social justice

Psalm Reading for April 28, 2024

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 22:25-31
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

These verses of exultation and praise are a little misleading when taken out of context. Psalm 22, which is usually read in relation to the Passion of Christ, begins with the famous line which Jesus uttered from the cross:

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Clearly this Psalm begins as a cry of dereliction and lamentation, but there is a complete reversal in tone as the Psalmist considers the glorious future of God’s people.

The positive reversal of fortune for the poor, which is a frequent theme in Scripture, reminds us of the social justice issues lifted up by the prophets and in Mary’s Magnificat in the Gospel of Luke.

The Lord, who has dominion over all the earth, is also recognized not only as the Lord of Israel but of all nations:

All the relatives of the nations shall worship before you.

The rich also will feast. But the real kicker of this passage is that the Psalmist addresses the specter of death that was raised by the first verses of the Psalm:

All those who go down to the dust shall bow before him,
even he who can’t keep his soul alive.

Death is answered with life, and those who die shall kneel before the living God!

And the one who was near death is also promised a glorious future:

Posterity shall serve him.
Future generations shall be told about the Lord.
They shall come and shall declare his righteousness to a people that shall be born,
for he has done it.

APPLY:

If the first half of Psalm 22 from verse 1 to 24 is appropriate for Lent and the Passion of the Christ, these verses from 25 to 31 are perfect for the Easter season!

We see here the great eschatological themes that run through the most hopeful passages of Scripture:

The poor are lifted up.
All nations come to worship the Lord of all creation.
The dead are raised.
Generations to come will continue to glorify God.

This is the cycle of redemptive suffering and glorious renewal that is so consummately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. There is never a crucifixion without a resurrection because of him!

RESPOND:

While the Scriptures are always realistic about the sorrows of suffering, they are also unfailingly hopeful about the promise of God’s renewal and future promises.

Therefore whatever I may go through that seems a setback, a sorrow, a suffering can always be turned into celebration by a Resurrection God!

Lord, turn all our sorrows into joy, all our tears into laughter, all our hungers into true fulfillment in you. Amen.


PHOTOS:
“...Hope...” by Darren Tunnicliff is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Psalter Reading for December 24, 2023

“Visitation” by Franz Anton Maulbertsch (1724-1796)

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Luke 1:46b-55
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This passage is an excerpt from the famous passage known traditionally as The Magnificat.

Here is the context — Mary, upon being told by the Angel Gabriel that she will be the virgin mother of Jesus, is also told that her relative Elizabeth is expecting a child as well. So, like many expecting mothers who welcome fellowship with other moms-to-be, she travels from Nazareth to the hill country of Judea where Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah live (Luke 1:26-45).

The occasion for this poem of superlative beauty is the instant recognition by Elizabeth that the child within Mary is divine. Elizabeth says to Mary:

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! Why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came into my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy! Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord!” (Luke 1:42-45).

Mary’s response to Elizabeth’s inspired greeting is her song of praise to Almighty God. The song seems to come from somewhere deep within her soul as she praises God for what he has done for her and for all people through her.

Mary is aware that she has been tremendously honored by this unique visitation — that God has exalted her despite her humble origins. And she also is keenly aware that this experience will transcend her own humble existence:

For behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed.

She recognizes that what is happening to her is of great historical significance.

At the same time, she is very careful to ascribe all honor and glory to God:

For he who is mighty has done great things for me.
Holy is his name.

This is a very theocentric, i.e., God-centered hymn of praise.

Then, in verses 50-55, the song’s scope expands to include all generations, and sounds a theme of social justice that resonates with the same concerns lifted up by the Hebrew prophets of the Old Testament.

She focuses on God’s mercy that is offered to all who fear him down through the ages; but she also lifts up the same concern for the poor and the oppressed and the hungry that was voiced by Isaiah and Amos and Micah and other prophets. Mary’s song proves to be quite counter cultural — the proud are scattered, rulers are deposed from their thrones, the rich lose all that they have!

In contrast, the humble are lifted up, the hungry are satisfied with food, and Israel is helped by the mercies of God.

All of this is in keeping with the promises of those same prophets cited earlier — that God has kept faith with the descendants of Abraham.

It is clear that this song of praise is consistent with the Old Testament and the prophetic tradition of social justice and deliverance, and that the promises to Abraham and to Israel are kept inviolable.

