Barney Wiget's Blog, page 8

Tactics for Tumultuous Times

“Nothing like this has ever happened or been seen from the day when the sons of Israel came up from the land of Egypt to this day. Consider it, take counsel and speak up!” (Judges 19:30)

Think these times in the world and in America are bad? Anxious and disillusioned, are you? I recommend you read the book of Judges, a period that spanned about 400 years of Israel’s history. By comparison to their idolatry and gross immorality during those years, our times seem utopian!

In one episode, a man––a Levite no less–travelled with a woman––his “concubine” no less. Not his wife, but his girlfriend with “benefits.” When they arrived in an unfamiliar town, an old man took them in for the night. Reminiscent of Lot’s experience in Sodom centuries earlier, some of the men of the town called for the Levite to come out so they could have sex with him. Spoiler alert: Believe it or not, it gets much worse.

Instead, the Levite pushes his girl friend out the door to get raped in his place, which happened, all night long. In the morning, he found her dead, laying just outside clutching the threshold of the door. He says, “Get up. Let’s go!” Did I say, she’s dead? If you can stand it, it gets even worse than that.

He takes her body, cuts it into twelve pieces, and sends them to the twelve tribes of Israel! So, when they say, “Nothing like this has ever happened or been seen…” they aren’t kidding!

How many times have you heard the word, “unprecedented” repeated in the news in the last eight or so years? It’s true, stuff has happened and is happening in the world, and in our country in particular, that we’ve “never heard or seen” before. Yet, nothing compares to this!

As grotesque as this incident is, it’s their proposed response that I wanted to highlight: “Think it over, take counsel and speak up!” Let’s unpack those three proposals and apply them to ourselves in our own unprecedented times.

Think it over

We’re drowning in rancor in our country these days. It’s not that we can’t agree; it’s that we disagree so disagreeably. Social media has given everybody a pulpit of their own. We might not have anything honest or logical, let alone moral or biblical to say, but we’ve got a place to say it, and by God we’re going to say it any old way we want to! Never mind intelligent debate, civility, or in keeping with the Spirit of Christ. We’re like those in the times of the Judges, when “Israel had no king, so everyone did as they saw fit.” (Judges 17:6)

With such an ocean of information at our fingertips these days, it’s no wonder that we’re not patient enough to wade all the way through someone’s argument before rushing to rebuttal. Solomon suggests rushing to judgment may not be the best tactic to take in tumultuous times: “Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them.” And, “I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens.” (Proverbs 29:20; Ecclesiastes 1:13)

Stop and think it over before you react! And then…

Take counsel

Take a breath, use your critical thinking skills, and confer with others. Wise King Solomon again: “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed,” and: “To answer before listening—that is folly and shame.” (Proverbs 15:22 and 18:13)

We used to actually talk face-to-face with one another. Remember? If not in person, we’d debate on the phone. We ran our opinions by one another, one-on-one or in groups. We wouldn’t just rush off and spew our untested views in public. We’d think about them and then talk about them, at least with our friends or family members.

Before regurgitating our untested thoughts, it’s a good idea to take counsel not only with those we know, but experts in their particular fields. I’m not talking about some hack you found on the internet (present company excepted ), but critical thinking, intelligent, unbiased people.

Stop and think. Consult others. And lastly…

Speak up!

Notice that we speak up after we’ve thought about it and after we’ve ran our ideas by others. We don’t just run across an unnuanced, terse and objectifying meme on Twitter (I can’t get used to “X”) and re-post it all within 30-seconds! That’s not “speaking up.” That’s throwing up! (Sorry for the image.)

But once we’ve thought through whatever complexity the issue presents, we become culpable if we don’t ever say something. Not that we always have to say something about everything about which we have a conviction. We have to submit ourselves to the Spirit’s leading and do our best to say what he wants us to say, in the way and at the time he wants us to say it. If we ask him, he’ll give us “an understanding of the times to know what should be done” (1 Chronicles 12:32).

But if we never speak up about anything anytime anywhere, we’re probably guilty of the universal fear of the opinions of others. Even prophets can be “afraid of their faces” (Jeremiah 1:8). We all walk away from conversations regretting having said too much or too little. So don’t shame yourself.

