I Want Justice

I still remember years ago, when I was a student at Harding University, someone submitted a prayer request for our preaching student chapel.  I don’t remember the details, but I do remember that they were praying for justice to be done.  Carl Mitchell, who was the Dean of the College of Bible and Religion added, "I let's also remember to pray for the perpetrator, that he can find redemption as well."  That really struck a nerve.  Everyone wanted justice, which may have bordered on a desire for revenge.  Dr. Mitchell's addition to the prayer request brought us back to the sobering reality of the cross.  The cross is a place of grace, redemption, and forgiveness. 

I was reminded of that once again when I listened to the victim impact statement of Brandt Jean yesterday.  His older brother, Botham Jean, was shot by Amber Guyger, an off duty police officer who mistakenly entered his apartment, thinking it was hers.  Thinking Botham to be an intruder, she shot him dead.  This case became a lightning rod for the racial tensions in this country since the officer is white and the victim is black.  People across the country were crying out for justice for Jean.  Guyger was convicted of murder and sentenced to ten years in prison.  News crews had their cameras on emotional crowds in the hall who were yelling that ten years was not justice at all.

Brandt Jean, Botham's younger brother, gave a surprising victim's impact statement at the end of the trial.  Instead of focusing on the crime or on his now deceased brother, he focused on forgiveness.  He told Guyger things like, "I love you as a person," "I don't wish anything bad on you," and "I forgive you."  He also stated that "I want the best for you, because I know that's exactly what Botham would want you to do, and the best would be give your life to Christ."  After he was finished, he requested permission to hug her. 

According to the Christian Chronicle, the mood in the building was transformed after this.  The commotion and the yelling stopped.  A lot of the media stories focused on the hug, and even on the offer of forgiveness, but either downplayed or omitted the talk of God and accepting Christ.  Instead of crying out for justice or even vengeance, Brandt, who is a Christ follower like his older brother Botham was, offered forgiveness and reconciliation.  Allison Jean, their mother, later said in an interview, "Botham loved humanity.  He was a forgiving person. And What Brandt demonstrated yesterday is what I believe Botham would have done.  To be honest, when I saw Brandt up there and what he was saying, I really felt Botham's presence in the room.  I really think Brandt was heavily influenced by his older brother and did just what he felt Botham would have done."

It occurs to me that his is part of what it means to be the salt of the earth.  What an effect he had on that room!  Our prayer should be that God continue to use us as the salt of the earth in this way.

This is also demonstrating the ministry of reconciliation, which has the message, "Be reconciled to God."  I have been reading this passage again and reflecting on how I saw this in action:

"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor 5:16-21).

Bible Reading Reflection (Lev 1-8)

The New Testament states that the things written before are for our learning.  The law is a school master to lead us to Christ.  Even though we are not under the law that was given specifically to Israel, and not to the church, there are still vivid lessons to learn.  I need to slow down and read more carefully.  I need to ask, "What does this teach me about God, myself, and my relationship with God?"

I am struck by the fact that when there is sin among the people it is not just the priests that act on their behalf for atonement.  The elders are instructed to bring a bull for a sin offering.  Instead of pointing a finger and saying "they" sinned, the elders represent the people in making atonement for sin in the camp.  The offering required is larger than the offering required for any individual that sins. 

Unlike the sin offering for an individual, the blood is required to be brought into the sanctuary by the priest, sprinkled before the veil seven times, and put some of the blood on the horns of the incense altar in the sanctuary.  The rest of the blood is to be poured at the base of the altar in front of the sanctuary, then burn the fat, kidneys, long lobe of the liver, and burn the rest of the carcass outside of the camp.

God doesn't give the specific rationale for all these details, but the vivid visual of all of this happening brings several things to mind.

First, there is the sheer gravity of sin.  Life blood offered before the Lord shows that sin is a matter of life and death.  Sin, which is disobedience to God, forfeits what God offers in fellowship to him, which includes life.  There are sin offerings, guilt offerings, the morning and evening offerings, and more.  I wonder how much blood there might have been over time before the veil in the sanctuary and on the horns of the incense altar, and on the altar in front of the sanctuary.  These blood stains would have been constant reminders of sin, and the danger that sin poses to life and fellowship with God.

Second, there is the condition of the heart.  God instructed that these offerings were for those who sinned "unintentionally."  This was not intended as a means by which one could buy his way into sinning willfully.  Perhaps this is why the offerings were to be from the flock or the fields, and not something they picked up from the wild that cost them nothing.  There is so much emphasis on "purity" in these passages, which are supposed to teach a lesson about remaining pure.  True purity is not mere ceremonial purity, but purity of the heart.  My desire should be to have a pure heart, as the Psalm says, "Create in me a pure heart O God."  Jesus said that the pure in heart will see God.  This reminds me that outward obedience to a ritual in itself does not magically remove sin.  Obedience must be obedience from the heart, rather than going through the motions as if the actions have some magical power in themselves.  God is not like this.  He is the living God and desires a change in heart.  Whether it is baptism, repentance, prayers of confession, I need to realize that it is much more than an outward ritual, but an inward submission of the will and heart to God.

