Thankfulness (Psalm 107:1-32)

Psalm 107 commences with a reminder about the need for us to give thanks to our God – because God is always good and his love is constantly with us. Sometimes the pressures and problems of life might silence us in terms of expressing thanks, but we should recall the times when we have been redeemed from our troubles – the greatest of our troubles being … a hopeless future! To be “redeemed” is to be brought back from that which previously enslaved us. This psalm possibly reflects on God bringing his people Israel back out of exile, being delivered from all the consequences of such an exile. But this psalm could equally reflect on very typical stress-filled predicaments faced again and again by Israel and all human communities i.e. homelessness, imprisonment, sickness and danger. Some of these states we bring upon ourselves through corrupt decision-making and behaviour, others just happen as part of life, and others might come to us as persecution because of our faith. In each case, God reaches out far and wide. And the people of God’s kingdom have been gathered from all directions – from all points of the compass, and thus should be joining in a chorus of praise. History shows that God has thus acted. Such a chorus of praise should also go back in each of these directions – east, west, north and south, thus gathering others around the name of Jesus.

Read Psalm 107:4-9

What do you make of this? There are those who have found themselves a long way from God and thus a long way from finding satisfaction (let alone reaching their potential in life). They have lost any sense of personhood, relationship and home. In the wide open spaces these ones have no place in which to feel safe. This is not necessarily because of anything negative (or sinful) they have done – it could have just been the circumstances that encompassed them. They could be just like modern-day refugees with nowhere to go and no one wanting them! Their experience of life is dry, uncomfortable and almost hope-less. This level of need entitles them to turn to a compassionate God for help. And, somehow someway, they have sensed that they can cry out to God and be heard. How did this happen? Well in Israelite culture, each person would be well aware of this opportunity; however we cannot say that in our particular time and place! Or, maybe, each person does have that intrinsic sense of the “divine”, that might become more apparent in times of despair.

However it happened, God “delivered” them. This would not necessarily mean that all their troubles disappeared, but rather they had new coping mechanisms and new perspective and new companionship. In finding their way through (refer verse 7), they were reconnected with community life (“an inhabited town”)! This is a place where the previously lost and homeless can settle. God is not a source of the convenient ‘quick-fix’ (putting ‘band aids’ on little sores), but rather is purposeful in bringing about whole new futures! All of this should lead to thanksgiving, although for some this may take some time. Jesus echoes of the words of the psalmist in verse 9 when he says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they [these ones] will be filled” (Matthew 5:6). People remain unsatisfied and broken, not because God is absent, but rather because God is not known to them! The invitation of the Gospel needs to be heard by many in this community and world, so that they may also join in the thanksgiving.

Read Psalm 107:10-16

Those pictured in the next group of verses seem to have fallen to an even greater level of depression. The words and phrases used seem to suggest those who have been imprisoned, because they have done seriously wrong things and thus fallen fowl of the law. As opposed to being lost in wide open spaces (as above), these ones are caught and trapped within very confined spaces. As verse 11 suggests, they have, as evidenced by their behaviour, ignored God’s ways, and therefore probably have drastically hurt other people. From the lowest of the low, they too have found that they can cry out to God and be heard. This particular “crying” would certainly have to involve ‘repentance’ – a determination to change! What a marvellous God we have that can bring people out of darkness into the light, and out of bondage to all sorts of negative and addicted behaviour patterns into freedom. These are wonderful works indeed!

Have a look at the dramatic expression of a new experience of freedom in verse 16. That which holds someone tightly and completely captive is absolutely dispensed with. Whereas the physical imprisonment may continue (due to the seriousness of the crime committed), a person can be spiritually released (and subsequently transformed and rehabilitated)! Jesus is the one who provides the way forward for people in such deep trouble. Jesus speaks of his job description by quoting from Isaiah (in Luke 4:18-19), “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour”. We, as followers of Jesus, can (and should) have a similar ministry to others.

