WATCHWORD:
The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head. Obadiah 1:15
I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set my heart on your laws. Psalm 119:30
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Meditation:
Relevance?
Oswald Chambers once said that Psalms teach us how to pray; Job teaches us how to suffer; the Song of Solomon teaches us how to love; Proverbs teaches us how to live, and Ecclesiastes teaches us how to enjoy life. Philip Yancey, on the other hand, tells us that he turns to Job, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Ecclesiastes and Prophets, not to be taught something, but out of his own doubts and struggles. He calls those books companions for his pilgrimage because in them he discovers himself.
Interesting. How do you discover yourself? In the March 11 Watchword I quoted this from T. S. Eliot: “We shall not cease from searching, and the end of all our searching will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” What is the starting point for the search of discovery? I don’t believe its a book of the Bible, I think that’s the next point. I think the starting point often is a simple prayer: “Help me, Lord,” and the search begins in the light of His presence.
Years ago, I was in a men’s Bible Study and the question asked was “what shall we study next?” Several suggestions were offered, including a book from the Old Testament. One comment was “No, let’s stay with the New Testament, it’s more relevant!” I seem to recall that we chose Matthew. More relevant? I wonder.
I understand what my friend meant, but it caused me to think more about how do we look at or consider the Books of the Bible. Are there less relevant parts? I think, no. This is God’s story. Each part, each book, is there for a reason, completing God’s story.
Let’s say you are the chief engineer building a bridge over a wide river. It is nearly complete when you are informed that there has been a budget cut and you cannot complete the middle span. Ooops. That middle span is definitely relevant. But so is each support, even those little aprons of road, on either side of the river that put you on the bridge. It all works together. Every part, relevant.
I just finished reading Galatians. Six short chapters, but, oh, so relevant. Paul’s passionate teaching of the purity of faith in Jesus, separate from Judiasm. Six short chapters we cannot do without.
How about Old Testament Obadiah? Just 670 words, 21 verses, one chapter. How could that be relevant? How about this: The message of Obadiah demonstrates God’s ongoing protection of His people. It shows that God’s standards extend beyond his chosen people and that every nation will be judged by this one standard. Relevant? Just like that middle span of the bridge.
Here are Thomas Merton’s words about the Bible and its relevance for us:
“There is, in a word, nothing comfortable about the Bible — until we manage to get so used to it that we make it comfortable for ourselves. In doing so have we ceased to question the book and be questioned by it? Have we ceased to fight it? Then perhaps our reading is no longer serious. For most people, the understanding of the Bible is, and should be, a struggle: not merely defined in meaning that can be looked up in books of reference, but to come to terms personally with the stark scandal and contradiction in the Bible itself… let’s not be too sure we know the Bible just because we have learned not to be astonished at it, just because we have learned not to have problems with it.”
Relevance? We have Psalm 119, with its 176 verses in 22 chapters, and we have Obadiah, with 21 verses and 1 chapter. Which is more relevant? Not even a question. They both carry the same power from God. Both of utmost relevance. The story would be incomplete without either.
God really knows how to tell a story! Dig in! Amen.
Bulletin Board:
Back to a little Irish humor —
- Who gossips with you will gossip of you.
- Why should you never iron a four-leaf clover? You don’t want to press your luck.
- May the Lord keep you in His hand and never close His fist too tight.
- If you’re lucky enough to be Irish, then you’re lucky enough.
Closing Prayer:
Prayer based on 2 Corinthians 5:1-5 —
Father God, we praise you for the wonderful future that you have prepared for us through the death and resurrection of you Son, Jesus Christ. We eagerly await the day when we will enter into your presence for all eternity with holy bodies untainted by sin. Please help us to not lose heart when we face the many pressures, anxieties, and troubles of life in this fallen world. Let us take great courage in the knowledge that you’ve given us the Holy Spirit to prepare our souls for our kingdom dwelling with you. Thank you for letting Jesus live in us. It is in his name that we pray, Amen.
