DAVID'S EMAIL BIBLE STUDY:
A. BACKGROUND
... the Psalms tell us how great God is, how worthy of our praise; and, by various descriptions, what God does. A few weeks ago we stepped briefly into the intersection of God and Nation, religion and politics, with the Psalms that emphasize God as King. The Psalms were written in the middle of Israel’s history, amidst all of their ups and downs. If God is the true King of Israel, who actually rules? And if it is God ruling, how, exactly, does that work when there is already some king or Queen on the throne? Where does God fit into national policy; or even battle plans?
C. SUMMARY.
In Psalm 2 the writer complains that all the nations around Israel are aligned against God, and therefore Israel. Verse 1, in older translations, is the famous line, “why do the heathens rage?” But Psalm 2 promises that God gets the last laugh. At the end of time the world will see that the God of Israel is the God of all. And that God’s Son (vs. 7 and 12) is the way to blessing. Psalm 44 is more specific, and earth bound. The Psalm writer tells God that all his life he has heard how God helped Israel to victory and to nationhood. They were a team. But “now”, in the writer’s age, God seems to have abandoned Israel. They are mocked and defeated by enemies; they are lost without God.
D. KEY POINTS
1.
Who’s in charge? The simple truth is the majority of the world believes “everything happens for a reason”, and most likely caused by God. Hindu “Karma”, Muslim “Inshallah” (God willing) are joined by prominent Christian fundamentalists who said that God actively allowed 9/11 as punishment for America’s sins (feminism, homosexuality, abortion). They all agree that whatever happens, good or bad, God did it, cause it, or allowed it. Psalm 44 echoes that view, and here and there the Bible mirrors that view. Psalm 44 directly declares that Israel’s great victories were NOT because of their sword, bow or skill (vs 3 and 6). Instead, God did it, orchestrated it, wanted it (2, 5, and 7). BUT, the rest of the Psalm is equally clear. Israel’s defeats, losses, and disgrace are also directly caused by God. “You have rejected us, humbled us, made us retreat, gave us up, scattered us, sold us, crushed us (9-19)”. But the Psalm can’t figure out why. Usually the Old Testament writers point out that we get what we deserve. In this crisis, God is just “asleep” (vs. 23). When you believe that everything is God’s doing, when bad things happen, there are only two reasons: God is mad, or God is out of touch. Enter: FREE WILL. Free will begins real early in the Bible. Adam and Eve are told not to eat the apple. They eat the apple. The Israelites are brought to the Promised Land. They refuse to go. There are 10 Commandments since 4,000 years ago. They’ve all been broken a zillion times. Yes, there are consequences. But God is not a master puppeteer, pulling our strings. God is the Creator. We are the created. With free will.
2.
So, NOT WHAT? It’s in the Psalms that God is King, and that God engineers both victory and defeat. What do we do? The Bible is a process of understanding God’s will and way. The Bible is pro-capital punishment in the Old Testament. Yet when Cain kills Abel he gets away scot free. King David commits adultery and is described as a man after God’s own heart. Peter denies Christ and becomes the head of the church. Thomas doubts, and then commits. Paul kills Christians, then spreads Christianity all over the place. The New Testament is “New” because it offers a fresh perspective. It doesn’t wipe away past ideas but chooses to learn from the past. For example, the Christlike perspective cannot be that God caused or allowed the Holocaust because Jews deserved it. It’s because free will bad people chose to do it or allow it.
3.
David’s Bottom Line? Praise God for the right things that are beyond human endeavor. Don’t blame God for the bad things done by human endeavor.
