Tag: oppressor

Oppressors Are On Notice (Nahum 1:1-13)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
Nahum, by James Tissot, 1888

A prophecy concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
    the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath.
The Lord takes vengeance on his foes
    and vents his wrath against his enemies.
The Lord is slow to anger but great in power;
    the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.
His way is in the whirlwind and the storm,
    and clouds are the dust of his feet.
He rebukes the sea and dries it up;
    he makes all the rivers run dry.
Bashan and Carmel wither
    and the blossoms of Lebanon fade.
The mountains quake before him
    and the hills melt away.
The earth trembles at his presence,
    the world and all who live in it.
Who can withstand his indignation?
    Who can endure his fierce anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire;
    the rocks are shattered before him.

The Lord is good,
    a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him,
    but with an overwhelming flood
he will make an end of Nineveh;
    he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness.

Whatever they plot against the Lord
    he will bring to an end;
    trouble will not come a second time.
They will be entangled among thorns
    and drunk from their wine;
    they will be consumed like dry stubble.
From you, Nineveh, has one come forth
    who plots evil against the Lord
    and devises wicked plans.

This is what the Lord says:

“Although they have allies and are numerous,
    they will be destroyed and pass away.
Although I have afflicted you, Judah,
    I will afflict you no more.
Now I will break their yoke from your neck
    and tear your shackles away.” (New International Version)

I’m willing to wager you’ve never heard a sermon on the Old Testament book of Nahum. It’s unfortunate that many Bible-readers have never read the prophecy of Nahum, let alone know that this book even exists in Holy Scripture.

Each individual book of the Bible has its own particular message that is wise for us to understand. Although Nahum’s prophecy is against the long-dead empire of Assyria, it still contains a timeless message for us.

Nineveh

The capital city of Assyria, Nineveh, was a large and influential city in the centuries of 600-900 B.C.E. The Assyrians were a cruel people even by ancient standards. Their army was feared, and rightly so. Army officers were experts at torture, having turned it into an art form with all kinds of different ways of killing and maiming captured people from their conquests.

The prophet Nahum focused on the sure destruction of Nineveh, and the overwhelming judgment and justice of God. And at the same time, Nahum was also attuned to the great and many sins of Israel – their predilection for idolatry and immorality, as well as their purposeful ignoring of social responsibilities.

No matter who we are, or where we are from, the Lord God, the Almighty, shows no favoritism in condemning the guilty, and upholding the innocent. Unlike us, who have a nasty tendency toward practicing cronyism, bigotry, and ethnocentrism, Yahweh extends grace, judgment, and fairness in an even-handed way.

We humans also have a bent toward emphasizing one trait of God over another. There are those who talk only of love when it comes to the Lord; and others who always speak of God’s wrath and judgment.

Yet, in truth, God is the sovereign Lord of both wrath and love, judgment and grace. And, if we are able to hear it, God’s wrath is an expression of God’s love – not willing for oppression and violence to run amok among the powerless.

What’s more, God’s love has a penetrating way of arousing the conscience and bringing deep conviction of guilt for things we have done, and have left undone. So, when we talk of God, let us keep in mind that God is the Lord of both wrath and love, judgment and grace.

Nahum described Yahweh as a powerful God who is the avenging Lord against violence, cruelty, and injustice. If this God can make mountains move, oceans froth, and the earth heave, then no one, including the mighty Assyrian warriors, can stand against Yahweh’s indignation.

It is also true that with the Lord God there is abundant goodness which provides protection for those who seek refuge in Yahweh. Throughout Holy Scripture, including the prophecy of Nahum, divine vengeance and wrath is continually set in the context of divine mercy and grace.

Because God is holy and just, sovereign and powerful, God is Judge of the nations. Mercy only really has meaning when wrath is necessary. If everything were always unicorns and bunny rabbits, there would never be a need for mercy. But we live in a terribly broken world in which oppression and cruelty too often make sinister inroads into our lives.

Although the Lord is slow to anger and God’s fuse is long, divine patience has its limits. Yahweh does not let calloused hearts and selfish minds go on with impunity. Eventually, there will be hell to pay.

