Trust and Understand

Today was the Day of Atonement (Yom HaKippurim or Yom Kippur according to the Jewish year) and as such my thoughts centered around the New Testament letter called "Hebrews." This long epistle frames the significance of Jesus Christ in terms of the ancient Israelite priesthood and their service in the tabernacle in which God's presence dwelt. The Day of Atonement has a key place in the book of Hebrews.

But aside from the declaration that Jesus is in fact the High Priest of the heavens, interceding for all who trust Him on the cosmic "Day of Atonement," the book also stresses the function and importance of faith. Some of the more memorable passages about faith in Hebrews are:

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen."

"Without faith it is impossible to please God..."

When reading today, the one that caught my attention is found in chapter 11, verse 3.

"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

It's the beginning of that phrase that stopped to ponder. "Through faith I understand..." How often do I build my understanding on "faith"? My normal routine is to build my understanding upon logic and reason. We Westerners are heirs to "Enlightenment" mentality, so reason holds a special place in our culture and the institutions that shape the way we think and look at the world. I know firsthand that things that just seem to "make sense" are sometimes contrary to what the Bible says about the world.

The "world" that I see as I look around - as well as the universe that the Hubble telescope photographs - is full of inexplicable wonder. Who hasn't stared into the starry sky on a moonless night, amazed with the beauty and immensity of the world? Looked into the intricacy of a spider's web? We all know of the debate between the "science of Evolution" and the "argument from intelligent design." At the core of this issue is the question, "What are we going to tell our kids?"

The answer of course depends upon what you believe.

"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God..."

It is through faith that I "understand" that God created the universe. This is not an understanding built upon "scientific" data or facts. Faith is something you have. It is not something you muster up for yourself, however. Rather, faith is a gift from God. You either believe or you don't. Very rarely have people been "argued" into believing!

From the perspective of Enlightenment "reason," faith doesn't make very much sense. In fact, it makes no "sense" at all because by definition, faith is "the evidence of things unseen"! Faith is seeing apart from your eyes, hearing apart from your ears. It's a strange bird.

Nevertheless, I believe that God created the worlds by His word, just as Hebrews 11:3 says. I seek to understand my place in the world from this vantage point. Can I prove that God created the world? No. Does my inability to prove it in terms of science concern me? No.

I simply believe it and am happy.

"Trust in the LORD with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5

Letting Mercy Lead

In one of my favorite Rich Mullins songs he sings, “Let mercy lead, let love be the strength in your legs, and in every footprint that you leave there’ll be a drop of grace.”

Primarily, mercy is “compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power.” Mercy is when it is in your power to assist someone in need – someone that doesn’t “deserve” or hasn’t “earned” your help - and you help. Mercy alleviates misery.

So, with this Rich Mullins song in my head, I am asking myself, “Am I letting ‘mercy lead’?”

Yeshua (‘Jesus’ in Aramaic) often quoted an ancient prophet to the proud “religious” of his own day, “Mercy I desire, not sacrifice!” In their holy stringency for pristine purity they had lost sight of the weightier matters of the Torah – love for neighbors and helping the orphans and widows. Theirs was a religion of straining out flies while swallowing camels. (Neither flies nor camels are kosher, mind you!)

“Mercy, not sacrifice.” That is, “alleviation of suffering, not ritual habits.” Does the prophet speak to the religious institutions of our own day? I suppose there are churches out there that are being called to ease up on ceremony and to “let mercy lead.” But perhaps more importantly, does the prophet speak to me? Am I following mercy’s lead?

I can say that the areas of life where I consciously follow mercy are a bit more scary – because moves of mercy are generally not moves to build personal privacy or security. They take me out of my comfort zone. More often than not they put me on my knees. I have found that in order to act with mercy, I must all the more depend on God’s mercy for me.

What opportunity is there in your life to show mercy? Are you willing to get a bit uncomfortable to “let mercy lead”? What is the alternative?

The End of God

What comes after "believing in God"? [I'm consciously bracketing out the question of "what god or whose god," and assuming the Judeo-Christian "God" with a big "G."]

Jesus says the greatest commandment is to "Love the Lord (Yahweh) your God with all your heart, soul, and might." (He too is assuming the "God" of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - Whose name is Yahweh.)

Have you ever thought about what that commandment entails? Where does God "end" and the world begin? I believe that "He is," but do I believe "His is here"? Where does He end? Where do I draw the line? Is there anywhere in my life that I've not let God in? Am I keeping anything from Him?

The Psalmist writes, "The earth belongs to Yahweh, along with all who dwell on it." (Ps. 24) Do I behave as if that is true? Or, do imagine that God is out there somewhere in the distance and I - with the rest of the world - am pretty much left to myself?

How does one who embraces the "greatest commandment" view their day, life, actions, relationships? Paul writes, "Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of* the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Col. 3:15)

So, it would seem that God "ends" where we draw the line. "Here and no further!" We can remove Him from the academy, His word from the walls of courtrooms and public spaces. But if the psalmist is correct, and the whole earth really is His, then our attempts to limit the Holy One parallel those of the Black Knight who, in spite of increasing injury, continues to tell King Arthur, "None shall pass!" in the Monty Python movie.

I'd just as soon welcome Him in!

* "In the name of" was an ancient Jewish idiom meaning "with the authority of" or "in accordance with." To act "in the name of" means one's actions are informed solely by the authority named.