Wilderness Wanderings

Praise the Lord! And he has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his faithful servants, of Israel, the people close to his heart. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 148:1,14).

In this psalm, all creation sings the praise of God. We, the children of God, are the last, singing the "Amen!" But why are we so slow to do it? Why does it take so much effort for us to praise God? The psalter ends with five entire psalms calling us to 'Praise the Lord.' Five! Why does it not come naturally to us?

The answer is that all of creation is now subject to bondage and decay (Romans 8:20-21). Along with the rest of God's created order, we are subject to the power of sin. Thus, we say, "I don't want to! I want to do my own thing. I don't want to worship God." We've all been in a room of people, haven't we, when someone new walks in and immediately draws everyone's attention. In some small way, we'd all like to be that person, that centre of attention. Praising God gives him attention. It puts him at the centre. It's difficult to do.

So, what do we do? Is there a way forward? The psalm's ending gives us a clue: "And he has raised up for his people a horn" (14). This line is quoted by Zachariah who was temporarily mute because he didn't believe the angel Gabriel. After his son's birth, he sings, "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us" (Luke 1:68-69). 'Horn' is an image for strength.

Now listen to this, from Luke 11, Jesus said, "But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder" (20-22). Jesus' implication was clear. "I am the stronger one," he says, "I have come to bind Satan."

Paul builds on this when he writes, "At one time you were dead in your sins. Your desires controlled by sin… But God gave you new life together with Christ. He forgave us all our sins…He has taken it away and nailed it to the cross. He took away the weapons of the powers and authorities. He made a public show of them. He won the battle over them by dying on the cross" (Col. 2:13-15).

There we have it. The way out of sin is not within us. It is not to try harder. Rather, it is to look to Jesus. We move towards praising God by believing that Jesus has bound the powers that keep our eyes focussed on this earth and our misery. Because Jesus has released us, we can look up again.

Romans 8 also tells us that the creation waits in hope for liberation. The one through whom the creation was formed has gone through death to liberate all things. Christ frees us from the bondage of all hostile powers. Jesus reconciles us and all creation to our Creator God.

Followers of Jesus sing Psalm 148 in anticipation of all creation being free to sing the praise of God again. So, let's sing this psalm. Let's sing the last songs of the psalter in anticipation of Christ's final and full victory.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

"May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it" (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

The Lord said to Moses, 'Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give…Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them" (Exodus 25:1,2,8).

Generations of slavery did more than destroy and demean the honour of Israel's work. It also inhibited Israel's worship of her God. Oppressed workers find it very difficult to offer their work as worship. The fruit of Israel's labor was directed to the glory of Pharaoh. How could they direct the fruit of their labour to the glory of the Lord?

Free and holy work can be offered as worship. Not by their own choice, slaves participate in an idolatrous system. God liberated Israelite workers in part so that they could offer their work as worship to him. God begins to shape this new economy in the hearts of his people by inviting them to give a free will offering. Then, they were to take these gifts to construct a sanctuary for God to dwell among them.

Take a moment to ponder the scene: liberated slaves are invited to freely offer their unique gifts, skills, craftsmanship, and artistic wisdom to adorn God's house. Those blistered hands that once built houses for dead Pharaoh, hands that stacked stones to serve his imperial and violent glory—build or die—these hands are now invited to freely offer their skill, insight, and creative touch to the construction of God's house.

Imagine, their first free work is a house of worship—a place for God to dwell with them. It is decorated with color, made with hands that are rested and free. In Egypt, Israel did 'hard labour'. To counter the demeaning work of Egypt, God invites them into this project to create a space for communion—"I will dwell among them."

The oppressive and predatory patterns of Pharaoh's economy would stick to Israel for centuries. She would constantly be tempted to slide back into economic patterns of hoarding and scarcity. With it came the impulse to treat people like Pharaoh had handled them. Her liturgies were resources to resist this. Sabbath worship was a reminder for workers to reject economic patterns of grasping and an invitation to walk deeper into God's economy of grace.

The regular observance of rest, the yearly celebration of harvests, and the public confessions of marketplace greed were designed to bring these freed slaves into a new economy through worship. The offerings God invited Israel to bring were the treasures the Egyptians had given them as they marched out of town (12:36). The tabernacle reminded Israel that she had not left Egypt emptyhanded, that God had ways of providing beyond human imagination.

As you live out this week, consider how you can direct the fruit of your labour to the glory of the Lord? How will you resist the temptation to hoard resources because it's too difficult to believe that God will provide? How can you promote conditions were workers and work are valued?

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

Wherever God takes you today (this week), may He fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and that you may live carefully—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Galatians 6:1-5. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

Dive Deeper!

