LORD my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on my hands— - Psalm 7:3

Today's Scripture Reading (August 1, 2025): Psalm 7

Have you ever been accused of something that you didn't do? Unfortunately, it has happened a few times in my life, and I suspect that few of us have lived a life safe from false accusations. For me, I would rather have an accusation about which I know than be accused of something by the secret gossip of people. At the very least, if I am aware of an accusation, I can attempt to mount a defense. In my life, there have been times when I thought I might have been accused of something, but no one was willing to tell me what I was guilty of. Those are times when it is hard to mount a defense because we are unsure of what we are supposed to have done, and that can be frustrating. 

David has been accused of doing something wrong. What it is that he is supposed to be guilty of is unknown, as is the identity of his accuser, Cush the Benjamite. Psalm 7 is the only mention we have of this person. Theories have been developed that suggest he was possibly a supporter of Saul, who was also a Benjamite. Others believe that Cush might be a pseudonym for another critic of David. It is possible that Cush was a group of people, similar to the international hacker group Anonymous, ready to stir up dissent in any situation. However, whoever this Cush is, he is making accusations about David, for which David feels he is innocent.

But another reading might be that the accusations themselves are somewhat nebulous. Not only is Cush unknown to us, and probably to most of the early readers of the Psalm, but the allegations themselves are also unclear. David has done something wrong, but even he is unsure exactly what the crime is. And so, this Psalm is a meditation on the possibilities that exist in the unclear accusation, even if David can only guess at the crime at hand.

So, David feels that he is guilty of nothing and everything at the same time. And other than crying out to God, he doesn't know what action to take. It is an uncomfortable place to be, but one that most of us will find ourselves in at some point in our lives. At those times, like David, all we can do is carry these accusations to God, and place ourselves at the feet of his throne, and ask for mercy and the strength to do what is right in his sight, and not in the sight of the Cush's of our lives.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 8

My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes. – Psalm 6:7

Today's Scripture Reading (July 31, 2025): Psalm 6

In college, I was a veteran of all-night study sessions. It was more likely that I would spend my all-nighters on writing a paper that was due the next morning than on an exam I was going to take. And I wasn't the only one. It was about this time that McDonald's began experimenting with the all-night drive-through. The McDonald's all-night drive-through quickly became a popular spot for those of us trying to finish a paper or studying for an exam. Just knowing that there was someplace, other than 7-11, where we could go to revive ourselves gave us hope. And so, the middle-of-the-night McDonald's run became a fairly regular thing during paper and exam season,

However, there is a trade-off: the longer you go without sleep, the less well your body functions. Things begin to break down rather quickly. The first night passes, and maybe you aren't as mentally ready for whatever might come, but your body is about to send you signals that sleep is required. If you can make it seventy-two hours into a sleepless session, and yes, I watched some late-night study sessions last that long, you can begin to hallucinate and see things that are not there. In college, this was about the time when we started putting people to bed. We didn't care what paper was due; at this point, you were no longer able to write a paper on any subject. You had to get some sleep before attempting any other scholastic chores.

David's eyes are weak. However, it is not an age-related issue. David's eyes are weak due to the intense sadness he is enduring. He is likely not sleeping well. He is feeling like a failure. He goes to bed, but his problems follow him. His pillow is wet with his tears. All of this has had an impact on his life. He can no longer see the world as he once did. Exhausted and sad, it seems like everything is going against him. It isn't, of course, but it seems that it is.

It is a common condition that we all experience at times. In these times of sorrow and exhaustion, we lose the ability to see the world as it is, and all we see are the imperfections that seem to be all around us.

Today marks the thirty-eighth anniversary of the day an F4 tornado ripped through the city where I live, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Years after the tornado, I had a friend who would panic every time a tornado watch was issued. He had spent time in the path of a tornado, and the deep sadness and fear he experienced on that day continued to have an impact on his life. On that Black Friday in 1987, a deep sadness had taken up residence in his life, and it refused to let him go.  

David is living in the path of the tornado. Sorrow and fear are blinding him. He can't see past his own sense of an impending disaster that is on its way. His enemies are all around him, and the future is lost to his eyes. And yet, he trusts that God sees, and that God is in control of things to which sorrow had blinded him.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 7

Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. – Psalm 5:12

Today's Scripture Reading (July 30, 2025): Psalm 4 & 5

Frederick the Wise (1463-1525) was the prince-elector of Saxony from August 26, 1486, until his death on May 5, 1525. Prince-electors were responsible for selecting the Holy Roman Emperor in the Holy Roman Empire. However, Frederick might be best known as the protector of Martin Luther during Luther's struggle against some specific teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Frederick protected Luther against both the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope. What is sometimes forgotten is that Frederick didn't protect Martin Luther on religious grounds or because he agreed with Luther's teachings. Frederick the Wise defended Luther because the Elector believed Luther deserved a fair trial, just as any other citizen would. 

