BibleScribbler

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Peaceful as a Weaned Baby

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[1] O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
[2] But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.

(Psalm 131:1-2 ESV)

The picture here is awesome. God’s peace, the calm and quiet soul at peace, is like a baby that doesn’t have to cry for milk anymore. A weaned baby eats and is full, is still. Still with its mother, just sitting.

I remember with each of our kids the feelilng my wife felt when our kids were weaned and just sat with her. They were no longer whining or rooting for milk, they were just sitting and holding on and happy to be held by their mommy.

The person at peace and full of the Lord doesn’t have to worry about things that are too lofty for them, like if Obama is going to invade Texas, or the next crazy germ to break out somewhere. He doesn’t have to demand gifts from the Lord or raise his eyes up above what he currently has to demand more.

A weaned child sitting in her mother’s arms asking for a bunch of stuff that the mother knows better about is just a spoiled brat. There is no peace there.
A weaned child sitting and enjoying the shear fact of being with her momma brings joy to them both. How much more-so with our Lord!

Denominations, Politics, and Greasy Beards

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A Song of Ascents. Of David.

[1] Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
[2] It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
[3] It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the LORD has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.

(Psalm 133 ESV)

Fellowship, unity, brotherly peace, is like dew on Aaron’s beard! Let’s talk about that nasty example for a little bit.

When a priest or king was anointed, ancient Jews would pour oil on his head. Oil was a symbol of God’s presence and power upon a person. (I’m trying hard to not use the word SPIRIT because they didn’t use that word much in the OT when they talked about God’s presence, but it’s the same thing.)

Oil on the head was a sign of someone being set apart to be an intercessor, a priest, between God and Man. Someone that was a priest would enjoy the phenomenal privilege of interacting both with God in the Temple or the Tabernacle and people out in their daily life. This was where Heaven invaded and overlapped Earth.

Aaron was the first such priest. He was the brother of Moses and he began the line of the Levitical priesthood. When Aaron was ordained a priest, it was almost as big of a deal as the giving of the Ten Commandments or the Red Sea parting. When Aaron was made a priest, God was saying “This is how we are all going to talk to each other, and Aaron is going to go first.”

SO what is it like when brothers dwell together in unity? It’s like God has created a new way to communicate with His people, and He is establishing that way and blessing it so much that it’s dripping off a guy’s beard! God wants to interact with us so much! God wants to have a conversation, a community of people together in peace and harmony with each other!

Adventure and Safety in the Church

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I’m still taking a long, slow read through The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch. It is really good. This week I’ve had several conversations about community, Christian community, koinonia, and church. This quote sounded really good for today as we go out to the YMCA Pancake Days, then play with neighborhood kids at boys group with the People of Praise (the Christian community we are a part of)

“Risk is the price we pay for genuine adventure, and it was Alfred North Whitehead who once remarked that without adventure, civilization is in full decay. The same is equally true for the church. And once again, it is largely because we have structured community in isolation from any real engagement with the world. ” – p.231

Advent of Peace

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This weekend I was scheduled to teach at Westminster, but the snowpocalypse was bad enough that we decided to cancel services this Sunday. Instead, we are emailing out a link to this post, so everyone can be cheered on in the safety of their own homes.

First is a note from Dave, then a video message from me:

Last Sunday, we lit the candle of Hope. The world tells us to hope in so many things, but we know that we have to look to something greater than this world in order to have true hope.

This Sunday, we won’t be physically lighting a candle, but we can still think about the Peace that God sent to this world. This past week, the world lost Nelson Mandela. He was a man who fought against inequality and struggle between races. Mandela worked every day to advance the peace that he felt all people deserved to experience. His efforts paid off for South Africa, and influenced so many in this world.

There are great people in this world whose life work is the advancement of peace. God offers us a peace that this world will never touch. Christ told us about peace in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

God offers every person a peace that remains in hard times; a peace that can’t be wiped away by struggle. It’s a peace that can’t be understood this side of eternity. We may not be able to fully understand it, but I assure you…it can be experienced!

Advent of Peace from Daniel Sullivan on Vimeo.

Leaving Room for God or Bumping Him Out of Vengence

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Romans 12:19-21 NET

19 Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head. 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

If we repay, or take justice into our own hands, we risk becoming the oppressor. We risk beating the evil of our enemy by being more severe or untrue or unjust than they were. When that happens, we take away the room for God's justice, because He always takes the side of the persecuted or oppressed underdog.

1 Corinthians 6:7

To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?

He is saying that it would be better to be defeated than to risk man-made justice that threw dirt on God's face.

How many times do you get in a fight (maybe this just happens between husbands and wives?) and afterwards you see that it was an argument over less than $10? After the fact, don't you ever think "Man, I would totally pay $20 for peace and reconciliation right now!"

Romans 12:19-21 NET

19 Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head. 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.