Threads from Henry's Web

Author: henry

  • Psalm 119:5 – Let’s Get Real

    Psalm 119:5 – Let’s Get Real

    Oh that my ways were steady,
    Keeping your statutes.

    Any time we’re looking at a set of standards, it’s well to be realistic, especially with ourselves. As we go through this Psalm, we’ll be celebrating God’s law in many ways and places, but there are a number of instances where the author admits his limitations and calls for help from the lawgiver.

    It would all be very good if …

    I sure wish I could, says the Psalmist. He knows it’s good. He’s glad to know it. But can he?

    I feel this. There are things in my daily life I wish I could do better. Some days are better than others.

    There’s a balance here, and we can see that balance in the rhythms of the Psalm.

    The praise is a prayer. I’m going for it! Please help me!

  • Psalm 119:4 – Tough!!

    Psalm 119:4 – Tough!!

    About your precepts you commanded,
    “Keep them diligently!”

    Sometimes things are tough. You wonder what’s coming next.

    I’m meditating on these passages one at a time. I read the passage in the morning, and then I write these in the evening. During the day, I keep coming back to that verse. In deciding to do 176 daily meditations (that’s how many verses there are in this Psalm), I knew that some would be more encouraging than others.

    This one is just tough. God says to do this diligently. Don’t just pretend. Don’t follow these precepts sometimes. Seventh percent is not a passing grade.

    I’m reminded of choosing a Sudoku puzzle. How spiritual is that? Well, I like to pick the hardest level in the app I use. Sometimes I’m tempted to do an easier one. If I give in to that temptation, I’m drawn to watch the time and try to complete it as rapidly as possible. Most of the time, however, I choose the hard one.

    Is the call of the toughest “right” living just as strong for me? Do I want to take the hard, but right path whenever possible?

    The bad news, which I notice even in a sparse verse such as this, is that I don’t get there. Not ever. I have a desire, but it’s often a fairly week desire. The good news is that God is working on me, and the fact that he has such high hopes is very encouraging.

    I think the Psalmist shares some of my feelings. But that’s the next verse!

    (The featured image was generated by Jetpack AI.)

  • Psalm 119:3 – Not Malicious

    Psalm 119:3 – Not Malicious

    They also don’t act with malice
    In God’s ways they walk.

    This verse could be translated in many ways, but the basic message doesn’t change.

    We’ve had too verses talking about blessed people and what it is that they do. This verse introduces an “and one more thing” moment. They also don’t act maliciously. The KJV, a bit more literal than I am, says “They also do no iniquity.”

    I may just have a problem getting into this elite group!

    But let’s keep a couple more verses in this very section of the Psalm in mind, such as verse 5: “Oh that my ways were steadfast, to keep your statutes.” and the plea in verse 8: “Don’t forsake me completely!”

    The Psalmist sees a glory in the law, a glorious challenge. This is something he would like to do. The one keeping the law is in a blessed state.

    Yet he knows he’s not perfect. In verse 176, a long ways down the road from where we are, he says, “I have gone astray like a lost sheep.” That can seem like a real downer of an ending for a lengthy poem celebrating the law. But it’s nothing of the sort. It comes from the heart of someone who appreciates the beauty of God’s law, and trusts in God to seek him.

    There are two ways we tend to dodge God’s law. First, we can trim it down to size. We make it something we can do easily. We create a relaxing law of God, an undemanding law. We aim low, and generally we end up even lower than we aim.

    On the other hand, we can say, “This law is much too hard for me to keep. Forget it! It’s no good.”

    The Psalmist makes neither error. He realizes God’s law is glorious, that it is a high standard, and he’s glad of that. He also realizes that he needs the God who welcomes the seeker (119:2) is, in fact, the seeker. In this he finds great joy and great comfort.

    From a Christian perspective, this reminded me of this song, which probably dates me just a bit! Note “the buyers and the sellers were no different fellers than what I confess to be.”

