Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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You shall not be in dread of them

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Moses said to the Israelites:

“You shall not be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.” (Deuteronomy 7:21, ESV)

Yet being in dread of the Canaanites is exactly what the Israelites had experienced. They allowed their fear to overwhelm their faith. They had ample evidence that their fear was unfounded and ample evidence that faith in God was a logical response, but they were still plagued by fear.

Dread FearWe might like to think that if we were in that desert and had seen the things that God had done through Moses that we would have responded differently. I can’t speak for everyone, but if I am typical of Christendom, then I think that we would have responded the same way the Israelites responded. Two thousand years of church history seems to back me up on this.

For example, too much of the political speech within Christian circles seems driven by fear that if a certain party comes to power or a certain person gets elected, that life as we know it will end. Which party is vilified is dependent upon the philosophical underpinnings of that particular group within Christendom. But at times it seems that fear bordering on panic sets in. It is almost like we think that God is control of the world on every day other than the first Tuesday in November (election day in the United States).

We can give in to fear about the economic stability of our country. We can worry about healthcare and retirement and . . .” The list of things that can cause fear is seemingly inexhaustible. As a result of the fall, the world is indeed a dangerous place.

We have to operate with the knowledge that God remains in control at all times and he is good and he is fair.

That being said, there is one difficulty I should acknowledge. Sometimes God allows people to suffer and this scares me. I suppose that only a madman would look forward to suffering with anything other than dread. But I also have to suppose that if God calls me to suffer, he will give me the grace to suffer well. Yet just thinking about suffering can be a source of fear. Our culture is becoming less tolerant of anyone who claims allegiance to Jesus Christ. Given the current trajectory of sentiment against Christianity, it is not hard to imagine that real persecution might take place.

Like the Israelites with the Canaanites, I can be in dread of what my circumstances will bring to me. The dread can come despite the testimony of many that God is faithful and will not cease to uphold those who rely on him.

I should be comforted by Paul’s words at the end of Romans 8:

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39, ESV)

Jesus also promised to be with me “to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).

Let us not forget that “you shall not be in dread of them” is a command. The command demands a choice to obey or disobey. Fear may come, but I have to choose to give in to it or to trust God.

But sometimes I choose badly and respond in fear. This always goes wrong and the only proper response is to repent and choose to trust.

The View From the Boat

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BoatStatistics show that when given an opportunity to walk on water, 91.7% are too timid to try. Peter was the only one bold or impetuous enough to jump out. The other eleven stayed in the boat and watched from over the rail.

One of the things that prevents me from jumping out of the boat is that I sometimes take responsibility for the outcome rather than trusting the outcome to God. If I take this responsibility, I then get waylaid by fear of failure.

I am learning to let the results in God’s hands and focus on what has been put on my plate for today. I only need to step out in obedience. Perhaps this is part of the intention behind the statement, “give me this day my daily bread.”

Paul gave some advice to Timothy which seems to support this line of reasoning. In 2 Timothy 1:6-8, we read:

6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,

Like Timothy I am to work at developing the gift that I have been given. I am to step out in boldness and use it. To do so requires that I get out of the boat. It is often uncomfortable to step out. It is sometimes painful to step out, but I must step out of the boat.

Why should I do this? Because I am not given a spirit of fear, but one of power. Timothy was to tap into that power and be used by it to boldly proclaim the message of God. I am to tap into that power to be used by God for whatever he has for me to do.

But what if the message is rejected or if the messenger is persecuted for bringing the message? The results are in God’s hands and Timothy should not be ashamed of what to human eyes appears to be failure. Paul’s chains do not represent failure in God’s eyes, they are part of his plan. Therefore, they are not to be a source of shame.

I am not responsible for the outcome, I am only responsible to be obedient. I am to work hard to develop my skills. I am to be diligent in study and practice. I am to use every opportunity to use my gifts. There is no free ride.

The best news of all is that God is fully in control and if I am doing what he has gifted me to do then the outcome is assured to be a good one. I like that and when I rest in that, I am free to do my best without fear of failure or criticism.

LiveJournal Tags: Fear,failure,criticism,outcome,Timothy,Peter,Paul

The Antidote for Fear, Grumbling and Myopia

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MyopiaThe Bible presents life as it really is. Scripture stories are about people who do the same stupid things that I find myself doing. I am encouraged by this.

In Exodus 17 we have the Nation of Israel in the desert and in need of water. This is a real need, especially in an arid climate. The need is not the problem. How the people went about getting that need met became an issue.

These are the same people who had witnessed the plagues that bought their freedom. These are the same people who saw the water of the Red Sea parted so that they could cross. These are the same people who followed the cloud which gave them shade in the day. These are the same people who camped near the pillar which would provide warmth and light through cold desert nights. The point is that the God that they followed had a track record of meeting their needs in a spectacular way.

Like us (perhaps I should only speak for myself, but I don’t think I’m alone in this) Israel gave in to fear and started grumbling against Moses and against God. Their fear caused them to forget the past provision and the promise that God would see them through to the promised land. They even went so far as to declare that they would have been better off in slavery!

There was a choice made, conscious or not, to see only the immediate problem. They were near sighted and could not see beyond their circumstances. Sound familiar? It does for me. They should have had a bigger view, but they were too much like us. Spiritual myopia is not a new problem.

The great news is that God did provide for their need of water in a miraculous way, in spite of their grumbling and rebellion. He will do the same for us.

So then, what is the antidote to fear, grumbling and myopia?

  1. The antidote to fear is trust. I need to trust in the God who has been found faithful. He has made promises to me that he will fulfill.
  2. The antidote to grumbling is thankfulness. I need to thank God for his provision and learn to be content in that provision.
  3. The antidote to spiritual myopia is Scripture. The Bible allows me to focus on a bigger perspective I need to see God at work in me and in my world.

In Matthew 6, we are promised that our needs (not our wants) will be met. In some of his last words from Earth, Jesus tells us that he will always be with us in Matthew 28:20. These are two promises out of many where God declares his good intent toward us who believe.

I do not need to manipulate God or others to get my needs met. I do need to bring my needs to my Heavenly Father and trust that he will meet them in his time and in his way. He can handle it.

Technorati Tags: fear,grumbling,God,trust,myopia,Israel

The People Began to Scatter

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Fork in the Road SignI see in humans (principally in myself), an amazing ability to find good reasons to do the wrong thing. We (perhaps I am alone in this, but I think not) can muster arguments to do what we want even if it is not what we know is right.

An illustration of this can be found in 1 Samuel 13. Saul, a newly minted King of Israel, finds himself in a situation where the people are beginning to scatter because they are facing an enormous Philistine army. They cannot fight until proper sacrifice has been made and Samuel, who is to perform the sacrifice, is nowhere to be found. From Saul’s perspective, things are starting to unravel. As a result, Saul takes things into his own hands and usurps the function of the priestly office and performs the sacrifice.

It would be easy to look down on Saul at this point. Yet, when I am honest, I see the same tendency in myself to get impatient with God and to take things into my own hands. I can be just as manipulative and conniving as Saul. Saul had arguments that would stand up in court of public opinion, but not in the court of Almighty God.

It appears that by performing the sacrifice, Saul put more confidence in the ritual than he did in the God the ritual was to worship. God is not obligated to bless, and He certainly is not obligated to bless us because we perform rituals. Later on in his life, Saul had to be reminded by Samuel that “to obey is better than sacrifice.” It is all about relationship and not about ritual.

The lesson I take away from this is that God is in charge of timing; my job is to be responsive to when, where and how he leads.

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