One of the things I love about the Bible is its earthy realism. It understands the world we live in – the good and the bad, the joys and the sadness. It understands how we feel about life’s injustices especially when we see people who mock the notion of God, enjoying success. Nothing ever seems to go wrong for them.
The Bible also understands our questions in the face of terrorism and the realities of fire and flood, drought and famine. Why doesn’t God just step in? It seems so out of character.
True faith will always have questions. In fact, the faith that refuses to ask questions is one which closes its mind to reality and leaves itself open to the contempt of the skeptic. True faith will want to address tough questions and be willing to experience the doubts that arise.
Doubt. Many people think that to have doubts is to lack faith. But doubt is not the opposite of faith. Doubt and unbelief are two very different things. Doubt is something that only a believer can experience, for we can only doubt what we believe.
Indeed, when we believe in God we often find our relationship with him grows stronger and more intimate as we are willing to face our doubts by asking tough questions.
Psalm 73 is a good example. The writer tells us that he came close to abandoning his faith in God: But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. Yet at the end of the psalm, he says: But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge,… (73:28). In Romans 8:18, Paul wrote: For the sufferings of this present world cannot be compared to the glory that is to come.
Through the psalm, the writer tells of his spiritual pilgrimage – how he progressed from doubt to complete trust in God. He touches on his reasons for doubt and then speaks of the solution.
One of his key questions is framed by his understanding that God is good to the upright (73:1). ‘Why is it,’ he asks, ‘that many who are godless find life easy while I suffer? Where is God?’
Solution. As he reflects on this, he perceives their end… God will bring about their downfall – and it will be eternal. The idea of a final day of accounting is often mocked today. But if there is no final judgment, morality, however we define it, becomes meaningless. Indeed, unless we see that there is a future accounting, goodness itself has no value. True believers understand that the future is real even though it cannot yet be seen.
Strategy. In Psalm 73:15ff we learn how the poet worked through his doubts. He went to ‘church’: When… I went into the sanctuary of God… I perceived their end. Good churches not only read God’s Word but believe and teach it. Confronted with God’s Word the psalm-writer began to see what happens to those who choose not to believe: They are like a dream when one awakes; on awaking you despise their phantoms(73:20).
We today have all the more assurance about this because we now have the evidence of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without him, life in its fullness will not last.
C.S. Lewis onceput it this way: “All your life an unattainable ecstasy has hovered just beyond the grasp of your consciousness. The day is coming when you will wake to find, beyond all hope, that you have attained it, or else, that it was within your reach and you have lost it forever”.
Optional. You may want to read and reflect on Psalm 73.
Moral equivalence – saying that something is ‘as bad’ or ‘as good as’, or ‘not as bad as’ by comparison with something else – increasingly dominates many conversations. Commenting on those who say that democracy is just ‘as bad as’ totalitarianism, George Orwell noted that all such arguments ‘boil down to saying that half a loaf is the same as no bread’.
In the Woody Allen movie, Bullets over Broadway, when one of the characters is questioned about the issue of conscience, the response is, “You just have to ignore the bourgeois nonsense of morality.” Gone is an awareness of logic and moral clarity needed for a healthy society.
Today men and women have lost confidence in truth: you can’t talk about right and wrong anymore. In issue after issue people are casually overturning long-held moral values – for example on matters such as abortion, euthanasia, and marriage.
How do we respond? How should we live in this climate of changing attitudes?
Psalm 8 is one of the great psalms of the Bible moving from considering the greatness of God and the vastness of his creation, to the greatness God intends to give men and women. In verses 5-8 we read: …You have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works of your hands, …
God has placed men and women just under the position of the heavenly beings. From the first, God’s intention was to invest in us a royal sovereignty, crowning us with glory and honor.
