A Psalm of Lament For the Government of the United States of America

On February 15, 2025February 14, 2025 By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Pastor Tim's PonderingsLeave a comment

Many, if not most, people fail to acknowledge their grief, and therefore fail to lament their significant changes and losses in life.

What’s more, many, if not most, Christians do the same thing because they focus too much upon triumphalism to the exclusion of dealing with suffering. “Just get over it!” is the mantra to themselves and others.

But that is not a biblical approach to change and loss. 62 out of the 150 Psalms in the Old Testament are laments; some are communal, and others are individual expressions of grief.

Even God laments. We must never forget that a major role of God in our own loss is that the Lord grieves and laments along with us.

Keep in mind that grief can attach itself to any significant change or loss; it is the normal emotional, spiritual, physical, and relational reaction to that loss.

Lament is an intentional process of letting go of relationships and dreams, and living into a new identity after the loss or change.

Please know that everyone’s grief is personal; there is no one-size-fits-all. Thus, the following psalm of lament is my own. It is not meant to be a dig on someone else who rejoices in what I happen to lament. It’s just simply my own sadness over the state of affairs in my beloved nation…

O Lord, I’ll get right down to it: Help!

I have always taken my refuge in You.

Rescue us, the American people;

free us from the injustice and unrighteousness rampant in our government.

Be a strong rock to which the oppressed may rely upon;

be a place where I may always go.

You, O God, have saved us many times in the past,

and Your divine providence has guided us, despite our past and many sins.

My God, free the innocent and the poor from the hands of wicked persons,
from the grasp of the cruel and unjust President of the United States.

For decades, members of both political parties agreed to safely regulate business;

they’ve decided to provide a social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights.

Ideally, the U.S. government has sought to protect every American,

by access to education, healthcare, transportation, communication, employment, and resources.

And elected officials thought primarily of the common good,

so that every American could work hard and prosper.

But what is happening today in the United States,

is the same thing which occurred so long ago in ancient times.

We are in similar situations when the Old Testament prophets called out greed,

injustice, and abuse in Israel and Judah.

Hear this word that I take up over you in lamentation, O house of Israel…

They [the rich and powerful] hate the one who reproves in the gate,
    and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.
Therefore because you trample on the poor
    and take from them levies of grain,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
    but you shall not live in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
    but you shall not drink their wine.
For I know how many are your transgressions
    and how great are your sins—
you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe
    and push aside the needy in the gate.

Hate evil and love good,
and establish justice in the gate. (Amos 5:1, 10-12, 15a, NRSV)

Perhaps because so few persons even read the prophetic books anymore,

our ignorance has allowed evil means and ways to take over the government.

We are in a nation and in a world full of oligarchs,

who care only for their exorbitant wealth, abuse of power, and self-interest.

As for me, I will not amble down the path of injustice,

but walk the path of light and life.

I will embrace truth and harmony,

unlike so many Republican politicians and their lackeys.

They say one thing and then do another;

lies and corruption are on their lips.

If we say we are in harmony with him [God] yet walk a path of darkness,
we are living a lie and not following the truth…
If we say that we have no broken ways,
we are lying to ourselves,
and the truth is not alive in us.
(1 John 1:6, 8, First Nations Version)

I must, I will, view our problems differently,

because You are my hope, O Almighty Lord.

You have been my confidence ever since I was young;
I depended on You through many hard times.

My songs of praise constantly speak about You,

for You are my strong refuge,

the Rock I have built my life upon.

Therefore, my mouth is filled with your praise,

and with your glory all day long.

I make my appeal to You, merciful God;

I ask for divine intervention and deliverance,

from the ignorant and sinister machinations of the U.S. President.

Do not reject us forever, O Lord,

or abandon us whenever we are too weak to carry on.

My political (and spiritual) enemies talk about me behind my back,

and plot their evil schemes to silence the truth.

They say, “God is not with him and his nonsense;

put him in his place because no one will help him.”

O God, be close to me, and to all who love the truth;

O Lord, come quickly to my aid.