A story arises from a time when Martin Luther was being transferred to Augsburg, Germany, for trial. There, Cardinal Cajetan, the official representative of Pope Leo X, was ready to examine the reformer. On the way to this trial in October 1518, one of the Cardinal's underlings had taunted Luther by saying, "Where will you find shelter if your patron, the Elector of Saxony (Frederick), should desert you?" Luther paused for a moment before he replied, "Under the shelter of heaven."

Luther believed that even if all human support were removed from him, God would still defend him. Some of his detractors might have retorted, "But what if you are wrong?" Specifically, on the agenda was the idea of raising money through the practice of "Indulgences." Indulgences allowed the church to sell out the faith, promising to have a loved one promoted from purgatory to Heaven if enough money was given to the church. You might not be rich enough to get your loved one out of purgatory, but maybe you could shorten the time spent there, or you could get them out with the help of some friends and relatives.

It was a practice that irked Martin Luther. However, the problem was that the practice was deeply ingrained in the Roman Catholic Church, and the Pope took half of the money raised through these indulgences.

Luther wasn't bothered by the thought that God might disagree with what he taught. I don't think he was entirely right in everything he believed, although I agree with him on the issue of indulgences. But Luther understood that God would stand up for His people. And this shield protects us, and even if we die, because God blesses us, we will never be defeated.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 6

"Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles." – Psalm 2:3

Today's Scripture Reading (July 29, 2025): Psalm 2 & 3

A decade ago, my family rented a house for our summer break, which we called "the big house." The house had room for us all. Included among the guests were my parents, both my children and their spouses, and the three grandchildren we had at the time (today we have five, but the two youngest had not yet been born). The rooms in the house were on two massive levels. The house had been built into a hill, and the lower level featured a swimming pool with a waterfall on one end. And so, we began the summer with great expectations.

Enter an overprotective grandpa, me. My grandchildren were all under four years of age, and my nightmare was that one of them would fall down the long staircase that ran between the levels, or drown unsupervised in the pool. I wanted everyone to ensure that the doors leading out to the pool were always latched and that the entrance to the stairs was always blocked. I probably shouldn't have been so upset, because the kids were great, and I don't remember them ever wanting to be near the pool when no one was there, or that they ever went near the stairs to traverse between the levels of the house. But that didn't stop me from worrying. Maybe if they were a little older, they might have thought that all their grandpa wanted to do was to spoil their fun. The old man was too old to have fun himself, and so he just wanted to make sure that no one else had any fun either. It wouldn't be the truth, but sometimes that's how we feel about rules.

Sometimes, that is the way we feel about God. All he wants to do is give us so many rules that it stops us from having any fun. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. He wants us to have fun and enjoy the life that he has given to us, but he also wants us to be safe. The rules are guidelines that ensure we can have fun and stay safe, but they also ensure that we don't impinge on anyone else's fun, keeping the neighbor we love just as secure as we are.

It was the cry of the nations around Israel. As a result, they conspired against God and hoped to throw off the chains and break the shackles that are keeping them subservient. However, the truth was that keeping them under the thumb of a deity was never the intention of what the nations interpreted as the chains; the purpose was to keep them, and us, safe as we journey through our time on the Earth.   

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 4 & 5

 

The king said to Joab, "Very well, I will do it. Go, bring back the young man Absalom." – 2 Samuel 14:21

Today's Scripture Reading (July 28, 2025): 2 Samuel 14

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was the last Shah, a word meaning King, of Iran. The term Shah, shortened from Shahanshah, has been used since antiquity to indicate the King of Persia or Iran. Mohammad Reza Pahlavi became the King of the nation after the death of his father, Reza Shah Pahlavi, on July 26, 1944. He was driven from his throne by the Islamic Revolution that shook the country in the late 1970s. The revolution shook the Middle East and transformed a nation that was in the process of secularization into one of the last theocracies left on the planet. How much the country understood the coming change remains a matter of open discussion, with knowledgeable people presenting arguments on both sides of the debate.

It is not that the Shah didn't take steps to stop the revolution. He made several attempts to halt the impending reversal of societal change, but it seemed that almost everything he did only fueled the rebellion. Early on, the Shah acknowledged the existence of a People's Revolution and offered to lead it, a move that gave legitimacy to the rebellion. On September 28, 1978, the Shah's military shot and killed at least 64 people, and likely more than 100, protestors in Jaleh Square, but once again, instead of stopping the revolution, this became a pivotal moment in the rebellion. A few days later, the Shah attempted to calm the situation by granting a general amnesty to many dissidents living in the Persian diaspora, including Ayatollah Khomeini, who would later become the Supreme Leader after Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was ousted from the throne and the monarchy was finally abolished.

Joab, the lead general in King David's army, has orchestrated an elaborate drama to convey a message to King David. It is a hoped for final chapter to the story of the rape of Tamar. Tamar had been raped by her half-brother, Amnon. Amnon is the heir apparent to the throne of Israel, but while David is angered by the rape he does nothing. As a result of this inaction, Tamar's brother, Absalom, decides to take matters into his own hands and assassinates Amnon. Then Absalom goes into exile.

Joab is concerned that Absalom could lead a rebellion against his father, so he attempts to heal the rift between the King and his son. Nothing has worked. And so, Joab convinces a woman to present a story to the king that he has written. Joab hopes the resulting drama will have the same effect that Nathan's story about a rich and poor shepherd had in the wake of David's sin with Bathsheba.   