1. What does it mean that the church is a family? How do we develop close relationships?
2. What does "caught in a sin" mean? Give some examples.
3. What does restore mean?
4. Who should do the restoring?
5. Paul spends most of his time on "the how" of restoration? What are the things he mentions? Why do you think he places the emphasis here?
6. What is the law of Christ?

"You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor's house or land, or anything that belongs to your neighbor" (Deuteronomy 5:21).

Last week, I indicated that the Sabbath command introduces the last six. Rest is not just between us and God but also provides space to love our neighbour. Today, let's consider a story in which a lack of Sabbath led to deadly consequences.

It is the story of Naboth's vineyard in 1 Kings 21. This one is included among the stories concerning Elijah whose task was to call the royal family to account. The top family in Israel has abandoned the Lord God to pursue Baal and Asherah.

Covet is not used in the narrative, yet the story illustrates the nature of coveting and the ruin it brings to human society. Naboth is a small-time farmer whose land is his 'ancestral inheritance'. This is property which God gave to his forefather when Israel entered the land of milk and honey. For generations, Naboth's ancestors have enjoyed the fruit of the land. They had lived contently on the Lord's gift to them.

However, in our story, king Ahab has seen this vineyard. He set his eyes on it long enough for his heart to desire it. When he approaches Naboth to purchase it, the king is rebuffed. Ahab sees all property as tradable commodity; everything is up for acquisition. There is always a price. But Naboth counters, "The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my ancestors (3)."

The king is reminded that God is involved in economic exchanges and has imposed limits. These limits ensure that that those with power and money cannot keep acquiring at the expense of those with less influence and means. Further, in Deuteronomy 17, Israelite kings are instructed not to acquire lots of stuff nor to consider themselves above the law.

Ahab cares a little about all of this, but Queen Jezebel not at all. She implements a scheme that ends in Naboth's death after which Ahab acquires what his heart desires. The story makes clear that coveting is not only a desire for someone's possessions. It is also the active capacity to seize what one desires.

The enormity of this abuse of power is evident in Elijah's judgement on the royal couple. Everything they have will be striped from them and they themselves will meet an ominous end. A society cannot survive if coveting rules the day.

This passage invites us to explore our own hearts. We must regulate inner desires, ensuring that thoughts, as well as actions, are obedient to God. Excising the slightest feeling of covetousness that arise in the mind must be our first and only response to greed and envy. God calls us to secure a neighbor's property and rights from both active harm and inner, selfish longing. That is good Sabbath work.

This story allows us to stray into the political. When we elect our politicians, it is important that we consider their character as much as their platform. Greed at the top filters down. This story is a warning.

As you journey on, hear Jesus' invitation:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29).

May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands (Psalm 149:6).

This is a psalm of praise to God, bookended by the phrase, "Praise the Lord." The opening half is delightful, a wondrous call to God's people to get up and bodily worship him. But in our verse, there is a dramatic shift that endures to the end of the psalm. What are we to make of this turn to violent warfare imagery? This is where The Lord's Prayer is helpful. It's about the battle between God's kingdom and all the dominions that seek to thwart his purposes.

Psalm 149 addresses this cosmic struggle between good and evil, between God and Satan. Christians understand ourselves as living within that struggle. If we are followers of Christ, then we are soldiers in His army.

The psalm is often paired with Ephesians 6:10-20 in which Paul reminds us of our part in the battle. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (12). The sword that we carry does not cut flesh, for it is the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12). It penetrates to the spiritual heart bringing either judgement or life.

The two phrases of our text describe each other. Thus, "May the praise of God be in their mouths like a double-edged sword in their hands." Praising God is like wielding a sword. Our faithfulness to God and the proclamation of his sovereignty furthers His reign in this world.

This psalm invites us to look beyond the troubles that fill our news feeds. Not ignoring the pressing issues of the day but remembering that we are involved in a spiritual struggle. It calls us to live and pray with confidence, remembering that we are on the winning side. There is no fear that we will lose. We pray in the assurance that through His resurrection Christ has won the war.

And therefore, we use divine strategies, not human ones. In a hymn, we sing that the battle for God's kingdom and justice is fought "not with swords' loud clashing or roll of stirring drums. With deeds of love and mercy the heavenly kingdom comes."

In Our World Belongs to God, we read, "Our hope for a new creation is not tied to what humans can do, for we believe that one day every challenge to God's rule will be crushed. His kingdom will fully come, and the Lord will rule…We live confidently, anticipating his coming, offering him our daily lives-our acts of kindness, our loyalty, and our love-knowing that he will weave even our sins and sorrows into his sovereign purpose. Come, Lord Jesus, come (55, 57).

