October 13 – A Biblical Worldview Microcosm

        Psalm 73:16-17 – “When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me, till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny”. (NIV, 1973)

        Have you ever pondered deeply about why certain persons or classes of people prosper or why other cultures seem to perpetually struggle for survival? What about the carefree attitude of many people in our own country? What about your co-workers who are so wrapped up in following the Hollywood “elite”? I could ask many more questions about what we see happening around us.

        The writer of Psalm 73 is asking the same question, wondering why certain people that he deemed wicked, would prosper greatly within a culture that started out following God, but then largely falling away from living by his ways and commands. He is obviously thinking that any pagan can do well, even as this person thumbs his nose at God. That thought is predicated upon the idea that God only blesses those who embrace his righteous ways. So what gives, when that idea goes by the wayside?

        Psalm 73, overall, is a small summary of the biblical worldview of personal destiny and how it comes about. Jesus ultimately showed us a more complete understanding of what the Old Testament writings were intimating. With that in mind, verses 2-12 can be understood in the light of Matthew 13:24-30, the story of the wheat and the weeds. God allowed both to grow up together. What follows verse 17 is a microcosm of man's destiny that Jesus described. Verses 18-20 are a vague way of describing hell (see Matt 7:13, 5:22, 5:30). Psalm 73:21-22 are a confession of our blindness in understanding God's ways. God has to take the scales from our eyes for us to see the truth and goodness of his word and worldview. Verses 23-26 describe the changed heart and secure state of a believer, who now desires to please God, living in his salvation.

        The final two verses once again summarize those who will be cast out of God's presence, and those who will enjoy his presence. As one reads the entirety of God's word, it is so refreshing to see the revealed truths of the New Testament in the partially concealed truth of the Old Testament. Psalm 73:1 surely points to Matthew 5:8 - “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

September 16 - Disastrous Weather

       Psalm 46:8 - "Come and see the works of Yahweh, the desolations he has brought on the earth."

       I have often wondered and pondered why God allows tornados, hurricanes, and floods - "natural" disasters, as the world calls them.  Is the weather simply a matter of seasonal course of events that God set in motion in Genesis 8:22?  Or is God  interactive in the  weather that we experience?  If he is interactive, why must he bring such devastation?  After all, this planet does belong to him.  Psalm 24:1 states, "The earth is Yahweh's and everything in it; the world and all who live in it." 
 Every time a hurricane slams the Caribbean, United States, or more frequently, the western Pacific, I marvel at the paths thereof, and their destructive inherency.  The leading scripture above comes to mind.  Despite the fallen nature of this planet, we still see such striking beauty in the creation.  And then, in a matter of a few days, a relatively small island is devastated, such as Barbuda was, from Hurricane Irma in 2017. 
        The Hebrew word for desolations in the above Psalm is "shaw-moht", meaning a waste or horror.  It is also found in many verses in Jeremiah and Isaiah, as they relate to judgment upon Jerusalem, Israel, or Babylon, as a result of their sinfulness.  The context of Psalm 46 seems a bit ambiguous as it relates to this verse.  The writer was mostly thinking about God being our help in the midst of trouble, whether it was from nature or from war.  He was most certainly not thinking about a hurricane, living in 9th-century Palestine, although Job chapter 1 may have been in the back of his mind, recalling the disaster that happened to Job's family at the power of Satan through the arm of nature, allowed by God. 
        I don't have a clear understanding of why this destructive phenomenon occurs.  However, I know that Psalm 46:1 was written for our encouragement as believers.  "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way, and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, and the mountains quake with their surging."  Trusting that God's judgments are righteous and true is the key in continuing life with a positive and beneficial attitude after such "desolations".