The theme is introduced in Genesis 1:26f: Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
Intended to be the glory of creation, tragically, humanity succumbed to temptation and became creation’s shame (Genesis 3). Failing to honor God and give Him thanks (Romans 1:21) we have lost the glory God intended for us (Romans 3:23). Our minds are distorted, and our affections are darkened (Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 1:21b).
But that is not the end of the story. Psalm 8 is not just a statement of wonder: it is also prophetic.
For as we look back at it through the lens of the New Testament we see that God in his mercy has provided the means for our rescue through his own personal involvement. The Second Person of the One eternal God drew into himself human form. As both truly God and truly man he lived amongst us as one of us, and through his death and resurrection paid in full the death penalty we deserve, opening the way for us to return to share in the glory of his dominion.
How important it is that we learn from our Forerunner, Jesus Christ, for we are not there yet. We need to attend to his values and his example. Through his teaching in the Sermon on Mount (in which he doesn’t abrogate the Ten Commandments) we see that there is a law superior to the laws of human legislation. We also see that God is not simply concerned with our actions, but with the attitudes of our minds and hearts.
Psalm 8 not only speaks of ‘the smallness’ of men and women (as we touched on last week), but also speaks of the dominion that God bestows on his people. Indeed the day will come when all his people will participate in the glory to be revealed (Romans 8:18).
C. S. Lewis commented: ‘There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization – these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit – immortal horrors or everlasting splendors’ (The Weight of Glory).
The bookends of the Psalm in calling on us to worship God truly, show us that the starting and the ending of the answer to our questions about who we are and how we should live, is God: O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (8:1a and 9).
How necessary it is for us to reflect on this – who God is, his utter power, perfection, and glory. He is the God who has not only made us, but in his love has rescued us and now calls us to be his loyal followers. He calls us to see the fallacy of moral equivalence so we can live in the light of his moral clarity – promoting truth and justice for the good of all.
Optional. You may want to reflect on Psalm 8, Colossians 1:15-20 and Romans 8:18-30.
‘Who Am I?’ Shakespeare’s Hamlet observed: What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form, in moving, how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god! (Hamlet, II.ii)
Consider the bookends of Psalm 8: O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (8:1a and 9). The words suggest that the starting and the ending of the answer to our question is God. The Psalm speaks of the majesty of God’s name revealed throughout the diversity of his creation.
The Psalm foreshadows the opening lines of Psalm 19: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge (19:1-2). The ever-repeating pageantry of the heavens, day after day and night after night speak of God’s existence. Although there are no words, the very nature of the universe we see around us reveals the awesome power and perfection of God – the glory of God.
The same theme is evident in Paul the Apostle’s words in Romans 1:19-20: For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.
Writing in his book, God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? Dr. John Lennox, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics, Oxford University, comments: ‘To the majority of those who have reflected deeply and written about the origin and nature of the universe, it has seemed that it points beyond itself to a source which is non-physical and of great intelligence and power.’
Psalm 8 tells us that God will confound the arrogant, rebellious voices of those who are blind to him. In verse 2 we read: Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence (still) the enemy and the avenger.
Significantly Jesus quotes these words when children lauded him with their songs in the Temple courts in the days before his arrest and crucifixion while the chief priests and the scribes angrily objected. In Matthew 21:15f we read: When the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he did, and heard the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became angry 16 and said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’…?”
Who am I? Psalm 8’s answer comes in the form of a reflection on the night sky: When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
David, generally regarded to be the author of the Psalm, reflects on the night sky with its moon and myriad of stars. This brilliant poet voices his thought that such vastness and complexity must be the handiwork of God. And, as he does we can feel the question exploding in his mind: ‘What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
Stephen Hawking’s answer in his, A Brief History of Time, was to say: ‘We are such insignificant creatures on a minor planet of a very average star in the outer suburb of one of a hundred billion galaxies. So it is difficult to believe in a God that could care about us or even notice our existence’.