APPLY:

It has been said that the Magnificat is one of the most powerful revolutionary documents in all of Scripture, if not all literature. Even a shallow reading leads to the conclusion that God is definitely going to turn the tables on the rich and the powerful, and the poor and humble will be lifted up. There will be a reversal of status and position.

It has even been said that a British bishop in a third world country cautioned his priests against reading this passage aloud in church to the oppressed citizens of their colony, because it might lead to social upheaval and revolution!

But it begins in the life and literally in the womb of a young woman. Her consent to the news that she was to become the mother of the Messiah is a pivotal act in history. By saying, as she does, let it be done to me according to your word (Luke 1:38), she sets a revolution in motion.

It is not to be a violent revolution, except for those who resist the coming of the Messiah. It is to be a revolution of mercy, lifting the humble from their oppressed social status, and feeding those who are hungry.

The violence that occurs because of the coming of the Messiah is from reactionaries — from those who are aware that they will lose their power and prestige, and who see this woman’s son as a threat to the status quo. They react to his teaching and his healing and his “hunger relief program” by crucifying him, and then by persecuting his followers.

But all of that is to come later — as will the mighty deeds that God will accomplish with his arm. The birth, life, ministry, cross and resurrection of Jesus have indeed:

scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

And it all begins with the blessed Virgin Mary and this great thing that God has done for her and through her.

RESPOND:

I sometimes forget that the Scriptures we so glibly read in worship services during this season of Advent are RADICAL!

True, all generations are blessed by that child that has been conceived in Mary. But if I take the words of Scripture seriously, they call me to examine which group I’m a part of — am I arrogant or humble, ruler or ruled, full or hungry?

But more importantly, what am I to do about it? Fear God, humble myself before him, and identify with the poor and the oppressed? I think so.

Our Lord, I cannot improve on Mary’s words. But I am aware that as with Mary you have honored me with your favor simply by offering me your grace and mercy. Forgive me when I crow with the proud and seek to be imperious like the rulers. Give me an identification with the humble and poor so that I might be in ministry to them — because that’s where you are. Amen.

PHOTOS:
"Magnificat" uses this image: "Visitation" by Franz Anton Maulbertsch is in the Public Domain.

Old Testament for November 26, 2023

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Ezekiel was writing and prophesying from the perspective of exile in Babylon. He had been deported from Jerusalem to Babylon in 597 B.C. In 586 B.C. Jerusalem was destroyed, and the final deportation of the Jews to Babylon took place. Ezekiel is writing to a demoralized and defeated people. His purpose is to encourage the exiles.

His imagery is very fitting — the Sovereign Lord is depicted as a Shepherd who is seeking his lost sheep who were:

scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

That terrible, no good, awful day was the day the Babylonians breached the walls of Jerusalem. The flock is the nation of Israel who have been exiled from their homeland.

However, the word that Ezekiel offers is a promise of hope — even though the flock has been scattered among other nations and countries, God is promising to re-collect them and return them to their home pasture in Israel.

But there is also in this message a word of warning — the fat strong sheep who have butted and bullied the weak will be judged and destroyed. There is a strong ethical element to the prophet’s message — the poor and oppressed will be protected, and the wicked oppressor will be cast out.

Finally, Ezekiel invokes the name and the memory of David, who will be again their shepherd and prince. Obviously, Ezekiel isn’t speaking literally of David, who lived more than four hundred years earlier. He is speaking of the dynasty of David, and all of the kings who claimed their heritage directly from the idealized Davidic line.

In other words, the restoration will be made complete — the flock of Israel will be back in their own home pastures, and their ideal Davidic shepherd will be in charge again.

APPLY:

As with all prophetic literature, there are multiple layers to this oracle. Although these words may not apply literally to us, we may well have felt like exiles emotionally or spiritually.

This then is a word of comfort to us, that the Sovereign Lord will seek us as a Shepherd searches for his sheep, and bring us back home again.

We must also heed the word of warning — the sleek, strong, fat sheep who oppress the weak will be punished. This is a reminder of the strong theme of social justice that runs through virtually all the writings of the prophets, and that those of us who live as the privileged citizens of a wealthy, powerful superpower should be careful to heed — we dare not neglect the poor or oppress the underprivileged.

