Today's Scripture Reading (September 8, 2025): Psalm 124 & 125
Social media has become a breeding
ground for division. We seem to find ourselves increasingly isolated from
people who disagree with us. And we seem to see evil more and more in the face
of those who disagree with us. The middle position appears to have disappeared,
even, or perhaps especially, within the walls of the Christian Church.
A friend recently posted
about what he saw as right and wrong in our society, as well as the differences
between them. The post included a list of beliefs and actions in one- or
two-word blasts that sum up the difference between what he saw as the correct
outlook on life and those who are dominated by outright evil. The list included
that his opponents "killed babies" while his side "respected
life." It is an old argument. But the argument is much more nuanced than
the words on this list actually propose. Let me be clear, no one on either side
of the argument is advocating for the death of infants because they are
inconvenient, which is what the more politically conservative abortion abolitionists
often suggest. Yes, some provisions might indicate that in the case of severe
developmental problems and children born in extreme pain and with no
expectation that they will live more than a few days, these children might be
allowed to die. It is the same argument that many older people include in their
living wills: "no heroic actions" would be used to save their lives.
If death is coming, let it come. However, no sane person wants to kill healthy
babies.
In a similar vein, there are
a few who want to ban abortion even when the lives of mother and child are both
in danger. There are not many, maybe a few, who want to endanger the life of
the mother by not clearing away a child that has already died in the womb. However,
the reality is that both sides view each other as the ultimate evil, and they
insist on describing each other in this manner. We maintain that we are the
side that stands for the good, and our opposition is evil. In the case of
abortion, the real discussion is on how many weeks, usually between six and twenty-four,
or before the beginning of the last trimester of the pregnancy, and what
exceptions might be allowed under the law.
What we want more than
anything is what David asks for in this Psalm; that those who are good, by
which we mean those who agree with us, would receive good, while those who do
evil, which means those who disagree with our positions, would be banished or
sent to hell with all of the other evil doers. And, according to someone out
there, we all belong in hell.
This concept of blessings
being bestowed on the good while the evil are banished is part of what we call
the Sinai Covenant; it was an agreement that God reached with Moses at Mount
Sinai at the beginning of Israel's wilderness wanderings. But we don't live
under the Sinai Covenant. Paul outlined the place where we live now very well.
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).
If the other side is as evil as we seem to think, then the
task that has been laid before us is clear, and it isn't to banish those who
oppose us, but to love them the way that Christ loved us. Hopefully, in the
light of our love, these people will see the error of their ways, or maybe we
will see the error of ours. However, we make it harder when we begin to believe
that others are genuinely evil, rather than simply people who hold different
beliefs than we do.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading:
Psalm 131, 133, & 134
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