Eastertide
April 18, 2018
Scripture Reading: Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.
My Bible study group has delved into the Hebrew Bible books of Amos, Joel, and Hosea the last two semesters. All full of doom and gloom, these prophets offer a bit of hope at the end of each. The most remarkable thing is they all seem to be describing our world today, although they were describing Israel before its fall. Recently we studied Hosea chapter 10 which talks about raining retribution against an enemy. Our study was the same day USA leaders were announcing a rebuttal strike being prepared against Syria for a recent poison gas attack against Syrian citizens.
While just reading the stories can bring on fear, none of the prophets seem fearful. They are angry at the blindness of their fellow citizens in denial of the consequences of their failure to walk in obedience to God. They are disconcerted at the distractions of other gods they comingle with their Hebrew heritage, but not afraid.
These prophets are intimately acquainted with the God our Psalmist describes in the above scripture. They fear no evil for God is with them. I am not talking about the normal fears that prepare us for a quick response when safety and security are threatened. I am talking about the fear that stems from hopelessness and alienation from God. One of these prophets’ goals is probably to instill some holy fear in their listeners or readers to help them avoid certain disaster.
Our goal in life is to solidify our relationship with God so that we, too, can be people who fear no evil thus enable to be the Body of Christ in our world today.
Prayer: I take comfort in your constant presence; help me be constantly present with you. Amen.