There is one more level to this passage that concerns the Davidic line. David had been promised that the throne of Israel would always be occupied by one of his descendants. Obviously, this line of succession had been broken by the destruction of Jerusalem — but Christians believe that Ezekiel’s prophecy is fulfilled by the eternal Lordship of Jesus, who is descended from David on his mother’s side. Jesus is ultimately the Son of David who tends the sheep.

RESPOND:

If and when I wander away from the flock, or even become scattered by circumstances beyond my control, I will look to the Good Shepherd to gather me to himself again. And I claim that promise on behalf of the flock as well, that even when we seem to stray, the Shepherd will still seek us — and will bring comfort to the weak and justice to the wicked.

Lord, I have been spared the devastation of military defeat and the destruction of my homeland. I cannot exaggerate any difficulty I have experienced by comparing it to such terror. But I am still reminded that when I feel lonely or exiled, you are my Shepherd, and I rely on you to return me to the flock. Amen.

PHOTOS:
“Are You His Sheep? (Ezekiel 34:15-16)” by Redeemed & Forgiven is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for February 5, 2023

Detail from a stained glass window in the medieval church of St Mary de Castro in Leicester. [Photo & description by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.]

“Clothing the Naked”
Detail from a stained glass window in the medieval church of St Mary de Castro in Leicester.
[Photo & description by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.]

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Isaiah 58:1-9a
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Isaiah contrasts righteous worship with unrighteous worship, true spirituality and phony spirituality.

In this oracle, Yahweh himself speaks to Isaiah, instructing him that he is to cry aloud and denounce Judah for their sins. Yahweh tells the prophet to lift up his voice like a trumpet.

This reference sets the stage for his theme — true worship. The trumpet was blown at the beginning of holy festivals. The shofar, a trumpet made from a ram’s horn, was blown on the Day of Atonement, which seems to be the day of worship that Isaiah is describing here.

In this case, the “trumpet voice” of the prophet is to accuse Jacob of disobedience to God.

Yahweh points out the religious hypocrisy of the people. He declares that though they seek him, and profess to delight in a knowledge of his ways, their behavior is inconsistent with their high opinion of their own faith.

The people are aggrieved, because they feel they have been sufficiently religious — they have carefully observed the fast of the Day of Atonement, and yet it seems to them that Yahweh has not honored their ritual:

‘Why have we fasted,’ say they, ‘and you don’t see?
Why have we afflicted our soul, and you don’t notice?’

Yahweh’s answer is blunt:

“Behold, in the day of your fast you find pleasure,
and oppress all your laborers.
Behold, you fast for strife and contention,
and to strike with the fist of wickedness.
You don’t fast today so as to make your voice to be heard on high.

In his interrogative rhetorical style, Yahweh then asks a series of questions that make clear that religious ritual alone is not sufficient to fulfill God’s law. Merely fasting, spreading sackcloth and ashes, and humbling oneself is not enough to please God.

Instead, Yahweh asks:

Will you call this a fast,
and an acceptable day to Yahweh?
Isn’t this the fast that I have chosen:
to release the bonds of wickedness,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and that you break every yoke?
Isn’t it to distribute your bread to the hungry,
and that you bring the poor who are cast out to your house?
When you see the naked,
that you cover him;
and that you not hide yourself from your own flesh?

His point is crystal clear — to fast and pray and worship, without compassion for the poor and justice for the oppressed, is mere ritualism with no substance. But if they were to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, then their prayers would be consistent with God’s will, and there would be true blessing:

Then your light will break out as the morning,
and your healing will appear quickly;
then your righteousness shall go before you;
and Yahweh’s glory will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and Yahweh will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’

APPLY:

Worship of God is foundational to Biblical theology and life. Pages and pages of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy are devoted to the feasts, festivals, sacrifices and fasts of the people of Israel.

However, the prophets and the Psalmists offer a necessary balance — even the most aesthetically pleasing worship and the most beautiful liturgy means nothing if the worshipers themselves lead morally reprehensible lives.

In this context, the moral insufficiency relates to social justice. Regular attendance in worship is a good thing. The Bible supports that. Fasting is a commendable spiritual discipline. The Bible supports that also. But if our lives are not transformed — if we do not share God’s concern for justice, for the poor, for the hungry — our worship is nothing more than hypocrisy.

