Unrighteous Silence

 Wednesday mornings I meet with three other pastors for prayer. We begin with a psalm, and yesterday’s was 58. It begins like this:

“Do you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones? Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men?” —Psalm 58:1 

Taken at face value, it doesn’t seem to make much sense until you know (as I didn’t at the time) that the Hebrew word for “silent ones” is similar to the word for “gods,” or “rulers.” Hebrew doesn’t have vowels, only consonants, so with only consonants to work with, various possibilities emerge. 

The meaning becomes clear when you put the different meanings together. David is speaking about rulers and authorities who have the power to treat people fairly, but keep silence when injustice is being done. It is a cry to God and a challenge to leaders: Don’t remain silent in the face of injustice. Cry out boldly to God or the curses pronounced here may land on you.

Part of the injustice against which we must cry is the bondage to sin that comes when people believe Satan’s lies. Cry out in prayer for those held captive to their fears, unforgiveness, and their broken hearts. 

God’s seal

 1/15/25

Yesterday, I wrote about the mark of the Beast—the mark on the forehead and hand of those who fall under the sway of this demonic tyrant who controls people’s ability to buy and sell by means of this mark. People have interpreted this as a bar or QR code; plausible, but who knows? 

This mark is contrasted with the seal of God on the foreheads of his saints. Notice the difference. We make a mark on a whiteboard (or blackboard for us traditionalists). It’s temporary, can easily be wiped away. A seal however, is permanent. King Tut’s tomb was sealed for 3,000 years. Meema seals her applesauce, I seal grape juice, keeping the air out, preserving the contents within. 

The seal of God is greater than the mark of the Beast. Listen to what Paul says:

“Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” —II Timothy 2:19

When we are claimed by God, we are also protected by God. Listen again to Paul:

“In [Christ] you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”  —Ephesians 1:13-14 

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” —Ephesians 4:30 

God himself guarantees our salvation by the protective and preservative power of the seal of his Holy Spirit within us. So it doesn’t matter if at one time your mind was under the mark, or control, of the Enemy. When we place our faith in Jesus, God seals us, changing the way we think and act, and guaranteeing that what he began in us he will bring to completion in his own time. (See Philippians 1:6). So give thanks today that nothing can separate you from the love of God in Jesus Christ, our Lord! (Romans 8:38-39).

The Seal

 1/14/25

A few days ago I wrote about being careful about labeling natural disasters like the California wildfires as the judgment of God. It may be so, but then the question remains, “Why only California?” Such devastating events have a way of prodding people to think in apocalyptic terms, which bring me to the book of Revelation. Its wild imagery of death and destruction has inspired songs and books for generations, and lead many to read into current situations much of what is recorded there. Some of it may be justified, but problems arise when we read imagery literally. Take for example, where it speaks of “the mark of the beast.”

“[The Beast] required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name.” —Revelation 13:16-17 

Some read this and think of a bar or QR code branded into the forehead of those who worship the Beast, or perhaps a computer chip injected into the skin of the hand. But if this were true, consistency in interpretation would require us to apply the same thinking to 7:3 and 22:4 where a seal is placed on the forehead of God’s saints:

“Wait! Don’t harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants.” (7:3)

“And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.”( 22:4) 

I’ve never heard of anyone believing Christians will have a literal brand on their foreheads or a computer chip injected into their hand. Consistency in interpretation requires that the same imagery be interpreted the same way. So what is going on?

In Biblical times, a seal on a document (or even a tomb—Matthew 27:66) marked ownership and authority. The mark on the forehead is symbolic and refers more to our thinking being controlled by the values of this world or of God, and the mark on the hand referring to our actions being controlled either by a mind governed by this world or by God’s values. If my thinking is correct, these verses in Revelation aren’t fodder for some science fiction imagination of what the future will be like. They are telling us how important it is for you and me, here and now, to allow God’s Holy Spirit to govern our thinking and behaving. It’s not enough to say I’ve received Jesus as my Savior if I haven’t allowed my thinking to be under the authority of God’s thoughts.

As Paul says in Romans 12:2, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Or in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 where we bring every thought captive to Jesus Christ. Or Colossians 3:2 where we are to have the mind of Christ. Get God’s Word branded into your brain so your hand will respond to Christ’s call to love and serve others. It’s the only alternative to your thoughts and deeds being governed by the deceptive, perverted, and destructive ways of this world.

Wait

 1/12/25

“Truly my soul silently waits for God; 

From Him comes my salvation. 

He only is my rock and my salvation; 

He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved. 

My soul, wait silently for God alone, 

For my expectation is from Him. 

He only is my rock and my salvation; 

He is my defense; I shall not be moved.”

—Psalm 62:1-2, 5-6 

Every January, Meema chooses a word to be a guide and goal for the year. This year, her word is “Steadfast,” which is what I want to talk about today. Psalm 62 gives us a good definition for steadfast when it talks about not being moved. David uses the word picture of a huge rock behind which he can hide or on which he can stand. No matter what comes his way, the rock stands immovable.

