Notes from a Peripatetic

In the presentation Dr. Jacober listed the biggest problem affecting youth today is Moral Therapeutic Deism. She described it from backwards of Deism- I know there is a GOD out there, there is something higher than me a GOD. Therapeutic – GOD should be there to comfort me and to care for me when I am sad, but when it comes to my walk and how I live everyday , the words that come out of my mouth – then GOD does not need to be concerned with that. Moral – it is right to be good but they have redefined good. I would like to take it a step further than just in the youth context. Look around in adult congregations and you will find this as well. The argument could be made that it started with the youth age, and I would say indeed so. I am a firm believer that how you are as a child will determine how you are as an adult. Children are cool with the idea of GOD existing, there are not many 4 year old atheists. They have an understanding of GOD exists sort of like deists even though they don’t really understand to well of this GOD. As they get older if they keep this small minded ideas and don’t grow then it can be bad. This could be similar to what Paul had in mind when he spoke of them only being able to handle milk and not solid food meat. Adults who have this can be negative as seen in the Corinthian Church and our churches today. When adults today have problems with giving to GOD, but have no problem with GOD blessing them, I’d say Moral Therapeutic Deism.  When people call themselves Christian but live however and do whatever they feel they’re bad enough and want to do , I’d call it MTD. When preachers figure they can preach and pastor while not living and being the person Christ saved them to be, I’d call it Moral Therapeutic Deism. When people want the prosperity, riches , and blessings of GOD but do not want the His righteousness and Holiness that is MTD. When people preach Job or Jabez and show how GOD blessed them but don’t take in that both of these men walk righteous before GOD that is another case of MTD. This is not just for the kids but as you can see, what is a problem as a kid becomes a problem as an adult. And back to the issue of good, when people all in America say that they are going to heaven because they are a “good person.” I always say from scripture that Jesus ran into a good man once. This man never cheated on his wife, nor had he ever killed a man, nor did he steal from people, this man had some cash and was by our standards a good moral man. This man fell short of eternal that he wanted, the man left Jesus’ eternal offer to live forever to go and be a moral good man. That man was the rich young ruler.

The arrangement in Zachariah is GOD is going to build Himself a Temple and you can participate or not but its going to get built. One of my favorite new hit songs is “Don’t do it without me” by Paul S. Morton. He says in that line that Lord whatever you’re doing this season, please don’t do it without me. It has been said that the problem with the liberal is that they think your hands are Gods hands. That you have to be HIS change in the world to right the wrongs of society. This is seen in the liberals stance and view that they have to come and wipe out poverty, racism, hunger, injustices and all types of marginalization. I can’t let the liberal be the only fool in the boat. The conservative looses sight of it as well. The conservative sees themselves as the upholder and defender of GOD’s word. That they must take up arms and fight the war over the truth of Scripture. That they must secure the right amount of votes in order for GOD word’s written on pages to get the victory. As if GOD’s word won’t justify and prove itself. Or as if GOD won’t do just what HE said. Zechariah can show us all that no matter how powerful or how in control we seem to be GOD is still the agent of control. Zechariah prophesied to people who were prosperous and had money and land. The problem with riches is when the riches let you believe that you are the one in control. You start to assume that you are the one responsible for your wellbeing and that if you don’t pay for or take care of things they won’t work out right. Thanks to GOD speaking to Jeremiah the we can see nowadays that the rich, the liberal, and the conservative are all wrong. GOD is the agent of control and still responsible for what happens, whether you like it agree, participate or chose not to. GOD is gone do it and it ain’t nothing you can do about it.

