2 Chronicles 17 tells the story of Jehoshaphat, how he fortified the cities of Judah, set garrisons in the land and, most importantly, that "his heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord" (17:6). This description stuck with me as I read the other books of this week's selection. I wondered what the section in Deuteronomy had to say about being courageous in the ways of the Lord. The answer wasn't immediate; upon a first review, chapters 13-17 appeared to contain straightforward directives: don't serve other gods (Deuteronomy 13), watch what you eat (14), honor God with tithing (14), participate in the Sabbatical Year (15), celebrate the Passover and Feasts (16), and don't pervert justice (16). Commands like these don't necessarily translate into courageous acts. Yet after closer review, I could see how a heart does need to be courageous in these ways of the Lord. For example, in order to not serve other gods, chapter 13 actually discusses walking away from an authority figure (a prophet who is misleading), and it speaks of going against family who would lead one astray. A person can only imagine the kind of courage this might take, to ignore authority or to challenge one's family. Similarly, when the text discusses the Sabbatical Year and notes that the reader is to "give freely" assisting those who become poor (15:10), a certain amount of courage is required here too. To give freely means one has to trust that there is and will be enough to be shared.
A call for courage is present in the letter of 1 John as well. Repeatedly it states that the reader is to recognize or confess that Jesus is the son of God. From experience, I can say this is not always a simple thing. So many challenges can be made that it is all too easy to remain silent about what one believes. I unfortunately have fallen into such traps. Why present my thoughts when they seem to be so easily dismissed? Thankfully, though, the letter of 1 John doesn't say that we have get into arguments over the matter. Quite the contrary, we are to "love one another" (1 John 4:7), and in so loving, we need to share the reason for this love: I love because he first love me (4:19). In a world that is fueled by arguments and finger-pointing, this is relieving. This is a courage I can aspire to. I can peacefully share my case, my story.
What one does need to be careful of, though, is to not follow the standard example set by the men of 2 Chronicles. In last week's reading, Asa diligently followed God until his final years; this week, courageous Jehoshaphat also turns from the good he has witnessed and joins wicked king Ahaziah (2 Chronicles 20:35-37). Being courageous is one thing; staying courageous is another. How does one not become like unfaithful Israel (as described in Hosea), a people who made a covenant with God only to forget him, traipsing in blood, committing villainy, waiting like robbers to prey on a man (Hosea 6:7-10)? Along with describing the condition of Israel, Hosea presents a possible answer: 4:6 says "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge", and 4:14 states, "a people without understanding shall come to ruin." This seems to indicate that part of staying courageous in the Lord's ways entails paying attention and not simply standing by and letting things just happen around you. Proverbs 4 appears to affirm; it is all about how a son should pay heed to a father's wise instruction: "[B]e attentive to my words, incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. [...] Keep your heart with all vigilance" (4:20-23). Likewise, we too should be vigilant and attend to wise instruction, for this will help fuel the courage of living one's faith.
Monday, August 29, 2016
Monday, August 22, 2016
A discipline that yields great rewards
This weekend I was talking with a friend about "the runner's high" - the moment, after many days of practice, when pushing through a long mile, that the runner (or me - wink) feels she is soaring and could keep the pace endlessly with ease. I would suggest that a third of this high is established by the thrill of success. YES! I finally made it. Another third is surprise or disbelief. Did I just do that? The final third is the body settling into a powerful position, like a sigh of relief intermixed with the fervor of pep. It doesn't have to work at it anymore; instead it can just be what it is.
To reach this moment takes discipline, sometimes a painful drill of training and routine. Yet it is this effort that makes the celebrated high. Hebrews 12:11 kind of captures this: "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." Of course, this verse isn't about running. Rather, it is encouraging the reader to endure against sin and immorality and to know that successful struggle brings great rewards. A lack of discipline, on the other hand, leads one astray. Proverbs 5:23 states, "[A man] dies for lack of discipline."
