Psalm 108

Today (the day this was written) is the fifteenth anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center (9/11/2001).  Perhaps it is fitting to consider this Psalm on this day.  For some it may need to be fifteen years in the rear view mirror before they can figure out how to have the same ability to reflect on our “undeserved” troubles and to do the necessary self-examination.  Consider this Psalm first; then let us see if it helps us in our own historical context.

·         108:1-5: (These verses are identical to Ps. 57:7-11).  Pay close attention to what the Psalmist says.  The rest of the Psalm will reveal He is in need of help.  But at the outset he makes it very clear: his heart is steadfast in that he will give praise and glory to God regardless of the situation and its eventual outcome.  He will even give God glory from his own glory (v1), meaning he will use the acclaim that has been given to him and refer it to God.  He does not doubt that those twin attributes of God (chesed, His mercy or lovingkindness and emet, His truth or faithfulness) are still very real (v4).  Whatever his struggle he will not deny God!  And in v5 he prefaces his prayer by asking God to glorify Himself.  What a great call to praise.

·         108:6-13: (These verses are identical to Ps. 60:5-12).  He now engages in a two-way conversation with God whereby he makes request (v6), receives an answer (v7-9), and then goes in faith (v10-13).  The request is that God will choose to glorify Himself by saving him and the nation.  It seems that this is the prayer of a warrior (Spurgeon called it The Warrior’s Morning Song).  He will be engaged in battle.  While we have no idea which war he is engaged in we do know that he is an Israelite and it involves the chosen Nation.  Further it seems to come at a time when Israel has experienced defeat because of the references in v11.  So he is calling on God to be faithful to His covenant.  And in the conversation God answers in the affirmative in that He affirms His special relationship with Israel (v7-8) as well as His disdain for the nations that so often afflicted Israel (v9).  It is possible the warrior himself repeats these words as if to give himself courage in the light of God’s relationship with Israel.  The conversation closes with positive words, but not just the power of positive thinking.  The warrior acknowledges his total dependence upon God and gains courage from the God of mercy and truth.  Any victory will be gained by God!

The United States does not have a covenant relationship with God as did Israel.  But like any people, they are free to call upon God.  Our governmental leaders are His servants and can call upon Him for wisdom and effectiveness.  What 9/11 provided was an opportunity to see our need for God and that the greatest of men are unable to prevent every attack.  It provided one of the nations, our nation, the opportunity to affirm, Through God we will do valiantly.  Every trial of nations and individuals is a call to bow before the God of mercy and truth.

Lamentations 3:1-18, PTSD and the Word of God (2)

Did Asaph or Jeremiah suffer with PTSD?  Here are some things we can say about them.  First, take Psalm 74.  Asaph was a worship leader chosen by David.  This “Asaph” is likely a descendent of his, as his family continued in the position until the time of the Babylonian captivity and beyond (Ezra 2:41).  What Asaph saw was traumatic (v3-8).  He had struggles with hope, or better, hopelessness (v9-10).  He wrestled with God over this (v11-17) and eventually was able to pray with a solid foundation (v18-23).  The Psalm is likely a summarizing of his experience.  So we don’t know how long he struggled.  We just know it was traumatic, and he eventually found some resolution of the matter with God.

Before we move on to Jeremiah, let me say that Ps. 73-89 is a section of Psalms (Book III of the five books of the Psalms) that deals with this traumatic experience.  You will find Psalmists struggling with depression as well as their memories.  Most of the time (Ps. 88 might be the exception) they come to some ability to trust God with their future and thus to move on in life.

Now, what about Jeremiah?  The book of Lamentations has five chapters.  Ch. 1-2 certainly have a lot to say about his suffering, so I commend them to you to read.  I am going to stay with Ch. 3 because that is where we see Jeremiah with his struggles and his healing.  Let’s take a quick look at 3:1-18.  But before we do, just a reminder, that all the chapters in Lamentations are “alphabetical.”  Your English Bible should have chapter three in 22 stanzas of 3 verses each.  The verses in each stanza begin with the same letter, begin with “aleph” (v1-3) through “tau” (v64-66).  The verses in each stanza fit together so you can study it three verses at a time if you want. 

·       v1-3: Jeremiah refers to the time as “dark.”  What he saw was “time and time again, throughout the day.”  Let me note one other thing here and throughout all of vs. 1-18: what he saw he attributed to the hand of God.  The first two chapters of Lamentations show Jeremiah coming to grips with this.  The Babylonians did bad things, but it was the work of God. 

·       v4-6: Jeremiah experienced some physical issues that he relates to the “aging process.”  He is surrounded by bitterness and woe, and again, it is “dark.”

·       v7-9: What he saw was oppressive, in the sense of being heavy.  He had feelings of hopelessness, hedged in by the trauma.  His normal way of dealing with things (prayer) seemed useless.  God was not listening.

