Threads from Henry's Web

Category: Bible Passages

  • Psalm 119:61 – Bound?

    Psalm 119:61 – Bound?

    The bonds of the wicked encompass me,
    I do not forget your instruction.

    These posts are meditations, not attempts at exegesis. I’m pretty sure the psalmist is here congratulating himself and pointing out to the Lord how he has been faithful under difficult circumstances.

    But what occurred to me is the number of times the “wicked,” or so they seem at the time, become the excuse for our own behavior.

    There is such a thing as teamwork, where we combine our strengths to accomplish greater things than any of us could accomplish on our own. Such is the vision of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12), with all using various God-given gifts to join together in serving others. The whole is greater than the parts because it functions together, combining strengths. And we must not forget God’s Spirit empowering everyone.

    But much more commonly groups of people actually demonstrate lower intelligence than any of the individuals in the group and combine to do very stupid things. “The devil made me do it” becomes “my friends dared me to,” or even “I thought my friends would think I was dull or timid or wimpy if I didn’t do it.”

    People my age like to think this is a problem of the young. Young people do this sort of thing. But most of us are subject to influence in a group, and we will frequently do things in groups that we would consider suboptimal if we were considering them individually.

    The normal tendency of a group of humans is not to become a team, serving others with greater strength, but rather to become a mob, tearing others down. With encouragement from one another, we can become truly horrible people, generally in ways we individually would avoid.

    What does this have to do with our passage? Well, we’re very susceptible to the very thing the psalmist says he’s avoiding. The wicked are trying to bind him, to carry him away from God’s instructions and get him on another path. Despite their influence, he is avoiding this problem.

    We have a problem with this in socializing children and youth, and it carries on into adulthood. We want our children to get along. Popularity is, well, popular! Parents don’t want their children to be outsiders at school or in other social groups.

    Getting along isn’t a bad thing, but when it’s priority is above doing right, it becomes the means of non-grace, of getting us into greater and greater problems.

    The bonds, or ropes, or chains that bind us can be very pleasant. We are surrounded by the traps of popularity, of agreement with the crowd, of the approval of peers and perceived superiors. It doesn’t feel like bondage. It feels good. And we forget God’s instructions. We forget what’s right.

    This is not to say that we always have to be going against the crowd we’re with. They might just be going in the right direction. What we have to do is remember. Remember what the right path is and be willing to break those bonds and go the right way, even when it seems hard.

    What gentle, attractive bonds are drawing you away from God’s instruction? Break away from them today!

    (Featured image generated by Jetpack AI.)

  • Psalm 119:60 – Obedience without Delay

    Psalm 119:60 – Obedience without Delay

    I hurried, and didn’t delay
    in obeying your commands.

    The Message has an interesting way of expressing this:

    I was up at once, didn’t drag my feet,
    was quick to follow your orders.

    Psalm 119:60 (The Message)

    Some might like me to talk about what seems like a rash statement. Who can claim to have always been quick to do everything God says? But I think the Bible is fairly balanced on this. It presents a nice combination of claims and practical stories of its characters so we can see them in all their humanity and also see their relationship to God and how all that works.

    What I actually was meditating about was on this “hurry.” Do what God says quickly. The word used in this verse most commonly is used to refer to God’s individual commands rather than a body of law. I took another step and was thinking of an ongoing relationship with God. One of the things that gets me labeled as charismatic is that I believe anyone can hear from the Lord.

    I’m not talking (necessarily) about hearing a voice. I’ve heard so many ways in which God has directed one person to another. I married Jody because God practically hit me over the head with a clue-stick and said, “Not only are you not to stay single, you’re going to marry this one.” God had to speak similarly to Jody because neither of us were looking in the other’s direction. I’m going to come back to this regarding the word “hurry” in a moment.

    In an ongoing walk with God one may receive many directions. These may be simple things, or complex things. These things never replace either the study of the written word or the experience of being in community as part of the Body of Christ.

