“What goes around comes around.” It is a saying that we frequently hear. I often have wondered what it really means. In today’s reading, we see an example of it. It has been the trait of human nature throughout the ages for those in power to use their power unjustly to gain advantage over those whom they rule. The oppressed often cry out in their oppression for relief, but have no one to deliver them. We wonder where justice can be found. Ahab & Jezebel use their sovereignty to kill Naboth and obtain his vineyard. This was more than just a garden. In Ahab’s day Israel was a major exporter of the world’s wine. This was Naboth’s livelihood. This was also Naboth’s inheritance passed down from his fathers. Where is justice? The Lord ultimately makes sure that justice is served. And it is forecast in this situation. Ahab & Jezebel will meet a gruesome end because of what they have done. What goes around will come around. Where is the mercy in this? Ahab humbles himself. The result is a postponement of the fulfilling of justice. So, God’s justice and mercy are both seen in this reading.
Am I wondering if justice will ever be served in the way that I was wronged? It will be eventually. Is there a possibility for mercy? Yes, there is a possibility. Can both be accomplished? Yes, they can. You see, that is the glory of the Lord as he guides this world on its wobbly course. Justice and mercy will meet and kiss, and mercy will triumph over justice. When God rolls up the scroll of time and says, “It is over,” that is exactly what we will see. The only question that remains for us to determine is which side of the equation will we land? Will we land under God’s justice or under His mercy? If we are in Jesus, it will be under His mercy. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Psalm 109
This is what is commonly called an ‘imprecatory’ Psalm. It is one of those Psalms that calls for destruction of the Psalmist’s enemies. Some have real problems with someone under the inspiration of the Spirit calling down curses on their enemy, but there has to be justice if God is good. And if there is true justice, we do not have to worry about desiring it. We simply need to remember that we are the recipients of mercy. We received mercy because we responded to His unmerited favor. The people in imprecatory Psalms are ones who have refused to respond to God’s unmerited favor, particularly in today’s Psalm. The one upon whom David is calling down curses is certainly unrepentant. More than unrepentant, Peter recognized that David was looking beyond his enemy down the corridor of time to Judas. He quotes Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8 in reference to Judas.
Certainly Judas is an example of one who was unrepentant. He was seeking to manipulate Jesus to his own ends. I believe that was his purpose in betraying Jesus. He had left his former lifestyle and hooked his wagon to what he thought was the rising Messiah. Judas saw an opportunity to wealth and power. When Jesus began speaking of suffering and death, he felt cheated and sought to redeem what he could of the situation. He sold Jesus for the price of a slave. There is nothing wrong with desiring true justice. We just need to remember that if it were not for His mercy, we would be obliterated in the distribution of true justice. But that is the glory of our Lord. He is indeed truly just, but He also ministers mercy to the repentant! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
AMOS 1
I had an interesting experience today. I went to an MLK Jr. Celebration Committee meeting. One of the participants there was a woman around 8 years older than I. She looked familiar and her name sounded familiar. The more I thought about it, the more I began to suspect that she was my 9th grade OK history and civics teacher. I went to her after the meeting and asked, did you teach civics in 1969/70. She began laughing.
“Yes, were you one of my students?” she replied. We talked a while. It was her first teaching assignment out of college. She had 5 classes of 44 students each. She laughed and said, “Your class was wild. Not in a mean way, y’all were just wild.” I couldn’t help but agree. I had her the last hour of the day. We were ready to get out of school by the time we reached her class. “I’m amazed you remember me,” she said. “I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you.” I did not expect her to recognize me. It was 45 years ago. I was one of over 200 students. I did nothing to make myself stand out.
