He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor high above all the nations he has made and that you will be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he promised. – Deuteronomy 26:19

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 19, 2018): Deuteronomy 26

Once upon a time, there was a people. The people were insignificant, except that they really believed that God had chosen them. This belief was encoded in the stories that they told each other around the campfires at night. When they developed the ability to write, these facts were written down. Stories that were once known only as they were passed down from generation to generation were written onto scrolls and, in the case of one scroll which is most likely the book of Deuteronomy, the scroll was hidden away behind a wall in the Temple, only to be found much later in the history of this people.

There is very little that is new in this story. Many cultures have stories that maintain that they are the chosen people of their gods. But maybe one of the most significant differences, in this case, is that there was a purpose behind the decision of God to favor this people. And that purpose was told in the stories and written down onto scrolls.

“I will make you into a great nation,
    and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
    and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:2-3).

It is the grand difference. I will bless you, and in that way, you will bless all of the nations. My blessing will pass through you to the world. I will set you apart and make you holy so that all of the world will know that I am God.

Here, Moses reiterates this purpose. God will bring you fame and honor, just as he promised to Abraham so that you will be in a position to bless the world. The problem is that that has not always been true of the Jewish people. It has not been true of the Christian people, chosen to bless the world alongside our Jewish brothers and sisters. We have been selfish, sometimes reacting to the world around us as spoiled and entitled children, missing one of the most basic ideas of our faith; that we are blessed so that we can bless. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17).

We are called to be a blessing and have a positive influence on the world. All of us who claim to be descendants of Abraham, either biologically or by faith, share in the task that God has set before us. We are blessed to be a blessing.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 27

Do not have two differing weights in your bag—one heavy, one light. Do not have two differing measures in your house—one large, one small. – Deuteronomy 25:13-14

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 18, 2018): Deuteronomy 25

Friedrich Nietzsche argued, “I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you.” We live in a culture where we seem to expect that people are going to lie to us and, therefore according to Nietzsche, we should no longer believe them.  And maybe this is most prevalent in the world of politics. We expect our politicians to lie. Not just to shade the facts a little, we expect them to tell us things that they know are not true so that we will vote for them. What makes this confusing is that a politician, if they are doing their jobs right, in one position where honor and the ability to be able to believe what they are saying would seem to be very important. Our politicians, the ones who represent us in government, should be people that we can trust.

This passage is in direct contrast to what seem to be our cultural priorities about the truth. In a culture where lying was expected, Moses insists that that is not who they were. Much like today, often a sale was made according to the weight of the product being bought or sold. Unlike today, the weight of something was not included on the packaging. (It might be interesting to know whether that big bag of potato chips that you just bought really weighs 255 grams.) Israel was not to be a people who used different weights, either too heavy for things that you are attempting to purchase, or too light for things that you are trying to sell, in order to get the best deal for you. That might be the practice for other people. But it can’t be the practice for those who fear and desire to follow God. God demands truth in every area of our lives.

Our honor should be our most valued possession. My hope for those that I cross path with is that I will not have done or said anything that would cause you not to believe me. But beyond that, we need to put truth-telling at the top of the things that we value. A leader, or a company, who can create financial value for us through lies and deceit needs to be avoided. Because even if we are truthful, but we align ourselves with people who are not, then their failings will color our character. And no matter how much money they might make for us, the price of doing business with people who are less than truthful is too high.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 26

If the neighbor is poor, do not go to sleep with their pledge in your possession. – Deuteronomy 24:12

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 17, 2018): Deuteronomy 24

There was a time in our history when business could be completed with a handshake rather than a contract. The handshake was an acknowledgment of the agreement that had been made, and it was enough. Earlier this month (December 2018) I have to admit that I enjoyed watching the Bush family come to the Capitol Rotunda as the patriarch of the family “lay in state” in that grand room. I am not sure if the people knew that the family would return to pay their respects to Dad and Grandpa, but what impressed me was the way that the family interacted with the others who had come to pay their final respects to George Herbert Walker Bush. And as the family moved around the room, there was laughter and hugs, and plenty of handshakes. It was as if they were acknowledging and agreeing about the greatness of the man lying silently at the center of the room in his eternal bed, snuggling under the American Flag.

A handshake spreads love and respect as nothing else can. A handshake says “I value you, and I trust you. I know that what we do, we will do together.” But in business, the handshake belongs to an age long past. Today we live in a world dominated by lawyers and contracts. Even within the church, we governed by manual’s, job descriptions, agreements, and responsibility charts; we are directed by the cold dictates of business. And while all of that might be necessary, I miss the handshake agreements that convey value and trust in the relationship.

Moses reminds Israel that essentially they are to operate on a handshake. He stresses that if the person receiving the loan is poor, that they are to take a pledge, but return it before the sun went down. Two things need to be noted here. First, the vast majority of people who would have needed to make a loan would have been poor. The ancient world was not a place dominated by a vast consumer credit culture that loaned money for everyday things. If you needed to borrow money, that meant that you were, by definition, poor.

