Barney Wiget's Blog, page 4

How Long Will What You Do LAST?

These two paragraphs in NT Wright’s great book, Jesus and the Powers are some of the best descriptions of how what we do in this life has eternal value and it is carried into God’s new world (the New Jerusalem). To let it sink in, read it at least 2 or 3 times.

“What we do matters because it carries over into the final new creation. We are not called to tinker in the world and then walk away from it, but to curate creation for its consummation. We are not oiling the wheels of a machine that’s about to fall over a cliff. We are not restoring a great painting that’s shortly going to be thrown on to the fire. We are not planting roses in a garden that’s about to be dug up for a building site. We are – strange though it may seem, almost as hard to believe as the resurrection itself – accomplishing something which will become, in due course, part of God’s new world.

“If that is true, then, every act of love, gratitude and kindness; every work of art or music inspired by the love of God and delight in the beauty of his creation; every minute spent teaching a severely disabled child to read or to walk; every act of care for a dying patient; every deed of comfort and support for refugees; everything done for one’s fellow human beings; everything to preserve and beautify the created order; all spirit-led teaching, every deed that spreads the gospel, builds up the Church, embraces and embodies holiness rather than corruption, every prayer for the heart’s longings, and the worship that makes the name of Jesus honoured in the world – all of this will find its way, through the resurrecting power of God, into the new creation that God will one day make. That is the logic of the mission of God. God’s recreation of his wonderful world, which has begun with the resurrection of Jesus, continues mysteriously as God’s people live in the risen Christ and in the power of his spirit. This means that what we do in Christ and by the spirit in the present is not wasted, not abandoned, not discarded. Our holy labours will last long, all the way into God’s new world. In fact, they will even be enhanced there.”

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that YOUR LABOR IN THE LORD IS NOT IN VAIN.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Where it All Ends Up!

Ever wonder how human history, not to mention the final destiny of the planet we inhabit ends up? Surely Jesus Christ is just one of the many greats. Right? I mean, Christianity can’t be the end all, the final word for humanity. Or is it? Check out these three versions of something Paul wrote to the Ephesians (1:10).

He (God) purposes in his sovereign will that all human history shall be consummated in Christ, that everything that exists in Heaven or earth shall find its perfection and fulfilment in him. (PHILLIPS)

He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth. (The Message)

He made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. (NIV)

This idea of everything being “consummated in Christ” or being “brought together and summed up in him” or being “unified in him” is the translation of one very long Greek word (anakephalaiōsasthai). Told you it was long! Paul uses it here to describe the final cosmic reconciliation and unity that will some glad day be achieved only through Jesus Christ. He’s the organizing center of everything everywhere (i.e., heaven and on earth). He is the One who will make all the parts work together in harmony as they were originally intended. He gathers everything together into one unified whole with him at the epicenter.

The only other time this king-sized term is used in the New Testament, by Paul again. In Romans 13:9 he says that all the commandments are “summed up” in this: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Neighbor love summarizes everything God requires.

Think there might be a connection between the two? It’s all going to wind up with Christ as the center of it all. He’s the point of everything. He’s no afterthought, no mere cog in the machine, or one of many. The grand scheme of things all comes back to him. He’s the hub around which everything revolves. But in the meantime (especially in these particularly mean times), what God requires of us is simple: Love everyone as we love ourselves. On our way to the consummation of everything in Christ­­– love.

Love is what we do now in anticipation of the universe finding its center in Christ. When we love our neighbors, even the ones we don’t much like, it points back to Christ and mysteriously furthers the unity of everything.

Notice I said “neighbors” because that’s what Paul said. And he said it because that’s what Jesus said. And when Jesus said it, he told a story in which a typically despised, cult-following, mixed race Samaritan outdoes the most respected religious leaders of the time in neighboring a half-dead Jew on the side of the road.

