April 26, 2010

• Psalm 37

  Two wrenching pieces of news today:

  1. A man tries to help a woman being attacked in New York City; he ends up being fatally stabbed himself, slowly bleeding to death while several people walk by on the sidewalk over the next hour and a half.

  2. "No matter how used you are to your chicken, it will not stop you slaughtering it." - a 'rationale' given for the continued regular killings of civilians (by their neighbors) in Jos, Nigeria and neighboring towns.

  Below: some comments and practical applications.

  (1) Dehumanization is always a component of genocide.  Notice above how the violent man compared the humans he was killing to chickens.  Violence always starts in the mind (Matthew 5:21-22).  Hitler's evolutionary rhetoric claimed that the Jews and others he hated were "less evolved" and so "less human" and thus able to be killed without qualm.
  The Bible gives the antidote in Genesis 1 (among other places) - humans are created in the image of God, unlike all other animals.  Therefore killing another human is wrong (except capital punishment/military/police/government, Romans 13:4)
  Genesis 9:6 makes the connection -
  "Whoever sheds man's blood,
  By man his blood shall be shed,
  For in the image of God
  He made man."
  Some Christians claim that the literal historicity of Genesis 1 is not important.  Whether humans evolved from other animals or were literally directly created by God is irrelevant, they claim.  But it seems clear that this issue is extremely relevant.  It is only because Genesis 1 is literally & historically accurate that we are justified in believing that human life is intrinsically valuable.
  (2) Where is the justice?  How could a good God let an innocent New Yorker get killed trying to help someone else?  How could a good God let innocent farmers and herdsmen in Nigeria get killed every day?  How could a good God allow a righteous man like Naboth be killed simply so someone else could take his vinyard?  How could a good God allow righteous people to be "killed all day long;...considered as sheep to be slaughtered"? (Ps 44:22)

  The answer is that God is watching, and in due time, He will enact full justice.  God says: "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay" (Deut. 32:35, Romans 12:19, Hebrews 10:30).

  I have struggled to understand Psalm 37, because it often seems to fail to apply, in daily news here on earth.  But if we expand our perspective a bit to include life after this short time on earth, it becomes perfectly clear.  I think Psalm 37 applies "in general" to some degree (in a "proverbs"-type sense) on earth, but it applies fully and completely and perfectly to the complete view of life which takes into account our life after we die.  In other words, as you read the various promises regarding the righteous and the wicked in this and other psalms, ask yourself the question "Does this text say WHEN this will occur? On this side of death, or unspecified?"  Most of the time it is unspecified.

  If you have a moment, read through Psalm 37 and ponder it.

  ¹  Do not fret because of evil men
  or be envious of those who do wrong;

  ² for like the grass they will soon wither,
  like green plants they will soon die away.

  ³ Trust in the LORD and do good;
  dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

  ⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD
  and he will give you the desires of your heart.

  ⁵ Commit your way to the LORD;
  trust in him and he will do this:

  ⁶ He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
  the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

  ⁷ Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
  do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
  when they carry out their wicked schemes.

  ⁸ Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
  do not fret—it leads only to evil.

  ⁹ For evil men will be cut off,
  but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

  ¹⁰ A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
  though you look for them, they will not be found.

  ¹¹ But the meek will inherit the land
  and enjoy great peace.

  ¹² The wicked plot against the righteous
  and gnash their teeth at them;

  ¹³ but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
  for he knows their day is coming.

  ¹⁴ The wicked draw the sword
  and bend the bow
  to bring down the poor and needy,
  to slay those whose ways are upright.

  ¹⁵ But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
  and their bows will be broken.

  ¹⁶ Better the little that the righteous have
  than the wealth of many wicked;

  ¹⁷ for the power of the wicked will be broken,
  but the LORD upholds the righteous.

  ¹⁸ The days of the blameless are known to the LORD,
  and their inheritance will endure forever.

  ¹⁹ In times of disaster they will not wither;
  in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

  ²⁰ But the wicked will perish:
  The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields,
  they will vanish—vanish like smoke.

  ²¹ The wicked borrow and do not repay,
  but the righteous give generously;

  ²² those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
  but those he curses will be cut off.

  ²³ If the LORD delights in a man's way,
  he makes his steps firm;

  ²⁴ though he stumble, he will not fall,
  for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

  ²⁵ I was young and now I am old,
  yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
  or their children begging bread.

  ²⁶ They are always generous and lend freely;
  their children will be blessed.

  ²⁷ Turn from evil and do good;
  then you will dwell in the land forever.

  ²⁸ For the LORD loves the just
  and will not forsake his faithful ones.
  They will be protected forever,
  but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;

  ²⁹ the righteous will inherit the land
  and dwell in it forever.

  ³⁰ The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom,
  and his tongue speaks what is just.

  ³¹ The law of his God is in his heart;
  his feet do not slip.

  ³² The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
  seeking their very lives;

  ³³ but the LORD will not leave them in their power
  or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

  ³⁴ Wait for the LORD
  and keep his way.
  He will exalt you to inherit the land;
  when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

  ³⁵ I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
  flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,

  ³⁶ but he soon passed away and was no more;
  though I looked for him, he could not be found.

  ³⁷ Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
  there is a future for the man of peace.

  ³⁸ But all sinners will be destroyed;
  the future of the wicked will be cut off.

  ³⁹ The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
  he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

  ⁴⁰ The LORD helps them and delivers them;
  he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
  because they take refuge in him.
  (3) How should we respond to injustice?

  • Pray for peace in Nigeria... and not just peace as the absence of violence, but 'gospel peace'... peace that comes when large numbers of unbelievers hear of what Christ has done for them, are convicted of their sins and their need for Christ to save them, and are radically transformed, causing forgiveness, peace, love, shalom to flow in their towns.
    "First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:1-4
  • Continue to help those we see in trouble around us as we walk down the street, as did Mr. Tale-Yax in New York City last weekend and as did the "good Samaritan" in Jesus' story.  Is it risky?  Absolutely.  Might we get beat-up or even die?  Sure.  But in view of what we (as born-again Christians / adopted children of God) have to look forward to after death (1 Corinthians 15, Philippians 2-3, Revelation 21, Psalm 37, etc), "to die is gain."   Please keep challenging me to do this, and not be hypocritical in this area.
  • Someone is going to have to go into the "no-go" regions of violence in the world, to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who need to hear it.  It's easy to say "Oh, I hope those people in such-and-such a land are able to solve their differences and that some brave soul shares the gospel with them and they repent and turn to Jesus and begin walking in love and forgiveness instead of violence and revenge."

  But who will go?  "How will they hear without a preacher?" (Rom 11)  Who will love them enough to risk personal pain to bring them the gospel?

   

   

  • 11:41 pm
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