Tag: accountability

Truth Stumbles in the Public Square (Isaiah 59:9-19)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

Therefore justice is far from us,
    and deliverance does not reach us;
we wait for light, but there is only darkness;
    and for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
We grope like the blind along a wall,
    groping like those who have no eyes;
we stumble at noon as in the twilight,
    among the vigorous as though we were dead.
We all growl like bears;
    like doves we moan mournfully.
We wait for justice, but there is none;
    for salvation, but it is far from us.
For our transgressions before you are many,
    and our sins testify against us.
Our transgressions indeed are with us,
    and we know our iniquities:
transgressing and denying the Lord
    and turning away from following our God,
talking oppression and revolt,
    conceiving lying words and uttering them from the heart.
Justice is turned back,
    and deliverance stands at a distance,
for truth stumbles in the public square,
    and uprightness cannot enter.
Truth is lacking,
    and whoever turns from evil is despoiled.

The Lord saw it, and it displeased him
    that there was no justice.
He saw that there was no one
    and was appalled that there was no one to intervene,
so his own arm brought him victory,
    and his righteousness upheld him.
He put on righteousness like a breastplate
    and a helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on garments of vengeance for clothing
    and wrapped himself in fury as in a mantle.
According to their deeds, so will he repay
    wrath to his adversaries, requital to his enemies;
    to the coastlands he will render requital.
So those in the west shall fear the name of the Lord,
    and those in the east, his glory,
for he will come like a pent-up stream
    that the wind of the Lord drives on. (New Revised Standard Version)

We in the United States of America are in a presidential election year. Soon Americans will be voting for their choice of president, as well as an array of federal, state, and local candidates on the ballot.

For many, these four year cycles of elections bring a lot of anxiety, dread, and perhaps most of all, anger. Television commercials and media outlets overflow with the most egregious forms of logical fallacies, and finger pointing, one could imagine.

According to the Pew Research Center, public trust in the U.S. federal government is at 22 percent. That figure is slightly up from 5-10 years ago when it hit an historic low of 15 percent. To put that in perspective, the public trust was at 73 percent in 1960, and 36 percent when Richard Nixon resigned from office due to the Watergate scandal.

In some ways, our contemporary situation is akin to the situation of ancient Judah when Isaiah was prophet. Peace and protection, justice and righteousness, were hard to come by. There was no real trust in government.

The Judeans of the time blamed everyone but themselves for their social and political troubles. They even blamed God. Citizens were not taking responsibility to effect good and right in the land.

It appears that nobody was accepting accountability for their own junk, and blaming God and others for their governmental woes. So, they turned away from each other, and God.

Politics, today as in Isaiah’s day, has become less about the vocation of statecraft and unselfish public servants promoting the welfare of citizens; it has become more about winning elections and possessing power. 

A party spirit rules the day, where, in the Unites States, Republicans and Democrats are more divided than ever with less and less ability to truly listen to one another in order to advance genuine justice, ethical righteousness, and social peace within both the nation and the world.

We, as citizens of both our local regions and of the world, must avoid getting sucked into the vortex of acrimonious speech and hate-filled rhetoric. 

Christians, especially those who desire to live and love like Jesus, need to be at the forefront of forsaking the hypocrisy of saying one thing and doing another; of envying power in order to satisfy personal agendas; and, of believing that malicious talk is justified if it accomplishes my wants and needs. 

We are not to keep looking for politicians, and everyone else whom we disagree with, to change. Rather, we ourselves are to practice repentance and allow the grace of God to transform and renew us. 

If what we speak in the public square is selfish and deceitful, we have no further to look than within, when it comes to turning from evil. A slow, careful, and serious reading of the prophet Isaiah becomes quite necessary. If it does not lead to repentance, we only have God’s displeasure to anticipate.

