Advent Journey: December 16th
© Michael Livesay-Wright
Questions and Reflections
QUESTION: Are you familiar with the Psalms of David and do you know what they are about?
The book of Psalms is one of my favorite parts of the Bible. Not all of the Psalms (which is really just a fancy word for songs or poetry) were written by David, but many of them were. The Psalms are all different. Some are victorious shouts of praise on days that must have been wonderful. Many are sad cries for help. Still others cary hints of anger and disappointment. But the thing I like about them is that they feel so raw and honest about life. And, though not all of them have a resolution, so so many of them return to the theme of God's faithfulness. I could pull so many examples, but here is one from Psalm 13: In verse 1 David writes, "How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?" And yet in verse 5-6 he writes, "But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me." This rings true for me. I have moments of deep struggle and doubt and pain where I want to know where God is and what He's doing and why He won't answer me. And then I have moments where I know He is with me and He always has been, moments when I am able to put my trust in Him with joy and hope. And so God used David to give us all a great gift, a collection of Psalms that reflect the realities of God and the realities of man.
QUESTION: What was the purpose of the temple and what did it represent?
Back before God's people made it to their own land that God promised to Abraham so long ago, God gave them a collection of laws. These laws had many purposes. But the main purpose of the law was to demonstrate God's passion for righteousness and justice and our own need for grace. Because God new we weren't going to be able to keep all of the laws. We all sin. But the law at least helped God's people know when they sinned and recognize the significance of that sin. In Romans 7:7 Paul writes, "if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, 'You shall not covet'" (ESV). But God also, through the law, gave His children an opportunity to seek grace and find forgiveness. There were various sacrifices that could be made that were symbolic of the penalty needed for sin. And God looked on these sacrifices and accepted them and offered His children grace in spite of their sins. The temple, that David dreamed of and his son Solomon was given permission to build is rich with symbolism. But mainly it gave God's children a permanent place to make those sacrifices. And, perhaps even more importantly, it represented God dwelling among His people. True, God had been with His people in the wilderness through their long journeys. But the temple gave them a solid and absolutely beautiful place they could look upon and know that God was with them. 480 years after the Israelites left Egypt (1 Kings 6:1) the temple at last made them feel fully at home in the Land God had promised for them. Of course, this wasn't going to last... but still, God is telling a bigger story.
QUESTION: Does it ever seem to you like God doesn't have a plan?
Today we have a new chorus (as I like to think of these last stanzas) or refrain. And it opens with an important question, or couple of questions really. The first half asks if you ever wonder if God has a plan. Often when you leave earliest childhood behind, you start to notice some of the bad things in the world or even the bad choices you make or the bad things that happen to you. It is natural to wonder what the point is or if anyone is in control of all of this mess. One of the greatest questions of the ages has been some version of "If God is all powerful and God is good, then why do bad things happen?" The simple answer is that bad things happened because sin entered the world. We all are living out the results of that. So even if you yourself today didn't do something particularly bad, that doesn't mean that you want experience or feel the ramifications of sin. We are all caught in its messy web. The second part of the question is really a repetition of the same old question the snake indirectly asked to Adam and Eve in the garden... "Does God really have your best interest at heart?" Is he really looking out for you or for the people you love? This is a fair question, especially if you've ever experienced something truly tragic. Maybe you have lost someone you love or you have been hurt by a friend or something you really wanted didn't happen. Why would God do that? It's ok to sit in that pain and to ask those questions. God is big enough to handle them. But, here is the truth (and it's the same truth that David comes back to time and time again in the Psalms), we can trust in the steadfast love of God. It may not seem that way all the time and you may never understand why some things happen. 1 Corinthians 13:12 states, "For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" (NIV). We are only seeing a very poor reflection of reality through a dirty, tiny mirror. One day we shall see God face to face, we shall know and we shall be known. And I'm convinced we shall then say with King David, "I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me."