There has been some talk about the weight of the religious experience. The calling by GOD of the prophet. How much does GOD have to do whether or not a person is a prophet. Isaiah 6 a super passage when it comes to this subject. Isaiah saw the LORD. Isaiah had some super experience with GOD . That experience was so Grand and so supernatural and unexplainable that he broke out into action. Isaiah was so smitten that he responded. What Isaiah eyes witnessed was so “Holy” that in comparison to himself he said I am undone-destroyed/cut off. The Holiness of the Angels and The LORD brought the prophet so out of the usual ordinary scope of reality. Then comes the question for the predestined and the Armenian, how was Isaiah a prophet. One can say GOD came upon him and put HIS words on and touched the tongue of Isaiah with it. The other can say that Isaiah cried out to the question whom shall we send, and who shall go for us with: Here I am send me. Isaiah had an experience with the Almighty that goes forth to show the strength of HIS ordaining. The “Calling” is a lost experience in some circles. Some say preach and go do it, as another vocation and choice that the church needs. While others reverence the strength and weight of the calling so high as in the Scriptures.  The religious experience with that Almighty  is the way a person received the ordination by GOD. I would suggest that the new form of “Calling” should be the religious experience where one life encounters the almighty just like Isaiah’s did.

Oh how the many beautiful ways to sing a song. GOD in Isaiah has just pronounced judgment and punishment for Judah and for Jerusalem through a man named Isaiah the son of Amoz. The kings of Judah and the people are in for punishment and GOD even is quoted as saying “Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench; and Your men shall fall by the sword, and you mighty in the war; and lastly that the Lord will purge the blood of Jerusalem from her midst by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning, HE goes into a s beautiful song. Not just a song but a song for HIS well beloved.  This well beloved has a vineyard on a very fruitful hill. HE has done much to preserve and went over the necessities to care for the vineyard. HE has bought the best vines to plant in the vineyard and has built more and more and overdid everything to make sure every need and want for the vineyard is there. But instead of good grapes that HE was expecting it brought forth wild grapes. Then the question is what shall I do to it, I have done all the good I can do to it, so now HE says I will take away the hedge and it shall be burned. This is the one image that allows us to see from GOD’s angle how HE viewed HIS people. This is like the analogy that the prophet gives to David. Often we see the judgment of GOD being cried out by the prophet’s and we think GOD is harsh. But this is a song to HIS beloved. Anyone who is beloved can relate to this one beautiful song. It is one of a lover who has done all HE could for the person to love HIM but only to receive contentment. A Husband who has done everything for the love of HIS wife and still never receives it one days cries out Enough. When the prophets are crying out judgment it is GOD’s cry for enough.

The story begins with a man from Bethlehem. From the beginning we are tuned in to him and we are made aware of his family his wife and two sons. Immediately we are drawn in to picture him as the main character and protagonist in the story. Immediately he dies, and the main man is gone and Naomi now is left with two kids in Moab. The two sons marry Orpah and Ruth and then ten years pass. Then both sons die and the woman is left without her two sons and husband. Naomi is now the main character in this book now. She is the protagonist and the story begins to be about her. She tells the women go to your real mothers, not by me anymore. She says I cannot give you anything and cannot offer you a husband. But Ruth clave to her, without anything to gain. In Verse 15 of Ruth 1 it says that Orpah went back to her people and back to her gods. Ruth stands back and says entreat me not to leave you! Your people are my people , your GOD my GOD and where you die I will be buried as well, and what GOD does to you he do also to me, and only death part me and thee. Ruth Clave. This is the renunciation of everything of her former life just to be with Naomi. Ruth not knowing what lies ahead nor not having anything to gain from Naomi but just being with her. This is faith. Ruth stuck and traveled with Naomi as one is to stick and clave to GOD. God is behind the scenes and rewards Ruth’s claving and adds her in the family. That is the central statement of Ruth which changed the entire tone of the rest of the book. Ruth’s one confession changed the story from sad and weary to upbeat and positive. Ruth a Moabite who has no reason to go to GOD but does. Ruth takes on the image of belief in GOD although she is a foreigner. Orpah runs back to her gods, and her family. Ruth holistically seeks GOD and the new life. Ruth is a stranger an outsider a Moabite. This is the story of a stranger an outsider having faith of a main character. The story should be about Elimilech’s faith in GOD and through his name meaning my GOD is king. But ruth is the central character and embodies the faith of a leader. The words of Ruth should be attributed to Elimilech as the leader of the story. Ruth’s faith is crazy and scandalous because faith like hers has been of men. Daniel had Ruth like faith , Abraham had Ruth like faith. GOD looks after the graceful Ruth and highly exalts her beyond she knew.