Since we’re relying on the Israel’s wisest king, let’s consult him once again: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” (Proverbs 31:8-9)

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The church is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state.” A conscience that doesn’t speak up is useless. If the Church fails to speak up, we’ll be “dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century.” As a Scripture-informed, Spirit-empowered conscience, we’re obligated to say something when we observe the actions of the anti-kingdom of God.

We haven’t the luxury of silence in these times. Yes, there is “a time to be silent” (Ecclesiastes 3:7), but this, in my opinion, isn’t one such time. Once we’ve made the effort to think critically, conferred with other wise souls, and asked the Lord to lead us, I think we’ll find it’s “a time to speak” and not be silent.

Should They Require the Ten Commandments to be Displayed in Public Schools?

I say “No.”

“The Law is good if a person uses it lawfully.” (1 Timothy 1:8)*

Other than the fact that the 1st Amendment of the Constitution prohibits it, I think it’s a bad idea. I propose a theological reason. My study of the Old and New Testaments shows me that the law has its place, but it’s no longer on stone tablets or classroom walls. It belongs in the hearts of people who love Jesus.

Let me be clear, like David, I love God’s law (Psalm 119:47). And like Paul I count on God’s law written in my mind and heart to inspire me to obey the God I love (Romans 7:22; 8:4; Hebrews 8:10; 10:16). I know the law can’t justify me (Romans 3:20). Only Jesus’ sacrifice can do that as I trust its efficacy (Romans 3:24). It also can’t sanctify me (Romans 7:5), i.e., make me more like Jesus. Only the Spirit can do that as I cooperate with him (Galatians 5:16-18).

Do this and live the Law commands

But neither gives me feet nor hands

A better word the Gospel brings

It bids me fly and gives me wings!

When the Law was written on stone as an extrinsic code, it couldn’t empower or inspire us. But it’s no longer an external transcript looming over us with demands and threats. It’s a powerful internal principle that makes performance possible. It transforms duty into delight!

Rep. Candy Noble argues for the Bill that requires the Ten Commandments be displayed in schools. She says she believes having the commandments in the class would help the teachers with classroom management. In other words, it will help them behave better if they see the Ten Commandments on the wall.

Paul tells us what the law actually does when we relate to it for behavior modification: “But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, and I died.” (Romans 7:8-10)

In practical terms, putting the law on the wall might very well have the opposite effect on the students that the teachers are looking for. Instead of making them more compliant, especially if reinforced by the educator, could “arouse” less than desirable behaviors. Have you ever touched a bench that had a sign on it saying, “Don’t Touch, Wet Paint!”? Or step on grass with a “Don’t Step on the Grass” sign?

I don’t advocate we put any Scripture (Christian or otherwise) in classrooms, but I wonder why Rep. Candy Noble doesn’t choose to display the list of the “fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians 5 for instance?

Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Just sayin’

*For a deeper dive on the law of God, see: “The Lord, His Law, and Those Who Love Him”

The Prescription for Christian Myopia (Part 2 of 2)

“You can be involved in politics, but it’s not everything. If your side loses, God is still sovereign and in control. The world may be a mess, but God’s future is coming. If your side wins, you can be humble and gracious—there’s a bigger picture at stake.” Joshua Ryan Butler

We’re talking about how shortsighted we can so easily become in regard to the chaotic environment of our present world of politics, poverty, disease, war, climate change, and on and on. Our myopia tends to show when we followers of Jesus can’t seem to see beyond the tips of our noses and fail to lean into the much bigger picture of the kingdom of God. This kingdom is “already and not yet.” It’s been here since Jesus’ resurrection and yet won’t culminate until his return. To our own detriment, it’s his return that seems to have eluded us of late. Our murky vision of the big picture makes us myopic.

The most often recorded miracle of Jesus is the healing of the blind. In one case he did it in stages (Mark 8:22-26). I suppose we could all use a second or second thousandth touch of Jesus to be able to see more clearly.