    (Featured image generated by Jetpack AI. This post is part of a series on Psalm 119. For all entries to date, see tag Psalm 119. For a deeper look at the language and poetry of the psalm read Bob MacDonald’s series, starting here.)

  • Psalm 119:2 – The Blessing of Seeking

    Psalm 119:2 – The Blessing of Seeking

    Continuing with Psalm 119, which I began with Psalm 119:1 yesterday. There are some notes on this series there.

    Blessed are those who preserve [keep] his testimonies,
    who wholeheartedly seek him.

    In the translation I use “testimonies” as in the KJV, though there are a number of other possible translations. I’ll comment on these various words for “law” in Psalm 119, though I don’t think the author’s intention is to discuss different types of law and say different things about them. Rather, he is pointing us to the whole of God’s law in its various manifestations through the use of these various types of law.

    It’s interesting to compare two other passages that use the same word used here for “blessed.” One is Isaiah 30:18, which says those who wait on the Lord are happy/blessed. Deuteronomy 33:29 says Israel is blessed because the Lord is their shield.

    There is a blessing simply in being able to seek. The history of Israel at the time of the Exodus shows us a time when we are told the people don’t even know who to call on. Moses has to ask for the name he is to give when the people wonder who sent him.

    When the ten commandments are given at Mt. Sinai, they begin with the declaration, “I am YHWH your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”

    This verse points us to the blessing there is in simply being able to seek God. This seeking is a result of the call of God. Those testimonies (covenant provisions) are the result of God’s choosing and opening to you the opportunity to seek.

    What does seeking God with your whole heart mean for you today?

  • It’s Not a Success Story

    It’s Not a Success Story

    Prologue

    I’ve been listening to Robert Alter’s translation of the Hebrew Bible as an audiobook. I’ll doubtless write something about this translation later. But right now I’m listening to Judges, and it’s caused me to think a bit about the broader story of the history of Israel and then of the church.

    Charismatic Leadership

    One of Alter’s comments is that the judges tended to be selected as charismatic leaders with their origins in moves of the spirit, such as angelic visions. So Israel was ruled by a succession of leaders chosen by God’s call given in various ways, and the book of Judges is not very positive on all of this. It doesn’t speak negatively about God’s selection of leaders, but it does comment regularly on the repeatedly dismal results. After a period of safety, the Israelites fall back into apostasy and are conquered by their enemies.

    The author/compiler of Judges tends to think Israel needs a king, presumably with a secured succession, so as to avoid these times of apostasy and failure.

    It doesn’t work out that way. We see the end of the period of the Judges and the beginning of the kingdom in the books of Samuel, and it’s a turbulent time. The first king is at best equivocal, and at worst actively working against God and the interests of Israel. David does maintain the loyalty of Israel, but his son Solomon plants the seeds of failure.

    The Monarchy Isn’t Better

    The northern kingdom pursues an almost continually dismal process of decay, while the southern kingdom has good kings followed by bad kings in a cycle. One could say, “New system of government, same old problems.”

    Following the Babylonian exile, the Jewish people no longer govern themselves and pursue a more consistent course religiously, but one has only to look at some of the leaders described in the books of Maccabees to realize that all was not consistently going well. The Maccabees end up fighting both foreign domination and internal apostasy.

    Christians Have No Basis to Look Down on Others

    As Christians, we sometimes look down on Israel and the Jews after reading all this history, but such a reading is self-righteous and dismally lacking in self awareness. We’ve gone through many ways of “governing” the church, and have only had very short times when one could be totally proud of the church as an organization.

    I believe God as always had a Church consisting of true followers of Jesus. But I also believe God had a people in Israel throughout its history who were truly God’s people even when their brethren. For every Jason, there was a family such as the Maccabees who were faithful.

    But there never was a system of government that worked.

    This led me to think of conversations I’ve had about church governance. Over and over problems noted in a church are blamed on the particular approach to church governance. The church has bishops who supervise pastors? Not responsive enough to the local church. Pastors are responsible only to the local church? No true accountability! The church is led by a team of elders? Unclear leadership! The church is led by a powerful senior pastor? Hierarchical with too much power in one person.