God saw all the foolish destruction and misery that Assyria brought to others. And so, Nineveh would see their own terrible destruction. This is why we now talk of Assyria as a long-past ancient empire; they no longer exist in any way, shape, or form. The Lord wiped the Assyrians off of the map.

As for Judah, there would be comfort. Even though it was true that God used the Assyrians to extend judgment upon Israel, there was also merciful relief and gracious rest from Assyria for the people.

With God, relief, rest, and recovery are sure and certain. Violence and oppression shall not last. Mercy always ends up winning the day.

This is most assuredly good news for us who seek the just, the right, and the good in this fallen world. The foolish decisions of contemporary politicians shall not win the day. God will have the final word on all things.

In a time when it seems the other shoe keeps dropping, we can be a hopeful people, because there is a transcendent God in heaven who sees it all, and will have mercy upon the innocent, while judging the guilty.

Therefore, those who engage in grift, corruption, violence, and cruelty, with no concern for the weak and needy, will eventually find themselves on the side of God’s vengeful wrath.

Whereas, those who are powerless against an evil misuse of authority, eventually they will know what it is to experience hope and deliverance from that evil. They shall know safety and perfect peace.

The overarching message of Nahum is that God is sovereign over all the world and all of history. The Lord will judge and love according to God’s own sense of divine wrath and divine grace.

Since God is the ultimate champion of the frustrated and the helpless, God will by no means acquit the guilty. The universe is God’s dominion, and in this dominion, violence, corruption, and oppression will face an awesome judgment which eradicates evil.

No nation, no person, and no government can withstand the God who is over all. Every corrupt person, especially politicians who have their eye only on themselves, should be on notice.

O God, by whom the meek are guided in decision-making, and light rises up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us to do, so that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in your light we may see light, and in your straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

From Adversaries to Allies (Isaiah 19:18-25)

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

In that day five cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun.

In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the Lord at its border. It will be a sign and witness to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them. 

So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the Lord. They will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them. The Lord will strike Egypt with a plague; he will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the Lord, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them.

In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.” (New International Version)

Yahweh is so much more than an ancient local Israelite deity. This is the Lord God almighty, creator of heaven and earth. God is the Lord of the universe, and Israel is not just a sliver of land in the Middle East.

As such, all peoples belong to God. And God is concerned for all the nations. In the ancient world, the Lord was even concerned for places like Egypt and Assyria – two nations which historically treated Israel with contempt and oppression.

The Lord God, Yahweh, as the prophet Isaiah stated, will be revealed to the Egyptians, so that they, too, will worship the Lord with sacrifices and offerings. They will revere God with a monument to Yahweh’s saving power.

The Egyptians will make religious vows and fulfill them. And there will also be relations with Assyria. Israel will exist alongside – and literally geographically in the middle – the powers of Egypt and Assyria. And Israel will serve as a blessing between them.

In other words, God will choose to bless, bringing both religious and political balance and peace. It is rather extraordinary that the Lord speaks of Egypt as “my people” and Assyria as “my handiwork.” God’s vision is always much larger than our own puny human sight or imagination.

In a biblical book filled with sad visions of judgment and God’s wrath, today’s Old Testament lesson is a beautiful vision of hope and peace. This, my friends, is what can be! It doesn’t have to be a pipe dream that various peoples who are historical enemies of one another can walk together in the peace and wholeness of God’s blessing. This is no impossible, although it appears highly improbable.

It takes little effort to hold onto hate and enmity; but it takes a great deal of energy to work on peacemaking, and loving those who have harmed others so terribly.

The fact of the matter is that Yahweh responds to every people who cry out in their oppression – even those who were once oppressors themselves.

That is called “grace,” and it is why grace is so scandalous, because a lot of folks don’t want to see grace extended to those they dislike, hate, and even want dead.

God will do for other nations what God did for Israel, in delivering them from their harsh slavery. The Lord’s ears hear everyone on the earth, and not just some people.