The satin is going to and fro back and forth on the earth. The satin comes and GOD gives a good report on HIS servant Job, tells satin that have you seen him while you go to and fro, there is none like him, HE is my servant and upright and perfect and who fears the Lord. If Job be not upright and perfect then GOD is a liar in Job 1:8. God is accused of blessing the hands of Job and causing Job’s possessions to increase. The satin accuses GOD of spoiling Job, saying of course your son loves you, you give him everything he wants. GOD does not wrought evil upon Job’s life, the nkjv says “behold all that he has is in your power; only do not touch his person.” Immediately limits are set and provision is granted for Job’s life. Also one should realize that GOD granted satin the power over Job’s possessions. The satin is the one who instituted all the change on Job’s possessions. One can wonder why GOD would give satin power over some of jobs possessions. Then one would look at what GOD meant by saying that Job was unlike any other, perfect and upright. This is an even bigger story than just about Job’s life. This is a story about GOD. Humanity is the Job in the situation but ultimately we walk away knowing about GOD. An old Testament query could be answered in Job. The question could be if we the children of Israel serve the one true GOD and everyone does not, then why does it seem we are loosing for the most part of history. If the children of Israel are at least on the right track as far as trying to obey GOD then why does other peoples who completely worship other gods and sin seem to escape judgment pain and they lord over the Israelites. Why has GOD’s chosen people been at the bottom of history? This answers the question of do you really love GOD? Not because He prospers you or causes you to win battles, but will you love Him even in exile?  The new Testament question answered from Job is: What can separate me from the Love of GOD? Job shows that neither death , nor life, nor angels, nor demons, nor principalities, and powers can separate me from the love of GOD. All that happened to Job is not because GOD is a bad parent. The satin went back and forth on the earth. The satin was in the earth already, and GOD allowed him to mess with the things around Job. If satin was already on earth and did those type of things to others, who better to prove him wrong than Job. Job is the person who shows GOD to be right and satin to be wrong. The battle was put on one man that day. One day it could be your life. One day your life could be messed up like Job’s and question is still do you love GOD even without the hedge of blessings?

Job is a beautiful passage. Job one begins about Job, tells of man who is perfect and upright in the land of Uz. Even if people are willing to grant this premise they really overlook the second one. In verse 3 it says that Job substance was great , and had a very great houshold, and here it is ”So that this man was the greatest of all men in the East.” We would really love to stop right there as believers. We would want to link Job having great lands and substance to his righteousness and perfection. This would have made a good sermon at Prosperity Baptist Church. Isn’t that what we want to happen, to say that Job has the greatest amount of land and cattle in the East because he was upright and eschewed evil. Not even getting to the common focus of Job, we should look at the question of where does Job greatness come from. Is it from himself because of his actions. If we look at it from this focal point we better walk into the story. True believers are not willing to say that Job has alot because of himself. If we are honest would say that Job has because of GOD’s giving. Even in the first 3 verses Job is blessed by with gifts by GOD. Life is a gift. There are many Biblical stories that begin with a very rich man, and for the first time it happens to be a man whom also fears the Lord and walks upright. Too often we see the rich and great men as servers of idols or evil wicked men. The writer breaks this uniform with Job. If a rich wicked man lost all we would be good and comforatable. We must look at Job firstly from the angle of GOD. GOD is the giver of good gifts, not Job, and GOD can take away as HE sees fit. Job new from the begining the Lord gave and the Lord taketh away ; blessed be the name of the Lord.

Blogs. Notes from a wayfarer.