Let those who traffic in lies come to a shameful end;

let them be covered with disgrace and humiliation.

As for me, I will always have hope,

because You are the God of all hope.

I vow to testify when Your righteousness wins the Day;

I will never cease to praise Your sacred way of life.

Even when I am old and my mind is no longer clear,

do not abandon me, O God.

Let me continue to tell the people of this age

what Your divine strength has accomplished,

to someday tell about how Your power delivered us from evil leadership.

Your righteousness and justice reaches to the heavens, O God;

You have done great things.

O Lord, who is like You?

saving the poor from injustice,

and delivering the oppressed from evil.

We, indeed, are enduring many terrible troubles;

yet You, God, are expert at restoration, right relations, and harmonious ways.

You are the One who comforts the afflicted,

and the One who afflicts the comfortable.

Because of your faithful and steadfast love, O God,

I will give thanks to You as long as I live.

As long as I have a mouth to speak,

I will tell about your righteousness all day long.

Evil will not prevail;

ungodly leadership shall not endure.

May Your divine and loving ways come to this country, O God,

and may your moral will be done,

on this earth, as it is always done in Your heaven. Amen.

The Ways of Wisdom (Proverbs 30:18-33)

There are four things that are too mysterious for me to understand:

an eagle flying in the sky,
a snake moving on a rock,
a ship finding its way over the sea,
and a man and a woman falling in love.

This is how an unfaithful wife acts: she commits adultery, takes a bath, and says, “But I haven’t done anything wrong!”

There are four things that the earth itself cannot tolerate:

a slave who becomes a king,
a fool who has all he wants to eat,
a hateful woman who gets married,
and a servant woman who takes the place of her mistress.

There are four animals in the world that are small, but very, very clever:

Ants: they are weak, but they store up their food in the summer.
Rock badgers: they are not strong either, but they make their homes among the rocks.
Locusts: they have no king, but they move in formation.
Lizards: you can hold one in your hand, but you can find them in palaces.

There are four things that are impressive to watch as they walk:

lions, strongest of all animals and afraid of none;
goats, strutting roosters,
and kings in front of their people.

If you have been foolish enough to be arrogant and plan evil, stop and think! If you churn milk, you get butter. If you hit someone’s nose, it bleeds. If you stir up anger, you get into trouble. (Good News Translation)

If there is an overall theme in the wise sayings from this chapter in the Book of Proverbs, it is that we ought to renounce arrogant greed; while at the same time, we should uphold and embrace a humble life of contentment.

The four lists of wisdom address four observations of creaturely ways on this earth: mysterious ways, antisocial ways, instinctive ways, and impressive ways. We are meant to observe that each of these four numbered lists contain wisdom that is available to all of us, that is, if we will but apply the observational understanding to our own lived situations.

Mysterious Ways

The first list observes four invisible ways; the way of the eagle, snake, ship, and man, all leave no trace of where they have been and what they are up to. Thus, their ways are mysterious, causing us to wonder what is really going on with them.

Why is the eagle flying, the snake moving over the rock, the ship navigating the water, and the man interacting with the woman?

We are to apply wisdom to our circumstances, and discern that a single act of one being is, in reality, up for interpretation. We simply do not know why each is doing what they’re doing.

As wise persons, we understand that intentions and motivations vary from person to person, and from one observer to another.

The eagle may be enjoying the spread of his wings and the feel of the wind; or he might be the predator surveying the land to attack an unsuspecting fish or squirrel.

The snake may be seeking to warm himself in the sun, or he could be slithering with malevolent intent.

The ship may be hauling needed goods to bring into port; or it might be moving to pirate others and steal.

And the man may be intending to love a fair maiden; or he might be attempting to seduce her for his own advantage.

The point is that we must be wise and discerning, not always having a singular interpretation or belief about what we are seeing and observing. What at first glance may appear innocuous, may in fact come from a place in the heart of covetous greed, and vice versa.

Antisocial Ways

The second list, dealing with general societal roles, cites four instances of role reversal which turns the social order into antisocial ways that cause trouble in society.