If you read these verses carefully, you’ll notice a change in the wording. The word “salvation” in verse 1 changes in verse 5 to “expectation;” he is now confident that whatever comes against him cannot succeed. But there is another, subtler change: from “greatly moved,” he says he “shall not be moved.” In the first occurrence, he is somewhat tentative; by the time he gets to verses five and six, he is completely confident that he will be steadfast. How did this transformation come? Again, the wording is subtle, but significant.

In the first verse, he tells us his soul waits silently for God. Faced with all sorts of problems, he has begun to simply wait, listening for God, looking for how he will work. But in verse five, he doesn’t say his soul is waiting on God; he is commanding his soul to wait for God. He has moved beyond his ability—what comes natural. He has waited as long as he can; he has reached the end of his patience; his problems are still there; he wants to quit, and now has to command his soul to continue waiting. It is that command, that refusal to let his feelings dictate his actions, that makes the difference.

Sooner or later, you’ll come to the end of your endurance. It’s then that you need to command your soul to continue waiting. When you do so, you go from “not greatly moved” to “I shall not be moved.” You are steadfast.

Solitary

1/11/25

 For the first time in months, last night we had almost all the grandkids gathered at our table. I had been bringing firewood in and didn’t see what was happening at the front door, so when I came in, I was surprised to see Alex sitting on the counter. That left only Izzi who was working in Edinboro, and Eliza who was ice skating in Buffalo.

Linda suggested that I write about the blessing of having everyone around our table, which made me remember this verse:

“God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.”                                                      —Psalm 68:6 

When I was a teenager, this verse puzzled me. What did it mean to “set the solitary?” It finally dawned on me that God doesn’t like isolation, so he puts those who are solitary, ie alone, in families. We were meant to be together. As many can attest, togetherness is not always a blessing. When doing premarital counseling, I would tell couples my formula for trouble: “Proximity plus Difference equals Heat.” Put two very different people together in close contact, and things will sooner or later heat up. You can’t get very different than male and female. 

But it is in the context of family that God intends us to learn the lessons of cooperation, grace, and mercy; to cultivate love and respect, to be nurtured and cared for, to laugh and cry, comfort and encourage one another. None of this can happen in isolation. We need each other to rub each other the wrong way, learning to give and forgive, so we can become all God desires us to be. If you are feeling isolated, find a family. That’s what Church is supposed to be. Not perfect, but a family. If you know someone who is all alone, BE that person’s family!

 1/10/25

The fires in California are on everyone’s minds, but not everyone is thinking straight about them. Mostly I hear prayers for the people who have lost so much, but occasionally there is the odd comment to the effect that California is such an epicenter of wickedness and vice that God is judging them.

I cannot say for sure that divine judgment is not involved in this, but if so, the question remains, “Why only California?” and “What about the godly people living there?” Not everyone in the path of the fires are unrepentant sinners, and there are plenty of us living elsewhere who deserve judgment just as much, if not more than those in Los Angeles.

In Luke 13, Jesus dealt with this kind of thinking.

“There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”” —Luke 13:1-5 

The question then is the question today: “Is tragedy always a sign of God’s judgment?” Jesus’ answer is a firm “NO!” He then adds a comment that often leaves people scratching their heads: “Unless you repent you will likewise perish.” It almost sounds like he is speaking out of both sides of his mouth: “They aren’t any worse than others, but if you don’t repent, you’ll also die.” 

I think what Jesus is saying here is, “You have to change your way of thinking” (That’s what the word repent means). If we start separating people into the “In’s” and the “Out’s,” such judgmental thinking will become a death trap. When we pass judgment on those we believe to be greater sinners than ourselves, we are revealing the hardness of our own hearts. Instead, we ought to, as John Wesley said, “Do all the good we can, by all the means we can, in all the ways we can, in all the places we can, at all the times we can, as long as ever we can.”

Pray for the victims of the California wildfires. They are going to need a lot of help for a long time. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to continue praying for the flood victims of the Carolinas. A different kind of tragedy, but the same pain and loss. Heartache is all around us. Let us be agents of healing instead of hurt.

Shine On!

1/9/25

 In Matthew 5:14, Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” 

“Wait a minute,” you say. “I thought Jesus is the light of the world!” Well, he is, but in John 9:5 he explains: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” In other words, he has passed along to us the mission he had when he walked this earth. It’s our job now. 

And that has certain consequences. In John 3:19 he tells us that “men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.” So if we are shining light, there are plenty of people who will not be happy with us. Yesterday we learned that having enemies is a sign we are on the right path. So if you are bold in your faith, don’t be surprised when not everyone is delighted. And be prepared to have people upset that their sins are exposed by the light you shine. But keep on shining, anyway!