Devotion.al

Tag: sacrifice

  • Otherly Holiness

    Psalm 22:23-31; Genesis 15:1-21; Romans 3:21-31 (read online ⧉)

    In Genesis, we read of the covenant God made with Abram. When we look at the blood and sacrifices from a modern , it is easy to be repulsed or disgusted by the concept. In Abram’s time, this was a normal way to seal a covenant.

    A covenant is a promise. When making a covenant such as this, there were two parties, the strong party and the weak party. If was often an agreement where the strong party would agree to defend and/or take care of the weak party, and the weak party would submit—both in authority and tribute (i.e., think taxes)—to the strong party.

    If we think of this logically, then, God would take the role of the strong party, and Abram would take the role of the weak party. However, in this instance God takes the place of both parties. Abram is more of a witness to the making of the treaty, rather than a party to it. How can God take the place of both roles? This is a foretelling of what is to come.

    For generations, God protected and watched over Abram’s descendants. Even when they wandered or ran away from God, God still was watching and caring.

    In Romans, writes: “…since all have sinned and fall short of the of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the that is in Christ , whom God put forward as a of atonement by his blood…”

    This is where we can see the submitting party of the covenant. Jesus Christ’s perfect submission to God’s authority, and sacrifice of himself, fulfills the weak party’s role. It is, of course, just an analogy, yet there is a huge truth in this. God created the universe, yet because we are unable to ourselves, or able to fulfill the entirety of God’s holiness, Jesus took our place, and the requirements of submission and tribute.

    We, like Abram, are often more witnesses to God’s holiness and fulfillment of his than actual participants of either. Yet, we are called to be .

    1) What do you think the responsibilities are of a witness? Are fulfilling them?

    2) When you think of God being both the strong and weak party, what comes to mind?

    3) How does it make you feel to understand that God took your place as the weak party?

  • Community of Friends

    Psalm 25:1-10, Psalm 32, Matthew 9:2-13 (read online ⧉)

    The story of the healed paralytic has been many times, mostly it seems, to point the finger at the scribes for their lack of faith. Let us look with upon the scribes, to their understanding and traditions, sins could not be forgiven without blood . It was not that their faith was weak (or non-existent), but that their traditions and scriptural understanding did not match ‘ simple words.

    For many of the Jewish religious leaders, part of their understanding was that the paralytic was bearing the of his sins, his parents’ sins, and/or some ancestor’s sins. In Psalm 32, the psalmist speaks of acknowledging his sins, but what if the sins the paralytic was bearing were not his own? What could he confess? What if it was some hidden of which he wasn’t aware? What could be his ? His friends.

    His friends mirror the great in God that we read in both of the Psalms. Their faith was the key. Did you catch that? The faith noted in Matthew 9:2-13 was that of the paralytic’s friends. In a shame-based culture, they could have been despised because they dared to be publicly seen with this…sinner. They were declaring their love of their friend to their village and to their religious leaders. They bravely, faithfully, and lovingly brought their friend to the prophet in expectation of a miracle.

    They received two miracles, a spiritual cleansing, and the healing of their friend. The paralytic learned who his true friends were, and the power and love of God that changed his !

    We can reasonably expect God’s grace and , not because we deserve it, but because that is a of God being love.

    We have to be humble and reflective as we approach the throne of God. When we do so we become ready to be guided and lead by the Creator.

    1) Why do you think Matthew, Mark, and Luke made it a point that it was the faith of the paralytic’s friends that Jesus praised?

    2) How does this recognition of their faith affect or challenge your perception or beliefs of what it means to be in a faith community?

    3) How does our perception of our faith community affect our interactions within it, and how we welcome new people into it?

  • Chained

    Romans 5:12–21, Philippians 2:5–11, Hebrews 5:1–10 (read online ⧉)

    Obedience is hard. God knows that it is hard for us. That doesn’t excuse us from it, however.

    It seems perfectly reasonable to draw from the that part of Jesus’ unspoken mission was to show obedience and that obedience is possible. There were points in Jesus’ earthly ministry that he could have not obeyed and had a completely different result. Obedience was hard. Jesus did it anyway.

    It is amazing (and depressing) that the first disobedience led to a very long line of disobedience. points out that Adam was the first man, and through Adam came. This is, for the record, more of a story, as it does exclude Eve’s contribution. Paul was trying to tie all the prophets together, even Moses, into a big line of and death. This chain of sin and death was a result of disobedience. The Jewish by this point was not an overwhelmingly positive one. Sin and death were very much a part of their concepts. To some degree, First Century Jews had an almost dystopian view of the world (as do many people today). Finding the positive was hard.

    Paul states that while the sin that brought sin and death to the world may be overwhelming, the grace and wrought through the of Jesus Christ was greater still. So much greater was this gift that it didn’t stop merely with canceling sin and death, it brought abundant .

    This gift of grace and mercy is given through obedience. It is not an obedience of . It is an obedience of for the sacrifice made that we couldn’t make and acceptance of it.