A slave who becomes king may believe that he knows better than the ruler. He probably talked about how he could do a better job. Yet, when given such a responsible position, such a person is way out of their expertise and depth. Statecraft is a real thing; and if one hasn’t been duly trained in it, and had some experience in it, things will go south quickly.

A fool who has all he wants to eat is like the person without any self-control. He goes out to eat at an all-you-can-eat buffet; and it will not end well, especially if it’s done a regular basis.

A hateful woman who gets married is a train wreck waiting to happen. I’m not sure I need to comment on this, because likely you are already covering your eyes, imagining what will happen in such a relationship.

And a servant woman who takes the place of her mistress has perhaps had a fantasy about how easy it is to be in charge and simply tell others what to do. Little does she know how stressful it truly is to be in charge and be the administrator of an entire household. Like the slave becoming a king, she will soon learn that the role she coveted is not all it’s cracked up to be.

All four of these persons do not (yet) have the wisdom to fulfill a role; they need training, experience, and a proper character to do the job. Their limited perspectives, and their foolish character, will lead to disaster.

Instinctive Ways

The third list, dealing with natural instincts, cites four creatures who model survival because of their instincts and wisdom, not their strength.

An ant may be small, and not carry near as much as a bigger creature, yet they have sense enough to diligently work and have everything they need when it is needed.

Rock badgers compensate for any lack of strength by making their home a fortress where a much stronger creature cannot penetrate. They have sense enough to know how to live in safety.

Locusts are many. Even though they have no leader, and are small creatures, they know enough to move together and work together in order to accomplish thriving and flourishing on this earth.

And even though lizards are common, and not all that difficult to catch and possess, nevertheless they can be found in high places. They are taken care of by bigger and greater creatures than themselves.

When any creature lives into their true self, and doesn’t try to be something they are not, their needs are cared for. Humanity could take a big lesson from such small creatures about how to get along in life.

Impressive Ways

The fourth list, dealing with displays of majesty, cites four creatures who are stately in their appearance because of their position, design, and context.

Lions are majestic creatures. Their very appearance and the sound of the male’s roar elicits awe and fear in others. This is an important part of how the lion pride gets around in this world and is able to meet their own needs.

Goats and roosters strut around like the own the place. Their sense of presence and confidence is palpable. If you’re ever around them, you’ll need to match or exceed their level of acting in charge.

Which is precisely what a king does within his realm. Each of these four are an example of taking charge and acting the part that you ought to be playing.

Whereas the earlier list had examples of people who were trying to act a role they weren’t ready for, this list of examples are creatures who are living into the role they need to exhibit, no matter whether they feel brave or competent, or not.

Concluding Ways

The wise person takes the time to observe, listen, and learn from a variety of sources, including all of creation. Everything and everyone can teach us, that is, if we will but put ourselves in a position to learn from them.

The first two lists describe people who covet for more, and are discontent with their situation. The last two lists observe creatures who know their limits and weaknesses, yet nevertheless, have found resilient ways to meet their needs – ways that are consistent with who God created them to be.

So, which way will you go?

Almighty God, I humbly ask that You fill me with the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You. Open the eyes of my heart to see Truth more clearly. Sharpen my spiritual discernment to distinguish good from evil, good from bad, better from best.

Help me not lean merely on my own finite understanding, but trust wholeheartedly in Your infinite wisdom given to me in creation. May divine wisdom from above flow through me each day in thought, word, and action. Amen.

The Seven Deadly Sins (Proverbs 12:10-21)

On February 1, 2024January 4, 2024 By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

*A 14th century personification of the Seven Deadly Sins, by Unknown artist*

The righteous care for the needs of their animals,
but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.

Those who work their land will have abundant food,
but those who chase fantasies have no sense.

The wicked desire the stronghold of evildoers,
but the root of the righteous endures.

Evildoers are trapped by their sinful talk,
and so the innocent escape trouble.

From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things,
and the work of their hands brings them reward.