Asa from 2 Chronicles is a good example; in chapters 14 to 16 we have this story of an upstanding guy's epic fall. Asa begins by recognizing God. He declares, "Lord, there is none like you" and asks for God's help in his battles (14:11). When Azariah the prophet directs Asa to remove the "detestable idols," Asa takes courage and does what many before him did not do. He puts the idols away and repairs the Lord's altar (15:8), and it is noted, "there was no more war," until Asa's 35th year (16:19). But... then in Asa's 36th year, he trips up... pretty thoroughly. Without checking in with God like he used to, Asa takes silver and gold from the Lord's house and spends it on an alliance with the Syrian king in order to conquer all of Judah, and then when Hanani the seer confronts him, Asa put Hanani in the prison stocks (16:10). In one last hurrah of stupidity, he acquires a severe disease in his foot, doesn't seek help from God, and dies (16:12-13).
One pictures Asa having experienced a "runner's high" and then becoming complacent. Well, I got it made; time to kick back and relax... to his death bed. Psalm 119:109 expertly says, "I hold my life in my hand continually." This is probably why Deuteronomy states, "Take care less you forget..." (8:11) and "Take care less your heart be deceived..." (11:16). See, discipline is about more than "arriving"; it is about making the next steps easier, more automatic. There is a reason for the saying, "If you don't use it, you lose it." While "a runner's high" might be a pretty sweet place, it is not "the end". Think of all the work one loses if calling quits then and there. So "lift up your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees... strive for peace with everyone and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord" (12:12-14). We should be so committed that instead of lasting for that one kind moment of helping a single neighbor, we are, with familiarity, able to help many neighbors, to show in daily practice who God is. That is the ultimate "runner's high." Instead of it lasting for a fleeting moment, it pulses on, for a good long time.
To reach this moment takes discipline, sometimes a painful drill of training and routine. Yet it is this effort that makes the celebrated high. Hebrews 12:11 kind of captures this: "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." Of course, this verse isn't about running. Rather, it is encouraging the reader to endure against sin and immorality and to know that successful struggle brings great rewards. A lack of discipline, on the other hand, leads one astray. Proverbs 5:23 states, "[A man] dies for lack of discipline."
Asa from 2 Chronicles is a good example; in chapters 14 to 16 we have this story of an upstanding guy's epic fall. Asa begins by recognizing God. He declares, "Lord, there is none like you" and asks for God's help in his battles (14:11). When Azariah the prophet directs Asa to remove the "detestable idols," Asa takes courage and does what many before him did not do. He puts the idols away and repairs the Lord's altar (15:8), and it is noted, "there was no more war," until Asa's 35th year (16:19). But... then in Asa's 36th year, he trips up... pretty thoroughly. Without checking in with God like he used to, Asa takes silver and gold from the Lord's house and spends it on an alliance with the Syrian king in order to conquer all of Judah, and then when Hanani the seer confronts him, Asa put Hanani in the prison stocks (16:10). In one last hurrah of stupidity, he acquires a severe disease in his foot, doesn't seek help from God, and dies (16:12-13).
One pictures Asa having experienced a "runner's high" and then becoming complacent. Well, I got it made; time to kick back and relax... to his death bed. Psalm 119:109 expertly says, "I hold my life in my hand continually." This is probably why Deuteronomy states, "Take care less you forget..." (8:11) and "Take care less your heart be deceived..." (11:16). See, discipline is about more than "arriving"; it is about making the next steps easier, more automatic. There is a reason for the saying, "If you don't use it, you lose it." While "a runner's high" might be a pretty sweet place, it is not "the end". Think of all the work one loses if calling quits then and there. So "lift up your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees... strive for peace with everyone and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord" (12:12-14). We should be so committed that instead of lasting for that one kind moment of helping a single neighbor, we are, with familiarity, able to help many neighbors, to show in daily practice who God is. That is the ultimate "runner's high." Instead of it lasting for a fleeting moment, it pulses on, for a good long time.