Read Psalm 107:17-22

We have to understand that in the time when this psalm was written, people thought that illness and calamity was caused by sin; the worst example of this was seen in the advice of Job’s friends. We know now that sickness is far more random and wide-reaching – touching people no matter how well or otherwise they live. Often we are simply genetically disposed to suffer certain illnesses. Having said this, there are certain behaviours, like drug-taking for instance, or poor dietary habits, that lead to disease, where we have to take seriously the human responsibility for this. In any case, we see in these verses, what the affliction of prolonged sickness can do to people. They can give up (refer to verse 18)! Again, though, a distress signal goes out to God, and healing comes. Destruction through despondency loomed, but God sent his “word” to them (refer verse 20). This must relate to the encouraging promises of ‘God’s Word’, especially in regards to God’s steadfast love, close proximity and healing touch. The ones who have found new hope and wholeness in God should spend quality time in worship and sings songs that testify to that new joy found in God.

Read Psalm 107:23-32

These verses address specific danger, like what sailors, traders and travellers of old faced aboard boats on the high seas. The waves that seem to come from the deepest of depths and rise to the highest of heights take away the courage of even the best seafarer. This reminds me that things can happen in life that can shake even the firmest and most active of faith. There is an element here that this is how it is meant to be – that the creation around us is supposed to be volatile, so that we can never really feel secure without truly knowing our Creator and Living God (refer verse 25)! There is also the element here, that often there are tests put before our faith – to see how we’ll go!! Sometimes because of the pressure upon us, we lack the ideas to take us forward … we are at our “wit’s end”. Yet when we cry out to the Lord, things can look a little brighter and clearer and quieter and better, and we can begin to be calmer, fear less, and regain our courage (refer verse 30). People need to know this God – so many people are suffering much more than they need to. Our thankfulness can be such that it leads to a greater acknowledgement of God’s availability to all people.

Light, darkness & church abuse - a discussion (Matthew 6:22-23)

Matthew 6:23b says, If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness.

The context suggests the meaning of this. Just look at the passages surrounding this verse. Those who purport to follow Jesus but put more value on “treasures of earth” rather than “treasures of heaven” are in great darkness. Those who seek to continue to waver between two “masters” are in great darkness. Those who unduly worry about peripheral matters (rather than striving first for the kingdom of God) are in great darkness. Those who judge others (without a proper consideration of their own state) are in great darkness. If we fix our eyes on the wrong things and thus allow our vision to become unhealthy we finish up in darkness.

Looking at this another way, and reflecting on the “eye” and the functioning of the “eye” as part of our perceptions … “the view we take of [other] people depends on the kind of eye we have” (Barclay). There are certain things that can distort our vision, blind our eyes, and thus make us live in darkness, e.g. prejudice or hate, conceit or self-centredness, and jealousy or greed. What is then neglected is compassion, generosity and truth. There is a devaluing of other people to the extent that they can either be ignored, or worse, become commodities to be used for one’s own ends. This is the path toward darkness, where there is less and less light to show the way back to Jesus!

Now this all seems an overly harsh assessment; or is it? Consider some of the deeds done by those who were supposedly servants of the living God. Should not they have thought more about these passages. Did they take their propensity to sin far too easily? Did others fail in not pointing out their wrongdoing or not taking enough action to protect the innocent?? Have some been caught in the great hypocrisy of preaching moral standards while personally ignoring them. Patrick Parkinson has said, “… if people preach moral standards and they don’t live by them, they are the worst of sinners in my personal view”.

There is probably an even more clear statement about the seriousness of these matters contained in Matthew 18:1-9. Verses 6-7 read as follows. If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!

The world, and many of its citizens, are deeply affected by the abuse inflicted by those who have allowed darkness to reign in the lives. When such abuse has occurred through the hand of those who are part of the church, no wonder the church faces criticism and condemnation, and comes to bear shame. So how do we rally from this? How do we bring glory to God and lift up the name of Jesus in the midst of a somewhat sorry situation?

