Wilderness Wanderings

"Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, Lord, and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent person" (Deuteronomy 21:7-8).

The first part of Deuteronomy 21 deals with unsolved murders; it is concerned with justice for innocent victims. Rooted as we are in cinematic enactments of bloodshed and murder our eyes may pass over this text without a second thought. When murders are reported in Newscasts, we tune in more with a morbid curiosity than with horror that another human life has been lost. So, something is going on in this text that is worth pausing to consider.

Our text invites us to reconsider the value that we place on human life, on each human life. From early in the Biblical story blood speaks. "Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground," God says to Cain after the murder of brother Able. And after the flood God gives the animals as food to humanity but warns them not to eat animals with the lifeblood still in them. Then God warns, "I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being" (Genesis 9:5). Innocent blood will call to God for justice.

Blood is life and life is precious, human life especially. If someone is found murdered and the murderer cannot be found, then those in the closest town are to enact a ritual. During the ceremony, they are to declare their innocence and ask God to accept animal blood as atonement for the murder of an innocent person.

They are to recall that they are a redeemed people because God saw their oppression by the Egyptians and acted. As a redeemed people they were to hold life precious as their God does. Murder of the innocent brought defilement down on the whole community, even on the land. Through this ritual they appealed to God to redeem them again.

This text calls us to renew our commitment to the sanctity of human life. In North America, Christian evangelicals have long been known for their advocacy for the unborn. This is good, though some of our methodologies leave much to be desired. During the past decade, there has been a call to expand our advocacy for the sanctity of life. if we truly believe that each life is precious than we ought to be concerned for refugees, for people being trafficked, for those caught in addictions, for those facing homelessness, for those facing the effects of environmental degradation.

The list could be expanded. But the accusation that our advocacy for 'right to life' has been limited rings true. It is high time that those who advocate for the 'right to life' take a much broader perspective. It is time for the Christian community to put 'our backs to the plow' to use an old expression. I think our work for innocent victims has become rather lack luster.

There is more here. Blood is shed, innocent human blood and the blood of a heifer. I think that we have also become so used to the image of the cross that we forget that on the cross, innocent blood was shed. But that shedding was unique. Jesus offered himself for the guilt of the world. The blood in our text is part of that bloody trail running through the Bible that leads us to Jesus' cross. It leads us to Jesus holding up the cup of the new covenant formed in his blood. Blood which still speaks, speaks for us, making atonement for us.

That covenant of blood established a kingdom in which there would be no more innocent victims. Our text calls us to inspect our concern for this kingdom. When we see reports of innocent victims, are we moved? Does it matter to us? Do we join the course in heaven asking God, "How long yet?" Does it get you wondering which innocent victims God is calling you to seek justice for?

…among the lampstands was someone like a son of man… In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. (Bits of Revelation 1:13, 16)

"…See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals." Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne… (Revelation 5:5-6)

Is God violent?

That's a pretty complex question for a short devotional, but here goes.

We talked a bit about warfare yesterday, but now I'd like to jump up into the book of Revelation and look at the violence and warfare found there.

The answer to this above question has implications for how we as Christians interact with our culture today as we seek to "follow Jesus" in his ways. Are his ways violent ways that pour out wrath on enemies? If so, then maybe we're justified when we force our ways and opinions and cruel or condescending comments and actions on others. But if Jesus really is the Prince of Peace, then perhaps Christian superiority or self-righteousness is ill-founded.

We've been going through the book of Revelation in our Sunday worship services as "the Last Word" on the faith, so that's a good place to go with this question. Especially because the book of Revelation is absolutely filled with violent imagery and language.

But if you notice: none of the violence is actual. None of it is literal violence against the world or it's people. It's a vision—imagery—expressed in apocalyptic language and metaphors borrowed by John from Scripture, history, and tradition.

Further, though the violence John pictures is pictured as the judgement of God and of the Lamb, we have to look really carefully at how John pictures God and the Lamb. And when we do, we discover that John subverts the pictures. Things are not quite how they seem.