Third, there is solidarity.  It seems that the attitude of the elders was to be to act on behalf of the people rather than to point a finger at them and separate themselves from them.  As shepherds, they took responsibility for the people as a whole.  It would be similar to elders in the church having a special prayer service where they confess to God that there is sin in the body and ask for forgiveness.  They prayer is not for them, but for "us" together as a people.  As a people, "we" have sinned.  It seems to me that there has to be an attitude of humility and solidarity in order to do this.  Pride and arrogance would cause me to think in terms of "them" rather than "us."  God redeemed a people, not just a bunch of separate individuals.  I tend to think more in terms of individual responsibility, which is definitely a biblical concept, but I do not tend this think in terms of collective responsibility and collective guilt, which is also a biblical concept.  As a leader in the body, I need to take this to heart.

Fourth, there is grace.  I usually don't hear Christians talk about this in terms of grace, but what else can it be?  God has declared that he is slow to anger and abundant in steadfast love.  It is covenant love.  Because of this, God provided a way for redemption and reconciliation.  These were not arbitrary rules, but show us some lessons we need to learn about sin.  Also, these are a shadow of the ultimate sacrifice.  This is not a sacrifice that we make, but one that the Lord makes for us.  Jesus, because of his steadfast love, offered not the blood of bulls and goats, but his own blood in order to provide eternal redemption.  The New Testament says that the blood of bulls and goats could never really take away sin.  They are a reminder of sin.  It is the blood of Jesus that once for all takes away sin.  This makes sense, because the only one that can forgive sins against our Lord is the Lord himself.  He offers his life for ours.  This shows in an even more vivid way the sheer gravity of sin along with the sheer gravity of God's undying love and loyalty to us.

Lord, may I see sin as you so.  Help me to be able to look past the initial enticement to see the devastation and death it brings.  Purify my heart.  May I learn to enjoy the pleasures of life in the way that you intended with joy, peace, and holiness.  The blood of the Lord offered for me?  For us?  How can it be? How great is your love!  How great is your loyalty!  How great is your mercy!  Thank you Lord for your patience. 

Reflection on Joshua 2

Several questions come up concerning Rahab when I read Joshua 2.  Why did the spies that Joshua sent go to the house of a prostitute?  Why did God bless a lying Canaanite prostitute?  There are a few other questions, but I am reflecting on these two.

On the surface, it seems that the spies may have sought out the services of the prostitute.  However, this seems unlikely.  In Deuteronomy, there was a renewal of commitment to the covenant.  The covenant made adultery a capital crime.  Perhaps the spies saw the strategic advantage of staying at a house right on the city wall where they could easily escape.  Being a public place, they could hide out there and blend in with the clientele.  It was probably nothing more than a strategic move.  

When the spies were discovered, officials came to arrest them at Rahab's house.  Instead of giving them up, she hid them under some flax on her roof,  told the officials that the men had already left, and that if they hurry, they might catch up to them.  This was a bald faced lie.  In spite of this, God blessed her.  I can remember discussions I have had about ethics, honesty, and lying.  This is one of the biblical incidents that always comes up.  Rahab decided to protect the men because she recognized that they served Yahweh, the God of Heaven and Earth.  She, along with the rest of the city, had heard how Yahweh had parted the sea when they came out of Egypt and how Yahweh's people utterly defeated the Amorites.  She had a decision to make when the officials came to arrest Yahweh's spies.  She chose to stand with Yahweh, God of Heaven and Earth and protect these men.  Therefore, when she asked for herself and her family to be spared in the upcoming battle, Joshua spared her.  Judes 6:25 says that Joshua spared Rahab the harlot and her father's household and all she had and that she lived in the midst of Israel for the rest of her life.  

Over a thousand years later, Rahab's name is written into Hebrews chapter 11 as an example of faith alongside Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses, and others: 

Heb 11:31, "By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace."

James 2 also points to Rahab as an example of an active faith: 

James 2:24-26 says,  "You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead."

Rahab the harlot is an example of faith.  She did not tell the truth in order to protect these men who were from God.  It was not "bearing false witness against a neighbor" as the Ten Commandments prohibit, nor was it lying with malice.  This is similar to the Hebrew midwives in Exodus 1 did in Egypt.  In spite of Pharaoh's orders to them to kill Hebrew baby boys during birth, they allowed them to live because "they feared God."  When Pharaoh asked them why they did not kill the Hebrew babies when they were being born, they lied and said that the Hebrew women were so robust that by the time they got to them, their babies were already born. The text says that God was good to these midwives and established households for them, indicating that their actions found favor with God.  This might not be very different than those who in World War 2 hid and protected Jews from the Nazis against their orders.  They felt it would have been immoral to give them up to die to a tyrant.  They may have asked themselves which was the greater evil?  Was the greater evil to give over the innocent to the authorities to avoid putting themselves at risk of being arrested, or was it lying and being disobedient to an immoral tyrant to protect the innocent?  Many chose the later. 