Having watched the episode on “church abuse” from the Towards Belief DVD series, we should think about the following questions and points:

(1)    What is the appropriate response of churches who know that abuse has occurred in their midst? To the victims? To the offenders?

In many instances the church has failed to support victims, and has not had appropriate measures in place to receive and deal with complaints. In the past there was a reluctance to report matters to the proper authorities, and, in some cases, a sense of trying to protect the institution, rather than trying to provide help for victims. The church must adopt a zero tolerance to abuse within its number. Telling the truth and seeking justice for victims is vital. This is the path toward regaining the community’s trust.

Regarding offenders – while Christians believe that God’s grace reaches out to even the most flawed people, forgiveness relies on true repentance i.e. honestly facing up to wrongdoing, telling the truth, making changes, and efforts toward making reparation.

(2)    When someone says to you, “I could never accept Christianity because of the cases of abuse in the church”, how can you respond?

Ghandi once said, “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians; they are so unlike your Christ”.

(3)    One sufferer of abuse interviewed said that the abuse he suffered at the hands of a leading pastor has not changed his view of God, his view of Jesus, or his sense of his need for God. How can we explain that?

He said the following: “What I can say is, I never equated that pastor’s actions with Jesus Christ and I never equated it with the church. And so, while I can understand why people would be angry at the church and angry at God for these things that happened to me or to anybody else, this was not what God wanted. This was an abomination. It’s never changed my understanding of the fact that I need God, that this world needs God.”

Where is our heart? (Matthew 6:19-24)

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6 verse 21). What does this mean??

Jesus is making the assertion, with which we may be prepared to agree, that whatever we pursue most in life, and what we give our highest priority to, and where we put our greatest energies – this inevitably shows what we most care about and where our heart is. As Athol Gill once wrote, “Each person sets their heart on what they count as ultimately important … and this allegiance determines the direction of their life”. Allan Meyer defines the “heart” as the inner springs of our life – the place where our motivation and ‘bounce’ comes from! So the question is … ‘where is our heart’?

Jesus begins this section of his ‘sermon on the mount’ by engaging with the minds of those who are particularly focussed on ‘earthbound’ things like material possessions, wealth and status. Jesus sees this as a major indicator of a heart-based problem.

In verse 19 Jesus contends that such things as material possessions and status (referred to as “treasures on earth”) are not as valuable as we first think, because in reality, such things are subject to wearing out and being taken away from us. They are temporary and worthless beyond this life. And these “treasures of earth” cannot necessarily even bring happiness or security in this life (because they were never designed to be able to do so). Yet some people will still invest their heart and soul in such things – continuing toward a high level of anxiety about them, despite this being in many ways irrational. Material acquisition and power has become for many people just as strong and pervasive an addiction as any drug, and as such becomes a very destructive occupation (which brings negative outcomes, and not just for the person themselves).

This then links to verse 23 in terms of someone who might claim to be in the light, but in reality dwells in “great” darkness. This is because, rather than experiencing freedom, their quest for possessions and power – possesses them! An example of this is found within the interchange Jesus had with ‘the rich young ruler’ (an incident recorded in three of the Gospels including Matthew 19). This man desperately wanted to experience eternal life, but when faced by Jesus with the very thing that was standing in the way, he could not give up his possessions.

Jesus speaks further to such people who worry too much about the wrong things in the passage that follows (from verse 25). This is because undue worry about comparatively less important matters, diminishes our usefulness and effectiveness in God’s kingdom. We will come back to the punch-line of that latter passage later.

Now, Jesus, in verse 20, also contends that there are other possible pursuits that are NOT subject to any processes of decline. These pursuits are called “treasures in heaven”. What would these be??? We might start by defining “treasures in heaven” as those things or pursuits or investments that are of immense, permanent and eternal value and significance.