Yes, Jesus has a sword. But not a real sword. It's a sword that comes out of his mouth. It's what he speaks, the Word of God, that—in the words of Hebrews—penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, judging the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

And John is furthermore told about the Lion of Judah, but when he looks, instead of seeing a powerful, violent predator, John sees a little lamb looking like it had been slain. John saw not the perpetrator of violence, but the recipient. The conqueror who conquered by being conquered. This is Jesus on the cross. The lamb that was slain, but who now sits on the throne.

I think John would like us to see and believe that Jesus put violence to death in his cross: not through an act of divine violence, but through humble submission to humanity's violence. That is the Revelation of Jesus Christ in the book of Revelation.

"When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you" (Deuteronomy 20:1).

Our text introduces a chapter that is difficult to read. It is offensive to our modern sensibilities. We should rightly wrestle with the questions of Israel at war. Why did it have to be that way? I'm not sure that we can fully satisfy ourselves with an answer. However, some things should probably be said about this, so here goes.

Warfare seems to be about as old as humanity. Think of the story in Genesis 4 between two brothers in which the one kills the other. By the time Israel emerges out of Egypt, one nation conquering another was par for the course and has been right up to the present day. Maybe God was simply allowing Israel to function according to human rules.

Whatever the reasons for Israel's warfare, the church is not Israel. The church must not encourage the mobilization of armies for the Christian cause. It must be stated that one of the reasons Canada now has a National Day of Truth and Reconciliation is because the church took up arms to further God's cause. She felt compelled to Christianize North America by whatever means possible. To this day, the church pays the price of such notions.

It is worth noting that in Israel, warfare was not glorified. She was not encouraged to have a standing army or gather war horses. Also, as in this chapter, there was no disgrace in being afraid. People who were frightened were encouraged to go home. No shame. And people in various situations, such as engaged to be married or having just planted a new vineyard, were told to go home and enjoy what waited for them there.

Should we just throw this chapter out then? No. I think our text lies behind some themes that show up later in the scriptures. Some of the Psalms for example. "Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God (Psalm 146:3-5). And "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes" (Ps 118:8-9).

This theme makes its way into the New Testament. "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power…Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand" (Ephesians 6:9, 13).

There has been much ado over the past decades about Christian's being warriors; the target audience being boys and young men. But this defies the logic of this famous passage about the armour of God. Yes, Christians, male and female, are encouraged to put on the armour of God. But Paul does not tell us to fight. Rather, we are told "to stand against the devil's schemes…to stand our ground…to stand…." (11,13). The emphasis throughout is not on what we are doing but on what God does and gives.

Like Israel, we are not to trust in ourselves but in the power and might of our God. Isaiah said, "in quietness and trust is your strength" but Israel chose to flee on wild horses and was defeated. Waiting on the Lord (Psalm 130), not warfare, is the pervasive Biblical image.

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel." (Matthew 23:23-4)

Last week, Canada marked the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It's easy to pay attention when everyone else is, but now a few days later and at the beginning of a new week, it's a good time to ask the question: what stuck with you from that day?

Our church sits on land that was originally a shared territory between the Haudenosaunee and Anishnaabeg nations, protected by the Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant. What does that mean? Well, let me share a bit…

The Haudenosaunee is a confederacy of nations that we might know better by some of their other names. It is a confederacy of nations made up of the Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga and Mohawk. Later the Tuscarora would also join these five nations, making them the Six Nations that we know today from the Grand River. Colonists in North America knew these people as the Iroquois, but their self designation is Haudenosaunee, meaning "People of the Longhouse."

The Anishnaabeg nations include the Algonquin, Nipissing, Missisauga, Ojibwa, Odawa and Potawatomi. The first three in this list you may recognize from local names in this region of Ontario, and the last three I may know better, as they were the Council of Three Fires nations to whom belonged the land I grew up on in my home State of Michigan.

The Dish with One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant is an agreement that binds all these nations together as sharers in the provisions of the land, but also in its protection. It was an agreement of mutual respect to one another's needs, but also to the needs of the land for stewardship. As settlers moved into these areas of the Great Lakes, they were invited to join in this land-use covenant together with the nations who had already resided here for millennia. This was hospitality and generosity, founded in a belief that there was enough land and enough provision if the land was shared and respected together.