RESPOND:

There is an old, old story from rural America set in a farming community. A farmhouse burned to the ground, leaving the family with virtually nothing. A congregation gathered at the small local church to pray for the devastated family.

While the church members were engaged in fervent prayer, another farmer entered the church building and announced: “My prayers are in the wagon.” In the wagon, he had collected clothing, food and sundry items to begin replenishing the losses of the family.

Clearly, true spirituality is a matter of “both/and.” To pray, to worship, to fast, are all means of grace. But it is also important that we be sure “our prayers are in the wagon.”

Lord, I love to worship you, and I am always blessed by the practice of spiritual disciplines such as prayer, worship, Bible study and fasting. But I confess that the practice of the spiritual life can sometimes be a challenge. Empower me to live out my faith through my acts of love and compassion for others. Amen.

PHOTOS:
“Clothing the Naked” by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Psalter Reading for December 11, 2022

Note from Celeste:

Before we look at today’s lectionary reading, I’d like to draw your attention to my Advent Bible Study books.

Getting Ready for Christmas is part of the Choose This Day Multiple Choice Bible Studies series, available in paperback and ebook.

The daily devotionals take 10-15 minutes and include:

Scripture passage (World English Bible)
Fun, entertaining multiple choice questions focused directly on the Scripture passage
Short meditation that can be used as a discussion starter.

Like an Advent calendar, Getting Ready for Christmas begins on December 1 and ends December 25. However, these 25 devotionals focusing on the Messiah can be used any time of year.

Use this book personally during a coffee break or with the family in the car or at the dinner table.

Order Getting Ready for Christmas today to prepare your family for this year’s Christmas season!
CLICK HERE for Amazon’s Kindle book of Getting Ready for Christmas.
CLICK HERE for Amazon’s Paperback of Getting Ready for Christmas.

And here’s the link to its puzzle companion book: Getting Ready for Christmas Word Search Puzzles for Advent.

It’s a large-print puzzle book with over 1,200 hidden words taken straight from the same 25 Scripture readings. (30 puzzles in all.)

If you’re not in the U.S., you can still order the books from your country’s amazon platform. Simply search for “Getting Ready for Christmas” by Celesta Letchworth.

Thank you for your consideration! And thank you for faithfully following Tom’s SOAR blog!

AND NOW, BACK TO TODAY’S LECTIONARY READING:

“Visitation” by Franz Anton Maulbertsch (1724-1796)

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Luke 1:46b-55
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This passage is an excerpt from the famous passage known traditionally as The Magnificat.

The occasion for this poem of superlative beauty is the instant recognition by Elizabeth that the child within Mary is divine. Elizabeth says to Mary:

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! Why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came into my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy! Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord!” (Luke 1:42-45).

For behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed.

She recognizes that what is happening to her is of great historical significance.

At the same time, she is very careful to ascribe all honor and glory to God:

For he who is mighty has done great things for me.
Holy is his name.

This is a very theocentric, i.e., God-centered hymn of praise.

In contrast, the humble are lifted up, the hungry are satisfied with food, and Israel is helped by the mercies of God.

All of this is in keeping with the promises of those same prophets cited earlier — that God has kept faith with the descendants of Abraham.

APPLY:

But all of that is to come later — as will the mighty deeds that God will accomplish with his arm. The birth, life, ministry, cross and resurrection of Jesus have indeed:

scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

And it all begins with the blessed Virgin Mary and this great thing that God has done for her and through her.

RESPOND:

I sometimes forget that the Scriptures we so glibly read in worship services during this season of Advent are RADICAL!

But more importantly, what am I to do about it? Fear God, humble myself before him, and identify with the poor and the oppressed? I think so.

PHOTOS:
"Visitation" by Franz Anton Maulbertsch is in the Public Domain.

Old Testament for August 14, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Isaiah 5:1-7
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Isaiah uses a technique that will be very familiar to readers of the Gospels — he tells a story. His parable of the vineyard does two things at once. First, it initially conceals his message. Isaiah uses his story-telling technique much the way Jesus uses parables — he “hooks” his audience. Second, he “sets the hook” with lovely descriptions, and then “reels” them in, making a rather disturbing application through his metaphor of the vineyard.

Vineyards were an important symbol of prosperity and abundance to the people of Israel. Micah (a contemporary of Isaiah’s) describes the time of God’s future reign with this image:

…they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,
and no one shall make them afraid (Micah 4:4).