Let’s proceed…

Michelangelo had many assistants while painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling, if only to mix his paints, scramble up and down ladders, and prepare the day’s plaster (a nasty business I’m told). But without Michelangelo all of them collectively had no chance of producing the masterpiece. Jesus is the King of the kingdom. And on that glad day when the Master Painter returns, he will bring it all to completion––to perfection. But today, he’s using us to further the work that he will someday complete. Can you see the honor in that?

So don’t be apathetic about your role in the world to build for his kingdom. It’s not whether we engage the world around us but why and how we engage. When our engagement is done for the right reasons and in the most Christlike way, it will ultimately find its way into the eternal kingdom of God. 

And as to any apoplexy you might be feeling in these days of unprecedented social, political, economic chaos, I urge you to lean into the hope of his future renewal of all things. No matter how bad it gets here, ultimate (eternal) peace and justice is not at risk. Are we surrounded by disturbing realties such as war, famine, dictatorships, injustice everywhere? Yes, and we must do our part to alleviate as much suffering and sin in the world as we can. In the meantime, eschew the twin hope sappers of fear and anger. Fear only God and be angry only at what makes him angry. But don’t sin in your anger (Ephesians 4:26, 31).

Kaitlyn Schiess says, “We believe that this story we are living does not end in violence, chaos, and strife—it ends with perfect righteousness, justice, and peace.” Contrary to what anger peddlers are selling, there’s no destroying of God’s kingdom. Elon Musk posted on X, “Unless there is more bravery to stand up for what is fair and right, Christianity will perish.” Not so much, no! Christianity has no chance of ultimate failure. Jesus said he’d build his Church and hades’ gates wouldn’t be able to tear it down (Matthew 16:18)!

Fear and anger mongering leads to violent solutions to social problems. We’re hearing so-called “Christian” voices that advocate doing “whatever it takes to save our country.” They claim that if this candidate or that party wins in the next election it will end our very existence, and all that’s left is to destroy or be destroyed. Unfounded apoplexy!

The civil rights movement in the 60s rooted its nonviolent approach on the hope of the ultimate kingdom of God covering the earth as the waters cover the sea! Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, “Though the arc of the moral universe is long, it bends toward justice.”

Is the American experiment about to crumble as some espouse? I don’t believe so. I think our system is more resilient than that. But even if it did, that has no bearing whatsoever on the kingdom “that cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:28)!

Andrew Whitehead wrote, “If Christ is returning to make everything new, prejudiced or brutal political options become less rational, less necessary. If this election poses an existential threat, then we can more easily justify doing anything—including harming our neighbors, lying, stealing, or cheating—to avoid it. But if ultimate justice is promised by God, we have the freedom to seek provisional justice here on earth as faithfully as we can, without fearing that if we fail all is lost.” I would say that we have more than “freedom” but a mandate to seek that justice.

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In the midst of all this chaos, our options are not limited to apathy or apoplexy. We don’t have to hide our heads in the sand and just focus on nurturing our spiritual lives. We can and must co-labor with God in practical ways to advance his kingdom in its present form in light of its future consummation. And we mustn’t panic or succumb to rage over what we see unfolding before us. Jesus is coming back and will “make everything new!” (Revelation 21:5) He’ll remove everything counter to his will and replace is with the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven!

So, let’s live as though the end of kingdom history is already decided, and act accordingly. Let us avoid inaction, self-interest, panic, or rage, but lean into faith, hope, and love. And we know which of the three is greatest.

“He stops wars to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two. He burns the war-wagons with fire. Be quiet and know that I am God. I will be honored among the nations. I will be honored in the earth. The Lord of All is with us. The God of Jacob is our strong place.” (Psalm 46:8-11 New Life Version)

The Prescription for Christian Myopia (Part 1 of 2)

I’m a tad bit nearsighted, otherwise known as myopic. I can see close up, but recognizing faces from a distance or reading freeway signs early enough to take an unfamiliar exit can be difficult if not dangerous. I guess I could slow down, but that’s out of the question.

Many Christ followers have a similar malady in how they process their lives or the world around them. Either they can’t see past their own personal issues or are unable to see beyond the challenges and problems of our culture and country.