    Let me give a couple of examples of really simple things. A couple of weeks ago I was coming back from church and passed a sign that said “Fresh Shrimp.” On the other side of the four lane highway was a pickup truck with a canopy off the back. I got the distinct thought that I was to turn around, go back, and buy a pound of that shrimp for Jody, who really likes them steamed. So I did. It was a pleasant contact. I suspect I’m going to be sent back for further contact with the young man who sold me the shrimp.

    Oh, and Jody said the shrimp were excellent. After I steamed them!

    On an occasion some years ago I was in an equally inconvenient situation with a man at the side of the road with a sign asking for money. I don’t make a habit of stopping, but what I heard was that I was to stop and give the man the $20 bill in my wallet. I didn’t have specific plans for that particular bill, but I would rarely hand $20 to somebody at the side of the road.

    I asked to pray with him and he lit up. It turned out he was himself a missionary, traveling roads and reaching out to minister to those who were homeless. We had an enjoyable chat and then I went on.

    Now neither of these events could be presented as evidence for miracles. I don’t feel inclined to argue with anyone who would suggest other causes. I don’t have to be right about this.

    But what I have found is this: When I follow these promptings, which others might see as whims, good things happen. The result has always been positive. I don’t know what would happen if I ignored them. But I’m going with the results.

    Now there’s something important to remember about hurrying. Being alert and willing is good. But there is also a matter of God’s timing.

    To return to the way Jody and I got together, timing was an issue. We were both teachers in the church, both involved in the prayer team, working together. There were a number of people who had an interest in what we were doing. We got every kind of advice.

    “You need to go slowly and be careful.”

    “You should get off the dime and ask her to marry you!” (to me)

    Now the thing is God’s timing isn’t necessarily slow or fast. We kept praying all the way through. I asked her after about a week of prayer, seeking what God wanted me to do. There were many arguments for delaying further. There were a few to get moving. I ignored them all. When I felt peace that now was the time I asked. When I did so I told her, “I’ve been praying about this for a week, so I’m not asking for an answer on the spot. I expect you need time to pray as well.” And she did. and the answer was “Yes.”

    I regret not one moment of our courtship, nor any of the time spent in prayer. I am glad that I ignored all the pushing one direction or another and didn’t hurry in my very human way, or delay and dither, as is much more my own way. Rather, I waited for my best understanding of God’s timing.

    Remember this: God’s way is not to select a point on our timeline, or to select a speed from our personal speed-o-meter, or to choose a theological position from our mental list of options. God’s way is to take us God’s divine distance at God’s divine speed. When you know God is leading you, that’s the time to move.

    Will you be sensitive for something God wants to bring to your attention today?

  • Psalm 119:59 – Consider

    Psalm 119:59 – Consider

    I considered my ways
    and turned my feet to your testimonies.

    As I translate it, this looks a bit like a mixed metaphor, but “turning my feet” is a idiom for “changing my ways.” I’ve been following more older translations. (See my post on Psalm 119:58). In this case there’s not a huge amount of difference, though I’ll note that in the second line the Peshitta uses a word for “pathways” that makes a nice synonymous parallel with “ways” in the first line. In another interesting variant, the LXX says, I considered your (God’s) ways.

    What I thought of during the day, however, was this matter of considering one’s own ways (sorry LXX!). It made me think of two of my own experiences.

    The first was while traveling across Virginia, south to north. I could have taken an interstate, but I chose instead to stay on back roads. I like to do this when I have time, and I had the time. Now driving time is thinking time, letting my mind wander on various subjects. I took a look at the map and figured I had my route in mind. This usually works for me if the route is not complex.

    Suddenly I brought my attention back to the present, and a road sign told me I was on a road that I couldn’t recall. I pulled over and studied the maps (and the clock, for that matter) and realized I had missed a turn and had driven on for more than an hour out of my way. Given the nature of back roads, I ended up losing almost two hours. My day was relaxed enough that I could handle it, but it was quite a shock to the system.

