Thought for Today
Joshua 6:17 The city and all that is in it shall be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live because she hid the messengers we sent. . . . 21 Then they devoted to destruction by the edge of the sword all in the city, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.
1 Samuel 18:7 And the women sang to one another as they made merry, "Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands."
Luke 10:27 "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
Yesterday, a member of our congregation mentioned that the scriptures with which I began Saturday’s Thought were so gruesome and disturbing that the member could not continue to read my comments about those scriptures.
My first thought when hearing those words was to be thankful that our family of faith was strong and close enough for that congregant to share that comment with me. I believe it important that congregations, families of faith trust and have faith in each other. Church should be a place where we can share our doubts, our questions and our concerns with each other. That is one of the more important aspects and benefits of communal worship. Church should be a safe place without any fear of judgment of our doubts, fears, cares or concerns. Church should be a place where we strengthen and support each other, a place where we truly love our neighbor as ourself.
That comment, however, reminded me once again that there are passages in the Bible that are difficult to understand and that sometimes even seem to contradict other passages. Understanding the Bible in its totality can be a very daunting task.
Inevitably, as both mortal human beings and Christians, we do tend to focus our thoughts and our attention on a limited number of specific verses. I have my own list of favorite passages. Those verses seem to me to be applicable to almost every situation I encounter and greatly comfort and assist me in dealing with my life and my faith. If you have read these Thoughts or listened to my sermons, you probably can list most of those verses. I cannot imagine I will ever voluntarily choose to write about or preach about some of the verses I referenced Saturday or today. Bears mauling children, total destruction of cities, slaying of thousands and ten thousands are not comfortable topics for demonstrating God’s love or our love for each other.
I am, however, a minister ordained in the Reformed Protestant tradition. My faith and training do not allow me to freely pick and choose verses and passages out of context to freely support any preconceived ideas. My challenge, and the challenge of all Christians is to understand the Bible, Scriptures, in their totality. We understand Scriptures as, “Writings regarded as sacred. In the Christian tradition, the Old and New Testaments are considered Holy Scripture in that they are, or convey, the self-revelation of God.” (Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, pg. 251)
One of the important doctrines emerging from the Protestant Reformation and included in the Reformed Tradition is the Priesthood of all Believers, a “view emphasized by Martin Luther (1483-1546) to emphasize that Christian believers have direct access to God and do not need to go through an intermediary priest, except for Jesus Christ (Heb. 3:1; 4:14)” (ibid, pg. 220)
While there are biblical verses and even entire books I would prefer not to engage with, I am called to engage with the entirety of Scripture. Thankfully, I have tremendous resources. I have my own library of books accumulated over many years, including my years in seminary. I have the Bible itself, God’s own self-revelation. I have the biblical record of the life of God’s Son in the gospels. I have the epistles of those early disciples. I have 2000+ years of theological thought and debate. Most importantly, I have that direct access to God, available through direct prayer to God and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Are there thoughts and events in the Bible which I find difficult to reconcile? Yes! Are there passages I find daunting? Certainly! Do I find value in the struggle, resources “for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness?” Thankfully! Faith is not a destination, it is a journey. As Christians, we journey accompanied by God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Stay safe, enjoy the journey, trust God,
Pastor Ray