Second, the pledge, often a cloak or a blanket which was one of the few possessions that the poor could offer the lender, was symbolic, much like a handshake. In the giving of the pledge, the borrower was making a promise to abide by the details of the agreement. By returning the pledge, the lender was communicating a message that said: “I value you and trust you in this matter.” This act of giving and receiving transmitted the same message inherent in the shaking of hands.

But Israel did not always follow Moses’s instruction. The prophet Amos chastised Israel for their violation of these instructions arguing that the lenders in Israel “lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge.” Those who lent money violated the rights of the poor in the very presence of God, and for that, they would be judged by the God they professed to serve.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 25

Do not despise an Edomite, for the Edomites are related to you. – Deuteronomy 23:7a

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 16, 2018): Deuteronomy 23

Bilbo Baggins probably sums up our understanding of family pretty well in the opening scenes of “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.” Bilbo remarks to those gathered in his home that “I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.” (I know my family tolerates me at Christmas time.) But sometimes it is the way that we feel when we sit down in a room with the people with whom we are related. Often we don’t know the people in the room as well as we should, and if the stories that I often hear are true (I have to admit that I have a pretty great family) we like them less than we should.

Herod the Great plays a large part in our Christmas Story. Matthew says that the Magi or Wiseman first went to Herod before searching for the infant Jesus in Bethlehem. Herod was a bloodthirsty king who did many unseemly things to try to keep his reign intact, including the killing of his sons. So, even though historically we cannot verify the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem under the reign of Herod, the act of commanding those two or under in the vicinity of Bethlehem to be killed is totally within the character of King Herod. Herod the Great is one of the great villains of the Bible, equally hated by everyone.

But Herod also worked hard to try to earn the respect of the Jews who lived under his reign. He embarked on some great building programs to earn the respect of the Jews, and the greatest of these projects was an expansion of the Temple in Jerusalem. When the Second Temple was built to replace Solomon’s Temple, which was destroyed by Babylon, the reduced grandeur of the Temple caused many who remembered the First Temple to break down with weeping (Ezra 3:12). Herod’s goal was to make the Second Temple, the Temple that would eventually bear his name, so grand that it would banish from the memory of the people the stories of the Temple that Solomon built. He hoped that they would revere him because he gave them the Temple that they deserved.

But none of Herod’s building projects were enough to prompt the people of Judah to love him. Maybe it was because of the vast character defects of the power-hungry king that the people hated him. Or maybe the division was partially racial. Notwithstanding the command of Moses, Herod could never be King of the Jews in the eyes of the Jews, because Herod was not a Jew. He was an Edomite, a descendant of Esau. Moses stressed that the Edomite’s were cherished relatives of the Jews; after all, Esau was the brother of Israel who was formerly known as Jacob. But within the pages of the Christmas story, we have the best known Edomite in the person of King Herod and his family. But while Moses taught that the Edomites were to be loved as family, there is no doubt that the Edomite on the throne of Israel when Jesus was born was despised.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 24

If you see your fellow Israelite’s ox or sheep straying, do not ignore it but be sure to take it back to its owner. – Deuteronomy 22:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 15, 2018): Deuteronomy 22

Early in the morning of March 13, 1964, Kitty Genovese was raped and murdered outside of her place of residence in New York City. Two weeks later, The New York Times released an article that claimed that there were at least thirty-eight witnesses who had either watched the attack take place or heard the noise created by the attack, and yet none of them came to her aid, or even bothered to call the police. In sociopsychological circles, this “Genovese Effect” is called a “Diffusion of Responsibility.” The idea is that when there are many witnesses, we tend to think that someone else will make the call. And so we shrink back and hide, allowing the mysterious and elusive other to come to the aid of the person or make that call to the police.

We have all taken part in the sociopsychological phenomenon. Have you ever been on a busy highway and encountered a traveler in trouble? Often our reaction is to shrink back and hide, with the sure knowledge that someone else will stop and come to the aid of the one in trouble. While the murder of a young lady in New York is not equal to an elderly couple stuck on a major highway with a flat tire on the way to their holiday celebrations in the severity of the outcome, the underlying reasons for the noninterference are the same.    

Moses instruction to Israel here takes direct aim at the sociopsychological phenomenon of “Diffusion of Responsibility” or what we who live after the rape and murder of Kitty Genovese might refer to as the “Genovese Effect.” It doesn’t matter how big or small the situation might be; we are not to be the ones who fade into the background and leave the action to someone else. If you see your neighbor’s ox or sheep somewhere where they shouldn’t be, don’t hide or pretend that you are unaware. Step up and take control of the situation and return their property to them. No situation is too small, or too large, to override your responsibility to care for your neighbor and the property of your neighbor.