All of the hard-hearted resistance of the past, personified so stubbornly in the Pharaoh who would not let go of Israel, is remarkably overcome and reversed.

This is how it always seems to operate throughout history, including today. People cry out and are delivered, then worship the God who granted them grace and freedom. We very often come to believe because we were in some sort of awful trouble, which caused us to cry out and acknowledge the God who saves.

God both strikes and heals, attacks and helps. God moves people from rancorous relationships to robust reconciliation.

People, however, are not passive in any of this process. Those who are already blessed and enjoy God must relinquish any sort of exclusive thoughts or practices and be willing to share their identity and privilege with others who were once enemies.

Unity, harmony, wholeness, and a true ecumenical spirit and vision will bring people together. The benefits are wonderful, yet let it also be acknowledged that reconciliation and relationships require giving up any sense of being better than the other, or holding on to primacy of positions and power.

Stated positively, it means that we embrace a diversity of people, including them in every way possible, because we discern them as being equals, and not so different from me.

God has other chosen people besides me and you. Can you accept that?

“Egypt comes home to its true self only as Israel opens its sense of privilege to its adversaries.”

Walter Brueggemann

The Lord opposes the arrogant and proud, but gives grace to the humble. God will gladly deliver and welcome all peoples.

If we have the spiritual eyes to see, we will notice and observe that the world is God’s chosen people.

O God, hear our humble prayer, so that we may serve you in holiness and faith, giving voice to your divine presence among us until the coming of your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.          

There Is No Other God (Daniel 3:1-30)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are thrown into a fiery furnace, by Chris Torre

King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue. It was ninety feet high and nine feet wide. He set it up in the Dura Valley in the province of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar then ordered the chief administrators, ministers, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to assemble and come for the dedication of the statue that he had set up.

So the chief administrators, ministers, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. They stood in front of the statue the king had set up.

The herald proclaimed loudly: “Peoples, nations, and languages! This is what you must do: When you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, zither, lyre, harp, flute, and every kind of instrument, you must bow down and worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Anyone who will not bow down and worship will be immediately thrown into a furnace of flaming fire.”

So because of this order as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, pipe, zither, lyre, harp, flute, and every kind of instrument, all the peoples, nations, and languages bowed down and worshipped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

At that moment some Chaldeans came forward, seizing a chance to attack the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar:

“Long live the king! Your Majesty, you gave a command that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, zither, lyre, harp, flute, and every kind of instrument should bow down and worship the gold statue. Anyone who wouldn’t bow and worship would be thrown into a furnace of flaming fire. Now there are some Jews, ones you appointed to administer the province of Babylon—specifically, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—who have ignored your command. They don’t serve your gods, and they don’t worship the gold statue you’ve set up.”

In a violent rage Nebuchadnezzar ordered them to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were brought before the king.

Nebuchadnezzar said to them: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: Is it true that you don’t serve my gods or worship the gold statue I’ve set up? If you are now ready to do so, bow down and worship the gold statue I’ve made when you hear the sound of horn, pipe, zither, lyre, harp, flute, and every kind of instrument. But if you won’t worship it, you will be thrown straight into the furnace of flaming fire. Then what god will rescue you from my power?”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar: “We don’t need to answer your question. If our God—the one we serve—is able to rescue us from the furnace of flaming fire and from your power, Your Majesty, then let him rescue us. But if he doesn’t, know this for certain, Your Majesty: we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you’ve set up.”

Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and his face twisted beyond recognition because of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. In response he commanded that the furnace be heated to seven times its normal heat. He told some of the strongest men in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the furnace of flaming fire. 

So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were bound, still dressed in all their clothes, and thrown into the furnace of flaming fire. (Now the king’s command had been rash, and the furnace was heated to such an extreme that the fire’s flame killed the very men who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to it.) So these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell, bound, into the furnace of flaming fire.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in shock and said to his associates, “Didn’t we throw three men, bound, into the fire?”

They answered the king, “Certainly, Your Majesty.”

He replied, “Look! I see four men, unbound, walking around inside the fire, and they aren’t hurt! And the fourth one looks like one of the gods.” Nebuchadnezzar went near the opening of the furnace of flaming fire and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire. The chief administrators, ministers, governors, and the king’s associates crowded around to look at them. The fire hadn’t done anything to them: their hair wasn’t singed; their garments looked the same as before; they didn’t even smell like fire!

Nebuchadnezzar declared: “May the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be praised! He sent his messenger to rescue his servants who trusted him. They ignored the king’s order, sacrificing their bodies, because they wouldn’t serve or worship any god but their God. I now issue a decree to every people, nation, and language: whoever speaks disrespectfully about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s God will be torn limb from limb and their house made a trash heap, because there is no other god who can rescue like this.”

Then the king made Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego prosperous in the province of Babylon. (Common English Bible)

Daniel’s three companions in the fiery furnace, by Adrianoupolitis Konstantinos, 1725

At the core of today’s story, and of the entire book of Daniel, is the assertion and demonstration that there is no other God but Yahweh.

King Nebuchadnezzar believed that he himself was big stuff. It turns out, not so much. Even the great king ended up confessing that there is no other god who is able to deliver like the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When the mighty king looked into the fire, all of his pomp and control and wrath and power proved to be nothing before the One God of all.

The earthly king threw all of his weight into showing how powerful and great he could be; and all of that unleashing of kingly destructive force did absolutely nothing to even singe the hair of the three worshipers of God.

Nebuchadnezzar did a lot of talking, a lot of posturing, and showed a lot of anger. Conversely, God said nothing, and was supremely successful over him. Turns out that Nebuchadnezzar was only a little yippee puppy barking in front of the large Mastiff dog who could squish him with but a movement of his paw if he wanted.

The experience of King Nebuchadnezzar is a telling lesson on all earthly rulers who presume to be supreme and all-powerful in their position.

And even in the great king’s confession of God’s true might and power, it’s almost tongue-in-cheek, as if Nebuchadnezzar himself is delusional enough to think that he’s the one who is setting up God as God. For those who are familiar with the prophecy of Daniel, they know what’s coming up in Nebuchadnezzar’s future that will purge him of that idea once and for all.

In truth, whatever strength Nebuchadnezzar had, it was God-given. In reality, you and I are recipients of God’s grace and strength; not a one of us conjured up our own success.

Things like a pompous attitude, a spirit of self-centeredness, and a position of hubris are totally out of sync with the values of God’s rule and reign on this earth. We fret and strut upon the stage of this planet in vain; the Lord is really the One who holds it all. Carrying the world on our shoulders is to be way out of touch with our job description as humans. Such a thing will only make us look as foolish as old King Nebuchadnezzar.

In between a rock and a hard place, within the throes of trouble, there is no step by step formula in dealing with it. Even in searching for clear instructions betrays that we desire to have situations within our own control. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not presume upon God, but fully trusted God and knew that they had no control over the circumstance other than choosing their own attitude in it.

All of the officials had gathered before Nebuchadnezzar’s statue; but by the end of the story they stood as witnesses to the work of the true God. Their worship of the statue had gained them nothing; they ended up under a new threat from Nebuchadnezzar. The king commended Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s defiance of his decree, but followed it with a new decree commanding the worship of their God.

King Nebuchadnezzar commanded others, but he himself did not worship. His death-threat is hardly a fitting way to bring people to worship the true God. That sort of behavior ought to highly instruct us in this American  election year cycle.

The oppressor does not have the last word. God creates a future beyond oppressive human systems.

Sovereign Lord, I pray that You will right all wrongs taking place in our world; and vindicate those being treated unjustly. Keep us from taking matters into our own hands, for vengeance is Yours, not mine. In Your grace and mercy, give justice and peace to all who have been cruelly and unfairly treated by their fellow humanity. May injustice and carelessness end, and may all people be drawn into Your saving arms of grace. Amen.

Let Go (Exodus 11:1-10)

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

Now the Lord had said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely. Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.” (The Lord made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.)

So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’ Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will leave.” Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh.

The Lord had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you—so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.” Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country. (New International Version)

It takes a lot for the status quo to die, to let go of something that has been relied on for centuries. In the case of ancient Egypt, it took the deaths of every Egyptian first born son.

The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt for 400 years. The vast Egyptian Empire was literally built on the backs of Jews. After so long, their cry about being in bondage was heard by God – who sent Moses to deliver them. But Pharaoh, the King of Egypt, was not about to let go of this large labor force.

So, a series of 10 plagues came upon the Egyptians from God. Today’s Old Testament lesson is the tenth and final plague – the one most devastating to Egypt. Although Pharaoh was determined to keep the Israelites in bondage, not even mighty Egypt could keep it’s grip on the people when God was determined to free them and bring them to the Promised Land.

God graciously informed Moses that this was the final plague. After nine others, and hearing Pharaoh say he would let the people go multiple times, it must have been a relief to hear that this would not keep going any longer.

Moses and Aaron debating with Pharaoh, by He Qi

What’s more, the Lord added that not only would Pharaoh finally change and not hinder the people from leaving, but also that they should ask the Egyptians for what they needed when going. Indeed, the people of Egypt became so eager to have the Israelites away from them that they would give them anything to get them out.

The Israelites had worked hard and labored intensely for hundreds of years without any compensation. Now, they would leave the world of slavery and receive the riches of Egypt from which they were defrauded. Whereas Pharaoh’s heart became exceedingly hard, the Egyptians hearts became disposed to give – even though it was to be rid of the Israelites once and for all.

And so, God would deliver the Jews from their bondage and enrich them with many needed possessions, as if they were carrying away plunder from an enemy. The Lord both frees and empowers; God delivers from one situation and enables for another. When God closes a door, then another door is opened.

Indeed, the first will be last, and the last shall be first. In God’s upside-down kingdom, the oppressors eventually become the oppressed, and the poor become rich.

With this last and final plague, there would be no next generation to rise up and take back the Israelites into slavery again. A distinction was made between the first born of the Egyptians and the Israelites. Only the Egyptians experienced the awful deaths of so many.

After four centuries of keeping the Jews enslaved, maybe the Egyptians thought it would always be this way. Perhaps they even believed what they were doing was perfectly acceptable and right. So, when Moses comes along, speaking on behalf of God to Pharaoh, the great king of the empire thought things will not change; the Israelites ought to always be in subservience to Egyptians.

Why is it so hard to let go? Why do people keep holding on, even when it costs them nearly everything?

Whenever we cannot envision a different world or an alternative to what we are currently experiencing, then we hold on – even if it hurts to keep grasping it. Just because there was no divine judgment in hundreds of years, does not mean that God was okay with the situation in ancient Egypt. So, when the Egyptians experienced the judgment, it was absolutely devastating.

If ever we need to control other people in order to realize or maintain our own happiness or contentment, then we are in a very unhealthy place and need immediate help – before the providence of God steps in and pries that control from your clenched fists.

Conversely, if we have been in a place of oppression for a long time, it will not last forever. God sees the injustice. And God hears the cries which are uttered to heaven. A time is coming when all things will be made right.

Also, there are various sorts of traumas that people have endured. Sometimes, people don’t want to talk about any of it, and never do. But eventually, it overwhelms them. Without help, they will be in bondage. None of us can change on our own. We need others. Not everyone is going to harm us or shame us. There are people that God is ready to use in order to extend hope, healing, wholeness, and help. We should let them in, and keep the slave masters out.

Gracious and merciful God, help us to overcome the menace of evil in this world, and to be a part of freeing those weighed down with sinful oppression to realize a future of health and hope.

From famine and war, deliver us.

From hatred and from the demeaning of the dignity of others, deliver us.

From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both national and international, deliver us.

From the loss of awareness of good and evil, deliver us.

Accept our cry on behalf of the sufferings of all humanity, and of entire societies of people.

Empower us by your Spirit to resist evil in all its insidious manifestations.

May the saving grace and the redemption of Jesus put a stop to cruel bondage everywhere; and may hope be kindled in every heart. Amen.