Monday, August 15, 2016
Seek God in the Moment
There are days when I don't want to think about the hundreds of moral possibilities, the gray areas on which so many people have so many differing opinions. Should I give money to people in need though there is a chance they will spend it on something harmful to themselves or others? Is it okay to lie to one to protect another? Which is kinder: confronting people about their poor choices or letting them discover it for themselves? Such questions can plague and overwhelm me.
Thankfully, Hebrews 5:14 recognizes that one's "powers of discernment" need to be trained "by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." Though we are blessed with commandments like the solid ten in Deuteronomy 5, which directs, among other things, not to steal, murder, or commit adultery, there will be plenty of times when we will have to consider more than the obvious. Perhaps, this is why Psalm 119 contains requests for open eyes (vs. 18), understanding (vs. 27), enlargement (vs. 32) and inclination (vs. 36) of the heart, and teaching (vs. 66) of good judgment. We won't always know the answer, but this can get us in the habit of turning to one who does.
And ultimately, maybe this is what living in today, "as long as it is called 'today'," (Hebrews 3:13), is all about: seeking God in the moments we find ourselves. "[S]eek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deuteronomy 4:29).
If we don't want to enter a state of the living dead, as is given in Ezekiel's vision with the valley of dry bones (37:1-14), then we need to turn to the Lord and he will breathe life in us, a life that helps us to be examples for others (1 Peter Chapter 5:5), even when its hard.
Thankfully, Hebrews 5:14 recognizes that one's "powers of discernment" need to be trained "by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." Though we are blessed with commandments like the solid ten in Deuteronomy 5, which directs, among other things, not to steal, murder, or commit adultery, there will be plenty of times when we will have to consider more than the obvious. Perhaps, this is why Psalm 119 contains requests for open eyes (vs. 18), understanding (vs. 27), enlargement (vs. 32) and inclination (vs. 36) of the heart, and teaching (vs. 66) of good judgment. We won't always know the answer, but this can get us in the habit of turning to one who does.
And ultimately, maybe this is what living in today, "as long as it is called 'today'," (Hebrews 3:13), is all about: seeking God in the moments we find ourselves. "[S]eek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deuteronomy 4:29).
If we don't want to enter a state of the living dead, as is given in Ezekiel's vision with the valley of dry bones (37:1-14), then we need to turn to the Lord and he will breathe life in us, a life that helps us to be examples for others (1 Peter Chapter 5:5), even when its hard.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Found Poem
Found Poem
(Numbers 33-36, 2 Chronicles 1-4, Psalms 110-115, Proverbs 7, Ezekiel 21-28, 2 Timothy, Titus)
Blessed is he who fears the Lord -
God in the heavens who turns
rocks into water pools and flint
into water springs.
Don't be like those who became
the very idols they worshipped, who grew
proud hearts and declared, "I am
a god," ruining their sacred relationship
and turning it to dross. They forgot
the Lord, and he returned their lewd
ways upon their head.
Destroy figured stones and metal
images. Be like a young Solomon
who asked for knowledge
and wisdom to govern and lead.
Ignore the seductive speech
of the wayward and guard
a good deposit.
Become a model that others
can live by, speaking soundly
with integrity and dignity. Show
a good faith and endure hardship
with gentleness. Fan into the flame
the gift of God who gives you power
love and self-control.
(Numbers 33-36, 2 Chronicles 1-4, Psalms 110-115, Proverbs 7, Ezekiel 21-28, 2 Timothy, Titus)
Blessed is he who fears the Lord -
God in the heavens who turns
rocks into water pools and flint
into water springs.
Don't be like those who became
the very idols they worshipped, who grew
proud hearts and declared, "I am
a god," ruining their sacred relationship
and turning it to dross. They forgot
the Lord, and he returned their lewd
ways upon their head.
Destroy figured stones and metal
images. Be like a young Solomon
who asked for knowledge
and wisdom to govern and lead.
Ignore the seductive speech
of the wayward and guard
a good deposit.
Become a model that others
can live by, speaking soundly
with integrity and dignity. Show
a good faith and endure hardship
with gentleness. Fan into the flame
the gift of God who gives you power
love and self-control.