Psalm 80 uses language very similar to that of Isaiah when it describes Israel. The Psalmist addresses God and says:

You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.
You cleared the ground for it;
it took deep root and filled the land (Psalm 80:8-9).

In Isaiah’s vivid metaphor, he offers a similar description of Israel:

Let me sing for my beloved
my love-song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.
He dug it and cleared it of stones,
and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watchtower in the midst of it,
and hewed out a wine vat in it;

So far, so good. Everybody loves a well-planted and well-tended vineyard. The audience in Jerusalem, hearing this lyrical love-song, is surely drawn in, congratulating themselves on all that God has done for them and for their prosperity. This is a very positive image.

And then comes the twist. Isaiah is singing the song on behalf of his beloved — the Lord. But the Lord is surprised that despite all of his efforts on behalf of his vineyard, the yield is unacceptable:

he expected it to yield grapes,
but it yielded wild grapes.

Then, the Lord himself speaks directly through Isaiah to the people, and challenges them to a debate. This seems to be a pattern. We saw in Isaiah 1:18, that the Lord challenges his people to:

Come now, let us argue it out…

Here, he demands that the citizens of Jerusalem and Judah arbitrate his case with the vineyard that yielded wild grapes:

And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem
and people of Judah,
judge between me
and my vineyard.
What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I have not done in it?
When I expected it to yield grapes,
why did it yield wild grapes?

And now God begins to reveal what he plans to do, and this is very very bad news for them:

And now I will tell you
what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge,
and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall,
and it shall be trampled down.
I will make it a waste;
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns;
I will also command the clouds
that they rain no rain upon it.

Just in case there is any confusion, Isaiah finally reveals the “punch-line” when he makes it clear just who the vineyard represents:

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts
is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah
are his pleasant planting;
he expected justice,
but saw bloodshed;
righteousness,
but heard a cry!

Given the historical context of Isaiah’s time, the people of Judah would do well to heed the warning. The Assyrians were already beginning to uproot the vineyard in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and would complete their destruction by 721 B.C.

Isaiah is warning the Southern Kingdom of Judah that they will be next unless they practice justice and righteousness.

APPLY:

What happens when people are given every opportunity to succeed, and they squander that opportunity? This is one application of this Song of the Vineyard.

Is it not true that God has given human beings every opportunity to succeed, to prosper, to thrive? He has given us a world with oxygen, plentiful food and resources — ample enough to share with everyone.

What has been our response? Where God expected justice, he saw bloodshed; and where he expected righteousness, he heard a cry!

This has been the human situation throughout history, when the resources that are available to all have been greedily acquired by the few — usually through warfare or financial manipulation.

Isaiah has already made it crystal clear what his definition of justice includes:

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your doings
from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
learn to do good;
seek justice,
rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan,
plead for the widow (Isaiah 1:16-17).

These are the good grapes that the vineyard was meant to yield. Isaiah warns us that the consequences of injustice will be judgment.

RESPOND:

I have had so many wonderful opportunities in my own life. I had a good, solid family. I was given a good foundation that prepared me for college and seminary.

However, I am also aware of the many opportunities that I’ve squandered. My family lived in Spain when I was young, and I didn’t learn to speak Spanish. My family later lived in Japan, and I didn’t learn to speak Japanese. I’ve thought many times over the years how useful it might have been to be reasonably fluent in those languages today.

That scarcely scratches the surface of all the other “gifts” I’ve been given by God — talents untapped, or breaks that I didn’t take advantage of. And even more than that, the grace and mercy and spiritual gifts that God has lavished on me — I become ashamed that I have been so ungrateful and un-enterprising.

Thus I am all the more grateful for God’s abundant grace that continually “replants” me where I have borne wild grapes. But I dare not continue to presume on that grace. When I repent, I must also heed the warning of another prophetic figure, John the Baptist:

Bear fruits worthy of repentance…Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire (Luke 3:8,9).

Lord, you have planted a fruitful vineyard in our lives. Please continue to supervise and guide us so that we may bear abundant fruit for you. Amen.