I wonder if it is intentional that the Bible consistently refers to her as "Rahab the harlot?"  We might think this to be too indelicate.  We might want to clean it up and just refer to her as "Rahab," or "Rahab of Jericho."  We might balk at using Rahab "the harlot" as a positive example.  

But the Bible tells it like it is without trying to clean things up.  Unlike the Sunday School version which is toned down for children, the Bible itself gives an honest portrayal of its' "heroes."  Many of them were very rough characters. 

I am reminded of Origen who wrote about Rahab in the second century.  He pointed out that the first Joshua (which is actually Yehoshua, or Yeshua in Hebrew, which is the name of Jesus) sent out spies who were welcomed by a harlot.  The second Joshua, he wrote, sent out his people, whom the tax collectors and harlots welcomed gladly.  Jesus welcomed all who would come to him in faith, regardless of their backgrounds.  From the woman who was a sinner and wept at his feet, to the tax collector who made his living cheating people, to the convicted criminal dying on a cross, Jesus welcomed all who would place their faith in him.  I can imagine how much of a rag-tag group of people that must have been.  

It seems then, that what makes these people in scripture worth mentioning is not their impeccable reputation, background, or character, but their willingness to leave everything behind and follow our Lord.  We may see a rag-tag group of people, but our Lord does not see us in this way.  Ephesians 5 says that Jesus loves the church and gave himself up for her in order to dedicate her to himself, to clean her up by the washing of water with the word, and to present the church in all her glory with no spot or wrinkle or anything like that.  As a husband sees his perfect beautiful wife is how Jesus sees the church, his bride, his people.

Maybe all of this is why Rahab gets a special mention in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew.  As I go back and look at the Genealogy of Jesus, I notice that Rahab is mentioned alongside other women that are questionable in some way…

Matt 1:5-6 says, "Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah.

Ruth is a Moabite, not an Israelite, yet she receives special mention.   

Bathsheba committed adultery.   

Verse 3 mentions Tamar, who, like Rahab and Bathsheba also had a history of sexual impropriety.  

So why mention these particular women?  As I look over the genealogy, I don't see Sarah mentioned, or any other woman that I might include.  Instead it is these women.  Ruth is the great grandmother of David the King, and Rahab is his great-great grandmother.  Yet, God chose David to be king because he was a man after God's own heart.  The specific mention of these women in the genealogy of David the King, and of Jesus the King of Kings, says something about the nature of our God.

Lord, please help me to see people as you do.  People have been created in your image, so you look past all the rough edges and can see your glory, and beauty, and the potential of all that we can be through your son.  Lord, let me never look down on anyone, but be welcoming to all as Jesus was.  Remind me that my best efforts and my so-called righteousness are as dirty rags to you, but you love me anyway.  Lord help me to grow in kindness and compassion and value all people as you do.  In the name of Jesus who accepted me, Amen.

Reflection on Genesis 44: Divination in God's Family?

In Genesis 30, Laban tells Jacob, "I have divined that the LORD has  blessed me on your account."  Through divination, Laban figures out that  the reason he has been so prosperous over the years is because Jacob  has God's favor and he has been indirectly blessed by this.   

In  Genesis 44, when Joseph meets his brothers after years of living in  Egypt, he has his cup secretly placed in Benjamin's bag.  But it is not  just any ordinary cup. It is the cup that Joseph uses for divination. 

Apparently,  even though these folks seemed to follow Yahweh, they still were  engaging in the pagan practice of divination.  I am reminded of when  Saul was told in 1 Samuel 15 that "rebellion is as the sin of  divination."  This indicates that divination is something that God finds  abhorrent.

I wonder, under what circumstances did they  practiced divination?  Why didn't they seek the Lord for guidance?  Was  divination a way they tried to find guidance from Yahweh?  Didn't they  understand that Yahweh is not bound by spells, incantations, or any  other attempts to try and manipulate him?   Did they not know that this is actually a pagan notion and not a true view of God? 

I wonder if we have pagan notions of God, or some other unbiblical notion of God that affects how we approach him?  I wonder if  we have our own ways of trying to manipulate him.  Maybe it is  bargaining with God, or thinking that using a verbal formula or posture for  praying will be the thing to make him do something.  What forms of “divination” do we have in our lives? 

How patient God is as we grow in  our understanding! How merciful he is even in our stubbornness!  In spite of our immaturity, God still blesses us due  to his graciousness, just as he blessed Laban, Jacob or Joseph through the rough times  in  life.  Truly, God is Good! 

Lord, please for give us for our foolish ways.  May we always seek you as you are, not not as we wish you to be.  Help us to humbly seek you through your word and to be faithful and devoted to your in spite of our weaknesses.  Thank you Lord for your long-suffering patience.