Monday, July 25, 2016
A Whole Heart
David's prayer for his son Solomon at the end of First Chronicles includes a request: "Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart" (1 Chronicles 29:19). It is fairly obvious that this appeal is for more than a physical wholeness. Solomon did not have a heart impairment. Rather, David, having experienced his own trials and temptations, knew the kind of commitment his son would need to possess to follow God's commands and statutes.
The readings in Ezekiel this week are a great demonstration of those who don't act with their whole heart. In Chapter 16, we are given the image of the faithless bride to represent how God's people treated him. Sure at the beginning, when he saved them and "made [them] flourish like a plant in a field" (Ezekiel 16:7), they were ready to commit, but the commitment was not wholehearted, for, in no small amount of time, God goes from describing the people as his bride to a "whore" (16:15). This metaphorical bride takes what she's been given and uses it for "shrines" (16:16), for "images of men" (16:17), and for "sacrificing children" (16:20). Consequently, God's states, "How sick is your heart" (16:30).
To be whole is to be more than free from defect; it is also to be "undivided" and "integral" (Webster's, 1970, p.1019). Wholehearted people don't promise one thing only to go do something else. Rather, they commit to the promise and are an essential and fundamental contributor to the promise's completion. Have you ever set out to do something, worked hard to meet your goal, and then experienced full satisfaction at your accomplishment? This deep pleasure perhaps was the result of genuine effort - a determination to not give up when roadblocks occurred. I would suggest that it is this type of wholeheartedness that prevents one from making "a shipwreck of [one's] faith" (1 Timothy 1:19).
Admittedly, it is easy and understandable in this day and age - with its stabbings, mass shootings, and terrorism - to speculate and wonder, "Where is God?" But we should never let this speculation make us lose heart for the important, life-saving charges given us. Ezekiel 18:5-9 shares, "If a man is righteous and does what is just and right - if he does not [...] lift up his eyes to the idols [...], does not defile his neighbor's wife [...], does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, [...] withholds his hand from injustice, [...] walks in my statues, and keeps my rules by acting faithfully - he is righteous; he shall surely live." I don't know about you, but these directions seem worthy and valuable, something one could commit to regardless of the speculation that follows others' poor choices.
Ultimately, I don't want to be the person who loses sight of what matters and end up like him who "loved to curse" and "did not delight in blessing" enough so that curses and misery was his reward (Psalms 109:16-20). I believe what it says in Ezekiel 16:43, that our deeds are returned upon our own heads. So along with David, I pray for a whole heart. I don't want to commit to speculation, to wondering about the "ifs" and "buts." Rather, I will devote my time and efforts to a "love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (1 Timothy 1:5). For isn't this all that really matters in the end?
The readings in Ezekiel this week are a great demonstration of those who don't act with their whole heart. In Chapter 16, we are given the image of the faithless bride to represent how God's people treated him. Sure at the beginning, when he saved them and "made [them] flourish like a plant in a field" (Ezekiel 16:7), they were ready to commit, but the commitment was not wholehearted, for, in no small amount of time, God goes from describing the people as his bride to a "whore" (16:15). This metaphorical bride takes what she's been given and uses it for "shrines" (16:16), for "images of men" (16:17), and for "sacrificing children" (16:20). Consequently, God's states, "How sick is your heart" (16:30).
To be whole is to be more than free from defect; it is also to be "undivided" and "integral" (Webster's, 1970, p.1019). Wholehearted people don't promise one thing only to go do something else. Rather, they commit to the promise and are an essential and fundamental contributor to the promise's completion. Have you ever set out to do something, worked hard to meet your goal, and then experienced full satisfaction at your accomplishment? This deep pleasure perhaps was the result of genuine effort - a determination to not give up when roadblocks occurred. I would suggest that it is this type of wholeheartedness that prevents one from making "a shipwreck of [one's] faith" (1 Timothy 1:19).
