Today’s Thoughts

By Skip Moen
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“They looked, but there was none to save; even to the LORD, but He did not answer them.” 2 Samuel 22:42

Looked – A few weeks ago I climbed Pacaya, an active volcano in Guatemala. The prospects sounded enticing when the trip began, but as we approached the crater, we discovered that clouds covered the top of the mountain. The rest of the journey was treacherous and tentative simply because we could hardly see where we were going. No matter how hard we looked, our vision was obscured. David gives us the same picture of his enemies. No matter how hard they looked for rescue, even to God, there was no deliverance. God did not answer.

Now we can learn something very important about the story of Cain and Abel. The same Hebrew word, sha’ah, is used in the passage about God’s examination of Cain’s offering. Just as God did not look with favor on David’s enemies, so He did not look with favor on Cain’s sub-par sacrifice. But there is one significant difference, a difference that we must clearly understand. God did not sha’ah Cain’s sacrifice, but God did speak to Cain. Cain was not abandoned in the clouds at the top of a volcano. He might not have asked for God’s help, but God offered it anyway. God told Cain exactly what he needed to do in order to be looked upon with favor. Cain didn’t do it. The result was murder. Cain’s refusal to listen to God’s directions after the rejection of his offering opened the way for an entire society of rebels against the Lord. No sin stands alone. Eventually, that legacy of rebellion found its way into the life of David. David’s enemies were children of Cain because they did not find favor nor did they listen and obey. When the children of disobedience come full circle, God no longer answers their pleas.

Rabbinic thought would probably connect these two verses (Genesis 4:5 and this one) because they share common words and common themes. One is also the inevitable consequence of the other. Unworthy offerings lead to rebellious lives and rebellious lives lead to unanswered pleas. This is very serious. A life of antagonism to God is not erased in a moment of desperation. The desperate moment might change a man’s direction, but only because God is unimaginably merciful, just as He was with the father of rebellion, Cain. David understood the connection. There is little point in crying out to God for circumstantial rescue if I have not first cried out to God for essential transformation. I might as well try asking for a map in the cloud at the top of a volcano.

It’s a short step from disregard for the things of God to an attitude of sinful rebellion. It’s a short step from sinful rebellion to active disobedience. It’s a short step from active disobedience to catastrophe. But it’s a very long step from catastrophe back to experiencing God’s rescue. Death-bed salvations are usually one breath too late. If we find ourselves following Cain’s footprints in the clouds, it probably means that we have taken too many short steps. It’s time to stop and repent of those tiny discrepancies that lead us toward obscured vision. It’s time to retreat to the safety at the base of the mountain and forget about the rush of volcanic enticement. It’s much better to look at a crater from afar than to fall into one.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/11/19/sm_cloud-cover/

By Skip Moen
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There are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books which were written. John 21:25

Would Not Contain – You have been reduced. No, sorry, don’t run to the bathroom scales to see if you supernaturally lost weight. It’s not that kind of reduction. What I mean is that your communication has been stripped of its richness. Today, if you can’t say it in 140 characters in a text message, then you don’t get heard. Today we have five second sound bites, one minute solutions and fast-food everything. There is no time to savor the wine. There’s too much to do (but does it really matter?).

We have often noticed that God’s view of the world is upside-down. What God values is often found on our “reject” list. God looks for humility; we want glory. God favors the oppressed; we favor the victors. God loves the sick; we love the healthy. So it is with communication. God longs for leisurely conversation. We want text-message theology. The apostle John notes that if we really wrote in detail all the things that Jesus did, we would have many, many books. Of course, John uses a hyperbole, but his point is obvious. There is a lot of material. It’s not reducible to 140 characters, a four-page tract or a quick prayer. A relationship with God takes a lifetime to experience and enjoy.

John uses the Greek choreo. It means “to make room for, to give place to.” Combined with the negative oude (not even), John suggests that there is not even enough room in all the earth. Jesus did more, said more and taught more than John is able to record in just these few chapters. The divine conversation is much, much bigger than John can write down.

Isn’t that the kind of communication we really want? Doesn’t it frighten you to learn that parents in America spend less than ten minutes a day in conversation with their children? If we are so disconnected from the animated bodies that inhabit our own living rooms and kitchens, how can we imagine that we have a deep and viable experience with the invisible God? If our world is slowly being stripped of its tone, expression, mood and non-verbal engagement as it progresses toward distilled text-message pseudo-relationships, how can we imagine that this doesn’t affect our interaction with God? While we are being choked to death with trivia, the value of our communication is being reduced to characters on a cell phone keypad.

Did you notice that Jesus was never in a hurry? Have you ever wondered why? Do you realize that God never rushed anything, especially His judgment? Have you ever considered what would have happened if God reduced His communication to us into 140-character electronic burps? Aren’t you thankful that God spends His time (the most valuable time in the universe) taking us by the hand and whispering in our ears?

