Death

Readings for today: 2 Kings 24-25, 2 Chronicles 36:1-21, Jeremiah 52

Warfare in the ancient world was much different than it is today. There were no Geneva Conventions. There were no “rules” of war that empires generally followed. There was no “international court” to appeal to for war crimes. No quarter was given to the local population. No steps were taken to protect non-combatants. No thought was given to those caught up in the conflict through no fault of their own. Prisoners were often tortured and executed in the field. Entire cities were razed to the ground. The goal was the complete annihilation of a culture. The eradication of the conquered kingdom from the history books.

We see a terrifying example of this in what happened to Judah when Babylon invaded. Judah had faced enemies before. In fact, the Egyptian armies had just defeated them in battle and levied a tribute but they left the kingdom of Judah largely intact. Babylon took a much different approach. They “burned the Lord’s temple, the king’s palace, all the houses of Jerusalem; and burned down all the great houses. The whole Chaldean army with the captain of the guards tore down all the walls surrounding Jerusalem.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭52‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭CSB‬‬) It’s hard to wrap our minds around the complete destruction visited upon Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar and his armies. They left nothing standing. Not the Temple. Not the palace. Not any of the great houses. Not the walls. One gets the sense that there was nothing but rubble left by the time they were finished. Again, their goal was the complete and utter destruction of the Jewish way of life. They not only burned God’s Temple to the ground but they took everything associated with it to Babylon. All the furnishings. All the utensils. Everything the priests used to conduct any of the prescribed religious ceremonies. All gone. Not only that but they took the high priest and religious leaders and put them to death. The hope was to erase even the memory of God from the earth. They burned the king’s palace which was the seat of government. They took all the political and governmental leaders into exile. They took all the military men and leadership. They tore down the walls so as to leave Jerusalem completely defenseless. They wanted to make sure she never rose again to prominence in the region. The only people left were the poorest of the poor.

Why would God allow such a thing? Why did God not step in to save as He had done so often throughout Israel’s history? The answer is clear. Israel refused to turn to Him. Israel refused to trust Him. Israel refused to acknowledge His Lordship over their lives. Exile was therefore God’s righteous punishment. The wages of sin is death, whether personally and individually or corporately and communally. God allowed Israel to die so He might raise her once again. God allowed everything that marked Israel as a nation to die in order to turn her heart to Him again. God stripped away all she once held dear so that she would learn to treasure Him once again. This is the point of death. It’s not an end. It’s not final. It’s a temporary punishment that leads us to an ultimate reward if we look to God.

Readings for tomorrow: Jeremiah 41-44

The Problem of Suffering

Readings for today: Hebrews 1-2, Psalms 25

One of the strongest arguments against faith is the problem of suffering. For thousands of years of human history, human beings have suffered tremendously. Most dying in infancy. Many more dying from disease, famine, and drought. Many more from violence and war. In the grand sweep of human history, very few have died peacefully in their old age. For millions of years, animals have suffered tremendously. They have no defense against disease, drought, famine, and other natural disasters. They are subject to the violent, predatorial hierarchy that exists in nature. Even the apex predators eventually succumb to Father Time. For billions of years, the earth itself has suffered. Though not sentient, it experiences all sorts of disruptions and eruptions. The formational processes are often violent, creating all kinds of collisions between continents and dramatic changes in climate. And so the question is begged…how can an all-good and all-powerful God allow the kind of extreme suffering that exists in the universe?

It’s a really important question. One that cannot and should not be dismissed easily. One option is to embrace an atheist worldview. The world suffers precisely because it is subject to random processes with no god behind it all. We simply have to embrace reality as it is and make the best of it for ourselves and others. A second option is to embrace a Buddhist worldview. Suffering is an illusion. The challenge in this life is to disassociate ourselves from the world, transcend the physical body and all of its needs, and become one with the universe. A third option is to embrace a pagan worldview. Suffering exists because the gods are angry or we tempted “fate” or we are experiencing “bad karma.” The challenge is to appease the gods or fate or karma or whatever in order to bring an end to our suffering. A fourth option is the Deist worldview. There is an all-powerful god who created the world and set all its processes in motion but who remains distant and uninvolved in it all. A fifth option is to believe in an all-powerful god who is evil. A god who loves to watch people and animals and planets suffer. Again, in these latter two, there isn’t much to do except put our heads down and make the best of it. A sixth option is the worldview shared broadly among Jews, Christians, and Muslims. There is one God who created all things and cares deeply about all He creates. He reveals Himself through His prophets and His Holy Word. He wants a relationship with human beings in particular and makes a way for that to happen. His goal is to relieve the suffering of the world. Of course, how God goes about that is one of the areas where these three religions diverge. For the Christian, God relieves the suffering of the world by coming in the Person of Jesus Christ, suffering with and for the world on the cross, and rising again as the foretaste and guarantee of the world to come. A world without suffering and pain.

Listen to how the writer of Hebrews puts it, “But we do see Jesus —  made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God’s grace he might taste death for everyone —  crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death. For in bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God — for whom and through whom all things exist — should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters…Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death — that is, the devil  —  and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. For it is clear that he does not reach out to help angels, but to help Abraham’s offspring. Therefore, he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in matters pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people. For since he himself has suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.” (Hebrews‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬-‭11‬, ‭14‬-‭18‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

God has a plan for the world. A plan that has been in place since the beginning. A plan that involves sharing His righteous reign and rule over all He has made with humanity, the species He made in His own image. Sadly, as a species, we have rejected our partnership with God and instead sought to establish our own reign and rule over the earth. The results are disastrous by any estimation. But God refuses to abandon His plan. So rather than destroy everything and start over, He chooses to redeem everything through His Son. He sends His Son into the world, not to condemn, but to save it. And how does Jesus save? He becomes one of us. He becomes a human being. The perfect image of the invisible God. Humanity as she was meant to be. And He is tempted. And He suffers. And He dies. And by sharing in our weaknesses, He defeats the power of the devil. He defeats the power of death. He brings meaning and purpose even to our suffering and He points us forward to a world where all things will be made new.