Admittedly, it is easy and understandable in this day and age - with its stabbings, mass shootings, and terrorism - to speculate and wonder, "Where is God?" But we should never let this speculation make us lose heart for the important, life-saving charges given us. Ezekiel 18:5-9 shares, "If a man is righteous and does what is just and right - if he does not [...] lift up his eyes to the idols [...], does not defile his neighbor's wife [...], does not oppress anyone, but restores to the debtor his pledge, commits no robbery, gives bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, [...] withholds his hand from injustice, [...] walks in my statues, and keeps my rules by acting faithfully - he is righteous; he shall surely live." I don't know about you, but these directions seem worthy and valuable, something one could commit to regardless of the speculation that follows others' poor choices.
Ultimately, I don't want to be the person who loses sight of what matters and end up like him who "loved to curse" and "did not delight in blessing" enough so that curses and misery was his reward (Psalms 109:16-20). I believe what it says in Ezekiel 16:43, that our deeds are returned upon our own heads. So along with David, I pray for a whole heart. I don't want to commit to speculation, to wondering about the "ifs" and "buts." Rather, I will devote my time and efforts to a "love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (1 Timothy 1:5). For isn't this all that really matters in the end?
Sunday, July 17, 2016
"In their sight"
This week's readings were imposing. Ezekiel's visions of the four living creatures with their human, lion, ox and eagle heads are grandiose. David's preparations, with his organization of Levites, priests, and musicians, on behalf of his son Solomon, who is to build the house of the Lord, are significant. Even the transition of leadership from Moses to Joshua is impressive as it happened before the whole congregation. A part of me wonders how li'l me could even dare attempt any interpretation of these passages. However, one thing I am confident of is the blessing given to those who seek to understand God. Proverbs 8:35 states, "Whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor." So under such encouragement, I will proceed with what stood out to li'l me this week.
"In their sight" is a common phrase that was used. When Moses is about to pass along his leadership role to Joshua, God requests that the transition occurs in "sight" of the entire congregation (Numbers 27:19). I'm all but certain that the impressive handover was to make Joshua's authority as official as possible. There was to be no doubt about who was in charge.
The phrase "in their sight" is used again when God is instructing Ezekiel about how he is to carry his "exile baggage" - a symbol for how the rebellious house of Judah will be treated. It appears seven times within the first seven verses of chapter 12. The strangeness of Ezekiel's symbolic actions - digging through walls and bringing his baggage through them (Ezekiel 12:5) - loses luster if no one is there to see it. Through Ezekiel, God is trying to get people's attention.
"Wait and see." "Seeing is believing." "You got to see it to believe it." All of these clichés communicate the powerful connection between sight and belief. Sure, we can be told about others' experiences, and this can be quite persuasive; however, there is nothing quite like witnessing it with one's own eyes.
For example, this weekend, I was visiting with friends, and while we were sitting on the sidewalk of Main Street, eating ice cream, watching the cars go by, a previous student of mine, from a district miles away from where my friends and I were enjoying dessert, stuck his head out of a passing car and shouted, "Ms. Black?!" I waved, and my friends laughed wholeheartedly after witnessing this coincidental encounter. My family's response to my retelling of it though was more mild - they smiled and said, "That's nice." Seeing with one's eyes what would otherwise be heard or read adds a layer of personal experience that can enhance the message.
I would dare suggest that this is why Paul talks about putting "no obstacle in anyone's way" related to how one acts (2 Corinthians 6:3). If we are to be God's children, then our actions should demonstrate such, through "great endurance" in afflictions and hardships, by practicing patience and kindness and "truthful speech" (2 Corinthians 6:4-8). We need to give those around us something noteworthy to pay attention to, so that, as we are "in their sight," they witness the manifestation of God in our lives.
"In their sight" is a common phrase that was used. When Moses is about to pass along his leadership role to Joshua, God requests that the transition occurs in "sight" of the entire congregation (Numbers 27:19). I'm all but certain that the impressive handover was to make Joshua's authority as official as possible. There was to be no doubt about who was in charge.