There are many different theories to what proverbs is and what type of genre it is. One persons guess is as good as the other I suppose. What cannot be disputed is what it is meant for. The proverbs are meant to pass down wisdom knowledge or whatever name you want to call it to the next generation. It is as one has suggested likened to family sayings that make like better off for the next group. One thing is for certain, if one listens to it, they will be the better off. There is something to be learned from people who are older , who have been around longer, and who have travelled where you are trying to go. Old folk might not be up on the latest technology but they do know a thing or two about life. The old person might not have all the education you possess but their wisdom is timeless. The proverbs however ancient or antique still have bearing in today’s modern technological culture. One of the first statements that the proverbs says hits heart and resounds over all the other proverbs. That overarching proverb is this, the Fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the first step before one can expect to have any other wisdom. Without this one foundational cornerstone, the building of wisdom will never hold. I would even argue that all further wisdom is built on this presupposition. All the other wisdom can always work it the order is set. The author or redactor of the proverbs could have strategically placed it there to set the precedence or preface to wisdom. Some proverbs seem secular in application but they still have a certain God fearing way of being carried out. Solomon the man who is attributed to having put together all the wisdom, can be seen as failing in the foundational cornerstone, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom. Solomon wisest person in scripture seems to have stumbled over this foundation which made all his building of wisdom without a foundation.

How wonderful are the Psalms. Rick Warren says that you can find GOD’s grace in everything. All human beings bear the mark of GOD and made in HIS image. The Psalms represent the emotion of living with the Lord. It was said by some Atheist that it is not real the way Christians behave and what people say about them is that they are fake and out of touch with humanity. Some “Christians” have said to people in hospital rooms and at burial sites just get over it or have more faith , or if you didn’t sin this would not have happened. This is not what you get when you read the Bible. When you look at the Psalms you don’t get a peachy , good, life style, where everything is sunny days and warm mays. You get Psalms 137 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land? You get the life of living with the Almighty one true GOD when even it seems like HE is not in control. We as believers and human beings feel that if you serve GOD and do right then things should turn out right. We tell people don’t get mad or frustrated or angry. But that is not the Psalms. There will be times when you are mad and angry. There will be times when you come to the conclusion that GOD has abandonned you. You will deduce that GOD has forsaken you. Your enemies have triumphed over you. Does that mean you are not a Christian or have lack of faith? NO! This means you are in good company because those closest to GOD have often had to wrestle with GOD. Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. Remember the Psalms begins with the man walking with GOD not in the absence of adversity but in the midst of adversity. Psalms rejoices and praises in the midst of suffering, abandonment , pain, death, and defeat. It begans amidst adversity and reminds you all throughout in 73 Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. It tells you to keep on keeping on. That the GOD you are wrestling is not a novice but has been wrestling with man throughout all generations. Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. This is what it means to deal with YHWH. Through it all remember and know this very thing Psalms 107 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; His love endures forever.

As we approach the Psalms there is much talk about the psalms and not the Psalms. The Psalms are written by different people and that’s okay with me. The miraculous is what the Psalms are actually saying. It has been suggested by Philip Yancey that the Psalms express not what getting along with GOD should be, but how it really is to get along with GOD. That is what makes the Psalms beutiful. They get into the human situation and cause the feelings of deep poetry. They are deep poetry that expresses the real expressions of a follower of the Lord. It is also beautiful that has been pointed out that there are things that you cannot say on your own but can by quoting the Psalms. Meaning there are many notes, high notes , low notes, crying notes, angry notes, cursing notes, blessing notes, and joyful notes. These Psalms minister to the different cords in life. They rejoice with us in our blessings and lament with us in our despair. If we only can read them and see them and examine them we can find our situation and ourselves in them. David is a very human character just like us. Like him there are more dimensions to us than just 1 we are 3 dimensional people. We are invited into the heart , mind , and thoughts of David. Some may argue that David was not the one with the feather in hand writting on papyrous, what they cannot argue with is that the things ascribed to David does fit in line with everything else that we know about David in scripture. So that makes it more possible than psuedo. Always happy to give clarity ….. until next time …… read the Bible!