Literate or Illiterate?

            It’s almost football season which means you can go to any grocery store or book store and find a ton of magazines describing who the best fantasy football players are, how each team will do in the upcoming season and which team is predicted to win the Super Bowl. I have already looked at a few and put each down in disappointment. None of these are my favorites. I am still waiting for my favorite magazine to come out. Which one is that you may ask? It will be the one who picks the Broncos to win the Super Bowl. For me, all the other opinions are wrong.

            What I find funny is that we do the same thing with the Bible. If we like what the Bible says than we keep it. If we don’t like what it says then we ignore it. Many are also good at reading the Bible and using it for their own personal agendas and beliefs. The Bible and the writings of Martin Luther (yes the founder of the Protestant Reformation) were used by Hitler and the Nazi’s to persecute Jews. Christians used the Bible in the middle ages to launch the Crusades against the Muslims and to persecute Jews as well. The Bible was also used to defend slavery. Today, we use the Bible to fight against what we consider to be “moral and cultural battles” and the “defending of our faith to reclaim America for God.” But what good has come out of it?

            Christians refer to the Bible as the sword of the spirit. Have you ever been to a place like Medieval Times or a Renaissance festival? If you put a sword into a skilled person’s hand and ask them to demonstrate its use in front of a crowd you can have good entertainment with cheers and applause. But give the same sword to an unskilled person and ask them to do the same things with it and you better have a medical team standing by. Unfortunately, the latter is a picture of the church today. People are wielding scriptures around in defense and the result is the injuring of people with their words while others run away in fear.

            The problem is that the church is not as Biblical literate as we really believe ourselves to be (we are actually quite illiterate). An example of this is how people quote Leviticus to speak against homosexuality but probably has no idea why it was written, who it was written to or what else the book teaches. (Leviticus also says that a person cannot plant a field with two kinds of seed, you cannot wear clothes made with 2 different types of material and you cannot put tattoo’s on yourself [Lev. 19:19, 28] but we seem to look over these laws even though they are surrounded by commandments against sexual sins and punishment for sins.) Please understand, this does not mean you need to have a formal education to understand or teach other’s God’s word. However, it should be important to understand what the Bible means and understand its original context before we start using it to justify our agendas.

            So where does the problem come from? Part of it comes from the church. Today many preachers give short, seeker sensitive sermons to encourage others. Many speakers do not even use the Bible in their sermons. Also there is no encouragement for people to bring their Bibles to church since the scriptures are either given by power points or by handouts. There is nothing necessarily wrong about that. However, it leaves the listeners not understanding much of the Bible and its context.

Part of it also comes from the people who go to church. The attitude is that if the pastor said it then it must be right because he has the education and this is what he gets paid to do. Yet it was the church in Berea that was considered to have “noble character” because they did not just except Paul’s words but looked it up to see for themselves if he was really telling the truth (Acts 17). Those listening have a responsibility to study the Bible for themselves.

            So what should we do? First realize that we don’t really understand the Bible as much as we think we do. It means that we need to learn why a particular book was written and what it meant in the context of those people. Second, it means that pastors need to go deeper in their preaching and the listener needs to study the Bible for themselves. Third, when we quote the Bible let’s do so with love and grace rather than judgment and anger realizing that words can have the power to help and heal or hurt and cause others to turn away.

The Lord is My Shepherd (Part 3)

            The last part of Psalm 23 is when the Lord is our shepherd we can know that he is with us. In verse 4 David’s tone of writing begins to change as he reflects upon the reality of his situation. He has been run out of his city and ran out of being king by his own son. He is on the run with no food or supplies and in fear of his life. He describes it as walking through “the valley of the shadow of death.”

            The idea of shadow may be better translated as darkness. The darkness spoken of here is “the most fearful darkness.” It referred to the type of darkness that was believed to be in Hades, the place of the dead (Job 10:21), to the deep darkness of a mine shaft (Job 28:3), or the darkness of night in a wild desert (Jer. 2:6). Imagine being in a place so dark that you could not even see your hand in front of you. This is the darkness David is describing. Used figuratively darkness would describe a situation of distress or of extreme danger   

            David knew the dangers that followed him. He also knew that death was a possibility and could come in two ways. First, death could come from the hands of his enemies. David was on the run from Absalom and knew that if he was captured it could mean the end of his life. Second, death could have been possible because of lack of provisions. David would have known that he could die by means of hunger, thirst or possibly wild animals.

             Even though David believed he was in the midst of darkness and death he confesses that he will not fear. The reason that David does not fear is that Yahweh is with him and he trusts in his character. David had also experienced this type of fear before when he was on the run from King Saul. He draws upon his past experiences of God’s faithfulness to get him through.

            David is comforted by God and speaks to the rod and staff that he knew a shepherd would carry. The rod or staff was used for guidance and defense but was also a tool that the shepherd could use to lean on while watching over his flock.  David knows that God was not distant and he is guiding David in this situation and that he is watching over David, protecting him from harm. This would bring comfort to David.

            In Psalm 23:5 David knows that he has enemies that want to capture him but he knows that he will be protected. He paints a picture of being surrounded by his enemies but they cannot touch him but they could only watch.  David is so confident in this belief that he feels that he could eat a meal with his enemies watching him and he would not be afraid.          

            Finally in Psalm 23:6 even though David is being pursued by Absalom he is also being pursued by something else which is the goodness and loving kindness of God. Goodness speaks to the benefit of blessing and loving kindness speaks to the basis of deliverance.