The phrase "in their sight" is used again when God is instructing Ezekiel about how he is to carry his "exile baggage" - a symbol for how the rebellious house of Judah will be treated. It appears seven times within the first seven verses of chapter 12. The strangeness of Ezekiel's symbolic actions - digging through walls and bringing his baggage through them (Ezekiel 12:5) - loses luster if no one is there to see it. Through Ezekiel, God is trying to get people's attention.
"Wait and see." "Seeing is believing." "You got to see it to believe it." All of these clichés communicate the powerful connection between sight and belief. Sure, we can be told about others' experiences, and this can be quite persuasive; however, there is nothing quite like witnessing it with one's own eyes.
For example, this weekend, I was visiting with friends, and while we were sitting on the sidewalk of Main Street, eating ice cream, watching the cars go by, a previous student of mine, from a district miles away from where my friends and I were enjoying dessert, stuck his head out of a passing car and shouted, "Ms. Black?!" I waved, and my friends laughed wholeheartedly after witnessing this coincidental encounter. My family's response to my retelling of it though was more mild - they smiled and said, "That's nice." Seeing with one's eyes what would otherwise be heard or read adds a layer of personal experience that can enhance the message.
I would dare suggest that this is why Paul talks about putting "no obstacle in anyone's way" related to how one acts (2 Corinthians 6:3). If we are to be God's children, then our actions should demonstrate such, through "great endurance" in afflictions and hardships, by practicing patience and kindness and "truthful speech" (2 Corinthians 6:4-8). We need to give those around us something noteworthy to pay attention to, so that, as we are "in their sight," they witness the manifestation of God in our lives.
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Be Smarter Than a Donkey
(Yes, so I missed posting this last Sunday. I had my weekly "essay" planned; however, I was in the middle of moving boxes from one place to the next. I finally found time to publish the post today. I am planning on my next post for this coming Sunday, as usual.)
In this week's readings, Numbers 22 presents this bizarre story about a man and his donkey. Balaam, a diviner, is traveling to meet Balak, a Moabite prince, to discuss the idea of cursing the Israelites. Along the way, an angel of the Lord blocks the road, and most certainly would have prevented Balaam's arrival in Moab, perhaps by death. However, Balaam's donkey sees the angel and keeps turning aside or away from the path. When Balaam begins to beat the donkey for its seemingly wayward nature, the donkey speaks and defends itself. "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times? [...] Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?" (Numbers 22:28-30). At this moment, Balaam's eyes are opened, and he sees the angel of the Lord, who states, "Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse [...]. The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside [...], surely just now I would have killed you and let her live" (Numbers 22:32-33).
As I read this story, I felt such sympathy toward the donkey. Here she is taking care of her master while he blindly and foolishly beats her, never even stopping to wonder if something was wrong. I thought to myself, "Surely people can be smarter than a donkey, can't they?" Then I began to read 1 Chronicles. Chapter 17 speaks of the covenant God makes with David, who is so understandably in awe at the extent of God's promise that he starts his prayer with, "Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And this was a small thing in your eyes, O God. You have also spoken of your servant's house for a great while to come, and have shown me future generations" (1 Chronicles 17:16-17). The covenant God makes with David will last for generations, and one would think, especially based on this prayer, that it would be something David would remember. Yet four chapters later, David is feeling proud about his dominion and demands a census, something even his military commander, Joab, finds "abhorrent" (1 Chronicles 21:6). David wants to know how much man power he has. The consequence of this arrogance? A pestilence so bad that 70,000 of the men David counted fall. David, clothed in sackcloth, notes, "Was it not I who gave command to number the people?" (1 Chronicles 21:17). Honestly, this is a frightening tale. One haughty decision cost David so much.
Jeremiah 51:17 comments about Babylon, "Every man is stupid and without knowledge." They put their faith in idols that have "no breath" and are a "work of delusion" (51:17-18). Proverbs 9:13 declares, "The woman Folly [...] is seductive [...]. She sits at the door of her house; she stakes a seat on the highest places of town, calling to those who pass by [...] 'Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!'" Based on these passages as well of the story of David, it would appear that "being smarter than a donkey" can be a Herculean task. How do one overcome a natural state of stupidity?