    1) As a child, what was the hardest rule of your parents to obey? Why?

    2) Why is it important to understand that sin and death are chains? Whose chains are they?

    3) What is your understanding of Jesus’ obedience? What does that mean right now for your life?

  • Servant and Service

    Isaiah 44:21-23, Matthew 20:22–28, John 12:26 (read online ⧉)

    What is a servant? That isn’t a small question. In fact, in our culture, it is a huge thing.

    The cultural implications are generally demeaning (Alfred notwithstanding). That probably has a lot to do with the cultural wound of slavery, when humans claimed ownership of others. In addition, servants were often the poor or undereducated or uneducated for whom being a servant was actually an improvement from their previous circumstances. We see much of this in waitstaff or clerks or other “service industry” people. Many young people work in so-called service industries and their parents have been guilty of saying, “so you’ll know why you want a better job.” It sounds harsh, doesn’t it? On the other hand, in other cultures, servants or service industries are not so demeaned. In some European countries, for example, tipping a waiter is an insult. They are professionals and should be treated as such.

    This is incredibly important as we read the verses from Isaiah. Jacob/Israel is God’s servant. This is not intended to be a demeaning title, but one that bestows great honor. Only the Israelites had the of being in relationship with God. In our culture, this “gets to be a servant” has serious overtones that damage the God-honoring view of serving God as . Our culture of individuality along with our history of service jobs and slavery looks at this as condescension and , rather than what it is…a blessed arrangement. This is God’s perspective and it is the long-held view of Israelite and (now) Jewish thought.

    When we read Jesus’ words to his disciples, we can see (especially in the light of Isaiah’s words) just how shocking Jesus’ words actually were. Jesus was switching up the “rules”. Jesus (the of God) surrendered his divinity to . Jesus served as teacher, example (for a life that honored God), and . In his words to his disciples, he noted the problem Gentiles had with servants (sounds familiar). It was a power issue. Servants—those that serve others—are not to be dismissed due to their role or position. In fact, it would seem that servants are to actually be honored.

    We get that to some degree. As part of our church life, there are many who serve both as a calling and as an outpouring of worship (worship of God). John gives us some context that ties it all . If we serve God, we follow God. Perhaps the next time you see servant or serve in the , it to follow or follower and see how your heart responds.

    1) What is your initial to being a servant? Why? How do you think that response was formed?

    2) We often intellectually (i.e., unemotionally) assent or agree that God calls us to serve. Why, then, does the church lack servants? What can be done to change the culture?

    3) Have you ever been to a restaurant where the waitstaff were professionals? What was it like compared to places where the waitstaff are only in “starting” jobs?

  • Hope Together

    1 Chronicles 29:14–19, Psalm 31, Isaiah 2:1–5 (read online ⧉)

    It is pretty universal across humanity for people to question their value and their purpose. In the ancient world, the view of gods was often not particularly positive. Much of the activity was done to appease the wrathful gods and to “bribe” them enough to maybe get what was desired. The progressive understanding of the Israelites was that while God required sacrifice it was much more than that.

    David rarely seemed to view himself particularly highly (which have actually been a problem, at times). This gave David an interesting perspective insofar as he knew that while God had chosen him (and his ), he didn’t take it for granted. He was grateful and amazed. In addition, part of his history (and that of Israel) was one of constant strife with the nations around them, and often at the losing end.

    It was the non-losing end that remained the underlying story of the Israelites…hope. David understood that while Israel was often in trouble, often through its own misbehavior, with God’s selection of David and his family that there was indeed hope that the people would finally be unified. Through unification, perhaps the people of Israel would finally be strong enough to stand against the forces around them.

    Regardless, for David at least, it all relied on God. While David and his military might could protect the to some degree, it was only through God’s mighty hand and care that the nation, and its people, would thrive. In Psalm 31, David calls upon God’s faithful love. Foreshadowing a significant event in the of his descendant, David wrote, “…into your hand I entrust my .” Hope and trust in God are what allows us to continue forward in when we cannot see in the dark.

    Isaiah’s shows us that even then God was looking forward to everyone worshiping God with each other. This would cross national, ethnic, language, and cultural barriers. This hope, of a world united in worship of God, is what we have to with those who don’t know God. Let us take the of hope forward into our lives.
    1) Have you ever questioned your value or purpose? What do David’s words say to that?

    2) Why is entrusting yourself to God such an important perspective?

    3) There is more than just worship involved in Isaiah’s vision? What else is there?

    FD) What do you think David means by his spirit to God?

  • You…Priest…You

    Malachi 2:1–9, Colossians 3:5–17, 1 Peter 2:1–8 (read online)

    In a number of bibles (both translations and iterations), this passage in Malachi has the header of Warning to the Priests. You may have read that yourself. This passage is indeed to the Israelite priests, who fulfill the forms of , , supplication, and , but do not fulfill the of any of it. Tying the heart of worship to honoring God’s should give any of us pause. Look at what God is equating to the behavior of their hearts: animal poop and entrails. In other words, what’s coming out of them is crap. Pretty harsh.

