Afterwords -- week 37
"Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild beasts; do not forget the life of your poor forever. Have regard for the covenant, for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence." (Psalm 74:19-20)
September 3, 2022
Dear friends,
THE SOUL OF THE DOVE (Psalm 74). This psalm was written at a time when it looked like the people of God would be swallowed up by forces in their very presence. Even the temple, and all the signposts of true worship, were being removed. Though God seemed to have abandoned them, the psalmist notes, "Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth" (v 12). "Yet God my King..." begins the section reminding God's people that the Lord is Creator of all the universe, and he is the One who sets boundaries, whether it be between day and night, the seasons, the sea and land, the great sea creatures (Leviathan may be figurative of the devil), and even the stars above. The soul of the dove, i.e., the life of his people, will ultimately be spared and protected. What great comfort and encouragement this is for us, as we observe the madness of our society around us.
DIVISION AMONG GOD'S PEOPLE. What's very vexing to many of us is how splintered evangelicalism has become. Kevin DeYoung produced a chart (see below) showing the very different positions evangelical believers have taken on issues like Donald Trump, Christian nationalism, wearing masks, sexual abuse, and gender. What's concerning to me is not that Christians take such various views, but that these positions have become absolute and fixed. These issues have been elevated to such importance that believers divide and separate themselves over them. Such divisiveness, I believe, is harmful to the body of Christ. Sinful pride is the root cause, but this certainly was exacerbated during the pandemic as millions of Christians withdrew from in-person fellowship -- or fellowship with Christians they knew -- to align themselves into digital enclaves with people whom they did not know but were like-minded with them on these topics. Internet pundits, podcasters, news reporters, and social media influencers all fanned the flames of division. One position was always approved, and the other position was always demonized. Somewhere along the way, among all the rants, mutual respect and civil discourse died. Pray for the church! Pray for godly discernment among God's people. Pray for the soul of the dove.
"DO YOU BELIEVE THIS?" (John 11:26) Meanwhile, a friend of mine is reading through the gospel of John with a man who's seeking to understand Christianity. When they got to this verse (John 11:26), the man stopped and asked my friend if he really believed all this, and why. As I looked again at this verse I was impressed with how direct, how personal, how individual was our Lord's question to Martha. "Do you believe this?" The question had to do with Jesus' own identity and how that related to the recent death in Martha's family. Does she really believe what Jesus is saying? As John Stott notes in his classic work, Basic Christianity, this personal and direct approach is how Jesus deals with us in conversion...
"I myself used to think that because Jesus had died on the cross, by some kind of rather mechanical transaction the whole world had been put right with God. I remember how puzzled, even indignant, I was when it was first suggested to me that I needed to appreciate Christ and his salvation for myself. I thank God that later he opened my eyes to see that I must do more than acknowledge I needed a Saviour, more even than acknowledge that Jesus Christ was the Saviour I needed; it was necessary to accept him as my Saviour." (John R. W. Stott)
But we also learn from John's gospel that Martha, her sister Mary, and their brother Lazarus, were all good friends with Jesus. He had previously visited with them in their home. So, this was not a question to a random stranger, but rather, a searching question to a person who knew the Lord, at least to some extent. She's a believer, but here is something new, something big, and a new challenge to her worldview. In a sense this is a question that all of us, even long after conversion, need to ask ourselves in times of trial, confusion, or doubt -- do I believe what God has said? Do I believe him in this new circumstance I find myself? Do I trust all that he has revealed to us in the Word? The Christian life is not a mechanical, impersonal process; it is personal, relational, and deeply searching all along the way.
RECENT LINKS.
-- "Far from being dry or abstract, Christian doctrine deals with the fundamental issues of life: namely, who am I, what is the ultimate meaning of the universe, where am I going?" (Millard Erickson) A quote from the book we will be studying this fall in Biblical Studies.
-- Five prayers to pray for believers in Afghanistan.
-- The cancellation of Dr. Nassif.
-- Is this the twilight of college football? (Virginia Tech gets a mention.)
FINAL QUOTE. "Every truth leads towards holiness; every error of doctrine directly or indirectly leads to sin." (C. H. Spurgeon)
That's it for week 37!
Sandy
Photo credit: above, Marcus Dietachmair on Unsplash; below, Kevin DeYoung. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