To which Dr. Henry F. Schaefer, Professor of Quantum Computational Chemistry at the University of Georgia, USA, responded in his, Science and Christianity: Conflict or Coherence? ‘My response to that statement by Hawking, and to others that have said this over the years, is that that’s a silly thing to say. There isn’t any evidence to date that life exists anywhere else in the universe. Human beings, thus far, appear to be the most advanced species in the universe. Maybe God does care about us! Where Hawking surveys the cosmos and concludes that man’s defining characteristic is obscurity, I consider the same data and conclude that humankind is very special.’
When we reflect on these weighty matters, we will be even more amazed that the God who put together such a vast and complex system, is interested in us, let alone cares for us.
Yes, we are small creatures in a vast universe, but God who created all things is committed to us and cares for us. As Jesus taught his followers: “Even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows (Luke 12:7).
Optional. You may like to read Psalm 8; Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-9.
Governments everywhere in the West are so dogged by division that we wonder what the future holds. In an article this week on the failure of the (US) Senate to pass a bill on healthcare reform (Trump, Obamacare and the Art of Fail), Peggy Noonan asks, ‘Is there any legitimate hope of a bipartisan solution?’ I cite this article, not to comment on the healthcare legislation, but to illustrate the challenges governments have today, for divisions in leadership tend to reflect the divisions within societies as a whole. Is there a solution? If so, where do we begin? Prayer!
How should we pray for our leaders, for God’s people, for the nations and for people in need? Daniel’s prayer in chapter 9 sets out principles for us.
The Honor of God’s Name. Following his confession of Israel’s sin (see last week), Daniel petitions God on the basis of God’s mercy. In 9:15 we read: And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have a name for yourself,…
Daniel reminded God that his Name was revered because he had brought about the release of his people from slavery in Egypt. People knew that you didn’t mess with this God. He did what he said he would do!
And while Daniel was honest about the sin of God’s people (Lord, we have sinned, we have done wickedly), he was bold to pray: Lord, in view of all your righteous acts, let your anger and wrath, we pray, turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain;… (Daniel 9:16).
Daniel didn’t ask God to put aside his righteousness and overlook the faults and failings of Israel. Instead, he asks God to act because of his righteousness.
We don’t live under same covenant as God’s ancient people. With the coming of Jesus Christ, we live under a new covenant grounded in the unchanging character of God.
In Matthew 16:18 we read that Jesus plans to build his church; in Matthew 28:18-20 we see that this involves drawing people from all nations. Indeed, we are caught up in his commission to bring others to know him, love him and honor him in their lives.
Furthermore, Jesus has opened up for us a privilege in our prayer: we can call God, ‘Father’. He also tells us that we should pray for the honor of God’s name and for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. These are promises we can take to God in our prayers for our country, our leaders and all our concerns – great and small.
We come back to the principles of prayer that we find in Daniel 9. Consider how Daniel develops his appeal to God in 9:17-19: Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his supplication, and for your own sake, Lord, let your face shine upon your desolated sanctuary. Incline your ear, O my God, and hear. Open your eyes and look at our desolation and the city that bears your name. We do not present our supplication before you on the ground of our righteousness, but on the ground of your great mercies. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, listen and act and do not delay! For your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people bear your name!”
At the heart of Daniel’s intercession is the glory of God’s name. Daniel did not hesitate to remind God of what he’d already revealed in his Word and urged him to roll up his sleeves and act.
Daniel wasn’t presumptuous. He was humble, honest and contrite about his own and Israel’s sin. But this did not prevent him praying on the basis of God’s character and God’s promises.
The glorious thing about the God the Bible reveals is that he is gracious and always willing to receive people back on the basis of repentance and a commitment to start afresh.
Daniel’s prayer challenges us to come to God, not just about the little things that concern us as individuals, but about the big things, namely governments, our loved ones and the salvation of people we know.
Prayer is a precious privilege. It brings us into the very presence of the God whose nature is honor-bound always to have mercy. Yet so often our prayer life is dead. Why don’t we pray? God is the father who loves to give.