    One can certainly debate ways of managing a church, but no form of governance is likely to be 100% effective.

    My Suggestion

    I don’t have a structural suggestion here myself. My one suggestion is not structural. It is simply this: Look to Jesus. Keep looking to Jesus. Turn your eyes back to Jesus if they drift to other things. It’s the one effective answer to any church problems.

  • Psalm 119:1 – Living According to God’s Law

    Psalm 119:1 – Living According to God’s Law

    Introductory Note

    I’ve been meditating on Psalm 119 recently after a conversation with an author regarding a forthcoming book reminded me of it. I’m going to write a few short devotionals. I’m not sure how many I’ll write, but reading this Psalm does make me think.

    For any devotional on Psalm 119, please remember that I’m commenting on no more than a few verses at a time, and thus won’t cover all, or even a substantial number of related ideas. Also, please remember that this is poetry, not a theological essay, so even within the text of the Psalm, ideas are not completed in a systematic way.

    Psalm 119:1

    Blessed are those blameless in their living
    Who act according to God’s instructions.

    Now there’s a challenging verse. We all have ways of avoiding it. But I think it pursues us through all our escape routes.

    Our escape routes often start from something very good. That’s what makes them so tempting.

    1. As Christians, we look immediately to the grace of God, given through Jesus. This is a good thing. We realize that being blameless and having all our actions fall within the range of God’s instructions (Torah), is not something we’re going to accomplish, and we are driven to a gracious God who forgives. But we can use this to avoid the issue. “Because God is gracious, I can safely ignore this,” we think. We think the only reason God talks about good actions is to let us know we can’t make it. But the Psalmist, at least, is talking about doing, hoping to do, an mourning the failure to do.
    2. We can decide that a totally blameless life is, in fact what we’re going to do, on our own and in this life. This leads us astray in two ways. It can be horribly discouraging and end up in cynicism, inevitable failure, and self loathing. On the other hand, it can lead us to imagine ourselves successful even when we aren’t and an incredible spiritual pride that falsely assumes one is blameless.
    3. We can engage in trimming the text, so as to make “blameless” less daunting. We can’t reach the goal, so we move the goal closer, or we pretend the goal is closer. This can result in complacency and also to a trust in ourselves for our salvation. The problem with aiming low is that we generally manage to reach no higher than our aim.

    That’s my long way of getting to this: God has instructions that are worth our attention. Even in our limited ways of attempting to follow these instructions there is blessing, not just bringing us to Christ, as important as that is, but also simply as good ways to live.

    Torah, the word used here for “instruction” (your translation may read “law”), goes beyond giving us a list of rules. I’ll discuss the various rule/law/instruction words in Psalm 119 along with other verses. It also includes stories of heroes of the faith. They were blessed in following Gods law, but they were not generally “blameless.”

    One need go no further than the last version in this section. (Psalm 119 is divided into 22 sections of 8 verses each, in which each verse begins with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet.) “I remember your edicts. Don’t abandon me completely!”

    The Torah referenced here is the story of how God never abandons, even those who do forget.

    Some Definitions of Law in Scripture

  • Revelation 12-13 and Divine Passives

    Revelation 12-13 and Divine Passives

    I regard as a basic manual for true spiritual warfare. I believe that it is much better to hear the themes of spiritual conflict than it is to try to identify specific referents. Of course, finding referents contemporary to the author can help us understand the themes. So these approaches are not mutually exclusive.

    Previously, I’ve written about making an image to the best and the enumeration of “beastly” attributes. Now I want to look for a moment at the power of the beast and how it can oppress God’s people. No matter what else we may do with the interpretation, somewhere behind it lurks the question of why God’s people have to suffer in the ways indicated in this book.

    In Revelation, God’s action/permission is often indicated with what is called a “divine passive.” This is far from an original observation by me. Let me quote two sources.