·         Acts of kindness and service … out of a heart of love and gracious compassion

·         Gifts of forgiveness

·         Faith-sharing … where people have the opportunity to come to know Jesus

·         Justice-seeking … in a world with a very unequal distribution of resources

·         Community-building … bringing people together into greater harmony and mutual caring

·         Good character … where the True Light is allowed to shine

·         Growing relationships … with God, family, neighbours, community networks (including church family)

“Treasures of heaven” would ultimately be those things that advance the cause of the kingdom of God. We pray expectantly, as Jesus taught earlier in Matthew 6, that God’s kingdom will advance … Your kingdom come; Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven – and in so praying commit ourselves to this cause. God’s kingdom … how would we best define this – the places, minds and hearts where God’s will reigns. This striving for the kingdom of God (or the ‘reign of God’) is to shape the identity and lifestyle of all the followers/disciples of Jesus.

Returning to the ‘rich young ruler’ … what was his particular path toward “treasures in heaven”. We read in Matthew 19:21 that Jesus said to him, If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me. What did “treasures in heaven” look like for him (potentially)? Well, presumably, the output and results of de-possessing himself … to the benefit of the poor! But, unfortunately, it seems, he would never know!!

We read later at Matthew 6 verse 33 … But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well; where “first” gives the sense of priority, and “these things” refer to those things which may have previously competed to be first priority (e.g. food, drink, clothing) but now are allowed to find their natural place in the order of things. Paraphrased in another way, in seeking first the Kingdom of God, we are allowing for everything else to fall into its right place! Michael Hardin writes, “Seeking God’s reign is our reason for waking up in the morning, living through the day and resting at night; it is the food and drink of our existence as disciples” (The Jesus Driven Life, p.83).

The verse about not being able to serve two masters (v.24) emphasises that clear decisions have to be made between competing allegiances. We might think that we can manage a whole range of agendas, but if we don’t prioritise in a very deliberate way, all sorts of distractions will cross our path and cause various diversions … which will inevitably be both unhelpful to us and the cause of God’s kingdom. “When we seek God’s reign we bring our intention in line with Jesus who is the revealer of God’s reign” (Michael Hardin, The Jesus Driven Life, p.82). Thus, simply, our heart belongs with Jesus!!

Simple Honesty (Matthew 5:33-37)

We want to live out our faith in a credible enough way to have the opportunity of sharing that same faith with others. Jesus, in the ‘sermon on the mount’, is concerned that his followers can be easily identified as such – “Jesus followers”! We have already seen that one way in which Jesus followers can be identified as such is through being peacemakers. Another way, if we look back to the “beatitudes” (Matthew 5:3-12), is to be “pure in heart”. This is about our motivations and inner life. But it is also about how such inner motivations play out in the public sphere.

Our inner and outer lives should be in harmony on our journey toward wholeness. Jesus says a bit more about a straightforward and uncomplicated way of life in Matthew 5:33-37. This is about a way of life that is honest and truthful … a life that has integrity. Jesus moves the focus away from the need to take oaths and make vows, toward simply speaking the truth, meaning what we say, and fulfilling the commitments that we make.

Jesus doesn’t directly quote any one Old Testament verse here, but rather seems to summarise a number of them. The Old Testament acknowledged the cultural norm of taking oaths and making vows concerning conduct (and doing so in the name of God) – swearing an oath would suggest people were telling the truth, and making a vow about something would suggest that they were going to fulfil their stated responsibility. But history had already showed that such taking of oaths had not achieved a general pattern of truthfulness amongst God’s people. These oaths and vows were often broken, as inevitably happens when a person’s heart is not right, and didn’t really mean what they had said.

