what might be hidden within the pages of the Bible.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 58

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. – Psalm 40:2

Today's Scripture Reading (August 23, 2025): Psalm 40

On 586 B.C.E., as the army of Nebuchadnezzar prepared to take Jerusalem, one inhabitant of the city had a different message for the citizens. It was a message that the rulers of the city considered to be treasonous. The suggestion was that this time, the city was going to fall. One hundred and fifty years earlier, the city had been attacked by the Assyrian Empire, and had miraculously survived because God had rescued them. The Assyrian siege had happened during the days of Isaiah, and Isaiah had told King Hezekiah that God would come to the aid of the city and the nation. The war against the Assyrians would not be decided on the battlefield; it would end because of a miracle of God.

However, that had been 150 years ago, and a new prophet had a very different message. Things had changed. Jerusalem was going to be defeated; there was no miracle on its way to save the city. So, this Prophet of the early sixth century B.C.E. had a very different message from the message of Isaiah in the eighth century. The city was going to fall; there was no chance of it surviving. As a result, the army of King Zedekiah and the people of Jerusalem had a decision to make. They could fight for the city and die, or lay down their weapons and allow Babylon to take them into exile and live. The Prophet believed that exile was the better option.

The Prophet's name was Jeremiah, and his message was unusual. He was advocating exile, and yet he, while refusing to fight the Babylonians, showed no desire to go into Babylon. His intention seemed to be to wander around the ruins of David's city and the surrounding area. Or maybe he just wasn't taken into Babylon. In the end, supporters of the Prophet had to physically kidnap him and carry him with them into their self-imposed exiles in Egypt.

However, before the city fell, Jeremiah was accused of treason and placed in a cistern to die. Jeremiah himself related the story to his readers.

Then the officials said to the king, "This man should be put to death. He is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin."

"He is in your hands," King Zedekiah answered. "The king can do nothing to oppose you."

So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king's son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud (Jeremiah 38:4-6).

It wasn't an unusual practice. Oriental societies had long used placing people in a deep hole that had been well watered, ensuring there was no way for the prisoner to escape, as a mode of execution. Everywhere the prisoner might want to step, he would only find a slippery surface that would leave them sinking deeper into the mud. These prisoners were not left there for a fixed time; this was the place where they would die.

This cistern would have been the place where Jeremiah would have died, except that someone came to his aid. David, writing long before the days of Jeremiah, spoke figuratively about what Jeremiah experienced literally. It is a description that David thought was the figurative reality of everyone who might read the Psalm. And centuries later, a hymn writer would pick up on David's theme as he wrote;

            He brought me out of the miry clay

            He set my feet on the Rock to stay

            He puts a song in my soul today

            A song of praise, hallelujah (Henry L. Gilmour, 1898)!

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 53

So I remained utterly silent, not even saying anything good. But my anguish increased; - Psalm 39:2

Today's Scripture Reading (August 22, 2025): Psalm 39

See something, say something. Homeland security has used the slogan since 2010, but the origin of the phrase and the trademark holder is the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority. After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the NYMTA decided to ask the people to keep their eyes open for things that looked out of place. The idea was to get normal people to be their eyes and ears so that something like the 9/11 tragedy could never happen again.

We don't often use the slogan beyond terrorist prevention, but we do use the concept. It is used to protect minority groups and to prevent instances of vandalism. A neighbor of the church to which I am connected, and who doesn't attend the church, keeps an eye on the property and will contact us, often through Facebook or Meta, to tell us when something untoward is possibly happening on the church property.

Regardless of how we feel about specific hot-button topics, Christians should always be on the front line of the battle against discrimination. It is the story that we sometimes miss in the Good Samaritan. There were significant spiritual, racial, and political disagreements between the Samaritans and the Jews. But the tale of the Good Samaritan reminds us that people deserve to be treated with respect even if we disagree with their behavior or their beliefs. To put a point on this, Christians should be comforting and loving in their contact with the LGBTQ community, even if we feel the need to take a stand against homosexuality. We should be loving toward the young girls who have had an abortion, even if we believe that abortion is wrong. If we see abuse taking place even in these circumstances, we should be willing not only to say something, but to do something to protect the victim. There is never a reason for Christians to join with the abuser. Never.

