Tag Archives: Evil

Shunning Evil

BaalLiving in the Spirit
November 10, 2014

Scripture Reading: Judges 4:1-7

The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly for twenty years. — Judges 4:1-3

We really do not know exactly what the Israelites did again that was evil. Back in chapter three they were charged with forgetting the Lord their God, and worshipping the Baals and the Asherahs. This seems to be the way of human nature. When things are going well we don’t necessarily think a lot about God. We might even seek out the allure of lesser gods that may not have any real power but are tempting in some way. The desire for more and more wealth or power, for example, are probably our 21st Century Baals and Asherahs. Of course, we are far too sophisticated to worship some figure carved from stone, although we can become seriously attached to our gadgets. What the book of Judges tells us over and over is that doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord always ends badly. I think it is also telling us that our relationship with God is a 24/7 proposition. Good times or bad, we are called to be in sync with God.

Speaking of gadgets, I have been using one of those step tracker things that people can wear to tell them how active they are. It works for me, probably because I am rather goal oriented. If it shows I have walked 4.6 miles, I’ll make the extra effort to get it up to five. Our relationship with God is like that. When things are going pretty good it doesn’t mean we should rest on our laurels but rather that we are at a point when we can take the next step up in our journey of faith. We know we can always depend on God through the bad times. The question is can God depend on us in the good times.

Prayer: God of the Dance, help me to keep on moving toward the fulfillment of your will and your way through the good times and the bad times. Help me to know evil when in crosses my path and to shun it in favor of faith, hope, and love. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Violence and Love

Living in the Spirit
August 11, 2014 

Scripture Reading: Genesis 45:1-15 

Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come closer to me.’ And they came closer. He said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. —Genesis 45:4-5

My Sunday school class decided to study the book of 1 Kings this spring. Some felt they did not know much about this section of the Bible. Actually most of us did not know much about it. I am pretty sure now that some wished they hadn’t learned as much as we have. The history of the Kings of Israel following David’s death is pretty gory and cutthroat.

This has, however, been one of the best studies we have done that really forced us to grapple with the nature of God. Does God inflict evil to punish people for their sins? What about the innocents who get caught in the crossfire?  What is the source of evil? How come the “good” kings that are doing God’s will are just as violent or more so then the “bad” kings who did not follow God’s will? Actually using these rather barbaric stories by modern standards provide excellent fodder for dealing with such issues that occur in our world every day albeit usually at a less extreme level.

In our story today, Joseph has interpreted his brother’s selling him into slavery as a good thing. He says the result was that God sent Joseph ahead to preserve life, not only the lives of his family but the lives of many people throughout that area impacted by the famine. One thing my class pretty much agreed on in our study of Kings was that God works God’s purpose out in whatever muck we may throw at God.

So where does that leave us? There are a lot of really evil things that happen in our world every day. We as followers of Jesus Christ have chosen a path for life that is paved with love. God is working toward a world ruled by that love. We are called to work beside God and with God to the end that love will overcome evil. It actually already has in the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer: God who is Love, we don’t understand the violence of the Israelite kingdoms some three thousand years ago any better than we understand the violence in our world today. We do know that your desire is that we live love in all that we do. We do know that we can only do that through your amazing grace. Strengthen us for the tasks you set before us. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Kingdom of Heaven

Living in the Spirit
July 26, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

 He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’ He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’ —13:31-33

What Jesus doesn’t point out in his parables about the Kingdom of Heaven is that evil spreads in very much the same way. Like a cancer that starts as what appears to be an innocent mole, melanoma grows above the skin but the worst damage is not so visible. It is cancer’s tentacles reaching and spreading beneath the skin that are so deadly. We humans have finite capacity for both good and for evil. Unless we actively pursue the dominance of good, evil will soon fill the void. On the other hand, when even the smallest bit of love is nurtured, it will grow and grow leaving no room for evil.

Carl Jung says, People tend to believe evil is something external to them – yet it is a projection of the shadow onto others. As one who projects the principle for absolute and unresolvable evil onto others – it is to the degree that one condemns others and finds evil in others, that one is unconscious of the same thing within oneself, or the potential of that within oneself. It is a projection of one’s own shadow. What Carl Jung does not say here is that our projection of good on the other, loving them as they are, projects our own God-authored love for ourselves.

The foundation of the Kingdom of Heaven is loving God and loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. It is as old as time as old as God and it is upon this rock that we must do our part of living into the Kingdom of God right now and every day forward.

Prayer: Ancient of Days, fill us with your love so that we can love others as you would have us to love them seeing past what we perceive as evil and seeing your image in everyone. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.