·       v10-12: He felt threatened, as if confronted by a ferocious animal.  Note: these feelings arose from what God was doing.

·       v13-15: He felt, of actually was, estranged from his family, “my people.”  He experienced this early in his ministry (Jer. 11:21; 12:6) so that when the end came it was especially difficult.

·       v16-18: Jeremiah’s anxiety was like teeth being broken by gravel.  Any sense of inner strength and hope (a reason to live) was dead.

My conclusion is that Jeremiah’s trauma was very real and as difficult as what might be experienced on any battlefield or in anything faced by first-responders.  Let’s pick this up in the next post.

Ps. 74:1-8; 79:1-4, PTSD and the Word of God (1)

I am not a doctor.  I am not a psychiatrist or psychologist.  I am a pastor who has enjoyed a life of searching the Word of God, the Creator of all life, and seeing it’s positive effect in my life and in the lives of others.  There is an extremely logical and rational conclusion of the previous statements: to ignore or neglect or reject the Word of the Creator must result in a faulty approach to facing the issues of life.

I was with a group of pastors recently when there was a conversation about PTSD.  I hear of PTSD frequently, but know very little about it.  It is usually mentioned in connection with military people, although in this pastoral group it was in the context of first-responders.  About the same time as this conversation I was reading Jeremiah and Lamentations.  The thought occurred to me: Jeremiah was a candidate for PTSD.  I wondered if Lamentations might be helpful for people with this disorder.

What is PTSD?  Here’s the doctors I tend to trust, the folks from Mayo Clinic.  It’s from their web page.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that's caused by an extremely stressful or terrifying event — either being part of it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety and uncontrollable thoughts about the event.

Most people who go through traumatic events may have a hard time adjusting and coping for a short time. But with time and by taking good care of themselves, they usually get better. If the symptoms get worse, last for months or years, and affect their ability to function daily, they may have PTSD.

Getting treatment after PTSD symptoms arise can be very important to ease symptoms and help people function better.

Further “Googling” revealed a fairly consistent pattern for identifying if a person has PTSD.  There are four categories of symptoms, and if you have some experience of each of these categories you have PTSD.  The four are: 1) Intrusive memories (regularly reliving the traumatic experience); 2) Avoidance (altering your life so as to avoid situations that bring back the event); 3) Negative changes in thinking and mood (ongoing fear or blame, detachment from friends, etc.); 4) Changes in physical and emotional reactions (trouble sleeping, irritability, fast heartbeat).  Again, this all came from the Mayo web page.  I saw others that were similar so I take this as a common understanding of a very real problem.

The next question is, did Jeremiah have a traumatic event as spoken of by the medical people.  Today’s passages from the Psalms can help us here.  Jeremiah was not the only one to see what happened to Jerusalem in 587BC.  The Psalmists also saw this, as their words indicate.  I can’t tell you whether Asaph or Jeremiah had PTSD, in other words whether they experienced continual symptoms.  But I can say that they saw something deeply traumatic. The actual day of the destruction of the temple is remembered today in Israel as Tisha B’Av.  It is a day of mourning for Jews, of course.  It is not just that Asaph and Jeremiah saw people killed mercilessly, and their sacred city and temple destroyed.  They also saw something that challenged their very concept as the people of God.  They were part of a chosen people, special to the LORD in certain ways, and now it seemed that all that was gone. 

You might imagine a house fire where all of one’s connections with the past, with pictures and memoirs and special knick-knacks destroyed.  Except multiply it by a very large number and you might get a thought about what these people experienced at the hand of the Babylonians.  The holy city and the temple of Solomon destroyed, the Davidic king’s descendants killed and the king blinded and taken to Babylon to die.  Not to mention the raping and killing of people they knew and loved.  As we said, we do have candidates for PTSD.

John 20:30-31; 21:25, John’s Contribution to Gospel Story

Of course, there are differences in the four accounts of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  So what we are about to do is not surprising.  Although as I was reading recently in John’s Gospel I was caught by some of the details John provided that were unique to John’s Gospel.  So I thought I would list ones I noticed.  It speaks to John’s eyewitness account, and perhaps to the Spirit leading him to disclose some names and details when the other writers were happy to leave those specifics out.  The rest of John’s gospel also has conversations and events not in the Synoptics.  The Spirit has provided a wonderful rendition of the Gospel Story without contradiction!  We are limiting ourselves to John 18-21.

·       18:8-9: Jesus asks the mob, “Whom are you seeking?” Perhaps asked after Judas’ kiss, so as to allow Jesus to protect the rest of the disciples.

·       18:10: It was Malchus, a servant of the high priest, whose ear was cut off.

·       18:6: The mob fell to the ground.  I don’t see this as “slain in the Spirit” but fear. They were there to arrest the One who had calmed storms and cast out demons.