    The second was while leading a mission team to Hungary where we (or rater “they,” as in the rest of the team) ran a children’s camp. Due to odd routing and timing I missed a connection in Atlanta, and ended up on a flight several hours behind my team. It was a bit disconcerting as I had to send two team members who had gotten in that long line ahead of me on their way, and they had never been on a mission trip before.

    I was several hours behind and had to get a hotel room in Budapest. I got Jody (my wife) to get the travel agent to get me a hotel near the airport and definitely on the eastern side of the city, and change my rental car reservation to Budapest rather than Debrecen, our destination. This was because the van from our hosts would have been there the morning before to pick up my team, and wouldn’t be back to get me.

    The travel agent apparently had no idea where anything was in Budapest, and got me a hotel room to the north and west of the airport, well away from my route to Debrecen–east. The rental car agent uttered those fateful words, “It’s not problem! I’ll give you directions! You can’t miss it!” Off I went.

    Now note that while I have studied a number of languages, at least to the point of getting directions on the road, Hungarian is not one of them. I knew about a dozen words to the level of skill that results from reading a bit from a word book. About 20 minutes later I was looking out at the Danube River from a bridge I was crossing east to west. I knew I had a problem. Two hours and about half a dozen stops for directions I arrived at the hotel.

    In the first instance, I had a ready means of considering my ways. In the second, I was subject to others, and was unable to comprehend the instructions well enough to successfully consider my ways.

    I was able to use that story throughout the trip. In a church in a Roma community in western Ukraine I was asked to give the children’s moment. I was also to give the sermon for the adults. I spent many hours preparing the message for the adults from 1 Peter. It was a complete flop. But I told the story of being lost in Budapest to the children, who received it was gales of laughter. I used the text “There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end of it are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12). At each point, I told them, I headed out on a way that seemed right to me, but in each case it turned out that it was no such thing.

    I found the hotel because all of a sudden I saw it as a drove by on the far side of the road. It only took another ten minutes or so to get around the block and find the hotel entrance.

    At the end of the service, nobody said anything about my sermon. It was a flop. But the head elder of the church was copying the rough maze I had drawn on the chalk board as an illustration and taking notes on my text.

    There is a sermon that seems right to the preacher or Bible teacher, but the end of it may be a dead end. It may not reach the folks who need a message.

    The last minute, unplanned children’s message may be precisely the word that the congregation needs to hear. Young or old!

    “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it” (Psalm 127:1). Might I paraphrase it as: “Except the Lord give the message, he labors in vain that presents it”?

    What “way” do you need to consider today?

    (Featured image is a picture of Budapest, Hungary, a beautiful city, from Adobe Stock By Horváth Botond. Licensed. Not public domain.)

  • Psalm 119:58 – Favor

    Psalm 119:58 – Favor

    I seek your face with all my heart.
    Show me favor according to your word.

    A friend commenting on Facebook mentioned ancient translations, so I thought I’d mention a few of these over the next few days just to give a flavor. If you’re not that interested in this kind of detail, skip the section between the divider lines.

    I looked at the Septuagint (LXX), the Vulgate, and the Peshitta (Syriac). In the LXX, the Psalms were likely translated in the 1st century BCE, while the Peshitta for the OT is 2nd century CE, and the Vulgate 5th century CE. All these dates should be regarded as tentative and approximate. How’s that for a line … tentative approximations.

    In this passage, the differences seem to me to be in the emotional sense. The Hebrew text suggests wearying oneself to illness through seeking God’s face, with the request for God’s favor. The relationship between the two lines is not marked in the text. This is common in poetry. It is not necessary to assume, as some do, that the implication is that God should give favor because of the extreme nature of seeking.

    As I read the LXX, while seeking is still “with the whole heart,” I don’t see quite the same emphasis as in Hebrew. “Give me mercy,” or “have mercy on me” has a semantic range close to that of “show me favor” as in Hebrew. The Syriac uses a word that emphasizes to me the force of the search, rather than a result, while asking for pity in the second half. (I would note that my Syriac reading is slow and rusty, and I don’t trust my own sense; this seems to be in accord with the lexical aids I’m using.) The Latin follows the Greek of the LXX here closely.

