Yahweh Makes Himself Known By The Justice He Makes – Psalm 9

Many consider Psalm 9 and 10 to be one Psalm, or at least a two parter. Both, at least, have similar themes and verbiage, and perhaps a loose acrostic structure. However, the focus in 9 is thanking God for righteous judgement, whereas 10 is a prayer against wicked rulers.

So onto Psalm 9. It sort of picks up where 7 left off. Once again, God is the judge of the world who will vindicate his people by punishing evil. And we see here how David speaks of past judgements made to show the basis of his trust for future judgements. As opposed to many of David’s psalms, this one focuses more on Israel’s national enemies, it seems, than David’s personal ones. And any attempt to drive Israel from their land was an attack on God’s plan, and therefore an attack against God. This Psalm reminds me of the end of Moses’ song in Deuteronomy 32:40-43, or Romans 12:19 and Revelation 19:2. Revenge or repayment from a just and fair God is not evil. In fact, it reflects his holiness because he can’t leave sin unpunished.

Go! Because This Man Is My Chosen Vessel For Bearing My Name In The Sight of Both Gentiles and Kings, and The Children of Israel - Acts 9-10

This section with Paul and Peter shows them being hit with just a total reversal of their former ways, yet not at the same time. Everything is confirmed, yet overturned dramatically. The old ways finish their role, and all promises find their "yes" in the person of Jesus. The implications of Jesus replacing and fulfilling what Torah couldn't do begin to be shown as God's Spirit is more and more freely given.

I can't imagine the mind-job Saul must've had on the way to Damascus. A glory appears to him, and he gets his chance to see at least a glimpse of the glory of the Lord he had perhaps meditated on and imagined countless times, and it turns out to be the face of Jesus, whom he's persecuting by persecuting Jesus' "body" (all Christians). Just try to image all the stories and Psalms and prophecies swirling in his mind and as they come together in a way that's obvious, yet unexpected. And very soon the man who kept the Torah as zealous as anyone and sought to destroy those who "defiled" it is transformed, in a way only the gracious God can do, into God's chosen instrument for sharing the Torah's fulfillment with those who never even knew of it! Does God have a sense of humor? An overly passionate ends-justify-the-means fanatical super-orthodox ultra-nationalistic Pharisee will bring the good news to the nations? God can work with anyone, and that's part of the point! This reminds me that someday I’ll stand before Jesus and go, "Oh…”

Something interesting struck me as I read about Ananias. Here we have a bit of biblical Inception, a vision in a vision. Ananias has a vision in which he's told about Saul having a vision of Ananias coming...a bit of a neat mind-bender.

Yahweh, our Lord. How Majestic is Your Name in all the Land! - Psalm 8

This Psalm is a calm interlude from the ones surrounding it which talk of the attacks and sufferings enemies are bringing.

We see the simple praise which God receives from even infants contrasted with the defiance of terrible people. Jesus quotes it in Matthew 21:16 to demonstrate the trust (or faith) infants and children have in him.

And this praise is for God’s creation in all its vast array (akin to Romans 1:20). It’s a very fitting Psalm for me today considering that yesterday at church for Trinity Sunday we focused on how in Creation God created humanity to bear his image, with the humility (8:4-5) and responsibility that this all entails in ruling over God’s world (8:6-9) in a benevolent way, the way Christ rules over the Church.

The Naive Epistemology of the "New Atheist" Movement

I saw this graphic a few days ago on http://www.atheistrev.com/2011/06/why-i-am-atheist.html and felt compelled to just mention a few things because I've heard this type of argument in one way or another for quite some time now by prominent figures in the New Atheist Movement (just never this concise and direct!).

I'm focusing mainly on the comment, "If you propose the existence of something, you must follow the scientific method in your defense of its existence."

Now, lots could obviously be said and this is of course the subject of much debate. However, I want to just define a few terms very roughly and say what I think is missing in much contemporary debate.

Religion is a very loose term. How we often define "religion" today in popular Western media (at least) wouldn't even be recognizable to those who launched a fresh new “movement” or “lifestyle” in first century Jerusalem because they believed a man named Jesus from Nazareth was the promised Jewish Messiah who became the world’s Lord when he lived, died, and rose from the dead, a.k.a. Christianity (look at my posts on the Book of Acts, among others, to see why!). Let’s be clear on that, first.

So On That Day a Severe Persecution Occurred - Acts 6:8-8:40

Acts 6 reminds me of how certain people have the tendency to throw around “stock charges” at people who say things about the Bible they don’t expect or not in the way they’re used to hearing them…even if the sentence doesn’t have to do with the charges themselves, the tendency of many is to jump to that conclusion without hearing them. I feel this is what’s happening to Stephen. “This guy’s saying slanderous things against Moses and God! He’s saying Jesus will destroy the temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us!” Yes, we need to be weary of ferocious wolves who want to devour God’s flock, but we also need to humble be the Bereans who check the Scriptures to verify the truth. Instead of knocking down straw-men and using parodies of debate, we need careful and thoughtful listening and humble speaking.

