Copyright © 2005-2007 Collin Park
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.Notes for reading of July 19
It was probably over 20 years ago that I memorized this
psalm in its entirety:
Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle?
Or who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
He that walketh uprightly and worketh righteousness
and speaketh the truth in his heart,
he that backbiteth not with his tongue
nor doeth evil to his neighbor
nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor,
in whose eyes a vile person is contemned
but he honoureth them that fear the Lord;
he that putteth not out his money to usury
nor taketh a reward against the innocent.
He that doeth these things shall not be moved. Psalm 15
Probably I got a couple of words wrong here and there, but that's the idea.
So what is this psalm about? On one level, it's talking about the requirements for residence in the temple, to minister before the altar -- and in that sense it's not very useful today because the temple is no longer there. But it also gives a picture of some things that please the Lord. Let's have a look.
- walk uprightly
In the NIV it says "blameless," which does not mean "never ever stumbles"; it means, rather, that when he stumbles (sins, errs, whatever), he makes restitution where possible, he confesses, he repents. When he falls, in other words, he picks himself up rather than wallowing in it. He fears God and turns away from evil (like Job did).
- speaks the truth in his heart
He is not cagey, but that doesn't mean he must show wide-eyed naiveté either. - refrains from gossip and malice
Malice isn't too hard, but gossip is tough. - despises the vile
which doesn't mean that one has to plot mischief against an evil person, but rather that I don't admire them. - usury and bribes
Basically there's a temptation to do evil (exploit the poor) to gain money
Is that a tough list? For me at least, it's harder than it looks. Sometimes it's tempting to admire the rich and famous, even if they got that way by exploiting others. Sometimes, when I hear something astonishing, I pass it on before I know what I'm doing. Sometimes I know what I'm doing and say it anyway - alas.
So what's the good news here?
Among the good things God can do, one great good thing is that he can change me, if I'm willing, to become more and more like the picture painted in this psalm. And isn't that good news? Amen!
posted 7/23
Bible
I was caught unawares. "Joe decided to study theology of all things, and I didn't want anything to do with him after that" -- or something like that. What I maybe should have said was, "Why is it so bad to want to study about how much God loves us?" Because -- and it's going to sound trite, but here goes -- the depth of God's love really is astonishing. It's one of those things that surprises me whenever I think about it. And I don't think about it enough. Here's one passage that illustrates what I'm talking about: 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 man, though for a good man 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
Now the first time I read that, I had no idea what he was talking about. What's the difference between "righteous" and "good" anyway?
Well, although it's been a quarter century or so since I studied this passage, the key distinction stuck with me. The word translated "righteous" just means "something is what it's supposed to be." In other words, it meets its spec. It meets the implied warranty of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. A measuring cup that holds the amount indicated is fit for its purpose. It's a righteous cup.
In this context, somebody who doesn't rob banks or run stop signs is a righteous person.
The word translated "good" didn't stick with me, probably because nothing in its definition surprised me. But Mother Teresa was a good person. Someone like Norman Borlaug, who saved more human lives than anyone in history, might be a good person.
So, would you die to save Mother Teresa's life? Maybe, maybe not.
Would you die to save Bob, whose claim to fame is that he never robbed a bank and never ran a stop sign? Almost certainly not.
Would you die to save Dahmer, the cannibal serial killer?
What kind of love, how great a love, would it take to die for someone like that?
It's unimaginable. That's what Paul is talking about.
posted 7/20
Bible