    … In addition to a mouth, the beast is given authority. Four times in the Greek text of vv. 5 through 7 we read the passive edothe (“was given”), emphasizing the subordinate role of the beast. Although in vv. 2 and 4 it was the dragon who gave power and authority to the beast, John’s readers would understand in these later verses a reference to God, the ultimate source of all power. The reign of the beast is by divine permission. He operates within the limitations determined by God….

    Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 1977), on Revelation 13:5-7, emphasis mine. (Logos edition).

    The passive “was given” is used repetitively to emphasize that the beast does not assume his power on his own, but rather that his power is given to him by God. The beast acts by God’s permission.

    … To stress yet again that the beast’s powerful actions, even those that operate against God’s interests, are under God’s ultimate control, John emphasizes the divine passive in the ensuing section with an almost redundant use of edothe (“it was given,” twice in v. 5 and twice in v. 7; see the commentary on 6:2; 9:1-21 introduction; 11:1)….

    Brian K. Blount, Revelation: A Commentary. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009,, 337 (Nook edition). Emphasis mine.

    The beast was “given a mouth”–even his ability to proclaim his message is a gift (13:5a). He was given authority for a period of time (13:5b). His ability to make war was given to him (13:7a), and so is the area of his authority (13:7b).

    This is both troubling and comforting. If bad things are happening, they are because God has given permission. Thus we have an entry point to theodicy and the problem of evil. At the same time we know that evil does not exist without limits. It’s dominion, authority, and the extent of time over which it operates are limited.

    (Featured image generated with Jetpack AI.)

  • Bible Study as a Work

    Bible Study as a Work

    As a young person attending a small Christian school I memorized (as a requirement) Psalm 119. In the KJV.

    Passages such as “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By keeping heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9, KJV), or “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path,” (119:105 KJV) were hammered into my brain. I have, on occasion, responded to someone who was boasting about Bible memorization with the question, “But have you memorized Psalm 119?”

    Rabbit trail: As I was checking my memory 55 years after the fact using BibleGateway, the displayed Verse of the Day was Psalm 119:18: “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” (NIV). Source of spiritual pride? I remembered the text, the punctuation, and the reference perfectly. (See below.)

    Spiritual Study

    I have a pamphlet and infographic titled “Seven Barriers to Hearing the Word.” This one isn’t on it, though it is closely related to #3, “Scholarly, not spiritual.” I would note that study can be both scholarly and spiritual. The problem would be in leaving out the spiritual side.

    Works-Based Righteousness?

    Any good thing can become a work intended to earn one’s way to righteousness (more simply, make God like you). Bible reading is no different. Ask yourself why you read your Bible. Or in many more cases, ask yourself why you don’t.

    Here are some critical questions:

    1. Are you discouraged because of your failure to read enough? Whether you are not reading at all, or reading diligently at every opportunity, the problem may be that you’re reading as a duty, something you do to earn God’s favor. Relax. Don’t let other people put you down. Don’t condemn yourself.
    2. Are you discouraged because it’s hard to understand? You may be forcing yourself through passages at a pace that isn’t right for you. If you’re not reading now, it may be the result of such difficulties in the past.
    3. Are you feeling pride at how much you’ve read and/or memorized? See my note about Psalm 119. I am glad I memorized it. I’m not pleased that I have used that fact to shame others. That was spiritual pride talking.

    Diverse People, Diverse Approaches

    Is there an answer?

    I’d suggest there are many answers. God created diverse people. We don’t all function in the same way.