Readings for tomorrow: Hebrews 3-4, Psalms 26 (No devotionals on Sundays)

A Kingdom that Never Ends

Readings for today: Ezekiel 28-30, Psalms 39

It is a healthy thing to reflect on the end. It is healthy to think about how fleeting life is and how quickly our days pass. It is a healthy thing to think about what happens after we are gone. Nothing we have is truly ours. Nothing we achieve truly lasts. Nothing we accomplish truly remains. That may sound depressing but it’s true. For example, tomorrow I am heading up to western Nebraska to bury my father. He comes from a small town where our family has lived for generations. I am related on some level to almost everyone in the cemetery. We have put a lot of hours into the genealogical work and know who’s connected to whom but even so, most of them are just names on a headstone. Whatever work they put in has been largely forgotten. Whatever defined their lives has been largely lost. Again, it’s a humbling reminder of how quickly memories fade after one or two generations.

So why is this a good thing? It keeps us from claiming too much credit for ourselves. Consider what God has to say to the nation of Egypt in our passage today. Part of His righteous judgment against them comes because they believe too highly of themselves. They believe they created the Nile. They believe they were the masters of their own destiny. The makers of their own empire. But God confronts them and reminds them who is really in charge. As powerful as ancient Egypt was, building monuments that lasted thousands of years and establishing a kingdom that lasted several dynasties, they are barely a blip on the radar screen of history. This is why the Psalmist says, “Lord, make me aware of my end and the number of my days so that I will know how short-lived I am. In fact, you have made my days just inches long, and my life span is as nothing to you. Yes, every human being stands as only a vapor. Yes, a person goes about like a mere shadow. Indeed, they rush around in vain, gathering possessions without knowing who will get them.” (Psalms‬ ‭39‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭CSB‬‬) It helps us hold onto things loosely. It keeps us from becoming too tied to the things of this world. Even the legacy we leave should be held with open hands.

God is the only constant. God is the only Being that never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever and that’s a very good thing. Human beings come and go. At best, our life spans might reach eighty or ninety years. Kingdoms rise and fall. Empires may endure for hundreds of years. But all things eventually come to an end. This is why we store up our treasures in heaven. This is why we keep our mind focused on things above rather than things below. This is why we set our heart on Christ and His Kingdom for it will never end.

Readings for tomorrow: Ezekiel 31-33, Psalms 40

Mortality

Readings for today: Job 14-17

Years ago, I was helping lead a service on Ash Wednesday. For those who may not be familiar with the Christian liturgical tradition, Ash Wednesday signifies the beginning of a season called Lent. Lent is a time when Christians contemplate their mortality. They spend intentional time reflecting on the brevity and fragility of life. It is a time of preparation as we get ready to celebrate the glorious promise of resurrection on Easter. After the service, a man approached me to let me know how much he didn’t like the service. It was way too scary and somber and depressing. His daughter was disturbed by the imposition of ashes and the words “from dust you came and to dust you shall return.” He argued that such services were inappropriate, especially for minors, and we should never do anything like them again but instead focus our efforts on being positive and affirming. I have to admit there’s a part of me that wishes I could agree with him but God’s Word and the human experience requires us to face our own mortality.

“We’re all adrift in the same boat: too few days, too many troubles. We spring up like wildflowers in the desert and then wilt, transient as the shadow of a cloud…mortals have such a limited life span…men and women die and stay dead. They breathe their last and that’s it. Like lakes and rivers that have dried up, parched reminders of what once was, so mortals lie down and never get up, never wake up again - never.” (Job 14:1-2, 5, 10-12) Job is honest before God. He has come to grips with his own mortality. He recognizes the limits God has set. He acknowledges that he is without hope apart from God. Our lives - at their best - are but a shadow. They are here today and gone tomorrow. We are forgotten within a generation or two. Our impact is minimal. Our influence is fleeting. There is very little that we work for that endures. Remember, Job was the wealthiest man in the world. He had all he wanted and more and it was taken from him in an instant. How many of us have faced a similar circumstance in our own lives?

So where do we find hope? What good is all this reflection on death and mortality and the transient nature of life? Where does it all lead? I’m glad you asked! ;-) Listen to where it leads Job, “O Earth, don’t cover up the wrong done to me! Don’t muffle my cry! There must be Someone in heaven who knows the truth about me, in highest heaven, some Attorney who can clear my name - my Champion, my Friend, while I’m weeping my eyes out before God. I appeal to the One who represents mortals before God as a neighbor stands up for a neighbor.” (Job 16:18-21) Though Job doesn’t know Christ, he points us to Christ. Though Job has not seen the hope of the resurrection and knows nothing about the One Mediator whom God has established, he believes in Him. It’s a striking passage that demonstrates from the earliest writings of God’s people, there was the hope of a Redeemer. A heavenly being who would take up our case before the throne of God. One who would represent us and ultimately save us by taking our place. This is why it is good to reflect on death for it points us to our ultimate need for Jesus.

Readings for tomorrow: Job 18-21