So, neighbors aren’t restricted to the people living next door. Your neighbors are everyone, especially those with whom you have nothing on earth in common. If you think hard enough you might be able to come up with that kind of “neighbor.”

So, to sum up. It’s all gonna come down to Jesus! He’s always been the hub of the universe. He’s where and how it all ends up! But before that time when he brings all things together in him, what is it we have to do? What do we do in anticipation of the summation of it all? Begin today loving our neighbors near and far.

Did God Raise Up Donald Trump to Be Our President (Part 2 of 2)?

This is a continuation of what I said in Part 1. If you haven’t read it, I suggest you do for context.

Did God put Adam and Eve in a “perfect” world? In the strictest sense, I don’t believe he did. He said repeatedly that his creation was “good,” even “very good.” But he never said it was perfect. A world with a toxic tree in the middle of it and a slimy serpent lurking about can’t very well be a perfect one. Thank God that in the perfect world, the one that’s on its way some glad day, noxious fruit and poisonous snakes will be conspicuously absent!

What I’m saying is, the world we’re in now is not the best of all possible worlds. (That would be the one to come.) Nevertheless, I do believe it is the best of all possible ways to that perfect world.God is not the sort to just throw a bunch of mud on the wall to see if any of it sticks. His freewill scheme was and is, to my mind, the best way he could share himself with all willing takers and ultimately usher them into a perfect eternal state with him. 

Rather than make a practice of overpowering us in order to make us be good, his M.O. is to empower us to be better than we would be on our own. I have to admit that I’ve often secretly wished that he would take me out of the equation and just do my job for me. My wish notwithstanding, I have a job to do (in the sanctification process) and God has a job (empowering me to be more and more sanctified). I can’t do his job and he won’t do mine.

Like I said in the previous post, many will object to the idea that God’s short-run will is subject to being thwarted, and will appeal to his “sovereignty.” “God is sovereign,” they say, “and therefore always gets his way. Everything that happens is part of his plan.”  Well, yes, God is absolutely sovereign. But in my view, for reasons stated before with reference to his freewill project, it was his sovereign prerogative to make a world in which we possess the frightful freedom to choose for or against his will. He sovereignly concocted the best way to bring about the best possible world. And eventually, when this free will age is over, he will bring with him at Jesus’ return the absolutely perfect world.  

Of course, God has a plan and is in control. But the idea that as the Sovereign he controls everything (at least in the “particular” sense) is, in my opinion, not true to Scripture. I believe that he is in control but is not controlling. Not everything that happens now is part of some eternal blueprint God drew up to which he makes everything in this world conform. I refer you to my paper called “Loving An Unpredictable God.”

Am I saying that God doesn’t have unlimited power. No. I’m saying that for love’s sake he concocted a system in which he wields his power in a limited way (for the limited period of this age). That is, God is in charge of everything, but he doesn’t necessarily control everything that he’s in charge of.

Yet, there will be a day (initiated by what is often called “The Day of the Lord”) when he will conform all things to his glory. In the meantime, however (and believe me, some of these times can be pretty mean), he doesn’t always get his way. He doesn’t always intervene to prevent each natural or human-caused disaster. He does however, have a way of digging deep down into any pile of some very nasty smelling manure and growing something good in it! Though he doesn’t cause everything to happen the way he wants, he does work “in everything for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28). And remember, the ultimate good awaits us in the ultimately good place.

No doubt he often supernaturally intervenes to alter the course of individual lives and of history. Yet at other times he doesn’t. It’s way above my pay grade and beyond the scope of this discussion to speculate about his intervention or non-intervention in particular events as they unfold in human history. But if we take Jesus Christ as our starting point, it’s a no-brainer to conclude that God does intervene in the world. After all, Jesus is “God with us!” He’s the supreme example of God inserting himself in human affairs. If that doesn’t constitute supernatural intervention, I don’t know what does!