    While there are different nuances, these are not serious difficulties. What should be noted, in my view, is the similarity. We’ll observe if that continues in the next few verses.

    Alden Thompson, one of my undergraduate professors, from whom I took 2nd and 3rd year biblical Hebrew, titled a chapter in his book Who’s Afraid of the Old Testament God? “What kind of prayers would you publish if you were God?”

    Answering that question can help us understand how to read the Psalms. In addition, we might ask what kind of hymns, laments, and so forth. The Psalms have people talking to God in various ways.

    I spent a good deal of time today thinking about just how the two lines of this verse relate. How vigorously do I have to pray to God in order for God to keep a promise God has already given?

    If I pray more, will God do more? It seems to me that many of us operate on this basis. The more people are praying and the more time they are spending in prayer, the more likely it is that God will act. In this model of prayer, God is reluctant to be faithful, but if we are adequately persuasive, action will result.

    So am I advocating less time spent in prayer by less people?

    As Paul might say, “Let it not be!”

    What I am saying is that I think we need to detach our prayer performance from God’s promise keeping. It’s not our diligence in anything that makes God gracious. Unfortunately, we tend to go to the corollary, which we assume to be that if our performance isn’t going to make God do things, we needn’t bother with it at all.

    This brings me to the purpose of prayer. It’s a conversation. It’s two way. There’s a need to hear from God and to open oneself to the favor God bestows. I frequently see the saying on signs: “Prayer changes things.” We should first improve it to “God changes things.” But even more importantly, “Prayer changes me/us.”

    I don’t deny that the Bible indicates that God has chosen to respond to prayer. God has also chosen to use human agents to accomplish much of God’s work on earth. I don’t know what the relationship between the two things actually is. I’ve simply observed that prayer is a time when God works on me.

    What do you need God to change in you?

  • Psalm 119:57 – Still Mine!

    Psalm 119:57 – Still Mine!

    You are my portion Lord.
    I have said that I will keep your word.

    It’s interesting to look at multiple translations of this. Many of these translations reflect ways in which my meditation was going even before I read them. Some are straightforward, such as the NRSV: “The LORD is my portion; / I promise to keep your words.”

    Note that in Hebrew we don’t have a verb or anything to indicate person. The NRSV uses “The LORD is …” 3rd person singular, while I place the first part as addressed to God, matching the second line. As literally as possible, that first line reads “My portion YHWH.”

    The Message reads:

    Because you have satisfied me, God, I promise
    to do everything you say.

    Psalm 119:57 (TM)

    Notice that Peterson also reads the first part of the verse as addressed to God. Further, notice how “I promise” is on the first line of the couplet. That is the division in my printed Hebrew text. I think it’s best to read the “I have said” or “I promise” with the second line.

    Now this all gets a bit technical, though I’m skipping over a great deal. This is part of my process for meditation, hearing the words in different renderings. I’m first interested in what the Psalmist himself thought, but I see scripture as living, and as an element of God’s presence in the community of faith, I’m interested in how other readers have taken a particular text.

    This was reemphasized to me in studying Leviticus from the commentary by Jacob Milgrom. (I’ll put display of some of is books at the end of this post as well.) Milgrom is a Jewish scholar, yet his study of a passage runs from the earliest prehistory of the text all the way through Christian interpreters over time. I had an inkling of this before reading Milgrom, but his thoroughness provided an example that led me much further than I might otherwise have gone.

    As a spiritual activity, Bible study is a community activity. This is not to deny individual study. I have been individually studying even while I reference various translators and commentators. What I write here is molded by what I experience in the church and in the broader faith community. An isolated interpretation may be technically correct, but it is almost certainly dead.

    When the Psalmist says God is his “portion” that evokes a couple of things. First, a portion of an inheritance or another division of possessions. Second, it evokes the contrasting statement of Deuteronomy 32:9, “For the LORD’s portion is his people.” In Christian thought I’d relate this to “Christ in me” and me “being in Christ.”