The settlers had a different understanding of land use though. Not as a gift to be shared with open hands, but as a resource to be privately owned and exploited to its fullest wealth-generating potential, even if that meant using the resource up. The settlers came with their new laws and government and with a decided arrogance against these naïve ways of mutuality and sharing. Over time, the land would simply be taken from the original nations to whom it belonged through the exploitative use of these laws. The Covenant of the Dish with one Spoon was violated; and the mighty Six Nations were confined to piddly reserves and subjected to cultural genocide. All the while, many of the new settlers attended their churches and gave their tithes.

We Westerners believe—or at least act—as if our thick codes of civilized law, which includes the subjagative Indian Act, are superior to any of the naïve forms of government possessed by the nations we conquered by treaty.

But weigh it out for yourself: who in this story is more like the Pharisees Jesus proclaimed a woe upon? Who are the ones who have neglected the more important matters of the law such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness?

A special, extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Revelation 6-7 from the New International Version of the Bible. 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

• What two things about evil does this text give us? What does it not give us?
• Some say the book of Revelation deals with the past, others the future and others the present? How do Immanuel's preachers understand it?
• Who rides on the white horse? What does this mean for Christians? How should they live?
• Chapter 6 is about evil. Why is that good news?
• Chapter 6 & 7 are like two panels. In the face of the evil of chapter 6, the question is asked, "Who can withstand it?" How does chapter 7 answer that question?
• How does Hebrews 11:1 help us to face evil in our lives and in the world?

"Do not move your neighbor's boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess" (Deuteronomy 19:14).

I have been working chapter by chapter through the book of Deuteronomy, each day picking a verse or two to reflect on. Some of you may have scratched your head when you heard/read my choice for today. But give me a moment of your time before you head off somewhere else.

When Israel entered the promised land, each family was given a piece of land. This land, God's gift to each family, was marked by 'boundary stones'. Laying on top of the ground, these markers were moveable. Since families did not go check their boundaries every day, it would be easy for a few rascals to go out in the middle of the night to move these stones, enlarging their own property in the process. By the time someone checked on the stones, all evidence of movement would be gone.

This little command seems to have snuck its way into a chapter dealing with issues regarding murder, both intentional and unintentional, and with proper witnesses during a criminal trial. That this verse gets embedded in a chapter with these larger issues suggests to me that God thought it was quite significant.

There are two matters that stand out to me regarding this little verse: justice and trust in God.

Let's take up justice first. Each family was given a certain amount of land from which they were to earn their income. If their land shrank because someone moved the boundary stones, then it would be more difficult for them to produce enough. Further, every fifth year, each family was to be restored to their gifted land. God implemented these laws to create a level economic playing field. Everyone had equal access to the land and opportunity to make a living.

This is a significant ingredient to justice and the biblical concept of Shalom. It was important that the people of Israel lived this and longed for it in their hearts. Jesus put it this way, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). We ought not to spiritualize this beatitude. Righteousness is about living according to God's ways.

Yesterday was the first Canadian National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The need for this day includes tremendous amounts of injustice, not least, issues dealing with land. Many of us may feel rather helpless in responding to historical and present injustices of this scale. But we can do something, by nurturing a heart for justice in our own back yards. Consider the places where we work and live? What sorts of inequities do we see? Which people have very little, if any, possibility of getting out of poverty, often because of circumstances beyond their control? Do we care about issues of homelessness in Hamilton? Does it matter to us that those most effected by climate changes are the poorest of the world?

The pursuit of justice often has a price tag. In Israel, families that purchased land from other Israelites had to give it back during the fiftieth year. Today's wealthy bulk at the idea of paying more taxes to help the poor. But Christians ought to seriously think about such ideas. Why? Helping the poor is an act of trust in God. It shows that we believe he will provide for our needs. He is more able to care for us than we are. Lifestyle changes that bless the environment, rather that harm it, will cost us. Are we willing to pay the price? Are we willing to trust in God for our welfare by giving to those in need?

Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. (2 John 9)

There are always more interesting spiritualities to pursue than Christianity. Better marketed materials, more influential influencers, more catchy songs, more immersive rituals, more directive applications.