So, instead of continually insisting that others change or move over, let’s focus on us and seek the following:

  • Seek our better angels of humility, tolerance, and patience to guide our public discourse.
  • Open our eyes to see the image of God in others who are different from us and who see the world differently than we do.
  • Embrace civility and basic human respect for all persons, no matter who they are, as our presuppositions to all conversations.
  • Develop good listening skills so that we aren’t misinterpreting and misrepresenting another’s viewpoint.
  • Be willing, within our own communities of faith, to participate and worship together as the one people of God, without assigning other identities to each other which are not helpful.
  • Enlarge our hearts so that we are big enough people to hold the differing perspectives and politics of others without demonizing them.
  • Default to grace when we aren’t sure what to do say or do.

The Lord will not contend forever with injustice and unrighteousness in the world’s politics, including the extremely local politics of church, family, and neighborhood. Divine intervention cuts both ways, bringing deliverance and freedom, as well as judgment and retribution.

Let us, then, be found to be truthful and honest in all our words and ways; encouraging and helpful in all our public rhetoric and service. Let us seek the peace of everyone, both near and far.

God of truth and justice, you have every right to judge the world. Yet, instead of destroying the earth, you sent your Son to redeem lost humanity to yourself. May I, along with every creature you have made, come to our senses and speak truth with love; and act with integrity so that there is again righteousness throughout the land. Amen.

Ministry to the Poor and Needy (2 Corinthians 9:1-5)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

If I wrote any more on this relief offering for the poor Christians, I’d be repeating myself. I know you’re on board and ready to go. I’ve been bragging about you all through Macedonia province, telling them, “Achaia province has been ready to go on this since last year.” Your enthusiasm by now has spread to most of them.

Now I’m sending the brothers to make sure you’re ready, as I said you would be, so my bragging won’t turn out to be just so much hot air. If some Macedonians and I happened to drop in on you and found you weren’t prepared, we’d all be pretty red-faced—you and us—for acting so sure of ourselves.

So to make sure there will be no slipup, I’ve recruited these brothers as an advance team to get you and your promised offering all ready before I get there. I want you to have all the time you need to make this offering in your own way. I don’t want anything forced or hurried at the last minute. (The Message)

Organizing relief efforts, and giving to relief organizations, is nothing new. Poverty and need has existed as long as humans have been on this earth. The constant rub is this: Some people aren’t in poverty, and some are.

So how do we get resources from the people who have them to the people who are really in need? Just as important, and perhaps more basic, how will folks care enough about the poor to give money and basic relief?

The Apostle Paul informed the Corinthian Church that he boasted about them to the Macedonians – about their eagerness to participate in ministry toward their fellow believers in need. The Macedonian believers had been ready to participate for quite some time.

In stating this, Paul intended to stir up the Corinthians about the offering for believers in Jerusalem. He had organized a delegation of Macedonians, along with persons from Paul’s own ministry team, to go to Corinth together. The last thing Paul wanted was to have the Corinthians unprepared to give.

Paul was a person who intended to do good, and then followed through with it. He held people accountable for their actions and inactions. He organized the benevolent offering for Jerusalem’s believers, and then made sure that all of the churches good intentions became reality.

Although Paul’s concern in organization and accountability may strike some as coercion for funding, it seems to me that a more plausible reason is that Paul simply wanted to try and ensure that everyone’s giving was done from a place of love, not coaxing or guilting.

The Apostle wanted believers and churches working together for good purposes. He wanted everyone to have a positive experience of helping and being united in spirit and purpose. The churches were young, and Paul was doing everything he could to encourage their growth in grace.

A good way of fostering unity and mission would be to have the churches participate in helping needy believers in Jerusalem. It was a very worthy and needed cause – and also served the cause of Christ.

What’s more, ministry to the poor has always been a hallmark of pure religion. A concern, dedication, plan, and accountable action on behalf of the poor helps everyone, and demonstrates authentic ministry.