    I call God my God. That doesn’t mean God is in my possession, but rather that there is a singular relationship there that God has created through a covenant and through that covenant God has made promises. It is one thing to try to control God, as we often do in prayer. We treat prayer as a sort of magic where if we say the right words, God is required to take a particular set of actions.

    This differs, however, from simply expecting our God to be our God and to fulfill all those promises. I, in my community, relate to God through covenant.

    And it is “in Christ” as someone deeply and permanently connected with God through covenant that I make any promise. “I will keep your word,” will be a boast if I am trying to do it on my own power to gain God’s favor. But when I say that in covenant, it connects with all God’s promises.

    What promise might you have forgotten that you need to connect with today?

  • Psalm 119:56 – Mine!

    Psalm 119:56 – Mine!

    This has become mine,
    for I have kept your precepts.

    There’s an interesting translation of this verse in The Message, which may very well go back to a suggestion by Mitchell Dahood, though I don’t know that Eugene Peterson got it from that source.

    Still, I walk through a rain of derision
    because I live by your Word and counsel.

    There’s a single word that makes the difference between my translation (and most others) and Peterson’s, the Hebrew word zo’th which I have translated in the traditional way, “this.” There is a suggestion, expounded by Dahood, that this same word can mean “derision.” I don’t see that here, but again, I like us to think about the effort that goes into translation, and the reasons there are differences.

    When translated “this,” we have to ask to what “this” refers. I’m simple minded on this one. “This” here is feminine, and there’s a rather important feminine noun which is the very last word of the previous verse: “Torah.”

    This, God’s instruction, God’s self-revelation as I have been saying, belongs to the Psalmist. It also belongs to me and to you.

    I was listening to Isaiah 15 on the treadmill a few minutes ago. Isaiah 15 begins with “An oracle against Moab.” What could possibly be less edifying? What do I need with an oracle against the Moabites, a group of people no longer existing. And the chapter is pretty much a downer. But what’s most interesting to me is that God actually has an interest in this, and that this interest is expressed by including this chapter in the collection of oracles in Isaiah, and then that collection in scripture. God’s interest in lands beyond Israel will become even clearer in what is called 2nd Isaiah, starting in chapter 40.

    [H]e says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.

    Isaiah 42:6 (NRSV)

    So even though God’s Torah was not addressed directly to me, it was intended as a light to me and to everyone.

    I’m pretty sure “this” that the Psalmist is claiming is the Torah. It is his, because he observes it. Now we have this continual reference to obedience providing the claim. But remember that the Psalmist regularly calls on God to help him, to make this possible.

    As a Christian, I cite Philippians 2:12-13:

    With fear and trembling work out your own salvation, for it is God who works in you both to desire and to accomplish his good will.

    If God’s self-revelation is yours, it is yours as God’s gift, but it will also be a cause of action, because God isn’t passive about God’s children.

    Is it yours?

  • Psalm 119:55 – Remembering

    Psalm 119:55 – Remembering

    I remembered your name in the night, Lord,
    So I followed your instruction.

    Dahood (Anchor Bible Psalms III) again has an alternate suggested, based on repointing the word translated “And I kept/guarded/followed.”

    I remember your name in the night
    YHWH,
    and during the watch, your law.

    I won’t discuss the arguments for his rendering, which I consider possible, but not the most probable, but it emphasizes the parallel the Torah, and God’s name. God’s character, his reputation, is closely tied to his Torah, which in this case should be read broadly. It’s not just a list of rules, but rather God’s self-revelation.

    But what I thought about most today was remembering, including the fact that I had to go back to the verse multiple times because it slipped my mind. Weakening memory is considered a sign of old age. As we grow older, we often have trouble remembering things. Just today, I went to get something from the pantry and when I got there, I found myself wondering why I was there. On the other hand, I can remember my zip code from a place I lived 50 years ago.

    My memory has been somewhat odd as long as I can remember(!). People might wonder why I remember things that seem unimportant to them, and cannot remember things they deem critical. But I have had this sort of memory for a long time. Many friends have referred to me as a human concordance, because they’ll just ask me where a verse is, and I often know, at least down to the chapter. The reality is that I can locate far fewer verses than I would like, and I find my Bible software very helpful.