So, if God is great, he can make a better world without evil and suffering. And if he’s good, he will do just that. The question the patriarchs, poets, and prophets of the Bible often ask is: “How long? How long do we have to wait until his Kingdom comes and his will to be perfectly done on earth as it is in heaven? As he is apt to do, he answers our question with with his own question: “How patient are you?”

So, can we say for sure that according to the Bible God orchestrated the election of Donald Trump or any other elected official for that matter? With what we have in Scripture, I don’t see how we, in good conscience, can.

Thoughts? Questions? (I will say there are some biblical references that some will use as proof of the alternative. And, if you’ll keep in mind what I’ve already said, I would be happy to address those if anyone wants to cite them.

Did God Raise Up Donald Trump to Be Our President (Part 1 of 2)?

Several friends of mine have suggested that since Trump is our president, it must follow that God put him there. But let me ask you this: What about Biden, Obama, Clinton or any of our presidents? Did God put each of them in office too, or does that only apply to candidates of a certain party?

What about your Hitlers, Mussolinis, Pol Pots, Stalins, Idi Amins, and the like? Were they “raised up” by God to be in charge and to murder millions? Or do you believe that God only controls American elections, but doesn’t get involved in other countries’ politics?

I’m not convinced that just because someone is elected to power or elected themselves to take power that it means God put them there. God is in control, but not controlling. He’s on his throne, but in my opinion, doesn’t micromanage the world from there. It’s not that he can’t, but doesn’t in order to leave a lot to our discretion, or lack thereof. God is sovereign, but employ’s his sovereign prerogative to maintain our free will. Let’s not forget that he does intervene at his own discretion, often in response to our prayers. So, we pray and leave him to decide when, where, how, and why he chooses to intervene in such things in world events.

Let me ask it in a different way. DOES GOD ALWAYS GET HIS WAY?

Is it possible that, in his wisdom and love, the limitless God has chosen to limit himself in order open the possibility of a genuine relationship with his image bearers? Take a look at these passages.

Can you see from those that we have the power to resist (reject) his will, and when we do, he mourns our poor decision. Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem put God’s pained heart on display. He was brought to tears when his people weren’t willing to hide themselves under his wings for protection.

No, God doesn’t always get his way. He didn’t get his way when our first parents trespassed or ever since then as we’ve continued to live as trespassers and renegades. 

It’s impossible for me to imagine how some of history’s most horrific examples of evil could support the notion that he does always get his way. The excruciating suffering and death of each Holocaust victim, the helpless little children abused by adults, or the millions of victims of famine or political corruption. None of that could possibly be God’s “way.” No, he doesn’t always get his way, at least not in the short run. 

Of course, in the long run he will accomplish what he set out to do. I picture it like an aircraft carrier that is captained by Jesus, and will eventually arrive at its destination in the better world. His sovereignty assures the accomplishment of the ship’s ultimate objective. But in the short run (during this age of choice), on the way to his chosen destination, the ship’s crew can and do decide to follow the Captain’s orders or not. And don’t forget, everyone will endure or enjoy the consequences commensurate with those choices.

Greg Boyd says:

“If God decided to create a world where love is possible, he thereby ruled out a world in which his will is always done. If he chooses to create this kind of world, he can’t guarantee that his will is always done, not because he lacks power but because of the kind of world he created. Just as a triangle can’t be round, so too a world that includes love can’t guarantee that God’s will always comes to pass.” 

Did God get Donald Trump elected? Well, since I don’t have access to all his secrets and how he wields his sovereignty, I can’t say for absolute certainty. I guess it would be a matter of opinion. And, if you know me, I do have an opinion. But to say that, based on the Bible, God orchestrates the outcome of all U.S. elections, is neither biblical nor logical.

Wait, there’s more. See Part 2 when it comes out in a couple days.

In the meantime, any thoughts or questions?

