The Nations Rage

     Psalm 2 (NKJV)

1 Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? 

2 The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, 

3 "Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us." 

4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. 

5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: 

6 "Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion." 

7 "I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 

8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. 

9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.'" 

10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. 

11 Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling. 

12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

In the psalmist’s time, the nations raged. . .and they’re still raging today.  The people too continue to plot and rebel against God.  The noise and tumult this creates can be quite unsettling and distracting.  But God’s not worried.  He looks down upon the raging and plotting in His sovereignty, knowing what the outcome will be. His Anointed, the Lord Jesus Christ, will rule over all.  Yet, despite the audacity of man going his own way and shaking his fist at Almighty God, God is merciful and provides a way for all to be saved, if they will repent. 

Those who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior have nothing to fear.  The world can rage but we are blessed.  There is peace in His sovereignty.  With Him is victory and eternal life.

What Does God Risk For Us?

We don't think of God risking, anything, ever. But is that really fair to assume God risks nothing in dealing with us? I'm pretty sure I can make a good case that it is God Himself who teaches us that, without sacrifice, love is meaningless. Sacrifice is inherently risky. It is a type of loss, and the potential of more loss. I stumbled on this concept in a rather unlikely place, Exodus, and specifically, at Mount Sinai as God shows up in Person. Here are his preparatory instructions to Moses:

The Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and make them wash their clothes and be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. You must set boundaries for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed to yourselves not to go up on the mountain nor touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain will surely be put to death! No hand will touch him – but he will surely be stoned or shot through, whether a beast or a human being; he must not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast they may go up on the mountain.”

(Exodus 19:10-13 NET)

God is about to show up and turn Mount Sinai into the greatest most dramatic light show in recorded history. He is holy, and the mountain where He shows up will also be holy. Even sanctified people with sanctified clothes and sanctified priests can't approach it. Good grief! The people comply, and the Great I AM makes His appearance! And when Moses goes to speak with Him, this is what He is most concerned about:

The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and the Lord summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. The Lord said to Moses, “Go down and solemnly warn the people, lest they force their way through to the Lord to look, and many of them perish. Let the priests also, who approach the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break through against them.”

(Exodus 19:20-22 NET)

All the impressive dramatic appearance, and He still wants to talk about the people not "breaking through" to Him. At first I thought this sounded suspiciously like the Wizard of Oz hiding behind a curtain. But then my thoughts began to change. The character of God isn't one to "hide". What's going on here? Look at Moses' response to God:

Moses said to the Lord, “The people are not able to come up to Mount Sinai, because you solemnly warned us, ‘Set boundaries for the mountain and set it apart.’” The Lord said to him, “Go, get down, and come up, and Aaron with you, but do not let the priests and the people force their way through to come up to the Lord, lest he break through against them.” So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

(Exodus 19:23-25 NET)

Again with the "stay away!" message from God. Why descend on Mount Sinai at all if He's so concerned about the people approaching Him? If you read the parts of the chapter I haven't included, you know the answer. For those who didn't, here it is: "The Lord said to Moses, 'I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and so that they will always believe in you.'" (Exodus 19:9 NET) Do you see it? Does the risk of God show up for you yet?

Here's what I think God showed me through this passage about Himself, and His love for His people. I believe that God felt it was worth the risk of the damage to the people of Israel to affirm the leadership of Moses. It showed both love for the people, and love for Moses specifically. Think about it, what would it mean if one of the sons of Israel did "break through" to see God? Isn't that what we, as Christians, are supposed to be doing? Aren't we supposed to be seeking a closer relationship with God? Yet, when He appeared there, to affirm Moses' leadership, He showed up in a way that would destroy rather than affirm His people. Isn't that risky on the part of God to do so? He wants the closer relationship, yet shows up in a way that could potentially damage it. It's a risk. He takes it out of love.

I think, looking at our relationship with our Creator and Savior, we can all see places where He has risked something for our relationship. If nothing else, consider Jesus crucified, buried and raised again as a risk on our Father's part. But trust me when I tell you, there are even more risks, risks for you personally. Consider what your Savior has risked for you lately. And having found it, worship Him because of it. Then, like shampoo, "lather, rinse, repeat".

Seeing & Seeking Understanding

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth.  “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?”

“It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.” John 9:1-3

I read a passage from a pastor offering two perspectives.  He noted a comment made by an African American author, James Baldwin, which said, “To be black and conscious in America is to be in a constant state of rage.”  He then followed up with scripture saying, “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)  I was fascinated by this, and thus, circled back to him to ask what he was trying to say.  I’m sure he thought I was trying to start a fight, which I was not.  With that being said, he might not have understood what James Baldwin meant.  Baldwin spoke during a time of oppression, and today, many African Americans still feel some level of this.  This rage is not in the sense of lashing out or destructive.  It is the form of hurt, pain, and frustration with the struggles of inequality, and is often hidden.  Despite this, the overwhelming majority like me live fully productive lives with the inner peace Paul spoke of.  The two thus coexist.  It’s a perspective that if heard the right way can help one understand and grow further to help other brothers in Christ.

God often places us in circumstances so that we can grow in our faith.  I have read today’s verses multiple times.  I always focused on the miracle.  However, I recently read a different perspective on this.  The beauty of Jesus’s teaching here was twofold.  First, He wanted to show God’s work in the blind man.  This went beyond just giving him sight.  It also spoke to the man’s appreciation for what God did for him.  Second, it was for the disciples themselves to see the suffering of others as opportunities to help and grow in understanding Christ.  Jesus gave them the courage to believe they could truly do things that others would say couldn’t be done.  This would come to fruition after Christ ascended to Heaven.  Peter would later heal a lame man saying, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” (Acts 3:6b)  As Christians, we should always seek understanding of others.  If we come solely from a place of condemnation, we run the risk of misinterpreting what one is saying.  Furthermore if we are too passive, we lose opportunity to share who Jesus Christ is all about.

Being a follower of Christ can be a balancing act.  We are to be strong advocates for Him and His word.  We are also to be compassionate and understanding showing grace as Christ showed us.  I spoke of the struggle we have with sin a week or so ago.  The struggle here is about discerning what is the right amount to apply of both scripture and understanding.  How much understanding must I show versus what word of God I must deliver?  Well, that is what spiritual growth is all about, isn’t it?  Let us be willing to endure the growing pains of learning to be more Christ-like not only to others but also within ourselves.  Whose perspective do you find difficult to understand?  What situations must you better balance God’s word with His heart?  My prayer is that like the blind man we can open our eyes to better see and like the disciples seek understanding.  Amen.