David admits that he had decided to hold his tongue in the company of those who wanted to accomplish evil. Not only did he not say anything bad in their presence, but he refused to say anything at all. There have been many times in my life when I should have followed David's advice. But David also says that his anguish or misery increased. Some scholars have argued that David didn't trust himself not to speak wickedly even when he was trying to voice something good, so silence was his only option. However, I think that misses the point. David understood how swiftly life passes. As a result, he realized he had to make use of every opportunity to say what was good. Keeping silent about the good is not something we should aspire to. If we see something wrong, we have to say something, or even better, do something.

Maybe mom had it right when she taught us that "if we can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." But that did not mean that we needed to stay silent and not speak about the good when it is presented. We need to stand up and be counted for the good every time we see something that is wrong. We have to express what is good, or we will be complicit in all the evil that is being done in the world.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 40

 

I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin. – Psalm 38:18

Today's Scripture Reading (August 21, 2025): Psalm 38

The meeting happened at a major educational university in the late 1960s. It was the beginning of what we might call the Women's Liberation Movement. Women's rights had been a significant issue for more than a century, but in the 1960s, progress began to accelerate. Women were burning their bras in an effort to prove that they were the equals of men. A couple of years ago, I had a conversation with a young woman who was complaining that she had to wear a top to her bathing suit in her backyard, while I didn't have to wear a shirt in mine. I told her I had no complaint if she wanted to go topless in her backyard. I usually wear at least a tank top in mine, but then our backyards are 3,000 miles apart. However, I was also never sure if she wanted to be topless in her backyard or if she wanted me to wear a bikini top when I was in mine. It is a discussion that continues today, but it seems to have started in the 1960s.

But these women at the University weren't concerned with the unfairness of what we wear. They had something more important on their minds. They had gathered to celebrate Eve; yes, the Eve of the Garden of Eden. There is a lot to celebrate about Eve. She was the first mother and the first wife, and for pioneering these roles, she should be celebrated. But this group of women had come to celebrate the first independent decision taken in history, and in taking the forbidden fruit in the garden, Eve had proven that she refused to be under the sway of any man, or any God. This independent decision was something these people wanted to celebrate.

I read about this meeting years later. I admit that I was alive in the 60s, but I was too young to care about these women or the University. As I grew older, I began to see the problem. We are all able to make independent decisions, but not every independent decision is a good one. At least, not every decision I have made has been an appropriate one. Maybe more precisely, these women seemed to be proclaiming that the decision was good because it was independent, and that is just not true. A murderer makes an independent decision when he decides to take a life, but it is not a good decision.

The problem that arises out of this situation is that nothing changes unless we see that something is wrong. Don't expect to see me wearing a bikini top anytime in the future, even if it is just in my backyard, because I don't see my backyard summer clothing as a problem. Nothing changes in what we do unless we recognize that our behavior is wrong.

David cries out to God that some of his independent actions have contravened the will of God. He is unwilling to make the statement that these women celebrated at a university in the 1960s. David was wrong, and beyond that, he was also bothered by his sin. And it is that reaction to sin that allowed God to move in his life and ours, and for us to make the changes necessary for us to become better people.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 39

Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart. – Psalm 36:10

Today's Scripture Reading (August 20, 2025): Psalm 36

I believe that there is a problem with building a theology from the Psalms. That was never the purpose of this section of biblical writing. David and the other Psalmists were trying to find an outlet for the emotional story of their lives. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. We often seem to believe that we have to get the emotional portion of life out of our Christian Walk, as well as out of our theology. The problem is that we are emotional beings, so trying to take the emotion out of what we believe is to speak to only a portion of who we are.

Another problem with the Psalms, as is true with the rest of the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible, is that they are a victim of something called Progressive Revelation. I know, some seem to treat Progressive Revelation as if it is something evil. But Progressive Revelation just hints at a process that we know very well. It is the way our educational system is constructed. We don't teach Grade 12 physics to a Grade 1 student. The brains of grade one students need to mature a bit before they can understand physics, but they also need to learn the basics. There is a lot to learn and a foundation that needs to be built before they can learn the material covered in secondary school and university classes. Our teaching is progressive, and one year provides the foundation for the next.