By the world’s standard, I am a nobody. My maternal grandpa was an oil field worker. His father was a trolley driver (back in the day when they were drawn by mules). My paternal grandfather was a variety of things, a motorcycle policeman (the first in Kansas), a gas station manager/owner, a hardware store owner. His father was a farmer. I can trace my lineage back into the 17th century here in America. Beyond that it is mostly guess work. My traceable lineage is mostly farmers. I am not aware of any noble and mighty of whom I am a direct descendant. In high school I did little to distinguish myself. I was a wannabe athlete. In Jr. High I tried out for a vocal men’s ensemble. There were 8 positions open; 7 of us tried out. I did not get selected. I kind of gave up on music after that. I never made the honor roll in high school. I was one of the kids who didn’t get in trouble, kept my nose clean and got out of school. I worked my way through college, occasionally made the Dean’s Honor roll, but other than that I did not distinguish myself in anyway. Were it not for my presence on Facebook and LinkeIin, if you Googled my name, the only entry you would find for me would be in the white pages. I’ve lived in the USA for probably its greatest period of prosperity and world leadership, but I have not contributed to it other than by voting and being a common worker. Of the 3.18 million people in the USA, if I were to die today, I doubt that more than a hundred people would show up at my funeral. By the world’s standard, outside of my family, I’m a nobody.
It was a golden age for Judah and Israel. Jeroboam and Uzziah were both rebuilders. They both took a kingdom and built and left it stronger than when they received it. In prior years they had been much abused by their surrounding neighbors, Syria, Philistia, Edom, Tyre, Ammon and Moab. Both Jeroboam and Uzziah strengthened the walls of their cities and increased their armies. It was a time perhaps like ours in the USA. Many had become rich; wealth was flowing for many even though the poor remained. But in their rebuilding they had become arrogant and abused the poor. Committing idolatry they added other gods to their worship. They were in need of correction. What would God do to correct them?
God chose a nobody, as He usually does. Amos was in a sense, a nobody. Amos was a simple sheep breeder, a shepherd. Why Amos? Since Amos is one of the first of the writing prophets, we know he was literate. That seems a bit odd. Because of the nature of their occupation, shepherds didn’t have much opportunity to read or write. How did he find the time to learn to read and write? Can you imagine carrying a big scroll with you out into the field to write something, or to read? Yet, Abraham was a shepherd. Moses was a shepherd, but he was raised in Pharaoh’s court. David was a shepherd. He wrote much of the Psalms. Where did he learn to write? I suspect that Amos chose to learn to read and write because he wanted to know God. He was available. These were Amos’ two virtues. He was a nobody, and he was available. Apart from writing this prophecy, did God use him for anything in this world? The jury is still out on that one.
It is the glory of God to choose nobodies. It is the glory of God to reveal Himself to and through nobodies. At times in the past, I have made myself available to him. To my shame, I have also at times made myself unavailable to him. You see, when one makes oneself available to God, one must listen for His voice, even when He is silent. During long periods of silence, I often find that it is because in the silence, I quit listening and obeying. But it is to His glory that He will always rattle my cage to get me to listen and obey again. You see I’m a nobody in the world’s sight, but I am significant in His sight. He knows that if He does something through me, He will get the glory. I know well enough that if anything of eternal consequence happens through me, it is only because He likes to use nobodies so that He gets all of the glory, and that is as it should be. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
2 Thessalonians 1
Where can I see the glory of Christ? I can see it in the people whom He changes! Did you know that there is greater persecution in the world today against Christians than there has ever been in church history? We are to a degree safe here in the USA. But world wide there are places where our brothers and sisters are enduring great atrocities because they love Jesus. Jesus places it in their hearts to love their enemies and to walk worthy of the kingdom in spite of the atrocities performed against them. Now that is glory! It is one thing to stand yourself against those who hate you. However, it is a totally different thing to be able to give others the ability to love their enemies. Yet Jesus does this on a daily basis in our world today! He did it in the Thessalonians and He does it today.
There is another aspect of His glory. He will one day return and bring an overwhelming end to those who hate him and persecute those who love Him. When He does, He will punish them with everlasting destruction from His presence and from the glory of His power. In that day we will give Him great glory. I cannot even imagine the horror of being eternally shut off from His presence or from the glory of His power. Yet He will be just in doing just that. They will deserve all that comes upon them.
Where can I see the glory of Christ? I can see it in the people whom He changes! I will see it in the people whom He judges! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
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