My dear friends, pay attention. God has given a lot of faith to the poor people in this world. God has also promised them a share in his kingdom that he will give to everyone who loves him. (James 2:5, CEV)

We are to care about the needy because God cares about persons trapped in poverty. The poor are people; and all people are important. Jesus came to this earth to have a ministry to them; and he lifted a text from Scripture (Isaiah 61:1) to give his reason for doing so:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor.”(Luke 4:18, GNT) 

God has a lot to say about the poor and needy because they are dear to the divine heart. The Old Testament law was quite clear about how to treat the poor: 

Poor persons will never disappear from the earth. That’s why I’m giving you this command: you must open your hand generously to your fellow Israelites, to the needy among you, and to the poor who live with you in your land.(Deuteronomy 15:11, CEB)  

Let’s keep in mind that only the poor in spirit will enter the kingdom of heaven. Our trust is to be in God, and not in our money or our stuff. 

The genuine believer has a real humility that demonstrates grace to people who cannot offer them something in return. It’s easy to be merciful to those who will turn around later and scratch our backs. But it is altogether a different thing to give without any strings attached. 

God cares about the condition of our souls, and not the balance on our bank statements. Since God does not judge people on face value, nor on the state of their finances, then neither should we.

The Apostle Paul, in his ministry, sought to teach others in the way of Jesus by:

  • Turning people from only associating with those they are comfortable with, to lovingly reaching out to people very different from themselves
  • Changing people’s thinking from what they can obtain and consume, to becoming people of love and generosity with their words and their physical resources
  • Putting to death: a proud spirit that looks to get ahead; all personal petty agendas; accumulation of more power; and exertion of control – but instead, provide humble repentance and forgiveness

Ministry to the poor is a non-negotiable for the Christian church. Beyond only dispensing benevolent funds, the poor need relationships, connections, resources, and a chance to give back in ways they can contribute.

Lord God, you came to honor the least, the forgotten, the overlooked, and the misjudged. You came to make the last, the left behind, the misunderstood, and the undervalued, first. You came to give a warm welcome to the lost, the orphaned, the abandoned and the destitute.

Help us to be your ears to listen to their cries; and your voice speaking out love and acceptance. Help us to be your feet walking beside those in need; and your hands to clothe, feed and shelter them. You came for the least, the lost and last of this world. Lord, hear our prayer. Amen.

Making a Vow (1 Samuel 1:19-27)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Hannah Presenting Samuel to Eli, by Arent de Gelder, 1710

The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea, and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.”

The next year Elkanah and his family went on their annual trip to offer a sacrifice to the Lord and to keep his vow. But Hannah did not go. She told her husband, “Wait until the boy is weaned. Then I will take him to the Tabernacle and leave him there with the Lord permanently.”

“Whatever you think is best,” Elkanah agreed. “Stay here for now, and may the Lord help you keep your promise.” So she stayed home and nursed the boy until he was weaned.

When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull for the sacrifice and a basket of flour and some wine. After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli. “Sir, do you remember me?” Hannah asked. “I am the very woman who stood here several years ago praying to the Lord. I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. (New Living Translation)

Hannah had no children. In an era of patriarchy and polygamy, she had to put up with a rival wife verbally attacking her – not to mention a husband who seemed somewhat clueless to what was going on.

The piety of Hannah was unmatched. When worshiping the Lord in the tabernacle at Shiloh, Hannah offered a heartfelt prayer to God. She not only asked for help in her distressing situation, but also promised that if the Lord would give her a son, she would return to the Giver; thus, making the child a double gift to both herself and God.

God listened to Hannah and remembered her. Through her pregnancy and birth of a son, there is even more going on than displaying the Lord’s power over infertility. In taking divine initiative to do what Hannah asked, God demonstrated care and vindication for one of the least valued members of an ancient society that looked askance on infertile women.

Hannah and Samuel in the Temple, by Rembrandt, 1650

In the patriarchal society, Hannah’s husband, Elkanah, could have nullified her vow to the Lord. But he allowed her promise to stand, and even encouraged it. Perhaps this was yet another sort of miracle, to have a husband move the great distance from unaware and aloof to aware and connected.