I grew up with twins as friends. Born twelve minutes apart, but who couldn’t have been any different––in physique, intellect, interests, etc. Similarly, twin myopic mistakes are diametric opposites but equally limiting.

The one is apathetic myopia and the other, apoplectic. One hides its head in the sand, and the other kicks sand in everyone else’s eyes! The one pretends the problems don’t exist and the other contends that if they don’t do something about the problems of the world, life as we know it will cease to exist.

In this post and the next we’ll unpack the twin optical maladies and their cure.

Apathetic Myopia 

There was a time when I was afflicted with this form of nearsightedness. I pretty much chose not to look beyond my own issues, my need to be more spiritual, and everything that held me back from it. I took an insular approach to my ever-present clamor for self-correction, not to mention the needs of the people I was shepherding. It left me with neither time nor energy to invest in solutions to anything outside of myself and to our world’s social, political, or justice matters.

Wars, famines, poverty, politics, or racial, economic, or climate justice simply weren’t on my radar. I had myself, my family, my church to look after, and had no time or interest in how people outside my circle managed. I see so many of my spiritual tribe afflicted similarly with their nearsighted focus on the newest spiritual fad, the most recent Christian self-help books, the greatest preachers and most “successful” churches. It leaves them in blissful ignorance with nothing left for caring about such “secular” things like anything political, social, or global.

Apoplectic Myopia

In the last decade or so, instead of ignoring the sociopolitical issues outside my self-imposed silo, with the entrance of populist politicians and media personalities, I allowed fear and anger (mostly anger) to obstruct my vision. My nearsightedness morphed from apathetic to apoplectic. (Apoplectic = to be overcome with rage. If someone is having an “apoplectic attack,” they are having a stroke!)

I admit that Donald Trump was and is the loudest voice, the most attention-grabbing factor in my myopic apoplexy. But he’s just the most recent person of note to open the floodgates of narcissistic demagoguery. Yet he and his sycophants represent some of the worst American impulses, and unfortunately, Christian Americans in particular.

As I watch it unfold, my angst has increased manyfold. I’ve joked that when I miss my daily exercise regimen, I listen to some far-right media churl, which raises my heart rate and gives me the cardio workout I would’ve received on the treadmill! It’s taken me years to realize this form of sweat-inducement actually does more harm than good to my heart––both the one inside my chest and the one at the core of my humanity. Not to say that I’ve entirely given up on this exercise routine. It’s quick and requires no actual effort. It feels better in the moment, but takes pieces out of my soul, which I can ill afford to lose.

The result of this sort of apoplectic myopia prevents us seeing beyond it. Rest assured, there is something beyond. It’s in this beyond vision where we find our solution to both myopic maladies.

Before moving on to the prescription, I want to point out that it’s not found in some elusive middle ground between both versions of it. Our goals is not to possess a small bite of apathy and a taste of apoplexy. We want our vision to be 20-20. We need to “see everything clearly” (Mark 8:25), both things near and things far.

Now for the cure for such spiritual shortsightedness.

The Apocalyptic Prescription for All Forms of Myopia

Don’t be confused by the term, “apocalyptic.” The way we typically use the word and the way it’s used in Scripture, are altogether different. From popular books and movies, we think of the apocalypse as the dystopian world that follows a nuclear holocaust or an alien invasion, the latter being my favorite of the two. But the New Testament term actually means “revealing” or “uncovering.” The title of the last book of the Bible, “Revelation,” is a translation of the Greek word Apokalupsis, that is the revealing of Jesus and his ultimate kingdom.

Apokalupsis is one of the favorite terms used by the authors of New Testament to describe the return of Jesus, his Second Coming.

“…praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1 Peter 1:7)  “Set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.” (1 Peter 1:13)  “…when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.” (2 Thessalonians 1:7)

At his revealing, Jesus will restore everything to its original version––an even better version (Acts 3:21)! The apocalypse is not when it all goes to hell, but when creation and everything in it all coalesces with heaven. It’s when every knee bows and every tongue confesses he’s Lord! When everything will be as it should be.