The way of fools seems right to them,
but the wise listen to advice.

Fools show their annoyance at once,
but the prudent overlook an insult.

An honest witness tells the truth,
but a false witness tells lies.

The words of the reckless pierce like swords,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil,
but those who promote peace have joy.

No harm overtakes the righteous,
but the wicked have their fill of trouble. (New International Version)

Many of the biblical proverbs are set as contrasts between the way of righteousness and the way of wickedness.

Being aware of both vice and virtue in our personal lives, the workplace, neighborhood, family, and faith communities can create an environment of trust, love, fellowship, and enjoyment. Intentionally pursuing the good, while identifying and forsaking the bad, contributes to a thriving community who intentionally cultivates righteousness.

It’s likely that you have heard of “the seven deadly sins.” In medieval Christianity, these were vices to avoid at all costs, because they eroded personal integrity and poisoned the social community. A “vice” is a bad habit which corrupts character and debases society.

The early church eventually formed a short list of the most corrosive vices, the seven deadly sins, which were considered the most heinous desires/actions of all. We find them in our proverbs for today.

Lust

The wicked covet the proceeds of wickedness. Desiring evil is a trap for them. They chase after sinister fantasies.

Lust is an intense desire, coupled with a lack of mental self-control, which is manifested in pursuing that desire in the heart. It is to have a passion for someone (or something) that is neither yours, nor meant for you. Lust leers at and indulges in selfish daydreams, without any concern for another person.

Do not desire to possess anything that belongs to another person—not a house, a wife, a husband, a slave, an ox, a donkey, or anything else. (Exodus 20:17, CEV)

Gluttony

The wicked have their fill of trouble. They’ve gobbled up evil as if dining at an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Whereas lust and covetousness is mostly a lack of mental self-control, gluttony is the lack of bodily self-control.

So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, you should do it all for God’s glory. (1 Corinthians 10:31, CEB)

Gluttony doesn’t stop eating, buying, talking, drinking, or binging. It only excessively indulges to the point of physical and/or relational sickness. Addictions and workaholism are some modern-day forms of gluttony – it consumes to the point where it cannot control the consumption any more. The thing desired and indulged becomes the master.

Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy. You have six days in which to do your work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to me. On that day no one is to work—neither you, your children, your slaves, your animals, nor the foreigners who live in your country. (Exodus 20:8-10, GNT)

Greed

The tools of greed are deceit and lies; the greedy person goes to just about any lengths to obtain more wealth. They will misrepresent another and spread gossip and slander to get what they want.

Do not tell lies about others.
The Ninth Commandment (Exodus 20:16, CEV)

Money. More money – is the mantra of the greedy person. It is to have an inordinate desire and pursuit of wealth. Just as sex and food are good, but have their proper boundaries, so money is both good and necessary.

But money is powerful in more ways than one. It can take over a person’s life in such a way that charging exorbitant interest, rent, or price gouging is justified by satisfying the greed. The greedy person lives every waking moment for leveraging wealth to get more wealth.

People who want to be rich fall into all sorts of temptations and traps. They are caught by foolish and harmful desires that drag them down and destroy them. The love of money causes all kinds of trouble. Some people want money so much that they have given up their faith and caused themselves a lot of pain. (1 Timothy 6:9-10, CEV)

Sloth

The sloth much prefers get-rich-quick schemes to actual hard work. They spend their time in worthless projects, and are easily annoyed at others.

Sloth is more than laziness. It is also failing to do good when it is in your power and ability to do so. To be slothful is to be indifferent to the great need of the world.

Whereas the previous sins have a more active pursuit of some desire, the sloth is passive, not wanting to get involved in making a difference. The slothful person always has an excuse why they can’t participate; they expect everyone else to do the work.

Do your work willingly, as though you were serving the Lord himself, and not just your earthly master.
Colossians 3:23, CEV

The irony is that for all of Ebenezer Scrooge’s hard work and thrift, he was really a sloth who had no intention of improving the condition of humanity; he depended on poor houses and work farms to do all the work. It took supernatural means to get him to think differently. It typically takes a lot for the sloth to go out of their way to honor, respect, and bless another.

