Monday: Love Stranger
Amid these admonitions Moses declares: “Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the LORD your God, also the earth with all that is in it” (Deuteronomy 10:14). What a powerful expression of the sovereignty of the Lord, an idea found in other places in the Bible, as well: “The earth is the LORD’S, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1).
Read Deuteronomy 10:17-19. What other declaration does Moses make about the Lord here, as well? Even more important, what does God command from His people as a result of that declaration?
Image © Sally Weimer at Goodsalt.com
Yahweh is not only the sovereign of heaven and earth, He is also the “God of gods, and Lord of lords” (Deuteronomy 10:17). This doesn’t mean that there are other gods, lesser gods, such as the supposed gods the pagans around them worshiped. Rather, it is a way of talking about, more than just His being the only God (“Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me” [Deuteronomy 32:39]), it asserts His total supremacy over all other powers, real or imagined, either in heaven or on earth.
The text says, too, that He is “the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.” All of this is part of the bigger message: Yahweh is your God, and you, His people, need to obey Him.
What a powerful contrast is being presented here, as well. Yes, Yahweh is the God of gods and Lord of Lords, the Sovereign ruler and sustainer of the creation ( Colossians 1.16-17), but He also cares about the fatherless, the widow, and the stranger, and He shows that care by ministering to their immediate physical needs. The God who takes note if a sparrow falls to the ground (Matthew 10:29) knows about the plight of those on the margins of society. In other words, the Lord is telling the people that, OK, maybe you are chosen, you are special, and I love you, but I love others, too, including the needy and helpless among you. And just as I love them, you must love them, as well. This is one of your covenant obligations, and an important one, too.
| Read Psalm 146:5-10. What is the message of the Psalm that reflects what God is saying here, and what should this mean to us today, as Christians? |
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The lesson this week carves up Deuteronomy 10 into little pieces so forgive me if I blur the distinction between the days a bit.
The theme of God's power and authority is linked to the notions of justice and mercy. You get both.
I own a Toyota 4-wheel-drive, known affectionately in Australia as a Troopy. It is a utility vehicle with no automatic anything. It has a low-reving 8 cylinder engine a five speed gearbox and a two ratio transfer box for 4 wheel drive. The engine is very powerful but it is as useless as a solid lump of cast iron without the gears. It is the gears that take the power of the engine and converts it into the movent of the wheels so that I can go just about anywhere I need. I have taken the Troopy on some of the best roads in Australia. I have driven between Sydney and Brisbane many times on a highway where the speed limit is 110km per hour. And I have driven on some of the roughest roads in Australia as well. I drove the Frenchman's Track on Cape York - 35 km of ruts and rocks, and 2deep river crossings. Most of that was low ratio 4WD and it took 5 hours. It was the Troopy's combination of power and gears that enabled us to make the journey safely. (and it kept the crocodiles out when we crossed the rivers)
From the very outset, God has been portrayed not just as the epitome of power and authority but as the source of justice and mercy - The engine and the gearbox of God's love and our spirituality.
The Psalmist got the combination right:
God is Just! He sees the heart! Thus, those at the margins never pass without being considered by Him... He is The God of all, The Only God! To Him all glory, might and power! May we truly understand that we gain all that we are from Him, and we shall give it all back to Him too, in recognition to what He has done for us!
If I fail to take Hebraism into account, Psalm 146:9 would read like this:
"The LORD watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He turns upside down." (NKJV)
But if I take Hebraism into account, the last part of the verse would read "But the way of the wicked He does not stop from being turned upside down".
How do I know this is how God operates?
Consider Deuteronomy 32:35 "Vengeance is Mine, and recompense. Their foot shall slip in due time. For the day of their calamity is at hand. And the things to come hasten upon them." (NKVJ)
How do the wicked get turned upside down? Their foot slips. God does not trip them up.
What about the rest of Deut 32?
Deu 32:35 MKJV Vengeance and retribution belong to Me. Their foot shall slide in time, for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come on them make haste.
Deu 32:39-43 MKJV See now that I, I am He, and there is no god with me. I kill, and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is no deliverer out of My hand. (40) For I lift up My hand to Heaven and say, I live forever! (41) If I sharpen My glittering sword, and if My hand takes hold in judgment, I will give vengeance to My enemies and will reward those that hate Me. (42) I will make My arrows drunk with blood, and My sword shall devour flesh, with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the hairy scalp of the enemy. (43) Rejoice, O, nations, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and will render vengeance to His foes and will be merciful to His land, to His people.
Isa 45:5-7 KJV I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: (6) That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else. (7) I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
Shirley, if I understand what Phil is saying, he is suggesting that if we understand Hebrew modes of expression correctly, we can understand that the wicked are the agents of their own destruction, and God does not make them trip/sin/fall. That would correlate with the character of a God of self-renouncing love who does good and only good. (cf 1 John 4:8; James 1:17)
Now I'm wondering what you mean to imply by citing the texts you cite and high-lighting the portions you high-light. Are you suggesting that God literally creates evil? That he created evil aka selfishness in the heart of Lucifer? (To me that would suggest a God with a very different character.)
Could you please explain how you understand these highlighted passages?
I believe the following:
The LORD has published what He requires -based on love, joy and peace - for anyone to be part of His Kingdom.
Deut 10:12; Micah 6:8
When there is a disturbance in the harmony of His Kingdom the LORD sets up an investigation, He reaches a verdict, announces the sentence and carries it out Himself directly or through His agents.
