-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)
Life can be scary. We forget at times, because we don’t always see it directly with our limited senses, that God protects us. In the famous Aaronic blessing (found in Num 6:24-27) the opening line is normally translated as “The Lord bless you and keep you…”. Like many English translations from Hebrew, however, that just doesn’t really capture the full “flavor” of the word. The actual word translated as “keep” is וְיִשְׁמְרֶֽךָ׃ (wə·yiš·mə·re·ḵā) and honestly “keep” is a pretty inadequate translation. The word itself can be translated as: to hedge about, guard, to protect, attend to. To shield, in other words.
In today’s reading of Ps 115, this is reiterated repeatedly: “9 O Israel, trust in Yahweh; He is their help and their shield. 10 O house of Aaron, trust in Yahweh; He is their help and their shield. 11You who fear Yahweh, trust in Yahweh; He is their help and their shield.” LSB. The God that made you protects you. Sometimes miraculously, as with the ancient Israelites. Our senses may be limited at times, and we may not always see things that aren’t directly in our face if we’re not paying close attention. Do you wonder why?
Our senses are limited, but Ps 115 also speaks of blind and deaf idols, and says that those who make them are also blind and deaf. “4Their idols are silver and gold, The work of man’s hands. 5They have mouths, but they do not speak; They have eyes, but they do not see; 6They have ears, but they do not hear; They have noses, but they do not smell; 7As for their hands, they do not feel; As for their feet, they do not walk; They do not make a sound with their throat. 8Those who make them will become like them, Everyone who trusts in them.” LSB. In modern society, we don’t really make statues and worship them anymore, but can we truly say that our idols are not silver and gold? If so, why wouldn’t we be blind and deaf? It tells us so, in scripture.
The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th edition) defines worship like this: worship (noun) :1. The reverent love and devotion accorded a deity, an idol, or a sacred object. 2. The ceremonies, prayers, or other religious forms by which this love is expressed. 3. Ardent admiration or love; adoration.
We live in a greed based society. Becoming wealthy has become a primary focus, drive, and motivation for a majority of people. How many times have you heard (or said) “If I could just win the lottery I’d…”? There is a driving need to get better “stuff”, a bigger house, a better car, nicer clothes. It seems like, according to the above criteria in the definition, we are still worshipping idols of silver and gold. Gold itself has become the idol, the goal which most men seek fervently and reverently, a sacred object. People are under the impression that having more wealth will make them “happy”, and that’s simply not true.
Take for example this interesting fact: in a counter-intuitive finding among people admitted to hospitals with mental illness, suicide risk was found to be higher for those with higher incomes compared to those with lower incomes (National Library of Medicine, BMJ 2001 Feb 10; Article titled: “Risk of suicide in relation to income level in people admitted to hospital with mental illness: nested case-control study”). More money does not mean more happiness. More importantly, if we are making gold and silver our idols, we will become as blind and deaf and unfeeling as those objects, according to Ps 115. Of course that will cause us distress.
Flipping over to our Isaiah reading today gives us a ray of hope, and a cure. Despite the fact that sometimes the prophecies that describe the times leading up to the kingdom can be frightening, when the kingdom does finally arrive, it will be a time of healing and refreshing. Isa 32 reads: “1 Behold, a king will reign righteously And princes will rule justly. 2Each will be like a refuge from the wind And a shelter from the storm, Like streams of water in a dry country, Like the shade of a huge rock in a weary land.” LSB.
In another direct tie in with Ps 115, Isa 32 then goes on to say: “3Then the eyes of those who see will not be blinded, And the ears of those who hear will pay attention. 4And the heart of the hasty will discern knowledge, And the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak clearly.” LSB. When our king comes, we will be healed as a people, and our (many times self inflicted) blindness, deafness, and unfeeling will be cured. This line is poignant to me, because my father is blind. When our king comes, he will see again.
Is 32 goes on to say: “15Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fruitful orchard, And the fruitful orchard is counted as a forest. 16Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, And righteousness will live in the fruitful orchard. 17And the work of righteousness will be peace, And the service of righteousness, quietness and security forever.” LSB. So yes, there may be scary times coming, but after that our king will come, and then God will pour out His spirit upon His creation once again and there will be a time of abundance and security that will last forever.
Who will be granted citizenship in this worthy kingdom though? Isaiah 33 gives us some ideas:
14 Sinners in Zion are in dread; Trembling has seized the godless.“Who among us can sojourn with the consuming fire? Who among us can sojourn with continual burning?”
15He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly; He who rejects greedy gain of oppression, And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil;
16He will dwell on the heights, His refuge will be the strongholds of the cliffs; His bread will be given him, His water will be sure.
17Your eyes will behold the King in His beauty…
We know from scripture that “…the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. “ Romans 8:18, LSB. My blind father will see again. My frail and aging mother will be renewed and strengthened. The scales will fall from the eyes of those remaining and we will be able to see clearly again, our ears will be unstopped and we will hear once again the voice of our creator. We will be restored. All of the little things that afflict us will be fixed, and there will no more tears upon the earth. While some of the prophecies of the times before the return of our king frighten me, when I consider this beautiful kingdom that God has prepared for us I can only say, in agreement with Rev 22:20 , “Come, Lord Jesus”.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
(or, The Kingdom of God Naturalization Test 101):
- Are you walking and speaking righteously and uprightly?
- Are you rejecting greedy gain, oppression, and bribes?
- Are you stopping your ears from hearing of bloodshed, and turning away from evil?
Please note: If you have answered no to any of these questions, you may need to retest for kingdom citizenship, for as long as the testing booths are open. Good Luck.
PRAYER
Father God, I give you all of the praise. Forgive me Father, humble me, and keep my focus on Your kingdom and being a servant that pleases you. Help me when I stumble, and guide me when I am confused. Thank you for all of the blessings you have given me. In Jesus name, Amen.