Hannah and Elkanah went to Shiloh, and back to the old priest Eli, not only making a typical animal sacrifice, but also offering their son, in fulfillment of Hannah’s vow to the Lord. Hannah very much took her vow to God seriously.

As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few.

Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool.

When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. Don’t let your mouth make you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved.

Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead. (Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, NLT)

Any sort of commitment we express to God, no matter what, is to be taken seriously. Making vows to the Lord isn’t simply a way of helping us feel good about our relationship to God; rather, vows have important implications for our daily life and decisions.

What’s more, vows are not bribes. We don’t make deals with God. That’s because we have nothing to offer in any sort of human understanding of contractual obligations. A vow is a promise, a commitment to follow through with something. And the Lord will hold us accountable to our promises.

Hannah offered her son willingly and gladly to the Lord, and not begrudgingly. In fact, this may have been her thought all along to dedicate a child to God. In other words, giving up her son was not a sorrowful grief but a deep joy. Hannah raised the boy until he was weaned – which was likely, in that day and age, around 3 or 4 years old.

It’s quite possible that Hannah spent those formative years preparing her son for a life of service and doing all she could to help him get a good beginning in the Lord’s Tabernacle.

The biblical character of Hannah has a lot to teach us in our own journey of faith. She was completely devoted to God, found ways to honor and obey God, made a carefully crafted vow to God, persevered and never lost sight of what was important, and did it all with a spirit of obedience, initiative, spunk, gratitude, and gladness.

Hannah was motivated, principled, and sincere. Her good intentions developed into a focused vow, and she organized her life around her promise to God. Hannah did not overpromise or act impulsively; she knew what she was doing. And we have no record of her putting it all in her rival’s face.

God isn’t looking for grand ornate vows from us. The Lord just wants us to live obediently, with a good attitude, and follow through on our expressed commitments. And that’s one of the simplest paths to living a joyful and satisfied life.

Gracious and holy God, who creates, saves, blesses, and sustains us, these things we promise for this day and forevermore:

Never again shall we see another person as an enemy.
Never again shall we place our hope in power.
Never again shall we use violence against another person.
Never again shall we build walls to keep others out.
Never again shall we raise our hand in anger against others.
Never again shall we rob others of their dignity.
Never again shall we treat people differently based on the color of their skin or ethnicity.
Never again shall we take from others what is rightfully theirs.
Never again shall we make judgments about another’s gender identity.
Never again shall we blame another person or group for our own failings.
Never again shall we forget that we are all brothers and sisters.
Never again shall we refuse to listen to one another’s stories.
Never again shall we forget to love others as you love us.
Never again shall we forget that we belong to you.
Never again shall we forget to see ourselves caretakers of your whole creation.
Never again, Creator, shall we forget that you made us as we are, all colors,
shapes and sizes, and said, “Wow! Look at that. Now that is good!” Amen.

A Time of Woe (Isaiah 5:15-24)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
The Prophet Isaiah, by Raphael, 1512

So people will be brought low
    and everyone humbled,
    the eyes of the arrogant humbled.
But the Lord Almighty will be exalted by his justice,
    and the holy God will be proved holy by his righteous acts.
Then sheep will graze as in their own pasture;
    lambs will feed among the ruins of the rich.

Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit,
    and wickedness as with cart ropes,
to those who say, “Let God hurry;
    let him hasten his work
    so we may see it.
The plan of the Holy One of Israel—
    let it approach, let it come into view,
    so we may know it.”

Woe to those who call evil good
    and good evil,
who put darkness for light
    and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
    and sweet for bitter.

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
    and clever in their own sight.

Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine
    and champions at mixing drinks,
who acquit the guilty for a bribe,
    but deny justice to the innocent.
Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw
    and as dry grass sinks down in the flames,
so their roots will decay
    and their flowers blow away like dust;
for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty
    and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel. (New International Version)

I’m willing to bet that you, like me, have had to contend with some rather annoying and obnoxious people from time to time in your life.

It’s the person whose head is so big, they can barely walk in and out of a room. And when they talk, it’s usually about themselves, the great things they’ve done, and what they think – not framed as opinions but as the truth.