The Spirit-shaped Imagination

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)

This painting by René Magritte that hangs in the MoMA is a self-portrait of him looking at an egg but painting a bird in flight. He’s expressing that’s there’s something more than what is right in front of him. There’s the possibility, the potential of the future. For the Christ follower, though we see and are grounded in what is, i.e., present world reality, we have the ability to see beyond it to what is possible. Call it the Spirit-shaped imagination if you like.

For many Christians, if they are able to imagine anything beyond what is, it’s often concentrated on nothing more than a vision of how to make themselves more prosperous or comfortable or entertained. But the Holy Spirit, who in some versions is called the “Comforter,” (which is not the best translation) didn’t come to make us comfortable or materially prosperous. Not that he’s opposed to our comfort or prosperity, but he came to help us make the world a better place. If we’re prosperous it’s so we have something to help the poor or disadvantaged have their needs met. If we’re comfortable it’s so we can comfort others.

The Spirit fills our imagination to see beyond our circumstances and the chaos in the world (and we have a lot of that today) in order to create circumstances that can alleviate as much of the chaos as we can in his power.

When after the resurrection the disciples said, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6) they wanted to know if he was going to make THEIR WORLD better. He responded that he was interested more in empowering them with the Spirit so that through them, he can make THE WORLD better, i.e., “witnesses…to the ends of the earth.”

We tend to want to have more of the Spirit for purposes too small, for our benefit; so we can speak in tongues or so we can be known as spiritual people or so we can get answers to our prayers for a better job or a better house or a pretty wife. Our God isn’t so small as that. I’m all for speaking in tongues (I do it a lot!) or getting a good job. But his vision for us is bigger than what we can imagine for ourselves!

It’s too small a thing for you to merely survive as a believer in Christ. He wants you to have a much larger vision for your brief life here on earth; to be like Jesus, to build for the kingdom of God, and influence others with the good news.

Asking God to join you in your plan is too small. Terrifying as it is, we must find a way to join him in his. Jump on his moving train. What are you living for that’s too small?

OK, so you can clearly see an egg. But can you at the same time paint a bird in flight?

“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” (Revelation 21:2)

Despots, Minions, and Truth-Tellers

Our case study, Ahab (not the whaler, but the seventh king of the northern tribes of Israel) was a despicable human being and a lousy ruler. He and his supermodel wife worshipped the false gods of promiscuity and profligacy. He did some good by fortifying some cities and benefiting the national economy. But the rest of his capricious and idolatrous twenty-two-year rule was a disaster that is said to have been the worst yet of his predecessors, each dreadful in their own right. Here’s why and why it matters today, in our personal lives, our current nation, and its leaders.

FECKLESS DESPOTS

Ahab was “religious” in a manner of speaking. Jezebel’s religion, the worship of Asherah, was more about sex than spirituality. Its worship was driven by the goddess and her cult of sacred prostitution. It is interesting how many men then and now who are at the top rung of power (political, spiritual, and otherwise) have likewise become crazed with sex and a dab of misogyny.

History tells the story of many Ahabs who are gifted by God to lead, but who went on to use the gift for their own benefit rather than for those they supposedly serve. When they speak, masses stand at attention. They appear to be “anointed” by a spirit, but certainly not the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, how can we explain Adolf Hitler and others like him who had such denigrating influence over the psyche of others and how they lured their own people into vilifying and murdering foreigners. Ahab was such a king.

He displayed narcissistic behaviors, showing no concern for anyone but himself. Though he was the country’s richest and most powerful man, like a spoiled child, when he was refused a neighbor’s property, he pouted until his wife came to his rescue and had the man murdered. Ahab rejoiced that he got what he didn’t deserve at the expense of one who did.

Let’s narrow our attention now to one scene in Ahab’s sorry kingship. You can find it in 1 Kings chapter 22.