PHOTOS:
“Isaiah 5 verse 1” uses the following photo:
“Flying over vineyards #fromwhereidrone” by Dirk Dallas is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for August 7, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Isaiah is one of the most prominent prophets in the Old Testament. The book of Isaiah is sometimes called the “Fifth Gospel” because it is quoted more frequently in the New Testament than any other Old Testament book.

Isaiah’s years of active prophetic ministry stretch from the death of King Uzziah, around 740 B.C., to the reign of Hezekiah, which ended in 687 B.C.

There is evidence that Isaiah was related through his father Amoz to the royal house of Judah, which would explain his residence in Jerusalem and his proximity to the court.

However, if any such relationship existed, it didn’t prevent Isaiah from speaking forthrightly to the kings about issues of social justice and injustice, and God’s judgment.

In today’s lectionary Scripture selection, he is taking the current administration to task, and he doesn’t pull any punches. He demands that they listen to the word of the Lord, and calls them rulers of Sodom and people of Gomorrah!

This reference to the two cities destroyed in the time of Abraham and Lot is serious. The sexual sins and cruel inhospitality of their citizens were punished with “extreme prejudice” — they were totally annihilated (Genesis 19). Only Lot and his two daughters were spared.

What is the nature of Judah’s crimes? God is fed up with their insincere worship, sacrifices, festivals, Sabbaths, and empty prayers:

I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood.

Instead, he calls upon them to purify themselves not merely by washing, but by reforming their actions:

cease to do evil,
learn to do good;
seek justice,
rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan,
plead for the widow.

Ritual worship without moral reform and social justice for the oppressed and the most vulnerable among them is futile.

Nevertheless, God is eager for Judah to encounter him and to work through what it means to truly belong to him. The language that he uses is like that of a judicial court proceeding:

Come now, let us argue it out,
says the Lord:

However, there is the clear offer of mercy even for a people compared to Sodom and Gomorrah:

though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be like snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.

Isaiah has already accused them of having their hands bathed in the blood of their victims — this is why their sins are scarlet and crimson. Still, God’s grace is able to wash away the bloodstains of sin.

Isaiah offers them two choices — blessing or curse:

If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be devoured by the sword;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

This was no idle threat. In Isaiah’s time, the Northern Kingdom of Israel was already experiencing the beginning of judgment at the hand of Imperial Assyria. Eventually, Israel was conquered in 721 B.C. And by 700 B.C., the Assyrians invaded the Southern Kingdom of Judah and even besieged Jerusalem. Although the Assyrians did not destroy Judah, they were a constant threat.

APPLY:

One of the constant refrains from the prophets and the Psalmists is that worship without justice and sincerity is empty. The height of hypocrisy is to worship on the Sabbath and then oppress the poor, cheat others in the marketplace, and engage in sin of any kind.

The goal of worship is not merely ritual righteousness, but right relationship with God. And right relationship with God must be grounded in true holiness of heart and life.

God’s appeal to us is transformative. The NRSV translation suggests God wants to argue with us, as though we are in court. Older translations, like the RSV, offer a gentler perspective:

Come now, let us reason together,
says the Lord (Isaiah 1:18).

The implication is that it is not the blood sacrifices of the temple that will wash away the scarlet sins that stain our hands, but a God who wishes to penetrate our very hearts and minds with his lovingkindness.

RESPOND:

I am an amateur student of the American Civil War. I have ancestors who fought and shed blood for the Confederacy. I understand the importance of not judging the choices of one’s ancestors by modern standards.

However, as Abraham Lincoln once said:

If slavery is not wrong, then nothing is wrong.

In my opinion, the injustice and oppression of slavery received its due penalty in the bloodbath of a terrible war. The “Original Sin” of our Founding Fathers was expiated in blood. Isaiah might have said to them:

…if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be devoured by the sword;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

In the times in which we live, when racial tensions and inequality still exist, we must also hear the Lord say to us:

Come now, let us reason together,
says the Lord (Isaiah 1:18).

Lord, may my worship and my works be in harmony. Amen.

PHOTOS:
“Isaiah 1:17” by Lisa Hall-Wilson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for July 17, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 52
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The ascription (introductory words) of this Psalm provides a historical context, and adds depth to our understanding:

To the leader. A Maskil of David, when Doeg the Edomite came to Saul and said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

The back story behind this ascription is this — King Saul, who had formerly been David’s patron, has turned against him. David has been forced to flee with a few of the men who are loyal to him. In his escape, he stops at Nob, where the ark of the covenant and the tabernacle were located at that time.