In God’s upside-down world, communication takes on a very different sound, look and feel. Maybe it’s time to adjust to God’s way.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/11/14/sm_text-message/

By Skip Moen
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“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”   (Micah 6:8)

To Love Kindness – Micah’s choice reveals a deeper meaning. You see, Micah does not choose a verb (to love). Instead, he chooses a noun. It isn’t grammatically correct in English, but it communicates something absolutely vital in Hebrew. If you want to know what God really wants, then you better pay attention to the Hebrew version.

The phrase is ahavat hesed. Once again, we are familiar with the second word. Hesed is that powerful umbrella covering concepts like mercy, goodness, faithfulness, kindness and steadfastness. Read Psalm 136 where hesed is used twenty-six times. Hesed is ultimately a description of the loving character of God, seen in every single act He performs. If you love hesed, then your life is a mirror image of the Creator. His attributes shine right through you, radiating the world with the glory of His person.

So, why does Micah choose a noun to describe this requirement of the Most High? The answer is this: ahavat is a noun that is often associated with the deep intimacy of love between human beings (Jacob and Rachel, for example). This word is used ten times in the Song of Solomon (nearly one-third of its occurrences). It covers the emotional and volitional aspects of the closest taste of heaven given to men and women on earth. It is the noun of personal delight in someone else. And, it is used to describe God’s particular enthusiasm over His people (Deuteronomy 7:3).

Do you love kindness like this? Do you delight in mercy and faithfulness? Are you thrilled at the thought of delivering your enemies, providing for the needy and weak, lavishing mercy and goodness of those undeserving, maintaining steadfastness in the face of betrayal, and, more than anything else, upholding the covenant commandments with your Lord? Do you look upon the redeeming work of the Kingdom with the same intensity that you have when you look into the face of the one you love here on earth?

Micah picked the right word. We can’t skate by with some watered-down sentiment of general goodwill toward kind acts. To love kindness is costly. Those who understand ahavat know that the symbol of ahavat is the cross. That’s what is required of you, O man.

Now what are you going to do?

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/11/05/sm_intimate-delight/

By Skip Moen
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“For Elohim is the King of all the earth” Psalm 47:8 (Hebrew text)

King – While we don’t often think about it, the political landscape of the Bible is so radically different from our contemporary experience of government that we easily make assumptions about God’s government that really don’t fit Scripture at all. Reconsidering the implications is especially crucial in the face of the nearly universal emphasis on representative government through elections. Confusing our Greek-based legislative process with anything about how God rules is a tragic mistake. We need a clear picture of what it means to be King of all the earth.

I have translated this verse with the Hebrew word elohim instead of “God” because it is important to see that the psalmist is not saying that YHWH is king. In this verse, the being who holds the royal title Elohim is recognized as melek (king). It just so happens that there is only one such being with this royal title, namely YHWH, but the point is this: the very word elohim implies “King.” In our translations, every time we see elohim translated as “God,” we are to think of the Being Who is King of all the earth.

What does it mean for God to be King? Well, for one thing it certainly means that God is not the head of a democracy. For all of our ranting and raving about the excellencies of democracies, there is no democracy under God. “One nation under God” sends the wrong message. No one votes to make God King. He is King by divine right of creation. He will always be King. He will never be elected out of office nor will He ever complete His term.

Of course, this also implies that His government is not determined by the will of the people nor by votes in the legislature. God rules by decree. What He says is law. There is no appeal, no supreme court, no debate and no referendum. All of those concepts which we normally associate with government do not apply. To think of our relationship to God in categories that function within our governmental processes is to make a tragic mistake. God is the eternal King, not president. Because God is King, everything is under His control. He determines who lives and who dies. He decides if it rains or not. He sets the limits to human existence and the consequences for disobedience. You and I don’t have any say in the matter. No one argues with a king, especially with the King of everything.

It is the King’s right and prerogative to involve himself in any aspect of any life under His authority. Furthermore, since God is the King of all the earth, everything belongs to Him. He doesn’t have to prove ownership in a court of law. He cannot be stripped of His property. What He decides to do with His possessions (including you and me) is entirely up to Him. And He holds everyone under His domain accountable for their treatment and stewardship of His resources. There are consequences for refusing to live according to the will of the King.

In the days when we are awash in political rhetoric and the promises of leadership, it is well to remember who the King really is. No matter who we choose to lead us, they must answer to Him. So must we for our choosing. If we choose leadership that does not honor Him, we will pay the price. There is only one King, and He is not on the ballot.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/10/29/sm_politically-correct

By Skip Moen
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“The heart is deceitful above all things and it is incurable. Who can know it?”
Jeremiah 17:9

Deceitful - We don’t think of the heart as an inside scheming deceiver. After all, we know ourselves pretty well, don’t we? We know when we lie and when we tell the truth, so why does God (He is the One speaking here) contradict our own conscience. We view the problem more akin to a bout with the flu. Sure, we know that there are times when our inner ethical perspective is sick but we also manage to struggle along with the illness, operating under the assumption that taking a couple of spiritual aspirin will make everything better by morning. It just doesn’t seem right to say that our hearts are the worst of all faculties of consciousness. But that’s what God says, and God usually knows what He is talking about. Maybe we better take a closer look.