In the final year of his evil reign, Ahab decided to reconquer a region that had been lost to the Syrians. He asked King Jehoshaphat of the southern tribes to help him, who was more than willing if they could first consult a prophet of God. Ahab had a whole cadre of “prophets” at his beck and call, most likely ones devoted to Asherah. They were sycophants who always told the king what he wanted to hear. So, when he asked them if he and his army should attack, in unison all four hundred of his fake prophets said, “Yes. Go. You’ll be successful!” (Spoiler Alert: It didn’t quite work out that way.)

Ahabs aren’t really looking for truthful counsel. They don’t want advice from anyone. They just want people to tell them what they want to hear, and if they don’t, they get rid of them. Ahab controlled the narrative, and because these guys were under his thumb, he expected them to toe the line and give him the go-ahead to do what he wanted.

“Truth” was what Ahab said it was. Full stop. All outlying opinions were summarily squelched. Like all self-respecting despots, he depended on fear, intimidation and threats to get people to go along with his self-aggrandizing agenda. Everyone was terrified of the consequences of speaking truth to his unquestioned authority. You don’t cross people like him unless you’re willing to lose everything, including your head.

Like all tyrants, who threaten the people who refuse to show up and cheer at their rallies, Ahabs always have their cowed minions. Desirous of the appearance of religious credibility, Ahab called on his four hundred so-called prophet enablers who were afraid to say no to him. Then he could say, “See this huge crowd? They all agree with me! This must be the will of God.”

“There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court and detest the one who tells the truth.” (Amos 5:10)

FLATTERING MINIONS

These four hundred “prophets” appear to be the same ones that Jezebel brought to Mount Carmel to face off with Elijah. When Elijah won the contest, he had the priests of Baal executed but left the four hundred of Asherah. We’re told they “ate at Jezebel’s table,” which means they were on her payroll.

In his own deepfake move, Ahab brought these four hundred faux prophets from Jezebel’s staff for a photo op in order to give the impression to the people that he possessed a genuine religious conviction. To curry support and control the masses, Ahabs like to make an appearance of spirituality. Courting the religious vote is Politics 101 and fundamental to the success of many a politician. Learn a few key spiritual phrases, invite to your table some prominent religious leaders who crave the limelight, and you’re well on your way to the power you crave.

Ahab had no real concern for the ability of these men to hear from the true God and tell him what he should do. He just wanted to be able to sell to his military that he got the go-ahead from the religious right. Oh, and just to reinforce the lie that he was a God person, he named all three of his sons after Yahweh. Pretty cute trick, huh?

Proof that they were all under Ahab’s thumb was their monolithic counsel that happened to be just what he wanted to hear. What are the odds of getting four hundred people (especially religious ones) to have the exact same opinion about anything? If he hadn’t paid them or threatened them in some way, you would expect at least a fraction of them to give him contrary advice. But no. They who catered to the king’s every whim, were in lock step with whatever he wanted. This is rule number one for flattering minions.

Sycophants like these lean into the safer option of going along with the crowd. Going against the grain risks social status, not to mention sure career suicide. Ahabs know how to take advantage of the mentality of the mob. They find it easy to get people to violate, if not mutilate their conscience in order to follow the crowd.

The king “hated” the truth and the truth-telling prophet of God (Micaiah). If he wanted the truth, he wouldn’t have sent for his lying prophets who were under the spell of a “lying spirit.” To Ahabs, the truth is not the point. What’s true is what they say it is.

After hearing their false prediction of victory, Jehoshaphat (the good king in the story) asked Ahab (the bad one) if there were any actual prophets of God around. Only one came to mind, someone Ahab hated because he never could convince him to cow to his will. Jehoshaphat insisted: “Get him.” The truth may hurt, but it always helps us in some way.

