Psalm 119:122 – Are You Beastly?

Be the assurance for your servant’s well-being;
Don’t let the arrogant oppress me.

Do God’s rules for living actually work?

This is one of those questions that usually gets a pious answer. “Of course they do!” But do we really mean it?

When we see a crisis, do we turn to God or do we turn to human answers: human politics, human authority, self-reliance, and self-serving?

I think these things we should each consider seriously. There are so many individual choices concerning which we can disagree. My father spent World War II in a camp in Canada, planting trees. He did not believe it was right for a Christian to bear arms, even in defense of his country. His government did not give him the option of serving in the medical corps. So he planted trees.

I, on the other hand, served 10 years in the United States Air Force voluntarily. I was not in the medical corps. I believed then as I believe now that a democratic nation requires a military establishment that carries out the lawful orders of the civilian authorities.

It would probably take some time to debate this, and I doubt that I would come to agreement with a pacifist. But I respect my dad’s position and I respect the position of even more committed pacifists. When they ask what Jesus would do, they can’t imagine participating in warfare as an option.

The question I’m asking today is simply whether you have considered whether you are carrying out the vision of Jesus, or when things get difficult to you resort to the methods of the enemy?

In a post I wrote on Revelation 12 & 13 some time ago, I made a list of “beastly attributes.” Here they are:

1. Tears down others – 12:4, drawing 1/3 of the stars. Beasts and dragons rarely fall alone.
2. Consumes and destroys – 12:4
3. Is not the greatest power – 12:8. Note that verses 8 & 9 compile a great deal of what is now Christian belief about the Devil. The imagery hear draws on a number of passages in Hebrew scripture.
4. Persecuter – 12:13
5. Sweeps people/things away – 12:15. It’s humorous to note here that there is a single Greek word for “carried away by a river.” There’s got to be some history for that word!
6. Angry with those not on his side – 12:17.
7. Speaks blasphemy – 13:1,5.
8. Though not the geatest power (see #3), operates with great authority – 13:2.
9. Puts anger into action in war with the “other side” – 13:7.
10. Wants all the attention and worship – 13:13.
11. Deceives – 13:14.
12. Applies force to get worship – 13:16-17

I then (May 22, 2024) asked whether we, in the church, are making an image to the beast. Beasts want images.

In that post I asked the question:

So what image do we display through our churches? When someone looks at the reality, is the beast behind the image, or the lamb?

I’d extend that question to this: When someone looks at your life, do they see an image being built to the beast, or to the lamb?

Let God make the right image in you today. (Philippians 2:12-13).