So we read this rejoinder in Numbers 30:2 – “When a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth”. In a similar vein, but with the added implication of “guilt”, we read in Deuteronomy 23:21 – “If you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not postpone fulfilling it; for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you would incur guilt”. Then in Leviticus 19:12 we have the most clear warning – “And you shall not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God: I am the Lord”. Taking so lightly such an oath, right to the extent of speaking dishonestly, or not following through on a promise … greatly dishonoured and demeaned the name of God (right in the face of the One who is Lord of all)! And the full emphasis of this is brought out by it being addressed as the ‘third’ of the ‘ten commandments’: “You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name” (Exodus 20:7, Deut.5:11). This is not so much about using God’s name loosely as a swear word (which is bad enough), but more so about attaching falsehoods and broken promises to God’s name – making God an accessory to a (grave) wrong!

So, having taken an oath or made a vow in the name of God (and calling upon God as a witness) was a very serious matter, and they could expect significant repercussions when they broke such a commitment. So, then … was the truth and commitments really taken seriously? Do we take both honesty and our commitments seriously? We can see from Jesus’ words in Matthew, that instead of just opting for complete honesty, people began to take their oaths or make their vows against a series of lesser terms than God (e.g. heaven, earth, Jerusalem, their own head), saving themselves from judgment (or so they thought), when they inevitably failed or went back on their word. So they would try to avoid the binding nature of ‘swearing by God’, and would utilise this other scale of oaths which they considered to be less and less binding.

Apparently there were great screeds written on these lesser “oaths”, showing that this was widely discussed, and had got totally out of control. These were their escape clauses, sometimes in making promises they really had no intention of keeping. Such promises are made just to put a person in a good light (albeit temporary) or to silence their detractors (for the time being until they are found out). Rather than starting from a point of natural truthfulness and wholistic commitment, people had found ways to allow for and legitimate laxity, equivocation and disloyalty. The commonness of “oaths” actually showed how much dishonesty, untruthfulness and unreliability had become the norm!

How do we do this now? If we are bold enough, a modern alternative might be, “I’ll swear on my mother’s grave …”. But perhaps more likely, in being loose with our language, we might be saying quietly under our breath, (if this still suits me later) I will … , or (if this is still to my advantage) I will … .

Of course, there was really no escape through swearing in the name of heaven, earth, Jerusalem, or even oneself, because all of these terms had linkages back to God – all such things were created by and belong to God. Jesus quotes from Isaiah 66 and Psalm 48 to strengthen his point. And besides, this completely flew in the face of the original intention of the Old Testament law – honesty and true commitment. The fact is, “A community of integrity and ‘right’ relationships does not need oaths that can be used evasively” (Warren Carter). A simple basic “yes” or “no” is emphasised as the way to go! Playing around with the truth or being ambivalent about commitment, comes from the place of evil. W.R.G. Loader wrote, “Nothing but straight honest open communication avoids treating people as less than people and God as less than God”.

This teaching is also found in James 5:12 – “Above all, my beloved, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your ‘Yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘no’, so that you may not fall under condemnation”. I think by implication, the inverse could also be said: If you want to properly represent Jesus to others, you need to develop thorough and consistent truthfulness. Good character and a transparent goodness follows from here. This is the shape of the new community of Jesus. This will be an example that naturally critiques any falsehood and infidelity.

If we form a good pattern of honesty, then this will likely hold when we are put under pressure. Sometimes, rather than responding rashly, we will need to take some time (utilising prayer) before we respond ‘yes’ or ‘no’, until all the facts are in, or until we’ve had time to weigh up all the likely implications. Better this, than to let someone down, or dishonour the name of Jesus. At the same time, because sometimes there is the need for instant responses, we should be nurturing our working relationship with the Holy Spirit.

As an aside – sometimes it is legally necessary for us to take “oaths” – say on the witness stand in court. This is because, although our character may generally stand up to scrutiny, we live in a (fallen) world full of deceit and deception – a world so marred that it often cannot easily tell the difference between truth and error – a world that requires something special to be said before one can be believed. However we should note, that while this is the world we live in, this is not the world we belong to!!