“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Corinthians 10:11-12)

FAITHFUL TRUTH-TELLERS

The only time we hear of the truth-telling prophet Micaiah in the Bible is here (and in the Chronicles version of the same story). While we know the names, reputations, and stories of the likes of Isaiah or Daniel or Jonah, Micaiah is to us a total unknown. But he didn’t seem to care. A lot of preachers, prophets, and politicians crave notoriety, to live in the limelight. But this unsung prophet had no such concern. His mission was to tell the truth and take his lumps for it. The last time we hear of him he’s carted off to life in prison. Ahab’s cronies get a bonus in pay while Micaiah rots in the palace dungeon.  

He was, as is common in these matters, outnumbered four hundred to one! There was Micaiah and then there was Ahab’s full roster of lying prophets. It’s not uncommon when phonies outnumber the faithful.

At first, Micaiah sarcastically parroted the same advice of the four hundred, which Ahab immediately recognized: “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me!” Good for whom? Ahabs define what’s good and everyone is expected under threat of retaliation to tag along. It’s his country. Everyone else just plays bit parts in his story. This is the way of Ahabs.

But then bravely, the prophet burst out with the truth! He predicted total defeat to the army and death to the king. In contrast to the four hundred fakes, he had the courage to cross the king and risk losing everything. “Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.” Micaiahs are ready and willing to die for the truth.

In contrast to Ahab’s bootlicking, money-grubbing, minions, Micaiahs are non-profit prophets. They have no concern for notoriety or a seat at Ahab’s table. They don’t preach for financial gain. Their assignment is to speak truth to power without payment, pretense, or presumption.

People-pleasing prophets abound, while, for obvious reasons, courageous truth-telling ones are in short supply. Ronald Reagan said, “Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid.” The Apostle said if he were trying to please people, he would not be a servant of Christ, for Christ’s servants aim to please one Person above all others (Galatians 1:10).

The cowardly refuse to go against the grain and risk losing their comfy clerical positions and social rank. Come what may, brave men and women are ready to suffer for the truth. Which are you?

———————

Do you see any Ahabs in our world today?How much do you think for yourself versus succumbing to group think?Which matters more to you, the truth or your comfort and security?What/who do you live for? Can you prove it?

“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

Dyslexic or Pathological?

Trump’s lies are so frequent and fantastical, I’ve refrained from engagement for the most part, but it’s becoming so egregious I can’t help myself. It’s like he’s on a morning, noon, and night schedule to put out one balderdash after another. I have to call out his two-fold bald face fiction regarding Ukraine-Russian conflict. It boils down to these:

Which side started the three-year-old war?Which country is led by a dictator?

Trump’s multiple-choice answers:

Ukraine invaded Russia!Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a dictator!

Is it conceivable that our president, who claimed the former occupant of his office was mentally incompetent, has an astronomical case of dyslexia? Poor guy, if he’s confused the names of the countries and the names of their presidents! Should we pity him for a congenital condition over which he has no control or is it something else?

The only other explanation I can think of for such backassward thinking is he’s a pathological liar and that every word that escapes his mouth is suspect. I mean, both his characterization of the war that his friend Vladimir Putin started unprovoked and his label for Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a dictator is asinine and insulting to the entire sovereign nation of Ukraine. (You’d think one dictator would know another when he sees one!)

Anyway, take your pick: Dyslexic or Pathological?

“No longer will the fool be called noble nor the scoundrel be highly respected. For fools speak folly, their hearts are bent on evil: They practice ungodliness and spread error concerning the Lord; the hungry they leave empty and from the thirsty they withhold water. Scoundrels use wicked methods, they make up evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just.” (Isaiah 32:5-7)

An Excerpt from The Book of Common Worship, 2018 Edition

I believe in Almighty God, who guided the people in exile and in exodus, the God of Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylon, the God of foreigners and immigrants.

I believe in Jesus Christ, a displaced Galilean, who was born away from his people and his home, who fled his country with his parents when his life was in danger, and returning to his own country suffered the oppression of the tyrant Pontius Pilate, the servant of a foreign power, who then was persecuted, beaten, and finally tortured, accused and condemned to death unjustly. But on the third day, this scorned Jesus rose from the dead, not as a foreigner but to offer us citizenship in heaven.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the eternal immigrant from God’s kingdom among us, who speaks all languages, lives in all countries, and reunites all races.