Now, Stephen’s speech reminds me that primarily in the Bible God is giving us a story, not just abstract principles about how to get to heaven. 

Save Me From All My Persecutors And Rescue Me - Psalm 7

First off, the heading. A Benjamite named Cush isn’t mentioned in the Bible. Maybe he was involved in one of the rebellions, or loyal to Saul? Maybe it’s a different name for Saul?

Psalm 7 has similar content to Psalm 6 (protecting from enemies), but the focus is significantly different. Psalm 6 has confession of guilt, but Psalm 7 talks of protesting innocence before people. David can do this because we see through the Psalm that God is a god of justice, and he will bring about justice. Paul, for example, speaks the same way in 2 Thessalonians 1:6-7. I think of Haman reaping what he sowed (Esther 7). And so this moves us to thank God for his justice (5:18)!

I think of how David had not done harm to Saul’s family, as was common when nations switched dynasties. David passed up chance after chance to kill Saul (1 Samuel 24, 26), he praised the people who buried Saul and Jonathan (2 Samuel 2:4-5), he punished those who murdered Ish-Bosheth (2 Samuel 4), and he welcomed and befriended Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9). I mean, look at 7:5. David is saying it’s wrong to plunder your enemy for no good reason.

If it’s from God, you won’t be able to put an end to them - Acts 5:1-6:7

The more I read Acts, the more compelling it is. I say this because here we see the first signs that the growth of the Church was pervasive, but it definitely wasn’t trouble free. There was persecution from without, and corruption from within.

From within we see the account of Ananias and his wife Sapphira testing and Holy Spirit by lying, and receiving swift judgment. Now, contrary to perhaps popular media opinion, this kind of swift judgment is quite rare in the Bible. Judgment is usually enacted against nations after long periods of time who have become hardened in their ways (Genesis 15:16 among others).

And from within we see the Hellenistic Greek speaking widows receiving different treatment that the native Palestinian Aramaic speaking ones. I’m reminded that the church is to be a single family. So yes, they share everything in common, and yes, they treat each other all with the same respect and love. Plus, this incident is a glaring hint to church leaders that two things are essential, giving people God’s Word and prayer.

But as for me, because of the greatness of your mercy I will come to your house - Psalms 5 & 6

This struck me with I began delving into this Psalm, God wants to empathize with us, and he CAN! He wants us to go to him with our struggles, our groans, our cries for help when no solutions or answers are in sight.

And this is especially interesting considering God’s holiness presented here. Holy in the Bible means, “set apart for a special purpose.” God is holy, so he can’t be around evil (5:4). This is why it’s only because of his mercy (5:7), that is, his undeserved favor that we can approach him (a love fully revealed in Jesus). And it’s in view of this mercy that God leads us to in turn lead a holy life (5:8)

It’s such a paradox. “God hates sinners, but he loves sinners.” And I love paradoxes (and things that are the same), and the Bible has a lot of them. This paradox is what Lutheran`s distinguish as “Law and Gospel” and is central to Lutheran theology (the picture in this post is a Cranach painting depicting Law and Gospel. You got to love medieval German art sometimes...).

It’s necessary for heaven to receive [Jesus] until times of restoration for all the things God spoke about through the mouth of his holy prophets of long ago. - Acts 3 & 4

This part of Acts seems to move energetically and purposely through what transpired in Jerusalem before corruption from within and persecution from without forced many Christians out and thus ignited the explosion of Christian missionary work and the spread of the apostle's message. I get pumped just reading through it.

When you look at Peter’s words to the people and the temple authorities, you don’t see dry speeches. He doesn’t give doctrinal dissertations, though teachings are certainly contained in them. And he doesn’t give motivational speeches intended to encourage people to just be more socially active and live moral lives while quoting “Old Testament examples” here and there, though living a holy life is part of it. In Peter’s words you see him telling the climactic event of the grand epic that Moses and the Prophets were all leading up to, Jesus’ resurrection from the dead! Peter heals this man born crippled so that he can focus (the healing is called a sign) on telling the people and the temple authorities about what Jesus has done to restore all things (as he did this born crippled) and bring about promised the time of restoration.

Know that Yahweh has set apart the holy for himself! - Psalms 3 & 4

Both of these Psalms talk of God relieving his set apart people from their enemies, and both Psalms make very fitting and applicable evening prayers before going to bed, especially during times for Christians dealing with difficult people who are opposing God’s purposes.

Now, the setting of Psalm 3 is apparently during the attempted coup d'état of David’s son Absalom. The events surrounding this period are in roughly 2 Samuel 15-17, which sheds light on David’s feelings and the pressure facing him. David knows from God’s promise to establish his dynasty and have him rest with his fathers (2 Samuel 7) that this coup won’t succeed, right? This is why his confidence is in Yahweh to protect him and why he can boldly ask him to “Arise and rescue.” Yahweh is faithful to his promises. He is who he is (hence the name). This is why David can sleep secure, even if uncountable enemies surround him and seem to have the upper hand (as Absalom seemed to have had). 