    The problem that many Christians have reading this passage is, “this doesn’t apply to me.” Except if you read Paul’s and Peter’s letters, the category of Israelite/Jewish Priest actually does apply to all of us. Paul’s letter removes the -based barriers between people. Peter removes the concept of non-priest. In other words, the warning of Malachi does apply to each of us.

    Now, we could say that the Law doesn’t apply to us. Okay. Yet, the “Law” of (love the Lord your God) would seem to wipe that argument out in context. While we use and have the titles of priest, pastor, reverend, minister, and while they have a certain place within the , that does not spare us from the priesthood of all believers.

    Re-read Malachi. Replace “you” with “me”, and “your” with “my”. Take this personally.

    1) How have you violated what God calls on us to do/be according to the words in Malachi?

    2) Scripture is pretty down-to-earth. This passage in Malachi shows it (along with a little rephrasing). Why is it important that the Scriptures are so down-to-earth? What happens when we over gentle the of God?

    3) Barriers are a common tactic. Why do you think it is important that Paul and Peter removed them? What barriers need to be removed in your , particularly with how you categorized and interact with other people?

  • 11 November 2019 — Armistice Day / Veterans’ Day

    Isaiah 11:1–10, Isaiah 2:2–4, Jeremiah 8:14–15 (click to read online)

    Humanity has been killing humanity since Cain and Abel. It is nothing new. There was some idealistic optimism, not shared by all, that World War I would be the war to war. Instead, it saw the first widespread use of machine guns and then planes, tanks, chemical warfare. It wasn’t the end of all wars. In fact, as many wars do, it was the root cause of the next one, with Germany’s rise of the Nazis and World War II. The Treaty of Versailles (to end World War I) was meant to formally end the war (not just stop the fighting). People trying to teach a lesson, and out of their own , imposed severe penalties on the German . The consequences of that created the kind of space where Adolf Hitler could rise and send the world to war again.

    Someone once wrote, “veterans are those who signed a blank check to the US Government, promising everything up to .” Many have paid that “full” price, along with their families. Others continue to pay a different price of broken bodies, minds, and spirits. Truthfully, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that any person can do to repay their . Many are quick to jump up and attack these people because of a perceived representation of the so-called military/industrial complex or the lunatic saber-rattling of deranged/mistaken leaders. They, the veterans, are no such thing. First and foremost they are people who surrendered themselves in support of something they saw greater than themselves. That is not something to dismiss or disparage. Ever. Second, just like everyone else, they have hopes, dreams. Third, they need our .

    The optimism of Isaiah’s is possible. Yes, they are. However, it is only when we take Jeremiah’s cautions that we can understand how this can happen. No, it isn’t going to happen anytime soon. God comes first. We aren’t all there yet. In fact, most of us are further than we’d like to admit.

    1) What is one thing you can do to take a step toward the visions of Isaiah?

    2) What do you think of the phrase, starts at home? Is your home peaceful?

    3) What is peace? Do you think your definition of peaces matches others’?

  • Sacrifice of Living

    Isaiah 1:10–18, Psalm 50, Romans 5:20–6:11

    The problem with the Law was the human ability to think out the payment schedule, particularly the wealthy. What the wealthy did, it seems, was to commit the , then pay the penalty. In other words, the payment for the sin was considered as part of the “cost of doing business.” Part of the point of the law was to show the cost of sin in a way that was significant. However, in the midst of great wealth, everything became distorted.

    While we could draw some parallels to the modern day when it comes to extreme wealth, it is the other aspects of this which should us pause. As we read the passage from Isaiah, it is not just the rich who are at fault. While they may have led the vanguard, the followed. There appears to be a universal condemnation of the population of Israel.

    It would seem, on the outset, that the Psalm is a little different. Yet, God seems to disregard the offerings as pointless. That’s really not much better. The reality is, as the Psalm continues, the Israelites are truly lost, wandering away from God. They are not in community with one another. The reality is that sometimes we all do not live well in community. Yet, we try…mostly.

    One of the deepest truths is that we all fail to live perfectly in community. Sometimes we disguise it behind pithy statements such as, “a church is a hospital; we’re all wounded.” There is truth in the words, but there is also a strong tendency to categorize the wounds we have inflicted as, “just a sad reality.” This is not the way to live!

    Yes, absolutely, we will wound people and will be wounded by people. We are not, however, supposed to leave it like that. Yes! Grace abounds. We are supposed to give it to one another! Yes! God heals. God often heals through . Being dead to sin is not doing “the right” , it is living to give , , healing, and grace.

    1) Who have you wounded recently? How will you when someone comes to you saying that you wounded them?

    2) Who has wounded you recently? How will you approach them? How will you show them grace?*

    3) What is the difference between grace and forgiveness?

    *In certain situations regarding , emotional, or spiritual abuse, this is not being blind to the others’ behavior. Never put yourself in harm’s way.