Since this sort of person rarely listens to anyone, they have no clue about the real needs of people in front of them. Their self-inflated importance is to the degree that they don’t ask and are not curious; yet they demand of others. They see no problem with double-standards. It’s okay for them to bribe, even steal from another. But if you cross the self-important person, look out, because they’ll hunt you down like an animal.

Yes, such people exist. And there are typically some deep psychological reasons why they are so arrogant and difficult to be around. Yet the best thing to know about them is that the true Sovereign of the universe, God, is the rightful judge who will handle them.

If you see a path of destruction on the ground, you know a tornado has touched down and done its damage. And if you observe a bunch of people devastated and demoralized, you know that the haughty and self-important person has been through and laid waste to people’s lives.

The Lord almighty is not okay with such people moving about and hurting others with impunity; the wicked will have to contend with the One who knows what’s going on.

God looks and sees – and pronounces appropriate woes (curses) upon those who feign righteousness and holiness, yet in reality do anything but.

You can easily tell what God abhors by what sorts of behavior receives a disapproving woe upon it. God condemns self-indulgence and self-absorption. This shows itself in how one drinks and does business. The sheer accumulation of land, resources, and strong drink – without any sort of regard to one’s neighbor – is a foolish use of wealth.

The self-absorbed and self-important person becomes desensitized to the needs of others. They also become insensitive to God’s concerns and workings in the world. To disregard the poor and needy is to disregard God. Such injustice, resulting from only caring about oneself, is why the Lord levels divine woes upon them.

Actions and inactions both have consequences. Acting selfishly through wanton accumulation is an equal inaction against the community. As a result of so much economic disparity and carelessness in society, God displaces and deports the ones who arrogantly and smugly believed they are secure.

There is accountability in this world, even though it may not sometimes seem like it. There are ethical requirements and moral imperatives. The social laws contained in the covenant code between God and Israel were expected to be honored. So, when they were continually and habitually ignored, the Lord held the people accountable.

The selfishly proud and arrogant, who acquire all they can and become masters of small worlds, will eventually face ruin by means of divine judgment. It’s as if persons had so loaded their backpacks with sin, that it became heavy to the point of self-crushing.

Divine intervention is either a very good thing, or a very bad thing, depending upon who you are. People are expected to be self-aware enough to know the difference between right and wrong, bad and good, just and unjust. To not know this is to be self-addicted and unable to make proper discernments and decisions.

If you are reading or listening to this, you are likely a person who is concerned enough to care for others and is not lost in yourself. Yet, you likely have to contend with a few persons who are only in this life for themselves. So, watch out and do your best to avoid people who do the following:

  • Manipulate through deceptive language. There are some people in positions of authority or power who intentionally obscure, cover up, and confuse things. If you never know how things stand and are doing, then beware.
  • Independent without accountability. There is no interdependent relationships, and only obedience when it suits them. The constant caginess, and lack of vulnerability, is a warning. If you feel like you’re being micro-managed without much ability to ask specific questions and get straight answers, then look out.
  • Distort how things really are. I’m talking about gaslighting. Gaslighting is the attempt by another to accept the gaslighter’s view of reality as your own. And in the gaslighter’s quest, it seems to you as if there is continually chaos and you are off kilter. If you question it to them, then you will most likely be accused of having a problem. It’s not you. So, skedaddle the first chance you get.

The bottom line of it all is that God is rejected and there are people reneging on their commitments to the Lord. You need not be such a person, and you don’t need to live in such a way that another is in complete control of your life – other than God.

Take note of what the Lord dislikes and despises, and keep away from persons who set up themselves as being akin to God.

Grant us, Lord God, a vision of your world as your love would have it:
a world where the weak are protected, and none go hungry or poor;
a world where the riches of creation are shared, and everyone can enjoy them;
a world where different races and cultures live in harmony and mutual respect;
a world where peace is built with justice, and justice is guided by love.
Give us the inspiration and courage to build it, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.