As Phillips Brooks once commented: ‘Prayer is not conquering God’s reluctance, but taking hold of God’s willingness’.
Optional – you may want to read Daniel 9:16-19; Luke 11:1-4; Ephesians 3:14-21.
In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by birth a Mede, who became king over the realm of the Chaldeans… I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy… I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules (Daniel 9:1, 3-5).
In Daniel 9:1-19 we find one of the really great prayers in the Scriptures. It is a prayer that is worth reading, re-reading, and meditating upon.
The time was around 539BC and Daniel, and his fellow Jewish people were in exile in Babylon. Their country had been conquered and occupied by Babylonian forces since 586BC. Daniel had been amongst the cream of the Jewish population that had been taken into exile. And while in Babylon Daniel’s abilities and faith had shone when, at significant moments, his advice had been sought by Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and Darius.
Some scholars have questioned the reference to Darius because the only known ruler of the Medo-Persian empire with that name came to the throne after the return of the Jewish people to Jerusalem. However, the references to ‘Darius the Mede’ in Daniel 6 and 9:1 suggest that this man was an official appointed by Cyrus with jurisdiction in Babylon. Further, the fact that there is no particular archaeological reference to this Darius is not necessarily a cause for concern. Scholars were cynical about the existence of Belshazzar (Daniel 5) until evidence turned up about him.
Now in his 80s, Daniel had lost neither his intellectual sharpness nor his faith in God. What is more, he had not forgotten God’s promises through prophets such as Jeremiah that the period of exile in Babylon would be seventy years. Daniel was confident that God would not forget and that the restoration of his people would occur.
However, Daniel didn’t simply take life easy waiting for God’s promises to come true. He was zealous in living out God’s commands while actively praying for the fulfillment of God’s promises.
That is significant for it shows us that God’s sovereignty doesn’t take away human responsibility. God’s rule is not a mechanistic fatalism. He invites us to partner with him in the implementation of his plans.
Daniel’s prayer has two parts – confession and petition. Let’s consider his confession.
While Daniel’s confession is a general, not personal, confession, he includes himself: ‘we have sinned and done wrong; we have rebelled; we have turned away…’ (9:5).
Furthermore, his focus is God: ‘O God’ he prays: ‘we have turned away from your commands and your laws’ (9:5); ‘we have not listened to your servants the prophets’ (9:6); ‘we have not obeyed the laws you gave’ (9:10); ‘we have not listened to your voice’ (9:11); ‘we have not looked for your mercy, turning away from our sins and learning from your truth’ (9:13).
Let’s think about this. By talking about God in personal terms – ‘your commands’ and ‘your prophets,’ Daniel acknowledged the personal covenant relationship that existed between God and his people. Furthermore, the covenant had guidelines – commands and laws.
There are principles here that can apply to God’s people now. Too often we turn away from God and act independently of him. How often are we tempted to think that God’s discipline falls only on the godless and terrorists?
So we need to ask, ‘Is God pleased with the church in the West?’ ‘Are we the kind of people he is likely to revive and bless?’ Sadly, too many churches have become hopelessly compromised by the spirit of the age. How easily we absorb our culture’s desire for instant gratification.
Daniel’s prayer sets out the principle for us that we cannot fruitfully pray for our church, for our cities and our country without first confessing our own sin. That is something Thomas Cranmer understood: he included a prayer of confession in Morning and Evening Prayer and The Lord’s Supper.
Confession involves knowing the mind of God because we have listened to his voice in his Word. It involves being honest and humble, genuinely saying sorry to Godfor our sins, asking for his forgiveness, and the ability, by his Spirit to turn back to him and walk with him.
Prayer:Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden; cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, so that we may perfectly love you, and worthily glorify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen (Collect for Purity, BCP, adapted)
Optional – you may like to read: Daniel 9:1-23; Colossians 1:9-14.