    But when I think about what I notice and what I remember, two very closely aligned lists, they don’t seem at all strange to me. I notice the sort of things I really care about. Well, except when I don’t.

    I don’t remember when some other thought pushes the first thought out of my mind. That’s where lists are useful, though sometimes I forget to look at them.

    Relying on my memory, even in areas where I have a reputation for it, such as Bible verses, is suboptimal.

    If I could always remember the things I would like to imitate in life and the sorts of things I’d like to have in my character, I would surely make every effort to live up to them. But my memory is not that reliable.

    That’s why it’s important to look around, look forward, and ask the Lord to remind you of things that need remembering.

    Give some time to thinking of thoughts you may have laid aside. There are likely some gems in there worth another look. If you’re wakeful in the night, that’s as good a time as any!

    (Featured image generated by Adobe Firefly.)

  • Psalm 119:54 – Songs

    Psalm 119:54 – Songs

    Your statues have been my songs
    In my home away from home.

    Mitchell Dahood (Psalms III in the Anchor Bible), suggests: “Your statutes have been my defenses, / in the house of my sojourning.” He gets the translation “defenses” via Ugaritic. It’s interesting to see some alternatives in the way we translate Hebrew poetry. It is very difficult to translate poetry, because words are often used with special nuances, and the context is less helpful. In this verse, if you admit the possible translation suggested from the Ugaritic cognate, it would be hard to argue against that by context.

    So let’s look at a couple of other translations.

    Your decrees are the theme of my song
    wherever I lodge. (NIV)

    No matter where I am,
    your teachings fill me with songs. (CEV)

    Note that both lines are subject to variations in translation. This is natural in translation of poetry and should be expected. Reading poetry in multiple versions is very helpful in getting more of the feel of a poetic text. It’s important to recognize when you are reading poetry, because principles of interpretation can function somewhat differently due to the nature of the text.

    I think it is very difficult for us to think of “statutes” or “decrees” as something to sing about. We see laws in general as a burden, and not a blessing. And there are many ways in which statutes, even divine statutes are not friendly at all. If you see God’s statutes as a checklist to complete so that you can find favor with God, you’ll likely find it very depressing. At least until you encounter God’s grace and the fact that that was never the purpose of any law.

    But looked at from another perspective, law can definitely be a cause of rejoicing, and I think the Psalmist is looking at it in that way. He is already one of God’s people. He is not working on a checklist to get God to accept him. What he is seeing is that there is a way of life and stability as he lives in this world, which he calls a “house of sojourning.”

    This can be read two ways. I think it should be read in both. The first is as a word spoken from exile away from one’s home on earth to another land. You could picture a Jew singing this very verse as an exile in Babylon, far from home. Yet there far away from home, he has God’s statutes to remind him both of who he is and who his God is.

    Even by the rivers of Babylon, God is there.

    The second is the sense in which we have a spiritual home that is not here. Yes, we’re fully engaged in this life, on this earth, in this place. God’s statutes teach us about the glory of the eternal home while at the same time offering guidance for living in this home, in a spiritual sense our home in exile.

    And by the rivers of earth, anywhere on earth. God is there.

    The following is a YouTube video I created 16 years ago back when I was running Pacesetters Bible School (now closed).

    Where will you come to realize that God is always with you today?

  • Psalm 119:53 – Rage!

    Psalm 119:53 – Rage!

    Rage seizes me because of the wicked,
    Those who abandon your instruction.

    As I read this I remembered one interesting point about reading the Psalms. These are largely a record of what people said in worship of, or in honor of God, and not necessarily instructions for us.

    I immediately want to temper that with another thought: They are, however, an example for us. This poetry is the result of a deep and serious experience with God, and it became part of scripture through long use and recognition of its value.

    There’s a reason many of us react negatively to a thing like this. We are concerned about strong emotions. Rage makes people do things they later regret. Rage can poison your life over time and even kill you. More frequently it kills other people. Rage is dangerous.