I believe that the church is the secure home for the foreigner and for all believers who constitute it, and have the same purpose. I believe that the communion of the saints begins when we accept the diversity of the saints.

I believe in the forgiveness of sin, which makes us all equal, and in reconciliation, which identifies us more than does race, language, or nationality.

I believe that in the resurrection God will unite us as one people in which all are distinct and all are alike at the same time. Beyond this world, I believe in life eternal in which no one will be an immigrant but all will be citizens of God’s kingdom, which will never end. Amen.

Don’t Fret

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, and the justice of your cause, like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. (Psalm 37:3-7)

This might seem a strange place right in the middle of the Psalm to conclude our comments on the passage. Granted, we’ve taken but a slice of the whole, but if you read through to the end of the Psalm, I think you’ll agree that these particular verses are key to the whole.

We’ve come to the last of the nine prescriptions toward a peaceful and just life…

Do not fret:

You probably know what “fretting” feels like. The image that comes to mind is of me pacing back and forth, muttering frustrated thoughts about something or someone not actually in the room. Blood pressure: High enough to explode like a “Old Faithful.” Heart rate: Fast enough to win the Indy 500.

The Hebrew term speaks of the heat generated during a tantrum of temper. We’ve all experienced how the emotion of anger can lead to a physiological heat response in our body. The first time it appears in the Bible is in reference to Cain’s blazing hot jealousy with his brother Abel. As you know, it led to the first murder to be found in Scripture. And wouldn’t be the last.

In addition to hot temper, “fretting” involves an element of anxiety. Avoiding this anxious anger requires that we refuse to let our thoughts of hate or revenge run away with us. In other words, don’t let your worries lead to frustration, which may lead to a fever pitch of unrighteous anger. That sort of anger is incapable of “producing the righteousness that God desires” (James 1:20).

David’s warning isn’t just about a general sense of keeping our frustrations in check. He’s referring to a specific scenario of how a godly person is to respond“when people carry out their wicked schemes.” There’s a lot of wickedness in the world. Sometimes it seems that those with wicked schemes far out number those with righteous intentions. It can be, and is, frustrating, aggravating, and even infuriating when I think about how people treat each other these days.

To be clear, there is such a thing as righteous anger. Anger is a legitimate emotion when injustice is perpetrated on the vulnerable. If we never experience this sort of anger, and are apathetic about the social ills all around us, it’s as though we encourage the spread of evil. After all, God gets angry when his beloveds are victimized. Jesus got angry at the religious experts of his day (Mark 3:5). The poets and prophets often journal their anger when wickedness is on the rise. “Indignation grips me,” wrote David in another place, “because of the wicked, who have forsaken your law” (Psalm 119:53).

In such cases, anger is not only permitted, but necessary. Thomas Aquinas said, “If you can live amid injustice without anger, you are immoral as well as unjust.” Paul differentiated between righteous and unrighteous anger in his letter to the Ephesians. In one breath he prescribed that we “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (Ephesians 4:31). That kind of self-centered anger is not allowed. And yet, five verses earlier he does permit a certain kind of anger along with a caveat, “Be angry, but don’t sin” (Ephesians 4:26).

Next Paul warn us that if our anger is out of order, especially if we hang on to it for long, it gives an “opportunity for the devil” (Ephesians 4:27). That devil, says John Stott, “loves to hang around angry people hoping to exploit the situation to his own advantage.”

We’re not free to hate our enemies (Matthew 5:43-44). Nor are we free to condone their actions, but to stand against them when they harm our neighbors. Instead of taking matters into our own hands, he encourages us to leave the wicked to God. He will judge in his way and in his time.