Ahimelech, the priest at that time, greets David with fear and trembling. Ahimelech is wary because David is traveling without royal entourage. And David misleads Ahimelech by suggesting that Saul has sent him on a mission. David asks Ahimelech for some of the bread of the presence for himself and his hungry men, and Ahimelech complies (1 Samuel 21:1-7).

But David and Ahimelech are betrayed by Doeg the Edomite who witnesses these events. Doeg reports to Saul that David has gone to Ahimelech’s house for refuge. As a consequence, Saul commands Doeg to kill the entire household of Ahimelech — 85 priests and nearly every living being in Nob! (1 Samuel 22:11-19).

This background makes the first sentence of Psalm 52 more poignant:

Why do you boast, O mighty one,
of mischief done against the godly?
All day long you are plotting destruction.
Your tongue is like a sharp razor,
you worker of treachery.

No doubt, David reflects with bitterness on the sense of betrayal he has experienced from Saul, his former mentor and patron:

You love evil more than good,
and lying more than speaking the truth. Selah
You love all words that devour,
O deceitful tongue.

But David foresees the outcome for Saul, who will be defeated in battle by the Philistines without David fighting at his side:

But God will break you down forever;
he will snatch and tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah

David draws the contrast between himself and Saul’s house:

But I am like a green olive tree
in the house of God.

The one who has been snatched from his tent has also been uprooted, like a tree. David, however, is an olive tree — a recurring symbol in Scripture of God’s abundance and blessing.

David declares his faith in God, even in the face of the persecution he is experiencing from his powerful former friend:

I trust in the steadfast love of God
forever and ever.
I will thank you forever,
because of what you have done.
In the presence of the faithful
I will proclaim your name, for it is good.

APPLY:

What does a person do when faced with distressing circumstances — betrayal, threats, lies?

One answer is to remember the inevitability of the moral trajectory of the universe as outlined in the Scriptures. Those who plot evil and work treachery will be uprooted. Those who trust in God will be vindicated and will rejoice and give thanks.

RESPOND:

I must admit, it is difficult to watch when treacherous, deceitful people succeed, who exploit and fool other people. Whether they are people that I know, or merely read about in the news, the sense of impotent outrage begins to rise.

How comforting to claim the promises of Scripture — that the unrighteous will be uprooted, and those who trust in the Lord will be like the thriving green olive tree.

Lord, I do pray for those who are described as treacherous and deceitful, that they might repent and turn to you in faith. I also pray that you might plant me near your living waters, like a thriving olive tree. Amen.

PHOTOS:
“Psalm 52:8” uses this background:
“//” by Romana Klee is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for July 10, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 82
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This Psalm gives a very small glimpse into the heavenly realms that are beyond human comprehension. The Most High God takes his place in the divine council in the midst of the gods.

What can that possibly mean for a strictly monotheistic people such as the Jews? Is there a hint of polytheism here? Who are these gods over whom God holds judgment?

The answer that Christian theology has given is that this divine council of gods refers to those beings that we know as angels. These are supernatural and super-intelligent beings. Angelology is much more developed in New Testament theology. Peter speaks of a kind of hierarchy of angelic beings who are subject to the resurrected Christ:

Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him (1 Peter 3:21-22).

In the Old Testament, we also see the divine council that gathers in God’s presence in Job 1:6.

One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the Lord…

Curiously, in our Psalm for today, God is scolding the heavenly court:

“How long will you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
Give justice to the weak and the orphan;
maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

It becomes clear that God is not only speaking to angelic and heavenly beings — he is also speaking to kings and princes. If God is speaking to heavenly gods he is also speaking to those who are gods on earth — that is, those who have godlike political and military power in the world — kings and leaders.

God is acting as an advocate for the poor and the dispossessed and the oppressed. And he is calling those who are in positions of power to be just and deliver the needy.

God also warns that though these members of the divine council are gods, they are mortal:

nevertheless, you shall die like mortals,
and fall like any prince.”

Ultimately, the Psalmist makes it clear that the one God, the only God, is sovereign over all the earth, the nations, as well as the heavenly council:

Rise up, O God, judge the earth;
for all the nations belong to you!