That's the confidence inspired by Psalm 149.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

"May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it" (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore, the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day (Deuteronomy 5:15).

Many of us have heard the 10 Commandments often but have rarely paused to consider the impact these commands were meant to have on God's newly freed people. This command regarding Sabbath, which we have already considered several times, was much more than a command to stop working. It was God's way of shaping the economy that Israel would initiate once they took possession of the promised land.

One way to understand the impact of this commandment is to consider Israel's new allegiance. We don't know how long the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. Let us say that it was half the time they spent in that land: 200 years. Further, if the normal childbearing age was at 20 years, then we have roughly 10 generations of slaves. The memory of freedom was long gone. The only master these Israelites knew was Pharaoh, who had one law: work or die.

This was an economy of scarcity. Egypt's hunger was never satisfied. And complaining was counter productive. If they had energy to complain the Israelites were accused of being lazy causing their workload to increase. Pharaoh was not known for providing sufficiently for his slaves.

Now Israel has a new master who has set her free from this brutal economy. Yet it was the only economy they knew. They may have been free from it physically, but it was an economy in their hearts and bones and habits.

Sabbath was God's way of rewriting their neuropathways. Keeping Sabbath offered habits helping them to walk in God's economy of abundance. Their new master, the Lord God, would provide for his people, no longer slaves, but freed. They were invited to choose either to keep killing themselves in the brutal economy of Egypt or to walk into the abundance of their God.

Pharaoh had his taskmasters to keep the Israelites working without rest. When the Israelites became landowners in their new home and acquired servants and slaves to work their fields, they were not to treat them as Pharaoh had treated them. They were to value the humanity of their workers and offer them a dignified way of life.

There is ample evidence that our economy is more like Egypt than like that of Sabbath keeping Israel. God calls us to resist the Egyptian tendrils that have burrowed their way into our society. We need to know him as the God of abundance who provides. That is why the apostles regularly include such questions as, "If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?" (1 John 3:17).

As we live out this week, let us pay attention to our own hearts. Let us pay attention to the tendrils of Egyptian economy that have made themselves at home in us. What habits can we practice that help us embrace the economy of God?

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

Wherever God takes you today (this week), may He fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and that you may live carefully—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Galatians 5:24-26. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

Dive In

1. What was the sermon exploring?
2. How does belonging to Jesus encourage us on the Christian Road?
3. What does it mean to crucify the flesh? How long does it take for the flesh to die? Is it just about the things we do?
4. What does it mean to walk in step with the Spirit? What's the difference between "being led by the Spirit" and "walking in step with the Spirit"?
5. Where is the evidence that the Holy Spirit is making progress with us? How does the gospel change are self-perception?

"You shall not covet your neighbor's wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor's house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor" (Deuteronomy 5:21).

It is commonly understood that the fourth commandment, the one about resting on the Sabbath, is the glue that binds the ten together. It reaches back, gathering our relationship with God into full expression on this day of joyous rest. "Joyous?" you ask. It was meant to be. As God delighted in his creation in Genesis, so his covenant people were invited, once a week, to delight in God's sustaining of his creation.

However, this commandment also reaches forward and sets the stage for the last six. The second half of the ten explore what it means to love our neighbour, culminating in the prohibition against coveting our neighbour's possessions. It anticipates a peaceable household and neighbourhood and sets out a discipline of mind and a limit on accumulation of possessions that will serve that peace. Without this discipline and limit, neighbourhoods get destroyed as coveting generates mistrust and sets neighbours against each other.

Some have suggested that this tenth commandment is different from the others because it involves only intent. But that is limiting the scope of the Biblical language. In the biblical tradition, coveting includes both an attitude of craving and a forceful action to secure what is craved. Surely the commandment includes both the discipline, not allowing our minds to desire something that is not ours, and the limit, not taking something that belongs to our neighbour.

House and wife are included in this commandment according to ancient understanding, not our estimation of them. House refers to all that belonged to a village household which could include various buildings, animals, land, servants and several generations of descendants. Wife should not be considered as property but as belonging with the male head of the household. The poem regarding 'A Noble Wife' in Proverbs 31 presents a severe conundrum for Biblical interpreters, but it does give a sense of the value a wife might have in Israel, giving insight into why she is mentioned here.

The entire list of items mentioned in this commandment refer to a household's economic viability—the means of production. In view is probably an agrarian village with many vulnerable peasants who lived with little margin for loss. Three times the term neighbour is dropped into this command. It is all about respecting the neighbour and by extension preserving, honouring and enhancing the neighbourhood.