You must honor and respect your father and your mother. Do this so that you will have a full life in the land that the Lord your God gives you. (Exodus 20:12, ERV)

Anger

A wicked person is often an angry person – so full of anger that they abuse their pets and animals who have done nothing against them. And they let their tongues wag and fly off the handle anytime they are perturbed.

Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm. (Psalm 37:8, NLT)

That doesn’t mean that anger itself is a bad thing. As with most things in life, anger has its proper place. For example, we ought to be angry in the face of evil perpetrators. Anger motivates us to not be slothful, but helpful.

But excessive selfish anger is a vice. Whereas righteous anger seeks to help a victimized person or group, sinful anger is fueled by hatred. Whether it’s a violent verbal decapitation of another, or a deep seated bitterness, such anger destroys relationships – and even life itself.

No murder.
The Sixth Commandment (Exodus 20:13, MSG)

Envy

Envy and lust are kissing cousins. They both traffic in excessive desire for what they don’t possess.

Envy rots the bones.
Proverbs 14:30, NIV

The subtle difference has more to do with the object of the affection. Lust leers at, longs for, a person who belongs to someone else. Envy fixes its gaze on a material possession or a respected position which someone else has. It is to have a passionate pursuit of taking over someone else’s job or keeping up with Jones’s.

For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. (James 3:16, NRSV)

Pride

The wicked and the proud share a table together for lunch every day. They don’t listen to anybody else, because they believe they already have the answers and know what is best.

Pride is an over-inflated view of one’s opinions, thoughts, and self. Proud persons have an overestimation of themselves. They seem to actually believe that if only others followed their thinking and advice, the world would be a better place.

Every antagonist in the movies, comics, and classic literature are full of themselves. They justify stepping on others to achieve what they think is the greater good of imposing their agenda in the situation. It’s no wonder that in the Bible, Satan is the ultimate antagonist.

The proud must eventually contend with God. And the Lord has no allowance for the foolishness and idolatry of any human believing they know better.

“No other gods, only me.”
First Commandment (Exodus 20:3, MSG)

Consider the following questions:

How will you respond to the seven deadly sins?

In what ways and/or behaviors do you see these vices being manifested in both the church and the world?

What can the book of Proverbs bring to such a discussion?

Human Plans vs. Divine Plans (Micah 2:1-13)

On December 2, 2023October 29, 2023 By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

*The Prophet Micah Preaching, by Peter Gorban, 1990*

Woe to those who plan iniquity,
    to those who plot evil on their beds!
At morning’s light they carry it out
    because it is in their power to do it.
They covet fields and seize them,
    and houses, and take them.
They defraud people of their homes,
    they rob them of their inheritance.

Therefore, the Lord says:

“I am planning disaster against this people,
    from which you cannot save yourselves.
You will no longer walk proudly,
    for it will be a time of calamity.
In that day people will ridicule you;
    they will taunt you with this mournful song:
‘We are utterly ruined;
    my people’s possession is divided up.
He takes it from me!
    He assigns our fields to traitors.’”

Therefore you will have no one in the assembly of the Lord
to divide the land by lot.

“Do not prophesy,” their prophets say.
    “Do not prophesy about these things;
    disgrace will not overtake us.”
You descendants of Jacob, should it be said,
    “Does the Lord become impatient?
    Does he do such things?”

“Do not my words do good
    to the one whose ways are upright?
Lately my people have risen up
    like an enemy.
You strip off the rich robe
    from those who pass by without a care,
    like men returning from battle.
You drive the women of my people
    from their pleasant homes.
You take away my blessing
    from their children forever.
Get up, go away!
    For this is not your resting place,
because it is defiled,
    it is ruined, beyond all remedy.
If a liar and deceiver comes and says,
    ‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’
    that would be just the prophet for this people!