APPLY:

What do we make of this Psalm, given its metaphysical tone? It doesn’t fit neatly into typical categories about angels and angelology.

God presides over a divine council of gods — all of the gods, those who are supernatural and those who are human rulers, so it seems.

Some of the early church fathers, such as Tertullian and Justin Martyr, believed that the gods of paganism weren’t gods at all, but actually demons who manipulated people through their impersonations. This interpretation might explain why God’s tone toward these gods in divine council is so reproachful.

These gods judge unjustly and they show partiality to the wicked. These sound like beings who are not in submission to God, but in rebellion. So he is warning them that there will be consequences for them if they continue to oppress the weak, the orphan, the destitute. They will fall.

God has the last word. That is the real message of this Psalm. Those who think they have power, and who abuse it, will learn that God will triumph:

Rise up, O God, judge the earth;
for all the nations belong to you!

RESPOND:

The word from the Psalm is ultimately a word of comfort. We live in an uneasy and anxious time — radical Islamic terror in the Middle East has created waves of thousands of refugees, who flee to an overwhelmed Europe. The European Union is reeling as member nations consider exiting this fragile economic cooperative effort. Leaders in various nations posture and rattle sabers.

Even the church experiences the anxiety of a society that is growing more and more secular in morals and values. As I sat at a recent church conference, hearing about the growth of secularism and its encroachment on the church, a pastor’s wife turned to me and said, “All I know is, God has the last word.”

That’s what Psalm 82 reminds us.

Lord, thank you that when nations tremble and the ‘gods’ of our time lose their way, you are steady and you have the last word. Amen.

PHOTOS:
“God Will Have the Last Word” uses this background:
“cloud” by boris drenec is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Psalter Reading for December 19, 2021

Note from Celeste:

Before we look at today’s lectionary reading, I’d like to draw your attention to my Advent Bible Study books.

Getting Ready for Christmas is part of the Choose This Day Multiple Choice Bible Studies series, available in paperback and ebook.

The daily devotionals take 10-15 minutes and include:

Scripture passage (World English Bible)
Fun, entertaining multiple choice questions focused directly on the Scripture passage
Short meditation that can be used as a discussion starter.

Like an Advent calendar, Getting Ready for Christmas begins on December 1 and ends December 25. However, these 25 devotionals focusing on the Messiah can be used any time of year.

Use this book personally during a coffee break or with the family in the car or at the dinner table.

And here’s the link to its puzzle companion book: Getting Ready for Christmas Word Search Puzzles for Advent.

It’s a large-print puzzle book with over 1,200 hidden words taken straight from the same 25 Scripture readings. (30 puzzles in all.)

If you’re not in the U.S., you can still order the books from your country’s amazon platform. Simply search for “Getting Ready for Christmas” by Celesta Letchworth.

Thank you for your consideration! And thank you for faithfully following Tom’s SOAR blog!

AND NOW, BACK TO TODAY’S LECTIONARY READING:

“Visitation” by Franz Anton Maulbertsch (1724-1796)

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Luke 1:46b-55
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This passage is an excerpt from the famous passage known traditionally as The Magnificat.

The occasion for this poem of superlative beauty is the instant recognition by Elizabeth that the child within Mary is divine. Elizabeth says to Mary:

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! Why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came into my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy! Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord!” (Luke 1:42-45).

For behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed.

She recognizes that what is happening to her is of great historical significance.

At the same time, she is very careful to ascribe all honor and glory to God:

For he who is mighty has done great things for me.
Holy is his name.

This is a very theocentric, i.e., God-centered hymn of praise.

In contrast, the humble are lifted up, the hungry are satisfied with food, and Israel is helped by the mercies of God.

All of this is in keeping with the promises of those same prophets cited earlier — that God has kept faith with the descendants of Abraham.

APPLY:

But all of that is to come later — as will the mighty deeds that God will accomplish with his arm. The birth, life, ministry, cross and resurrection of Jesus have indeed:

scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

And it all begins with the blessed Virgin Mary and this great thing that God has done for her and through her.

RESPOND:

I sometimes forget that the Scriptures we so glibly read in worship services during this season of Advent are RADICAL!

But more importantly, what am I to do about it? Fear God, humble myself before him, and identify with the poor and the oppressed? I think so.

PHOTOS:

"Visitation" by Franz Anton Maulbertsch is in the Public Domain.