Jesus would reaffirm this command with his parable of the Good Samaritan, and in doing so would also define the question of the identity of our neighbor. For Kitty Genovese, the ones who witnessed her murder were those who lived close by to Kitty in the neighborhood of Queens, New York. For Moses, it is your brother who lives next door, or maybe a little further away (Deuteronomy 22:2). Even your lack of knowledge of the person does not excuse you from taking action. But Jesus took it a step further and argued that if the person crosses your path, then they are your neighbor. They may not look like you or believe what you believe, but that does not matter. They are your responsibility. And it also does not matter if it is their person who is under attack or just a loss of property. Those who believe in God will not hide; we will step up and take responsibility whenever trouble of any kind arises within our circle of influence.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 23

Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, and they shall declare: “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. – Deuteronomy 21:6-7

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 14, 2018): Deuteronomy 21

Ty Hutchinson tells a fictional story of a serial killer in Detroit in his novel “Cork Town.” In the subplot of the story, the various police chiefs and officials in the area are accused of hanging the murders on one man who was subsequently convicted of the crimes. But the police chiefs also know a different story. The first is that the man who is accused and convicted of the murders is guilty of murders he committed during the commission of a bank robbery. The second thing that the chiefs know is that he is not the serial killer. They believe that the real serial killer was killed by the robber during the commission of his crime, a bank robbery where the robber killed most of his hostages. And this belief is bolstered by the cessation of murders after the killings at the bank. Until, seven years later, the killings begin again and the police chiefs begin to become afraid that their lie is about to be revealed.

With the story, Hutchinson latches on to a truth of our culture. While our police forces are very good at their jobs and solve many crimes, cold case files do exist, and sometimes the crime just can’t be solved. The only place where all the crimes come with a satisfactory conclusion is on our televisions sets, the movies we watch, and in books like those written by Ty Hutchinson. And when a crime is not solved, the investigation tends to die slowly, with a whimper and ends up in a judicial version of a dead letter office. The evidence is boxed and then filed with the distant hope that maybe, someday, more evidence will be found that will lead to a solution to the crime. The decision of the police chiefs in Hutchinson’s novel is probably the ultimate in unsatisfactory solutions to a cold case, because not only does the perpetrator get away with the crime, the investigation is stamped as “solved” and there is no further attempt to find the perpetrator.

Moses gives instructions on what to do when you encounter a serious crime that can’t be solved. After an investigation that has yielded no leads or witnesses, and there is no place to go for further analysis, the leaders are to gather in a field and make a sacrifice. Then they are to wash their hands over the sacrifice and make a solemn declaration before God. Their declaration is twofold; they will declare that they did not commit the crime and that they did not see with their eyes the one who did. The second part of the declaration would probably include that their investigation also has not revealed anyone else who had seen the crime being committed with their eyes.

The ceremony would accomplish two important goals. It marked the crime as an important moment in the life of the nation, and it honored the one who had died, recognizing that the death should never have happened. The crime was going unsolved, not because it was unimportant, but because every effort had not yielded a solution to the criminal activity.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 22

Otherwise, they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshiping their gods, and you will sin against the LORD your God. – Deuteronomy 20:18

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 13, 2018): Deuteronomy 20

As we remembered George H. W. Bush’s life earlier this month (December 2018), one thing that shone through was that he taught us right things. Stories are told of his note writing to people, the value that he placed on tradition, his humility, and his desire to get things right – even if that meant doing things the hard way. He was a leader who reached beyond his following to others who may not have held the same values. And maybe one of the most important things about the former President was that George H. W. Bush had an uncanny ability to make anybody that he met, his friend.

While George H. W. Bush may be best remembered for what some considered a lie (“read my lips, no new taxes), the reality is that Bush 41 probably taught us more about the truth than many other leaders who preceded or followed him. Just as an aside, it is interesting that the two political leaders that I think have had the greatest connection to the truth, George H. W. Bush and Jimmy Carter, were unable to win a second term as President. Maybe that tells us something about our own regard for the truth. We would rather have someone lie to us and tell us pretty stories than to have someone tell us the hard truth.  

Whether we want it or not, the reality is that we need leaders like George H. W. Bush who will teach us, through their words and their actions, right things. And it was this concern that led Moses to instruct Israel to destroy the inhabitants of Canaan. He feared that if that didn’t happen, if Israel just became an inhabitant with the others already inhabiting the land, then they would fall under their leadership and be taught wrong or, as Moses says, detestable things. Our reality is that we tend to follow the behavior of our leaders. If it is okay for the (King, President, Prime Minister, Governor, Pastor, etc.), then the behavior must be okay for me. Deep down we want to be able to hold up the behavior of our leaders as an example for our children to follow. We need leaders like George H. W. Bush who will lead us into right things.

Moses was right. History would reveal that Israel tended to follow the religions and choices of those who lived in the land. And what made this tendency even worse, was that they developed a practice of learning wrong and calling it right, and proclaiming detestable behavior as something that a God-fearing person would do. Maybe the best example of this is found during the reign of Jeroboam just after the nation split into Israel and Judah. Jeroboam was made the king over Israel. And “after seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, ‘It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt’” (1 Kings 12:28). Jeroboam led his people into wrong and detestable things and called them good and godly.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 21