·       18:13: Jesus appeared before Annas first, before Caiaphas.

·       18:15-18: Peter got in because of another disciple (John).

·       18:19-23: A man struck Jesus.

·       18:28: Jews did not go into the Praetorium.

·       18:24: John gives none of the conversations before Caiaphas.

·       18:31-32: John mentions the issue of crucifixion, why the Jews needed Pilate.

·       18:33-37: John includes much more of Jesus’ conversations with Pilate (19:8-11).

 

·       19:5: “Behold the Man,” and 19:14: “Behold your King.”

·       19:8: Pilate’s fears when told Jesus claimed to be “Son of God.”

·       19:12-15: Jews sudden “love affair” for Caesar.

·       19:21: Jews argue about the sigh over the cross.

·       19:23-24: A description of Jesus’ tunic, and why they had to gamble for it.

·       19:25-27: Jesus’ giving care of His mother to John.

·       19:28-30: “I thirst” and “It is finished.”

·       19:32-34: Breaking the legs of the two criminals, piercing Jesus’ side.

·       19:35: John identifies himself as the eyewitness.

·       19:39: Nicodemus helped Joseph of Arimathea with the burial.

 

·       20:1-10: Peter and John going to the tomb.

·       20:11-18: Mary Magdalene being the first to see the risen Jesus.

·       20:19-23: Jesus’ appearance to the “10.”

·       20:24-29: Jesus’ appearance to the “11” and Thomas’ response.

·       21:1-14: Jesus’ appearance to the disciples who went fishing, the third appearance to a group of disciples.

·       21:15-25: Jesus’ restoration of Peter.

 

Perhaps a study like this of Luke’s Gospel would yield many unique details since the good doctor interviewed many eyewitnesses, including Jesus’ mother, given the details we have in Luke of the annunciation, birth and childhood visit to the temple.  Each of the four Gospels stands on it’s own and is useful in preaching the Gospel.  An occasional journey through a “Harmony of the Gospels” can also be valuable.

Eph. 3:8-13, The Epistemic Appetite of the Angels (2)

Our previous post concluded with the concern of the angels in Daniel 8.  There is another similar event in Daniel 12.  The event in Dan. 8 that was to occur in the time of a ruler over Israel who was one of four rulers who succeeded Alexander the Great.  Daniel 10-12 records another vision of Daniel that gives some incredible detail to the actions of this evil ruler.  In Ch. 12 we see that Michael the archangel will come to the rescue of the people of Israel.  The time being described, as was the case in Dan. 8, is said to be “at the time of the end” (11:40; 12:4).  But in 12:4 Daniel is told, “shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end.”  In other words, how the salvation of God’s people comes about is hidden, kept secret, not revealed.  And again, we see in 12:6 that the angels do not even know the end, because, as in 8:13, an angel again asks, “How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?”  The angels, who exist for the glory of God, long for the day when He will be truly glorified on earth.  Thus we see the “epistemic appetite of the angels.”

The Apostle Paul spoke of this longing in Eph. 3:8-12.  The “mystery” Paul speaks of in v9 has to do with the exaltation of Christ.  He had spoken of this in Eph. 1:9-10 that in the fullness of times all things would be gathered together in Christ.  The Body of Christ (the Church) is a major part of Christ’s exaltation since He is the head of all things to the church (1:22-23).  Christ, Who was promised the nations as an inheritance, is being exalted through the Church as Jews and Gentiles come to Christ, something that was hidden in OT times but now was being revealed through Paul (v8-9).  Thus Paul concludes that God’s great wisdom was made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places (v10-11).  In other words, the Church helps to satisfy the “epistemic appetite” of the angels.

Finally, we come to Rev. 5:11-12.  The “book” that Daniel was required to seal was now ready to be opened, by the only One worthy to open it: Jesus Christ!  This book is the content of Rev. 6-20, which ends with Jesus exalted in the glory of His second coming and in His Kingdom reign.  Finally, the story will be completed.  And what do we see and hear?  The voice of many angels around the throne … the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands and thousands, saying with a loud voice: Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!  Their appetite is fully satisfied.  They are no more wondering how it could possibly make sense for the Son of God to become poor (2 Cor. 8:9).  Instead, along with those who have been made rich by His poverty, they can say, Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift (2 Cor. 9:15).

1 Pt. 1:3-12, The Epistemic Appetite of the Angels (1)

“Epistemic Appetite,” a desire to know, is a more accurate term than “curiosity.”  The angels have a desire to know.  It’s not just curiosity because the angels exist purely for the glory of God.  They are not just curious about “this salvation” of which Peter speaks, “the salvation of your souls” (1:9).  Peter then says the angels long to know the what and how and when of this salvation.