Leaning into this vision is how we cure ourselves of both apathetic and apoplectic forms of myopia. With this glorious end in sight, it has no chance of survival. Living in light of God’s promised future is how we overcome our spiritual shortsightedness.

If your myopia is of the apathetic variety, it’s crucial that you lean into the future kingdom, which informs us how to live in such a way as to build something for that kingdom. Your every Christlike act today will be an essential part of that kingdom tomorrow. Every act of kindness, of compassion, of justice, of truth-telling, of neighbor love produces something that Jesus will perfect and bring to completion when he comes.

Some people abdicate their Christian responsibility by detaching themselves from the world. “It’s all gonna burn someday anyway,” they say, “so let’s just maintain our salvation until he comes to take us away!” We’re not polishing the brass on the Titanic when we obey the Spirit’s leading. The Bible teaches us that our “good works” are anything but a waste of our time and energy (Ephesians 2:10). These deeds are the result, not the basis of our salvation. They bring God’s glory into the world says Jesus (Matthew 5:16).

The promise of Christ’s return does not demand quietism or political escapism. In fact, the opposite is true. When Martin Luther was asked what he would do if the world were to end tomorrow, he answered, “I would plant an apple tree today.”

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In Part 2 we’ll take a deeper dive into this concept of building for the future kingdom and track with how it cures spiritual apoplexy. Stay tuned.

Another (Brief) Case for Nonviolent Resistance

“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to Peter after the disciple wacked off Malchus’ ear. “For all who draw the sword will die by the sword” (Matt. 26:52). In other words, violence, politically motivated or otherwise, only creates a spiral that consume individuals, movements, and sometimes even whole nations.

But Jesus did more than speak to Peter’s act, he healed the soldier who had come to do him harm (Luke 22:51). What’s that about? Pretty obvious, isn’t it? It wasn’t like he did it to change the minds of the arresting soldiers about taking him in. They went on with it and finished their mission to bring him to their bosses who sent him to die. So why?

Jesus healed Malchus in recognition of his humanity, because he loved him. He saw him as a bearer of the image of God. The man came to harm him and was harmed in the process by one of Jesus’ ill-advised disciples. Rather than let it slide, Jesus debunked Peter’s violent misdeed and repaired the damage to a person he loved in spite what the man came into the garden to do.

Even if Jesus’ command to Peter about putting his sword back in its place cannot be definitively interpreted to apply to all cases of potential violent response to violence, his healing makes the point in even clearer terms. Instead of fighting back with overwhelming angelic support at his disposal, Jesus does the opposite by healing his enemy. We know that he prayed from the cross, “Forgive them.” But in this case, he forgives AND heals one of the very men who came to drag him off to be tortured and lynched.

Another example of Jesus loving his enemies rather than harm them.

What Worries Me

My two biggest worries, in order of concern:

Another Trump presidencyIf he loses, the violence that may very well ensue from his unhinged supporters (Not all who vote for him are “unhinged.” But the number who are, carry weapons, and wouldn’t require more than the slightest nudge to use them against their political rivals.)

In early 2020 a friend of mine and I were talking about the upcoming presidential election. He said something prescient, which frames my worry today. He said, “My fear is not only about the outcome of the election. But whichever way it goes, it seems inevitable that a violent reaction will ensue between those who celebrate and those who mourn the outcome.” I don’t have to remind you of what did indeed happen several months later on January 6, 2021. If history repeats itself, we’re in for a very scary moment after this November.

I can hear my Christian brothers and sisters say, “Don’t be afraid, brother. God’s got it all under control. Have faith.” Thanks for the advice. I’ll try. But I had faith before the last election, yet… I trust God, it’s people with their free will I don’t trust. Unfortunately, that includes those who may or may not have genuine faith in Jesus.

I can’t unsee the “Trump is my President and Jesus is my Savior” banners displayed during the capitol insurrection. I can’t unhear the hyper-nationalistic “prayers” recited inside the building or the testimonies before Congress by the Capitol police who were brutalized as they tried to no avail to keep the angry mob from entering.