However, the success of Joab's drama is limited. He convinces David to invite Absalom to end his exile and return to Jerusalem, but David still refuses to invite Absalom into his presence. And, as a result, the rebellion remains on the horizon, and Joab is frustrated as he attempts to keep his King safe.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 2 & 3

When King David heard all this, he was furious. – 2 Samuel 13:21

Today's Scripture Reading (July 27, 2025): 2 Samuel 13

Several years ago, I had a conversation with a father. Dad was upset because he had caught one of his daughters smoking. He had gotten angry with his daughter and taken the cigarettes away from her. And now he found himself in my office, telling me about his daughter's behavior and asking for advice about what he should do next. He was ready to ground her, but he also felt that maybe she needed a new group of friends.

I sat across from him, amazed at the conversation, and then he asked what I felt he should do next. I think I surprised him with my answer. My reply was, If you want your daughter not to smoke, you and your wife need to stop smoking. I'm glad you had a challenging conversation with your daughter, but the next step has nothing to do with her and everything to do with you. You need to change your behavior. You need to set a good example for your daughter and stop the behavior that she is mirroring in her life. (As an aside, I don't believe smoking is a sin, but it will kill you, and I do enough funerals without having to do yours earlier than it needs to be.)

Admittedly, my advice did not have the desired effect. My friend and his wife didn't quit smoking, but I think they did come to realize that they lacked the moral authority to stop their children from echoing their behavior. As a result of this decreased authority, they stopped trying to shape the lives of their children when it came to smoking, maybe because they were unwilling or unable to shape their own behavior in that area of their lives. And that was never my intention.

David is angry when he finds out about Amnon's rape of Tamar. And he has every right to be angry. Amnon had committed a serious sin against his sister. However, despite the seriousness of the crime, David does nothing. The reason for his inaction is probably due to two problems. First, David lacked the moral authority to condemn Amnon's behavior. Amnon had behaved in a manner that reflected David's sin with Bathsheba. He probably realized that if he spoke to Amnon about his behavior, his son would point right back at David and his sin with Bathsheba. At least Tamar wasn't married and Amnon had not murdered anyone to keep his rape secret. Besides, Amnon wanted nothing to do with Tamar anymore.

However, David not only lacked the moral authority but he also lacked the moral courage to confront Amnon. David had not been willing to say, "I know that I sound like a hypocrite, but my behavior with Bathsheba was wrong, just as your behavior with Tamar is wrong. And two wrongs do not make a right. We both need to repent and ask God for his forgiveness."

Instead, David chose to be silent, and his silence likely cost Amnon his life as Absalom takes things into his own hands and kills Amnon, avenging his sister's rape by killing his brother. The fallout from David's sin with Bathsheba continued to escalate.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 14

Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. – Psalm 51:4

Today's Scripture Reading (July 26, 2025): Psalm 51

The first Bible verse I memorized was John 3:16. I memorized the verse in the King James Version that was prevalent in my church when I was young; "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16 KJV). It is a familiar verse, but sometimes I wonder if we miss the point. We have often personalized this verse to say that "For God so loved (insert your name here) that he gave his only begotten Son." For God so loved Garry that he gave his begotten (I actually prefer the NIV's "one and only") Son. I have said, "My God is not 'begotten,' he has always been and always will be; there was never a time when Jesus wasn't, and there never will be a time when Jesus is not there.

However, even my discussion on the word "begotten" sometimes gets in the way of the intended message of the passage. The main thrust of John 3:16 has nothing to do with the eternal nature of Jesus; it is that God loves the world. Not just the believers in a particular theology or doctrine, and not even just the Christians. Regardless of the signs I sometimes see, God does not hate the LGBTQ community. Yes, he is disappointed by our sin, but there is no hate. God so loved the world, all of it, and all of us. There is nothing that God has created that he hates. In the beginning, God looked at all that He had made and declared it to be good.

After a time, God gave us our laws. All of God's rules were given to us to guide us into the love of all that God created. Not only did God love the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, but He also hoped that His people would love the world as well. Sometimes, that is where we struggle. God loves the world, and if we are filled with His Spirit, we will love the world as well.

In the wake of David's sin with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite, the King writes this Psalm. Here, David makes this statement, "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight." But the statement should be read as "poetic" language. Poetic language often exaggerates its message to convey it effectively to the reader. And that is true here. David's sin was not just against God; it was also against humanity. By taking advantage of his position, he sinned against Bathsheba. By taking Uriah's life, he sinned against Uriah and the family that loved him. In this whole situation, he sinned against his own family, his wives, and children would all pay a price for David's sin.

However, he also sinned against God because, while God loved David, he also loved Bathsheba and Uriah, and God loved all those who loved them. He loved the world, but David had casually treated God's love for the people around him as if it were unimportant. It was a message that David was just beginning to understand as he wrote these words in Psalm 51. His sin was a sin against God's love, and God had every right to be angry that his love had been treated so unconcernedly.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 13