Thankfully, 2 Corinthians paints a counteracting picture. First, it recognizes the power of person's choices. Chapter 2, verse 5 notes, "[...] if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure - not to put it too severely - to all of you." Too many times, we, like David, think our actions only affect ourselves. We rarely pay attention to the ramifications of what we do, and this gets us into trouble. If we are to "be smarter than a donkey," it would be prudent to see ahead and consider the path we are on. What lives might be touched by the decisions we make?
Second, when one's keeps God at the center, a positive boldness ensues. "[W]here the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:17). We have access to one who has done "mighty deeds" (Psalm 106:2), who has "an abundance of [...] steadfast love" (Psalm 106:7), and who has saved and redeemed from the "hand of the foe" and the "power of the enemy" (Psalm 106:10). If in our choices we seek his guidance, we can "be smarter than a donkey" and live in his world with a surprising boldness.
In this week's readings, Numbers 22 presents this bizarre story about a man and his donkey. Balaam, a diviner, is traveling to meet Balak, a Moabite prince, to discuss the idea of cursing the Israelites. Along the way, an angel of the Lord blocks the road, and most certainly would have prevented Balaam's arrival in Moab, perhaps by death. However, Balaam's donkey sees the angel and keeps turning aside or away from the path. When Balaam begins to beat the donkey for its seemingly wayward nature, the donkey speaks and defends itself. "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times? [...] Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?" (Numbers 22:28-30). At this moment, Balaam's eyes are opened, and he sees the angel of the Lord, who states, "Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse [...]. The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside [...], surely just now I would have killed you and let her live" (Numbers 22:32-33).
As I read this story, I felt such sympathy toward the donkey. Here she is taking care of her master while he blindly and foolishly beats her, never even stopping to wonder if something was wrong. I thought to myself, "Surely people can be smarter than a donkey, can't they?" Then I began to read 1 Chronicles. Chapter 17 speaks of the covenant God makes with David, who is so understandably in awe at the extent of God's promise that he starts his prayer with, "Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? And this was a small thing in your eyes, O God. You have also spoken of your servant's house for a great while to come, and have shown me future generations" (1 Chronicles 17:16-17). The covenant God makes with David will last for generations, and one would think, especially based on this prayer, that it would be something David would remember. Yet four chapters later, David is feeling proud about his dominion and demands a census, something even his military commander, Joab, finds "abhorrent" (1 Chronicles 21:6). David wants to know how much man power he has. The consequence of this arrogance? A pestilence so bad that 70,000 of the men David counted fall. David, clothed in sackcloth, notes, "Was it not I who gave command to number the people?" (1 Chronicles 21:17). Honestly, this is a frightening tale. One haughty decision cost David so much.
Jeremiah 51:17 comments about Babylon, "Every man is stupid and without knowledge." They put their faith in idols that have "no breath" and are a "work of delusion" (51:17-18). Proverbs 9:13 declares, "The woman Folly [...] is seductive [...]. She sits at the door of her house; she stakes a seat on the highest places of town, calling to those who pass by [...] 'Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!'" Based on these passages as well of the story of David, it would appear that "being smarter than a donkey" can be a Herculean task. How do one overcome a natural state of stupidity?
Thankfully, 2 Corinthians paints a counteracting picture. First, it recognizes the power of person's choices. Chapter 2, verse 5 notes, "[...] if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure - not to put it too severely - to all of you." Too many times, we, like David, think our actions only affect ourselves. We rarely pay attention to the ramifications of what we do, and this gets us into trouble. If we are to "be smarter than a donkey," it would be prudent to see ahead and consider the path we are on. What lives might be touched by the decisions we make?
Second, when one's keeps God at the center, a positive boldness ensues. "[W]here the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:17). We have access to one who has done "mighty deeds" (Psalm 106:2), who has "an abundance of [...] steadfast love" (Psalm 106:7), and who has saved and redeemed from the "hand of the foe" and the "power of the enemy" (Psalm 106:10). If in our choices we seek his guidance, we can "be smarter than a donkey" and live in his world with a surprising boldness.
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