A thought of the summer

I am going to try and get this blog going over the coming week.

I a going to start with a an interesting thought that I read somewhere over the summer:

People contrast human- and God-centred religion often. But a true understanding of humanity, the image of God, should point to God. There is nothing wrong with being human-centred in our religion because it does not exclude being God-centred. Both God and humanity should be at the centre of our lives, but not some false vision of either. They are not rivals for our affection. This point is beautifully summed up by Jesus:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matt 22)

Among other things I think this leads to a correct view of 'social justice', and a God-exhalting view of creation.

A tentpeg through his head - pure, lovely, and commendable?

Quite some time ago Mark Heath wrote a worship song with the following words:

Come hear the story of Deborah
And the defeat of Sisera
She prophesied, "take an army, and fight against Canaan"
The people gladly followed under Barak's command
And God gave the battle into their hands

There they fell, dead
God's enemies defeated
Killed by the armies of Yahweh
But their leader ran away

Blessed be Jael the Kenite
Who offered milk and a bed for the night
She took a tent peg in her left hand, and a hammer in her right
And when he started snoring, she approached him from behind
And crushed his skull with all of her might

There he fell, dead
With a tent peg through his head
Killed by a friend of the family
As he slept in her bed

Poor old Sisera's mummy
Wonders where her little boy has gone
"Now don't you worry, he'll be home soon"
"He's probably raping a girl or two"
"And when he's done with them he'll steal some clothes for you"

There he lay, dead
With a tent peg through his head
Killed by a friend of the family
As he slept in her bed

When I first heard it (and blogged about it) I was very unsure about it. I have listened to it a lot since then, and thought about it some more. I am convinced that we must begin to worship God for his judgment of evil people. When Habakkuk complains to God about injustice against the poor of Israel, God's response is to assure Habakkuk they the perpetrators of injustice will be punished and Habakkuk welcomes that. And Jesus did not do anything different, as Mary the mother of Jesus sings with joy to God:

He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent empty away.

I have to challenge myself to ask why I have trouble singing with Mary on this. I suspect it is because I am not the poor but the rich, and am aware enough of my sin to dislike the idea of coming judgment. Yet Jesus held out hope even to the rich in letting himself be judged and I must rejoice but with a humble heart.

A good Job by Calvin

Although I am not a big Puritan fan, and don't really get on with Jonathan Edwards, I do so love John Calvin. Here is a great quote from him on Job (HT Mark Horne):

Let us have such modesty in us, as not to attempt anything against him: but whensoever it shall please him to chastise us, let every [one] of us thing thus himself: Go to, my God chastises me for such sin, and after such a manner: and it behooves me to make my profit of it. Therefore let us not be deaf when God warns us after that fashion: according to the examples he gives us, to the intent we grow not past grace, and so the thing befall us which is spoken heretofore, namely that we heap up continuously a greater wrath and a more horrible vengeance of God upon us.

(Calvin, Sermons on Job, Sermon 141, 36:15-19, p., 665)

I often think that Job is much less concerned about the 'problem of suffering' and much more about a wider understanding of how we follow God. I think we narrow it's application when we only think about it as that. Like all the bible it is about the greatness of God, the sinfulness and creatureliness of humanity, and the grace of a God who reaches down.

Actually, when I came to read the passage he is commenting on it is (perhaps unsurprisingly) even more brilliant than Calvin's comment, and this is because it is so concerned with these big themes:

“The godless in heart cherish anger;
they do not cry for help when he binds them.
They die in youth,
and their life ends among the cult prostitutes.
He delivers the afflicted by their affliction
and opens their ear by adversity.
He also allured you out of distress
into a broad place where there was no cramping,
and what was set on your table was full of fatness.

“But you are full of the judgment on the wicked;
judgment and justice seize you.
Beware lest wrath entice you into scoffing,
and let not the greatness of the ransom turn you aside.
Will your cry for help avail to keep you from distress,
or all the force of your strength?
Do not long for the night,
when peoples vanish in their place.
Take care; do not turn to iniquity,
for this you have chosen rather than affliction.
Behold, God is exalted in his power;
who is a teacher like him?
Who has prescribed for him his way,
or who can say, ‘You have done wrong’?

“Remember to extol his work,
of which men have sung.
All mankind has looked on it;
man beholds it from afar.

What do you see?

Num 24
Ps 66

The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened, the oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered... (Numbers 24:3-4)

Balaam in Numbers 24 does not look for omens but faces the wilderness and sees Israel camped in it (v1). Looking at homeless Israel the Spirit comes upon him and he sees much more. He sees God's blessing upon them in the form of both a vision of pastoral harmony and great power over its enemies.

Balaam in his second prophecy of the chapter, which is prefaced with the same comment as the first about seeing, prophesises that the enemies of God will ruled by 'one from Jacob [that] shall exercise dominion' (v19). Whoever this person is though it is still 'God [who] does this' (v23).

This vision of Israel on the in victorious war against its enemies is not one to bring hope to the other nations of the world and yet Psalm 66 encourages them to 'Shout for joy to God' (v1). Psalm 67 is even stronger in its encouragement to 'the nations [to] be glad and sing for joy' (v4), although the Psalmist has not forgotten that 'all the ends of the earth fear him' too (v7).

In both the two psalms only one reason is given why the nations should be glad and that is because God 'judge[s] the peoples with equity and guide[s] the nations upon earth' (67:4). Though God loves his people he is never unfair, and more than that is guiding the nations in his plan to fulfil Abraham's promise to bless the nations through Israel.

God's jealousy for his people is clearly a blessing for them, which cannot be overcome by the rival gods or people groups a Balaam and Balak found. The psalmist encourages the nations to 'Come and see what God has done' (66:5) and recounts God's unique saving acts for Israel. The implication seems to be that if you see what God has done for his people, and praise him for it, you can share in his blessing to them. As I think about the great acts of God towards his people in the past when reading Numbers, I find joy because I know instinctively that God's blessing to Israel, finding its fulfilment in Jesus' resurrection is mine too if I share in his death.

How this blog was born

This blog was created...

• On the suggestion of Paul's words in Philippians 4:8-9: 'Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.'
• On the recollection of Don Carson's words: 'People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord.'
• On the example of Dave Bish, Mark Lauterbach among others.
• Using the resource of the daily Bible reading calendar created by Robert Murray M'Cheyne. and which has benefited countless Christians since.
• And finally, on the experience of writing a blog for many months, which though I was occasionally proud of too often, though with its foundation on the gospel, did not have the gospel as its focus. I hope with this blog to think and write about the important things, not those things which my itching fingers want to write.

'rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation'