Tag: power

Keep the Rule of Law (Numbers 17:1-11)

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

The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs from them, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes. Write the name of each man on his staff. On the staff of Levi write Aaron’s name, for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe. Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law, where I meet with you. The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites.”

So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one for the leader of each of their ancestral tribes, and Aaron’s staff was among them. Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law.

The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds. Then Moses brought out all the staffs from the Lord’s presence to all the Israelites. They looked at them, and each of the leaders took his own staff.

The Lord said to Moses, “Put back Aaron’s staff in front of the ark of the covenant law, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious. This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die.” Moses did just as the Lord commanded him. (New International Version)

Issues of power – who has it, and who doesn’t, and how it is used – has been with us throughout all of human history.

And the issues of power are always tied to values, morals, and ethics. It ultimately comes down to who is truly in control, and whether that control is good or bad, moral or immoral, ethical or unethical.

One way of looking at the whole of the Bible is that it is a collection of books about power, control, and authority – mostly between God and humans, but also between one another as people.

If we fail to consider power issues, then a society will devolve into injustice, power inequities, and the few controlling the many.

In today’s Old Testament lesson, there were people questioning the authority system, and who had the power to act as a religious priest in the nation of Israel.

The covenant code, handed down from God to Moses on Mount Sinai, and then to the people, included only the tribe of Levi acting as priests. The other eleven tribes could not have a priestly class of people.

Specifically, only the Levite Aaron and his descendants could serve as a priest. And this structure did not sit well with some of the Levites from clans other than Aaron’s, as well as some of the other tribes.

Among all the tribes of Israel, the Lord chose the tribe of Levi. And among the Levites, Aaron is to alone be the priest, with his descendants serving after him in history.

A lot of grumbling in the tents of the Israelite tribes was happening. And God heard all the murmurings under their breath.

Therefore, God instructed each tribe to bring the symbol of their tribal authority – the staff – to Moses. They were all left overnight before the Lord, in front of the altar in the tent of meeting.

In the morning, the Levite’s staff with Aaron’s name alone engraved on it, was the only one that budded and sprouted almonds – all in a single night.

God was clarifying that Aaron was the divine choice as priest in Israel. The staff was then stored and kept as a continual reminder that when the Lord makes a choice, that is exactly what is going to happen.

The purpose of displaying the tribal staffs was to stop the incessant complaining of people about the Levites, and Aaron in particular, holding the power and authority of handling and officiating the sacrificial system in Israel.

Only Aaron could approach the tabernacle of God – and only then with detailed prescriptions of how to do it – and anyone else who would try to act as only a priest could, would die. The authority structure was that serious in Israel.

Nobody gets to do whatever the heck they want to do, when it comes to authority structures and systems of power. The rule of law is important; it’s serious business.

God bestowed an honorable privilege and responsibility on the family of Aaron. In doing so, their work, worship, and ministry was meant to contribute to the public welfare of all Israelite families.

And that is the case for all of us, when it comes to possessing any sort of authority. An authoritative position is never meant for personal use, but to be a public service for the good of everyone in the community, and in the leader’s constituency.

I suppose there will always be persons who arrogantly believe they ought to be in charge, or in some position of authority in order to wield power. They will, unfortunately, rarely examine their motives for wanting power; or consult wise persons who could help direct them.

If one has been elected – either by the people in a lawful election, or by God in a divine decree – then to murmur and grumble about that person who was chosen comes from a dark place in the complainer’s heart.

An unwillingness to submit to the rule of law only brings harm to others, and eventually to oneself. And it raises the ire of God.

Through the covenant law handed down to the Israelites, God intended to provide human justice, protect human rights, promote a good and just society, establish a fair economy, curb human sin and corruption, and bring peace and security to all the tribes of Israel.

If the power structure is unjust through an abusive individual, that’s another thing altogether. But if a good rule of law is in place, and appropriate people are serving the community, then it is our place and our duty to be properly submissive, obedient, and supportive.

It’s a question of being helpful or harmful to what is going on. And we always have a choice about how we are going to respond.

So, how will you use your own personal agency?

Almighty God, save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and make us one united people who are mindful of the rule of law.

Give the spirit of wisdom to those in the authority of government, so that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to your law, we may show forth your praise among the nations of the earth.

In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in you to fail. Amen. 

Christ the King Sunday (John 18:33-37)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Statue of Christ the King, in Świebodzin, Poland

Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 

Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” 

Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” 

Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” 

Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?”

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” (New Revised Standard Version)

Each year in the Christian Calendar, Christ the King Sunday is observed as the final Sunday in the liturgical year. It comes at this time, just before the beginning of Advent, in order to consider an important question.

Since Jesus came to this earth in his incarnation to be a king, we must ask, “What kind of a king was Jesus?”

Christ was not, and is not, a king, a ruler (or any other sort of title one wants to use for an authoritative leader) in the same way as was the Roman Emperor, King Herod, or the regional authority of the time, Pontius Pilate.

Jesus was also not like those in authority such as the Jewish High Priest, the Jewish ruling council of the Sanhedrin, or the local synagogue ruler. And Christ is most definitely not like any sort of present day President, Prime Minister, or petty dictator in any of the world’s nations.

Jesus was a king and a ruler who used his power and authority for those on the underbelly of society, that is, people without much, if any, power or authority.

That means Christ the King is concerned to effect a very different set of values from that of any politically dominant governmental system or society that was or is on this earth.

Whether a person or group of people are seeking to win an election, initiate a coup, or effect a change in government, they want their particular system of governing to be in power. They want to call all the shots in a particular place.

That means there will be winners and losers. There will be people in power, and others without it. Some people will benefit from the system, and others will not. Looking at kingship and/or leadership from that perspective, there is a built in failure rate.

The obsession with winning, at a national level, typically involves securing a strong military. Yet, despite military might, soldiers rarely secure any sort of political solution to anything. All it really does is strongarm others into doing what the powerful want done. It does nothing to change the hearts of people.

People in power can be enamored with their authority to do things. And they don’t like it whenever they are not in control of everything. The kings, rulers, and even religious leaders in Christ’s day, were used to controlling public discourse and even the daily lives of common people.

From that sort of worldly understanding of power, Jesus had no real authority. He was this pathetic person standing before a powerful person. Most people would have been begging for their lives. But not Jesus. Christ knew who was really in charge. And it was not Pilate.

Pilate was flummoxed by the presence of Jesus. From Pilate’s perspective, Jesus was not at all acting like a king ought to. Pilate, in his authoritative role, wanted answers about what was going on. But he didn’t realize that his authority was given to him from a power outside the Roman Empire.

Christ’s kingdom is not of this world. Therefore, the power politics and authority positions of that kingdom are nothing what people like Pilate were used to. There was no way that Pilate could use the typical tactics of manipulation, lies, corruption, and leveraging power to come to a satisfactory outcome for himself.

The values of God’s kingdom are quite different from any political government in this world, either past or present.

Jesus had no need to try and be at the top of Pilate’s system, or of the Roman world. So, he wasn’t even going to try and exercise that kind of authority within it. And neither were his disciples. Clubs and swords and pitched battles would not be happening. There was absolutely no need for it whatsoever.

For us today, that means we serve the interests of humility, gentleness, respect, righteousness, mercy, purity, and peace. We are not here on this earth to engage in the routine and typical ways of earthly power politics.

For the Christian, Jesus is King. But this king isn’t riding around in a chariot or a limousine; he comes to us on a jack ass and driving a Subaru.

Jesus is the king with all the power of the universe, and yet is tortured and killed by those with the local society’s authority. That happened not because of weakness or inability, but because of a completely different set of values which have to do with love defeating hate, instead of an army winning a victory.

A God who is crucified is diametrically different than any other deity or authority which has ever existed. The power of love is the ultimate power of doing what is right, just, and good; and letting truth have its way, no matter what.

Christians everywhere must be reminded, on this Christ the King Sunday, that we serve a sovereign king whose power and authority is used to be a humble servant who meets the needs of others.

All Christians, therefore, ought to embrace and engage in becoming gentle folk who bring humble service to others wherever they go. Seeking power, position, prestige, and pedigree is in direct opposition to the values of God’s kingdom, with Christ as King.

Any sort of Christendom, which seeks to control both government and society, or a Christian Nationalism which intends to ensconce personal agendas into society, ought to be rejected.

Christian Nationalism is nothing more than Grape Nuts; just as the cereal is neither grapes nor nuts, so the political movement is neither Christian nor concerned for national interests.

This is a day for the church to reassess what is most important, to affirm its true values, and to evaluate how it really ought to operate in society.

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by guilt and shame, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Divine Providence (Esther 1:1-20)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
The Refusal of Vashti, by Gustave Doré (1832-1883)

These events happened in the days of King Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia. At that time Xerxes ruled his empire from his royal throne at the fortress of Susa. In the third year of his reign, he gave a banquet for all his nobles and officials. He invited all the military officers of Persia and Media as well as the princes and nobles of the provinces. The celebration lasted 180 days—a tremendous display of the opulent wealth of his empire and the pomp and splendor of his majesty.

When it was all over, the king gave a banquet for all the people, from the greatest to the least, who were in the fortress of Susa. It lasted for seven days and was held in the courtyard of the palace garden. The courtyard was beautifully decorated with white cotton curtains and blue hangings, which were fastened with white linen cords and purple ribbons to silver rings embedded in marble pillars. Gold and silver couches stood on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and other costly stones.

Drinks were served in gold goblets of many designs, and there was an abundance of royal wine, reflecting the king’s generosity. By edict of the king, no limits were placed on the drinking, for the king had instructed all his palace officials to serve each man as much as he wanted.

At the same time, Queen Vashti gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes.

On the seventh day of the feast, when King Xerxes was in high spirits because of the wine, he told the seven eunuchs who attended him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas—to bring Queen Vashti to him with the royal crown on her head. He wanted the nobles and all the other men to gaze on her beauty, for she was a very beautiful woman. But when they conveyed the king’s order to Queen Vashti, she refused to come. This made the king furious, and he burned with anger.

He immediately consulted with his wise advisers, who knew all the Persian laws and customs, for he always asked their advice. The names of these men were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan—seven nobles of Persia and Media. They met with the king regularly and held the highest positions in the empire.

“What must be done to Queen Vashti?” the king demanded. “What penalty does the law provide for a queen who refuses to obey the king’s orders, properly sent through his eunuchs?”

Memucan answered the king and his nobles, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but also every noble and citizen throughout your empire. Women everywhere will begin to despise their husbands when they learn that Queen Vashti has refused to appear before the king. Before this day is out, the wives of all the king’s nobles throughout Persia and Media will hear what the queen did and will start treating their husbands the same way. There will be no end to their contempt and anger.

“So if it please the king, we suggest that you issue a written decree, a law of the Persians and Medes that cannot be revoked. It should order that Queen Vashti be forever banished from the presence of King Xerxes, and that the king should choose another queen more worthy than she. When this decree is published throughout the king’s vast empire, husbands everywhere, whatever their rank, will receive proper respect from their wives!”

The king and his nobles thought this made good sense, so he followed Memucan’s counsel. (New Living Translation)

Vashti Refuses, by Richard McBee

The Jews were living in exile. The Babylonian Empire had taken Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, and exiled many of the people to Babylon. Later, the Medes and Persians conquered Babylon and ruled over a vast area of many different peoples.

The story of Esther begins with the story of King Xerxes and Queen Vashti. They were the most powerful people in the world, at that time. This meant that Vashti had more power and authority than any woman on earth, at that time.

Although most women had few rights, Vashti was not one of them. However, when it came to the king, the queen was most definitely second fiddle.

Today, we can understand Vashti’s response to Xerxes. But back then, it was unthinkable. It wasn’t only Xerxes who ruled the land; misogyny did, as well.

Queen Vashti appears in the story as a strong-willed independent woman of power. While the king and queen were each having their respective parties, things started to go sideways.

No limits on the bar meant unlimited drinking. A drunk King Xerxes had one of those moments that seemed logical to the inebriated mind, but was actually nonsensical. He insisted that his queen stop her celebration, leave her guests, get all gussied up in her royal accoutrements, and parade around for a bunch of drunk guys to gawk at.

As readers of the story, we can tell this is not going to have a good ending for Vashti. She was in an impossible situation. She could submit and face humiliation, or worse. So, the queen chose not to abide by the king’s order.

Little did Vashti know that she was paving the way for a new queen to ascend to the side of King Xerxes. The extreme action of Xerxes attempting to use his queen then turned into another action of consulting his advisors and deposing the queen. Vashti was banned from the court, and the kingdom.

Hence, events were set in motion to find a new queen. As the story unfolds, Esther is a young Jewish woman living in this forced diaspora of the Persian Empire. Little did she know that Vashti’s fall was the beginning of her own rise.

“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Jesus (Matthew 20:16)

Although the story of Esther never mentions the word “God,” we see an incredible Providence guiding events through the biblical book of Esther. Young Esther found favor with the king, became queen, and risked her life to save the Jewish people from destruction.

Esther’s story is the Jewish story – a tale of others pronouncing pogroms upon them and attempting to rid themselves of these others who live strangely and differently. But a champion arises; one who bring deliverance.

The Jewish story is one of resilience as a people throughout the millennia. Rather than ignoring, or worse, persecuting Jews, we can observe how they have had to deal with the enduring issues of perseverance through suffering; preserving their identity; and ensuring their survival in the middle of social and cultural pressures.

We also see that just because one is in the courts of power and is not one of the peoples who is persecuted, does not necessarily mean that there is an exemption from harm. Vashti was a powerful woman, but her power didn’t last.

In the end, Vashti was treated more like an oppressed Jew than a privileged Gentile; and Esther would move from powerless to powerful.

And from a Christian perspective, we can see Jesus as the Savior who puts himself at risk to save the world from sin, death, and hell.

And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12:1b-2a, NIV)

We can, as well, observe that God is not fazed by any big earthly political power. The Lord sees all, knows all, and has the authority to do something about injustice and accomplishing just purposes on this earth.

O God, your never-failing providence sets in order all things both in heaven and earth: Put away from us, we entreat you, all hurtful things, and give us those things which are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Spiritual Wisdom and Power (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

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

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the testimony of God to you with superior speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were made not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. (New Revised Standard Version)

When it comes to proclaiming the gospel – the good news of Christ’s person and work – both the message and the messenger are important.

The Apostle Paul was dialed in and focused on the Cross of Jesus Christ. Although he could have used various methods of persuasion, he was determined to set aside all other means of proclamation, and declare Christ’s Cross as the message and method itself.

This means that Paul also deliberately faded himself into the background, in order to have the Cross of Christ in the foreground. He emphasized his own weakness, his fear and trembling, in order to highlight the strength and majesty of God.

Paul wanted the messenger to point to the message – which meant that all of his speaking allowed God’s Spirit and power to show itself through him, rather than in spite of him.

The Corinthians came to believe the message not because of a big showy demonstration of Paul’s strength, intellect, and wisdom. Instead, they embraced Christian belief because of spiritual power and effort.

If it is spiritual wisdom and power centered in the message of Christ’s Cross which saves us, then it is also more than good enough to sanctify us, as well, and be the core from which all of the Christian life emanates from.

The Apostle understood that he is God’s agent, God’s ambassador, but that God alone is the One who saves humanity and delivers them from sin, death, and hell.

Christ Carrying the Cross, by Martin Schongauer, c. 1480 C.E.

Paul’s argument doesn’t have anything to do with making sure that the word “cross” is said in every sermon and conversation, or that Christians have only one thing to talk about.

Instead, the Apostle wanted the Corinthian Church to distance themselves from their typical of use of worldly philosophical wisdom, in favor of a distinctly spiritual wisdom which demands a certain kind of ministry:

The cross of Jesus Christ is to be the central event in which all of Christian life and ministry revolves around. In other words, the shape of Christianity is cruciform.

And since the cruciform nature of Christianity is our reality, our wisdom is to be received and flow from the Cross of Christ. To do less is to rely upon a different power other than the distinctive spiritual power of Christ’s death.

It isn’t any one of us which breaks through to another’s spirit; the power of God compels a person to listen, receive the message, and be given faith to believe, grow, and spiritually mature.

When the good news of Christ’s person and work takes root and develops within us, then what comes out of us is spiritual power, and not our own homespun worldly human wisdom.

“Wisdom” is the ability to take a body of knowledge and apply it to concrete situations in life.

So, when it comes to spiritual wisdom, Christians mature in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus; then, they learn to take this important body of knowledge and apply it to all of the various circumstances and situations they are faced with every day.

This isn’t to say that worldly wisdom has no merit or significance, or that it is misguided. Rather, it means that this sort of wisdom doesn’t have the ability, the strength, or the power to move and change us, or others, toward deliverance and new life. We need the wisdom of the Spirit for that. And Paul insisted that this wisdom comes from the Cross of Christ.

The crucifixion of Christ is the wise guide for all of the Apostle Paul’s theology, message, and ministry. That singular event was like a massive meteor hitting the ocean of humanity, with a powerful tsunami of spiritual power and grace still making waves up to this very day.

Indeed, the Cross of Christ impacts all of creation, the entire universe. The person and work of Jesus Christ has cosmic implications for the salvation and deliverance of everything from the grip of evil.

On the practical daily level of things, none of this is about trying to do or be better, to somehow work harder at being a Christian or doing Christian mission and ministry. The fact of the matter is that we can only give to others what we have received from God. This means that:

  • The Holy Scriptures are to be received with reverence and fear, as a message given for us to learn and know so well that it becomes as familiar to you as the backdoor of your house.
  • The Christian life is about dying to self, taking up one’s cross and following Christ. If we desire the power of the resurrection, then this will first require embracing and allowing the powerful suffering of the cross to do its work.
  • Faithfulness is at the heart of living. Our task is to show up, pay attention, and speak the truth in love, and let God use this to accomplish the Divine holy will. Being married to outcomes and consequences will likely lead to reliance upon worldly wisdom, and eventually disappointment.
  • The Cross of Christ is what everything and everyone hinges upon. The world does not revolve around you nor me. So, let’s get in sync with the Spirit of God and rely upon the cruciform power provided for us by means of Christ’s death.

O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; who lives and reigns now and forever. Amen.