            The idea of dwelling in the house of God was a symbol of the one was under the protection from God (Pss. 27:4-5; 52:8; 61:4; 63:2-4). The house of God was the place in which his presence was among the people of Israel. David may have also believed that he will one day return to the house of God and to his home. David loved God and longed to go back to be in his presence.

            Sometimes we want to believe that God is with us only in the good times. However, God is always with us in both the good and bad times. He will never leave us or forsake us. David knew that Yahweh was with him even in the “valley of the shadow of death.” In the darkest valley he will be with us, comfort us and protect us from all that tries to harm us. We might not “feel” that he is near but we must believe by faith that he is with us, that he will comfort us and that we can find protection in the place where he dwells.

The Lord is My Shepherd (Part 2)

            In Part 1 we learned that when the Lord is our shepherd that he will provide and meet our needs. In part 2 we will see that when the Lord is our shepherd he will lead us. In Psalm23:2 David says that “he leads.” David is in one of the worst times of his life but still believes that God has not left him. The idea behind God’s leading is that he leads his people with care and as a shepherd who, in his loving concern, leads his flock. Since God wants to lead his people it means that he wants to be involved with our lives. God is not distant not caring what happens to us. He is also not a God who forces his people to do things against their will. He has a loving concern for those who are his and leads his people in love. But it means that we must be willing to trust him and surrender our desires even if we do not have the completed picture before us.

            In verse 3 David says that “he guides me in paths of righteousness.” The path spoken of here literally means “cut out paths” and refers to the fact that God had already made a way for David. God guides without the risk of wandering so that the individual gets to the place that they need to be. David may have been remembering the stories of how God led the people of Israel out of Egypt and eventually into the promise land (Exodus 15:13). We must remember that our time is not God’s time. God is never wasting time no matter how long it might take to reach the destination.

            One of the best examples of God leading me is when I was deciding what college I should attend. During my senior year of high school I was praying as to where I should go to college. I knew that I wanted to go to a school to be a pastor. I narrowed my choices down to 2 schools. The first one which I really wanted to go to (which I could have finished in 2 years) would have given me the opportunity to learn to be a pastor. My second choice would also give me the opportunity to learn to be a pastor even though it would take 4 years. I was not sure what to do and I needed guidance. I sought God in prayer and asked him to lead me to the college that he desired for me to attend. In the end, I never heard back from the first school, the one I really wanted to go to. I did hear back from the second school, Southeastern University which is where I went. I learned a lot at Southeastern both in the classroom and in life. It was not easy at times and I learned lessons along the way but I am glad I followed God’s leading.

            Looking back I see that it is at Southeastern that I first learned about Regent University and first thought about getting my Master’s Degree.  Also since I went to Southeastern and received the four year degree rather than the two year degree it allowed me to earn the credits needed to get my master’s degree. Probably the biggest benefit was that it was at Southeastern where I met my wife. Did I know that life would turn out this way as a senior in high school? No way! I had no idea the way things would turn out. But God did. He had a path cut out for me and was willing to lead me with love through this journey, both in the good times and the bad times. It wasn’t easy at times but I am glad that I was led by God down this path.

The Lord is My Shepherd (Part 1)

            A quick background about Psalm 23. Psalm 23 is a psalm written by David during the days in which he had to flee from his son Absalom. Absalom, who was David’s son, rallied the people of Israel around him, overthrew his father David and established himself as king (2 Samuel 15:1-12). When David learned of what had transpired he fled from Jerusalem. He was forced to hide out in the wilderness and other locations so that he would not be found and killed (2 Samuel 15:13-37). It is not until Absalom is killed that David is able to return to Jerusalem and to his throne (2 Samuel 19). While on the run David finds comfort by describing God as his shepherd. David had been a shepherd and knew what that meant and the duties involved. David takes the character of God and presents it in understandable terms for him and for others.

            What does it mean for the Lord to be our shepherd? When the Lord is my Shepherd it means that I shall not lack for the things that I need. The idea behind the word lack means being in need but also “expresses the sufficiency of God’s grace to meet the needs of his people.”

            In verse 2 David says that he is led to green pastures and quiet waters. David knows that a good shepherd would make sure the sheep’s necessities were provided for. Green pastures and quiet waters represent food and water, necessities for living. When David is writing this he is on the run, away from his palace, away from the chefs and away from the food supplies that had always been there. There was no way to know for sure where David’s next meal would come from and there was no guarantee there would be a next meal. David believes that God will supply his needs no matter what conditions look like around him (and since he does not die in the wilderness of starvation, God must have met his needs).

            Right now this is a good reminder for me. I’m still looking for a job and financially, well, let’s just say we are nowhere close to Bill Gates like status. I get frustrated and wish I had more. But then I think to myself more of what? More of the things that are really wants rather than needs? More of those things that are popular today and unpopular tomorrow (but don’t get rid of the unpopular things because it will be popular again one day). Maybe I want more meals from Outback or Olive Garden? Yes those are the things I want but not the things that I need. What I must chose to do is focus on what I have, the needs that God has given me.

            When I refocus I realize that in reality I do not lack. I have food and water and clothes. I have a place to live. I have a wonderful wife who loves me no matter what. I have two great “furry” children (a dog and cat). I have a wonderful family. When I focus on how God provides for my needs and has blessed me with so much more than I must say that the Lord is my Shepherd and I do not lack.