Gen 3:8-19; Dan 7:9-10
Sometimes this process is carried out within the time period of the disturbance, like the Flood and Sodom & Gomorrah. Gen 6:1-8:19; Gen 18:16-33; Gen 19:23-29
Sometimes it is carried out in stages to allow for repentance and rehabilitation, like the plagues of Egypt, the punishments for disobedience of Lev 26:14-41, and the final plagues Rev 15:1-8, Rev 16:1-21
Sometimes the process is postponed until after the millennium, Rev 20:11-15
But the Good News is that the LORD also provided a substitutionary sacrifice and is willing to pardon the guilty if they surrender their will and worship Him. He will impute and impart His righteousness to them.
Some say that the LORD doesn't mean what He says in many passages.
When do we believe the LORD when He says "I will do this or that" and when do we not believe Him?
When I read Lev 26:1-46, Do I believe Him when He says
"Lev 26:11-12 KJV And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. (12) And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.
But not the following verses where He says:
Lev 26:16 KJV I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.
Lev 26:18 KJV And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins or Lev 26:21,24,28
Or do we not believe Jesus when He says
Mat 13:41-42 KJV The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; (42) And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Or do we not believe Rev 15:3-4 or Rev 16:7 or
Rev 19:1-2 KJV And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: (2) For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
Thank you for your summary of beliefs on various subjects, Shirley. However, I was particularly interested in your understanding of your high-lighted passage, "I make peace, and create evil." I asked
And I searched in vain for an answer to that question in your reply. It seems to me to be a rather important question.
Thank you in advance for your reply.
The real question is not what I understand but what the Holy Spirit through the Prophet Isaiah meant by the statement in the KJV translation “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things”
What is the context? It is a prophecy from the LORD to Cyrus His Anointed that he will be successful in his war against Babylon, and he will defeat his enemies.
Question: Does the KJV translation use the most appropriate current English words from the Hebrew original of the verse.
Answer: Most of the modern translations don’t use the word “evil” rather they say “I make well-being/prosperity/success and create disaster/calamity”
Some commentators believe that in Cyrus’ time people believed in two forces, one bringing light and well-being and the other bringing darkness and disaster.
I believe that in this verse the LORD is announcing that He is the only Sovereign and Creator and that He issues blessings or corrections on people as they deserve.
I believe this aligns with the overall message of the Word of the LORD from Genesis to Revelation.
Thank you, Shirley. So it seems to me that you are demonstrating that we need to use some discernment when we read the Bible, and when we come across a text that seems to say that God "created/creates evil," we need to take another look at the translation and perhaps compare with other translations.
In this case, the KJV appears to be alone in saying that the Lord "creates evil." (But since you specifically quoted and high-lighted the passage in the KJV, I needed to ask.) Other translations are much more in line with what we understand the rest of the Bible to be saying.
Another take-away lesson may be this one: Perhaps it is best not to conclude that others believe "that the LORD doesn't mean what He says" when they suggest taking a closer look at a passage to determine what the Bible is trying to teach us through it. (I must confess right here and now that I don't believe the LORD meant to tell us that He created evil in the heart of Lucifer, even though the text you high-lighted appeared to say that.)
Again, thank you for your clarifying reply.
Thanks Shirley
Absolutely fair question to ask. Please allow me to answer from the SDA General Conference (1986) approved document regarding Methods of Bible Study:
I have taken the liberty of bolding the relevant points that particularly address the matter you are right to raise.
I would invite you to reread those verses now keeping the above in mind. What I find those verses are displaying is that God is Sovereign - but that the manifestation of that sovereignty is different than we have "misconstrued".
It's a pity this valuable information hasn't been more widely passed along all these years. Imagine if this had been more widely known throughout Adventism since the 80's - what we would have had to share with the world regarding God's nature and character?
Here’s a beautiful quote referencing Isaiah 58:1-10 from Ellen White, in Welfare Ministry p. 30:
The fast which God can accept is described. It is to deal thy bread to the hungry and to bring the poor which are cast out to thy house. Wait not for them to come to you. The labor rests not on them to hunt you up and entreat of you a home for themselves. You are to search for them and bring them to your house. You are to draw out your soul after them. You are with one hand to reach up and by faith take hold of the mighty arm which brings salvation, while with the other hand of love you reach the oppressed and relieve them. It is impossible for you to fasten upon the arm of God with one hand while the other is employed in ministering to your own pleasure.
Finally what we can do is brought forth. All the previous blogs are what God does, don’t get me wrong what God does is important. The title of today’s lesson implies doing the will of the Father. We can help by putting gas in the tank, so that the troopy will start by turning the switch . Or in some modern cars by pressing the button. To love strangers God has given us the privilege of being instruments in His hand, or tools if you prefer.
The question at the bottom of the page for this lesson asks, "What is the message of the Psalm that reflects what God is saying here, and what should this mean to us today, as Christians?"
I started off not being a fan of this particular quarterly Deuteronomy. And then as I was looking for something from God, which I need lifting, there was this sudden urge (and I mean a really strong sudden urge) to examine the lessons. And each lesson (I promise) provided answers and that includes this lesson (someone please give an amen)!
So the answer I received tonight from God, I answer the lesson's question as follows:
"If we trust God for help, if our hope is in the Lord, we are blessed! Why? Because God never abandons, betrays, or neglects. He remains forever faithful.
Oppressed by circumstances? God remains faithful forever.
A prisoner to pain or past mistakes? God remains faithful forever.
Bowed down with the cares and pains of life? God remains faithful forever.
The God of the impossible (the same God of Jacob) is our faithful Helper.
Amen Nelson! God is faithful forever! What an encouraging thought.
Shirley I really appreciate your point and scripture references. We often pick and choose what to believe when a truth is uncomfortable to say the least or doesn't jive with what I want God to say about himself. And while I appreciate the benefit of understanding the culture and language context of the Bible, I believe we must be careful in our rush sometimes to defend God. After all, isn't HE big enough to handle the job of impressing us with the essence of those scriptures without the need for "explanations" from other sources?