Psalm 1
I'm back after two weeks off from preaching (one week to attend our newest grandson's dedication and another to speak at the 100th anniversary celebration of a church I previously served as pastor).
Thanks for hanging in there. And its Memorial Day weekend, so many people are away for the weekend.
Anyway, I felt led to speak on Psalm 1, for several reasons which I mention in the sermon.
For background, it would be good to review some of the basic characteristics of Wisdom Literature, as it appears in the Bible. Here are two web sites that give good, general background. one two
The psalm uses images from the ancient agricultural practice of harvesting grain. You may be more or less familiar with the steps of harvesting and winnowing, depending on your background. Here is a good video that summarizes the process, as it would have been done in biblical times, and is still done today in many parts of the developing world.
In the sermon I state that we can each choose where to be planted; or we can choose to live among the godly or the ungodly. I mention that that choice is up to us to make; it is not chosen for us. The out come of this choice is predetermined and predestined, but the choice is not. Some readers may react to that statement, believing that sovereignty and predestination extend to the choice itself and are not limited to the outcomes of our choices. You may be right, however after years of contemplation on these topics, and the study of Scripture, I have rather made peace with this idea.
I think God has granted us fee will while, naturally, knowing full well the choices we will make. But knowing them and controlling them are two different things. If I offer you a million dollars, no strings attached, I know up front what choice you will make. You will take it. But I am not controlling your choice; you could reject the gift. If a human can make such a judgment on something so simple, why can't God know all things on all topics in advance, without even blinking an eye. I believe he can and he does.
However, the outcomes of choices we make are predetermined. If I choose to live in disregard of God and his ways, I am headed for a life of sadness that leads to judgment and a future alienated from God. No one can change that. Only by making a different choice in life, can I change the outcome.
People who choose well, live well and die well. This being Memorial Day weekend, let's honor those who have modeled the good life for us.
Thanks for digging deeper.
Hi Galen,
ReplyDeleteGlad to have you back. Hope you enjoyed the family time and had a nice holiday.
I enjoyed this past week's sermon. It really spoke to me personally, especially with all the exploration into Calvinism that you and I have spoken about.
I stumbled into Genesis last night and chapter 18 really made an impression on me. I know that I have read that chapter before. I have never taken notice to Abraham speaking so candidly with God. I don't want to say that Abraham challenged God when he said "far be it from you"; but when I read it, I felt that Abraham was being irreverent. Is it okay to have conversations like that with God? What are your thoughts?
Ryan
Ryan, thanks for your note. One of my favorite books is Habakkuk, whom is sometimes called "The Complaining Prophet." The reason I like him is because of the dialog with God that his book records. Basically, Habakkuk says to God, "I cannot believe you have not punished us, given our behavior." God responds with something like, "Oh, not to worry, I have plans. I am going to bring the Assyrians over to attack and destroy you." Habakkuk's response is legendary. He says, "What? The Assyrians. They are worse than we are. How can you justify that?" And then God answers, and his answer is awesome. He basically says, "I am God and will do what I want, and you will need to accept it by faith." It is the first occurrence of the important biblical phrase, "The righteous will live by faith."
ReplyDeleteI like this book because it, along with passages like Gen 18 and a good number of the Psalms, model for me that we can share our hearts with God, even our struggles with understanding his ways. God welcomes it; more than that, I believe he honors the honesty of it. The last verses in the book of Habakkuk are among my favorites in the Old Testament. It is a testament of faith on the part of Habakkuk, but only arrived at after he expressed his misgivings to God:
Hab 3:17-19
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights.
(NIV 2011)
Keep your questions coming.
Galen
Much appreciated Galen. I struggle sometimes with fully opening my feelings and expressing them to God. I can't attribute it to my upbringing but I have always felt that having a dialogue like Habakkuk and Abraham was irreverent. Something work on..
ReplyDeleteOn another note, who are the three men that Abraham sees walking toward his tent? I stopped last night and read it a few times. Was it God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit? Was it God and two Angels?
Ryan
Maybe they all three represent God in general, but not Father, Son or Spirit in particular. What I mean is that in the OT there was a very strict prohibition against representing God in any human form (2nd of the 10 Commandments, for example). It seems that God is using these three "angels" to bring his word to Abraham. It is both direct and indirect. There are striking similarities of this passage with Gen 19 and the two visitors who come to Lot in Sodom. Who are these two?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, rather than making this come kind of theophany, where God actually takes on human form; I think it is a kind of theophany in that God is directly revealing himself to Abraham, but doing so through the intermediary of angels.
I have copied a section from one of my favorite commentaries which I think you will enjoy reading and have it posted online here
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1amn_WeaMOC3X39nbNLovhb9y1hHynM5T_lLiVD-L1Lw/edit
Sorry, I guess I cannot place a link in these replies. Maybe you can copy that and paste it in your browser. Or else, email me directly and I will forward it to you.
ReplyDelete