Twitter Talk: Consummation

Showing posts with label Consummation. Show all posts

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Psalm 112:1-10 rA

... in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen. Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Psalm 112:1-10[1]

Praise the Lord.

Blessed [is] the man [who] fears the Lord, [who] delights greatly in His commandments. His seed shall be mighty on earth.[2]

The generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches [shall be] in his house. His righteousness endures forever. To the upright there rises light in the darkness. [He is] gracious, full of compassion, and righteous. A good man shows favor, and lends. He will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he shall not be moved forever. The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings. His heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. His heart [is] established. He shall not be afraid, until he see [its desire] on his enemies. He has dispersed. He has given to the poor. His righteousness endures forever. His horn shall be exalted with honor.[3]

The wicked shall see, and be grieved. He shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away. The desire of the wicked shall perish.[4]

[1] The unnamed psalmist moves from the topic of the blessed man to the upright or righteous man; and finally, to the wicked man. The phrase, “His righteousness endures forever,” shows us clearly that these first two are one and the same. Less clear is that Jesus is the perfection of this blessed-righteous man.

Nor is this the sort of self-righteousness that flows from human works-righteousness: for the core of this righteousness is the fear of the Lord. This fear, Jesus perfects, and then produces in us. The lending spoken of, is really giving: for nothing is expected in return. Jesus freely gives His body and blood. His only repayment is that we trust, love, and are grateful to Him for His immeasurable gift.

It is this perfection in the crucifixion and resurrection that results in Jesus coronation and seating on the throne of David (Acts 2:29-36). Jesus is the horn because He is the King. We will be exalted with Him and also reign with Him.

The wicked, who want Him dead, cannot stand or understand the fact of the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Their rage is very self-destructive. “Judas goes out and hangs himself.”

[2] The nature of the consummated kingdom of God between the Advents is one of steady growth (Daniel 2:34-35; 44-45; Philippians 2:5-11). In a world that has just passed the seven and a quarter billion population mark (August, 2014), The Church claims about one billion members. Since the promise of God is certain, we may be sure that this growth continues during perilous times, even when it appears that The Church is waning in this post-modern era. Indeed the open persecution of the post-modern age may prove to be the final era of greatest Church growth: for it is persecution that calls forth the most noble of Christian behavior.

[3] The nature of the consummated kingdom of God between the Advents tends toward kindness and prosperity. It is not that being a Christian is about accruing wealth. On the contrary, Christian life is about humility and humiliation: embracing poverty, tribulation, and even crucifixion (Matthew 10:22-23; 16:24-28; Mark 8:34-38; Luke 9:23-27; Acts 7:54-56; 9:3-6; Philippians 1:29-30; 3:17-21; 2 Timothy 3:12; Revelation 1:10-11; all of Revelation). On the other hand, Christian life is about giving, not getting; about building rather than about razing; and that tends toward a prosperity shared by the whole world (1 Corinthians 5:3-17). I may not realize any gain in this life, but my fellow men and women shall, if they come to believe.

[4] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish. No rights are reserved. They are designed and intended for your free participation. They were freely received, and are freely given. No other permission is required for their use.

Friday, July 25, 2014

Psalm 137:1-9 rA

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Psalm 137:1-9[1]

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down. Yes, we wept when we remembered Zion. We hung our harps on the willows in the middle of it: for there, those who carried us away captive required of us a song. Those who wasted us [required of us] mirth, [saying], “Sing us the songs of Zion.”

How shall we sing the Lord’s song in an alien land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget. If I do not remember you, let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy. Remember, Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem, who said, “Raze, raze, to its foundation.”

O daughter Babylon, who are to be destroyed, blessed [is he], who rewards you as you have served us. Blessed [shall he be], who takes and dashes your little ones against the stones.[2] [3]

[1] Truly, there is a Psalm for every season and emotion of man. The Psalms of David are set around 1000 BC. This Psalm is set after 586 BC, after the Babylonian Captivity and Exile. The psalmist is bathed in anger, bitterness, and grief. He is able to see and understand the promise of God to Solomon, that God answers all prayer directed to Him, and His Temple in Jerusalem, on Mount Zion: so he prays accordingly. However, Solomon’s Temple is destroyed, it seems like the end of the world to this psalmist, and he is not yet able to grasp that there is, and always was, a heavenly Jerusalem, a heavenly Zion, and a heavenly Temple, far greater than Solomon’s Temple. So he clings to his earthly memory through his tears of anger, bitterness, and grief. In such a state the psalmist lashes out at all around him. This is a normal part of the grieving process. In fact we see several aspects of the grieving process in play here: anger (obviously), denial (he can’t quite face the fact that the Temple and everything in it is gone), negotiation (“let my tongue”, etc.), depression (“how shall we sing”, etc.). The only thing missing is acceptance: the psalmist cannot yet see God’s grace and mercy in his misery, and he cannot yet embrace his captivity as a blessing from God. So the fact that the psalmist lashes out is to be expected: he utters a wicked and terrifying oath. “Blessed [shall he be], who takes and dashes your little ones against the stones.”