The song opens with, “Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong.” Later he emphasizes one particular cogent reason to keep our angry reactions in check: “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil” (Psalm 37:8). Don’t know about you, but I can attest to the truth that evil ensues pretty much every time I let anger get the best of me.

How and when the Lord chooses to balance the scales of justice is up to him. Sometimes he does it in short order and other times he waits until he makes all the scales equal in his future righteous kingdom. This is what Martin Luther King, Jr. meant when he preached that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

Trusting his wise judgment reduces our tendency to fret when people’s wicked schemes seem to play out in their favor. We have to wait in faith that he knows better than us about how to run a universe. “Do not take revenge,” says Paul, “but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19).

Allow me to confess that for the last decade or so, I’ve struggled terribly to refrain from anger about what I consider to be the disastrous policies of certain politicians, their evil character, and conscienceless actions. I have a friend with similar views as mine who says tongue in cheek that if he misses his workout one day, he simply replaces it with watching the news about the national sanity perpetrated by these same public “servants.” Yet he and I agree that our elevated heart rate due to the evil we see in others tends to lead to evil in ourselves!

So, how do we curb our anger and refrain from fretting when injustice rules the day? The answer is found in stuff the psalmist here prescribes. To reiterate: Trust the Lord, do good, settle down in the promises, enjoy safe pasture, delight in the Lord, commit your way to him, be still, and wait patiently for him to act.

I’ll try if you will. Okay, I will even if you don’t. But I hope you will.

Be Still and Wait

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, and the justice of your cause, like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. (Psalm 37:3-7)

Trust the Lord, settle safely in his pasture, delight yourself in him, commit your way to him…  And then of all things: Be still and wait!

Could this be the most difficult invitation on the list to accept? Being still and waiting are not exactly my favorite activities. (Or is that, lack of activity?) Oswald Chambers helps: “To wait is not to sit with folded hands, but to learn to do what we’re told.” OK, I can do that…for at least a minute or two.     

Be still before the Lord:

Of the other five times we’re told in the Bible to “be still” before the Lord, my two favorites are these:

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14:14)

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)

If I’m sharing favorites on the topic it’s gotta be (Psalm 131:2):

“I have stilled and quieted my soul, Like a weaned child with his mother; Like a weaned child is my soul within me.”

Notice that in each case, we have a choice, a responsibility to “be still…” and to “still ourselves.”

Don’t strive, cease unnecessary activity. If we’re willing to admit it, a lot of our activities are unnecessary, if not, unhealthy.

Andrew Murray says waiting patiently for him “lets God be God.” “Come, and however feeble you feel, just wait in His presence. As a feeble, sickly invalid is brought out into the sunshine to let its warmth go through him, come with all that is dark and cold in you into the sunshine of God’s holy, omnipotent love, and sit and wait there.”

So, does being still simply mean inactivity or total stasis? He adds, “And wait patiently for him.”

And wait patiently for him:

I only have two problems with what David prescribes for peacefulness: the part about waiting and the other part about patience. Otherwise, I’m cool with it.

Nevertheless, the key to patient waiting is ensconced in the two words “for him.” At least we know what/who we’re waiting for. That makes quite a bit of difference. Right?

You’ve seen a dog in a car in the grocery store parking lot, waiting for its master to return. It may be lying on the seat motionless or running back and forth slobbering all over the interior. You know that the animal didn’t drive himself there and park. He’s got a master. And the master will return. He didn’t drive there only to leave his pet to wait interminably. The important thing is his waiting will end at some point. How long can it take to buy a few groceries and a 50 lb. bag of dog food?

Our energy is probably not best spent on running back and forth slobbering. He’s coming. Not sure when or how or what he’ll do when he comes, but he’s always on his way back to us. So, be still and wait patiently for him.

[Next, while we’re patiently waiting, he invites us to wait “fretlessly.”

In the meantime, how good are you at being still? How about patiently waiting? Don’t give up, it’s a skill you can learn if you choose to.