What does this Hebrew word really tell us? What if it paints a picture that we really don’t want to see? What if the deceitfulness of my heart is really a problem about trusting my inner self? What if saying that my heart is desperately sick is really a way of saying that living according to my own inner sense of conscience inevitably leads to death and disaster? What if that inner voice that so subtly suggests actions is really something inhuman, speaking to me from the corrupted earth? It’s time to find out.

The Hebrew word (’aqov) is very odd. It is really the combination of two adjectives, both implying something about footprints and heels. You will see how it comes to mean deceptive when you realize that the Hebrew idiom for traitor is someone who lifts up his heel against the king (cf. Psalm 41:9). The same idea resides in the famous passage about the head of the snake (Genesis 3:15). Finally, this word is connected to the name Ya’acob (Jacob) as the one who grasps the heel (the supplanter). It is a word that implies grasping, traitorous acts in an effort to take control. Now that sounds like a heart without God’s grace.

David Fohrman suggests that the real distinction between men and animals is that men are capable of ignoring the voice of instinct and choosing to live by the external command of the Creator while animals hear only the inner voice of God in instinctual direction. When we “follow our hearts,” we move in the direction of animal consciousness, away from guidance by the external Word of the Lord. That’s why the heart is so deceptive. You see, human being are aware of instinct too. In the case of animal behavior, instinct is the way God guides. But that is not true of human beings. We are to be directed by hearing and obeying, not by listening to the inner voice. We are to depend on the Word of the Lord as it is manifest to us externally. The way of the heart is exceedingly and subtly dangerous because it pushes us in the direction of animal existence.

Now let’s make the final connection. God’s Word is externally manifest in the life of His Son. Yeshua is the embodiment of the external direction for living. That’s why He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. If you ignore what He says, you automatically assert the priority of your own inner voice – and you move in the direction of becoming an animal. When Man is the measure of all things, he connects himself to the animal world. But when God gives Man directions, Man is elevated toward the sublime.

Which voice do you hear and obey?

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/10/03/sm_aspirin/

By Skip Moen
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“Woe to the world because of its stumbling-blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling-blocks come, but woe to that man through whom the stumbling-block comes!”
 Matthew 18:7

Woe – Apparently Jesus never read “The Emily Post Guide For Prophets.” He wasn’t trained in the etiquette of delivering a condemning message nicely. His word choice is like a verbal buzz saw. It cuts right through the bone. In Greek it’s ovai, but Jesus didn’t actually say this Greek word. He used the Hebrew hoy, an expression that has crept into contemporary language with oy vey. You can see it in Hebrew in 1 Kings 13:30 and Isaiah 18:1. It is an exclamation of dire consequences and emotional grief. It is often part of prophetic announcements since it conveys the seriousness of the situation. The grave is just around the corner. Death and destruction are hovering. Woe to those who don’t listen right now.

I wonder if we are willing to hear God’s woes. They are not polite conversation. They are not politically correct. They just happen to be true. But, of course, the truth is often very confrontational and that doesn’t sit well with proper etiquette. Perhaps we need to rethink our expectation of biblical proclamation. When you really examine it, the Bible moves along the theme of demanding confrontation. God is holy. We aren’t. That creates conflict. Just because I ignore the conflict does not remove it. When a prophet comes along, he (or she) usually reminds us that ignorance is not bliss. It is dangerous stupidity. God confronts us, even after we have been adopted into His family. Without confrontation there is very little spiritual progress. After all, we arrive pretty much messed up. Our behavior is out of sync. Our thinking is upside-down. We aren’t motivated to make the changes that God knows are necessary. So, He sends us warnings and helpers and guides.

Certainly woes are for those who still resist His call. It’s obvious that they are in danger. But most of the woes in the Bible are directed toward the elect, the chosen ones who are in the family. They are in danger as well. The history of Israel is the paradigm case of slip-sliding away. And we are just as human as any man or woman who ever encountered the living God. Today might be a good day to tune your ears to the word hoy. Jesus points out that the world is filled with stumbling-blocks. It is inevitable in a broken world. There are a lot of obstacles to trusting action. God will judge the whole human race for the impediments it erected against Him. But the double woe also points out that this terrible specter hangs over those individuals who contribute to stumbling-block construction. That might be me or you if we don’t really know what we are doing. Ignorance is not bliss, and it isn’t an excuse either.

Have you thought deeply about the patterns of conformity in your life, patterns that might contribute to stumbling-blocks? Have you asked yourself about your behavior concerning money, personal relationships, community, care for others or religious observance? Do you pay any attention to what you say, what you eat, how to dress or how you read (yes, that’s right)?

“Lord, please show me the edges of my stumbling-block behavior so that I can hear your woe and be transformed.”

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2008/09/23/sm_saying-it-nicely/