Let me begin with 2 Cor. 8:9: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.  What do you suppose the angels thought when they heard this news, that God the Son was going to earth in such a way.  Listen to Spurgeon:

Oh, how surprised angels were, when they were first informed that Jesus Christ, the Prince of Light and Majesty, intended to shroud himself in clay and become a babe, and live and die!  We know not how it was first mentioned to the angels, but when the rumor first began to get afloat among the sacred hosts, you may imagine what strange wonderment there was.  What! was it true that he whose crown was all adorned with stars, would lay that crown aside?  What! was it certain that he about whose shoulders was cast the purple of the universe, would become a man dressed in a peasant’s garment?  Coult it be true that he who was everlasting and immortal, would one day be nailed to a cross?  Oh! how their wonderment increased!  They desired to look into it.

Why might imagine the angels being confused?  The angels are zealous for the glory of God.  When sin entered the human race, God set two angels at the entrance to Eden to make sure that no sinner would enter there to diminish the Creator.  When God revealed His plan by which He would dwell with men, two angels watched over the “mercy seat” where the Presence rested: And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat (Ex. 25:20). 

In Daniel 8 we see the “epistemic appetite” of the angels.  Ch. 8:1-12 contains a vision of Daniel.  Gabriel’s interpretation of the vision (8:15-26) tells us what Daniel was seeing.  The Medes and Persians who ruled the world and particularly Israel (8:20) were about to be replaced by Alexander the Great (8:21) who would then be  replaced by four rulers (8:22).  In the latter time of this “four part empire” the king ruling Israel would destroy the “holy people,” causing sin to thrive (8:23-24), even rising against the Prince of princes (8:25-26).  In 8:13 we see that a “holy one” was stirred to ask, “How long will the vision be?”  Why would this angel be concerned?  The answer is that he knows that Israel is the means by which salvation would come.  If the holy people are destroyed, what will come of the promised salvation? 

Ex. 32:1-6; Deut. 9:7-21, The Golden Calf

The story of the “golden calf” in the wilderness, to me, has always presented a couple of questions.  Aaron and Hur were in charge while Moses was away (Ex. 24:14).  Aaron devised the plan to bring him their gold (32:2,24) and he “fashioned” a molded calf (32:4), yet Aaron tells Moses that the calf “came out” of the fire (32:24).  The LORD lays the blame on the people (32:7-10), even though Aaron made the calf (32:35).  When Aaron fashions the calf it is “they,” the people, who say, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt.”  And Aaron also lays the blame on the people (32:22), though Moses indicts both Aaron and the people (32:21).  In Deut. 9:19-20 we read that Moses not only interceded for the people (32:11-14,30-34) but also for Aaron, for which we have no record.

Barnes Notes:

The golden calf - The people had, to a great extent, lost the patriarchal faith, and were but imperfectly instructed in the reality of a personal unseen God. Being disappointed at the long absence of Moses, they seem to have imagined that he had deluded them, and had probably been destroyed amidst the thunders of the mountain Exodus 24:15-18. Accordingly, they gave way to their superstitious fears and fell back upon that form of idolatry which was most familiar to them.

My response to Barnes: The people had already agreed to worship the LORD (19:7-8) and been commanded to worship no other god and have no graven images (20:3-6). My question is, where were Israel’s leaders?  70 of them had been up on the mountain, with Aaron, Moses and Joshua, and saw something amazing, and fellowshipped with the LORD (24:9-18).  Perhaps we see in Aaron that fatal flaw we see later in his sons (Lev. 10:1-3).

Gaebelein's Annotated Bible (Arno C. Gaebelein, 1922):

Here we find man’s heart fully uncovered, that wicked heart of unbelief. What manifestations of God’s power they had seen! … And now when Moses delayed, they requested of Aaron, “Up, make us gods.” God was not mentioned at all by the rebellious mass. It seemed Moses and not God was the object of their faith. The heathen had gone that way and “changed the glory of the Uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts and creeping things” (Romans 1:23). The favored nation shows that their heart is as corrupt as the heart of the Gentiles, who know not God. … And Aaron plays the leading part in this awful scene of degradation and wickedness. He announces a feast unto the Lord, after he had made the golden calf from the golden ear-rings (copied, no doubt, after the Egyptian idol Apis; see Psalm 106:19-20). Then the people “rose up to play”; wild dances, licentious and filled with the abominations of the heathen, the flesh let loose, is what followed. The people were naked (verse 25).

My response to Gaebelein: Perhaps the upside to this story, if we have to have one, is the establishment of the Levites who stood with Moses (32:26-28).  They are, of course, Moses’ kin, but then again, so was Aaron!  And while we are at it, Moses’ rising to the place where he stands with Israel, even willing to be blotted out of the LORD’s book, is something the LORD had been working on with Moses.  He needed to become a true shepherd, willing to give his life for the sheep.