What causes me more than pause today is the violent rhetoric that has taken on spiritual language and how, instead of Jesus, many American church-goers, instead of after Jesus, model themselves after the likes of John Wick.

I attended a Bible Study group in San Francisco a few years ago that consisted of some young gang wannabies. Before the study started, they bantered back and forth about the beat downs they’d given their rivals––with fists, knives, and even guns. When I could stand it no longer, since the leader of the study made no comment, I jumped in and said, “Well, you know Jesus told us to forgive one another, love our enemies, and turn the other cheek.” They all turned in unison and stared at me as though I had just called their mother a bad name!

It’s not just kids like them, but it’s the millions of long-time adult church-members who attend services most Sundays, give their tithes, and say their prayers at dinner, who buy into the vengeful rhetoric of people like Donald Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Steve Bannon that worry me. Not to mention radio, TV, and podcast shock jocks, plus the poisonous influence of false Bible teachers and so-called “prophets” who stir the pot with their violent rhetoric!

I understand protecting our loved ones in extreme circumstances. It’s the swagger of many Christians today, who under the guise of spirituality use the language snipped from Old Testament passages to justify their ill-gotten vengeful ideology.

NT Wright said, “The cross proves that true power is found in weakness, greatness is attained in service, revenge only begets greater evil, and all victims will be vindicated at God’s judgement seat.” How far many American Christians have drifted from our Master’s example and teaching. The Sermon on the Mount was the primary text for the early Christians. Now it seems we’ve redacted much of it from our Bibles and replaced it with Facebook memes and cribbed quotes from Fox News and Truth Social.

Russell Moore wrote, “The step before replacing Jesus with Thor is to turn Jesus into Thor.” If you think that’s classic overreach, check out what GOP Representative Lauren Boebert said in a Christian conference: “A lot of the little Twitter trolls like to say, ‘Oh, Jesus didn’t need an AR-15, how many AR-15s do you think Jesus would’ve had?’ Well, he didn’t have enough to keep his government from killing him!”

Before the 2020 election, Pastor Robert Jeffress told his congregation that he wanted “the meanest, toughest SOB [he could] find to protect this nation.” As demonstrated by many of our mass shootings, church splits over politics, and most infamously, January 6th, that sentiment has spread throughout our country like a contagion.

After his guilty verdict of 34 felony crimes, Donald Trump said, “We’ll get revenge…We’re going to vanquish the evil forces that are destroying our country!” You might interpret this sort of rhetoric as a figure of speech. But there are millions who are inclined to interpret his words as commands to set fire to the country (my own use of metaphor).

Otherwise, why did thousands show up to the Capitol building with enough rope and lumber to build a hangman’s platform? Why did they use their flag poles to beat the police and break through windows? Why did Trump sit for hours watching the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol unfold on live TV, ignoring pleas by his own children and other close advisers to urge his supporters to stop the violence?

A recent poll showed that 30 to 40% of American adults agree with this statement: “There are times when violence might be necessary to achieve my political aim.” Under some definitions that describes terrorism! That’s 80 to 100 million who are open to the idea that violence (terrorism) is the best path to getting what they want!

If you don’t think the concern about political violence is legitimate, take January 6, 2021 off your calendar and pretend it never happened.

There are those whose allegiance to their party and ideology requires holding onto power. If they can’t do it through legitimate political means, then threats and killings will do just fine. The ends (survival of their political convictions) justify the means (political violence).

After all, we’re on God’s team. Protecting our “way of life” is a way of defending the faith!

Is Jesus a savior with a gun or the Savior with a cross? Remember, he chose to die rather than to kill, and invites us to follow him by carrying our own cross (not our AR-15s) and die. Though he could have, he chose not to defend himself (Matt 26:53) and calls us to do the same (1 Peter 2:19). We cannot love our enemies, and at the same time prepare to do them harm. We can’t hold the cross in one hand and point a gun at those with whom we disagree with the other! “Too long have I lived among those who hate peace. I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.” Psalm 120:6-7

What Should We Do? (Part 1)

“What should we do?”

Whose Reward Do You Want?