    Think about these points:

    1. God already loves you. You don’t need to earn it. He’s not keeping score of your Bible reading.
      This is a tough thing for someone like me, who wants people to read the Bible more. But works based salvation, though it sounds paradoxical, does not work. It doesn’t even produce very good works.
    2. How do you best take in information? You may want to look for an audio Bible or a multimedia Bible. I am currently listening to Robert Alter’s translation of the Hebrew Bible via Audible while I walk on my treadmill. I don’t normally like audiobooks, but oddly enough, this has become a new way of hearing the word.
    3. Look at spiritual practices that keep you close to God. For me, the Bible is that starting point. I find it easy to read and to spend time. My most God-filled (by my perception) moments come while studying God’s Word. My wife spends time with praise and worship music. Note that we each find the other’s approach helpful from time to time. Prayer time is important.
    4. Don’t be pressured to read specific books. Let God lead. My theological ideas are heavily centered on Leviticus, Ezekiel, and Hebrews. Those are not books that most people want to start with. The Bible is a diverse book. Find out where you best connect with it.

    Conclusion

    Do check out my Seven Barriers materials. They look at a list of things, often good things, that can still be barriers to you hearing the Word yourself.

    Let me suggest an earlier post of mine on approaches to Bible reading, and the Fast Tracts booklet I Want to Study the Bible. These are both written for beginners.

  • When I Consider Your Heavens

    When I Consider Your Heavens

    Psalm 8:3-4

    When I consider
    the heavens
    the work of your fingers

    the moon and stars
    which you established

    What is a man,
    that you even think of him?

    Yet you have crowned him with glory and honor.

    Psalm 8:3-4 (my translation)

    (Note: The theme image is generated by AI. I’m interested in how applicable the image is. The photo in the post is one I took with my Samsung Galaxy S23+.)

  • Christian Education Should Be Broad and Deep

    Christian Education Should Be Broad and Deep

    Christian education programs in churches are often the least well-thought-out elements of church life.

    Many may think I’m exaggerating or being unfair. I didn’t get this from a survey, so I can’t point you to statistics, but I am drawing on many years of experience with Sunday School and other programs, so while these are observations, and may be somewhat based on anecdotes, those anecdotes are numerous, and they are first hand.

    Here are some of the things I have noticed:

    1. Use of repetitive curriculum.
    2. A lack of goals.
    3. Willingness to interrupt Christian education programs for almost any other activity.
    4. Lack of teacher training.
    5. Lack of discipleship in action in & for church leadership.
    6. Failure to highlight and open up ministry opportunities for every member.
    7. Narrowness.

    Let me expand on each of these just a bit.

    Use of Repetitive Curriculum

    I have been in Sunday School classes that were using standard denominational and/or interdenominational curriculum materials for decades. Often, seen independently, these materials were not bad. The problem was that they did not nurture growth as they continued to discuss the same topics at the same level.

    I have seen comparisons of time in Sunday School (and even more in my Seventh-day Adventist days, Sabbath School) vs college or seminary classes. The idea was that the members should be happy that they were getting such a wonderful education.

    But if a student spend 30 years studying the same set of subjects at precisely the same level in a college, that would be considered time wasted. I don’t mean that we don’t need to review basic doctrines and theological ideas.

    We also need to grow.

    A Lack of Goals

    This is another way to look at the first point. What is the goal of your class or small group? Do you hope to grow? Do you hope to be a better witness? Do you hope to learn anything new?

    Or is your Christian education program, whatever form it takes, designed to make you feel good that you have attended Sunday School all your life, or that you are frequently at church like a good person?

    These goals need not be academic. It is good to learn more about doctrines, but what about learning how a church functions? Or even better how is should function as a part of the body of Christ? What about learning how to express your faith “with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV)?

    I have yet to attend a church that wasn’t scrambling for leadership in various programs. Here’s the question: Were you preparing church members to lead? Were you recognizing potential leaders and tailoring your educational activity, whether one-on-one, small group, or the whole congregation to help them develop and use their potential?

    Willingness to Interrupt

    This is a pet peeve of mine, and I’ve encountered it in every church I have ever attended. I don’t recall Sunday School classes being interrupted for things that were useless. This is not about denigrating the interrupting activities.

    But, and it’s a big one, I’ve seen small group activities, including Sunday School, most easily put aside for any other activity of the church. It’s possible that leaders recognize that their Christian education programs have no goals and are just marking time, so they can be put aside without harming the day-to-day life of the church.