As we enjoy God's sustaining graces on the Sabbath, we are invited to ponder what it means for us to help sustain our neighbours. Some questions we might ponder: how is my accumulation of possessions hindering the welfare of my neighbours? What thing(s) am I craving? What am I doing to promote the welfare of my neighbourhood?

Jesus reminds us that loving our neighbour is the second greatest commandment. This is not primarily a feeling of goodwill, but an active contribution to my neighbour's life on this planet.

As you journey on, hear Jesus' invitation:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:28-29).

Praise the Lord (Psalm 150:1).

Once, I took a two-week class with the late Dallas Willard. He began with two instructions. Each of us was to sleep 10 hours a night and we were to find a lonely place and shout Psalms 145-150 to the Lord. He explained that fatigue was one of the greatest problems in the North American church today, especially among church leaders. Fatigue hinders our ability to pay proper attention to things, especially to our own hearts and to the quiet movements of God's Spirit.

Willard also explained that praising God is difficult. We resist. It helps if our bodies lead the way. Further, the ending of the book of Psalms is raucous. It demands energy. Sitting quietly at the kitchen table whispering these psalms just won't do.

At the end of the Psalter, we are given a glimpse of what is happening everywhere, all the time: the worship of God. Psalm 150 is probably the most challenging of all the psalms: it's not about you, it's not about me, it's about God; all about God! Why do Christians gather for worship services? Not primarily for our own sake, but because God is worthy of our worship.

This psalm gives us the basics of worship. First, where is God to be praised? In his sanctuary, in his mighty heavens, of course. This is God's throne room from where he rules the universe. Remembering where he is causes us to look up to him and away from ourselves.

Second, why should we worship him? "Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness." This is a summation of his powerful rule and provision. We are allowed to fill in some details from our own lives.

Third, the 'how of worship' gets a bit chaotic. "Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals." As I said, its raucous. All the stops are pulled out.

Finally, the psalm asks 'Who? Who should praise the Lord?" And the answer is: everything. "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord." A lot has been said about God in all these psalms; we know the reasons to praise God. Just do it.

Our praise of God is more than music, more than worship services. We believe that everything Christians do ought to be worship. 'We are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices" (Romans 12:2). Everything is to be done to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). Such living is normally fuelled by communal worship services.

What keeps you from 'just doing it.' Find ways to pay more attention to God and to yourself. And praise the Lord! Just do it!

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

"May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it" (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it (Genesis 2:15).

In her book, Letters to a Diminished Church, Dorothy Sayers has a few paragraphs about work. She argues that our financial system has subordinated people to economics. Workers are merely part of the machine in which they can earn a paycheque sufficient for living and some leisure time. The worker does not recognize the work as valuable.

She quotes a very able surgeon to show the results of this system: "What is happening is that nobody works for the sake of getting the thing done. The result of the work is a by-product; the aim of the work is to make money to do something else. Doctors practice medicine not primarily to relieve suffering, but to make a living—the cure of the patient is something that happens on the way. Lawyers accept briefs not because they have a passion for justice, but because the law is the profession that enables them to live."

The modern tendency is to identify work with employment. In this view, work is not the expression of our creative energy in the service of society, but only something we do to obtain money and leisure. Sayers also argues that Christians have been implicit. It might be that we have spent too much time with Genesis 3 in which work is named a hardship and a judgment on sin. We need to recover the Christian understanding of work related to the "doctrines of the creative energy of God and the divine image in humanity".

These Monday Avodah meditations are an effort in reclaiming a Christian view of work, which can be summed up simply as: work is sacred. In our society, work and money are woven tightly together. Christians ought to raise the alarm and make efforts to untie the knots. In the Biblical view, work is a good in itself. Many things beyond making money should be considered work. It is not primarily to make a living, but a result of being made in God's image. Thus, to do something well is sufficient, it gives glory to God.

Fighting against the economic machine of our society feels futile. But let me make a few suggestions to swim against the stream.

First, let us develop and maintain a robust view of humanity and of work. Our value is not in what we earn, but as image bearers of God. Everything that contributes to the flourishing of society ought to be labeled work.

Second, wherever we have influence, we should advocate both for proper conditions of employment and for work that we can put our whole heart into. Both the worker and the work need to be valued.

Third, treat all people with dignity all the time.

These things may appear small and insignificant. But let us remember that we live for a king who uses small things to great ends. Jessus spoke about small seeds. They have great potential.

As you journey on, go with the blessing of God:

Wherever God takes you today (this week), may He fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit and that you may live carefully—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.