In the same way, the Tanakh tells the story of progressive teachings. We meet Abraham in Genesis 12, and the story of him and his family is told in the rest of the book. This family believed in God, but Moses had a better understanding of who God was during the Exodus, especially after he received the Law on Mount Sinai, than Abraham ever had during his life. That concept seems to be pretty obvious.

However, the process continued. Every generation seemed to have a better grip on who God was than the previous generation. I am continually amazed at what I see as the advanced theology of love and grace that is found in the story of Jonah, even though the prophet may not have appreciated that theology. Still, there is something in that story that is absent in earlier writings. Of course, the fullest revelation is present in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is the one who pulls all of the different strings of the Tanakh and puts it all together, and we see God as he wishes us to see him. The Psalms are essential, but not for the reason that some might think.

So David asks God to "Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart" (Psalm 36:10). It is a sincere expression of David's relationship with God. He believed that God loved him because the king of Israel knew God. It was the reality of all religious beliefs; may God or the gods love me because I serve or know them. But the Apostle Paul speaks of a different reality, a reality that is a direct result of Progressive Revelation.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8).

It is not a new theology that is different from what we find in the Tanakh, but it is a fuller explanation of who God is and the relationship we have with the creator of the world.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 38

 

They do not speak peaceably, but devise false accusations against those who live quietly in the land. – Psalm 35:20

Today's Scripture Reading (August 19, 2025): Psalm 35

Desmond Tutu (1931-2021) taught that "If you want peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies" (Desmond Tutu). The comment seems to be upside down. If I want peace, I want to spend time with people I like. Why would I want the argument that always comes with someone who thinks differently from me? I had a friend years ago who often told me that "a bad day golfing always beats a good day at work." It feels like that is the model we need to follow. Maybe a bad day with friends always beats, and is more peaceful than, a good day with our enemies. But I also know that Tutu is right, even if his instructions are difficult to put into practice.

However, Desmond Tutu's advice is something with which I firmly agree. And I honestly try to carry out this advice in my life. The problem is that it is sometimes hard to find dance partners who are willing to join the discussion. We live in an era where we are more willing to build up the walls between us than we are to tear them down. Several years ago, I attempted to set up a meeting between me and the closest thing that I have to an enemy. I made it clear in my request to meet that I had no desire to change their minds; I just wanted to sit with them and talk about our differences. But my request was denied. They didn't want to talk to me. It is becoming increasingly difficult even for people of good conscience to discuss and disagree. We don't want conversations with people with whom we disagree unless there is a possibility that we can bring them over to our side of the issue. However, my views, even on significant issues, don't make me either moral or evil. We should be able to have conversations with people even if there are substantial disagreements between us.

Instead, we make incendiary statements, we make up charges, we blow up the disagreement far beyond what is real. When I made my request to meet with my colleagues with whom I admit that there are significant disagreements, the response was not "we don't want to meet because we disagree concerning the role of love within the Christian Faith, the role of women in the church, or the fate of same-sex attracted people." The response was "we don't want to meet because we don't agree on anything." However, that is not true. While there are issues on which we disagree, I believe that there are many more issues on which we agree. There is no need for us to magnify the differences between us; they are big enough already.

David speaks of a particular kind of people he believed were evil. And some of the characteristics of these people are that they didn't want peace. They tended to blow up the differences between them and their perceived enemies. They made things up and brought strife even to those who lived quietly in the land. Maybe that is the problem here. We should mind our own business. The promise we need to rely on is that we serve the one who burns the dross and keeps the silver. I sincerely believe that when the end comes, many of the disagreements we have with each other will be the impurities of the Christian life, and our God will disregard them. I hope that once those impurities have been removed, there will be something worth keeping in what is left. But I am not sure that we value what God says is worth saving. Before that time comes, I hope we can learn to speak peaceably with each other, and live quietly in the land, concentrating on the log in our eye, instead of the speck in our brother's or sister's.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 36