    That should be a very big red flag! If you can easily put aside your Christian education programs, they are probably not set up to actually serve our Lord and His body.

    Lack of Teacher Training

    I have observed this in two ways. First, we tend not to have any idea of how we would prepare someone to be a teacher in the church. Second, we tend to throw anyone into the mix at just about any time.

    A third observation would be that we often don’t recognize capabilities that members bring into the church. A public school teacher may well be prepared to contribute to your children’s or youth programs. (On the other hand, they may prefer not to do what they do during the week, and may have other talents.)

    We can err by falling into the ditch on either side. We can create a set of requirements that are a barrier to entry for new members. On the other hand, we can entrust the education of the congregation to the unprepared.

    I recall early in my experience with the United Methodist Church the pastor invited me to preach. He knew I have an MA in religion and read the Bible in their original languages. He had talked to me quite extensively and was satisfied with my doctrinal integrity. A member involved in the United Methodist lay speaking program objected strenuously to me being allowed to speak when I had not completed the certification program.

    I had no objection to taking that program and thought it would be very useful in becoming acclimatized in Methodism. I was disappointed. As a program it was a program. One checked boxes. I still found it valuable for the people I met and a number of teachers who were gifted and helpful. But to this one leader, it was a box that needed to be checked.

    Lack of Discipleship in Action in & for Church Leadership

    Truly learning to do requires doing. This is true in your daily life and work. It’s true in the church.

    Everyone who is in leadership should have one or more people they are training and/or mentoring in their own skills and gifts. I see church after church losing long-time leaders, and lacking trained replacements.

    Note that mentoring is not just letting someone follow you around, or talking to that person occasionally. It is allowing someone to learn the job and potentially–indeed hopefully–become better than you are at that particular activity.

    The church should never have a shallow bench.

    And if you think that’s hard, read the gospel again. Watch Jesus work with his students: Disciples.

    Failure to Highlight and Open Up Ministry Opportunities to Every Member

    There are people who see things that need to be done and have the initiative to jump in and just take over. There are other people who are willing to serve, but need someone to point out what is needed.

    The first class of people tend to think the second class are lazy and wonder why they don’t just find something to do and get active already!

    People won’t always recognize ways in which they can serve. Indeed, if they are isolated from the small group which is active in leadership, they may never have the opportunity to know. They many not even know who to ask.

    I’ve heard by an 80-20 and a 90-10 rule, the latter being the pessimist’s view. Twenty percent of the people do 80% of the work. This is presented as a form of condemnation of the 80%. They’re just pew sitters.

    But if you are part of the 20%, and I’m pointing fingers at myself here, you are also part of the problem. You are letting this happen! You should not be participating in denying that 80% their blessing of service.

    Hard?

    Jesus. Disciples. Boom!

    Narrowness

    Here’s where I annoy the most people.

    Our Christian education needs to prepare people to be the salt of the earth. Salt needs taste, or “savor” as the KJV has it in the beatitudes. Salt has identity (its saltiness) and witness (what it does when spread out in food, etc).

    We need identity and witness.

    An educational program that just prepares people to repeat your church’s doctrinal views accurately is not adequate. Neither is one that prepares people to be evangelists of your church building, property, form of organization, or human traditions.

    People need to know stuff. Lots of stuff. Stuff about all the stuff.

    Some people were worried when I invited a Calvinist to address our Wesleyan/Methodist young people. I’d be worried if I tried to bring them up on just what I believe but not to understand how other Christians understand various beliefs.

    Oh, about that Calvinist teacher? He preached Christ and Him crucified. I was glad I invited him.

    Summary: Discipleship

    The critical element here is discipleship. “Imitate me as I imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1 my translation). It can be frightening, especially if you’re honest with yourself about your success at imitating Christ.

    It’s still God’s ordained idea.

    And that answers all of the points. Set our standards high: He did. Be willing to do the hard work: He did. Make the building of disciples our priority: He did.

    That’s church.