    Our Christian response, one we regard as Christlike, is that we need to forgive. Often this need to forgive turns into passivity, a sort of forgiveness before the act which prevents us from reacting. I would suggest that forgiveness is not very real if it involves defanging the original hurt. Forgiveness says, “You hurt me. I’m forgiving you by God’s grace.” Passivity says, “That’s OK. I don’t matter in any case. I’m hear to be kicked around.”

    When the rage is at those we perceive as wicked, there is also a question of witness. What possibility of sharing the gospel, or acting in accordance with the command to “love our neighbors as ourselves” do we have if we let rage at their perfidy overcome us?

    Finally, how sure are we that we correctly recognize true wickedness, true abandonment of the way of righteousness? And again, this is a two-edged sword. Here, instead of fading into passivity because we deplore strong emotions, especially those perceived as negative, we are paralyzed by doubt about a correct course of action. I’m reminded of the military aphorism, mostly said of responding to a tactical situation, “Sometimes a bad decision is better than no decision.”

    There is a time to be angry. There is even a time to act on one’s anger. The key question is to always ask ourselves why we are angry. The time to ask that question is not when you are seized by rage, as the Psalmist describes. At that point, your judgment may be bad, even disastrous. You need to think about what is right and wrong as opposed to what annoys or angers you.

    If you are enraged because somebody doesn’t show you the respect you are due, it is not the same as being enraged at someone who is engaging in violence against those who are helpless. A person who sees a child being starved, beaten, or otherwise abused, becomes angry, and takes effective action is acting morally. Their emotions should be strong.

    On the other hand, most of us have the tendency to see our way of life as normative without ever considering what is actually right or wrong. We more often tend to get enraged by infringement of our personal preferences than we do by actual harm.

    Frequently, this type of rage occurs because we do not fully recognize the other person as a separate entity with a right (morally if not legally) to their own viewpoint and their own habits when they are not harmful to others.

    It is important not to reject strong emotions. At the same time we are beings with both a spiritual nature and minds, and it is important not to let strong emotions become the driver.

    This leads me back to two things I’ve been talking about a great deal in this series: meditation. People who have to respond to difficult situations spend time training to handle them, thinking about how to handle them, even practicing for the eventuality.

    What things in our world should enrage you? What things should you push aside as mere annoyances?

  • Psalm 119:51 – Confidence

    Psalm 119:51 – Confidence

    The arrogant taunt me scornfully,
    but I do not swerve from your instruction.

    The most common reason people express to me for not talking about their faith to others is that someone may make fun of what they believe.

    Now I can’t tell you that people won’t do that to you. They will. And it’s more universal than you might think. I’ve found that many Christians are unaware of what their comments on atheism sound like to an atheist, or actually to anyone who doesn’t believe as they do. When we produce “zingers” or “mic drops” regarding people who do not share our beliefs, they may cause high fives among those who share the taunter’s viewpoint, but they don’t make friends, and they don’t convince.

    Actual confidence in your beliefs doesn’t require you to put others down. Confidence will, however, give you a defense against those who taunt you. You know that the snide remark doesn’t actually make your own beliefs wrong. It’s the result of under-confidence and over-expression.

    This doesn’t mean that you can’t have dialogue about your faith or even debate it. But the dialogue of a confident person doesn’t require demeaning one’s opponent or trying to get cheap, but ignorant laughs. Dialogue requires that one listen to an opponent’s point of view and respond to what that person actually believes.

    This also applies to debating with or having dialogue with Christians in other tradition streams. For example, the Calvinists I encounter don’t resemble the Calvinists described to me by fellow Wesleyans. On the other hand, the descriptions I often hear from Calvinists of Wesleyans don’t much resemble anything I believe.

    This verse gives us antidotes to all of these problems: Sticking to God’s instructions. Doing so will help you to withstand taunters and to avoid being a taunter yourself.

    Who in your world might you need to understand better?

    (Featured image generated by Jetpack AI.)