“I will surely gather all of you, Jacob;
    I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel.
I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
    like a flock in its pasture;
    the place will throng with people.
The One who breaks open the way will go up before them;
    they will break through the gate and go out.
Their King will pass through before them,
    the Lord at their head.” (New International Version)

One of the reasons the Daily Lectionary has been giving us a generous portion of prophetic and divine judgment, is that Advent is upon us. In other words, Jesus didn’t just show up in a vacuum. Christ came in his incarnation because the world needs him. The time was ripe for the Lord to come.

We were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. (Galatians 4:3b-5, NIV)

Sin is like a humungous rat’s nest that’s been intertwined with the human heart. You cannot simply destroy the nest without also destroying the heart. It takes painstaking attention and patience to undo the connection. And it requires such consummate skill that only God has the combination of motivation, endurance, and ability to do the job.

Perhaps you, like me, are weary of sin’s presence in this world – not to mention having to deal with it daily within the shadows of our own hearts. To keep going, we need God. Secularism cannot help us here, because secular answers cannot offer us good and permanent directives for life.

What’s more, even our religious institutions and faith communities have become, for many, a source of grief instead of hope. Churches can be wracked with sin as much, or more, than any secular system. Though religion ought to help connect us with our true selves, it too often causes us to stray from our authentic self.

Religious bodies too often wed themselves with secular bodies, and encourage us toward extreme independence. Thus, we forget that our real destiny is to live in community within a larger human context – to contribute to the whole of humanity, and in turn, be enriched by others.

This situation is one of the reasons God sent the prophets to warn the people and call them back to a healthy and holistic way of life, connected to the divine and to one another in vital and joyous community.

Any time we put our emotions and energy into dogmatic and parochial concerns – instead of focusing on the ethical, philosophical, and mystical branches of our shared humanity with God – then we, at best, become useless to the great needs of this world, and at worst, contribute to its downward spiral of destruction.

The prophet Micah, along with his fellow prophets, warned and lamented that the people are abandoning the soul of Holy Scripture – keeping up appearances of holiness, while actually planning to take advantage of others for self-centered purposes.

Religious faith in the prophet’s day, as well as our own, is continuing to wane because its biblical foundation is being undermined – not by liberal or progressive theologians, as much as conservative and fundamental adherents who lose sight of Scripture’s spirit and gospel, in favor of hardline law.

We need light – not the dark negations of those who insist on remaining religious masters of extremely small worlds. We must pay attention to, and cultivate, the vineyard of the Lord. Let the faithful concern themselves with clarifying the important elements of religion, such as the nature of prophecy, the Holy Spirit, redemption, and the sanctification of individuals and the community.

As long as we only absorb ourselves with one’s personal piety and one’s small group of cronies, and ignores the common good of all persons, and justice in the world, refusing to look beyond the end of one’s nose, then we will continue to turn away from the prophetic utterance we already have within Scripture. And we will have no ability to discern nor hear the modern day prophet when they speak.

Micah the prophet made a specific charge against his fellow citizens who were powerful businessmen. They spent their time devising schemes to get possession of land from small farmers. Much like the big corporation today, the ancient business people carried out their schemes because they had the financial backing, political influence, and judicial power to do it.

In response, God devises his own plans to thwart the evil machinations of greedy and powerful persons. Micah was supremely confident that the wrongs in this world would eventually be made right; he firmly believed that a sovereign and just God would handle it.

Also, much like today, the greedy business persons and corporations simply dismiss all this God-talk as irrelevant; calamity will not overtake them. But keeping God out of sight and out of mind doesn’t mean that God isn’t there. They will have to give an account for their unethical business practices.

It seems, as in the day of Micah, that our contemporary situation is not so different. Much of the world’s institutions, corporations, and governments are so out of touch with religion and religious ethics, that if a charismatic person comes along proclaiming a gospel of injustice, the business leaders would hire that person on the spot.

Lord, have mercy.

Rev. Tim Ehrhardt

Tag: greed

A Psalm of Lament For the Government of the United States of America

The Seven Deadly Sins (Proverbs 12:10-21)