Over these past years, you've perhaps since this too. Things long taboo or fringe have begun finding their way back into mainstream channels: dabblers in wicca, observers of the solstice, wearers of Thor's hammer. And that's coming along beside larger movements into religious practices that already were mainstream: like Buddhism, Hinduism, etc.

What marks off our age as different than previous ones however, is that people are sampling religious practices in the same way they do their shopping: mix and match. Trying out some practices from one religion, taking teachings from a guru in another, and creating out of it their own sense of an authentic spirituality for them. Everything in our Western World today has a seemingly equal claim to legitimacy if someone finds value in it, and all the world's history and practices can be ripped from context to suit to taste.

Christians do this too. Gone are the days that someone commits to one local church of one denomination. Most of you listening to this have read, watched, or listened to Christian content that came from somewhere other than the Christian Reformed Church or Immanuel CRC. Whether a sermon, music, a devotional or Bible Study, etc. And, increasingly, we don't stop at historically Christian practices or content. We also entertain practices that come from beyond. Like the uptake of Yoga in recent decades, as one more benign example (which is something that I believe, with Paul, can be received and practiced with thanks to God—see Romans 14 for more on that).

But, in a world where all the boundaries have become blurry, and where we are increasingly immersed in a huge, swirling variety of practices and teachings stripped from their religious contexts, where does one draw the lines?

Well, John gives a simple answer which sounds strangely familiar to the one we heard in our devotion yesterday. It's basically this: continue in the teaching of Jesus Christ. Don't run ahead thinking that you need to add something to your spirituality to spice it up or make it more effective or authentic just because everyone else is these days. No, Jesus Christ and him alone is enough. If you have Christ, then you already have everything. You don't have to search further. You can lean all your weight on him.

It's a hard thing to do these days, but to dwell with Christ—him alone—and trust in his promises, is the heart of the Christian faith.

"When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead" (Deuteronomy 18:9-11).

Moses' farewell sermons to Israel do not stray far from familiar themes. Oddly, these are themes that Christians need to hear and meditate on as well. The rest of the Biblical writes come round to them too. Jesus himself picks up on them. The specific theme of our text is simply this: God's people are not to imitate the ways of those who practice different religions.

It's probable that the list of forbidden things mentioned here are not things many of us have engaged in. Thus, at first glance our eyes may glaze over, and our minds wander off to things more familiar. Yet, if our historians are correct, then there is a common purpose to all these practices. Ancient folks engaged in such things to get a peek into the future. They wanted a little information so they could properly prepare for what was to come, circumvent potential catastrophe and ensure that the gods were on their side.

Which of us cannot understand the impulse to do this very thing?

But what would happen if we knew the future, even just a little bit of it? We wouldn't need to trust in the Lord anymore. The essence of Proverbs would be negated, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Jesus put it this way, "Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. If…God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?" (Matthew 6:25, 34, 30).

A missionary was having trouble translating the word belief into the language of the people he was ministering too. One day as he sat in his hut filled with frustration, a man entered and slumped down in a chair. Exhausted from a long journey, the man said, "I'm leaning my whole weight on this chair." "What did you say?" asked the missionary. The man repeated, "I'm leaning my whole weight on this chair." "That's it!" cried the missionary. And from that day forward, "Believe in Jesus" became "Lean your whole weight on Jesus."

This is what Moses is getting at when he tells Israel not to imitate the people who live in Canaan, who trust in many things to find security. Some of which were very vile. God's people learn not to worry about the future because it is in God's hands. Moreover, they themselves are in God's hands. They learn to lean their whole weight on Jesus. He is much more able than we are to bring security.

The things people did back then may sound silly to us. With some pride, we may think that we are too sophisticated to put our trust in such things. But what things do we put our trust in? Yet, a cancer diagnosis, a virus, a downturn in the markets, an accident and the chair we thought secure falls over. Moses reminds Israel and he would remind us, that we ought not to follow in the footsteps of other people. Rather, we need to put our trust in God alone, lean our whole weight on Jesus.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21).

What do you treasure most in life? Where is your heart most deeply invested?

It's no secret, I think, that Jesus spoke a lot about money. What we do with the practical stuff of our lives like our bank accounts, loans, assets, and giving is the clearest indicator of our priorities.