God made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you all crucified! - Acts 2

Here it is, the biblical Pentecost. Now, this shouldn’t go without saying. Pentecost comes from the Greek word for 50, and is another one of the names for the “Feast of Weeks” (Exodus 34:22, Deuteronomy 16:10), or Feast of Ingathering/Harvest/Reaping. This harvest was celebrated 49 days (7 weeks) after Passover (Easter), hence the 50. It celebrated the spring harvest as God’s people thanked him for his goodness for giving them the land as their inheritance, and as they didn't abuse what they had, but instead gave their first-fruits to the Lord in Jerusalem. The whole intricate system of Mosaic sacrifices is something I want to know more about. I agree with the venerable N.T. Wright (http://www.altervideomagazine.com/2011/06/08/old-testament-sacrifices/) that they were about more than just “penal substitutionary atonement,” though that's certainly a key element in at least some of them 

It just blows my mind sometimes when I consider how God worked out all the regulations and festivals in the Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy) to prepare his people for Jesus the Messiah and illustrate beautifully what Jesus came to accomplish. The Pentecost festival itself was a “party-time” where people feasted and celebrated. How fitting is it that God chose in his plan and foreknowledge (2:23) to institute this festival and use it to harvest souls and start this multi-national (the list of nationalities shows there were people from all over that known world) explosion of getting the good news out about Jesus’ resurrection! And like I wrote on Sunday, Pentecost means Jesus rules, and he’s calling the world to acknowledge it and act accordingly by changing their ways (repenting) and being baptized for the forgiveness of sins so they can, too, become part of the people of God.

Why Are the Nations Restless, and the People Muttering in Vain? - Psalm 2

The first two Psalms form such a fitting introduction to the whole series of Psalms. Psalm 1, of course, deals with your attitude toward God’s Word. This Psalm deals with your attitude towards God’s Anointed One, which is, of course, the meaning of the word Messiah and Christ (which come from Hebrew and Greek, respectively). Certain important and God-chosen figures in Israel such as prophets, priests, and kings were anointed when they were installed into office. Anointing meant having oil like olive oil poured over your head. This is akin to how for much of world history kings were crowned, or how knights in England are knighted with a sword by the queen (right?).

With the Psalms especially, it’s important for Christians to keep the different “Acts” of the Bible’s purposes in mind (see my page “About the Bible”). What I mean is, to understand them fully, you need to first ponder what it meant for the original audience. Only then can you fully appreciate and properly apply to the current time of the renewed covenant, and to Jesus the Messiah/Christ/Anointed One.

You Will Be My Witnesses - Acts 1

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As we roll into the book of Acts we see the beginning of these last days. We see the beginning of the age we're in. In grandiose scope, this book shows us how Jesus has begun his rule, his kingdom, over the world through his Spirit whom he has poured on his followers (call them Christians, members of The Way, Jews who trust in Jesus, believers, etc.).

Yahweh Knows the Way of the Just - Psalm 1

I have to say, this has to be one of my favorite Psalms. Opening up to it for me is like entering Cedar Point, and checking out the large main map which is my guide for the park. These rides lead to fun, those rides lead to lame. Anyways...We had to memorize this Psalm for Hebrew class at Martin Luther College, and recite it to the class at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. The Hebrew is elegant, concise, and holds nothing back. And it’s very Jewish (not to say this Middle English here isn't, but...yea...). Now, you might be saying, “Duh, it’s in the Bible.” But let me explain.

It reminds me of the beginning the Didache, which is the earliest Christian “church order.” Jewish catechetical instruction (teaching-centered instruction) characteristically started off with two ways of life, one leading to death, the other to life. And the one you followed depended on your response to God’s Word. And so it is here. Now, of course here in the Psalms God’s Word is primarily his “Torah,” which means his instruction, which is something God has revealed. If anyone ever said meditation is a quirky “Buddhist” or “Eastern” thing, look no farther than Psalm 1:2. The Hebrew יֶהְגֶּ֗ה often refers to muttering…Now, I should say that meditation here is outward focused on God’s Word, and not our own feelings or thoughts.

I like how most translations say, “Blessed…” The Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible [though there is some Aramaic…]) uses the same word (Μακάριος) Jesus does in Matthew 5 in his so called “Beatitudes” to start off his Sermon on the Mount where he calls for Israel to be Israel. Quite woodenly literal the word אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי means “Happinesses of...”

Heaven's Power Poured Out on Earth!

Happy Birthday Christian Church and here we go with the blog!



In our Lutheran liturgy the Prayer of the Day was the following:
Holy Spirit, God and Lord, come to us this joyful day with your sevenfold gift of grace. Rekindle in our hearts the holy fire of your love that in a true and living faith we may tell abroad the glory of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Father, one God, now and forever. 


One thing I love about liturgical worship is all the rich content and meat that just fills every line said. I led this prayer today, and praying it felt like the proverbial drinking from a fire hose because there's so much to meditate on and appreciate from this prayer. 

But one thing that especially struck me today was, "What are we asking God for when we pray for the Spirit?" I think the prayer is well-worded, and maybe more could be elaborated on.