Before we judge the psalmist harshly, or even at all, perhaps we should consider some harsh realities.

The psalmist has witnessed living babies being killed by hammering them against rocks. There are people who have witnessed firsthand Dresden, Hiroshima, Tokyo, Oklahoma City, or New York. These are terrible soul scarring experiences: these witnesses will never fully recover. It seems as if everything except breath itself has been take away from them: they wait, only to die, and thus, at last, forget.

In grief, the psalmist says things that (s)he would not say or mean, were (s)he in a better, more recovered frame of mind. The psalmist would be able to embrace the reality, knowing that “what men intended for evil, God intended for good.” Knowing, (s)he would eventually be able to forgive. Knowing, we come to realize that these terrible tragedies are not driven by mere human will; but rather by demonic forces far beyond human power.

Grief often takes years for recovery. We all experience grief at some time or other: all of us die, all of us see death. We hope for patience and understanding as we struggle with grief. It’s not something we will just snap out of: we have to endure the experience and its raging gamut of emotions. We should extend the same patience and understanding to this poor psalmist.

The real beauty of this Psalm is found in the psalmist’s naked honesty: (s)he is just being honest with God. Would to God that our prayer would achieve such honesty. This is a Psalm for grief.

In spite of all these things, we must see a strong note of the consummation of the kingdom in this Psalm. “We wrestle not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12).” Our adversary is Satan, who deceives and manipulates the leaders of this world. Consequently, taking vengeance is forbidden to us. On the other hand, the judgment of Yahweh is coming upon this world. In Christ, we will participate in that judgment. “Blessed [shall he be], who takes and dashes your little ones against the stones.” Blessed is Christ, Who brings the final and just judgment. In the Consummation, all anguish, bitterness, and sorrow will be swallowed up in victory. ΙΣ ΧΣ ΝΙΚΑ!

[2] Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45; 5:25, 30; 7:4, 11, 18, 22, 26-27

[3] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish. No rights are reserved. They are designed and intended for your free participation. They were freely received, and are freely given. No other permission is required for their use.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Psalm 130:1-8

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Psalm 130:1-8[1]

A Song of Ascent.

From the depths have I cried to You, Lord.

Lord, hear my voice. Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication. If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who shall stand? But [there is] forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.

I wait for the Lord. My soul waits. I hope in His word. My soul [waits] for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning. [I say, more than] those who watch for the morning.

Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord [there is] mercy. With Him [is] plentiful redemption. He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.[2]

[1] This is a Psalm based on a lament. We think it strange that a Psalm based on tears should be mixed with prayers about the consummation of the kingdom. Yet, here we are. Jesus has proclaimed the year of Eternal Jubilee (Luke 4:18-21). Even so we are to bear our cross for the nature of the First Advent age is of Crucifixion and Resurrection: so our joy is mingled with suffering and tears (Matthew 16:24-28; Mark 8:34-9:1; Luke 9:23-27; John 12:25). Again, we are confronted with our constant need for confession, expiation, and absolution (John 13:1-17; Romans 10:9-10; 1 John 1:8-10). Suffering and tears are of the nature of the consummation of the kingdom prior to the Second Advent. This is the normal part of the Bride, The Church being made ready (Revelation 19:7). Here is a Mystery: that which was consummated in Luke 4, is not yet consummated, which is the Mystery of the Two Advents. The purpose of this Mystery is that men might learn to fear God.

Since these things are the true nature of the kingdom, man’s task is to pray, and to pray, and to pray. Nowadays, prayer is looked down upon as an unnecessary waste of time. The greater reality is that most of our activity is a useless waste of time, a futile spinning of the wheels in the mud. For the fact of the kingdom is that we are suck in the mud, and have no means of our own to extricate ourselves. Cross bearing, following, confession, communion, and prayer are the sum and substance of the real world from our perspective: of these, prayer is by far the most important. Be that as it may, our prayers are often misdirected (James 4:1-10). We spend too much time asking God for things, when we should be thanking Him for what He has already provided. God does not need a laundry list of things we think we need: for He already knows our real needs far better than we do, and He has already provided that all of these real needs be completely met. We should devote our time to thanking God for His overwhelming generosity, and interceding for those we see are in genuine want. Our prayer should be for those who seem unable to stop war, that they would understand the error of their ways. Our prayer should be for six billion or more people on earth who do not know Christ, that they would hear the Gospel and believe it. Our prayer should be for the one billion or so people who name the name of Christ, yet do not know how to get along with each other, or how to speak with one voice of agreement.

The psalmist notes that it is not the unbelieving world that needs to hope in God: for the unbelieving world does not even understand that for which they should hope. It is Israel who must hope. It is The Church who must hope: for the hope of believers lifts the whole Universe up to God for cleansing, healing, and redemption. If The Church does not hope for the world in prayer, then no one else will. We are the ones who have been given understanding.

[2] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish. No rights are reserved. They are designed and intended for your free participation. They were freely received, and are freely given. No other permission is required for their use.