A lot of us have aspirations of who we really want to be. We want to be selfless, caring—invested in our neighbours, in the world, and in the church. The question, is does your bank statement reflect those priorities? Does your calendar? Because when the rubber hits the road: it is the spending of our time and money that declares what we really care about—that declares where our heart really is.

Sure, there are things you have to do that fill those statements and calendars up. Work, bills, daycare, school, groceries, whatever. But what about your disposable income—the stuff left over after the necessities are paid for? Or the time you have that isn't given to work, school, or grocery shopping? Where does that stuff go? Think about that for a moment…

And then think about something else. Because actually, to draw on yesterday's devotion, it's not just about what we do with the stuff that's leftover—our disposable time and income—it's also about what we do with the time and money spent on the first things of life. It's about our work, our school, our home, clothes, groceries, and retirement savings.

How do we truly love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, our whole selves—our family selves, our working or studying selves, our free-time selves, etc.?

There's a lovely quote from Annie Dillard that goes like this: She says, "how we spend our days is how we spend our lives. What we are doing with this hour and with that one is what we are doing." We could say the same thing about how we spend our dollars. If screen time, shopping dollars, and working or studying to keep up or achieve a particular lifestyle is how we've invested our dollars and hours, that, friends, is where our heart and treasure is. I tell you the truth, we have received our reward in full.

Jesus tells us immediately after these verses not to worry about clothes, food, and shelter. Instead, he says, "Seek first [God's] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

So, what do your calendar and bank statements tell you about what you're seeking first? To what or who have you entrusted your heart and treasure? Who or what do you trust for your provision when it comes to life's necessities?

"Do not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep that has any defect or flaw in it, for that would be detestable to him" (Deuteronomy 17:1).

Let us stay with the theme of giving offerings to God which was already explored last week. In our church services, we take up offerings which are also called collections. This name change is rooted in the New Testament collections taken up for the poor. When Paul writes about these collections, his language echoes the themes of Jewish worship and sacrifice. But we before we go further to explore what 'sacrifices' we might give to the Lord today, let us ponder the other part of our text.

God stresses that any sacrifices made to him need to be perfect animals, as he defines perfect. That Israel did not take him seriously becomes evident in the end of the Old Testament. Several of the minor prophets deal with this including Malachi, who records these words of accusation from God against his people, "'You ask, 'How have we shown contempt for your name?' By offering defiled food on my altar. You ask, 'How have we defiled you?' By saying that the Lord's table is contemptible. When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?'" (Malachi 1:6-8).

These sacrifices signify the covenant relationship between God and his people. God is holy and pure. God has done great things for his people. When they sacrificed their 'leftover' animals to God, they were denying both God's holiness and purity and the value he had as their God. in other words, they were telling him that he was 'not much of a God."

This invites us to think about our response to God. What does it say about the value we ascribe to Him? Is he worth much to us? So let me ask you again. Based on your contributions to the things of God: his church, other Christian organizations, the poor, how much do you value God? When you work out your budget (if you do), do you prioritize financial gifts to God? or does he get your leftovers?

1. Enough about money. I think we need to go beyond money in this conversation. Let me return to Romans 12, where we read, "in view of God's mercy, offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God…" (1). We can hear the echoes of the Jewish sacrificial system here and the reminder that sacrifices need to be holy and pleasing to God. This calls for an essential change of question. The important question is not, "What shall I give to God?" but, "What does God want me to give?"

It also changes what we bring: no longer animals but ourselves. We are invited to consider how our schedules can become an offering to God. When we decide what we are going to do each day, these things ought to be considered dedicated to God. For some of us, this may mean that we need to start planning our days, and not allow them to be planned for us. As we plan out our week, do we include time for rest and time for family, do we include time to simply be with God?

A further thought, this text also asks us to consider HOW we do what we do? When we are at work, are we working well or only half heartedly? Are we treating people around us with respect? Do we view them as image bearers of God or as tools we can use for our own purposes? When we are with family or with church members are we truly present with them or just doing time?

Paul ends his discourse on the collection for the poor with the well-known phrase, "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" (2 Corinthians 9:15). The grace of God in Christ is the melody that weaves the Christian life and the church together. Jesus is God's indescribable gift. How can we not give him what is holy and pleasing?