“I said I would reward you handsomely, but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded.” (Numbers 24:11)

Wait. Doesn’t the Lord want to reward us? Why would he keep us from being rewarded? The question is what kind of reward are we talking about and who is the source of it?

Balaam’s story is one of the most bizarre in the Bible, and not just because a donkey talked to him! OK, that is pretty dang bizarre. But what happens after that challenges us toward finishing well. Here’s the gist of the story:

Balak (King of Moab) offers to pay Balaam (a Gentile fortune-teller – Joshua 13:22) to curse the Israelites (Numbers 22). After seeking the Lord’s approval, Balaam declined to curse Israel, but blessed them instead. The king refused to give up, and repeatedly offered him more money and greater fame for doing his bidding. Balaam refused each time, and when the king finally gave up, he said: “Now leave at once and go home! I said I would reward you handsomely, but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded.” (Numbers 24:11)

That’s actually a great honor for any Christian when they refuse Satan’s reward, don’t you think? The Lord has kept you from being rewarded. He keeps us from being rewarded by sin, Satan, and the system when we do his bidding instead of theirs. He gives us his kind of rewards for following in his steps. When we obey him, he stands in the way of the devil’s temporal reward we would’ve otherwise gotten from doing evil.

Don’t forget, Balaam knew something about the Lord standing in his way (Numbers 22:7)!

So, that was that. All’s well that ends well. Except it wasn’t. We find out later that after making such good choices initially, Balaam lost his way and his reputation. He failed to finish well.

We’re told that he “taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality.” (Revelation 2:14) Not good.

Each of the three times he’s mentioned in the New Testament he’s anything but a hero (2 Peter 2:15; Jude 1:11; Revelation 2:14). Sounds like Balaam changed his mind when Balak’s “reward” sounded better and better to him. They say that every man has his price. This tactic actually worked better than a curse anyway, along with the added benefit of Balak’s compensation. Made it all worth it. Or did it?

You’d think after his donkey talked to him that he’d maybe stay on track, which he did for a while. I’ve never been warned by God with a talking animal. There was that time when I saw Mary’s face in my latte foam. Not really. But astonishing signs and wonders from God don’t always prevent us from giving in to Satan’s ploys. I know people who’ve experienced undeniable miracles and still walked away from the faith.

So, whose reward do you want? And what are you willing to do for it?

“Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” (Hebrews 10:35-36)

BTW, our best “reward” is him! (Genesis 15:1)

A Lamentable Debate

I’ve been waiting for the right words (at least ones righter than my first impression) to respond intelligently to the recent presidential debate and the nuclear fallout since. If I only get one word, “pitiful” comes to mind.

Russell Moore did much better:

“When we ask, ‘Is this the best we can do?’ we actually all know the answer. But neither man will step away, and there are no grownups that can make them.

“This would be bad enough if it were only about which octogenarian will be occupying the only assisted living center in the world with a press office and a Situation Room. But the fact that our elderly leaders—one struggling to put sentences together, the other ranting with insanities and profanities—won’t leave the scene is about more than an election year. It’s about what it means to live in an era of diminished expectations…

“At this point, though, our culture seems especially riddled through with this realization that those we thought were grownups are old, exhausted, and childish. An obviously declining president refuses to live in a world where “Hail to the Chief” is played for a new generation of leaders. The rest of the country looks to a porn-star-chasing former reality television host who says he wants to terminate the Constitution and put his enemies through televised military tribunals—and the country just laughs and enjoys the show.”

In times of disappointment and disillusionment I usually do my best to laugh rather than be resigned to crying all the time. Nevertheless, I can seem to muster neither tears nor neary a chuckle over the sorry state of American politics these days. I do, however, have a hope-filled lament plus a benediction.

For the lament I’ll just use the words of the poets of Scripture if you don’t mind:

•I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; they fail because of all my foes.

•I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.

•My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught.

•How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?

•My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death assail me.

•Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and my body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction. (Assorted Psalms)

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain to joy.

Thought I’d repost this in honor of Juneteenth 2024

Bigots in the Church Lobby